Distance learning made it more challenging for teachers to manage classes during this global pandemic. To address this, Holy Cross College conducted a webinar entitled Class Observation and Clinical Supervision spearheaded by the Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Leticia Flores.
Deans, program chairs, principals, and coordinators participated in the webinar to move towards the same path of improving teaching skills, classroom instructions, online observation, and academic competency.
Dr. Flores described educators during the pandemic as brave hearts for continuing to teach despite the challenges and adapted to changes in distance learning. Her discussion focused on areas or lenses of classroom observation, management, and measuring student progress.
The webinar also tackled the importance of classroom observations to help teachers improve their skills, techniques, and strategies.
“Remember as teachers we are facilitators so there should be clarity. There should also be class orientation, are the teachers giving clear, concise instructions, guidelines, and questions to students? Is it in consonance with the syllabus? As administrators you should be aware of what is happening in the online class,” Flores said.
She added that classroom observations of heads, administrators, and coordinators should not be taken negatively. Instead, it should emphasize the motive of helping each other to improve.
The teacher should also know the different learning styles of students and using different teaching approaches for visual, auditory, verbal, and tactile learners.
There should also be an engagement of the students in the lesson to improve retention rate level. Based on research there is a 10% percent retention on reading and 20% retention on hearing the lessons, compared to the 90% percent on learning by doing or hands-on learning.
During the one-year observation of online classes, not only teachers but also students adopted to learning in a new environment. Subjects like Physical Education, TLE, and Arts require hands-on experience to learn.
The webinar emphasized that learning is not having simple knowledge but creating and practicing as the highest element of thinking.
Student Affairs Services Division Dean Benjie Nolasco said that he believed in teachers who are teaching during this pandemic should innovate to keep their students engaged even at home.
“Engagement should not only be on face to face classes, it is up to the teacher to be creative during this pandemic. Teachers should not only discuss but ensure there is also a practice of subject expertise so they can help students. Teachers should not stop learning new skills,” Nolasco said.