Teacher Observation for Development in a Greek Merchant Marine Academy
- 1 12, Patriarhou Fotiou St, 13121 Ilion, Greece
Abstract
Teacher observation in the classroom is a way through which teachers can monitor and have a clearer reflection of their teaching practices. Observation aids in personal development and in changing one’s perspective. It is also a way to collect input in the classroom and differentiate one’s teaching practices. This paper is a description for a class observation session; it presents a case where two teachers in a Greek Merchant Marine Academy —an English teacher and a mechanical engineer—were engaged in classroom observation. More particularly, the engineer observed the English teacher in one of her classes. First, an observation schema was decided upon by the two teachers. The schema assessed the teaching material used as well as the teaching content and teacher-learnercommunication patterns. Findings showed strong and weak points in teaching like the small percentage of learnertaking initiatives in communication and overall, helped in re-designing lessons and in revising teaching practices. This is a method that can lead to teacher development.
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