Teach : Observer Manual

Teach differs from other classroom observation tools in that it captures (i) the time teachers spend on learning and the extent to which students are on task, and (ii) the quality of teaching practices that help develop students’ socio-emotional and cognitive skills. As part of the Time on Task component, 3 “snapshots” of 1–10 seconds are used to record both the teacher’s actions and the number of students who are on task throughout the observation. The Quality of Teaching Practices component, on the other hand, is organized into 3 primary areas: Classroom Culture, Instruction, and Socio-emotional Skills (see graphic on page 3).These areas have 9 corresponding elements that point to 28 behaviors. The behaviors are characterized as low, medium, or high, based on the evidence collected during the observation. These behavior scores are translated into a 5-point scale that quantifies teaching practices as captured in a series of two, 15-minute lesson observations.