2.8 Strategies of monitoring
2.8.3 School Programmes and Monitoring Instruments
Page | 22 although these countries both encourage assessment in education as part of the monitoring and quality assurance strategy.
Page | 23 discussed above as a monitoring strategy, can also be an example of an item to be included as part of a major school programme in which all subject notional times are scheduled as stipulated in National Education Policy Act (NEPA) 27 of 1996 (RSA, 1996b). For instance, each subject must have dates on which some of the measurement will be conducted and the composite scheduling of subject evaluation dates constitutes a school assessment programme (DBE, 2010a). There are numerous programmes in school which are drawn to achieve certain goals. Some of these goals are to conduct orderly morning assembly, examination invigilation, teaching and monitoring, extra-curricular as well as other regular activities (Bush, 2013). In order to ensure quality implementation of these activities monitoring instruments for each one is necessary.
When conducting written subject assessment, first, the question paper is submitted to the HOD or specialist teacher for moderation as a quality assuring measure way before it is given to the learners (DBE, 2011b). Instruments designed for assessment moderation are designed to check content coverage, level of difficulty, distribution of question type, grammar. Each programme has to have specific instruments to monitor its effective implementation. During management of teaching and learning, monitoring instruments or tools are also used to monitor numerous activities. These include learner and/or teacher attendance, daily preparation, marking of learner books, work completion, late arrival or early departure and so forth. Each one of these has its own specific monitoring tool. Van Joolingen (1999) describes cognitive tools that can be designed by teacher leaders to enhance the learning process. These instruments are like a flow chart with steps that are followed in order to understand/learn or solve a problem. Such tools are commonly used to ease learning and/or discovery (Van Joolingen, 1999).
Monitoring instruments are not the monopoly of the learners in the classroom. They are often used in management as a means of identifying and creatively solving problems (Neumann, Jones & Webb, 2012). Periodic register is an example of a monitoring instrument used to monitor the honouring of teaching/learning during allocated times. In the process, specific teacher academic activities are closely monitored and feed-back as well as corrective measures given timely. Often monitoring tools enhance an informed decision-making culture of the institution. Furthermore, instruments can promote a teaching environment in which learning experience is promoted (Van Joolingen, 1999). In the USA the use of school-wide evaluation tool (SET) in schools is vigorously encouraged in order to document a wide range
Page | 24 of positive learning procedures (Horner, Todd, Lewis-Palmer, Irvin, Sugai, & Boland, 2004).
The SET is aimed at analysing the relationship between the utilisation of the procedures and changes in social and academic behaviour. Conclusions reached on the effectiveness of the tool suggest the reliability of using school-wide evaluation tools as a measure of teaching and other technical efforts in schools (Horner, et al., 2004).
Therefore, utilisation of SET is not merely meant to gather information on learners and learning procedures. It is also a measure of assessing the teaching that is taking place in a school. From such data suggestions on teacher development can easily be made by principals and SMTs after receiving feedback. Bush, Joubert, Kiggundu and van Rooyen (2010) note that school principals and the SMTs in South Africa are often short of clear systems to monitor and manage curriculum implementation. These scholars further argue that instead of assessing the quality of teaching and learning taking place in school, they confine most of their attention to checking work completion (Bush, et. al., 2010). In order to overcome the situation, essential tools for managing teaching and learning which include monitoring and evaluation tools are recommended (Van Joolingen, 1999; Bush, et al., 2010).
The strategy of utilising monitoring and evaluation tools assist the teachers and the SMTs to adjust teaching approaches where such a challenge is identified (Safer & Fleischman, 2005).
For instance, teachers may design tools in order to identify learner challenges. But Safer and Fleischman (2005) further argue that other learner challenges may be a result of weaknesses on the part of the teachers’ approach. In such instances the teacher has to improve or change strategies or even consider personal development. This strategy can apply to both management levels and entry level teachers (Bush & Middlewood, 2013). Monitoring instruments are designed to gather data at regular intervals. The interval of the data gathering varies; sometimes it is daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or even quarterly (Safer &
Fleischman, 2005). Monitoring at regular intervals enables managers to better schedule their work as well as improve quality and efficiency (Lock, Qin & Brause, 2007). Data analysis gathered during these intervals is significant to give regular feedback so that necessary intervention strategies can be undertaken. In school settings, scholars such as Gamlem and Smith (2013) suggest areas in which teaching and learning can be managed through the utilisation of monitoring instruments. These include, but are not limited to, curriculum management, student assessment and other activities like attendance, timetable, staff activities and curriculum implementation. The next section focuses on the issue of developing
Page | 25 human capital as a strategy that can help enhance the quality of teaching and learning environment.