How much should ethnographers involve themselves with the people, places, and processes they study? One answer has become increasingly popular: invert the standard method of participant observation into observant participation. This article draws on an ethnography of ambulance work to consider the trade-offs between these approaches. My fieldwork…

Background: Many education systems internationally expect schools to participate in continuous instructional improvement programmes. One tool used within these processes is the structured, rubric-based classroom observation, focused on the evaluation of teaching. Such observations are a common feature of formative evaluation systems, teacher…

In this article, we describe the process of revising our writing program's teaching observation forms and processes over the last several years, drawing from descriptions of best practices in conducting teaching observations in writing programs (Comer; Jackson). We analyze the teaching observation form as it functions in a structurational nexus to…

This book proposes a new method for working on the complex and polysemic notion of interculturality, aimed at scholars, students and educators who have an interest in enriching and challenging their own take on this somewhat controversial scientific notion. Multiple examples of observability made by the authors are provided to illustrate the…

Montessori was very specific about the value of observation. Observation may feel like a never-ending chore--a routine that is difficult to fit into the day that results in data that is difficult to use once collected. No matter the reason, observation can inspire feelings of discomfort, inadequacy, and confusion. Viewed from this perspective,…

Wildflower Schools, a network of decentralized "shopfront" Montessori schools, began in 2014, when Sep Kamvar, a MIT Media Lab professor, was unable to find a preschool for his son that fit his needs, and ended up partnering with two veteran Montessori educators, Mary Rockett and Katelyn Shore, to start a school. Wildflower's work is…

The Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students (OLOS) Observation System was developed by the Early Learning Network's assessment team at the University of California, Irvine. OLOS is a user-friendly, web-based tool designed to help teachers understand what is happening in their classrooms and uncover ways to meet the unique learning needs of…

I begin with my experience, with the importance of words during my early years, then as a teacher. Through the Prospect Center's Summer Institutes, I learned a descriptive process, Reflection on a Word, based in the work of Pat Carini at the Prospect School. I write about learning this process, the ways it entered my teaching life, and how it is…

The family resemblance approach to nature of science is receiving increasing attention by science educators since its inception about a decade ago. Many scholars of science education have contributed and continue to contribute to it not only theoretically but also by applying it empirically to a wide range of areas such as curriculum and textbook…

What happens when undergraduate dance pedagogy students observe dance educators' teaching practices in diverse dance education sectors? Traditional field observation focuses primarily on the teacher, teaching methods, and classroom management. Comparatively, critical field observations examine teacher and learner action equally through rich…

Traditional teacher evaluations -- full-lesson observations, write-ups, and debriefs -- are time-consuming and largely ineffective. As a principal, Kim Marshall found that mini-observations -- short, frequent, unannounced classroom visits, each followed by a face-to-face coaching conversation and brief narrative summary -- actually improved…

We contribute to the understanding of teacher noticing by focusing on what a teacher may notice in students' mathematical contributions in the context of problem-based lessons. Complementing approaches to research on noticing that focus on individual teachers' perceptual, cognitive, or situated skills, this conceptual article offers four…

Science is the activity of studying the natural world in various ways to construct theories and models to explain phenomena. Windschitl et al. reported that model-based inquiry includes the connection between observable aspects of the target phenomenon and conjectured underlying causal processes. In addition, they insisted that learners are…

Class observations are as beneficial to teaching as peer review is to writing. Observations can help an instructor become aware of things they would not be able to notice on their own, as well as learn new strategies and ideas. In a nationwide survey that the author and her colleague conducted in 2015, class observations by a supervisor were rated…

The responsibilities of a general physical educator can be challenging and at times overwhelming. Whether teaching a full day of general physical education, or inclusive physical education classes that include a student or multiple students with disabilities, the expectation is that all students will be provided age and developmentally appropriate…