Scaffolding pre-service teachers’ observations: eye on the future

Abstract

Pre-service teachers spend an inordinate amount of time observing teaching and learning in classrooms with the goals of understanding the complexities of that space and impacting their teaching. Consequently, teacher educators are responsible for scaffolding pre-service teachers in the use of appropriate and effective observational skills and tools. In this article, we describe how pre-service teachers were scaffolded to engage in effective observations in their field experiences to reflectively build a foundation for learning about teaching. Data were collected from 27 pre-service teachers during two semester-long language arts methods courses where students used a blended approach for their observations. The description of the course demonstrates that the design of a blended observational process with the related tools completed in the language arts methods courses met the needs of pre-service teachers by honing their observation skills in order to have the potential to positively impact classroom teaching.