Classroom

observation
 Classroom observation
‘Almost as important as observation per se is
the requirement of keeping an open mind about
what we see. Our ways of looking at
classrooms should not be unnecessarily
restricted by prior assumptions about what
should be going on there, nor even by the
seemingly logical link between the abstract
processes of teaching and learning. In short, we
must be prepared and willing to give up many
of our comfortable beliefs about what
classroom life is all about.’
Philip Jackson
 Classroom observation

Trainee teachers - have spent at least fifteen

years in the role of students.
 Classroom observation

Teachers and students do not view the class in

the same way.
 Classroom observation

Essential problem of observation in initial

teacher training - to UNLEARN the pupil
perspective in order to manage the
transition to teacher.

5
 Classroom observation

they are the they have to plan

centre of and organize the
attention work in the
classroom

they are responsible for a large number of

students who come to the classroom with
different attitudes, backgrounds, learning
preferences, personalities
 Classroom observation

The importance of live observations

of lessons
• it helps trainee teachers to collect
information about what is going on
in the classroom and
• to make the transition from
student to teacher easier.
 Classroom observation

Therefore, it is important that:

 trainee teachers pay close attention to

what is happening in the classroom,
 keep a journal of the observations and
 think about the different aspects of the
lessons they have seen in order to draw
conclusions about good and bad teaching
practices.
 Classroom observation

By leaving previous
assumptions behind
they can not only learn
new things, but they
can also get a new
perspective on familiar
things.
 The observer

Observers should
approach observation
with an open mind …

…and try to see

things objectively.
 The observer

• It is also important to think about the place of

the observer in the classroom. The usual place
of observers is at the back of the classroom so
that they can see the whole classroom.

• The basic principle is that the observers

should not draw any attention to themselves.
 The observer

• Another important aspect is the dress

• and personal style of the observers.

• Observers should not draw any attention to
themselves with the way they look.
• They should look tidy and respectful, which
means short skirts, untidy hair, too casual
clothes or striking jewellery should be
avoided.
 Observation points

Personal traits. The traits of either the teacher or the

pupils: for example, whether the teacher is warm or aloof,
whether certain pupils appear to prefer collaboration or
disruption.
Verbal interaction. What teachers and pupils say to
each other, who does the talking and about what, question
and answer, choice of vocabulary and language register.
Non-verbal Movement: gesture, facial expression like
smiles and frowns.
 Observation points
Activity. The nature of the pupils’ tasks, what the teacher
does.
Management. How the teacher manages pupil
behaviour, the use of resources, the organisation of group
or individual work.
Professional skills. Questioning, explaining, arousing
interest and curiosity.
Teaching aids. The teacher’s use of audio-visual aids,
such as television, slides, tapes, or other materials and
equipment, like the computer.
 Observation points
Affective. Teachers’ and pupils’ feelings and emotions,
interpersonal relationships.
Cognitive. The nature and level of thinking in the
classroom—for example, the level of reasoning necessary
to answer a question, or the degree of understanding a
pupil appears to have of a topic or concept.
Sociological. The roles people play, norms, codes, the
effects of social background, status, power.
 Observation points

