SA Observation: February 15, 2008

ST observations

Last period: Feb. 15, 2008

Good proximity to students. Getting close to them helps with management. Don’t distance yourself.

Good having students reading at random. Keeps them on their toes.
When pointing out a student don’t be afraid to ask for his name. What about having them write their names on pieces of paper and leaving them visible on their desk.

You were jumping in a bit too quickly after students had finished reading their paragraph; this broadcasted a bit of discomfort.

Matt was still getting settled when you had another student start reading. Don’t be afraid to stop the class and wait until Matt has taken his seat and is ready to get to work.

Having students reading randomly really kept them on task. Students were definitely paying closer attention to what was going on.

Good that you got Justin reading for a second time. He observed that he was not entirely following in the class.

You were moving around the class much more effectively, but always came back to the centre of the classroom.

Good that you corrected mispronunciations in reading.

“I’m sorry! One at a time please!” Good. It got the students quiet and focused.

Don’t be afraid if students question your answer. I got the impression that you were feeling a little uncomfortable at times.

Keep smiling.

“We’re moving on guys!” The observation about sarcasm was not entirely out of line, but your response suggested that it was not really worth discussing.

You did manage to regain your composure and were laughing the next moment; this was good and the students obviously responded to your good-natured laugh.

Wait until people are quiet before you begin talking – moving to the next question.

Good asking for volunteer to read the poem. Matt stepped up and did a good job.

Good asking student at random to read each stanza from the poem. Again, students were more engaged in the reading of the poem.

Good getting Faizal to act as a recorder for the class. Good getting (encouraging) students to keep notes on terms they are not familiar with.

“Who can come up with an example of alliteration?” Good challenging students.

Faizal was a little too slow and the definitions were not entirely complete. However, students were helping Faizal with the definitions and this was also good.

“Ok guys!” Managed to get students back on task.

This was far more effective than your first lesson in terms of timing and pacing.

You became much more confident and relaxed as the class continued.

“You’re so helpful! Thank you very much!” Good management tool. Wins the kids over.

Good that you let the boys argue over the answer for the last question. There was lots of energy in the “discussion”! You got them back on task after giving them a little bit of time to discuss the answers.

Giving students back their papers before the end of the session tends to create a bit of distraction; wait until the end of the session before you give them back their work.

Make sure that all students have the written response in front of them before you beginning reading the piece. Some students were not ready for the reading when you began.

You were still talking more about the style of the essay rather than the content. You needed to focus more on what was said rather than how it was said.

The discussion of the “superior” and “adequate” terminology didn’t really serve a purpose. Provide them with more concrete suggestions about what they could do to answer the question more effectively.

You were writing on the board when Faizal was reading. Try to validate what he is doing by listening to every word he reads.

Good that you got students to stop talking and listen to what Idris was saying.

Good getting Matt to the front of the class to read his essay. That was really productive. You demonstrated a lot of flexibility. You had a plan, but you were able to deviate from the plan when it was called for.

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