Blooms-Revised
The BLOOMS-REVISED Tool will track the level of question asked or answered by either the teacher or student, or to gather data on level of student responses.
Click the buttons appropriate to the level of question or statement made by the teacher and/or student.
Based on the revised Blooms Taxonomy, the data is useful in determining the level of student mental engagement when gathered on the level of questions related to the lesson content asked by the students.
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Class Learning Time
The CLASS LEARNING TIME Tool will gather data on the amount of learning and non-learning time in a part or whole class session.
The user might want to indicate what is considered 'non-learning time' in the comments for a reference at a later date.
It is worthwhile to determine the cause of the non-learning time - external interference, teacher or student behavior, district /school requirements in order to determine an effective plan of action.
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Classroom Environment
The CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT Tool will record items related to the activities and facilities as noted by the observer. This data is valid for a building wide picture and can indicate a need for more in-depth data collection using timer and counter tools.
A new Checklist tool. And you can create your own!
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Classroom Instruction
The CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION Tool will record the judgment of the observer in items related to classroom instruction.
This data is valid for a building wide picture and can indicate a need for more in-depth data collection using timer and counter tools.
A new Scale tool - and you can create your own!
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Compliance With Directions
The COMPLIANCE WITH DIRECTIONS Tool will track the response by an individual to a direction by another. In most cases count repeated directions as a new incident as the response may be different. Be sure that the target individual is aware of and understands the direction. This tool is useful in determining the need for or effectiveness of an intervention.
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Directions Focus Counter
The DIRECTIONS FOCUS COUNTER Tool will gather counter data on the distribution of directions, instruction, or other forms of attention across individuals, small groups, or the entire class.
Click the button indicating where the teacher has address his/her attention each time a direction is given.
This data will provide insights into the teacher’s focus of attention when giving directions.
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Discipline Type
The DISCIPLINE TYPE Tool will track the types of disciplinary responses by the teacher.
This tool is not tracking the misbehavior by the student, but the response by the teacher. A non-verbal reprimand might be shaking a finger or other gesture; physical touch might be a tap on the shoulder or covering a student’s fidgeting hands. Physical restraint is actually holding a students hands from moving or restraining a violent student. If ‘Other’ is clicked, note the conditions in the Comments window.
The data can provide feedback on the teacher’s approach to discipline and can be useful in determining its effectiveness.
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Distribution of Time
The DISTRIBUTION OF TIME Tool will gather data on how the teacher organizes and uses time throughout a lesson.
A significant amount of the class period should be used to gather this data as this is meant to be a broad view of use of time in a class.
It is useful to describe the lesson and goals in the comments for future reference, along with other contextual information. Since these components are, in most cases, valuable parts of a solid lesson, the absence of any of them (other than Housekeeping) over multiple lessons might be an area to examine closely.
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Divergent or Non-Divergent
The DIVERGENT / NON-DIVERGENT Tool will track the number of divergent and non-divergent questions asked or answered by teacher and/or students.
Divergent are open ended questions, with multiple possible answers; non-divergent questions are fact based questions, with a single correct answer. At different times, collect data on the questions asked by the teacher, the questions that students answer, the questions that students ask, or the questions that the teacher answers.
Note that in the primary grades divergent questions are often used to support language development by providing students with motivation to talk of their likes and dislikes. At the upper grades, the purpose of divergent questions is generally to strengthen student thinking skills.
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Divergent Question Type
The DIVERGENT QUESTION TYPE Tool will track the six types of divergent questions asked or answered by teachers or students.
The six types are quantity, viewpoint, elaborate, pretend, forced association, and reorganization, and can be recognized by the format of the question. At different times, you can track the questions asked by the teacher, the questions answered by students, the questions asked by students, or the questions answered by the teacher.
Teachers tend to ask the types of divergent questions that match their own thinking style, and attract answers by students with similar thinking styles. Varying the types of questions will often engage different students in the discussion.
