Teacher Observation

What are the goals, the overall plan and the context of the lesson?

Tell me about this lesson and its context. What are the goals for student learning?
What are the concepts that the Teacher is focusing on?
What is the Teachers plan for this lesson?
What has led up to this lesson? How is it building on previous lessons? How
does it meet student needs?
Where does it fit in the curriculum standards?
What tools/materials are needed?

What is the relationship between this lesson and the broader curriculum?
How are these concepts and/or skills addressed at other points in the unit?
In thinking about the broader goals of the lesson sequence or unit, what goal(s)
will be the primary focus of this lesson? How does this lesson move students
toward that goal?

What prior knowledge do students bring to this lesson? What might they find
challenging about it?

What relevant concepts have already been explored with this class? With what
results?
What strategies does this lesson build on? How?
How might you connect this concept to students experiences and interests?
What do you predict students may find difficult or confusing? What
misconceptions do you anticipate? How does your plan address these potential
areas of confusion?
What ideas might students begin to express and what language might they use?
How does the lesson help students reach the goals?
What ideas might students begin to express and what language might they use?
What is the opening question/activity?
How does the teacher close the lesson?
How might you describe the directions and purposes for each task or activity
within the lesson?
What models, manipulatives, or visuals are used? What is the plan for managing
these materials?
What thinking and activities will move students toward the stated goals?
In what ways will students make their thinking and understanding public?
What grouping structure(s) will you use differently and why?
How does the teacher ensure that students are talking with and listening to one
another about the academic content in mutually respectful ways?
How does the teacher highlight and clarify the big ideas of the lesson?

How will you know if students have met the lessons goals?

How will you know if students are successful in meeting the learning goals for
this lesson?
What sources of evidence will provide information about student learning? What
might the students say or do that will demonstrate their learning?
How will students become aware of the goals and criteria for their learning?
How will students know if they are successful?
To what extent are there opportunities for student self-assessment in this lesson or
lesson sequence?

How will the observation of this lesson best support your growth as a teacher?
What are you curious to explore about teaching and learning in this observation?
What have you been working on in your teaching? How might this observation
support your growth in this area?
What students most intrigue or concern? How might this observation help you
think about those students in particular?
What do you want to know about how students experience this lesson?

Observation Report by Eugenia Bica

Teacher: Richard ( a British old teacher and talented story teller)
Date: 28.04.2009
Topic of lesson: Free Time in Malta
Level: elementary

Aims: to teach new words relating to the subject;

to reinforce previously taught vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Skills: listening , speaking, reading, writing

Materials: the white board;

hand-outs with exercises ( fill in, completion)

Teachers behaviour: kind, encouraging

calm & patient;

Students behaviour : interested all the time; they have a positive attitude;
all students are involved.

Methods: explanation and conversation.

Procedure

1. Greeting & warm-up

2. The teacher tells stories and asks questions about the subject; the students answer and
discuss with the teacher; some of them do not seem to understand everything but they get
things explained very well by the teacher.
3. new words are explained in the context and written on the white board;
4. the exercises on the hand-outs offer more practice and reason to converse;
5. there are some good jokes.

I liked what the teacher told the students during the lesson, especially his exact words:
A COMPROMISE IS TYPICALLY ENGLISH
Note:
I would have had more activities done in the class ( for pair work) and I would have used
more cards, images , pictures to make students interact more.

Observation Report by Eugenia Bica

Teacher: Lucy ( a native speaker, a teacher of Welsh origin)
Date: 29.04. 2009
Topic of lesson: A Parallel between Past Simple and Past Continuous
Level: lower intermediate
Age of the students: over 30
Number of students : 7

Aims: to familiarize students with the difference between Past simple and Past
Continuous;
to reinforce previously taught vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Skills: all skills are integrated

Materials: the white board; coloured markers;

hand-outs with exercises; match, tick, complete, fill in

Teachers behaviour: friendly, kind, encouraging;

clear, calm;
patient, thought-challenging
Students behaviour : very attentive, interested all the time; they have a positive attitude;
all students are involved, are challenged to think and to logically
deduct the uses of the two tense.
Methods: deduction and induction;
explanation and conversation.

Procedure

1. Greeting & warm-up

2. Some sentences are written on the board and then explained; the teacher has the
extraordinary patience to wait for the sts answers, giving them time to think.( T I )
Note : a different terminology in teaching these tenses: exact time, chronological order,
description of a past situation or scene. Very interesting !!!
3. Students are given the time to work individually then they are told to compare their
answers with their partners answers ( individual work and pair work);
Note : the exercises used for practice are very well structured in order of difficulty
(from simple to difficult)

Note:

I learned to TAKE IT EASY, and that LESS IS MORE !

