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Razzle Dazzle

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8Give em the old razzle dazzle,

razzle dazzle em

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Thompsoncroft ProductionsPresent:

Razzle Dazzle ‘em –Jumping through the hoops of

lesson observations in Further Education

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PICTURE

START

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Carol Thompson (carol.thompson@beds.ac.uk)

Peter Wolstencroft (peter.wolstencroft@beds.ac.uk)

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Research Question

What impact do formal lesson observations have on teaching and learning?

(what is the real impact?)

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Rise of managerialism ….. ‘cultural re-engineering’...

move towards an ‘entrepreneurial-competitive

model’ (Ball 1999).

Resulted in a rise in quality monitoring processes and

drive to conformity and compliance.

Increase in accountability for

managers brought about need for surveillance of

teacher activity (McTavish 2003).

Primacy of OFSTED criteria.

The Story so far……

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Why bother?

• Perceived need for measurement of performance ‘what gets measured gets done’ (Peters 1996).

• Codification of knowledge and production of teaching standards.

• Dismissal of tacit knowledge.

• Introjection of initiatives by management … creating a form of reified knowledge.

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For starters…….

• ‘Put teaching and learning at the heart of what we do’ and stresses the right of every learner to expect and receive teaching of excellence (DfES 2002:15).

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A few more ‘must haves’• The Assessment for Learning campaign.• The measurement and accommodation of

learning styles.• The need to demonstrate the development of

functional skills.• The need to show equality and diversity.• The need to highlight your use of ICT.• The active learning campaign.• And ….. Many many many more……………

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Who defines excellence?

• When QMs were asked ‘How is guidance for grading produced?’

‘One person in a room on her own. Presumably reading bits of the Ofsted Common Inspection Framework advice handbook. It was very much top down in terms of “I’m the Quality Manager, this is how we are doing it’”.

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• The rhetoric of graded lesson observations centred on improving the learner experience…… this was the case in all cases.

• Similarly, the experience of lesson observations was consistent.

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MethodologyInterviews took place in March and April 2013 and took a semi-structured approach. All interviews took place in the East Midlands and Greater London. The following groups were used:

Lecturers 20 interviews 10 locations (including General FE Colleges, prisons and adult

learning centres)

Quality Managers

5 interviews 4 locations (including General FE Colleges and adult learning

centres)

Initial Teacher Educators

5 interviews 5 locations (all General FE Colleges)

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Selection of Sample

Each group offered a different perspective:

• Policy Makers

• Implementers/developers

• Recipients

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General Findings Lesson observation schemes sold on the basis of

improving teaching and learning. All schemes using grading were effectively used for

performance monitoring (only one college moved to a non-graded scheme).

The OFSTED criteria were used by all colleges to grade lessons.

Prevailing cynicism amongst all participants. No tangible evidence that the system improved T&L. Quantitative evidence was produced to prove the

success. Teachers put on a show but do not want to be singled

out as outstanding, indeed they actively discouraged it.

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The InterludeWho said what?

• The quotes provided have been taken from the interviews …. with one exception.

• But…. who said what and which one is a work of fiction?

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Who said what?

• “I was happy to be observed as it really helped me reflect on my practice.”

• Any surprises?

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Tutor Responses – an overview• All tutors were required to have a formal

observation as part of their job.• All (bar one) respondents reported that

observations were graded.• Verbal feedback was given within 24 hours in 75%

of cases but written feedback was often delayed. • The modal average was a 4 day wait but there

were examples of a delay of several weeks. • In two cases, tutors were still waiting for feedback.

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Tutor responses – Part OneDo you carry out any special preparation for your observed session?

Yes – a great deal 70% of respondents

Yes - some 15% of respondents

None, the observed session is typical of my teaching 15 % of respondents

What are the consequences of obtaining a particular grade?

We receive a “reward” for getting a Grade One 45% of respondents

Receiving a grade 3 or 4 meant that additional observations were carried out

60% of respondents

Receiving a grade 4 meant that you were subject to competency procedures

25% of respondents

Respondents did not know the answer to this question

50% of respondents

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Tutor responses – Part TwoHow do you feel about the principle of graded observations?

They are a necessary part of the job 70% of respondents

They are scary and/or undermining 60% of respondents

They are a form of control 45% of respondents

Have you changed your professional practice as a consequence of the lesson observation process?

Yes (respondent provided multiple examples) 5% of respondents

Yes (respondents provided one example) 20% of respondents

No (respondents either answered no or could not provide an example)

75% of respondents

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Quality Managers and ITE Professionals - Overview

• A great deal of similarity between the answers of these two groups.

• All graded observations were based on the OFSTED criteria.

• ITE professionals often felt “caught in the middle” between tutors and senior managers.

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Quality Managers and ITE Professionals

Responses – Part OneHow are observers selected for their role?

They were in position for historical reasons 33% of respondents

They are observers due to their seniority in the organisation

53% of respondents

They were selected for their ability as teachers 13% of respondents

In your view, is the lesson observed typical of a lecturer’s teaching?

