The setting for the post-observation was my office. In my office, there is a seat at the end of my desk for others, students or staff, to engage in dialogue. We were close enough to review the same document. I was a bit nervous, as this was my first official post-observation conference from the "other side." I began to replay all my previous conferences in my head. It was like my life as a teacher just flashed before my eyes. Mr. Johnson sat contently waiting to receive. There was a lot of eye contact and hand movements to place emphasis on key points. The conference seemed to have a level of comfort as two friends talking over a drink, but still remaining strictly professional. I had Mr. Johnson's complete attention and confidence that what I was sharing would help him become a more effective teacher. I attempted to ensure that I spoke clearly and enunciated my words. I tend to do that on a regular basis as to set an example for all listening. I believe it helped in this case, because Mr. Johnson began to be more cognizant of how he was speaking. It was a seamless conversation that didn't seem as long as it was. In the future, my being more relaxed should ensure that the observed is free to relax.
What strengths and/or improvement areas did you notice in the conference about strategies to improve instruction?
A strength I noticed was the ability to link the concerns Mr. Johnson shared in the pre-observation conference with positives that occurred in the lesson. There were no "negatives" or uncomfortable moments. There only existed constructive criticism that would benefit Mr. Johnson, and myself as an observer. I did however forget to use the probing questions suggested in the literature provided, because of my level of anxiety. As we got further into the conference, I became more relaxed and shocked about how much I was able to suggest to Mr. Johnson. The ideas began to flow as if I were in the classroom again instructing. I was able to identify how Mr. Johnson differentiated his lesson, when he didn't know he actually did. Many of the improvements that were suggested centered around the teacher realizing what he actually did naturally, using that as a base and moving on from there. Many times you don't realize what you're doing while engaged in the moment. Being able to assist the teacher in actualizing his innate abilities and documenting them and planning to improve upon them was an enriching experience.
In the conference, which behavior did you seem to predominantly use? Do you think this was an appropriate approach given the developmental level of the teacher? Briefly explain.
My position for conducting the conference went from Directive to more Collaborative. As a defense mechanism to help cope with the anxiety I was feeling, I began to direct. In the future, I will prefer for the teacher to let me know what and how they believe they did. My probing questioning should have begun by asking how they adhered to the particulars of a lesson, to get their take of their delivery. This would have provided a better perspective of how the teacher views themselves, prior to me sharing what I observed. Overall, it was a productive conference that could have been much more fruitful having approached it differently. I guess that comes with time and experience. I look forward to them both.