Observation Report by Eugenia Bica

Teacher: Robert ( a British middle-aged teacher )
Date: 30.04. 2009
Topic of lesson: General Business : Solving Problems
Level: intermediary
Age of the students: over 30
Number of students : 6

Skills : all skills

Materials: hand-outs;
tape recorder and cassette;

Methods: brainstorming ;
problem solving;
explanation; conversation.

Teachers behaviour: has a very nice sense of humour;

funny, clear, calm;
patient, thought-challenging.

Students behaviour; very lively, very motivated to learn.

Stages:

1. warm up
2. introducing the subject ( teachers presentation );
3. pre-reading activities ( new vocabulary, speaking activities, a word game);
4. reading (skinning, scanning);
5. post-reading ( exercises);
6. pre-listening ( guess the meaning game);
7. listening ( completion exercises ) ;
8. post-listening ( checking the exercises );
9. assignment.

I learnt a few expressions myself. It was a very interesting lesson, very well organized
and the the teacher made everybody feel alive. I myself was so captivated that sometimes
I forgot to put down notes about what was going on !
I liked that the teacher had time to give a review of the lesson!
Observation Report by Eugenia Bica
Teacher: Lucy
Date: 01.05. 2009
Topic of lesson: Relationships
Level: upper intermediary
Age of the students: over 30
Number of students : 5

Skills covered: all skills

Description:

Practises idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs to describe relationships e.g. "to get on
like a house on fire". Matching cards activity and handout with a record of the
expressions and some questions for further practice.

Materials: hand-outs;
cards;
the white board.

Methods: warm-up games,

brainstorming ;
explanation;
conversation.

Teachers behaviour: kind, encouraging;

correct behaviour, eye contact, interesting body language;
thought-challenging.

Students behaviour: very motivated to converse & learn.

Note: I liked the following activities :

Listening & Response (discussion and exercises);

Organisation & prioritisation (discussion and exercises) ;

Expression & Delivery (discussion and exercises).

Observation Report by Eugenia Bica
Teacher: Michelle ( a British very energetic 40 year-old teacher)
Date: 04.05.2009( Monday)
Topic of lesson: Preparing for Cambridge Exams - THE READING PAPER
(revision)
Level: advanced
Age of the students: 17-19
Number of students : 5

Skills : all skills

Materials: hand-outs; the white board.

Methods: brainstorming ;
repeatition;
problem solving;
explanation; conversation.

Teachers behaviour: has a very nice sense of humour;

funny, clear, energy abundant

Students behaviour : seem tired of their recent experience in the Maltese bars and clubs
during the previous week-end ; forced to open their eyes and mind
by the clever teacher.

Stages:
1. warm up: a new expression , pretty please !
2. checking the homework - answer sheets for the reading paper;
3. correcting the mistakes; the Teacher is encouraging, making use of her
body language: a lot of signs in the context; eye contact, mime,
gestures.
4. assignment

Notes:

Jokes were made now and then.

The teacher seems to be a lively coloured thesaurus !
She uses her tongue to express herself!
The lesson was exploding with energy because of the teachers faculty to pinpoint things
of relevance to the lesson, to express herself unusually and show her reactions (moderate,
however ) to the students lack of enthusiasm.

Observation Report by Eugenia Bica

Teacher: Roberta (a young and intelligent Maltese teacher)
Date: 05.05.2009
Topic of lesson: Sports
Level: intermediate
Age of the students: 17-19
Number of students : 8

Skills : all skills are integrated, with focus on listening and speaking;

Materials: hand-outs; the white board;

tapes and the cassette recorder.

Methods: brainstorming ;
repetition; simulation;
elicitation;
problem solving;
explanation; conversation.

Teachers behaviour: natural, sensible and very well organized;

confident, encouraging, clear, very friendly.

Students behaviour : they feel comfortable to speak freely and ask questions;
they seem very motivated, they enjoy the class.

Stages:

1. warm up (the sts discuss the answers to some written questions in pairs);
2. pair-work exercises;
3. checking the sts work (fill in exercises);
4. sts ask questions the teacher answers;
5. assignment for sts for next times class;
6. listening: (the job of a referee)- pre-listening ( brainstorming): the teacher
accepts, rephrases answers, defines;
- while listening (1st for the gist and the 2nd
to choose the best answer);
- post- listening ( checking answer).

7. reading ( the silent method)

- the teacher waits with great patience for the sts to
guess the meaning of words;
 - no spoon-feeding !
( Can you explain this paragraph to me in your own words?)

7. giving feedback on some new words ( the teacher doesnt focus on

correction but encourages the correct use of words; she does correct
mistakes however and also explains why);
8. post-reading discussion;
- fill in ( a title for each paragraph to check the sts
comprehension) ;
9. assignment ( the teacher gives indications and explains the way the students
should do their homework).

Note:

I liked her best for the talent she proves in teaching a lot of good stuff in a short time and
in a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere, as well as for her interesting appearance and clear,
simple nature.
She has this quality of making difficult things seem easy and pleasant. Its obvious that
her students come with pleasure to her English classes!