Abstract
In this paper, we try to determine the knowledge which can be drawn from classroom observations, and we consider what are the limitations and the powers of the different ways of using them. The most important limitations come from the ‘observer's paradox’ (to look for what happens in a natural situation without any observer), and the subjectivity of witnesses. We analyze various pseudo-scientific methods and see that they have more inconveniences than the ‘à l'oeil nu’ observation.
In spite of these limitations, methodical observations (with video-tape, for instance) are a prodigious source of information for teacher-training and for educational research.
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Adda, J. L'Observation de classes et le paradoxe de l'observateur. Educ Stud Math 13, 21–32 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305496
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305496