What do you see?
Look at the red and white pictures above What do you see?
Depending on our view, you may see a rabbit in the the first picture.
Or a seagull.
In the second picture what stood out first to you?
Was it two faces?
Or the urn?
Maybe both?
The point is, when observing we all see different things.
Next, read the poem: Each in a Different Voice by Lilian Moore
Depending on our view, you may see a rabbit in the the first picture.
Or a seagull.
In the second picture what stood out first to you?
Was it two faces?
Or the urn?
Maybe both?
The point is, when observing we all see different things.
Next, read the poem: Each in a Different Voice by Lilian Moore
If you were blind and could only touch the elephant's tail what would you think?
We share this illustration because it is important to remember when you only observe once or twice a week you are only seeing part of the classroom experience. So this is why we should hold off from evaluative or judgmental language when we observe teachers.
Moral of this illustration:
Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole.
Moral of this illustration:
Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole.
Reflect:
Like the poem’s author above, each of us sees what we expected to see most of the time. And like the blind men touching the elephant, we may have limitations. Interestingly when someone points out another view, or when we look as at a situation with a different perspective, we often gain new insights. This is true of classroom observation – and it is an important notion.