A Learners’ View (ALV) Is Of Choices On The Shortest And Fastest Path To Learning, The Oxygen Of Social Life.

Main Page: ALV (a Learners’ View) Zone (ALVZ) System

Theme: How to assess learning with the ALV (a earners’ View) Zone System

THE FOREMOST REQUIREMENT for applying the ALV Zone System is an evaluator who both knows the ALV Path and who is sensitive to interests of the teacher and students being observed.

We provide guidance for approximating conditions for observing teaching and learning used by those who generated the data the ALV Path represents. Careful study of the directions for applying this system provides observers with an understanding of the principles used to develop this assessment. Use these principles to answer questions not addressed elsewhere.

In these ways, teachers of lessons may have confidence that evaluations of their lessons are likely to be comparable across teachers, lessons, and evaluators.

Work within a Frame

The evaluator without an ingrained respect for scientific method can fail to appreciate how slight changes in application procedures may influence the lesson, the teacher, the students, and the results. A beginner may feel uncomfortable and restricted by these directions. Skilled evaluators accept a structured situation in which to evaluate lessons and can use these conditions to support the teacher.

A Place for Judgment

Avoid the “halo” effect. Rate each interval of a lesson on its own merit without reference to other intervals. Guard against general impressions of the people, place, or lesson influencing rating of any specific interval. Free yourself from general impressions of each teacher’s abilities. Watch out for overestimating the teaching ability of an energetic, self-confident, and talkative person who consistently earns less than a 1.0 rating. Scoring must rely on responses of learners to the lesson, not to the apparent effort or intent of the teacher.

At the same time, formulas for rating intervals are not rater or “fool” proof. Use scientific judgment and common sense when choosing whether an interval includes instruction by the teacher that is on or off of the ALV Path.

Standard of Teachers’ instructional Performance

The standard or state-of-the-art for instructional performance by teachers is to offer 1.0 lessons. These are technically possible as demonstrated by thousands of teachers in experimental studies in and out of classrooms. ALVZ assessments indicate how closely classroom teachers you observe approximate this standard.

Scoring the Assessment

The task of the evaluator (assessor) is to score each lesson as nearly as possible the same way it was scored by observers in the experiments that ALV represents. Only to the degree this is accomplished will the assessment of learning from teaching be comparable to descriptions of the active ingredients of learning that these studies reported.

Presence of Others

The only people in the teaching setting being evaluated should include the teacher, learners, and the evaluator. Give care to establishing your presence as a fair, objective, and independent observer, so teachers do not see themselves having to uphold a reputation.

Preparation

1. Establish that your role as an assessor is to assist the teacher to accomplish your mutual objective of AIDing learning. Establish a schedule for observing and for reporting your assessments to each teacher.

2. Establish with the teacher the estimated length in clock time of the lesson you will observe. Also clarify the number of lessons to observe and assess. From a learners’ view, a lesson occurs in seconds, not minutes. Class periods that extend for more than 60 seconds consist of a string of two or more ALV lessons.

3. Obtain a copy of the lesson plan. Use it as a guide for establishing the beginning and ending of each lesson.

4. Review the lesson plan and your evaluation form before entering the classroom to begin the evaluation.

5. Arrange your material in the order you will use them before entering the classroom. Avoid fumbling around for paper, pencil or other supplies. Fumbling can potentially distract the teacher and learners unnecessarily.

6. Arrange before entering the classroom to have two chairs available for you at the back of the classroom. Sit on one chair and use the other one on which to place materials you do not use.

7. While observing, remain neutral, gracious, and pleasant. Do not engage in eye contact or conversations. After the first several observations, you will no longer be a novelty to the teacher or learners in that classroom. Both the teachers and students will become familiar and likely accept your presence.

Related Resources

Last Edited: February 11, 2015

General Instructions for Assessments with ALVZ System