I. Determination of observation points

As a professional activity of teachers, classroom observation is different from general observation. It requires the observer to have a clear purpose, rather than a casual glance. This aspect is determined by the characteristics of the classroom, which is complicated and changeable, and the classroom teaching process is dynamic, immediate, discontinuous and social. It is impossible to observe everything in the classroom. On the other hand, "what we see is often determined by what we want to see or what we are going to see". If we don't know what we are looking for, even what is right in front of your eyes may not be visible. Therefore, effective classroom observation must have a clear observation purpose, and the classroom observation points should be determined before entering the classroom observation. So how is the observation point in class determined?

firstly, the observed point must be an observable phenomenon. Observable, recordable and interpretable are the qualities of observation points. Observation is only a snapshot of behavior. It is difficult for us to observe what is in the minds of students and teachers, and we can only observe what can be observed, such as people (the subject of behavior), frequency (the degree of behavior), nature (the performance of behavior), duration (the duration of behavior), reaction time (the time between students receiving instructions and making demands) and intensity (the intensity and intensity of behavior) Therefore, the observation point we have determined must be a series of sensible activities and phenomena between teachers and students, such as questions and responses between teachers and students, explanation and discrimination, counseling and practice, teachers' movement and the use of teaching means. Similarly, the determined observation points must be recordable and interpretable, where unrecorded means unobservable, and unexplained means no observation.

Secondly, the determined observation point is what the observer or the observed wants to observe. In other words, we should determine the observation point according to the needs of ourselves, the teachers in class and the partners. Teachers at different stages of development have different concerns and needs, so the classroom observation points are different. For example, teachers can decide the observation point according to their own teaching field or a certain aspect of literacy, as a reference for their own improvement. In fact, the needs of the observer and the observed are often inconsistent, which requires consultation in the pre-class meeting to determine the observation point. At the same time, the determination of classroom observation points should also consider the needs of partners. One of the conditions for the formation of classroom observation cooperation is to have the same cooperation goal, or to study a theme, or to form a cooperative teaching style, or to improve a certain aspect of classroom teaching. As far as the discipline teaching and research group is concerned, we should think about what the classroom teaching pursuit of the discipline teaching and research group is in the past three years in the selection and determination of observation points. After determining the specific objectives, we need to consider the observation points most closely related to the research topic, and on this basis, carry out "design-observation-reflection-improvement" to form a follow-up chain of teaching and research activities.

Thirdly, the determined observation point is what the observer can observe. When determining the observation point, the observer should consider whether he is familiar with the observation content, observation tools and recording methods.

Second, the design of recording tools

Like all scientific observations, classroom observation also needs certain observation tools. We can't act only by experience like daily observation. Classroom observation needs specific methods and techniques, otherwise, observation is inefficient and meaningless. It is a difficult problem for teachers to choose or design suitable observation tools after determining classroom observation points.

The choice or design of classroom observation tools is not only a technical issue, but also needs the support of curriculum ideas and teaching values. It is a process of studying and understanding the classroom. Therefore, it can't be achieved overnight, and it can't pursue perfection from the beginning; Even if we choose among the observation tools developed by predecessors, we need a process of interpretation, understanding and absorption. Under normal circumstances, it will go through the process from learning from others to independent development: using others' scales-improving others' scales (through observation and verification)-developing their own scales. In this process, teachers will encounter the following three problems.

first, how to choose the existing observation recording tools? The observation recording tool serves for observation. First of all, we should consider the characteristics of the determined observation point and select the appropriate tool closely. Taking observing questions as an example, if you want to observe the "number of questions", you should use quantitative observation tools; If you want to observe the "cognitive level of the problem", you should use a combination of qualitative and quantitative tools. Another example: to observe the "validity of situation creation", it is obvious that qualitative observation and recording tools should be adopted. Secondly, it depends on whether the tools you choose are suitable for your own situation. If we observe "the effectiveness of the creation and development of student activities", if we judge from the number and attitude of students participating in the activities, then it is appropriate to use quantitative tools on the basis of defining the performance behaviors of different attitudes, but this requires the observation teachers to have better eyesight, good reaction ability and quick judgment ability. Judging from the difficulty coefficient of the activity and the achievement of the goal, because it is necessary to record some details such as behavior, dialogue and situation in the teaching segment, the observer needs to have the ability to record quickly and better memory.

