TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Observation Report Form

Name of Observer: Nicholas Dotson Observation # 5

Date Observation Class Skill/Content Level Teacher

Environment*
05/10/2017 Face-to- Grammar Present 400 Amal Houck
Face Perfect,
Simple Past
& Simple
Present

OBJECTIVES:
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO PRODUCE A PLAN AND A PARAGRAPH ABOUT THEIR IDEA
USING THE PRESENT PERFECT, SIMPLE PAST AND SIMPLE PRESENT TENSES IN ADDTION
TO TARGET VOCABULARYRECENTLY, YET, ALREADY, SINCE, FOR, JUST, SO FAR,
LATELY, NOT YET, UNTIL NOW AND UP TO NOW.

Notes while observing:

1:00 P.M.

T begins class by asking the Ss a question:

Have you ever thought about starting your own business?

Ss provide her with short response to this question and briefly discuss it.

T tells students to form groups of 3. Ss are given 20 seconds to form their

group and they are allowed to choose who they would like to work with.

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Observation Notebook
T assigns task and gives the Ss directions about how to complete it: Create

an entity of which the ultimate goal is to help people. It can be a business,

a company, a restaurant, a non-profit charity, and so and so forth.

T passes out handout with discussion points such as goals and make a

difference to others to spark discussion amongst group members as to

what they hope and want this imagined entity to accomplish. On the back

of the handout, Ss find the target language that will be used for the task.

Task will be completed in three steps:

1. Talk/Discuss Ideas

2. Create a Plan

3. Write a paragraph about it (as a group)

1:05 P.M.

T reviews directions, answers questions and checks for comprehension by

asking the Ss about what it is they need to do to complete the task.

Ss sit in clusters of 3 and T plays relaxing music at a low volume.

1:07 P.M. 1:35 P.M.

Ss start work on the task, which has now been labeled a group project.

T walks around and observes the Ss and stops to answer questions.

T also stops to motivate and praise the Ss on their creativity and plans.

1:40 P.M.

T tells each group to move on and start writing the paragraph once she

senses that each of the individual groups has settled on an idea and a plan.

1:45 P.M.

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Observation Notebook
T asks Ss if they need more time to complete the task and reminds them

that only 5 minutes of class time remain but not to rush completion:

Do it right, dont do it fast.

1:50 P.M.

T tells Ss that she will keep the paragraphs and that this task will be an

ongoing group project to be completed on Friday of this same week.

No homework is assigned an T tells Ss they will have a substitute T

tomorrow and will work on something else, not the group project.

What did you learn about teaching or learning from this lesson as it relates to the
theory you have studied in your TESOL classes? Include at least one reference (with
an in-text citation) to support your response. (250-500 words)

Mrs. Houcks class was very much student-centered and relied heavily on the

communicative approach. Once that instructor had introduced the topic and had given the

students their instructions, she stepped aside and allowed the groups to work together on

the project with little supervision or guidance. This was a grammar class but it did not

follow the 8-step grammar lesson recipe1 nor was it a PPP lesson plan. It was more of a

cumulative review in that there was no practice stage. Instead, the students went straight

into the production phase. I was later informed that the students had reached the end of a

unit in their textbook. Thus, to assess the students knowledge of the unit before moving

forward, the instructor decided to have them complete a group project in lieu of a more

traditional, written test using the knowledge that they acquired in previous lessons.

This class informed my teaching very much in regards to the usefulness of

planning a lesson around a unit and the importance of building upon prior knowledge.

1
Paulston, C.B., & Bruder, M.N. 2017.

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Observation Notebook
Units are a series of integrated lessons that take place over a period of time (e.g. two

weeks) and which lead to a culminating task or activity (Richards & Farrell, 2011).2 The

focus of this unit could therefore be described as something along lines of altruism in

business and the lessons have all led up to this cumulative, communicative task. The

instructor went above and beyond, however, in that the students have to use what they

have learned from prior units in addition to what they have learned from the current unit.

This exemplifies one of the core components of lesson planning: build on prior lessons.

Lastly, while this class environment was obviously student centered and

communicative, it also contained elements of desuggestopedia. The teacher played very

relaxing music for the groups while they worked which has been an uncommon practice

in other classes Ive observed. I cant say for certain that the instructor had

desuggestopedia in mind when she chose to play music, or that she hoped to create a

certain learning environment by doing this, but her decision stuck out to me.

To conclude, this lesson proved very helpful in showing me how lessons and

goals can play out in the long term rather than the short term. The instructor sequenced

lessons around a specific unit and dedicated an entire lesson to the production phase. It

was nice to see the milestone lesson as opposed to a PPP lessonout in the real world;

you dont have to squeeze in all three phases of a PPP lesson plan in one class session.

2
Richards, J. & Farrell, T. (2001).

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References

Paulston, C.B., & Bruder, M.N. Handout Received in Grammar Class: (2017). Pp. 36-46.

Richards, J. & Farrell, T. (2001). Practice Teaching: A Reflective Approach. (p. 59).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Last Updated: 5/28/2017 9:46 PM