Are Observations Improving Teaching and Learning? What Six Key Pieces of Research Tell Us.

For the last quarter of a century teacher observations?have largely followed?the same model. Teachers and principals have a pre-observation conference where the teacher shares?what will be taught and the strategies to be used on the day of the observation. Teachers are then observed by?the principal who analyzes and?provides mandatory ratings?on a large number of areas of teaching practice. These "grades"?are on a four-point scale ranging?from some language variant of?“unsatisfactory” to “distinguished.” In the days following the observation, the process concludes with?a formal?meeting where the lesson is discussed,?and the principal shares the ratings/grades with teachers, both verbally and in written form, as well as suggestions for improvement. It's important to point out for reasons that will become clear later:?these?grades factor?into retention decisions.

So, with schools having spent the last two and a half decades using these observations, it’s time?to examine the research that's been done on these models. Are these observations improving teaching and learning? Why or why not? What actions in the teacher observation process do improve teaching and learning?

Let's start with the most fundamental question: Are These Teacher Observations Improving Teaching and Learning?

In the last few years two major research studies have provided clear and aligned answers.

1.?In 2018, the final results of The Gates Foundations’ seven-year, $575 million, Measures of Effective Teaching Project study, designed to “improve the quality of teaching, improve student learning outcomes, and graduation rates through the development of a more robust teacher evaluation process,” was published. The results show,?“No sustained improvement.”

2. In 2021,?the results of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform meta study, examining all state mandated teacher evaluation reform efforts in the US over a nine-year period, from 2009 thru 2018, was published. Their?results show, “No improvement.”

These results provide proof for what most of us already intuitively knew, these well intended models of observation (think Danielson, Marzano, or any model that rates pedagogy) are not?improving teaching and learning.

Are There Clues?that Tell Us Why These Observations Aren’t Improving Teaching and Learning?

What’s going on? Why aren't these models?improving teaching and learning? Numerous education experts have provided warnings on the difficulty of observations trying to both support growth and evaluate teachers.

Goldhammer, in "Clinical Supervision" the three-step model described above:?pre-observation conference,?observation,?post observation conference, wrote that?it is important to, "separate the observation that we do to support growth from the observation that we do to make retention decisions (1969)."?

Charlotte Danielson herself, in?"Teacher Evaluation to Enhance Professional Practice,"?acknowledges, "the seeming incompatibility of the observation process for growth and evaluation (2000)."?

Stronge and Tucker in "Handbook on Teacher Evaluation: Assessing and Improving Performance," spoke of the difficulty of combining professional growth and accountability, writing that, "they are often described as mutually exclusive (2003)."?

Expert concerns on observations trying to support growth while also evaluating now expressed, the next question is:

What Does the?Research Say?

3. A 1984 US Department of Education report,?"Teacher Evaluation: A Study of Effective Practices," studied school districts with highly developed teacher evaluation systems, saw a pattern, and posed a question: “Can one observation tool serve two purposes? Can it be used to both support growth and to make evaluative decisions?” Their answer,?“No. A single teacher evaluation process can serve only one goal well (1984).”

I'm left wondering, why?have these?hints and?research results repeatedly?been ignored, even by people who created these modern models??There were warnings in the 60’s and 70’s (Cogan), a department of education research?report in the 80’s, and warnings again in the 2000’s and 10's (Brophy and Gordon). yet people created models designed to observe for growth and for evaluation. It is baffling.

Maybe they?just didn’t know what research piece number four tells us.

What Happens When One Tool Serve Two Purposes, Evaluation for Retention and Observation for Growth?

4. O’Leary, who has dedicated his career studying teacher observation?provides the answer. O'Leary interviewed thousands of teachers on their experience with teacher observations and shared the results in "Classroom Observation."?His research shows that,?“When we evaluatively grade teachers it inhibits their growth and relational trust diminishes. The result is teachers become cautious and fearful, and stop taking risks and innovating in their practice (2014).”

Marshall Rosenberg in "Nonviolent Communication" adds clarity, “When we combine observation with evaluation, we decrease the likelihood that others will hear our intended message. Instead, they are apt to hear criticism and thus resist what we are saying (2015).” In our setting that means teachers end up being so concerned about the grade/rating, they don’t hear the praise and end up resisting support–no matter how kind, well intentioned and empathetic we happen to be.?

