Observation Sheet Questioning

Primary
Graduate Standards AITSL
Professional Knowledge:
1. Know students and how they learn
Professional Practice:
2. Plan and implement effective teaching and learning
Question Type
Do you feel your
questions were clearly
structured and readily
understood by the
students?
Did you use a variety of
question types?

What balances was there

between the various
questions types?
Consider both why and
when you made use of
the different question
types?

Yes, I do feel as though my questions were clearly structured and

readily understood by the students. I used questions that were
easily understood and provided a basis for a follow up question. I
used a variety of question types to challenge the students and
engage them in the learning process.
I did use a variety of question types; I used level 1 thinking type
questions when I wanted a direct response and level 3 thinking
type questions when I wanted a critical response. As this was in a
primary setting, I tended to lean towards using simpler questions
that required a straightforward answer.
I used a range of different questions that required all three levels of
thinking. However, I mostly used questions that required a direct
answer as I was placed with year ones and I thought that those
types of questions would better suit their learning abilities/levels.
I made use of different question types when I required a different
type of response. For example, if I wanted to find out what who the
author of a particular book was, Id use a level 1 question as the
answer is in the text. However, if I wanted to know how the main
character felt about a certain action providing it was not explicitly
stated in the book, Id use a level 3 question.

Distributing and Directing Questions

Did you recognise any
pattern in the distribution
of your questions
amongst the students?
Consider reasons for this
pattern?
How have you directed
questions to the group?

I recognised that I used simpler questions rather than difficult,

brain engaging questions as I thought it would better suit the year
level. However, I did ask open-ended questions such as What do
you know about number lines? when I wanted a broad answer. I
leaned towards asking easier questions as I thought it would be
direct and wouldnt lead to confusion among the students.
I directed questions to the group by asking broad, open-ended
questions such as Can you tell me about the number 22?,
allowing them to answer as a group or put their hands up. I also
directed questions to the group by including a students name
within my question so they know it is aimed toward them.
Another way I directed questions was by putting a question up on

Have you used wait

time?

Did you make eye contact

with the group as you
directed your questions?

the interactive whiteboard, and them prompting them to answer

the question on their own whiteboards.
I did use wait time. I used this when asking questions, allowing the
students to think about their answer. Often, I posed a question,
gave them a minute to write the answer down on their whiteboards
and picked people randomly; providing a safety net for the
students.
I made eye contact as much as possible and tried not to focus my
eye contact on one person when I was speaking to the whole
group at the same time. I also used eye contact as a means of
directing a question to a particular student.

Reactions to Students Responses

How do you deal with
correct responses? Do
you qualify any praise
given?
How do you deal with
incorrect responses?
How do you deal with
students who stumble
and grope for an answer?
What use do you make of
the students responses
to develop the teaching
point? Have you
redirected any questions
in order to add to an
initial response?
Are you the only
evaluator of the students
answers?

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I dealt with correct responses by praising the student for their

answer with phrases such as Good job!, Awesome stuff!, You
are right!.
I dealt with incorrect responses by using a positive sandwich
technique which involves a positive comment about the answer, a
critique about the answer and then another positive comment.
When students stumbled with an answer, I refined my question to
something more specific which gave them a hint of the type of
answer that I was looking for.
I made great use of the students responses to develop the
teaching point. I did this by expanding on the point the student
made and asking a follow up question to get a specific answer. I
redirected questions to get a more complex answer or to lead the
student to the teaching point.

No, I am not the only evaluator of a particular students answers as

the other students in the class also evaluate the answers given
and process this information within.

Observation Sheet Management

Graduate Standards AITSL
Professional Practice:
1. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
2. Planning for Effective Management
Was your lesson plan
effective for managing
the class?

