Observation Report 3 Number of Ss in class 13

School P M Book: Laser B H1 (Pre Certificate Course)

Teacher Observed G. O. Level: Upper Intermediate
Observer O M Date of the Observation September 1st, 2009
Course Second Year Seating Arrangement In rows of 4, front faced

A brief description of the observation:

In this report I will show how the teacher gives
instructions to the learners, and how they manage when instructions are given.
First the teacher introduced me to the learners. All of them were girls, that called my
attention as I was accustomed to sitting in on mixed lessons. The teacher asked the girls
to open their books on p. 50 and 51, they corrected the homework assigned the previous
class. The learners read their answers and the teacher elicits the student’s responses. She
did not correct mistakes on the spot: by the contrary, she asked the students to correct
the mistake their classmate had made.
The next activity proposed by the teacher was to work on a a reading text on page 71
from Unit 8 in their books. The students work silently and a good atmosphere was
perceived from the part of the learners who carried out the different activities on the
reading text.
In general, the class participate actively, and they are encouraged by the teacher all the
time who let them participate actively. The T acted as a guider and monitored the
student’s responses as regards learning.
The following chart shows how the T gives instructions to the learners and how they
react towards these instructions:

INSTRUCTION AND CIRCLE COMMENTS

GIVING SKILLS APPROPRIATE
NUMBER (in bold type)
Signalling of beginning of Clear 1 – 2- 3 – 4 Unclear Teacher announces when
activity the activity is about to start
Stating of Aims Clear 1- 2- 3- 4 - Unclear T states the aims of the
lesson clearly, although
some students do not pay
attention to her
Voice Clear 1 - 2-3- 4 - Unclear Clear voice, raising when
it’s necessary
Eliciting information from Clear 1 – 2- 3 – 4 -unclear While developing the act.
learners T elicits Ss’s responses
Use of examples Clear 1 - 2 - 3- 4- unclear Not appreciated because of
the kind of acts. developed
Eye movement to hold Clear 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 unclear Not appreciated as the
attention learners got involved in the
activities
Mime, gestures or body clear 1 – 2 – 3 – 4- unclear The T does not use body
language language as the learners
understand comments and
instructions
Asking questions to check Clear 1 - 2- 3- 4- unclear T asks other Ss to explain
understanding what to do to other Ss
INSTRUCTIONS AND
GIVING SKILLS
Repeating instructions in a
different way
Use simple language
Management and
organization of the class
Use of visual aids (e.g.
board, pictures audio
material, etc)
Signalling the end of
activity
Others
CIRCLE
APPROPRIATE
NUMBER (in bold type)
Clear 1 - 2- 3- 4- unclear
Clear 1 – 2- 3 – 4 unclear
Clear 1 – 2 – 3 – 4-unclear
Clear 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 unclear
Clear 1 – 2- 3 – 4 unclear
Clear 1 – 2 -3 – 4 unclear
COMMENTS
Teacher uses different
strategies or sources
(board) if the instructions
were not clear
The T uses both simple and
complex structures as
regards their level
Organizes the class in a
successful way, although
some of the learners are a
bit talkative. The T acts as
a guider
T uses the board to explain
or clarify concepts that are
unfamiliar to them
T signals the end of the
activity by assigning a
follow up task
T uses clear instructions to
be carried out by the
learners in a successful
way

Final comments after sitting in on this lesson:

It was shown in the chart above how the
teacher gives instructions to the learners in order to develop the different activities well.
The teacher conducts the class acting as a guider and eliciting the student’s responses
during their learning. She also managed to use a clear voice, raising it when it was
necessary. The T also tried to state the lesson aims from the very beginning of the class,
and clarified the doubts on the B when it was necessary. I could not observe negative
aspects during the lesson since the learners got involved in the activities. Another
relevant aspect to be mentioned was that the T did not make use of L1 in any moment of
the class and she encouraged the learners to use L2 during the lesson. I noticed that it
was a reduced group of learners, with a good level of English and there was a good
atmosphere for the development of the lesson.