Well Rounded Teachers: The Efficacy of Rounds in Teacher

Education

Jane Zenger, Ph.D.Joanna Gilmore, M.Ed. John Payne, M.A.T.

Introduction

NCLB call for “highly qualified teachers”

Research indicates that teachers learn best by doing (Darling-Hammond, 2007)

Impetus for pre-service field experiences and internships

Teacher Education Needs at USC

NEED FOR MORE… classroom observations during different

phases of the teacher education program exposure to a variety of classrooms and

pedagogical practices in-depth reflection with Master teachers

Literature Review

Rounds Defined– Supervised classroom observation followed by open discussion– Based on medical model

Limited information available about effectiveness in teacher education

Available information:– Useful in demonstrating specific teaching practices, curriculum, or teaching in

specific contexts (Del Prete, 1997)– Useful for discussing exploring the impact of classroom/school culture (Virtue,

2006-2007) – Can evoke rich reflection as individuals from different backgrounds and

perspectives converse (Del Prete, 1997) – Can help teachers connect theory with practice (Thompson and Cooner, 2001)– Opportunity to observe children in special needs and related arts classes (Crews

& Zenger, 2006)

Project Background

USC project to improve clinical experiences for pre-service teachers and to provide support for induction-year teachers

Conducted in 7 Professional Development Schools

Identification of – master teachers renowned for

pedagogical practices– university faculty and teacher

educators to facilitate discussion

Master Teacher

USC Faculty

The Rounds Experience

30-60 minute observation– Elementary, Middle, and

High schools– Content area classes,

ESOL classes, special education classes

30 minute debriefing session

Follow-up questionnaire

Observation

Debriefing

The Evolution of Rounds:Who and Where

141 participants across eight years– Undergraduates and master’s students

Secondary Content Classes MAT

(Cross Disciplinary with Arts & Science Faculty)

2005-2009

2009-2010

Middle School MAT and Undergrads

( AAP, Resource, ESL)

ElementaryMAT and Undergrads

(Master/NBC Resource and Multi-age Teachers)

MAT Business Education Students

(Resource & Special Ed. Teachers)

Tech. College Students

(Induction Year& Science Lab Teachers)

Undergrads in course examining learning

environments

Comparing culture of two elementary classrooms

2002-2005

Undergrads in course examining learning

environments

Comparing two diverse elementary classrooms

The Rounds Questionnaire

What do you notice about classroom management and the structure of the lesson that might facilitate instruction?

What comments and/ or concerns do you have for the teacher regarding the lesson, classroom management, and/ or teaching strategy that you observed?

What impressed you most during this session? Do you think the idea of rounds is a good idea in the

internship? Please give your feedback to help us refine the use of rounds

for future internships.

Method

Thematic analysis (Aronson, 1994; Boyzatis, 1998)

Quantification of qualitative data (Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009)

Perceived Usefulness of Rounds

Category N %

Yes 132 93.6%

Partially 6 4.3%

No 3 2.1%

Total 141 100.0%

“Yes! I love rounds because I get to see so many different teachers and I learn SO MUCH within the 30 min time frame. I can see the way teachers use different assessment methods, different methods for getting students back on task, different teaching styles, and different teaching philosophies. Rounds is a wonderful idea!”

Beneficial Components of Rounds

Theme N %

See diversity of teachers and pedagogical practices 65 58.0%

Classroom management techniques 16 14.3%

Did not specify 11 9.8%

Good for career changers 10 8.9%

Value of debriefing with master teacher 6 5.4%

Exposure to English Language Learners and special education students 4 3.6%

Total 112 100.0%

“I love rounds because I get to see so many different teachers and I learn SO MUCH within the 30 minute time frame. I can see the way teachers use different assessment methods, different methods for getting students back on task, different teaching styles, and different teaching.”

