Classroom Observation Toolkit for Early Grade Reading Improvement
This toolkit provides guidance on how to improve the design, implementation and use of classroom observation instruments.
Overview
This Toolkit summarizes key principles related to classroom observation and provides guidance for developing high-quality observation instruments for use in primary grade reading interventions. This guidance is informed by a review of relevant literature and evaluation reports, responses from a survey on EGR classroom observation experience, and a sample of observation instruments from EGR programs globally. To assist governments and programs in developing high-quality observation instruments, the Toolkit also includes observation templates that can be adapted for different purposes and contexts.
Key recommendations on how EGR programs can design high-quality instruments and effectively apply the information gathered from these instruments:
- Identify the purpose of conducting classroom observations.
- Engage diverse stakeholders and technical experts.
- Develop or adapt a high-quality instrument.
- Pilot a draft instrument.
- Develop protocols for the classroom observation.
- Identify, train and support classroom observers.
- Administer the classroom observation instrument.
- Disseminate and use observation results.
This Toolkit provides recommendations based on the available research on effective design and use of classroom observation, and current experiences using observation to support EGR improvement. Additional research, reflection and collaboration are needed on the following:
- improved planning to allow for sufficient time to develop and pilot instruments;
- improved quality assurance to better align instruments with their purpose and to make them more reliable, valid, user-friendly and feasible to implement;
- expanded focus of classroom observation to move beyond teachers’ adherence to specific lesson plans to include more emphasis on the quality of teaching and learning; and
- increased sharing of experiences to generate more best practices and tools.