Observation Sheet Questioning
(Please complete this form for your 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 not allow students to develop their knowledge to a greater level. By
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
I aimed to structure my questions clearly and simply so that the students
were not confused or unsure about what I was asking. The students
seemed to understand the concepts and responded well to my questions.
I ensured that the questions I asked followed a similar structure so that
they were able to grasp the concept before we moved onto a new idea.
I used a wide range of questions to extend the students thinking to
different levels of understanding. For example, I used convergent
questions when I requested that students write the spelling of words with
a specific suffix on their individual whiteboards. These questions required
a certain correct answer so that I could check the students
understanding. I also used divergent and evaluative questions to foster a
deeper level of thinking. For example, I asked Can anyone guess what the
suffix full might mean?. Questions, such as this, encourage students to
think outside of the box and engage in their learning to develop their
own understanding. Rather than having a simple answer, the students
were able to reflect on their prior knowledge and make predictions.
I aimed to balance the various question types by using a combination
throughout the lesson. Too many questions of the convergent type would
providing a mixture of the question types, I could ensure that the
students knowledge was measured and that their critical thinking skills
were utilised. With this type of grammar lesson, it is likely that there will
be more convergent questions. But including enough divergent questions
can deepen the students understanding to more than a knowledge of the
basics.
The first question type that I used was a convergent question, at the
beginning of the lesson. After briefly explaining the concept, I asked the
question If I wanted to say that someone was full of beauty what could I say?.
The students answers to this question gave me an indication of whether they
 had grasped the initial idea. I was then aware that I could move forward with
the grammar concepts. Once they understood the concept, I used a divergent
question to further develop their thinking. This ensured that they were
challenged, but not overwhelmed by a divergent question that they had no
prior knowledge to draw on.

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Distributing and Directing Questions

Did you recognise any pattern
in the distribution of your
questions amongst the
students? Consider reasons
for this pattern?
There were some students who were naturally more comfortable with
sharing their answers with the group than others. So, the distribution of
questions did follow a pattern at times when the same people would
respond. This is likely due to some students being shyer in nature or
embarrassed to be incorrect in front of their peers. But I made sure to
check each students work and ask individual students questions to avoid
quieter students from having a misunderstanding of the concepts.

I directed questions to the group by inviting everyone to answer the

How have you directed
questions to the group?
question and taking responses from those who were willing to share. I
also made sure that I addressed questions to the group first so that
students who were unsure could hear the responses of others. I was then
able to ask each student individually, as the students had heard the
answers to similar questions in the group discussion and were more
confident. This often helps students who may not understand what type
of response is expected.

Have you used wait time?
I ensured that I used wait time when asking questions so that the
students had an opportunity to think about the answer for themselves. In
particular, when I asked students questions individually, I gave them
enough time to feel the satisfaction of getting the correct answer
themselves. If necessary, I also asked them follow-up questions to guide
their thinking and solidify the concepts.

Did you make eye contact with
the group as you directed your
questions?
I made eye contact with my group while asking questions, as well as with
individuals. This can help students to focus and to engage in the lesson.
Eye contact also helped me to determine whether the students were
understanding what they were learning or if they were a little unsure. I
also tried to make eye contact more with the students who participated
less and aim to engage them in the lesson.

Reactions to Students Responses

When students gave correct responses, I aimed to give them praise and
How do you deal with correct commend them for their efforts. I also made sure that students were
responses? Do you qualify any aware that their written work was correct by marking over their shoulder.
praise given? The students were pleased when they received praise and knew that they
were on the right track.
When students gave incorrect responses, I let them know if they were
How do you deal with incorrect close to the correct answer and ensured that they were aware of where
responses? How do you deal they went wrong. For example, when students wrote down their answers
with students who stumble and with incorrect spelling, I would commend them for their effort and
grope for an answer? explain how they could correct their answer. When students were
stumbling and trying to find an answer, I provided guidance or another
similar example that they could think about. Once they got to the correct
answer, I asked them a second question to restore their confidence in the
concepts.

