A Guide to Classroom Observation

For many student teachers the classroom is a strange and potentially uncontrollable environment. This book shows how the period of classroom observation, which for most students precedes teaching practice, plays an important part in this transition process.

In A Guide to Classroom Observation, Rob Walker and Clem Adelman explain what is involved in being a good observer. They answer such practical questions as how should an observer react to a class, where should he sit, what should he wear, how far should he allow himself to participate in the lesson? They go on to demonstrate that observation can be a positive activity, incorporating analysis of teacher gesture, voice and movement, and pupil reaction together with study of the effects of the physical arrangements of the classroom on the school population.

Rob Walker is Professor of Education at Deakin University, Victoria; Clem Adelman is Professor of Education at the University of Reading.