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 Whole Class Lesson

for managing the class?
My lesson plan for my maths class was not as effective in managing the
class as I hoped it would be. While they did understand that they needed
e.g. How did the students
to work as a group they rather opted to work in pairs. However, I do feel
react to your lesson overall
like the pair work was far more effective than my intended larger groups
and to your planned activities? work. The group which was assigned the play dough played with it rather
than utilised it to help them with their maths activity, this could have been
avoided by having a teacher work with the group and supervise the use
because it had been used in the class effectively before to complete such
tasks. However, I was able to get the students back on task by removing
the play dough and getting them to use another visual tool to help them
with their work. In regards to the positives the students were engaged
with the work they were doing once they were on task and they were
asking questions when they were unsure about an activity. They were
particularly engaged during the conclusion of the lesson both due to the
fact their test on the topic was to be the following day and because I was
calling upon students to write their answers to questions I posed on the
white board and they all wanted a turn! Overall I feel I just needed to
make some small adjustments in order to avoid some of the situations
which did arise.
Small Group Lesson
There were two issues in regards to management within my reading
group and they were students looking ahead in the book and students
interrupting those who were reading. However, I felt that these were not
major issues as I was able to get students back on task by telling them
not to go ahead in the book and asking questions when I felt students
were getting restless to encourage a group discussion. Once we got into
the book the students were engaged with what we were doing and they
were eager to share their answers and thoughts on what we were
reading.

Did anything unexpected

happen?

Whole Class Lesson

One thing I did not expect was to be required to tell them to get things like
their pencils, erasers and maths books before heading to their group.

When they were sent off into their groups they did not have their required
writing equipment to complete the worksheet and it took some extra time
to get everybody organised. I left it out of the lesson plan because I
assumed they would be able to do this themselves and it was also
something I obviously didnt pick up in my mentor teachers management
of her classroom. However, after that I got into the habit of making sure I
was explicit in my instructions.

Did you provide a variety of

activities?

Whole Class Lesson

The maths class required them to complete a worksheet on multiplication,
specifically strategies the students can use to solve multiplication
questions. So there was variety in regards to the strategies they would be
required for each question. There was also the inclusion of word
problems in the worksheets for the higher ability group. Once they had
completed the worksheet the students were allowed to play maths games
which provide another activity for the students to do during the lesson.
Small Group Lesson
During my reading group I tried to provide a number of different types of
questions that would encourage group discussion and allow the students
to bounce off of each others ideas. However, there was not a variety of
activities as the task was focused on reading and discussing the reading
book.

Were you satisfied with your

timing, particularly for the end
of the lesson?

Whole Class Lesson

The lesson finished earlier than I had anticipated and while I had planned
for them to play maths games in case they did finish early I did not
separate out the games which were relevant to the topic which would
have helped them to consolidate their learning. Everybody finishing early
did allow time for a good conclusion though which I felt was the strongest
part of my lesson because all the students were engaged in what we
were doing and I was addressing areas of the topic which the majority of
the class was having difficulty with.
Small Group Lesson
The group read the book and discussed the questions I posed in the time
allocated. However, I would have liked some more time at the end to
have explained the two concepts (character and setting) and how the
words the author used shaped those two aspects of writing. This is
because I felt that they werent all understanding what the focus of my
questions were without some guidance. Or sometimes they were able to,
for example, compare the character as he was in the beginning of the
story to how he was at the end. But when I asked them how they knew
that or why they thought that they would say I dont know or just
because. This was something that was an issue in other subjects as well,
my mentor teacher is trying to explain and teach them that as they
continue their schooling career simply providing the answer is not enough

to get the marks. Explaining or showing how they reached an answer is a

skill they are still learning.
Did you feel you were able to
change things if needed?

Whole Class Lesson

I certainly felt like I was able to change things when the situation required
it. In particular the way I did my conclusion for the lesson. Initially I was
going to get the students to discuss the things they found worked best
and why and then ask what strategies they found difficult to use. When I
asked my first question no one was eager to answer and I think this may
have been because they didnt know me very well. So instead I chose to
focus on the areas they were having difficulty with based on the questions
they were asking me when they were completing the activities. I did an
example on the board and showed them how to work it out. I then called
upon students to come up and complete other questions I put up on the
board. They were really engaged at this point and while that may be
because they wanted a turn to write on the white board I do feel like the
concept made more sense to the students. Another aspect was changing
from group work to either paired work or individual work. I think the class
was more comfortable working in pairs for the activity so I let them carry
on rather than force them to work altogether. Students who I felt were
getting distracted as well as distracting others I moved to go do the work
by themselves and this did have a positive outcome as they asked
questions when they needed help and completed the work.
Small Group Lesson
I felt this lesson was quite flexible in regards to the questions I would ask
the group because I tried to follow where their discussion was taking
them while also trying to focus on the concepts of the lesson rather than
following what I had outlined in my lesson plan. I addressed most of the
questions I had planned but I may have worded them differently or
switched the order in which I asked them.

