ABSTRACT
Being an observer is a transitional role, and the time spent in it will be different for different students. What they are expected to get out of it will also vary, as will the extent and kind of documentation their college tutors will want them to produce. We want to develop the idea that the observational role is not simply a temporary role that the student leaves behind, but that it is a role that he or she internalizes and carries on into their teaching. We believe that good teachers are those who are able, at critical points, to distance themselves from classroom activities, to see themselves as others see them, and to adjust their actions accordingly.