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Hand Raised
The HAND RAISED Tool will track the number of student hands raised in response to a teacher question. Click on the tool to make it active, then click on each of the student icons to increment their counter and calculate the percent of total hands raised. Reports can be generated on individual students, selected groups, or the entire class; and changes in behavior can be viewed over time. This data is particularly useful when the level of question data is also collected.
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High Yield Strategies
The HIGH YIELD STRATEGIES Tool will record the presence of ten High Yield Teaching Strategies during the walk-through observation. Click Observed or Not Observed. NR = not recorded. This data is valid for a building wide picture and can indicate a need for more in-depth data collection using timer and counter tools. Also see the Classroom Environment Tool for related data.
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Individual-Group-Class Timer
The INDIVIDUAL/ GROUP/ CLASS TIMER Tool will track the amount of attention directed to the whole class, identified group, individual.
Look for physical or verbal attention to a small group, such as a table of students, or "girls" etc. Count 'individuals' if called by name or otherwise singled out.
Add contextual information concerning the lesson and class organization for future reference.
This data will provide insight into the focus of the teacher within the classroom.
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Interruptions By Student
The INTERRUPTIONS BY STUDENT Tool will track the verbal and physical interruptions to others by the student.
Generally, do not count as interruption if the student is simply talking at the same time as another. The target behavior is when a person is talking or demonstrating and is interrupted by the student through either verbal or physical means.
This data is useful in determining the need for or effectiveness of an intervention.
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Non-verbal Negative
The NON-VERBAL NEGATIVE Tool will track the negative non-verbal behavior of an individual or a group.
The focus of the observation can be on an individual or a group, and can be used to track every instance or to take sampled data through the use of the interval timer. This tool can be used in conjunction with the Non-Verbal Positive Tool.
The observer should note in the comments the focus of the observation - individual or group. If the interval time is used, a minimum of 5 sweeps of the classroom in gathering whole class data is recommended.
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Non-verbal Positive
The NON-VERBAL POSITIVE Tool will track the positive non-verbal behaviors of teachers and/or students, as individuals or as a group.
The focus of the observation can be on an individual or a group, and can be used to track every instance or to take sampled data through the use of the interval timer. This tool can be used in conjunction with the Non-Verbal Negative Tool.
The observer should note in the comments the focus of the observation - individual or group. If the interval time is used, a minimum of 5 sweeps of the classroom in gathering whole class data is recommended.
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On Task Coding
The ON TASK CODING Tool will gather data on the on- and off-task behavior of an individual in five specific areas and one generic area. Use with Interval Reminder.
You can observe a single student or a group/class with the use of the Interval Times. Set the timer for a minimum of 5 intervals and for a length of time sufficient to observer and enter data for each student in the group during each interval.
The No. is the total number of times that behavior was recorded whether on or off task. The % On is the % of the behaviors recorded that was On Task.
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Positive or Negative
The POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE Tool will track the positive, negative, and neutral statements or actions by an individual or a group.
The observation can focus on either an individual or a group. When observing a group, the use of the interval times is helpful, and a minimum of five sweeps of the group is recommended. This is also a useful tool to use with a student as data-gatherer during a class discussion. The class can then analyze and reflect on the positive and negative (put downs) in their discussion
It’s sometimes useful to compare this tool (verbal) with the non-verbal positive and negative tool data. Also look to the student negative data for signs of bullying.
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Praise Types
The PRAISE-TYPES Tool will track what is praised by the teacher in interactions with students.
Listen to teacher/student interaction for statements of praise. Click appropriate button(s). Note that one praise statement can include multiple types of praise.
There are legitimate reasons for each type of praise, but an imbalance of praise types may have undesired consequences. There have also been found to be a gender based praise type in-balance. Research indicates that the most effective thing to praise to achieve academic growth is effort - not accomplishment.
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Question Follow-Up
The QUESTION FOLLOW-UP Tool will track questions asked by the teacher and teacher follow-up to a student answer.
Tool can be used to track all incidents and stored in the teacher; or data can be collected student by student in the Advanced Edition.
