Observation Sheet Questioning
(Please complete this form for both primary and secondary professional experiences and place in
your ePortfolio)
Graduate Standards - AITSL
Professional Knowledge:
Professional Practice:
Question Type
Do you feel your questions
were clearly structured and
readily understood by the
students?
Did you use a variety of
question types?
What balances was there
between the various questions where, type questions were just right for this age group. Was a nice
types?
Consider both why and when
you made use of the different
question types?
1. Know students and how they learn
2. Plan and implement effective teaching and learning
Yes, my questions were clearly structured. A variety of questions
followed the introduction video. The application of visual aids such as
introducing the lesson with a you-tube video as well as displaying
everyday items shaped in 2D shapes, had the students completely
understanding the lesson, the line of questioning and next activity. I even
had a student come up to me when on I was on duty at lunch, to show me
an example of an everyday item (food) in a particular 2D shape as per the
lesson. It was wonderful.
Yes, as per the below examples;
Remembering. Can someone tell me names of some of the
shapes we just watched?
Understanding - How do we know it is a triangle?
Applying Can you think of other everyday items and their
shapes?
Spontaneous teachable moment where I asked the children to
work out how many dorito chips (triangle) we had short to how
many number of students were present (15). Subtraction 15-4.
Balanced for this age group of Pre-primary. The asking of what, why,
balance of mat time, watching the video with short question answer
session, followed with moving and doing the activity.
This line of questioning just flowed after the video. I found the students
were ready to answer and talk about what they just watched. The
students were eager to answer questions when asked to recall what the
shapes were, and to explain why the reasoning behind that, such as what
were the characteristics that made them come to this decision?
Distributing and Directing Questions

Did you recognise any pattern
in the distribution of your
questions amongst the
students? Consider reasons
for this pattern?
I tried to ensure I involved everyone. I asked the students to put their
hands up. I had hands up from all over the mat, the front seated students
to the side and back. I ensured I chose someone from each area of the
mat. As well as was consciously choosing boy and girls equally to
answer. Reasons for this, was to try make it as equal as possible to get an
understanding that the students understood the lesson.

Having the students situated on the mat. I asked the questions, and they
How have you directed raised their hands to answer.
questions to the group?

Yes, I always give students adequate wait time to think about their
Have you used wait time? answers. I believe in roughly three seconds.

Did you make eye contact with Yes, made eye contact with every student, to see if they were engaged
the group as you directed your and to observe their body language about the lesson.
questions?

Reactions to Students Responses

Yes, I give praise and acknowledgment that the answers are correct.
How do you deal with correct However, I like to give focus on the effort made to get to the correct
responses? Do you qualify any answer. Good effort or nice thinking, great working out, and a
praise given? simple great job, well done.

How do you deal with incorrect
responses? How do you deal
with students who stumble and
grope for an answer?
I give them enough wait time. And then I try a different line of
questioning to see if they can get to the answer a different way. I assure
them its okay and always give them an acknowledgment of the answers
they are advising but guide the conversation to one where they can get to
the answer themselves.

What use do you make of the
students responses to develop
the teaching point? Have you
redirected any questions in
order to add to an initial
response?
Yes, you need to be able to redirect questions as we are dealing with
people with different views who can easily change the direction of the
lesson with further thinking on the topic. I encourage this and will
redirect the line of questioning for sure. This happened when an
unexpected teachable moment occurred where the shapes class
developed into a mini subtraction exercise, this enhanced the lesson.
 Are you the only evaluator of No, my mentor teacher was there evaluating the answers also.
the students answers?