Were you aware of classroom

procedures and school
disciplinary policy? How
much did you know about
your students?

I was aware of the classrooms procedures in regards to management as

they would come up in the days prior to my lesson and then on the day of
my lesson my mentor teacher made sure I knew what the different
systems in place were. They used an individual point system as a reward
and the traffic light system for poor behaviour. Neither system is heavily
used with the traffic light system only needing to be used on my final day
there and individual points were only awarded on three occasions while I
was there, but they were given to a number of students at those times. In
regards to discipline I found that simply moving the student away from the
situation worked well in the group work. If they had carried on with their
behaviour I would have used the traffic light system. In regards to the
points system, because it was all on the computer it was quite awkward
for me to award them during my lesson as I would have to leave the
student/s I was with to do it. But by the time they had packed away we
were already moving to the next thing and I would forget to award them
so that was my own fault for not being in the habit of using the system.

How did your mentor teacher

maintain a safe learning
environment?

My mentor teacher definitely maintained a safe learning environment. I

felt she did this both in regards to the physical safety of the children and
their learning safety.
Physical Safety
Students werent allowed to run around the classroom or swing on their
chairs. Any rough behaviour (ie playing) was stopped immediately and it
was made clear that it was not appropriate in the classroom and in some
cases not at all.
Learning Safety
For activities like maths, reading and spelling students learning abilities
were catered to. I felt this was really important because there was such a
range within the class and getting all the students to do the same level
work would mean some kids would be left behind and others would be
easily bored. It also avoids children being put down by other students
because they are not achieving at the same level.

What strategies did you

observe your mentor teacher
using to maintain this?

In addressing students who were being a bit rough or running around in

the classroom my mentor teacher would address the child by name and
ask them if their current behaviour was appropriate. She would then ask
them what they should be doing instead. This worked quite well in the
classroom I was in because the student would stop straight away and
wouldnt do it again.
The traffic light system worked really well in the class. Each student has a
peg which is on the green light at the start of each day. They are then
moved to the orange light for their first warning, red light for their
second and if they get a third warning they are sent to a buddy classroom
for a time out. My mentor teacher was telling me that she had to use the
system often in the beginning of the year but now she founds she doesnt
have to use it as much.
In whole group situations she would use a variety of verbal and nonverbal cues. For example, during assembly practise outside she would
use verbal cues such as addressing the student by name which was often
enough to make the student stop what it was they were doing. If not she
would then ask them if what they were doing was the expected behaviour
and wait for the student to tell her what was. In the classroom she would
sometime use non-verbal cues such as standing at the front of the class
either on the mat or at their desks and wait for everybodys attentions.
This could sometimes take a long time.
The entire school is using a technique to help the students calm down
after lunch. The students each have a jar filled with blue water and glitter.
The students are required to take their jar and sit somewhere in the
classroom, they then have to shake the jar and watch the glitter fall back

down the bottom of the jar. The glitter represents all their worries and
problems and watching them float down gives them time to process them
and calm themselves down ready for their final lessons. It is still a
relatively new initiative in the school so some of the students are still not
really understanding the concept however I felt it was really working for
some of the students.

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.

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.

Did the students know what

was expected of them?

I worked hard to ensure that I was actively listening to what the students
had to say in regards to questions and stories they were telling me. I tried
to maintain my tone of voice at a positive and happy tone unless the
situation wasnt appropriate, such as disciplining a students behaviour.
I also tried to keep a positive facial expression and smile at the kids.
Then use a neutral expression if the students were being disciplined by
their teacher.
I tried to pick up on the things students liked, in particular the class loved
their footy, so I would ask them about their favourite teams and tell them
mine. However sometimes this did result in arguments in the class about
whose team was better!
I felt like the group I was with was most engaged when they were on the
mat as one big group and you could keep them engaged for about 10
minutes. This was the case for my maths lesson. They enjoy bouncing off
each other in their class discussions. In a similar way they worked quite
well at their desks when they were working through tasks together as
class.
They loved using visuals to help them learn, either drawing or something
tangible. For example they loved using mini whiteboards to draw out
maths problems.
Some students were quite productive when working in pairs however
some would get distracted because they were working with a close
friend, so possible assigning the pairs could make this a more effective
strategy. I did find overall the students preferred working in groups than
on their own.

