Abstract:

As an important method for teachers to grasp students’ learning, classroom observation is helpful to improve the effectiveness of teaching. Methods of classroom observation have been diversified over the long period of time, emphasizing the trend of combining quantitative research with qualitative research. In light of practical meanings, Individual-Student Observation, as an effective classroom observation method, turns to be more suitable for front-line teachers, marking the transformation of classroom observation paradigm. Specifically, the purpose of observation has been shifted from “observation-evaluation” to “observation-self-reflection”; the observation focus has been shifted from “teaching process” to “the whole process of students’ learning”; and the depth has been shifted from “students’ external behavior” to “students’ mental world”. At the same time, Individual-Student Observation encourages researchers to go deep into the students’ learning and then explain the critical incidence of students’ learning, which are mainly manifested in the following five aspects: the time when the students’ learning psychological state changes; the time when the students’ unique cognitive style appears; the difficulty of students’ learning; the time when the social relations between students are presented; and the time when students’ learning achievements are revealed. In addition, classroom observation should be combined with after-class discussion on the recall and multi-facet analysis of students’ critical incidence so as to rediscover students’ learning and improve teaching.

Key words: classroom observation, analysis of learning, process of learning, critical-incidents analysis