Overall Comments

The whole group lesson was fantastic. It was received well by the students who were engaged and
eager to perform the activity. I noticed they clearly like the physicality of the activity and enjoyed the
seemed to really enjoy the team work. The groups were answering the shapes characteristics
correctly. My mentor teachers feedback was excellent she even reported she could not offer any
recommendations as she could not think of how it could have been any better for a first lesson! My
overall impression, keep it short, lively, interactive, involve music and this age group just loved it!
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 Yes, I feel the right amount of mat time and doing time. This kept the
for managing the class? restlessness at bay. I did notice any restlessness whilst on the mat.

e.g. How did the students The students were great, and appeared to thoroughly enjoy the lesson.
react to your lesson overall The reaction to the intro video was positive, they seemed to like the lively
and to your planned activities? music and message. They were delighted when I presented them with
everyday items, and particularly liked the Dorito chip in the triangle
shape they were giggling, and front row wanted to touch it. And last but
not least the students appeared to revel in the physicality of the activity
and loved forming shapes in their groups, there was team work and
students guiding and working with each other to form the shapes.

Did anything unexpected Yes! An unexpected teachable moment, where the children asked to eat
happen? the dorito chip I had holding up. I said I had only four in a bag and that
there were fifteen of our friends here today, and that wouldnt be fair
because how many of our friends would miss out on a chip? The class
then proceeded to count backwards together from fifteen to four and
worked out that eleven classmates would miss out. So they understood
and we moved right along to the next question. It was great.!

Did you provide a variety of
activities?
Yes, the students watched a video, did a question & answer session , then
observed photos, then were split up into their groups and made
formations of shapes in their groups then we took photos on the ipad
where they sat in their small groups and looked through each of the
photos. I feel that was varied.

Were you satisfied with your
timing, particularly for the end
of the lesson?
Did you feel you were able to
change things if needed?
I was satisfied, if anything, the children made the formations quicker
than I thought. We had a little bit of left over time maybe 10 minutes
where everyone had completed the lesson. They had free-time on the
mat.
Yes, which I did! The original plan was to conduct the activity outside on
the concrete and draw with pavement chalk around the children when in
formation so they could get up and see the shape they had made.
However, the weather was extremely cold and rainy so I changed the
location to formations on the mat inside and instead of chalk to outline
the shape, we took photos using the Ipad instead, so the students could