• In order for the observation to be more

successful, observers need to decide in advance
what will be observed in a particular lesson.
• As there are many aspects of the lesson that can
be observed, it is useful to decide which
elements to focus on in each lesson.
 Observation points
1. Physical setting:
• Note any posters, pictures, wall charts or exhibits,
animals or plants. How long have they been there? Do
the children notice them?
• Note overall room shape and size and the location of
fixed furniture and service points. These can be vital in
determining patterns of friendship grouping and
informal communication.
• Location of blackboard, OHP (overhead projector) etc.
Is blackboard/screen in a position where everyone can
see it?
 Observation points
2. Pupils
• How many? How old are they? Boys, girls or mixed?
Ability? Course Name/number of class?
• Notice who arrives first. Do pupils remain in the same
groups inside the classroom as those in which they
arrived?
• Look at the overall pattern of spacing between groups of
children. Is the spacing uniform, does it reflect the
location of furniture/resources or is it related to
friendship groups?
 Observation points
• Estimate the kind and degree of movement within and
between groups and the ways in which these change
during the course of the lesson.
• Who are the isolate children?
• Who is the joker?
• Which children always raise their hands when the
teacher asks a question?
• Which children never raise their hands to answer a
question? (Are they ever asked to respond by the
teacher?)
 Observation points
3. Teachers
• How do they enter the room, and where do they do they
go first? Do they enter before or after the pupils? Do
they make them wait or line up outside?
• What are the teacher’s first posture, gesture and
statement; to whom are they addressed?
• What does the teacher do when a child asks a question
that reveals he has not understood the lesson? Does the
teacher’s language change at this point? How?
• How does the teacher deal with the unexpected event?
 Observation points
• Are questions to pupils
◦ previously worked out
◦ spontaneous and exploratory
◦ implying an answer
◦ by several exchanges leading the pupils to the one
answer expected?
• Does the teacher use analogies? Do they communicate
the point to the children?
• Does the situation seem to be one of mutual
communication between teacher and children? How do
you assess this?
 Observation points
• How does the teacher deal with the unexpected event?
• In individual learning situations
◦ does the teacher get to all those needing help?
◦ does the teacher adjust his language and posture
from child to child?
• Does the teacher have particular postures and gestures
which signal to the class that he is expecting a major
change in activity?
• How does the teacher use silences to communicate?
• How does the teacher adjust his talk to different groups
of children engaged in the same task?
 Observation points
4. Resources
• What books, tools, apparatus, equipment, materials etc.
are available and where are they located and stored?
• How are the tasks defined? (Worksheets, instructions,
negotiation…)
• To what extent do pupils and teachers have equal access
to resources?
• Is there any variation in the way that the task(s) are
perceived by different groups of pupils?
• What preparation was necessary for the particular
lesson?
 Observation points
5. The lesson
• What is the aim of the lesson from the teacher’s point of
view?
• How does it relate to a sequence or theme?
• What is its logical structure in terms of content?
• How are the different activities connected? What cues
signal changes in activity and who initiates them. How
well formed, smooth and simultaneous these transitions
are for different members of the class.
• Do the activities help learners achieve the aims of the
lesson?
 Rating scales
• One way to record aspects of classroom life is
by using rating scales.
• Some of the rating scales consist of pairs bi-
polar opposites scored on a five, seven or 10
point scale.
• Evaluation of teachers’ characteristics can be
carried out with a rating scale like this one:
warm 1234567 aloof
stimulating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 dull
businesslike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 slipshod
 Rating scales
• Instead of measuring intensity, observers may use
rating scales that measure frequency.
• In that case, the rater chooses a number from 1 to 5 to
indicate how often something seemed to happen in a
lesson.
• The range might be 1=never, or almost never, 2=rarely,
3=sometimes, 4=often, and 5=always, or almost
always. The observer would then score items like the
ones below using this scale.
Teacher praises correct answers 1 2 3 4 5
Teacher deals with misbehaviour 1 2 3 4 5
Pupils distract other children 12345
 Category systems
• Because it is not easy to construct category
systems, many observers use published category
systems and codes:
◦ C=Class,
◦ G=Group,
◦ I=Individual,
◦ T=Transition from one type of grouping to another,
◦ TQ=Teacher asks question,
◦ TR=Teacher reprimands or admonishes,
◦ TQC Teacher asks question to whole class,
◦ TRI Teacher reprimands individual pupil,
◦ TQG Teacher asks question to group of pupils,
◦ TRCT Teacher reprimands whole class during transition.
Guidelines for observation
A. Introduction
1. Teachers are busy professionals. Classroom
observations are not always a welcome intrusion
for the classroom teachers involved.
2. The observation of classroom teachers is serious
business; it should not be approached casually.
3. Learning how to observe in a manner acceptable
to all parties takes time, careful reflection,
personal tact, and creativity.
Guidelines for observation
4. An observer is a guest in the teacher's and the
students' classroom. A guest in the classroom is
there thanks to the goodwill of the cooperating
teacher.
5. A guest's purpose for visiting is not to judge,
evaluate, or criticize the classroom teacher, or to
offer suggestions, but simply to learn through
observing.
Guidelines for observation
B. Procedures
1. Visitors should contact the cooperating teacher
for a brief orientation to the class.
2. A visitor who is planning to observe a class
should arrive in the classroom a few minutes
ahead of time.
3. If something unexpected comes up and the
visitor is not able to observe a class at the agreed-
upon time, the visitor needs to notify the
classroom teacher as soon as possible. It is a
visitor's responsibility to keep the classroom
teacher informed.
Guidelines for observation
4. Once having entered a classroom, the visitor
should try to be as unobtrusive as possible, sitting
where directed by the teacher.
5. If a student in the class asks the visitor a direct
question (e.g., What are you doing here? Are you
a teacher too?), the visitor should answer as
briefly as possible. It is important to bear in mind
that the visitor is not a regular member of the
class. Visitors should not initiate or pursue
conversations unnecessarily.
Guidelines for observation
6. A visitor should be appreciative and polite. At
the earliest opportunity, the visitor should thank
the classroom teacher for having made possible
the opportunity to visit the classroom.
7. A visitor who is taking written notes or
collecting information in some other way should
do this as unobtrusively as possible. The visitor
must make sure that the teacher and students are
comfortable with any procedures used for data
collection.
Guidelines for observation
C. Post-visitation
1. It is imperative for the visitor to keep
impressions of the class private and confidential.
2. The visitors should explain to the classroom
teacher that the teacher's name will not be used
in any discussions with other people. Any direct
references to teachers, in either formal or
informal settings, will be anonymous.
3. Any notes or information collected during a
classroom visit should be made accessible to the
teacher, if he or she requests.
 Guidelines for peer observation

General principles

1. Observation should have a focus.

2. Observers should use specific procedures.
3. The observer should remain an observer.
 Guidelines for peer observation

Identify a focus for the observation. For example:

• Organization of the lesson: the entry, structuring,
and closure of the lesson.
• Teacher's time management: allotment of time to
different activities during the lesson.
• Students' performance on tasks: the strategies,
procedures, and interaction patterns employed by
students in completing a task.
• Time-on-task: the extent to which students were
actively engaged during a task.
Guidelines for peer observation

• Teacher questions and student responses: the types

of questions teachers asked during a lesson and the
way students responded.
• Students' performance during pair work: the way
students completed a pair work task, the responses
they made during the task, and the type of language
they used.
• Classroom interaction: teacher-student and
student-student interaction patterns during a
lesson.
• Group work: students' use of LI versus L2 during
group work, students' time-on-task during group
work, and the dynamics of group activities.