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Monitoring teaching acts 305
teachers wish. The procedural steps illustrated above require a con- siderable amount of time and effort on the part of teachers at the outset, but, as they get used to it, they may be able to monitor their teaching acts with relative ease and comfort. It is useful for teach- ers to videotape their classes periodically, each time focusing on dif- ferent aspects of teaching, thus collecting a rich source of informa- tion about their teaching. In fact, re-viewing their videos collected over a period of time is sure to give them an idea of the changing profile of themselves as teachers. Keep in mind that, after all, “as in all things, change in teaching behaviours is neither painless nor lin- ear” (Thornbury, 1996, p. 287).
Exploratory Research Projects
Here are three possible projects in classroom observation for prospective and practicing teachers. Project 13.1 relates to infor- mation-gathering about your classroom performance. Project 13.2 is about the analysis and interpretation of classroom data already provided for you. Project 13.3 is rather challenging and relates to classroom observation including observation, data collection, analy- sis, and interpretation.
Project 13.1: Logging to Learn
13.1.0 This project is specifically designed for those who may be un- able to videotape their classes and also for those who may be looking for ways to monitor their teaching acts between videotaping sessions. The primary purpose of the project is to help you gather information about your teaching, so that you can keep track of what you do in your class. It involves keeping a log of how you perform as a teacher, hour by hour, for one full week.
13.1.1 Decide whether you want your log to take the form of a paper- and-pencil note-taking exercise, or an electronic journal in which you make your daily entry on your computer.
13.1.2 Select any one week during which you wish to monitor your teaching in order to keep a log. A possible choice is sometime in the middle of your semester, when beginning- and end-of-semester hassles are not present. Moreover, by the middle of the semester, you would have familiarized yourself with your students.