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 The students responses to my questions allowed me to determine
What use do you make of the whether they really understood the concepts. When students were unsure
students responses to develop of the answer or made mistakes, I was able to explain the concepts again
the teaching point? Have you and give them a second chance. Student responses helped me to
redirected any questions in develop the teaching point by seeing what areas I needed to give
order to add to an initial particular attention to and cover again. I redirected questions when the
response? students initial responses showed that they had grasped the concepts. I
was able to use more difficult examples for students who showed a high
level of understanding to challenge them a little further.

Are you the only evaluator of
the students answers?
I was not the only evaluator of the students work or answers. The
students were quite happy to evaluate each others work and discuss
their responses. When students were writing down their words with the
added suffixes, they discussed the spelling of the words together and
evaluated each others answers.

Overall Comments
Overall my small group lesson was successful as the students grasped the concept of the particular suffix.
Students who finished early enjoyed the word sleuth activity and the students worked well in general. The topic
generated a discussion between the students about spelling and grammar as they learnt together. If I could
repeat this lesson again, I would aim to have a more effective conclusion that involves more divergent
questions. My mentor teacher provided some helpful advice in regards to dealing with minor misbehaviour
immediately and developing greater voice control.

4 Murdoch University
Observation Sheet Management
(Please complete this form for professional experience 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 My lesson plan was quite effective for managing the class. Since it was an
for managing the class? activity that related to things that the students enjoy, managing the class
was not a large issue. The students reacted very positively to my lesson
e.g. How did the students overall. They showed enthusiasm for the activities and were happy to
react to your lesson overall work through the tasks.
and to your planned activities? The lesson went mostly to plan, although a number of students were
starting to become noisy and distracted by the fun aspects of the task.
Did anything unexpected Some of the students decided to create undesirable ice cream flavours
happen? which were beyond what was appropriate. I had to deal with this and
remind the students to stay on task a number of times.
Did you provide a variety of I provided a variety of activities that allowed students to work at their own
activities? pace and be creative. Early finishers had enough work to go on with and
extend on their previous activities.
Were you satisfied with your The timing for the beginning of the lesson went smoothly, but the
timing, particularly for the end students enjoyed the task and the lesson ended up going over time. This
of the lesson? meant that I was not able to conclude the lesson as I had hoped.
I aimed to be flexible during the lesson and change things as necessary
Did you feel you were able to based on the students individual abilities. This meant that some students
change things if needed? worked much faster than others and I had to change my plans to account
for students who entered the classroom late.

I was aware of the classroom procedures and school disciplinary policies

Were you aware of classroom before I took my lesson. The class follows the common 1,2,3 procedure
procedures and school and students are asked to leave the classroom or go to another class if
disciplinary policy? How they are being disruptive. I observed the students closely over the week
much did you know about your so I knew them well when I took my lesson and they were familiar with
students? me.

How did your mentor teacher
maintain a safe learning
environment?
What strategies did you
observe your mentor teacher
using to maintain this?
My two mentors had different approaches to classroom management but
were both able to maintain a safe learning environment. My mentor
teacher spoke to me about the importance of always carefully observing
the whole class, even when speaking to individual students.
My mentors gave students clear and firm instructions to keep the
classroom safe and ensured that the students showed respect to each
other. One of the most effective strategies that they used was specifically
stating their expectations for the students and rewarding students who
displayed this behaviour. The reward system of the class was very well
thought out as students were able to collect matchsticks and exchange

