Observation Sheet Management

(Please complete this form for both primary and secondary professional experiences and
place in your e portfolio)

Graduate Standards AITSL
Professional Practice:
1. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
2. Planning for Effective Management

Was your lesson plan effective for managing the class?
e.g. How did the students react to your lesson overall and to your planned activities?

The students seemed to really enjoy the lesson, which resulted in the
students getting excited and noisy at times. I was required to frequently
remind them to settle down.

Did anything unexpected happen?

The lesson proceeded as expected. If anything, I was happily surprised that
the behaviour of the group was better than I anticipated.

Did you provide a variety of activities?

There were several aspects of the lesson that engaged the students and this
kept them engaged and on track.

Were you satisfied with your timing, particularly for the end of the lesson?

The lesson went over time, however since the lesson was followed by another
in class activity the mentor teacher was able to adjust the next lesson in a way
that no disruption was caused by this error. I will endeavour to improve the
timing of lessons for the future.

Did you feel you were able to change things if needed?

I did feel that I had the freedom to change things had it been necessary, and
had the students had recess or a class with another teacher I could have
shortened the lesson.

Was your organisation of materials and resources efficient and effective?
e.g. Did you and the students have everything you needed?

The lesson was well prepared, with the worksheet photocopied ahead of time
and the coin toss program was pre-loaded onto the interactive whiteboard.

62 Murdoch
University
Did you plan how and when you would distribute and collect materials?

The distribution was planned and executed well, however I had thought about
the collection of the worksheets, but failed to include it in the plan.

Were you aware of classroom procedures and school disciplinary policy? How much did
you know about your students?

I had received a run-down of behaviour management methods for this class
and permission to implement it. I had a fairly good idea of which students to
watch for disruptive behaviour.

Maintaining a Positive Attitude in the Classroom

How did you demonstrate to the students that you valued them, and enjoyed
learning?
e.g. Tone of voice, facial expression, sense of humour, introduction to students and
topic.

I gave students time to finish their answers before moving on. I also gave
them affirmation when they gave an honest try to answer a question

Which aspects of your teaching style do you feel helped you maintain class
attention?
e.g. Variety of activities, class or group discussion, pace of lesson, interest at class level.

The lesson was a fun activity that the students enjoyed. The questions asked
were designed to encourage the students to think about concepts they hadnt
encountered before. When needed, I used a firm tone and call a student by
name to remind them to stay on task, and if the whole class was getting too
loud I would clap a rhythm, which is a cue for this class to get back on track
quietly.

Did the students know what was expected of them?

The instructions were clear. Though to ensure that all students understood, I
would walk around to check that they were following the instructions, and I
would clarify them where necessary.

Were you able to redirect energies of attention seeking students? Did the students
have enough to do?

The class as a whole were given enough tasks and stimulation to minimise
disruption due to boredom. Where a student was getting off task I would ask
a question, such as Have you added up your answers yet? to get their focus
back on the lesson.




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Dealing with Minor Misbehaviour


Were you aware of what was happening in all parts of the classroom? Did you know
what each student was doing?

For the most part, I was aware of what the students were doing, and I would
call the by name to either remind them to settle/stay on track or to give them a
warning. I was also aware of which students were taking too long to write
their answers on the worksheet


Did you take any action when you observed poor behaviour? Why? Why not?

I gave 2 students warnings for talking. I could have and probably should have
given more warnings, however on several occasions I chose to clap for the
whole class to pay attention instead as there were usually multiple students
talking at once.


Did you use non-verbal cues? e.g. Contact, pause, gesture, movement toward
student/s concerned.

I frequently used eye contact, often with raised eyebrows, or I would hold a
finger to my mouth to indicate that the student needed to be quiet. As I
walked around the room, if a student wasnt getting on with the task I would
sometimes point to their worksheet to prompt them.






Overall Comments

I did miss one particular student who was being noisy and should have
received a warning.
Overall the class was fairly well behaved and responded well to reminders to
stay/get back on track.











64 Murdoch University