Self-Regulation Training Approaches and Resources to Improve Staff Capacity for Implementing Healthy Marriage Services for Youth (SARHM)

INSTRUMENT 4: Educator observation tool

Educator Observation Tool

The purpose of this information collection is to collect observation data on educators’ use of co-regulation strategies during group workshops. The information will be used to assess how well the training provided to educators prepared them to implement the co-regulation strategies. Each observation will last 60-90 minutes, depending on the length of the group session. Participation in this information collection is voluntary, and the observation data collected will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

Please focus your observation on a single educator. If more than one educator is delivering the workshop, please complete a separate observation for each educator rather than observing multiple educators at the same time. If one educator is leading the workshop and another educator is serving as an assistant, please focus your observation on the lead educator.

The tool is divided into four sections. The first section focuses on the beginning of the workshop. The second section consists of a series of timed observation cycles. Each cycle should last 15 minutes, followed by 5 minutes to record your observations. The third section focuses on the end of the workshop. Finally, the fourth section asks you to assess various dimensions of the workshop as a whole. As you conduct your observation, please use the margins and backs of pages to write notes of the things you observe. This will help you determine what ratings to assign.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number for this information collection is 0970-0355 and the expiration date is 05/31/2021.

Please do not include any personal information, such as your name or contact information, or the educator’s name or contact information, on this form. Before beginning the observation, please fill-out the following information:

Observer ID #:	Educator ID #:
Today’s Date: | | |/| | | /| | | | | MM DD YY	Program Site:
Workshop Start Time: | | | : | | | am pm Workshop End Time: | | | : | | | am pm	Curriculum Name: Lessons covered during session:

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement - This information collection meets the requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507, as amended by section 2 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. You do not need to answer these questions unless we display a valid Office of Management and Budget control number. The OMB control number for this information collection is 0970-0355, expiring 05/31/2021. We estimate that it will take about 1 to 1.5 hours to read the instructions and answer the questions, depending on the length of the group workshop..

I. Beginning the Workshop During the first 10 minutes of the workshop, please record the following information. Select only one response for each item.
1. Did the educator greet youth individually as they walked in?	1 □ The educator greeted all youth individually 2  The educator greeted most youth individually 3  The educator greeted a few youth individually 4  The educator did not greet youth individually
2. Did the educator appear warm and friendly as youth walked in? (For example, smiled at youth, made eye contact with youth, body language was relaxed, etc.)	1 □ The educator appeared very warm and friendly 2  The educator appeared mostly warm and friendly 3  The educator appeared somewhat cold and unfriendly 4  The educator appeared very cold and unfriendly
3. How is the room set-up?	1 □ Participants all face the front of the room 2 □ Participants face each other 3 □ Other (Specify:______________________________ )
4. How many youth were in attendance at the start of the workshop?	| | | Number of youth
5. Did the educator start the workshop by asking youth about whether they used the skills learned in the previous workshop?	1 □ Yes 0 □ No
6. Are the class rules or norms posted in a visible location in the room?	1 □ Yes 0 □ No

II. Observation Cycle Cycle # | | Cycle Start Time: | | |:| | | Cycle Stop Time: | | |:| | | Before you begin your first observation cycle, please familiarize yourself with the information in this section. Each observation cycle should last around 15 minutes, followed by 5 minutes to record your responses. You should complete as many observation cycles as possible during the workshop. For example, if the workshop is 1 hour long, you should aim to complete at least 2 cycles. If the workshop is 90 minutes long, you should aim to complete at least 3 cycles. Please complete your final observation cycle at least 10 minutes prior to the end of the workshop.
1. Please estimate the percent of time spent on the following activities. Percentages should sum to 100.	| | | | % a. Lecture | | | | % b. Full class discussion/activity | | | | % c. Small group discussion/activity | | | | % d. Individual activity | | | | % e. Total (should equal 100%)
2a. Did the cycle include any full class discussions or activities? 2b. If yes, how many youth talked during these discussions and activities?	1 □ Yes 0 □ No b. | | | Number of youth
3. How many times during the cycle did the educator do the following:	a. | | | Verbally praise youth b. | | | Distribute written praise/post-it notes c. | | | Distribute tokens or other incentives to youth d. | | | Enact a team competition related to self-regulation e. | | | Encourage timed or nasal breathing f. | | | Lead mindfulness exercises g. | | | Lead focusing or breathing exercises h. | | | Encourage students to plan when and how they will use a certain skill i. | | | Encourage students to practice skills in the curriculum j. | | | Encourage students to Tag It/Tell It/Tune It k. | | | Encourage students to Rest and Return

