What to do during a classroom observation?

 

The act of observing a classroom in action is quite difficult and requires some preparation. In the first year of my studies we were required to observe a certain number of classes right off the bat, but the problem was, that I had no idea how to observe a classroom nor the things to look out for. I just noted down everything the teacher did and hoped that it was enough, but I often missed the most important aspects. I felt unprepared for this crucial step in teacher training — as I just jumped in the deep observation pool without an essential life-jacket.

Observation of a classroom plays an important role in teaching training, and should aid in your teaching development. Let’s get into the things to keep in mind when observing a classroom.

First of all, look at the classroom. 

Answer questions such as:

How does the classroom look?  Is there a display of students’ work? What is the seating arrangement for learners? Are the students facing the teacher or each other? In your opinion, has the teacher established a positive learning environment?

 It’s important how the classroom is set-up for students as their environment effects their learning. A positive environment makes students feel a sense of belonging, feel encouraged to tackle challenges and ask questions and, most of all, stay motivated to learn!

Second – observe the head teacher. The educator’s example will give you guidance on how the teacher teaches, and how he or she creates a positive atmosphere for learning, strategies and procedures on setting up activities, creating routines, providing explanations and instructions, and, finally, the way to give feedback to learners.

Answer questions such as:

How does the teacher interact with students? What does the teacher include in his/her lessons? Do you find the lessons engaging? Does the teacher use only the given text-book or also other materials? Are the activities multi-sensory (visual, kinesthetic, auditory)? How is the level of noise in the classroom? Is it too loud or too quiet? Does the teacher include all students or just focus on the stronger ones? Does the teacher have good class managing skills? What methods are used? Are there problems or difficulties with the class? How does the teacher deal with students who are “misbehaving”? What teaching approach or teaching style does the teacher make use of? How does the teacher provide feedback to pupils?

Thirdly – notice the students and their behavior in the classroom. 

Answer questions such as:

What are the learners’ age/grade? What is the language level of students? (A0-B2 according to the European Language level) Do they have similar or mixed linguistic abilities? Do they respond in the target language or use their native language? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Do the students seem to be interested in the lesson? Are the learners active and participate in the lesson or just sit and listen? How do they participate in the lesson (e.g. raise their hand)? How do the students interact with the teacher? How do the students interact with each other? Do they work individually, in pairs or as a group? When a student makes a mistake, what is the reaction?

Before and after the lesson, it is important to have conversations with the head teacher. The teacher should explain the topic that will be covered and things to notice in a particular lesson. With this time, one should reflect on what you found most interesting about the lesson, such as the teaching style, a particular activity, etc.  Don’t be afraid to ask the teacher questions! There is no such thing as a stupid question. During the lesson, write down any questions you have: such as why he/she applied a particular teaching method or activity. There are a number of ways to collect the observed information about the lesson, for instance, such as keeping a check-list, creating a timeline and a short narrative. Answering these questions and having observation goals with you during your class will help you to notice current things. This will help to recall current aspects or features of the lesson at a later time, so make sure they are well organized.

Finally, another tip is to observe multiple teachers. Especially teachers from different grades, and different classes. Each teacher brings something different to the table, they have a different teaching style, different methods and different activities. One will get a better picture of how lessons should be conducted and get a better understanding on students’ preferred learning method.

I hope you found this post useful to better prepare you for class observations. If you have any more tips or ticks or even personal experiences, please leave a comment below!

Sara