Ideas for observation

Observation focus: Introducing material in small steps

Possible focus during the observation:

• How were complex ideas broken down into parts?
• How did each activity build on the previous one?
• Did pupils grasp the ideas? How do you know?

Observation focus: Use of modelling

Possible focus during the observation:

• Did the teacher use modelling?
• What kind of modelling was used?
• Did it aid pupils’ understanding?
• How do you know?

Observation focus: Understanding pupil differences

Possible focus during the observation:

• Discuss with a colleague how they go about understanding pupil differences and potential barriers to learning in their class(es)
• What do they do?
• Who do they speak to?
• How do they overcome barriers?

Observation focus: Adapting ‘in the moment’

Possible focus during the observation:

• Did the teacher show that they were ‘adapting in the moment’ to pupils’ needs?
• How did the teacher know that he/she needed to adapt?
• What did they do?
• Did it have an impact on the pupils?
• How does the teacher maintain high expectations for all pupils?

Observation focus: Teaching metacognitive strategies

Possible focus during the observation:

• Did the teacher support pupils to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning?
• How did they do this?
• What questions did they ask the pupils?
• How good were the pupils at being able to do this?

For each observation, write down:

• who you observed
• what happened
• what you have learned from these lesson observations
• what ideas you will carry on using or try out in your practice