Natalia López

Methods II

Observation table; Instruction – giving skills

Class: 7° A
N° of students: 28
Age of learners:12
Length of the lesson:4O’
Level: Beginners
Aims of the lesson: That students can do an activity based on the revision of
Comparatives-superlatives and the simple present
Materials used: Students’ book (Friends United 3) and a photocopy

Instruction – giving skills Circle appropriate number Comments

Signalling of beginning of activity
Stating aims
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear ‘I brought a photocopy for you to revise
comparatives, superlatives and present
simple’
She explains what they have to do and
then she says’ OK, come on!
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear She says ‘Today we’re going to work with
this photocopy to revise comparatives-
superlatives and the present simple’

Voice Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear She had no need raise her voice nor to
shout., so her voice was clear enough for
the students who were respectful and
listened to her carefully

Eliciting information from learners
Use of examples
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear ‘ Juan, make a comparison between Bill
Gates and you’
‘Paula what’s the difference between
ambient music and rock music?’ (she
student was asked to use the adjectives
fast and relax)
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear In the explanation of the activity she didn’t
provide any example for the students.
They seemed to understand what they had
to do without the example.

Eye movement to hold attention
Mime, gesture or other body
language
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear All the students were attended by pure eye
contact
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear She would clap her hands whenever she
wanted her students to get down to work.
Her clapping meant sth like start to work
now!Also, she nods

Repeating instructions in a Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear She just told them only once what they had
to do in the 2 exercises they had in the
different way
photocopy.

Asking questions to check
understanding
Use of simple language
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear ‘Do you find you classmate’s answer
correct?’
‘ Did you remember to use the auxiliaries?’
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear When she told her students what they had
to do she went to the main point using
simple and clear language.

Management and organization of Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear Students were motivated and they showed
it through their respect and good behavior
the class
towards the teacher.

Use of visual aids (e.g. board, role
cards, worksheets, pictures, real
objects)
Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear The only visual aid she used was the
blackboard. She used it when she wrote
some answers of the exercises from the
photocopy.

Siganlling of end of activity Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear Ok people, it’s time! Next class we
continue
Signalling the starting of the Clear 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 unclear Before starting with the lesson,, they
always pray. So once the praying was
lesson
finished it was kind of automatic, they
started to make silence so as to start with
the new lesson.
Comments:
After having observed this lesson, I realize that giving instructions is not always as easy as
it looks. It is not fully related to what you tell your students to do but with how you tell
them what they have to do. It is important to take into account the words we (teachers)
use and the length of our instructions. Sometimes instead of saying something as simple
and short as ‘read and answer the questions’ we tend to use more words and a more
elaborated speech that ends up in the destruction of a real instruction
So I think it is important to think twice how to explain our students what they have to do
so as not to give place to confusion and therefore their failure in the task.