How Regular Senior School Teachers Research Classroom Teaching

With in-depth advancing of the eighth Curriculum Reform of Elementary Education,it has become a hot spot and a focus in education field about how to enhance the quality of classroom teaching in regular senior schools.Therefore,school-based research,which calls for teachers to research classroom teaching so as to enhance its quality,is vigorously advocated from the nation to schools.However,it is still an essential requirement in terms of the current situation of regular senior schools.Meanwhile,classroom observation and evaluation,as the most Chinese characterized and the most familiar activity to Chinese mainland teachers,has had its functions alienated so heavily under the influence of a variety of factors that teachers fail to recognize the significance and value of it to classroom teaching research.So based on the Kuhn’s paradigm theory,this study attempts to put classroom observation and evaluation into the context of the teaching research by mirroring anthropological research line of " Being Here-Going There-Backing here " and using the research paradigms of the combination of text and fields,and the quantitative and qualitative analysis.Meanwhile,research methods such as the method of literature,questionnaire survey,interviews,field observation and the object collection are comprehensively used to explore how the regular senior school teachers research classroom teaching by observation and evaluation activities.Firstly,by reviewing both vertically and horizontally related references which include the key words "teachers to become researchers" 、 "classroom teaching research" and " classroom observation and evaluation ",the author found out that the existing researches of classroom teaching from the perspective of observation and evaluation activities are rare to be found.In addition,current researches pay more emphasis on theoretical discussion about research results than on empirical study,more on universal viewpoints about research contents than on substantive viewpoints,and more on deductive research method than on inductive study approach.Secondly,by investing 209 chemistry teachers from 15 senior high schools in Lanzhou City,Gansu province,the author found out that currently,teachers go for classroom observation and evaluation mainly to finish tasks or to imitate rather than to learn or to study;they are also lack of good emotional experience and positive behavior intention;based simply on subjective experience or the evaluation form,the content of their observation and evaluation is void of insightful research questions or topics;a haphazard and meander way,instead of systematic planning and scientific methods,dominates their observation and evaluation.When it comes to schools,the classroom observation and evaluation system is primarily supervise-and manageorientation,with guarantee and guidance supplementing;it is principally schools and teaching and research groups that organize and implement it instead of teachers’ autonomy;and classroom observation and evaluation culture is on the basis of individualism and collaboration,but lacking of real cooperation.Still,among teachers of different age,seniority,position,title,education background,teaching grades and schools,there are distinct differences on their aims,attitudes,contents and ways of classroom observation and evaluation.Schools of different types and locations also differ markedly in the system and ways of organization and implementation in classroom observation and evaluation.As a result,problems of regular senior school teachers’ research on the classroom teaching by classroom observation and evaluation are as follows: teachers haven’t realized the meaning and value of observation and evaluation activities in classroom study and they fail to carry out classroom teaching research through those observation and evaluation activities.Schools are lacking of institutional protection and guidance to the teacher’s classroom observation and evaluation activities together with the ignorance of teachers’ subjective initiative and individual’s variation;the individualism and cooperation culture also make teachers suffer from blocks in their classroom observation and evaluation activities.Based on the prevalence of major problems,the present study selects two typical senior high schools in Lanzhou for the case study.According to the actual circumstances of the case school,we,in cooperation with the Chemistry teachers in the case school,explore the paths and patterns of senior high school teachers’ research on teaching by classroom observation and evaluation,and summarize the useful experience in the practice.At last,on the basis of literature research,investigation and case study,it is suggested that teachers’ research on classroom teaching by classroom observation and evaluation is an activity of reflection,exploration and learning and a process of action research and awareness raising;it is the unity of consciousness and normality,autonomy and cooperation,practicality and theoretical property,objectivity and subjectivity,micro characteristics and sustainability.The basic idea of it appears to improve the quality of classroom teaching,solve the fundamental problems of classroom teaching,and be based on teachers’ self-reflection and professional leading as well as peer coaching in order to promote the teachers’ professional development.Its basic content include classroom teaching activities,teaching phenomenon,teaching problem,teaching laws and nature etc.Two basic paths,one from bottom to top is inductive path,and the other from top to bottom is deductive path,set two models for teachers researching on classroom teaching by classroom observation and evaluation.One is based on the issues of teachers’ individual research and the other is based on teacher’s common issues.In addition,to help teachers’ research on classroom teaching by classroom observation and evaluation,schools should reconstruct professional classroom observation and evaluation system,cultivate professional research culture,format professional research community,and create objective conditions for the effective operation of professional classroom observation and evaluation.Meanwhile,teachers should change the traditional ideas of classroom observation and evaluation,cultivate awareness and enhance the ability of classroom teaching and research.