Yes 0% of respondents

No 60% of respondents

Maybe 40% of respondents

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Quality Managers and ITE Professionals Responses – Part Two

Have graded teaching observations improved teaching and learning within the organisation?

Yes 20% of respondents

No 20% of respondents

Maybe 60% of respondents

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Key Findings….

• Overall acceptance of the need to put on ‘a song and dance’.

• Recognition by all parties that this was the case.

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Lessons are all singing all dancing…

I do loads of additional prep. I revamp my scheme of work, the group profile is always updated, I meticulously do a session plan ….

Yeh, just make the lesson much much better than I would

normally have it. Not that I have bad lessons

but I try to make it super super good.

Yes, 100%, definitely, without a doubt. I plan

to the absolute maximum….

Oh yes, loads and loads…

Any special preparations?

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“Give ‘em an act with lots of flash in it…….and the reaction will be passionate”

A majority of tutors did something special for their observation lesson.

Lessons were generally not representative of normal practice.

Strategic compliance was evident (Gleeson and Shain 1999).

All participants recognised that they were jumping through hoops.

Quality managers recognised this but the need for quantitative data was prevalent.

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Give ‘em an act……I was told earlier by a colleague that the lady

observing me is keen on equality and diversity so I made sure that the groups

were very diverse.

People do put up ‘smoke and mirrors’ in terms of putting up a lovely show, a lovely

display….

No it isn’t and I don’t

believe anybody’s is…..

In the two hours you have to demonstrate a

bit of everything

Are observations

typical of teaching ?

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“How can they spot you’ve got no talent?”

Composition of observation teams often appeared to relate to seniority or historical factors.

Senior and Middle Managers used in many schemes. The majority did not teach.

Concept of reified knowledge used – linked to the idea that there is a template for a good lesson.

Suggestions were sometimes impossible to implement….. (Lollipops).

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“How can they spot you’ve got no talent?”

Well it wasn’t on the basis of any particular skill in

the role….

It is position, the position within the

college that determines whether you are an observer

or not.

The general perception I think is that they lack

credibility because they don’t teach.

(some) haven’t taught for years, so there are

issues…and theoretically it’s

conceivable that they weren’t all great

teachers.

How are observers selected ?

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“How can they hear the truth above the roar?”

Rise of compliance culture and the primacy of quality procedures a key factor…. ‘kiss the badge’…..

Conforming and performing.Success described by very narrow guidelines

but it is unclear where these came from.Stick used rather than carrot in most instances.

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“How can they hear the truth above the roar?”

..they have victims… they put extra pressure on them and I wonder if sometimes it is done to

force people out?

Part of me wonders if it is a bit of a stick to make sure that you

have all your paperwork 100% up

to date…

I agree with them completely… it’s not fair that really awful

teachers are allowed

to do the same job.

Observation seems this big scary monster and nobody

really knows.

What is the purpose….?

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“They’ll make you a star!”• Creators of the

system believe that it is based around a meritocracy where the best teachers get the best grades and that tutors want to do their best… to be ‘outstanding’

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“They’ll make you a star!”

If you don’t meet the criteria, then you don’t get a

pay rise.

(grade 1) you are invited to lunch

with the Principal…which I find objectionable

You are put on a list of people to come and peer

observe….

You follow a 3 to 1

programme…after that it’s capability.

What are the consequences

(for each grade)?

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A different reality….

• Rewards were often seen as onerous… the result was:

‘I have had people say to me “Please don’t give me a grade 1 because I don’t want to have to train my colleagues, just give me a two that’s

fine.” Well that’s just silly’

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“Give ‘em the old three ring circus….

Stun and stagger ‘em”

Lessons were often tailored to the criteria, but also to meet the individual needs of the observer.

Lecturers used ingenious means to find out who would be observing them.

Quality managers talked of grading the lesson but contradicted themselves by labelling tutors… ‘grade one teachers’.

Teachers thought they were being labelled and saw it as a punitive process.

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“Give ‘em the old 3 ring circus”If some good data

comes out of it then the senior managers love to

think that means the quality of teaching and

learning in the college is good …

It’s like.. You are a 3 so you are awful and you have to

build up your skills…

We know there are people who put on a

show.

The fear of God has been put into

us…

How do you feel about

observations?

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“They’ll let you get away with murder”

• No real evidence that it has improved teaching other than a quantitative ‘grades have gone up’ argument used by managers.

• Quality Managers generally agree with this.• Role of teacher educators is becoming

increasingly complex. In some colleges they are integrated into the process, in others they work completely separately.

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Where do we go from here?

• The majority of participants thought that a lesson observation process could be useful.

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However….

• There seem to be significant problems with the implementation.

• When asked for alternative suggestions …..

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• ‘I don’t know what the alternative would be…’• ‘I just think they are a bit artificial really and they

should be taken with a pinch of salt but I am wondering how else can a lesson be observed….’

• ‘Each year we should look at everyone’s practice and recognising what needs to be improved and the observations should jus be part of that rather than the sole focus.’

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Your ideas??