Classroom observation These observation tasks are for use when observing the teaching practice lessons of your colleagues or any other classes that you are required to observe during the course. Each task has a particular focus, and links to some aspect of the course input. Some tasks focus on the teacher, others focus on the learners, and some focus on the interaction between both teacher and learners. These tasks are designed to provide a focus for post-observation discussion. Normally, your trainer will tell you which task you should use. (Note that there is no obligation to complete all the tasks.) Observation task 1: the teacher's position and body language "Note the teacher's/teachers' position and movement. If possible, draw a ground plan showing the teacher's movements during the lesson. + When and where do they sit? + When and where do they stand? + How near do they approach the learners at different parts of the lesson? = When do they move around? + Do they project to all the learners? + Can they be heard and seen clearly by all the learners? + Do they use gesture effectively? + Do they make eye contact with individual leamers? Observation task 2: the individual learners ‘Make sure you know the learners’ names! Observe the learners and complete the table with their names. ‘Name Behaviour takes the initiative, volunteers answers to questions, and asks questions of hisher own avoids answering questions, or only answers if called on by name; doesn’t participate much in open class takes part actively in palrwork and groupwork tends to take a back-seat role in group work, and does only the minimum in pairwork takes risks with thelanguage, and sn’ tafalé of making mistakes ‘shesitant, even reluctant, to speak 7 catches on quickly and follows explanations relatively easily atten gets confused and frequent seeks claiation rom peers186 Classroom observation Observation task 3: interaction Observe the diferent interactions in each lesson and complete the table. Then answer the questions, + What is the predominant type of interaction? «Does it seem appropriate to the aims of the lesson? + In which interaction were the learners most productive? Interaction pattern ‘Amount of time spent Teacher whole cass % Learners in pairs % Learners in groups: % Learners working individually % | other % Observation task 4: meaning + Are there any points during the lessons when the leamers seem unclear as to what something means? How can you tell? + How is the problem resolved? + Does the teacher deliberately seek to check understanding? + Hows this done? + How effective ist? Observation task 5: instructions + Are there any points in the lesson when learners seem unsure of what the teacher wents them to do? Why is this, do you think? + Write down, word for word, some examples of instructions that occur during the lesson(s) ‘Are they clear, economical and effective? Observation task 6: engagement/interest ‘To what extent do the learners seem engaged by the lesson? What is the level of learner interes? Plot their engagement over the course of the lesson using this graph (100% = maximally engaged; 0% = totally uninterested): 100% 0% time‘Observation tasks Note: You could do this task to record your impression of the group as a whole or of an individual learner, Observation task 7: learner participation Choose oneleamer to focus on (preferably one that you can see and/or hear wel) and answer the questions. * How much speaking (in English!) does he or she do during the lesson? * How many contributions does he or she make in the whole class stages (as opposed to in pair- or groupwork)? * Do these contributions take the form of one- or two-word utterances, or complete sentences? * Atany point does the learner contribute more than a sentence? Observation task 8: teacher-learner interaction Draw a ‘map’ ofthe class lke the one below, and label each earner, Dawlines and arrows to Indicate the ferent interactions between the teacher and individuals, or between individuals and the teacher The direction of the artow should indicate whether the interaction is teacher initiated orlearnerinitiated ‘Then answer the questions. + What does your interaction map suggest? + What is the dominant direction of interaction? + With which learners did the teacher interact most? + Which learners initiated most?