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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?
Were you able to redirect
energies of attention seeking
6 Murdoch University
them for a prize from the shop, run by the students, at the end of the
week. Students were also able to reward their peers if they noticed that
they were working well and this promoted a community of focused
learners.
When difficult situations occurred, the teachers dealt with them quickly
and privately, where possible. Students that were disruptive were asked to
leave the room to calm down and give themselves a warning on a special
behaviour poster.
I demonstrated that I valued the students and enjoyed learning by
showing an interest in each student. Many students really wanted to
share their ideas with me so I showed by my tone of voice and facial
expressions that I was listening and gave them commendation.
I aimed to use my sense of humour in the classroom to show that I really
do enjoy learning. The activities that I chose allowed the students to be
creative and they enjoyed the creative aspects of the tasks. This helped
me to show that learning can be enjoyable and relevant to their lives.
I also showed that I valued each student by walking around the
classroom and asking them how they were going. I asked them if they
needed any help and from there I would provide support where
necessary and praise where possible.
The aspects of my teaching style that helped me to maintain class
attention would be the variety of activities that I provided. The activities
were relevant to the students and linked to their creative learning, which
they loved. The activities were very open ended and allowed the children
to use their imagination and create their desired result. The lesson was
also fast paced and I avoided explaining the concepts to the class for
longer than necessary. The students were also engaged because they
were able to discuss their ideas quietly with the students around them
and bounce ideas off each other.
I explained at the beginning of the lesson that I expected the students to
work well and quietly. Some of the students came into class late and
missed the introduction so I had to explain the task to them individually.
There were also others that did not understand the first activity so I had
to provide additional support and scaffolding for them. I needed to
remind the class that I expected them to work quietly and that the noise
level had become too high.
Some students were seeking attention by creating undesirable ice cream
flavours that they knew were not appropriate. I asked one student to
change one his answers and warned those around him that the answers
need to be more appropriate.
students? Did the students The students had plenty to do and wanted to continue working when the
have enough lesson finished, as many ran out of time. Students who finished the initial
to do? task moved onto working on the second task. Three students also
completed this task so I provided an extension activity that involved less
scaffolding.

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Dealing with Minor Misbehaviour

I took my mentors advice by aiming to be aware of everything that was

Were you aware of what was
happening in all parts of the
classroom? Did you know
what each student was doing?
going on in the classroom to avoid minor issues escalating. When
speaking to individual students I still made sure to examine the class and
look out for any misbehaviour. I made sure to continuously walk around
the classroom to check what each student was doing and redirect their
attention if necessary. There were a number of students that I had to
revisit to keep them on track and check what they were doing.

Did you take any action when
you observed poor behaviour?
Why? Why not?
The lesson did not involve much poor behaviour and the class was
generally very well behaved. A number of students became too noisy and
inappropriate so I dealt with this behaviour. I decided to walk over to
them and address the issue individually to avoid the class becoming too
loud or situations escalating. I also made sure that students who were
getting up out of their seats for no reason went back to sit down so that
the class was still under control and on task. I decided to take action
when I noticed this behaviour to ensure that the classroom remained a
safe learning environment.

I made use of non-verbal cues where possible during my lesson. For

Did you use non-verbal cues?
e.g. Contact, pause, gesture,
movement toward student/s
concerned.
example, I used eye contact when I wanted to inform students that I was
aware of what they were doing or that they were becoming too loud. I
also walked around the class continuously and moved straight towards
students who seemed too noisy or distracted. Using proximity helped the
students to realise that I was listening and encourage them to reduce
their level of noise in the classroom. I also used pausing to gain students
attention before informing them that they needed to keep the noise level
lower. This non-verbal cue ensured that everyone was listening when I
gave the instruction. Finally, gestures are an important element of
teaching that can help to engage the listeners so I used this where
possible and I aim to continue working on this non-verbal cue.

Overall Comments
Overall the class did not require a large amount of behaviour management and the class remained a safe
learning environment throughout the lesson. The students completed the tasks to their individual abilities and
grasped the concepts well. I dealt with minor misbehaviour by using non-verbal cues and being aware of what
was happening throughout the classroom. If I was to repeat this lesson, I would take my mentors advice and
address the entire class when I noticed that a number of students were struggling, rather than explaining it to
individual students a number of times. I would also make sure that my expectations were clearer so that I
could avoid students generating inappropriate responses.

