Lesson 8. Lesson observation process
Module: Topic: Time: Aim:
Materials:
Aids:
| Classroom research Lesson observation 80 minutes
To analyse lesson observation
1. Wainryb, R. (1992) Classroom Observation Tasks
2. James, P. (2001). Teachers in Action.
Charts, laptop with speakers, audio recordings, handouts, video clips, white board
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Observation plays a central role in practice teaching, both observation of your teaching by your cooperating teacher and supervisor, as well as your own observations of your cooperating teacher's class. Other school staff may also wish to observe one of your classes from time to time, such as the principal, the vice-principal, or a senior teacher, so you need to prepare well for every lesson in the event that someone asks to observe your teaching. You may also have the opportunity to observe other teachers in your host school and to review video recordings of your own teaching and that of other student teachers in your teaching practice seminars. The purpose and nature of observation, however, differs according to who participates in the observation process. For example, in observing your cooperating teacher's class your focus will be on how the teacher teaches, on such things as how the teacher creates a positive atmosphere for learning, on the strategies and procedures used by the teacher in setting up activities, on the way the teacher gives instructions and explanations, and how he or she gives feedback to learners. As a novice teacher you will not be evaluating your cooperating teacher's teaching. When you are being observed by your cooperating teacher or supervisor, however, the focus will often be on how well you carried out different aspects of the lesson.
If observation is to serve a useful purpose it needs to be carefully planned. The purpose
of the observation is to collect information that you can later use during a follow-up discussion with the teacher. Before you observe your cooperating teacher's class you will normally have a preobservation meeting to decide on the focus for your observation and the procedures you will use to record your observations. You may suggest aspects of the class you would like to learn more about, such as how the teacher makes use of group work or how he or she deals with classroom management. Your cooperating teacher will also suggest things to look for during an observation. Normally you should focus on only one or two aspects of the lesson since you cannot focus on too many things at the same time. Some aspects of a lesson are relatively easy to observe (such as the kinds of questions students ask), whereas others may not be observable and have to be inferred (such as the degree of interest students had in the topic of the lesson, decisions teachers made during a lesson, or problems that occurred that might not have been visible to an observer). The following are examples of the things your cooperating teacher might ask you to observe during his or her lessons:
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