This course is an effort to engage with the knowledge base required for an understanding of the classroom and abilities required to enable reflection in teachers. 

Teacher development is not a prescriptive endeavour. It is a collaborative effort in which the teacher and teacher educator bring their knowledge and experiences for examination, have meaningful dialogue leading to enriched thoughts and actions and positive self-image. Supporting teachers through classroom observation requires multi-faceted understanding of the classroom and an empowering approach for their development.

In the process of supporting teachers, there is no single or fixed formula since each classroom situation is unique. Teachers need to respond to variable teaching contexts. To make sense of what goes on in a classroom, one needs to take into consideration Institutional and socio-cultural context, the nature of pedagogy, the aims of education, the curriculum, and teacher development.

There are several well-meaning organisations that work to support teachers and help them improve their practice. Their work involves undrstanding teachers and relating to them and their developmental needs, providing on site support in various forms such as classroom observation and post observation discussions, joint lesson planning, and empowering teachers through dialogues. 

You will participate in small group discussions, reading-based discussions and presentations, simulated exercises and an analysis of classroom videos and practice sessions.

What is a good classroom?

With the belief that perspectives influence our observation and subsequent interpretation, this unit probes and builds participant perspectives on key aspects of the classroom processes.

• Classroom processes and their alignment with aims of education. 
• How do children learn? 
• Characteristics of children in various grades of elementary school.
• Age-appropriate ad inclusive pedagogy. 
• Objectives, pedagogy and content of elementary school subjects.

Classroom observation and teacher reflection

Though classroom observations are made for different purposes such as teacher appraisal and evaluation, a part of formal school inspection, research and so on, this unit focuses on classroom observation for enabling teacher reflection and teacher practice.

• Reflective practice and it’s constituents. 
• How do we observe, record and interpret classroom teaching? 
• How do we structure post-lesson dialogue and what is the role of reflective questions? 
• Practice sessions