The data will provide insights into the teacher’s response to student answers, and also provide attention to gender or other groups through desegregation of the data by attribute and value (Advanced Edition)
The literature indicates that, in general, boys and girls are asked questions in an equitable fashion, but that boys receive more extending questions and correction of errors, while girls receive more praise.
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Question Type Asked
The QUESTION TYPE ASKED Tool will track the type of content related questions asked by the teacher or answered by the students.
Make note in the comments field regarding who is being observed - teacher, students, both. If observing students, count only those questions that are answered by students; if observing the teacher, count the questions as they are asked.
Across two or more observations, note the difference in each area between questions asked by the teacher and what questions students answer.
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Response to Misbehavior
The RESPONSE TO MISBEHAVIOR Tool will track the type of teacher reaction to negative behavior by students.
Look to the teacher’s response when a misbehavior incident occurs. It can be useful to note the details in the Comments window.
The data can be useful feedback to the teacher and can help determine the effectiveness of the teacher’s response patterns.
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Speaker In Discussion
The SPEAKER IN DISCUSSION Tool will track the amount of time each individual in the group is engaged in the discussion. Click on the tool to make it active, then click the speaker’s icon (teacher or student) to record the amount of time that person has the floor in a discussion. Only one person at a time can be identified as the speaker. Only one timer tool can be active at a time. Clicking on another timer will stop the first timer. Reports can be generated on individual students, selected groups, or the entire class; and changes in behavior can be viewed over time.
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Student Question Type
The STUDENT QUESTION TYPE Tool will track the type of questions asked by students.
Track questions asked of the teacher by students. You can also use this tool to track the type of questions that get answered by the teacher.
The type of question answered can give an indication of the mental engagement by the students in the content of the lesson, and or the clarity of the directions.
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Talking Out of Turn
The TALKING OUT OF TURN Tool will track the teachers response to students calling out an answer without being called on.
Click the appropriate button each time a call-out incident occurs. More than one button per incident may be clicked.
Note the number of times students are either ignored or called on to answer the question - this will reinforce the call-out behavior.
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Teacher Engagement
The TEACHER ENGAGEMENT Tool will record the observer’s judgment of the teacher’s level of engagement with students. Move the slider to indicate the level of the observed activity or behavior according to the following four point scale: 1=None, 2=Low, 3=Medium, 4=High This data is valid for a building wide picture and can indicate a need for more in-depth data collection using timer and counter tools.
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Teacher Talk
The TEACHER TALK Tool will track the talking done by the teacher, individual student, group discussion, and no-talk.
Individual student data is gathered when a single student 'has the floor'; group discussion when students are directed to work in groups, and no-talk for individual seatwork
Very effectively used during class discussions or other periods of teacher/ student interaction. In general, in a student centered or language development classroom, the students will talk more than the teacher.
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Time on Task
The TIME ON TASK Tool will track the percent of time an individual student is on and off task.
Gather data for at least 15 minutes to get representational data.
This data might represent the effectiveness of an intervention, or to simply gather basic data on a student's academic behavior.
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Time On Task-Class
The TIME ON TASK-CLASS Tool will track the percent of time the full class is on task.
Check the Interval Reminder checkbox, and set the interval to 3 or more seconds per student. Set the number of intervals to at least five.
Starting with a particular student, record their on/off task behavior at the instant you look at them. Make a sweep of the entire class, with one click per student. When the Interval Reminder flashes, start with the same student and repeat the sweep, with one click per student according to their behavior. Do at least 5 sweeps.
Off Task-Academic is when a student is working on an academic task, but not as directed by the teacher.
The percent for each behavior will represent time-sampled data for the entire class and will provide an accurate picture of the on/off task behavior of the entire class.
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Verbal or Physical Tics
The VERBAL OR PHYSICAL TICS Tool will track the rate per minute of verbal or physical tics.
Click the appropriate button each time the 'tic' occurs. Verbal tics include er, um, ah, so, etc; Physical tics might include ear pulling, head scratching, etc. Make note of the specific tic in the Comments. Click the stop timer to halt the 'rate per minute' calculations.
This tool is useful in the classroom, presentations and meetings, and the data is useful to both teachers and students.
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