Observation is an important part of learning how to teach. Much of what beginner teachers need to be aware of cannot be learned solely in the university class; therefore classroom observation presents an opportunity to see real-life teachers in real-life teaching situations. Observing in a close-up influences student teachers in the way they would plan and teach in the future.
Student teachers could benefit in several ways from observation they will be able to:
· Observe new techniques, strategies, ideas and resources
· Gain insight into one's own strategies and techniques
· Observe student reactions from a different perspective
· Personal Professional Development and growth
First I was observing 5th,6th and 7th graders, but after several periods I stopped observing these classes because of the teacher, since she didn't let me do anything( like correcting assignments, tests, doing some worksheet, and even erasing the board) she told me please keep sitting in your place , so I started observing another teacher and another classes which are first and second grader.
Anecdotal report :
Grade 5 and 6( first two session) :
In the first two sessions the teacher was giving the students practice on a lesson she had explained before. She started the first session by explaining the activities she brought with her. These activities the students can solve it if they finish their work which they are assigned to do in class. Through this session I was just observing as I was required to do, in order to understand the classroom rules and routines. But in the second session I wanted to help the teacher by checking students’ classwork, answering students’ questions, and explaining some concepts, but she didn't allow me.
Through these two sessions I tried to observe the teacher and her students to be familiar with the physical classroom environment, the routines they follow in the class, and what the teacher is expecting from her students.
Session 3:
I talked with the teacher to let me explain a lesson for the students, so she said yes. I explained in grade five the lesson "Finding the mean"{ Lesson Plan in Appendix A}.
Grade 1:
Session 1:
On the first day, I introduced myself to the students, and watched them while they were having a small assessment, and moved around with teacher to help her in monitoring. While they were working on the assessment some students had some trouble getting some concepts in the assessment so I helped the needed but not by leading them to the answer just by linking the assessment questions to their daily lives. Then the teacher continued the lesson which was about “ways to add”, she then gave them a classwork, here, I moved around the students and while doing that I found out that some students were having trouble solving and working but afraid to say, so I explained a little guiding them to the answers. Then I moved around holding a pen for correcting the classwork. While monitoring one student was just moving out of his place without permission and teasing his friends so I took him aside and talked to him asking him if there was anything that was annoying him and that I’m there if he needed after that he sat in his place and called me whenever he needed something.
•Session 2:
Grade 2:
•Session 1:
•Session 2,3:
The teacher at that day told me that she hasn't explained the lesson yet and I asked her to do it. “Adding three-digit numbers”served almost as a revision to what passed before about addition, so it was easy in a way or another but of course preparation before is very essential. I then gave the students some assigned exercises to solve as classwork, and we solved them together each student by turn on the board, while I was passing by them and checking their work on their books.
Session 5:
•Session 15:
•Session 22:
Student teachers could benefit in several ways from observation they will be able to:
· Observe new techniques, strategies, ideas and resources
· Gain insight into one's own strategies and techniques
· Observe student reactions from a different perspective
· Personal Professional Development and growth
First I was observing 5th,6th and 7th graders, but after several periods I stopped observing these classes because of the teacher, since she didn't let me do anything( like correcting assignments, tests, doing some worksheet, and even erasing the board) she told me please keep sitting in your place , so I started observing another teacher and another classes which are first and second grader.
Anecdotal report :
Grade 5 and 6( first two session) :
In the first two sessions the teacher was giving the students practice on a lesson she had explained before. She started the first session by explaining the activities she brought with her. These activities the students can solve it if they finish their work which they are assigned to do in class. Through this session I was just observing as I was required to do, in order to understand the classroom rules and routines. But in the second session I wanted to help the teacher by checking students’ classwork, answering students’ questions, and explaining some concepts, but she didn't allow me.
Through these two sessions I tried to observe the teacher and her students to be familiar with the physical classroom environment, the routines they follow in the class, and what the teacher is expecting from her students.
Session 3:
I talked with the teacher to let me explain a lesson for the students, so she said yes. I explained in grade five the lesson "Finding the mean"{ Lesson Plan in Appendix A}.
Grade 1:
Session 1:
On the first day, I introduced myself to the students, and watched them while they were having a small assessment, and moved around with teacher to help her in monitoring. While they were working on the assessment some students had some trouble getting some concepts in the assessment so I helped the needed but not by leading them to the answer just by linking the assessment questions to their daily lives. Then the teacher continued the lesson which was about “ways to add”, she then gave them a classwork, here, I moved around the students and while doing that I found out that some students were having trouble solving and working but afraid to say, so I explained a little guiding them to the answers. Then I moved around holding a pen for correcting the classwork. While monitoring one student was just moving out of his place without permission and teasing his friends so I took him aside and talked to him asking him if there was anything that was annoying him and that I’m there if he needed after that he sat in his place and called me whenever he needed something.
•Session 2:
- Explained for the students how to use mental math to subtract hundreds.
- Moved around and checked the students’ classwork.
