Teaching observation plays a very important role in the professional training of teachers in China, and it has always been questioned. Why does it occupy an important position? Why is it questioned? What is its development direction? The author tries to objectively understand the truth, advantages and disadvantages of teaching observation by reviewing the development of teaching observation in the past 30 years, which will be beneficial to the improvement of teachers' professional research.
From the end of 1970s to the present, teaching observation has roughly experienced three stages of development: the first stage, from the end of 1970s to around 2000, emphasized the exemplary role of teaching observation in teaching; The second stage is from around 2000 to the eve of basic education curriculum reform, teaching observation has experienced a short period of criticism and reflection; In the third stage, from the beginning of curriculum reform to the present, teaching observation is gradually integrated with other training methods, which urges the focus of teacher training to shift to teacher professional development. There are three reasons for this stage: first, the different roles of teaching observation in teachers' professional research; Second, the emergence of some symbolic theoretical propositions or events; Third, the author's observation and experience. Teaching observation is a training method that takes place at the grass-roots level of education. Scholars don't talk much and the literature basis is limited. Therefore, the discussion in this paper is mainly based on the author's personal experience and experience. In addition, it must be noted that the main characteristics of each stage do not exist in another stage, but only the characteristics that play a major role in a specific stage, or the characteristics that most teachers pay attention to.
First, demonstration teaching observation
At the end of 1970s, with the establishment of the teaching and research section of primary and secondary schools and the establishment of various professional research associations of primary and secondary schools, teachers' professional research was organized by special organizers, and this work was on the right track. During this period, a large-scale teaching observation activity characterized by "borrowing classes" was formed. The main function of teaching observation activities in this period is to provide teaching demonstration for teachers. Relying on "borrowing classes", large-scale teaching observation is manifested as a demonstration of teaching mode focusing on showing teaching ideas.
(A) the emergence of "borrowing classes"
From the end of 1970s, under the organization of training institutions, teachers began to go out of school and conduct large-scale exchanges within the region, across regions and even across the country. Due to the large number of participants, teaching observation activities have to be carried out in conference rooms, clubs and other large spaces, and observation teachers are beginning to face "borrowing classes from different places". Obviously, this is a rough training method, but this rough way has played a certain role in promoting the growth of teachers after the Cultural Revolution. Training organizers have provided various examples for teachers, among which the first professional training forest for teachers has been opened.
(b) Compensatory demonstration and novice teacher demonstration.
Education in China has just come out of the decade of the Cultural Revolution for a few years, and everything is in ruins, and the quality of teachers is generally low. The urgent task of teacher training is to make teachers generally master the basic ideas and models of teaching. In this case, the organizers attach great importance to the development of so-called "model courses" and "demonstration courses" for teachers to learn and even imitate. In terms of teacher training, the organizers pay more attention to the cultivation of "teaching mode" and hope to promote the all-round growth of teachers through "typical guidance" and "typical demonstration". Therefore, teaching observation has become a stage for training typical teachers with demonstration significance. In addition, a large number of graduates from universities, junior colleges and normal schools have enriched the teaching staff, and novice teachers also need demonstrations to understand the basic teaching model, which is the second reason for the rise of teaching observation.
It is a wise choice to carry out compensatory education and novice teacher education on a large scale by teaching observation. Teachers in the "initial" stage should master the basic teaching mode and the best way.
The only way is to observe and learn from examples, because how to teach is a kind of procedural knowledge, and the best way to master procedural knowledge is to observe examples and imitate them.
(C) the use of new teaching materials demonstration
How to use new textbooks is also an initial training, and it is the first time to use teaching resources. From the textbooks used in full-time ten-year schools, to the textbooks compiled according to 1992 "Nine-year Compulsory Education Syllabus", and then to the textbooks compiled according to 2000 "Nine-year Compulsory Education Syllabus (Revised Edition)", textbook writers generally choose to provide teachers with teaching examples in the form of "demonstration classes". After the new curriculum reform, the demonstration of teaching observation is no longer emphasized as before, but most writers of new curriculum textbooks will still provide some lesson examples for teachers to learn.
(d) demonstration by expert teachers
With the maturity of teachers, the primary teaching mode can no longer meet the needs of teachers' research, so the research organizers provide teachers with another form of observation, that is, the demonstration mode of expert teachers. At first, such as Yu Yi, Wei Shusheng, and later, such as Jin Jiayan, Yu Yongzheng and others, after 2000, special-grade teachers known as the "new generation" entered the team of expert teachers. Teachers are willing to participate in the teaching observation of expert teachers. From expert teachers, novice or mature teachers can observe the ideal state of teaching and see the future of their teaching career. In addition, the expert model can usually explain why teachers teach in this way, what is the guiding ideology behind it, and how the general teaching concept is stylized into personal teaching guiding ideology, so it can provide teachers with systematic thinking on teaching concepts, teaching models and teaching methods. There are also critical opinions about experts' teaching argumentation. For example, some teachers are criticized for naming their teaching at will, which is suspected of "hype".