second, why should we develop a new observation recording tool? Classroom observation has a long history abroad, and many mature observation recording tools have been developed, whose logical rigor and scientificity have been tested by practice. However, not all the developed observation and recording tools can be used immediately, and not all the developed observation and recording tools can be found from the established observation points. On the one hand, due to the limitation of teachers' theoretical quality and practical experience, there are often problems such as misunderstanding, operational confusion, interpretation dilemma and so on. On the other hand, different disciplines have different properties and requirements, different classrooms have different situations, and observation tools and observation points are required to be targeted, which weakens the universality of existing tools. Therefore, it is a realistic choice to independently develop observation and recording tools.

thirdly, how to develop new observation recording tools? After determining the observation point, it is necessary to analyze the dimension of this point. For example, observing questions can be analyzed from the following aspects: the number of questions, the cognitive level of questions, the purpose of questions, the way of questions, the way of students' answers, the types of students' answers and the way of teachers' answers. A class often can't observe so many dimensions. Under normal circumstances, it is always observed from a certain dimension. After determining the specific dimensions, we should start to design specific tools. The design of tools should follow two standards: validity standard and practicality standard. Validity standard means that the selected observation indicators must comprehensively reveal what we want to observe. This requires that the observation framework is logically reasonable, and the selected observation indicators should be representative and cannot cover each other. The practical standard means that the selected observation indicators should be concise, convenient for shorthand and reflection, and have strong operability. Generally speaking, although there may be defects and problems in the observation and recording tools developed by teachers themselves, teachers are handy to use and can explain themselves well, and can improve teachers' theoretical quality and design ability in the development process.

III. On-the-spot recording

Different from the traditional listening and commenting class, classroom observation entering the scene needs to be recorded in a targeted manner according to pre-designed tools, instead of remembering whatever you want, whenever you want, and how you want. When entering the site for observation and recording, what kind of recording method is the most appropriate? How can we record the most useful and reliable information without affecting the normal classroom teaching? This is an unavoidable problem for teachers in classroom observation.

There are many ways to record classroom observation, and observers should choose a targeted and good recording method according to the specific observation contents and types. Generally speaking, the recording methods of classroom observation can be divided into qualitative recording methods and quantitative recording methods. The quantitative recording method is to deconstruct and classify the elements in the classroom in advance, and then record the behaviors in the observation category that appear in a specific period of time. It mainly has the record methods such as grade scale and classification system. Rating scale refers to a reasonable rating scale compiled in advance according to the purpose of observation. In classroom observation, the observer evaluates the corresponding rating on the scale according to the behavior of the observed object. Category systems refers to pre-listing possible behaviors or target behaviors to be observed, and sampling at appropriate time intervals during the observation process to record behaviors. Classification system includes coding system (such as interactive analysis classification system of American classroom observation research expert Flanders) and marking system or checklist. In the preset unit time, the coding system records all behaviors, while the marking system or checklist only records different types of behaviors. Qualitative recording is to present the content of observation in the form of non-numbers, including: (1) description system, which describes the observation target in various forms except numbers under a certain classification framework, and is a quasi-structural qualitative observation recording method. It can be described from several angles: space, time, environment, actors, events, actions, goals, feelings and so on. (2) Narrative system, without preset classification, makes detailed and true written records of observed events and behaviors, and can also make subjective evaluation on the spot. (3) Schema record, which directly presents relevant information in the form of location and environment map. (4) Technical records, using audio tapes, video tapes, photos and other electronic forms to make permanent records of the behavior events to be studied. Quantitative and qualitative recording methods can complement each other. The obtained data and information should reflect the real teaching environment and classroom activities as much as possible.

it should be emphasized that no matter which recording method or methods are adopted, the recording system must be as concise and clear as possible, and the data can be effectively recorded and subsequently interpreted. After several practices, the observer will find a suitable recording method and form some short codes. For example, "1" stands for leaving the seat, "P" stands for doing small moves, etc. 3 If there are a lot of data to be recorded, cooperative recording can be used to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the data.

