I think back to my early days of teaching fondly. I was so excited to share my ideas with the world, and yet I know now how naive I was in many ways. As a newbie music teacher, I did not have in-depth knowledge or training in the area of classroom management. When I was completing my student teaching, I was paired up with master teachers with years of successful classroom management techniques under their belt, and took the perfect behavior of the students in front of me for granted. When I had my own classroom as a first-year teacher, I was shocked to find that Kindergarten students, for example, needed much direction to even line up at the door. I was ready to jump into the Kindergarten music standards, and I was surprised at how much classroom management and routines came into play in order to ensure that the standards could be taught successfully.
After a few months of reflecting and researching, I noticed that there were many teachers within my building with excellent classroom management strategies. I partnered with a few teachers and asked to visit their classrooms during my preparation time. I took notes and found myself quickly “borrowing” techniques from teachers that seemed easy and accessible. One of my favorites was the teacher who said “I’ll wait until you’re ready” and looked pointedly at her class until they quickly quieted down, realizing the volume of their chatter. Once I had some tools in my toolbox, my confidence started to soar. I became like the teachers who I saw as master teachers and role models, and, later in my career, like to think that I had the impact on my students that they did due to positive classroom management techniques.
Now in my 22nd of year of education, and in my 12th year as an administrator, I strongly support the idea of teachers visiting other classrooms in order to gain knowledge in areas in which they may need help or inspiration. Principals in my district are asked to encourage teachers who are being evaluated, for example, to visit eight different classrooms during the course of the year and reflect upon the positives that they see in the classroom. Other teachers on Performance Improvement Plans are also asked to visit classrooms, but these visits are more pointed and directed. Administrators can recommend classrooms to visit and look-fors for the reflection document. The feedback that I have received after helping set up these classroom visits has been incredibly positive. Teachers feel that they are able to gain a new perspective on a common academic goal within the building, for example, or build collaboration between teachers in different academic areas. My favorite take-away for teachers is that it helps them hold themselves to a higher standard when learning from others who are masters in their craft.
When I asked a master teacher within my district why she likes to invite other teachers into her classroom, she had a lot of wonderful ideas to share. One of her favorite benefits is the feedback that she receives from the visiting teachers. She appreciates having another set of eyes in order to “perfect a lesson.” In addition, the validation that she receives from other teachers who also may be struggling with pacing or covering the standards fully in the time allotted helps her feel more confident in her teaching ability. Simply hearing that other teachers are feeling the same way or having the same struggles can be very powerful. In addition, hearing positive feedback from colleagues that what you are doing is making a difference can be the positive injection in the school year that is needed to help push student achievement even more in the classroom. In her words, “we have so many talented, hardworking educators that surround us, so it is absolutely vital that we tap into that resource. Through this, we will not only grow as a professional, but also provide support for each other through the immense task of educating the future, as well as being role models and leaders in our school community for our students.”
Another master teacher in my district helps to set up peer-to-peer observations within her large, urban-ring middle school. Each year, her initiative grows stronger and gains more traction within the building. When I asked her what motivates her to continue supporting this initiative, she had many positive reasons to share. She enjoys helping inspire both new teachers and veteran teachers, because she feels that these observations help all teachers gain new ideas for their lessons. The collaboration and feedback that is shared between teachers and disciplines is inspiring, and she adds, “sometimes just a small change in the way something is done or something is worded can make a huge difference.” She finds that veteran teachers, in particular, can benefit from visiting other classrooms to help increase their knowledge base about teaching styles and techniques that help reach students who may not react positively to older, more traditional teaching methods. Encouraging veteran teachers to visit other master teachers’ classrooms can give them ideas on how to increase student engagement and discourse through hands-on activities that may not be present in a traditional classroom that relies mainly on direct instruction.
Overall, I believe that classroom observations are a powerful tool for all teachers, both new to the profession and veterans in the field. In addition, opening classrooms to teachers can have many positive benefits to the master teachers, as well. I encourage teachers and building leaders to look into the benefits of this collaborative best practice within the teaching profession. It costs nothing other than a bit of effort to help set up the observations and the time needed to take part in the observation process.
