Doing What You Say
Frank Heyworth
"Do what you say"
The corollary of a transparent system for communicating standards is the setting up of systems for making sure that they are maintained. There are a number of approaches to doing this in a school setting.
- Self-assessment. From time to time it is useful for an institution to go through a process of self-assessment. By using a structured questionnaire or checklist, first individually and then in groups, it is possible to get an idea of whether standards are being applied and maintained. There are frequently differences of perception between, for example, teachers and management or the schools and its learners, so it is useful to make sure that all stakeholders have opportunities to take part in the self-assessment process. Here is an extract from a self-assessment questionnaire for teachers:
C Course Planning (Teachers)
09.
What tools do you use for course planning?
10. Is there
a curriculum or course programme?
________Yes________No
________Comment
11. Do you have a copy, or know where to find one?
________Yes________No
________Comment
12. Do you refer to it when planning your teaching?
________Yes________No
________Comment
13. Do you get sufficient information about your
classes before they start?
________Yes________No
________Comment
14. In general, are the students' expectations of the course content realistic?
________Yes________No
________Comment
15. In general, are the students' expectations of the teaching methods
used realistic?
________Yes________No
________Comment
(from A Guide to Self-Assessment, Hilary Maxwell - Hyslop, London
2000)
And from a questionnaire for learners in a language school:
01. What are 3
things you like about the school?
02. Was it easy to get information about
the school and to enrol?
03. Could you do the course you wanted at
a convenient time?
04. Is the school as you expected (e.g. teaching
methods used, fellow students etc)?
05. What things are different?
06. Is there anything you would have liked
to have known about the school before
___you enrolled which you know now? (e.g.
examinations available)
07. a.
When you arrived, was it easy to find your way around the school?
___b. What made it easy?
__--c. If not, why?
08. Is it easy to get information?
__ l
From staff?
__ l
From written documentation?
__ l
From the notice-boards - which ones do you look at regularly?
09. Do you find the staff friendly and approachable?
10. Do you know what to do if (or where to find out what you should do)
if you
__ l
were worried that you weren't making progress
__ l
wanted to take an examination?
__ l
wanted to change the time of your class?
__ l
wanted to enrol for another course?
__ l
had a query abut your course fees?
__ l
had a complaint
__ l
heard the alarm bell go
If the students generally know the answers
to these questions, ask them how they found out
(e.g. written information, told on first day etc).
11. Do you know what might happen if
__ l
you were persistently late for class?
__ l
you were absent for a number of lessons without giving advance notice?
If the students generally know the answers
to these questions, ask them how they found out
(e.g. written information, told on first day etc).
12. Do you think the premises and classrooms are suitable for your classes?
__ (e.g. big enough, suitably equipped etc.)
13. Do you have any suggestions for the school?
(from A Guide to Self-Assessment, Hilary Maxwell - Hyslop)
Quality assurance is not possible without the involvement of all those
concerned and this makes regular self-assessment a particularly important
instrument in setting up systems for maintaining standards. Clearly, however,
awareness of problems and how the learning activities are perceived must
be complemented by procedures for putting things right. Teaching is the
core activity of schools and therefore it is essential that there are
systems for regular observation of teaching activities. The idea of teaching
observation is often confused with inspection and sanctions, but there
are numbers of ways in which it can be organised to be more constructive
and positive:
- peer observation, where teachers observe each other's classes and exchange feedback. This can be organised within a mentoring system with a more experienced teacher providing help and advice to a less experienced one, or "teacher tandems", where two teachers work together co-operatively for a six month period. Peer observation works best if it is designed to provide information rather than evaluation and checklists can be devised which provide frames for observing specific areas of teaching - the participation of members of the class, the amount of teacher / learner talking time etc. Peer observation heeds proper time allocation to free teachers to be able to observe and to allow time for proper feedback.
- observation by a teacher trainer who acts in a counselling and training mode and takes time to build up teaching skills.
- observation of video lessons in training activities can be a useful way of focussing on techniques; there are published sets of extracts from lessons or they can be from lessons videoed in the institution. If this is done, it is good practice to let the teacher concerned choose and edit what s/he wants to show to colleagues.
- observation by the academic manager responsible for teaching standards is a necessary part of quality assurance. Standards for observation procedures would usually include good advance notice of the observation, a checklist seen in advance by the teacher concerned and enough time for systematic feedback afterwards.
Systematic observation will lead to continued work to maintain and develop standards. It may also lead to a realisation that steps must be taken to make changes or improvements. This will lead to the development of projects, accompanied by in-service training. There is frequently resistance to change in schools and it is important that change projects should be properly organised and the cost of change assessed.
The cost of change is not, of course, simply to be seen in terms of money,
but in effort, use of resources etc. An institution applying steps for
quality assurance is likely to be one that is always learning and seeking
to improve continuously. It is, nevertheless, dangerous to be in a state
of constant change and useful to confirm and reinforce the things which
are being done well.
A possible procedure is:
– Check what you are doing
– Is it OK?
– If yes, confirm it
– If no, innovate
The confirmation of good practice is as important as the innovation phase.
The Guide for the Evaluation and Design of Quality Language (A Guide for the Evaluation and Design of Quality Language learning and teaching Programmes and Materials, European Commission 2000) learning and teaching Programmes and Materials, of the European Commission divides the process of quality assurance into the three phases of Design, Implementation and Outcome and provides series of checklists, in print and interactively on CD-ROM, to assess practice against statements of good practice.
Pause for reflection
What arrangements do you have in your institution for:
- observing the teaching activities?
- providing help for less experienced teachers?
- regular review through organised self-assessment?
- innovating through projects?
- focused in-service training?
- comparing practice with best practice?
