We're happy to share our third and final post in our series, Notetaking for Trainers. During this series, we'll discuss strategies to help you ensure that your trainees are equipped with the notetaking skills they need to score classrooms reliably. This series is intended for trainers across all age levels. Enjoy!
Let’s talk a little bit more about notetaking. In particular, let’s talk about the use of tally marks. You know them, the cute little hash marks that we use to indicate frequency. The Observation Training PowerPoint indicates that frequency counts may be a helpful tool for the CLASS observer and indeed, they may have a place in conducting observations. Some interactions naturally lend themselves to tally marks (e.g., the teacher uses children’s names, children smile, the teacher says “please” or “thank you”). These types of interactions may be captured with tally marks because they are discrete; they have a clear beginning and a clear end, making them easy to quantify. They are also fairly rote interactions, meaning that they have little depth.
But what about interactions that are not easily quantified– those that may not have a clear beginning or end? Think about teacher irritability, feedback that expands understanding, or questioning that leads children to think analytically. Those types of interactions are very difficult to capture with tally marks! This is why the training PowerPoint reminds observers to take direct quotes and to consider the frequency, duration, and depth of the interactions. Direct quotes and detailed descriptions provide a context for the interactions and help the observer gain a holistic picture of what took place during the observation period.
Tally marks can be helpful, but they can also be misleading. Consider a scenario where an observer makes a tally mark every time she hears the teacher use a “how” question. Without capturing the full question, the observer may assume that the question had depth and give more credit to that question than it deserves. Consider the difference between the following questions: “How many boys came to school today?” and “How do you think the boy felt when he found out that his grandma couldn’t come and visit him on his birthday?” The first question is a rote question with only one correct answer, while the second question is open-ended and invites the child to think about different possible responses. Direct quotes and detailed descriptions provide a context for the interactions and help the observer gain a holistic picture of the classroom. Furthermore, tally marks do not provide information about the duration of the interactions. For example, a teacher may smile at the children and use their names during morning greeting, yet fail to do so once the children transition to centers. Noting when discrete interactions occur is helpful for an observer as he or she assigns code. In the previous example, the observer may use tally marks to note each time the teacher smiles, but also write an additional note stating that this happened during circle.
In sum, good CLASS observers should never limit their notetaking to making tally marks each time a teacher or a child says or does something. Instead, they should use both direct quotes and descriptions paired with tally marks when appropriate.