In the end, when one tool tries to serve two purposes, the evaluating of pedagogy stops the growth, and as we'll see soon, it all has to do with the role of trust in relationships.

What Actions Can Be Used in the Teacher Observation Process to Improve Teaching and Learning?

Bryk and Schneider studied Chicago Public Schools during?a time of major reform and their research results published in, "Trust in Schools"?provide the answer and it's so simple.

5. Their research on what helps schools improve shows that fostering growth through the observation process requires relational trust, writing, “Relational trust is central to academic achievement…it reduces a teacher's sense of vulnerability and that acts as a catalyst for change by minimizing feelings of risk, that creates the space for teachers to feel safe experimenting with new practices.” Their research also shows that, “schools with high relational trust were three times as likely to improve literacy and math scores (2002)."

In other words, we have to build relational trust, differentiated relational trust, with each teacher so they feel safe taking risks to improve their practice. The rating of pedagogy, despite our most compassionate best efforts, has largely made it impossible for us as school leaders to build the type of trust necessary to foster growth.?

What Else Matters?

6. A manageable observation form matters. TNTP’s Fixing Classroom Observation paper provides the sixth piece of research for us. Their paper showed that, “When observers have more than 10 areas of pedagogy to look for, observations start to resemble superficial checklists. An observer’s time is better spent focusing on a small number of essential components of a successful lesson–we should put observation rubrics on a diet (2015).”

So, we must have a manageable observation form that allows observers to see the forest through the trees. The trees, the individual practices teachers use are important, but even more so is seeing the overall craft and art of teaching used in the classroom.?

Where Do These Research Results Lead Us?

We know that these observation models, as they currently function, are not improving teaching and learning, we know why, and we know what does work. The research leads us to understand that it's far past time for a transformative shift in the way we do teacher observations. Trust-Based Observations is that shift.

What Do?Trust-Based Observations (TBO) do?

TBO aligns with the research. As counterintuitive as it sounds, TBO uses the observation process, particularly the follow up reflective conversation, to build trusting relationships so teachers feel safe experimenting, innovating and taking risks to improve. The results are improved teaching and learning, a culture of trust, and as John Hattie describes TBO, “demonstrating collective teacher efficacy in action.”?

What specifically does TBO do??

It begins by:?

• Separating evaluation from observation
• Not rating pedagogy?
• Working precisely during the reflective conversations to build relational trust.

It continues with building mastery. We train school leaders to:

• Use the revolutionary observation form that doubles as a hyperlinked professional resource tool
• Hone their observation lens in nine core, research backed, specific and detailed areas of pedagogy
• Identify and share those observed pedagogical strengths.

Add in:

• Connecting PD to TBO areas of pedagogy, annual goals, and teacher choice
• Frequent 20 minute unannounced observations so observers see authentic teaching
• Valuing teachers as professionals by beginning reflective conversations by asking teachers:?

And the results are:?

Leaders Say:?

• “The changes we have seen in teacher practice at the start of this year is nothing short of remarkable!”
• “It has already started to accelerate the trajectory of improvement within everyday classroom practice. The teachers feel excited again!”
• The staff have all made comments that this is the way we are doing things now. Let us have a go. Let us take the risk.”

Teachers Say:

• “I am being told what my strengths are and that is making me want to work to be even better.”
• “TBO is really helpful, it was so amazing. I have never had a discussion like this.”?
• “Totally empowering.”

So, there are two options:

1. Continue doing observations the same way the last generation has and expect a different result “this time”
2. Model healthy risk-taking for teachers in our building by embracing a new method of observation that inspires growth and creates a culture of trust.?

The choice is yours.

We’re on a mission to grow the world of teacher observations and we’d love to help you implement TBO?at your school. We work with schools and tailor training to the needs of the schools/districts, and we work with schools to find ways to make it affordable. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Set up a free meeting to learn more:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? https://calendly.com/trustbasedobservations/craig-randall-trust-based-observations ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

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