The PLATO Observation System As a Lens to Teaching Quality

• In Event: Breaking Out of Silos: Using Classroom Videos for Cross-Disciplinary and Cross-Methodological Examinations of Teaching

Abstract

Objective
In this paper we use the observation system Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observation (PLATO; Grossman, 2015) as a lens into teaching quality in Norwegian lessons from two different subjects, mathematics and language arts. PLATO was developed at Stanford University in the USA and was originally a tool for studies aiming to link English Language Arts (ELA) instruction to student learning outcomes. Since then, it has been used for different research purposes and in different subjects (e.g., Cohen, 2018) and has been the tool to describe teaching quality in several publications from the Nordic context (Svanbjörnsdóttir et al., 2023; Tengberg et al., 2022).In this paper we demonstrate PLATO’s way of constructing patterns of teaching quality by focusing on aspects such as theoretical grounding, level of conceptualization and grain size, and discuss what type of information regarding teaching quality that PLATO may offer.

Theoretical Perspectives
Based on socio-constructivist and cognitive theories of learning, PLATO conceptualizes teaching quality in four domains (Instructional Scaffolding, Disciplinary Demand, Representation and Use of Content, and Classroom environment) that together consist of an ensemble of specific teacher practices (e.g., elements), all considered relevant for student learning. These practices are reflected in PLATO’s 12 elements and sub-elements. Together, the 12 elements provide a detailed and rich view of teaching patterns by pointing to whether the specific practices are present as well as the degree of quality of these practices.

Methods
Certified raters with subject expertise scored both mathematics and language arts lessons. All comprised teaching quality aspects are scored on a four-point scale for every 15 minutes of the lessons. Two raters scored each of the lessons and discrepancies were resolved through discussion.

Data
Two consecutive lessons from mathematics and Language Arts instruction in Norwegian lower secondary classrooms were used in this analysis. The two classrooms were selected due to differences in localities (urban (language arts classroom); village (mathematics classroom)) however similarities in students’ socio-economic background. Each classroom was videotaped using a two-camera solution, one camera focusing on the teacher and one camera capturing the whole class. Both cameras were backed up with feasible audio solutions. Informed consents were collected from all participating teachers and students.

Results
The findings reveal that the mathematics lessons receive consistently high scores on all PLATO elements while the patterns in the language arts lessons are more mixed of high and low scores fluctuating across different parts of the lessons. Grounded in this analysis of key patterns using PLATO’s lens of teaching quality, we present benefits and challenges with PLATO. Benefits include a detailed view of how different practices have different foci within and across lessons, while challenges include the way PLATO privileges some instructional aspects above others and how to deal with sequencing linked to 15 minutes cut-off points. Finally, we discuss questions such as whether everything we observe is equally important, and whether we can really determine normatively what patterns of high-quality teaching looks like across different lessons and tasks.

Authors

• Kirsti Klette, University of Oslo

• Mark Christopher White, University of Oslo