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School Observation

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Course Type Course Code No. Of Credits
Discipline Elective SES102502 2

Course Coordinator and Team:                  SES Faculty

Email of course coordinator:                       pcbabed@aud.ac.in 

Pre-requisites:                                               No

Course Description:

Student teachers need to gain hands-on experiences from various activities organized by the school. School observation offers an opportunity to learn the processes and practices in a school setup.  A key aim of the ‘School Observation’ is-to expose the student teachers to various schooling systems prevailing in the country. School observation will also prepare the student teachers to build relationships with various stakeholders. The school observation by the student teachers is aimed at helping them build perspective in the schooling system, student needs, pedagogies, and assessment.

Course Objectives:

After completion of the course, student teachers will be able to:

  • To introduce students to different schooling systems in the country
  • To enable an appreciation for and acquire experience of school processes and environment
  • To enable an immersed understanding of school management, learning resources, infrastructure and school-community linkages.

Course Outcomes:

After completion of school observation program, student teachers will be able to:

  • Get acquainted with various schooling systems.
  • Experience the processes, practices, and overall environment of the school.
  • Establish a rapport with all the stakeholders of the school system.
  • Observe the process of conducting different activities in the school.
  • Study availability and the work of human resources, including members of school
  • management (SMC), school head, teachers, administrative and support staff)
  • Observe the existing infrastructure available in the schools (classrooms, libraries, laboratories, playground, sanitation, drinking water facility, mid-day meal facility,
  • inclusive facilities, safety and security, rainwater harvesting).
  • Observe and document the availability and usage of TLM, including ICT.
  • Study the available physical and digital documents, including UDISE data.
  • Study interpersonal relationships among the stakeholders.
  • Study various assessment processes adopted in different types of schools for holistic
  • development of children.
  • Prepare and present a comprehensive profile of the schools observed (including
  • classroom processes)
  • Study the engagement of parents and other community members in school activities.

Brief description of the modules:

Unit 1: Preparation for school observation

The first unit will focus on providing student teachers an orientation to the school observation process and facilitate development of the observation formats/tools. The unit will primarily focus on introducing students to different schooling systems in the country (urban, rural, state, private schools etc.) and students will get acquainted with various schooling systems; meaning and nature of the school observation process; the key distinction between monitoring and observation.            

Unit 2: School Observation

  1. Student teachers will be required to go for school observation in small groups to observe and collect data by using the developed formats/tools.
  2. Through the course of the observations, they will be required to focus on the practices of school holistically. Students will be expected to
  • Establish rapport with all stakeholders.
  • Collect information on the demography of students in classes III to V, the link of the preparatory stage with the foundational and middle stages through interaction with teachers, students, and staff.
  • Conduct observation of classroom practices to study toy-based, art-integrated, and sports- integrated pedagogy.
  • Observe the activities related to holistic assessment as recommended in NEP 2020 and NCFSE.
  • Conduct observation of play areas across the preparatory stage (both indoor and outdoor)
  • Observe school processes and the extent of transaction of the curriculum through play, discovery, and activity-based
  • Prepare a report and reflect on effective classroom teaching learning strategies
  1. Conduct analysis of the collected data and prepare a comprehensive profile of the schools observed based on and prepare a report. Areas for observation and data collection:
  • Office management procedures of different types of schools
  • School environment in all perspectives
  • Process of conducting curricular activities in the schooling process
  • Existing infrastructure available in the school
  • Utility of ICT and TLM facilities
  • Interpersonal relationships among the stakeholders
  • Various assessment processes adopted in different types of schools.
  • Engagement of parents and other community members in school activities.

Unit 3: Post-school observation sessions

The student teachers will be expected to finalise the school observation reports and make presentations based on their reflections on the comparative analysis of different school systems they have conducted observations in.

  • Group-wise presentation of the school profile
  • Discussion and Feedback
  • Reflection on the understanding of various types of schooling systems.

Assessment Plan

Assessment 1

Regularity and participation in school activity

10%

Assessment 2

Tool development for data collection

20%

Assessment 3

Presentation on School Experience 

20%

Assessment 4

School Observation Report including School Profile

50%

Readings:

  • Emerson, R.M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (2007). Participant observation and fieldnotes. In P. Atkinson, A. Colley, S. Delamont, J. Lofland, & L. Lofland (eds). Handbook of Ethnography. New Delhi: Sage Publications, pp. 352- 368
  • Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Observation. Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge, pp. 396-413.
  • Hendry, D.G., & Oliver, G. (2012). Teaching Observation Guide.  London: London Business School. Retrieved from - https://teaching.london.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Observation-Guide-Final.pdf 
  • Mehendele, A. and Mukhopadhyay, R. (2021). School systems and education policy in India. In Padma Sarangapani (ed.) Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia, p. 510-540. Springer.
  • Thapan, M. (2014). Introduction: Understanding School Experience. In Ethnographies of Schooling in Contemporary India, pp.1-17. Sage.
  • Wortham, S.C. (2014). Observation. Assessment in Early Childhood Education. Pearson, pp.123-163
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