This is my first-ever blog post and I’m going to start it with a true confession. When I did my first CLASS Observation training way back in 2006, I did not watch the training videos with my participants. I reasoned that I had seen the videos many times and that my time would be better spent pouring over the Master Code Justifications and try to commit them to memory. I thought that by doing so, I would be really prepared for anything that a participant might say.
I was wrong! The folly in my thinking became apparent almost immediately when one of my participants shared an observation that I had not seen because I wasn’t watching the video. I don’t remember how I responded, but I’m pretty certain that my response didn’t do much to help my participants learn the CLASS tool. It also didn’t help when a participant who was struggling with note taking said, “Tell us what you wrote down” and I had nothing to share.
What did I learn? I learned to watch and code the videos alongside my participants. Doing so keeps the video fresh in my mind, models note-taking, and helps prepare me to effectively respond to all comments – no matter how obscure. Remember that the Master Code Justifications serve as a guide for the video discussions, but they do not reference each and every interaction that takes place during the segment.
So, even if you know the training videos well enough that you can cite specific conversations verbatim, code along side your trainees. Doing so will help you quickly and confidently reinforce and expand upon accurate observations, redirect inaccurate observations, and explain the master codes in ways that benefit your participants. And avoid unnecessary embarrassment.
