Observation Report Template
Number: __1___
Date: ____2/3/2011_____
Name: _Deniz Sen___
Name of School/Institution: Georgetown University - EFL Program
Class Information
Number of students__12___
Level__advanced (elective)__
Age Average (estimate)__25___
Observation
What is the focus of the class (what do you think the objective is?)
The overall focus of the course is to help EFL students grasp English grammar and
eventually become proficient users. The objective of this class was to review recently
learned material. The students were given a fill in the blanks worksheet to complete at
home. The worksheet was mostly a review of verbs, conjugations and tenses.
How does the teacher address that objective? (Are there activities? Lead-ins? Pair/group
work? What does the teacher do or set up?)
The teacher started the class by giving general feedback about the homework, stating that
the class needed to work more on rules of punctuation. The class then divided into pairs
and went over the worksheets, discussing the comments the teacher had made on their
papers and trying to correct their mistakes. The class then went over the worksheet
together as a class, each person doing one exercise.
What is the balance of teacher talking time to student talking time?
There was very little teacher talking time in the beginning. The teacher started off the
class by talking for approximately five minutes. He then let the students work in pairs
while he mingled among them and corrected mistakes or answered questions. He
regularly provided examples to illustrate his point.
Does the teacher engage the students? Equally? Fairly?
The teacher engaged the students equally, giving each one a chance to do an exercise. He
answered all the questions and provided extra help to those who couldn’t provide the
right answer. The way he called on each student to read aloud his answer made sure that
the same students weren’t always being called on while others were remaining passive.
Do the students seem comfortable with the teacher’s instructions? Why or why not?
The teacher’s instructions were clear and precise. The students seemed content about the
way the class was being conducted and expressed enthusiasm for the activities the teacher
assigned them. They gave examples of bi-weekly journals and voice recordings that
helped them hear their mistakes and monitor their progress.
Does the teacher give feedback to the students? If so, in what form?
The teacher makes notes on the homework exercises to help students reach the correct
answer on their own. He also tells them how they have generally done on the worksheets.
He spent the first few minutes of class telling the students how they had done and what
areas needed improvement.
Post lesson
What do you think the students can do now that they could not do before this class?
Although this lesson was a small part of a work in progress (i.e. a review), the exercises
and the discussions among themselves and with the teacher helped them pinpoint their
mistakes and weak points in grammar.
What do you think the students liked/disliked about the lesson?
It seemed like the students were happy with the dialogue they had established with the
teacher and amongst themselves. They felt comfortable with the teacher and the work
seemed to be appropriately graded to their skill level. However, it seemed like some
students would have liked to work on more creative subjects and that studying grammar
was a little tedious for them. But they were enthusiastic about the laboratory session that
followed the class.
What did YOU like/dislike about the lesson?
I liked the general atmosphere the teacher had created in the classroom. There was a
genuine feel of cooperation between students and teacher, and the students were not
afraid to speak up or make mistakes. The students displayed good teamwork and helped
each other out. Due to the nature of the subject, the method of teaching did not display
much variety.
What would you have done differently with this group of students, if anything?
I might have tried to spend more time in trying to elicit answers to the exercises instead
of giving them away. Although there are time constraints, this might get each student to
really think about the process and not just aim to get at the correct answer.
Did you have a chance to speak with the teacher after or before the lesson?
I spoke with the teacher before and after the lesson. He gave me background information
about the course, the group and the timeframe they have to complete the subject. He
mentioned that the subject wasn’t very conducive to a highly interactive class but that
they tried to incorporate as much discussion as possible. After the lesson, he gave me
some information about the laboratory component of the course and the types of activities
they do there.