Were you aware of classroom
procedures and school
disciplinary policy? How
much did you know about
your students?
How did your mentor teacher
maintain a safe learning
environment?
What strategies did you
observe your mentor teacher
using to maintain this?
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.
still see their formations.
Yes, I asked my mentor teacher early on the first day what her classroom
discipline measures were. She advised they had a really well behaved
class and the measures arent used very often. What was put in place was
a warning chart on the wall. If a child does not respond to initial requests
to stop whatever the offending behaviour is, their name goes against a
One which is the first warning, the chart goes up to three. She said no one
ever goes past one so she didnt actually advise what the consequences
were if the child goes up to three and I didnt ask, in hindsight I will ask
complete procedures next time. I researched the schools website and
found their expectant behaviour policy which centres around three
values Being Respectful, Being Organised and Being Safe R.O.S.
The teacher treated the children with respect and modelled respectful
behaviour. This therefore set the tone to show what type of behaviour
was expected from the children. The teacher acknowledged all ideas. The
teacher maintained positive body language, looking children in the eye
when listening and speaking. The teacher addressed any negative
behaviour straight away.
A physically safe learning environment was also maintained by; utensils
were child safe like scissors etc., there was ample supervision, with the
presence of the teacher and fulltime education assistant. And at meal
times there were three adults on duty with the children at lunch,
watching for any choking or allergic reactions. As well as at least two
adults on duty during lunch and recess.
As mentioned above, eye contact, positive body language, modelling
behaviour, acknowledgment, ample supervision, child friendly tools.
Another strategy I observed was when the class was talking and the
teacher wanted to gain their attention, she would sing the melody dum-
dee-dee-dum-dum, and the students, whatever they were doing, would
finish the melody with a dum-dum. The teacher then had their
undivided attention. It worked EVERY time.
Positive body language which contained eye contact, smiles, complete
attention to the student when talking to them. Soft, happy vocal tones.
Engaged in conversation, ask them questions, listen to them intently.
And yes, have a sense of humour! Understand what they like so lessons
can be planned with a personal aspect.
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?
Were you able to redirect
energies of attention seeking
students? Did the students
have enough
to do?
An understanding of what the children would like. I knew they would
enjoy the every-day items idea as well as the choice of activity. It was
child centred where the students could take charge of creating the
formations and think how to position themselves and work in their
teams. The timing was good, ample for them to talk and ask questions, it
was very age appropriate and FUN!
Yes, they were well aware. The introduction reminded them of their past
lessons on 2D Shapes, the pictures I displayed of the activity had them
knowing exactly what was expected from them.
There really were no attention seeking students. The students had
enough to do. They were moving between stations of activities, once
complete they would move to the next activity, if there was waiting time
for a group to finish , they had a quick free play opportunity, until they
could get to their next station.
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?
Did you take any action when
you observed poor behaviour?
Why? Why not?
Did you use non-verbal cues?
e.g. Contact, pause, gesture,
movement toward student/s
concerned.
Overall Comments
Yes. The way the day was structured with mat time, activity time, free
play time, I was aware at all segments what the students were doing.
Obviously at mat time all students were sitting in front of me engaging in
conversation. The classroom layout consisted of a few small table for
small group activities and a large mat area and small play area. When the
class was doing their activities, I situated myself at the group table where
I could see all sections of the room. I would be there present for the
activities as well as scan the room to check to see what is happening
everywhere, which included the free playtime area. This also extended to
lunch and recess where the teachers all took turn with duty every break
so I would situate myself in a position in the yard where the children
could see I was present if they needed me but also that I could see the
whole yard should any issues arise.
There really was no real poor behaviour. If anything when the children
got excited and a little loud, we would utilise the melody strategy,
Dum-dum-dee-dum-dum, and the children would finish the melody
with dum-dumand know that we needed their attention. It literally
worked every time.
Yes I made sure I paused before moving onto the next sentence if I
needed to gain their attention, always eye contact , with a soft, warm
face.
Schools as text looking at the whole school
Describe the school in terms of its
demographics, appearance and
resources (be general here and do not
name the school).
What were the roles and responsibilities
of the teaching staff you observed?
This school was extremely diverse in its demographic.
In our class of 19, the families consisted of parents that
were highly professional such as, flying doctors,
architects, GPs, lawyers, journalists, to a very
alternative group, to two indigenous children being in
foster care.
The school was established in 1901, and its appearance
had a lot of character and old-world charm.
The resources were great. So many art resources. The
art cupboard was FULL, with supplies such as; colourful
paper, buttons, material. It was great, and a few
teachers mentioned you wont find many classrooms as
resourced as this one.
The teacher ran the classroom. She was in charge of
what everyone had to do for the day. She was in charge
of the lessons and had to let everyone now what was on
the agenda for the day and what she expected from
them. That was before the children arrived. Once the
children were there, the teacher delivered her lessons.
She was the teacher, the mentor, the manager, the
carer, the mother, in there. It was multifaceted.
