Observation Sheet Management Primary

1. 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?
Yes, I believe that my lesson plan was effective for managing the entire class. This was
because I split the class into four groups, having an activity planned for each group. Because
all of the groups were relatively small it was easy to keep them all on task as everyone was
able to participate, there was no restlessness amongst groups. The activities planned were all
group activities so the students could help each other if needed. The students were keen to get
started as soon as I mentioned what we were going to do. I was lucky enough to have a great
group of students who were willing to participate in every activity planned, no matter what it
may have been.

2. Did anything unexpected happen?
No, during this lesson nothing unexpected happened in terms of misbehaviour etc. I made
sure that all the students were on tasks by wandering around the room to ensure that all
students were focused and on task.

3. Did you provide a variety of activities?
Yes, I provided four various activities for the class, with each activity having a different
focus.

4. Were you satisfied with your timing, particularly for the end of the lesson?
Yes, I felt that I had worked through every part of my lesson in a timely manner, making sure
that I followed my lesson plan as I had left aside a specific time for each part i.e. beginning,
middle and conclusion. I was also conscious of the time by constantly checking my watch
and clock.

5. Did you feel you were able to change things if needed?
Yes, I felt that my plan was adaptable to change if the lesson was to require it. This was
because each activity I had planned also had easier and harder versions just in case it was
needed. However there was no need to change any part of my lesson plan as I was fortunate
that everything ran smoothly and the students enjoyed themselves throughout the lesson.

6. Were your organisation of materials and resources efficient and effective? E.g. did you and
the students have everything you needed?
Yes, for the lesson both the students and I had everything that was required for the task at
hand. I made sure that all the resources that I needed were created (if applicable) and on the
teachers table ready to go the day before so that I wasnt wasting time during the lesson.

7. Did you plan how and when you would distribute and collect materials?
As this particular lesson consisted of four different activities I set up all of the activities
before the lesson was due to begin. This then allowed me to be organised during the entire
lesson, sending the children to their specified table without any fuss or confusion occurring.
As the materials and resources were already distributed prior to the lesson occurring there
was no need for the students to help set up. Before we reconvened down at the mat to
conclude the lesson, I allocated one person per table to collect and pack away the resources
and materials at their table to put back on the teachers desk.

8. Were you aware of classroom procedures and the school disciplinary policy? How much
did you know about your students?
With having the opportunity to work in the Pre-Primary classroom a few days before I had to
teach my lessons I became aware of the classroom procedures and routines as each day
passed. This allowed me to gain an insight into what was deemed as appropriate and
inappropriate in terms of misbehaviour etc. The school disciplinary policy was shown to me
on my second day in the classroom after a student needed to be sent to the office for
disrupting the class and not listening to the teacher, being unco-operative. With working at
the Primary school in my rural town I was lucky enough to know about half the class due to
my previous interactions with them at the Childcare Centre (as I am currently working there
as the Centre Co-ordinator). This allowed me to have a prior understanding of the
background on some of the students, about their families, learning abilities etc. I inquired
about the students I did not know, talking with the teacher to learn more about them, to help
me with my lesson planning and how to approach them based on their different personalities
e.g. if a student was shy compared to if a student was outgoing etc.




Maintaining a Positive Attitude in the Classroom
1. 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.
There were many different ways that I demonstrated towards the students that I valued them
as a class on a whole and as individuals. Facial expressions are important, especially with this
age group, as they want to make you happy and some students will do anything to go the
extra mile! I made sure that my facial expressions never displayed annoyance or anger
towards the students as that does not help with their self-esteem or confidence. My face was
always calm and showed happiness, especially when the students were on the right track and
completing everything to the best of their ability. I was careful to never raise my tone of
voice and spoke to all the students the same way, treating them as equals. With having the
opportunity to work with students of this age group before I believe that I have a great
understanding to how to display my sense of humour towards them as well as the appropriate
times to do so. Introducing the students to this topic was done by including them as much as
possible, asking them to help me explain it so that they are taking part in facilitating their
own learning as well, rather than just being told what to do. Each student was treated the
same, no matter their ethnicity, learning abilities etc. as I wanted to create a sense of
belonging amongst the room during my lesson.

2. 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.
There were a few various aspects of my teaching style that helped me maintain the classs
attention at all times. Before the students went to all of their activities we had a group class
discussion which allowed me to explain to all the students what we are going to do so that the
students knew what was expected of them and what activity they would be participating in.
With speaking to the teacher prior to teaching my lesson I was assured that my lesson plan
had a diversity of interest at the classs level. I thought that the pace of the lesson was great, I
didnt rush the students and allowed them to finish it at the own pace. If however, there was a
student that was significantly slower than the rest they were informed that they could come
back at lunch and finish it if the wanted to. Having the variety of activities helped with
maintaining class attention as all of the students could participate, there was no waiting for
turns, so there was no need for restlessness or silliness to occur as each student had
something to do.



3. Did the students know what was expected of them?
Yes, the students knew what was expected of them. This was due to the fact that at the start
of the lesson all of the students contributed to the group discussion about what we were doing
in the lesson and I informed the students what I needed them to do during the lesson.

4. Were you able to redirect energies of attention seeking students? Did the students have
enough to do?
Yes, I believe that the students had plenty of work to do during this time. If a student
informed me that they had finished the activity that they were at, I asked them to pick another
table, if time permitted, to stop them from disrupting their peers. This also helped redirect the
energies of attention seeking students.

Dealing with Minor Misbehaviour
1. Were you aware of what was happening in all parts of the classroom? Did you know what
each student was doing?
Yes, I believe that I was aware of what was happening in all parts of the classroom at all
times. Once the students went off into their groups, I situated myself at the back of the room
with the group down there, so that I could help the group whilst also keeping my eye on
everyone else. This then allowed me to observe each student from a distance, keeping an eye
out for any disruptions if they were to occur. It also allowed me to keep an eye out for any
students if they looked like they were struggling and needed some assistance.

2. Did you take any action when you observed poor behaviour? Why? Why not?
I was lucky enough that during this lesson I had a fantastic group of students and no poor
behaviour occurred.

3. Did you use non-verbal cues? E.g. contact, pause, gesture, movements toward student/s
concerned.
I, on occasion, tried to use verbal cues but found with this age group, they understood verbal
cues better, so stuck with using them throughout the lesson.

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