Lectures are a commonly used teaching method in higher education, but there is significant debate about the relative merits of different classroom practices. Various classroom observation tools have been developed to try to give insight into these practices, beyond the simple dichotomy of "traditional lecturing versus active learning".…

This study examines how mentoring through post observation conversations can provide opportunities for feedback and teacher reflection as part of teacher professional development. Using Conversation Analysis, and building on our previous work, we draw attention to procedural details by which a different role within the professional role-set is…

The National Quality Framework is used across Australia to drive quality improvement in early childhood settings. Unique to Western Australia, the National Quality Standard is also used in schools to improve quality in classrooms up to Year two (seven to eight years). However, the literature suggests the National Quality Standard is too broad with…

In this article, we present a revised version of the active learning classroom observation tool (ALCOT), designed in 2015, to support instructor reflection on instructional approaches applied within active learning classrooms. The design of active learning classrooms and teaching approaches within them have changed significantly since the initial…

Systematic classroom observation is often used in evaluating and enhancing the quality of classroom instruction. However, classroom observation can potentially suffer from human bias. In addition, the traditional classroom observation is too expensive for resource-constrained environments (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia). A…

Researchers and practitioners sometimes presume that using a previously "validated" instrument will produce "valid" scores; however, contemporary views of validity suggest that there are many reasons this assumption can be faulty. In order to demonstrate just some of the problems with this view, and to support comparisons of…

In math classrooms, actively engaging with the subject matter can be crucial to learning. However, not all students speak up, ask questions, or express their ideas. Aware of the importance of the equitable participation of all students, mathematics education experts developed an observation tool called Equity Quantified In Participation, or EQUIP.…

Due to the importance of teachers in providing quality education, research in the last two decades has consistently focused on their effectiveness. However, there are inconclusive debates in the literature on the nature of relationships that exist between different supervisory strategies and their links to teachers' job performance. This study…

Learner agency, or the ability to take control of one's own learning and the learning of others, is a substantial goal of the curricular reform across the world. This can be seen in the implementation of the 2013 curriculum (K13) in Indonesia. However, there has been little evidence regarding the ways that Indonesian teachers have engaged with…

The Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students (OLOS) Observation System was developed by the Early Learning Network's assessment team at the University of California, Irvine. OLOS is a user-friendly, web-based tool designed to help teachers understand what is happening in their classrooms and uncover ways to meet the unique learning needs of…

Effective mentors set clear expectations for their work with the teachers they support. This is a critical step in the process of building trust between mentor and mentee, and it is never more important than when mentors conduct observations of teachers as they engage in classroom instruction. With much teaching now occurring online, mentoring is…

Several state policies link high-stakes consequences to teacher evaluations, which tend to be heavily weighted by observation scores. However, research has only recently investigated the validity of these scores in field settings. This study examines the sensitivity of teacher observation scores to the number of observations assigned by state…

The use of student-centered instruction or active learning has been linked to higher rates of student success compared to traditional lecture. However, a mechanistic understanding of why active learning "works" has proven elusive. This dissertation explores active learning in Learning Assistant supported courses and makes the case for…

The objective of this paper is to present the conception and validation of the Quality of Educators' Observation and Planning Practices Scale (QEOPPS). The instrument assesses the quality of early childhood educators' observation practices (observing children, collecting information, using the collected information, paying attention to each child)…

One of the most important stages in preservice teacher training is the student teaching experience. The university supervisor (US) plays an integral role in this developmental stage by maintaining a connection between the cooperating teacher, student teacher (ST), and the university. While the traditional method of observing STs has been found to…