TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Observation Report
Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed

Name of Observer Ye Ran Observation # Reading & Writing

Focus on relevant areas from the What Can Be Observed handout. Notice how the
Date

Observation
Environment (include

URL if the class was

online)

Class
Skill/Content

08/19/2014 R 141

Reading and
writing
teacher handles these areas during the class.

Class
Teacher
Level/Number
(Beg./Int./Adv.)
Advance
Patrick Wood

OBJECTIVE OF THE LESSON:

Ss will discuss and solve the problems they encountered about the final paper.
Ss will compose a thesis statement of the final paper.

Notes while observing:

1. T asks students to write a learning journal within 15 minutes. This journal generally
contains four questions.
What did you find easy or difficult at the library yesterday?
What was surprising you?
What problem did you encounter and how did you solve them?
What did you learn from your library visit?
2. 15 minutes later, Ss are required to do group discussions. T divides students into 4
groups and Ss will share what their works with their group members. Eight out of
thirteen students are Asian students. Most of the time these students are just listeners
in the discussion. One of the Asian girls keeps silent all the time.
3. After the discussion, T asks Ss what problems they encountered yesterday so that T
could help them out and give specific suggestions to each of the students for solving

Last Updated: 5/19/2015 11:58 PM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook
problems. In this process, those Asian students have to talk out loud and T has
successfully solved their problems.
4. T began a new topic about how to write a thesis statement by giving them a great
sample. T illustrated that a thesis statement should contain at least three main parts,
which are the sub point, topic and opposite point. Here is the sample thesis statement.
(Belief in romantic love, the division of family responsibility and attitudes towards
divorce are three differences between American and Indian expectations of marriage)
5. Ss were expected to finish the thesis statement of their final paper in 10 minutes.
After they finished, T would check the result one by one and help them to improve.
(Continue on back)
What did you learn about teaching or learning from this lesson? Discuss your
observation focus, and the theory you have studied in your TESOL classes. Consider
the three levels of teacher reflection (surface, pedagogical, critical). (100-200 words)
What I learnt from the lesson is that one of the teachers major responsibilities is to
establish situations likely to promote communication. In this class, T gives students a lot
of time to communicate with their group members and the teacher. Asian students, who
are not confident about speaking, have to express their ideas in front of the classmates.
Based on the principles of communicative teaching approach, the basic goal of the class
is to enable students to communicate in the target language, and T should facilitate
communication in the classroom (P.122). In this class, writing, reading, speaking, and
listening skills are integrated so that students can acquire linguistic competence as well as
communicative competence.

What activities/techniques from this class do you want to remember for your own
teaching practice? Discuss specific ways in which you could apply the techniques and
methods you saw. Discuss your future teaching environment and your students needs
and goals. (100-200 words)
One activity I would like to use in my teaching practice is to suggest students write
learning journals. For the first 5 minutes in class, I will let my students write down what
they have learnt last time or last week, so that my students have an opportunity to
practice writing as well as build schemas knowledge. Or I will give students journal

Last Updated: 5/19/2015 11:58 PM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook
writing assignment after class. Journal writing assignments can benefit students by
enhancing reflection, facilitating critical thought, expressing feelings, and writing focused
arguments. Once students developed journal writing habit, they will not be afraid of
writing.

Last Updated: 5/19/2015 11:58 PM