Yes, my lesson plan was effective for managing the class as it left
little room for boredom and loss of focus as we were constantly
doing activities. The students were excited for my lesson
especially when they discovered that Id be using the interactive
e.g. How did the students whiteboard. They listened appropriately and actively participated in
react to your lesson
the lesson. Nothing unexpected happened, however, a few boys
overall and to your
were a little talkative. I then used the schools disciplinary system
planned activities?
to get them bac on track. I provided a variety of activities for the
students and included a warm-up/refresher for the lesson which
Did anything unexpected allowed them to feel energised and ready to learn. The activities I
happen?
provided included a class discussion as a refresher using the
interactive whiteboard and a PowerPoint presentation for flash
Did you provide a variety cards for the students to call out. I also prepared worksheets for
of activities?
the students to complete based on the content and held a
discussion after the lesson for them to discuss what we did in the
Were you satisfied with
lesson, what they learnt, anything they found interesting and any
your timing, particularly
questions they may have. I was satisfied with the timing of my
for the end of the lesson? lesson I planned time slots for every activity we did and stuck to
them religiously. The lesson started and finished on time, with the
Did you feel you were
right amount of time for each part of the lesson. I do feel as though
able to change things if
I was able to change things if I needed to as I over-prepared in
needed?
case something else needed my attention or I needed to change
the lesson to better fit the students understanding.
Were you aware of
I was aware of the classroom procedures and disciplinary policy
classroom procedures
and incorporated them within my lesson. I used the schools 1,2,3
and school disciplinary
behaviour management system as well as mentioned their four
policy? How much did
core TRIBES values when the students were being talkative whilst
you know about your
I was speaking. I feel as though I had a bit of background
students?
knowledge through observing the class in the days before my
lesson and I quickly picked up who needed extra attention, who
How did your mentor
would cause trouble and who would find the task easy and I
teacher maintain a safe
accommodated for each in my lesson plan. My mentor teacher
learning environment?
maintained a safe learning environment in many ways but the way
that stuck out to me the most was providing a safety net for the
What strategies did you
students. She provided this safety net by giving them time to think
observe your mentor
of an answer to the proposed question before picking a student
teacher using to maintain and asking them to answer the question. A safety net was also
this?
established by the use of Think, Pair, Share, in which the student
would think about the answer, share it with their partner and then
answer the question for the teacher. I observed my mentor teacher
using the behaviour management system 1,2,3 as well as using

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the TRIBES agreement to remind the students that all of their

opinions were valued and everyone deserves the right to
participate and share their opinion. These are the ideals that I
based my lesson plan around.
Maintaining a Positive Attitude in the Classroom
How did you demonstrate
to the students that you
valued them, and enjoyed
learning?

To demonstrate that I valued the students, appreciated their

opinions and enjoyed teaching/learning with them, I used a variety
of different praises/signals. Mostly, I thanked the students for their
answers, used a light sense of humour and a soft tone of voice. Id
also make eye contact when I was conversing with a particular
e.g. Tone of voice, facial
student to let them know that I was listening to what they were
expression, sense of
saying and that I valued what they were talking about. I smiled
humour, introduction to
whilst teaching the students to let them know that I enjoyed
students and topic.
teaching them and learning along with them.
Which aspects of your
I feel as though my light and optimistic teaching style helped me
teaching style do you feel maintain class attention as I sounded enthusiastic about what I
helped you maintain class was teaching, meaning the students were interested in learning. I
attention?
only ever used a stern voice when someone was not doing what
they were supposed to and they generally stopped right away. I
e.g. Variety of activities,
also believe that a class discussion at the end of the lesson helped
class or group
maintain the class attention as they were required to discuss what
discussion, pace of
we did, what they as individuals learnt, some interesting things
lesson, interest at class
and were given the opportunity to ask questions. I also made sure
level.
that the lesson was at the right academic level for the students,
providing a little extra for the over-achievers and extra help for the
under-achievers so they did not become disengaged and lose
focus. The variety of activities we engaged in within the lesson
also helped maintain class attention - they were not on one task
for too long but were only required to focus on one thing at a time.
Allowing the right amount of time for each activity is a balance; too
much time will lead to disengagement and boredom and not
enough time will lead to hurriedness and loss of focus/learning.
Did the students know
Yes. At the start of each lesson, I explained in detail what I wanted
what was expected of
them do to and what I expected of them in terms of time
them?
management and focus.
Were you able to redirect Yes. If a student had finished the required work within the set time
energies of attention
frame, I had back up worksheets and activities for them to do to
seeking students? Did
engage their brains so they did not lose focus of the objective of
the students have enough the lesson.
to do?

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Dealing with Minor Misbehaviour

Were you aware of what
was happening in all parts
of the classroom? Did
you know what each
student was doing?
Did you take any action
when you observed poor
behaviour? Why? Why
not?

Did you use non-verbal

cues? e.g. Contact,
pause, gesture,
movement toward
student/s concerned.

