SHARJAH HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY

OBSERVED LESSON - LESSON PLAN & OBSERVERS NOTES

Teacher: Alison Prince
Observer: Rob Miles
Duration: 50 mins
Lesson Type: (skill(s))
Aims. By the end of the lesson, the ss will have:
1. practiced listening for specific information through a summary
type exercise focusing on 8 words.
2. recycled the present perfect and past in retelling an experience
when they have had a disaster with a computer/iPad.
3. further developed the need to spell correctly

Date: Tuesday 27th September 2016

Level & class: Level 3 Section 1
N. of students: 24

Achievement of aims (to be completed by observer)

Yes
1. Mostly, although present perfect is ambitious
2. Yes

Areas teacher wishes to receive feedback on:

Timetable fit:
This week the class has focused on experiences using the present perfect and then giving detail in the past. Following on from this lesson the
students will be working on an advantages and disadvantage essay: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using iPads at college.
Background:
The students joined the college in August (except for one). They have adjusted to their new learning environment well and have jelled as a class. It is
a mixed ability class. However, for this class today, I am mixing them up so the stronger students can encourage/help the less abled. There is only one
needy student in the class who can monopolies my time and distract others.
Anticipated problems and solutions:

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SHARJAH HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY

The summary exercise for some of the students may be hard. Although, the text is difficult, the summary exercise is easy in comparison.
Solution: play the listening for a third time.
The warmer may get the students excited. Solution: once finished sit the students down and move swiftly onto next task to focus them.

TIME

ACTIVITY
Warmer

9:00 9:10

To continue to work on
spelling with the students.
To predict / establish the topic
of the listening

1.T Dictates isolated words

2.Std write word on A3 each std in
group can only write one work.
3. T keeps score of the team with the
correct spelling and in the fastest time.
4. Feedback: T asks what the words are
related to activate their schemata
Disaster
Computer
File
Folder

OBSERVATION 1

INTERACTION
PATTERN

Observation notes

In groups of 4/5 students

Room is nicely set up in islands. Straight onto task,

no messing around. Ss grouped by numbers and
stand by A3 paper to write down dictated words.
Good to see some movement / different use of
space. Competition element works well Ss are
engaged and work well. They dont quite get the
one letter each thing but I dont think that matters
. Ss are working and enjoying the activity, which
is the main thing. What are the words about? Ss
coming up with some ideas, e.g. hacker.

SHARJAH HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY

Disappear
Delete
Deadline

9.10 9.15

Materials: A3 paper, board pens, blu

tac.
Set the Scene
To establish the characters
and scene
To arose interest about the
characters

T whole class

Timing bang on. Pictures now used to set the scene

(mention this in your plan). You are eliciting good
ideas from the students who are engaged and
participating.

Doable task for the first listening. Instructions very

clear taking notes is relevant too for the FWA.
Ss answering individually initially but largely as a
group, building understanding together. Again, very
on task.

1.T elicits information about the two

characters (job/ do)
Materials: Blackboard
9.15-9.20

Listening for gist

To provide a purpose to listen

to the text.
To provide an opportunity to
gain an overall understanding
of the text

1.T gives a rough piece of paper to each

std to make notes
2.T highlights gist question: How did

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the writers lose their work?
3. Std listen and make any notes.
4. Feedback

Whole class

Materials: Blackboard
9.20 9.35

Listening for specific information

To develop stds listening skills

for specific information
To develop std skill in
predicting the type of word
required
To help their spelling by
practice

1.T Instruct std to open socrative - room

prince6229.
2.Student read questions and predict
type of word
3. Std listen and write notes on paper.
4. After listening student write answers
on socrative using their notes.
5. If necessary feedback given as whole
class on those questions most students
got wrong.
Materials: Blackboard, Socreative App,

OBSERVATION 1

Whole Class

Socrative. A nice blend so far as weve had paper

and are now moving on to technology / iPad.
Timing is good again. You deal quickly with a
couple of technical issues. Again, students need to
take notes which is relevant to the FWA. Ss
engaged in the task, which is challenging, but you
aid them by pausing the recording as necessary.
Good use of Socrative you focus just on those
questions that need it.

SHARJAH HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY

9.35 9.50

papper
Productive Task - Speaking

In groups

To personalize by sharing a
disastrous story of their own
using a
computer/laptop/mobile
To provide an opportunity to
recycle vocabulary from the
listening and use their own.
To recycle the present perfect
and past tense
1.T sets up task with task on Blackboard
2. Stds share experiences in groups
3. T monitors and notes down any good
use of language to share in feedback.
Whole class
4. Feedback on board
Materials: Blackboard

OBSERVATION 1

Another good activity that should be achievable for

the students. Good that you move it from only
computers to mobiles this is where they are most
likely to have had a problem, after all! Good to see
you making another group with quiet students so
that they have an opportunity / are forced to
participate. These type of students will hide
otherwise.

SHARJAH HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY

SUMMARY

You are so much more comfortable with the group than when I first observed you, which is great to see. You have obviously got to grips with
the challenges of the HCT FNDS classroom without losing core skills you are using groups rather than traditional rows, and you brought
movement / a change of focus to the class with the writing on A3 activity. Not everyone can carry these sort of activities off, believe me, so
well done.
The lesson is well planned and executed, with logical stages that are well timed. Your instructions are very clear and the activities themselves
work well, partly as a result of instructions but also because the tasks themselves are doable with just about the right amount of difficulty.
You are at the centre of the class but know when to step back and let the students work. You also give them enough space when answering
to get it right among themselves without you guiding too much. You are definitely making them work. There is a nice blend of activities, and
you make the listening accessible. Listening can be very, very dry if you dont get it right, but you do a very good job with this.
Speaking exercise is nicely structured, and draws on their own experience. Students often struggle for ideas but this is something very close
to them.
To think about: the only thing I can mention here is how to ensure Ss use English in speaking activities its a constant challenge and not one
I have the answer to myself.
This was a very good lesson that demonstrated your considerable teaching ability. I look forward to our next observation, and also your
reflections on the lesson as a whole.

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SHARJAH HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY

TEACHERS REFLECTION and comments

The students achieved the lesson aims. I agree aim two was a bit ambiguous and perhaps forced to use the present perfect in the production.
However in the feedback it was apparent the students have mastered the use of the past in re telling a situation.
The lesson further developed skills the students will need in the listening part of the FWA. The students are becoming aware of the
importance of spelling and note taking.
L1 in the class is a continual issue but it is becoming less as they build their confidence in the use of the language.
One thing I would change is using socrative as a platform. The students were not able to see all the questions at once. So perhaps I would use
Respondus instead. The reason I chose socrative is I think the immediate feedback it gives to the whole clas is advantageous and the teacher
can quickly highlight the questions which the majority of the students found a challenge and just give feedback on those.

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Faculty Signature

Chair Signature

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_______________________________

Date: ____6/10/2016______________________

Date: Oct 6th 2016