Second, criticism and reflection on teaching observation
From around 2000 to before the implementation of the new curriculum, the demonstration role of teaching observation was questioned by theorists and teachers, and the training organizers' formulation of observation class was also adjusted. In the new curriculum training that began at the end of 2002, the role of teaching observation was negligible, and seminars and special lectures began to receive unprecedented attention. Teachers have gradually accepted other forms of training besides teaching observation, and teachers' professional training has moved towards a new pattern.
(1) The name of the observation class has quietly changed.
For many years, the organizers of training took it as their responsibility to provide "model courses" and "demonstration courses", but around 2000, observation courses were called "guidance courses", or simply "research courses" and "seminar courses", or some courses were vaguely called "good courses" instead of being promoted as demonstrations. From "model" to "demonstration" to "discussion" and "research", it shows that the function of teaching observation has changed: from providing models for teachers to providing research resources. On the one hand, the demonstration role of observation class is questioned because of its limitations, and its demonstration role is limited and incomplete; On the other hand, teachers are constantly developing and growing, and the grown-up teachers need new research methods to help them move towards higher goals. It should be noted that there were more and more references to "research classes" and "seminar classes" at that time, which only showed that the attitude and understanding of training organizers had changed, and public discussion and criticism of observation classes were rare; The atmosphere of teaching and research was really formed in the process of implementing the new curriculum after 2002.
(B) the theoretical criticism of teaching observation
Zhong Qiquan's interpretation (Forging the Revival of the Chinese Nation for the Development of Every Student: (Outline of Basic Education Curriculum Reform (Trial)) has a vivid description of teaching observation: "The super-class teacher in A school is in a completely unfamiliar classroom in B primary school, facing a completely unfamiliar face, he actually launches his' composition teaching' calmly and methodically. The whole teaching is based on short and quick questions and answers between teachers and students, and everything is advanced along the route designed by the teacher in advance. The teachers present were absorbed in the performance of the teacher's skillful teaching skills. After class, I won applause. " This passage truly describes the situation of teaching observation, and also represents two important points of criticism of teaching observation: first, teachers carry out teaching without knowing students, which violates the principle of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude; Second, students "cooperate" with teachers to complete the preset teaching procedures, and teaching loses the meaning of "teaching" and "learning" and becomes a kind of performance. Due to the violation of educational principles and the lack of teaching significance, the existence of observation class remains to be discussed, not to mention its demonstration. But we should also see that it is also biased to say that teachers don't know students at all in the observation class. In the case of "borrowing classes", teachers can't understand the special development of students and can't really teach students in accordance with their aptitude, but according to teaching experience, they can understand the general development level of students in grades. In this case, the observation class mostly shows the teaching mode and general teaching strategies, and the application of teaching strategies based on students' individual evaluation is relatively limited. Therefore, observation class is only a form of teacher training, which is different from real classroom teaching.
Teaching observation has been met with "cold reception" and the rise of seminars and lectures.
The questioning viewpoint of teaching observation has a far-reaching impact on the new curriculum training of basic education. According to the author's understanding, since the end of 2002, in the national basic education curriculum reform, teaching observation has basically withdrawn from the teacher training stage. Instead, it is a basic training form that focuses on lectures and seminars, such as "Outline of Basic Education Curriculum Reform (Trial)" and the interpretation of curriculum standards of various courses, the introduction of textbooks for the first grade of the New Curriculum, and theoretical lectures related to curriculum reform (such as constructivism and multiple intelligence theory). This situation also affects the new curriculum training at the provincial, municipal and district levels. Special lectures and seminars that were not valued in the past have occupied a place in the new curriculum training and subsequent teacher training activities, and teachers are more and more willing to accept lectures. In the past, teachers were interested in teaching observation, syllabus guidance, textbook description, examination description and other lecture contents closely related to teaching work, but lacked interest in educational concepts, educational development trends and teaching theory schools. Encounter this kind of special lecture, either the teacher is absent or the venue is chaotic. This situation has been reversed after the implementation of the new curriculum. Teachers can not only listen quietly, but also take the initiative to ask the organizers to arrange some lectures. In the teaching and research activities of the school, experts are often invited to give lectures, or school staff are invited to talk about the experience of theoretical study. This is a major change in teacher professional training after the new curriculum reform.
Thirdly, integrating teaching observation with other training methods.
After 2002, after a short silence, teaching observation once again returned to teacher training activities on a large scale. Because the new curriculum concept puts forward new requirements for teaching, teachers must increase the research on curriculum implementation, which promotes the combination of observation and discussion. In this integration, observation class has become the "target" of exploring new curriculum teaching, and we should face up to doubts and even criticisms. Since observation and discussion were originally formed in schools, the professional training of teachers has also formed a school-based model. In addition, the seminar made teachers change from procedural learning with demonstration to independent thinking by studying principles, and the process of teachers' personal growth was highlighted. This situation has led to the direction of teachers' professional research and development.
(A) the new textbook training can not avoid teaching observation.