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Yes. Whilst I was speaking to the students as a class, we all sat

down on the mat. I constantly looked over the group to ensure I
knew exactly what each student was doing. When the students
were at their desks doing work, I walked around maintaining
proximity to the students to keep them on track and to make sure I
observed their behaviour.
Yes. At the school I was placed at, there is a 1,2,3 system put in
place; 1 is the first warning, 2 is the second warning and 3 is
timeout. When I observed poor behaviour, I gave the student one
chance to correct their behaviour by saying their name in a stern
voice before giving them a 1. If they did not correct their
behaviour and disrupted the class with poor behaviour again, they
were given a 1. If the student kept misbehaving, theyd then get a
2 and then a timeout. If they kept misbehaving after that, theyd
get another 1, then a 2 and then sent to their buddy class. I did
this to maintain the focus of the students and show the students
that I did not accept poor behaviour in the classroom.
Yes. I used non-verbal cues such as pausing when a student was
talking whilst I was talking, folding my arms and looking at the
particular student and the use of proximity as low-key techniques
to let the student know that their behaviour was annoying and
unacceptable.

What did you observe non-teaching staff

doing to support teaching and learning
in the school?

I observed non-teaching staff helping

teachers prepare for their lessons, uplift the
students by giving them praise, showing the
students that they honestly cared by
constantly smiling and showing them
attention and maintaining the TRIBES
agreement.
Schools as text looking at the whole school
Describe the school in terms
of its demographics,
appearance and resources (be
general here and do not name
the school).

What were the roles and

responsibilities of the
teaching staff you observed?

After discussion with your

mentor teacher describe how
policies and processes of
government, administration
and schools have an effect on
the work of the teacher?

The school was a clean, wonderfully designed primary

school which only opened in 2011. Currently, it provides for
over 1,000 students from Kindergarten to Year 6. The
school is equipped with the latest interactive technology
(interactive whiteboards, computers etc.) to facilitate
student learning alongside leisure and educational
equipment (library books, obstacle course equipment,
sports equipment etc.) to provide a fun learning
environment. The staff are committed to academic
excellence and get on top of misbehaviour before it even
becomes an issue by using their behaviour management
system and TRIBES program. They have established
literacy and numeracy partnerships ensuring curriculum at
every year level is research based, efficient and valid.
There are four main agreements which provide a moral
compass for the school; attentive listening, appreciation,
the right to participate and mutual respect. The school has
another program called AVID (Advancement Via Individual
Determination) which is designed to close the achievement
gap and increase the number of students who pursue and
enrol in higher education.
There were a number of roles and responsibilities of the
teaching staff that I observed over the course of a week.
The main responsibility of a teacher that I observed is to
create a safe and fun learning environment whilst also
managing the students behaviour so they still maintain the
expected level of mutual respect within the classroom.
After discussion with my mentor teacher, I discovered that
the policies and processes of government, administration
and schools have a massive impact on the work of the
teacher. Teachers are required to teach to the Australian
Curriculum religiously and teach everything that is written in
the curriculum in the appropriate time frame. Teachers are
also assessed on how well they perform within the
classroom and if the rate of knowledge expansion is not
high enough, there are serious consequences for the
teacher.

Students
You will have observed the

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The diversity within the classroom was supported by

diverse nature of your classes.

How was this diversity
supported?

providing extra help to those who were struggling and

spending a little extra time explaining the task/work to
those individuals. Work for their own individual reading
and numeracy levels were given so they could complete
the work with a personal challenge, rather than the work
being too easy or too difficult and becoming disengaged
with their learning. For those who found the work easy,
even at their level, the teacher set up special programs for
those individual students to challenge their learning. The
teacher also set more difficult tasks to engage the
particular student and expand their knowledge.

Function of Schools
Did you observe the
connection of your schools
with the broader
community? How did this
happen?

What do you think the

function of school is?

Reflection think about

your experiences during the
week and describe how your
previous experiences have
informed your view of
teachers and schools. Has
anything changed?

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Yes, I did observe the schools connection with the

broader community as they have a P&C, collaborate with
various local businesses such as dentists, music lessons,
drama lessons and local health clinics. This particular
school also collaborates with Camp Australia which
provides a before and after school care program as well
as a holiday program on site.
Schools serve a number of functions within our society.
For example, schools provide a basis for academic
knowledge such as reading, writing and numeracy but also
facilitate the development of social and cultural skills and
prepare the individual for the workforce.
Through my experiences this week, I have seen the
preparation and planning goes into teaching children.
Teachers are constantly having to think on their feet and I
have learnt that transitions can definitely disrupt a routine,
especially in a primary school setting. My previous
experiences of school have informed my view of teaching
being one of the most important jobs my views over this
past week have not changed. I am truly passionate about
teaching and cannot wait until I am a teacher myself.