For observers, the premise of entering the field observation is not to affect the normal classroom teaching, but at the same time, the validity and reliability of the recorded information should be guaranteed. Observers should enter the scene before the class begins and choose a favorable observation position. Generally speaking, the observation position should be determined according to the observation task to ensure that reliable information can be collected. If you observe the class participation of one or several students, you should choose a position closer to them; If we observe the effectiveness of the creation of teachers' teaching situations, we should choose a position that is convenient for walking and can move in time to understand the specific situation.

IV. Analysis and Inference of Data

For convenience and shorthand, many data recorded in class can only be understood by observers themselves. After class, the data should be supplemented, sorted out and counted, on the one hand, so that others can understand the recorded data, on the other hand, they should be prepared for the next inference.

how to organize and analyze the recorded data? The data collected by different recording methods are handled in different ways. If the information collected by quantitative observation is used, it is generally sorted and analyzed by means of statistics. Observers can draw a table that can explain the problem through the calculation of frequency and percentage, or use spreadsheet software such as Excel to develop data tables, use computers to analyze data, and then draw different charts by computers as needed. The information collected by qualitative observation generally needs to be coded, classified, sorted and explained. Observers can simplify and sort out a large number of recorded information, and present information related to the purpose of observation through text descriptions, charts and other means, so that people can clearly understand what is happening in the observation situation. If we are cooperating to observe the same content, we should combine their respective information on the basis of full communication and discussion when counting or sorting out the recorded information. On this basis, sort out the problems or viewpoints related to the observation theme, construct an analysis framework, classify the results of statistics or collation according to different problems, and gather specific facts and figures into corresponding problems or viewpoints to prepare for the next inference.

so how do you infer from the data? The process of inference is the process of professional judgment, and it is the process that observers analyze and reflect on the observed information around the observation point, and explain the reasons and meanings behind the specific connotations and phenomena of simplified numbers and charts. First of all, inference must be based on evidence. Classroom observation emphasizes taking evidence to speak, how much evidence there is and how much inference to make, neither overestimating nor underestimating. Secondly, inference should closely follow the observation points determined in advance. In other words, we can't simply infer other aspects of the classroom or even the teaching of the whole class based on the observation results of one point. Classroom observation originates from the classroom, but it is only a point in the classroom, not the complete classroom itself. Therefore, we should avoid problems such as partial and excessive inference in the process of inference, and we should not judge the whole class only by observing a certain point. Observers should stick to the observation point and put forward targeted and effective suggestions and countermeasures based on teaching improvement. Thirdly, inference should be based on the situation. Classroom observation is a research activity conducted on the spot. When making inferences, we should give full consideration to "this person, this class and this environment" and do not make too many analogies or assumptions. The discussion should be based on the teaching content of this course and the actual situation of students and teachers. If observation is separated from situation, the observer's perspective will probably be limited in the one-sided generalization of students, teachers or classes, and make inaccurate inferences, thus affecting the validity of classroom observation.

"If observers don't know how to collect information, what behaviors to look for, and have no conceptual framework for classroom analysis, they may not understand classroom behaviors." Similarly, if teachers can't understand classroom teaching behavior well, it is impossible to make effective classroom observation. Therefore, classroom observation is not only a matter of methods and techniques, it needs the support of educational theory and the accumulation of teaching experience ... It is normal to encounter problems and puzzles of one kind or another in the process of classroom observation. As long as you act and reflect, it means that you have made progress.