- Corrected the students’ agendas.
- Helped the teacher get the students to line up and go to recess.
- An assessment was held on ““Ways to add”.
- Observed the students.
- Distributed and collected the papers.
- Before the teacher started classwork I reviewed for the students using mental math to subtract two digits so that they get back to mood of the lesson after the assessment.
- The teacher kicked a misbehaving student out; I followed him and tried to ask him if anything or any of his friends are bothering him.
- His answer was positive it turned out that his seat mate was hitting him from under the table.
- Called his friend out, and talked to both of them and they got along again after apologizing to each other and to the teacher.
- Helped the teacher in correcting the students’ homework by passing by each one of them and checking their work, I took stickers with me to class for the correct work.
- “Make a ten to add” was the new lesson after the teacher explained it and assigned classwork I helped the students solve them by monitoring around and asking them leading questions.
- Then I passed by each one to help the teacher check the students’ work.
- Wrote an exercise on the board after the teacher explained the lesson and asked each student to come solve by turn.
- Checked the students’ agendas by moving around them and correcting.
- Explained the lesson with the help of the cooperating teacher.
- Copied some exercises on the board, which were solved by the students by turn.
- Checked whether the students copied correctly or not.
Grade 2:
•Session 1:
- I observed the students and took pictures of the classroom. I also introduced myself to the students and hanged the set of rules.
•Session 2,3:
The teacher at that day told me that she hasn't explained the lesson yet and I asked her to do it. “Adding three-digit numbers”served almost as a revision to what passed before about addition, so it was easy in a way or another but of course preparation before is very essential. I then gave the students some assigned exercises to solve as classwork, and we solved them together each student by turn on the board, while I was passing by them and checking their work on their books.
- Session 4:
Session 5:
- Brought the students a clock shaped paper (Appendix B) and explained to them time to an hour and half an hour.
- Checked the students’ agendas
- Copied exercises from the book on the board and asked each student to come and write the time shown on each drawn clock.
- An assessment was held on “Adding money till 1000$”.
- Observed the students and collected the papers.
- An assessment was held about “Multiplication”.
- Monitored the students while solving the assessment.
- Helped the teacher in distributing and collecting the papers.
- Corrected some assessments (Appendix C).
- I wanted to see what the difference was between teaching the students at the beginning of the year before really knowing them and teaching them after quite being familiar to them. So I explained a lesson about “Adding two-digit numbers”. (Lesson Plan in Appendix D)
- Solved the worksheet provided about addition on the board.
- Passed by students and corrected it.
- A student came to class and didn't solve the homework. So while the teacher corrected the homework on the board, I sat next to that student and asked him to solve it in front of me, I realized that this student had troubles understanding the lesson, so I tried to explain it again by solving on of the operations in the work sheet next to him and he actually solved the rest on his own. I then provided him with a sticker as a reward for telling me that he didn't understand and not being afraid of doing it.
- The cooperating teacher had to leave since her son was very sick, so I took over the class and explained the lesson.
- While doing so I noticed that most students in this class had trouble in subtraction so I explained it to them and made a formative assessment by asking them questions to check for understanding.
•Session 15:
- I noticed that a student was a little sick, so she didn't understand well the lesson.
- I Sat next to the sick student brought some medicine for her and tried to explain the lesson until her parents came and took her home.
- The student actually worked as much as she could and I checked her work on the classwork, she really did a fine job realizing she is sick.
- Wrote an example on the board on how to check subtraction and explained it to students.
- Students solved classwork on their books and I checked their work by moving around and correcting.
- An assessment was held on “checking for subtraction”.
- Observed the students
- Distributed and collected papers.
- The cooperating teacher had to leave since her husband was very sick, so I took over the class and explained the lesson.
- While doing so I noticed that most students in this class had trouble in multiplication so I explained it to them and made a formative assessment by asking them questions to check for understanding.
- A lesson was explained on measuring lengths.
- Helped some students solve the classwork.
- Checked the agenda for them .
- Made the students a revision sheet about measuring lengths by inches using a ruler and hanged it on the bulletin board for them to see it until they make the exam. (Appendix E).
•Session 22:
- A small assessment was held on “measuring lengths by inches using a ruler”.
- Observed the students
- Distributed and collected the papers.
- Corrected the homework on their textbooks.
- Checked the agendas.
- Corrected the homework by writing the exercises on the board and asking the students to solve them by turn.
- Wrote exercises on the board and the students solved them by turn.
- Checked the students’ homework.
- Checked the students’ agendas.
- Gave the students a website to help them study full of games and exercises. (www.coolmath.com)
- Reviewed the lesson for the students.
- Solved more exercises on problem solving.
- Corrected the homework on the board.
- Session observed by Dr. Shatila, really at that time I was confused from the hotness, Dr. Shatila was all the time sweating, so I was sad and thinking of him. At that session I was very sick so I didn't make an amazing job . (Lesson plan available in Appendix F).