Abstract:

Classroom observation of other students or teachers of English helps student teachers connect the theory they are acquiring at universities with the practice of the teaching profession. But even before starting to observe, university students have to be taught what to observe and how to observe it. The main objective of this study was to engage last-year university students in developing a rubric for English classroom observation in order to make the most of the observation process. The main participants in this process were 92 graduate students that were to begin their practice at schools. Another group of important participants were the group of English teachers that practice teachers observed and helped to develop the English classroom observation rubric. First students were acquainted with all the competencies teachers have to possess as they are defined in the Bulgarian standard for teachers’ competencies. Later on, they had to define which of these competencies are observable in the course of a lesson and they were engaged in a discussion about how the presence or the absence of these competencies looks like in the classroom. After defining the key competencies around which the observation rubric was to be developed they were presented with the rubric as a tool for assessment. Students had the opportunity to work with many university instructors and English teachers and were engaged in several seminars, discussions and interviews which helped them produce an observation rubric with which to analyze the quality of English teachers’ performance as well as to reflect on their own. The tool, which is the result of this study and the main focus of this article proved to be very helpful not only for improving graduate students’ analytical thinking skills and later on their teaching performance but also for providing structure both for their observations and the feedback they were to give and receive. This rubric is also helpful because it translates some of the vague language used for describing the competencies Bulgarian teachers have to possess into the language of the classroom. The rubric also serves as a route map for teachers who want to become more effective how to become such.

Keywords:

Rubric, English teachers, students, observation.