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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?
Murdoch University
The school was described by one of the staff members
as A country school in the city. This is due to the small
number of children at the school and the environment
that it is located in. The school is over 100 years old and
has recently grown in size. The classrooms are very
colourful and inviting. Children at the school come from
varying backgrounds as some parents are Doctors,
FIFO workers or unemployed. The socioeconomic status
and education levels of the population shows great
variety and changes from student to student.
The teaching staff at the school had many different roles
and responsibilities that are involved in their work. They
had to ensure the emotional and social wellbeing of all
students. They also had to take steps to ensure that all
students were receiving the best education possible.
There were a number of students with diagnosed or
undiagnosed learning disabilities and the teaching staff
had to support these students. Teachers also had to
maintain a safe learning environment at all times. They
had to keep a positive attitude to learning in the
classroom and intervene in the occasional
disagreements between students. Outside of the
classroom, teachers also had to prepare students for the
sports carnival. Teachers were also involved in frequent
discussions with parents about the progress of their
children and how to best help them to improve.
Teachers also had to manage the class, provide
guidance for students who were struggling, comfort
students who were injured in the playground, monitor
students behaviour on lunch duty, ensure that students
who finished work early were accounted for, and attend
to the individual needs of all children.
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 What did you observe non-teaching
staff doing to support teaching and
learning in the school?
10
The roles of non-teaching staff were also very complex and
involved with the learning process. The school librarian
interacted positively with the children and encouraged them to
enjoy reading. Her attitude to learning would likely support the
teaching staff in encouraging students to read and providing
books that they will enjoy. The school also had a member of an
external organisation visit and help the students train for the
sports carnival. This is another example of non-teaching staff
supporting the physical education teacher by increasing the
students skill level and encouraging them to enjoy sport.
Finally, the Principal supported the teaching staff by interacting
with the students at a whole school assembly and motivating
them to learn. The school was planning a fundraiser and the
principal ensured that the students were heavily involved in the
process and given the opportunity to decide which charities
mattered to them.
Murdoch University
Students
You will have observed the diverse
nature of your classes. How was
this diversity supported?
Murdoch University
This school placement really opened my eyes to the diversity
that exists in the average classroom. The students all had
differing abilities and were at different stages of learning. Some
students found the work much easier than others, who
struggled. Diversity was supported in the classroom by the
teacher, who gave individual support to students who needed it.
The teacher also prepared the readings tasks, mathematics
work and homework activities so that students could work at
their own pace. Students at a higher level were not held back
and students who needed additional support did not feel
overwhelmed.
Due to the demographic of the school, there were very few
students of a culturally or linguistically diverse background in the
class. But, many students faced learning difficulties that made
writing very difficult for them. Students with learning difficulties
were given extra help where necessary and were still able to
grasp the essential concepts along with their peers.
The students in the class were also from two different year
groups so this created even more diversity. The teachers had to
coordinate the two curriculums and ensure that the needs of all
of the children were met. Diversity was also supported by
providing opportunities for group discussion and group work to
support students who needed extra guidance.
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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?
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I was able to observe a physical education lesson taken by a
guest who visited the school from the community. This allowed
me to see the connection between schools and the community
as well as the opportunities that are available for further learning.
The week that I visited the school was also when an event was
being held for parents of the students. This also helped me to
see the strong link between parents and schools.
The school had a very strong connection with parents and the
wider community to enhance the learning of the students and
communication between teachers and parents. The school was
also preparing a fundraiser for a charity of the students choice.
This really helped the children to think about the community and
develop ideas for raising money.
The function of the school is to develop the emotional, social and
intellectual wellbeing of students. It also aims to support
students in becoming future world citizens and being work ready
with the necessary skills to live in the 21st Century. School also
provides and structure and guidance for children that will help
them throughout the rest of their lives. School teaches children
the values and expectations of society through discipline and
authority. It plays the unique role of allowing students to learn
more about themselves and their world. When done effectively, it
helps them to become critical thinkers and assist them to make
informed life decisions.
My previous experiences impact how I view teaching and
schools as well as the way I interact with students. I had many
positive experiences in primary school and many great role
models for teachers. These teachers inspire me to be the best
teacher that I can be and show a real personal interest in all of
my students. This experience has helped me to switch
perspectives from the student to the teacher and opened my
eyes to both the challenges and rewards of being a teacher. I
have learnt so much this week and learnt from my mistakes and
positive experiences.
Murdoch University