Using observations to illuminate teaching and learning practices: evidence from government classrooms in Pakistan

• In Event: Quality support for quality outcomes: building the evidence-base for teacher and coach professional development models

Proposal

Children who face multiple disadvantages related to disability, poverty, gender, caste, religion or where they live, are most likely to experience poor quality teaching. Quality of teaching is a more accurate predictor of learning than observable characteristics of teachers. Raising achievements of children are placed at the bottom tail of the formal learning assessment spectrum promises to be an effective way of raising learning for all. Our research shows that children from marginalized backgrounds, primarily, are most likely to be the one’s not performing well in classroom assessments. Thus, teaching practices which are cognizant of disadvantage and inclusive in their approach to effectively respond to learning needs of these students are vital. However, very little is known about teaching practices and teacher-student interactions in government schools in Pakistan, making it rather difficult to focus efforts on how and what needs to be strengthened

A mixed methods study concerned with understanding the experience of schooling and learning of children facing multitude overlapping disadvantages, combined classroom observation tools with survey data from teachers to construct a picture of the quality of teaching in primary government schools in three districts of Punjab. Thirty-six lessons (grades 4 and 5) were observed in six schools, two in each district. These schools were a subset of a sample of 50 schools where surveys with teachers collected information on their background, classroom practices, and beliefs regarding self-efficacy and inclusion. The study generated data on teachers’ practices and on student engagement.

The classroom observation tool, loosely adapted from the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), captured information on dimensions deemed most necessary for understanding inclusion and exclusion in classrooms, including instructional support, emotional support and classroom organization. Our findings show that low-performing students or those with difficulties are most often overlooked in interactions with teachers. These children are often excluded from the types of practices that teachers employ to support students’ learning. Teachers are unable to adapt their practices sufficiently to support children.

Collecting such data offered a number of advantages for Pakistan’s context, including capturing rich accounts of teaching practices and teacher-student interactions. The next step in this work is to think about ways in which the data collected can be used to provide feedback to teachers. Examples of inclusive practices and moments of silent exclusions can be shared with teachers during feedback sessions in order to prompt reflective moments that can improve the teaching experienced by children who face multiple disadvantages.

Authors

• Rabea Malik, Lahore University of Management Sciences

• Nidhi Singal, University of Cambridge