‘Classroom observation Observation task 9: error and correction Nate down any instances of earner enor, the teacher's response if any) and the leamers response, eg, sef-correction, Leamer’s error Teacher’s response Learner's response Observation task 10: planning and staging Observe a lesson without knowing in advance how it was planned. As you observe the lesson, note the rain stages, «+ Isthere a clear division into stages? For example, is there a beginning, middle and end? + How is each new stage signalled? + Whats the alm of each stage? * possible, after the lesson compare your impression of the lesson’s design with the teacher's plan. What differences were there? Observation task 11: boardwork Note down at what points in the lesson the teacher uses the board, + Are there cleanly differentiated boardwork stages, ori the board used intermittently ‘throughout the lesson? ‘+ What is written on the board? And where? How legible is it? + Do the learners copy what is written on the board? + Hpossible, ask to look at a learner's book at the end of the lesson, and see if the learner's record of the lesson is an accurate summary of the lesson. To what extent is the learner's record of the lesson a reflection of the boardwork? Observation task 12: time-on-task Drawa pie-chart to show the propartion of time-on-task. + How much time is spent leading up to tasks (including pre-teaching, giving instructions, etc)? + How much time do the leamers spend engaged on the tasks? + How much time s spent on the post-task phase (e.g. checking, reporting back, etc)?Observation tasks, Observation task 13: mother tongue use Record the Lt quotient during the lesson on a graph (100% all the learners are speaking their all the time; 0% = all the leamers are speaking English all thetime).Then answer the questions. + How much use do the learners make of their first language? + How do you account for any peaks in the graph? + Would you judge the use of the L1 to be largely constructive or largely unhelpful? 100% 0% time Observation task 14; teacher questions ‘Monitor the teacher's questioning techniques, and answer the questions. + How many real questions does the teacher ask? (These are questions for which the teacher doesn’t know the answer, such as What did you do at the weekend?) + How many display questions does the teacher ask? (These are questions the teacher asks in order for learners to display their knowledge, such as What isthe past ofthe verb ‘go’? + Whatis different about the stages in the lesson when there is a high proportion of real questions, as opposed to stages which are dominated by dispiay questions? Real questions Display questions Observation task 15; teachers’ ‘in-flight’ decisions CObservea lesson for which there is a detailed lesson plan. Keep a record of how closely the lesson follows ‘the plan and answer the questions. Are there any points when the actual lesson departs from the plan? D Does the actual timing differ from the anticipated timing of the lesson? ¢ Can you account for these differences? d Thpossible, tak to the teacher after the lesson. How does your account of the teacher's ‘in- flight’ decisions compare with his/her own? 189Classroom observation ‘Observation task 16: pronunciation Keep a note of any pronunciation errers that occur Inthe lesson, Answer the questions and complete the table. + What effect does the error have on communication? + Does the error cause a misunderstanding or breakdown in communication and. if so, between whom? + Whats the outcome, c.g, is the error corrected by the teacher, self-comrected by the learner, or ignored? Error Should have Effecton Outcome been ‘communication Observation task 17: coursebook use Observe lesson thats based on coursebook material. Monitor how closely the lesson follows the coursebook. Use the following cline to record the extent to which the lesson follows the coursebook. (100% =the lesson follows the coursebook exactly: 0% = the lesson bears no resemblance tothe coursebook materia). MO og Xf possible, compare your evaluation with the teacher's own assessment of how closely the lesson followed the coursebook. What was the effec of either following the coursebook closely, ‘or not following it closely? Observation task 18: use of technology/aids Observea lesson in which the teachers using some form of technology or aid and answer the questions * What technology or aid i the teacher using, eg, cassette recorder, video, overhead projector or interactive whiteboard? ‘+ How ‘fluent is the teacher with the use of this aid? * Does it contribute to the flow of the lesson, or does it disrupt it? + To what extent does the technological aid enhance the lesson? + Could the lesson aims have been achieved as effectively without it? Observation task 19: teacher talking time Make ple chart to show how much time the teacher talks, and how much time the learners talk, + Who spends more time talking, the teacher or the ‘learners? + Atwhat points in the lesson do the learners talk more? + At what points in the lesson does the teacher talk more? + Approximately how much of the leamer talking time is spent talking in open dass? + Approximately how much ofthe learner talking time i spent talking in pal or small groups? + Does the teacher ever address small groups or individuals ‘privately’ (Le. withont heroes p> class heating)?