Examples of these roles I observed were.
Teacher delivering high octane, energetic
lessons that she had pre-planned.
Mentor mentor to student teachers by
reflecting teaching strategies and providing
background on students and feedback about
our training.
Manager She managed the activities of the
students and ensured everyone was
participating in her lesson, as well as managing
the Education Assistant by relaying what was
planned for the day and what she needed.
Carer A child had an injury where she cut her
chin. The teacher performed necessary aid, with
cleaning wound, bandaging it, and comforting
child then calling the parent to inform of what
happened.
Mother comforting two upset students when
their parents left for the day. And ensuring the
children were performing their personal hygiene
by ensuring they washed their hands before
mealtimes.
What did you observe non-teaching
staff doing to support teaching and
learning in the school?
The EA, was busy in the background, preparing the tables for
the next activities. She ensured that all equipment such as
paper, glue, scissors etc and any activity props were on the
tables whilst the teacher was teaching. The EA sorted the
artwork made by the children into their portfolios, and displays
arounds the classroom. She was rotating old work with new
work on the displays.
She also, cleaned the tables down after the activities and put
the chairs and equipment away.
The EA also supported the teacher by working at the work
stations with the children.
Students
You will have observed the diverse
nature of your classes. How was
this diversity supported?
The students were divided into smaller groups. I believe the
children had a mixture of lower ability children and higher
ability together, so that when doing the activities, the HA
students could work unaccompanied which gave the teacher
ample time to work with the LA children.
The type of activities were tailored dependant on students
ability. For example, there was a boy who could read and
write at an advanced level, two grades higher. His reading
activity was with an advanced book.
There were a few lower ability children who had their
reading/spelling activity tailored so they only had to read, and
not write the words at that stage.
I noticed there was also an Aboriginal Liaison Officer that
came into our classroom to work with our indigenous
students.
Function of Schools
Did you observe the connection
of your schools with the broader
community? How did this
happen?
What do you think the function of
school is?
Reflection think about your
experiences during the week
and describe how your previous
experiences have informed your
view of teachers and schools.
Has anything changed?
I noticed a strong connection with the families in the
community. On a daily basis there were at least three parent
who would stay in the class well after class began. They would
sit on the mat and interact with the lesson. The teacher also
advised that the general feeling of a lot of the parents was that
they wanted their child to have an idyllic childhood which
guided the way any homework or lessons were delivered. She
said that if the parents thought the school were giving the
children too many tasks or homework the teachers would soon
hear about it for requests to lighten the load. I noticed the
parents were very close with each other at drop off and pick
up time, and heard that they are a very social bunch who get
together for social gatherings often. During my practum it was
Fathers Day. Each year the school holds a breakfast at 7am
with the view that Dads can attend before work. It is always
well attended each year and the school even turning a small
profit on the event. Regarding the broader community, the
class does a yearly excursion to the town library where they
catch public bus transport and each year the bus drivers
recognise the kids from the school and always just let the
school kids jump on for free, for their library excursion.
I think school is a place of learning. Not only to obtain
academic skills, such as maths and science, but to enhance
social ability as well. Schools prepare children to become
functioning adults in the future.
I had a magical week. Working with children of pre-primary
age confirmed to me that I want to work in Early Childhood. I
loved their love of learning, their responsiveness to music and
physical activities, their energy.
Whilst I knew that classrooms, were fast paced environments,
I was still surprised by exactly how fast paced they were. The
teacher has no down time at all, except when they are not
scheduled for duty at recess/lunch. They have an incredibly
high-octane role mentally, of constantly watching, directing,
assisting, many people mostly at the same time, which
humbles me. After my prac, I have a new level of respect for
teachers and will never take a teachers role for granted in my
personal life or professional life. I was mentally exhausted
after the week, but I feel with classroom time and experience
this will be a fitness that will develop. Regardless of that, I
have never felt so rewarded from a role. At the end of each
day, whilst mentally tired, I was greatly satisfied with what I
had achieved and been part of that day.
I do feel like I was lucky by being put in a school with such a
positive, supportive team. It was highly resourced and ran by
an approachable, supportive Principle. I often reflect on how
the experience would have been so different, if the
environment was the opposite, that of which I am sure there
are many schools like that. What I have taken away from this
is that a healthy team environment is so important, and the
basis of a great functioning classroom. This experience has
highlighted to me that you need to be working in a team with
your fellow staff, the students and the parents, that discord in
any of those areas would lead to constant challenges, and
ultimately impacting the quality of your teaching. Teachers
need to communicate well with their team, the students and
parents. Effective communication is everything as a teacher.

The humanity of the community in the classroom really

connected with me. I recognised the students came from
different backgrounds and had such different stories. It made
me feel privledged to be there as part of a team that was
creating a love of learning with them , that would be the basis
for all their future learning. It was a truly great experience and I
cannot wait to get back into the classroom.