III. Ending the Workshop During the final 10 minutes of the workshop, please record the following information:
1. How many youth were present at the end of the workshop?	| | | Number of youth
2. Did any of the following disruptions occur during the workshop?	MARK ALL THAT APPLY 1 □ Off-topic conversations among participants 2 □ Emotional outbursts by participants 3 □ Disruptions by other adults 4  Other disruptions (Specify:_______________________ )
3. Did the educator end the session by summarizing the key skills presented in the workshop?	1 □ Yes 0 □ No

IV. Workshop Overview Immediately after the workshop ends, please answer the following questions. Select only one response for each item.
1. How much time did the educator provide for youth to practice their self-regulation skills?	1 □ No time 2 □ A little time 3 □ Some time 4 □ A lot of time
2. How much time did the educator provide for youth to reflect on their self-regulation skills?	1 □ No time 2 □ A little time 3 □ Some time 4 □ A lot of time
3. How often did the educator encourage youth to take a break when they appeared restless or upset?	1 □ Never 2 □ Rarely 3 □ Sometimes 4 □ All of the time
4. How often did the educator make a point to involve students who weren’t engaged?	1 □ Never 2 □ Rarely 3 □ Sometimes 4 □ All of the time
5. How prepared was the educator to deliver the workshop?	1 □ Very unprepared (for example, started the workshop late or forgot to bring curriculum materials or other supplies) 2 □ Somewhat unprepared 3 □ Mostly prepared 4 □ Completely prepared (for example, started the workshop on time, set up all curriculum materials and supplies)
6. How well did the educator manage his/her emotions during the workshop (for example, when disciplining youth)?	1 □ At times during the workshop, the educator was visibly agitated or upset 2 □ At times during the workshop, the educator appeared to have some difficulty remaining calm and composed 3 □ For most of the workshop, the educator remained calm and composed 4 □ The educator remained calm and composed throughout the entire workshop
7. How well did the educator validate youths’ feelings during the workshop?	1 □ The educator rarely or never acknowledged youths’ feelings OR the educator was unsupportive of youths’ feelings 2 □ The educator occasionally acknowledged youths’ feelings, but missed many opportunities to do so 3 □ The educator was somewhat attentive to and supportive of youths’ feelings 4 □ The educator was highly attentive to and supportive of youths’ feelings
8. Which best describes the tone of the workshop?	1 □ The tone of the workshop was hostile and disrespectful (for example, youth bullied each other or the educator belittled youth) 2 □ The tone of the workshop was somewhat uncomfortable and disrespectful 3 □ The tone of the workshop was somewhat positive and respectful 4 □ The tone of the workshop was positive and respectful (for example, youth responded to each other in a supportive manner and the educator was warm and friendly toward youth)
9. Which best describes youths’ level of attention to the workshop?	1 □ Most youth did not pay attention (for example, lots of cross-talk or checking cell phones) 2 □ Youths’ attention was inconsistent 3 □ Most youth paid attention during the workshop 4 □ All or almost all youth paid attention during the workshop (for example, youth listened to whoever was speaking, made eye contact with the speaker, etc.)
10. Which best describes youths’ level of participation during the workshop?	1 □ Most youth did not participate in activities 2 □ Youths’ level of participation was inconsistent 3 □ Most youth participated in activities 4 □ Most youth actively participated in activities

Qualitative Notes:

This section is for your use during the observation. If anything happened during the session that would help us interpret your responses or make them more meaningful, please include here. For example, please include information on any negative interactions during the workshop, and how the educator handled these interactions.

Prepared by Mathematica Policy Research 1