Some textbook writers avoid teaching observation at the beginning of textbook training. They think that one or two classes in the training are not enough to explain the problem, and they are very misleading, which makes teachers think that the teaching of observation class is a demonstration of the use of teaching materials. Based on this, the compilers of these textbooks mainly focus on lectures and seminars when training teachers. However, this situation has not been maintained. At the request of teachers, the compilers of these textbooks have to change their original intention and still adopt an intuitive teaching observation form to let teachers experience the use of textbooks. Although the training of new textbooks adopts the form of teaching observation, most textbook writers avoid the references of "demonstration" and "model", and generally show classes in the name of "discussion", and at most only call the observation class "proofing class".
The widespread appearance of seminars
The annual goal of Curriculum Standard is different from the grade goal, which has a large space and needs teachers to grasp it themselves. "Three-dimensional goal" has changed the situation that 1992 syllabus only pursues the cultivation of thinking ability, and requires teachers to understand, ponder and explore the learning methods of "let students learn to learn" and "independence, inquiry and cooperation". These are all new topics for teachers. There are many and miscellaneous new topics, and there are no ready-made examples. Teachers must explore them by themselves. A common and effective method is to let one or several teachers preview a lesson first, then have a look at the last lesson, make extensive suggestions for improvement, then improve and discuss, and so on, and finally form some knowledge. In the investigation of the new curriculum, scholars found that this method to solve the bottleneck of the implementation of the new curriculum is very close to the "school-based research" abroad. Therefore, school-based observation and discussion has developed into school-based teaching and research with the idea of "expert guidance, peer assistance and self-reflection". Teacher training has entered the school-based track.
(3) Observation class becomes the "target class" of professional training.
In order to enhance the discussion awareness and encourage teachers to actively participate in the discussion, the organizers of the study took as many measures as possible to expand the discussion space. For example, in teaching observation, teachers who participate in the discussion are required to express their views on the observation class from both positive and negative aspects. This "hard" rule dispels the "face" concerns of the teachers in class and the evaluation teachers, which is conducive to a comprehensive and objective evaluation of the observation class. Another example is the online discussion after the event. Schools and training organizers let teachers express their views on observing classes through the blackboard learning system and online forums, which increases the opportunities for teachers to speak freely. Another example is "the same class is heterogeneous". Many teachers observe the same class and let the teachers judge the pros and cons. The starting point of all these methods is not to show teachers, but to build a platform for teachers to judge and think independently, so that teachers can realize independent and personalized growth in independent thinking.
(D) highlight the principle of learning
Before the implementation of the new curriculum, teachers learn how to teach by observing classroom demonstrations, which is a procedural knowledge learning; After the implementation of the new curriculum, teachers are no longer in a passive position. They put forward their own opinions and opinions on attending classes, which made the principle learning in teachers' professional growth stand out. Principle learning has quickly become a new driving force for teachers' professional growth. Only by grasping the teaching principles and individualizing the teaching principles into personal teaching behavior can teachers embark on the road of professional development. This is why after the new curriculum training, teachers not only do not exclude special lectures on educational concepts and educational development situation, but also take the initiative to ask the organizers to provide such lectures. Through special lectures, teachers can get rid of the procedural appearance of classroom teaching and think about teaching abstractly and logically.
(5) Highlight career development.
No matter which period, as long as there is preparation, the course research process will certainly exist, but in the teaching observation activities with examples as the main body, the course research is small-scale, even personal, and the growth process of observing teachers is not easy to be noticed by research teachers. The public discussion after the new curriculum makes the growth process of the observation class teachers present to the public. Its recent trend is to encourage teachers (including those who participate in training) to tell their own teaching stories and put teaching observation in the perspective of personal growth narrative and action research. In this way, teaching observation is not only a class, a year, or even a certain subject, but also focuses on the professional development of teachers, which is of great significance to observe the professional development of teachers. After school-based teaching and research, teacher training is a natural way to promote teachers' professional development.
Teaching observation made due contributions to the education of teacher compensatory education and novice teachers at the beginning of reform and opening up. However, due to the limitation of "borrowing classes" in large-scale teaching observation activities, teachers can only observe the application of basic teaching models and general teaching strategies, but can't deeply observe the specific teaching strategies with practical guiding significance, especially the application of generative teaching strategies. With the growth of teachers, teachers will inevitably need more detailed research support. In this process, teaching observation has also changed from the initial paradigm support to resource support. From this, we also realize that teachers' research work is also developing from "external control" of organizers' programs to "self-control" of teachers' own thinking.
Strengthening teachers' own thinking ability is the beginning of teachers' real professional development. This has already started. Further, organizers need to go deep into teachers' classrooms, not be satisfied with the support of teaching models and general teaching strategies, and study the teaching of this class and the teaching of specific students with teachers, so as to promote the refinement and specialization of teaching research. This is the real significance of research. Teachers are the promoters of students' learning, and they must take students' individual development as their own responsibility, not just stay on the cognition of the universal law of students' development. For the organizer of teacher professional training, this may be a new topic, which must be faced bravely.