Classroom Management

Theme N %

The learning environment 42 25.3%

The teacher was engaging and/or encouraged participation 34 20.5%

Specific pedagogical practice or classroom management technique 25 15.1%

Moving around/attentive to students, active classroom 19 11.4%

Modeling, giving examples, demonstrating behavior 17 10.2%

Being positive/positive reinforcement 13 7.8%

Grouping students 12 7.2%

Needs improvement/no control 4 2.4%

Total 166 100.0%

Note. The total number of themes identified exceeds the number of participants because participants often cited multiple themes.

“[The teacher I observed] said the class creates the classroom together. She barely buys store bought things; it is mostly kid’s work and their ideas.”

Impressive Elements of Teaching

Theme N %

Pedagogical practice 45 29.8%

Teacher's personality, personal traits 35 23.2%

Students' behavior, discipline 32 21.2%

Students' work, involvement, engagement 25 16.6%

Content ability/practice 10 6.6%

Not impressed 2 1.3%

Other 2 1.3%

Total 151 100.0%

Note. The total number of themes identified exceeds the number of participants because participants often cited multiple themes.

“There were some children that could write really well, while others had trouble spelling some of the basic words. The children are placed in groups based on there [sic] ability level, so no one feels dumb compared to everyone else in the group, which is so important for a child’s self-esteem.”

Theme N %

Pedagogy issues 52 31.9%

Disciplining techniques, students' behavior 36 22.1%

Engaging students, being positive, creating community 31 19.0%

Learning environment 18 11.0%

Organization, preparation, and lessons 14 8.6%

Content issues 8 4.9%

Not impressed 2 1.2%

Did not respond 1 0.6%

Other 1 0.6%

Total 163 100.0%Note. The total number of themes identified exceeds the number of participants because participants often cited multiple themes.

Comments and Concerns

“I was most interested to ask…how she deals with so much diversity in her classroom. I was not aware when we were observing that there were seven students missing that didn’t speak English.”

Conclusion

Focus on classroom management similar to previous research on beginning teachers (Fuller & Bown, 1975; Kagan, 1992)

Pre-service teacher reported that rounds were beneficial in

– Observing a diversity of teaching methods

– Learning about students from different backgrounds

– Demonstrating course concepts Comparing learning environments

– Promoting collaboration

Small Group Instruction

Integrating Course Concepts

Conclusion (Cont.)

Inexpensive professional development

Can be used with a variety of groups– Pre-service teachers– Induction year teachers/ Alternative

certification– Master teachers– Administrators

Small Group Instruction

Integrating Course Concepts

References

•Aronson, J. A (1994). Pragmatic view of thematic analysis. The Qualitative Report, 2 (1).•Boyatzis, R.E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: thematic analysis and code

development. New York: Sage Publications.•Crews, T.B. & Zenger, J.F. A well “rounded” internships. Business Education Digest. IX, May

2006.•Darling-Hammond, L. (2007). Teacher learning that supports student learning.In B.Z.

Pressesisen, Teaching for Intelligence (2nd ed.) (pp. 91-100). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.•Del Prete, T. (1997). The “rounds” model of professional development. From the Inside1997, 1,

12-13.•Fuller, F.F. & Bown, O.H. (1975). Becoming a teacher. In K. Ryan (Ed.), Teacher education 74th

yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, part II (pp. 25-52). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

•Kagan, D. M. (1992). Professional growth among pre-service and beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 62, 129-169.

•Teddlie, C. and Tashakkori, A. (2009). Foundations of Mixed Methods Research: Integrating Qualitative Approaches in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

•Thompson, S. & Conner, D.D. (2001). Grand Rounds: Not Just for Doctors. Action in Teacher Education, 23(3), 84-88.

•Virtue, D. (2006-2007). ESOL rounds: An inquiry approach to preparing qualified and culturally competent teachers for South Carolina classrooms. Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina, 2006-2007 edition, 1-6.

Thank you for your interest!

Questions or Comments?

Please feel free to contact Dr. Jane Zenger at

ZengerJ@mailbox.sc.edu