Two Conversations at Once: Making Sense of Classroom Observations

Classroom observations are sometimes a challenging form of data collection. Not only are interpretations of those observations subject to the researcher's theoretical lens, but communication between the researcher and the teacher is often delayed until well after the observed events. This article reports research that focused on the pedagogical decision-making of a teacher in an English classroom, with the aim of understanding how the teacher catered for "new" students. Initially, video-stimulated recall was identified as a possible way of assisting a review of classroom practices and considering reflections "on action". However, the teacher instigated an "in action" method of data collection by conducting two conversations at once in her classroom. One conversation was her teaching, comprising interactions with the students in her class; the other conversation was a "voice-over", to alert the researcher to what she was doing and why. This teacher-developed strategy helped to make visible the teacher's thinking and justifications for particular classroom practices.