At the beginning of my lessons I tried to ensure that the students knew

what was expected from them in regards to the activity by asking them at
the end of my introduction if everybody understood what was required of
them. The only time students did not understand what was expected of

them during the task is if they rushed ahead before my instructions, as in

my reading group, or because I failed to provide enough instructions, as
in my maths group when I didnt include the instruction to bring their
pencils and erasers.
The students expected behaviour was something I felt they should have
already had been well aware of as there was a class room rules poster
with all their signatures on in the room and they had been in the same
class for nearly three terms. Any time the students didnt meet the
expected behaviour standards I would ask them what they should be
doing, as my mentor teacher would, and if the behaviour continued I
would move them which was effective in stopping the inappropriate
behaviour. I didnt feel that I needed to use the traffic light system.

Were you able to redirect

energies of attention seeking
students? Did the students
have enough
to do?

In regards to attention seeking students, particularly when they

interrupted me, I would explain to them that I was working with another
student and that they would have to wait their turn. This worked quite well
as this was the strategy my mentor teacher used when faced with a
similar situation. If students were seeking attention by distracting other
students I would move them away to sit on their own to complete the
work.
During my maths lesson the students did have enough activities to
complete during the allocated time however the games for them to play
after they had completed the work sheets were not related to the topic.
While there were some games available for the topic I failed to instruct
them that these were the games they needed to play.
During my reading group the activities of reading the book and having a
discussion about it filled the entire time so the students definitely had
enough to do.

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?

During my maths lesson I was aware of what two of the groups were
doing as I was moving around the classroom. One group was with my
mentor teacher working together on the class white board to complete
the worksheet. So in regards to being aware of what was going on in all
parts of the classroom I was more focused on certain groups of students.
I tried to be constantly moving from one side of the classroom to the
other and helping students when they raised their hands. I felt that I did
know what each student was looking after was doing because I was
moving around a lot. I would regularly check on the students I felt were
not on task and those who had been struggling with some questions. As
well as the students who completed the work quickly to ensure they had
something else to move on to.

Did you take any action when

you observed poor behaviour?
Why? Why not?

Whole Class Lesson

When I first observed poor behaviour I would tell them to stop the
inappropriate behaviour and ask them what they should be doing instead.
This would work instantly as the student would then focus back on the
task. If the student continued the poor behaviour after I had left I would
return and ask the student to move away from the group and complete
the task on their own. If I needed to speak to the student again I would
have used the traffic light system, however this was not required. I made
sure to take action when faced with poor behaviour to ensure the
students knew that I was also a teacher in their classroom and not simply
a visitor who would let them get away with things they wouldnt normally
be allowed to do.
Small Group
My reading group was quite well behaved through the duration of the
lesson and I didnt have to use the systems, such as traffic lights, for poor
behaviour. Poor behaviour I felt came as a result of impatience waiting
for their turn to read. Simply telling them that they shouldnt interrupt
another student when reading and that they needed to wait their turn
worked quite well in getting them back on task if it was one student
getting restless. If the group was getting impatient I would ask a question
to start a discussion after the student reading had completed their page. I
believe this worked quite well in stopping the talking during other
students turn to read as it allowed all the students to have a say and
make them feel involved in the activity even when it was not their turn to
read.

Did you use non-verbal cues?

e.g. Contact, pause, gesture,
movement toward student/s
concerned.

During my whole class lesson I didnt use non-verbal cues because they
were all quite engrossed in what they were doing and they didnt really
acknowledge me until I addressed them. I found during my observations
that my mentor teacher would only use non-verbal cues when she had
the majority of the classes attention and was waiting on a few students.
This strategy could take a little while to reach the intended result. When
she wanted their attention or required poor behaviour to stop quickly she
would use verbal cues such as addressing the student by name and
asking them to stop what it was they were doing or thank the students for
doing the right thing and wait for the other students. For example, some
students often wouldnt sit on their bottoms when on the mat, my mentor
teacher would use both strategies when dealing with this situation.

Overall Comments

Overall the students, I felt, were well behaved and I think this was due to the fact they knew
what was expected of them. This was because the class rules had been well established
and they had been in the class for nearly three terms so they knew the routine of the class.
My mentor teacher told me that at the start of the year she would have to use the traffic light
system often for all the students but now it is not something which is required as much
because simply addressing the behaviour once is working quite well. They stayed on task
quite well and I believe they would only go off task if they wanted the attention of the teacher
or because they felt the work was too hard for them and they wouldnt give it a go. In the
classroom I was in I felt that verbal cues were more effective than non-verbal cues simply
because they would become so absorbed in their own thing that they werent really aware of
what was going on around them. Addressing the student by name was a far quicker and less
disruptive to the class when trying to stop poor behaviour than waiting for them to realise
they are holding up the class. In regards to my lessons many of the situations I encountered
would have been avoided if I had included small things in my lesson plans such as
instructing them to get pencils during the maths lesson or not giving the students a copy of
the book until they had answered the first question during my reading group.