Early Field Experience Class Observation Guide

Early Field Experience Class Observation Guide for English 3050

Name: 

Course Section/Instructor:

Subject/Grade Level Observed:

I will ask you to write a reflection on your class observations via TPAC, so use this form to help you record what you've witnessed during your observation periods, as it will help you focus your observations and develop comprehensive understanding of how the teaching you observed has unfolded.

After you have completed this observation, use this form as a guide to write a 1000+ word critical teaching reflection. This reflection should describe what you saw and should explain the differences you can see between the instruction you observed, the instruction you are receiving as a writer and future writing teacher, and the types of instruction you imagine yourself delivering in the future.

While you should complete this observation guide for each of your school visits or observations of different lessons or in different settings, you only need to write one critical teaching reflection.

During the observation

1. Describe the classroom.
2. How did the educator bring the class to session?
3. How did the educator introduce the content in the lesson for the day?
4. How did this introduction focus students’ attention?
5. Identify and briefly describe the subject matter and/or writing genre of the day's lesson.
6. What kinds of support or scaffolding did the educator provide to help the students access the lesson? Briefly reflect on how that helped students understand this content.
7. Did you notice anything else of note?

After the observation

1. How does the subject matter compare with what you remember from your own learning experience at that level?
2. How does it relate to what we have been discussing in our class?
3. Can you think of any other pedagogical strategies that could be used to teach the same lesson/content? If so, give examples; if not, explain why not.
4. How does the lesson differ from similar content you have encountered at the university level?
5. Consider a writing activity we have recently discussed in class.
6. Describe how you would adapt or alter that activity to provide the necessary scaffolding for teaching the same content to secondary school students.