UNIVERSIDAD TECNICA DEL NORTE

FACULTAD DE EDUCACIÓN, CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Carrera
PEDAGOGÍA DE LOS IDIOMAS NACIONALES Y EXTRANJEROS

CONNECTING THEORY AND PRACTICE

TEACHING PRACTICE

A workbook for student-observer

Observation Tasks

Introduction
You are about to embark on your teaching practice, where you will have the opportunity
to meet the day-to-day reality of life in the classroom. The teaching practice in this
academic school year consists of two phases. The first one is that of the in-class
observation and the second one the teaching practice itself, which are oriented
toward teacher-education not to research-based. The first phase of teaching practice
covers the first two weeks of classroom observation. You will be observing a number of
lessons depending on the course (s) you were assigned. We expect you to be punctual
and do your observation tasks during this first stage. In addition, you need to write a
final report about the in-class observation experience as part of the teaching practice
monthly report.

Observation of other teachers with some years of experience in the teaching field is an
excellent way of helping oneself become aware of a myriad of options and possibilities
to be used or applied in the EFL classroom to better serve language learning. As this
will be your first experience as a student observer, you need to learn to observe not
what teachers are teaching, but how they teach the material in order to gain an
understanding of some aspects of teaching, learning, or classroom interaction.
Observation from this perspective can help you generate a solid return on professional
learning as a future teacher of English and not only this, but to broaden your views of
teaching by seeing a variety of teaching styles and methods.

The aim of the first phase of the teaching practice is to help you become aware of the
various aspects of the educational relationship and language teaching methods,
approaches, techniques and classroom management in the foreign language classroom
at secondary level. This experience will help you begin the process of developing and
adopting new tools for your upcoming teaching practice experience where you will move
from Student Observer to Student Teacher

This workbook has been designed by Kati Somogyi-Tóth and adapted by the English
major to serve the purpose “Teaching practice” for the students of the English major
at Universidad Tecnica del Norte in Ibarra, Imbabura Ecuador. The workbook will serve
as a guide in your observation of your mentor in the Educational Institution you have
chosen or have been assigned to do your teaching practice. During the observation
periods, you will fill in the observation sheets you have in the workbook. The
observation sheets contain classroom observation tasks focused on the learner, the
teacher and the material. The aim of the tasks is that of raising your awareness about
some aspects of the learning – teaching process.
The most significant theories and basic principles underlying language teaching were
covered in previous semesters on the campus course(s). Theory alone, however, will
never produce competent teachers, just as experience alone is insufficient as a basis
for development. Theory and practice will have to go hand in hand for you to be able to
develop a critically reflective approach to teaching that can be used with any teaching
method in a near future. This material is therefore intended to serve as a foundation and
as a link between the more theoretically based campus course(s) and the observation
experience during this first phase.

You will start your observation practice on March the 14th, 2022. Before you start your
observations, please read this workbook thoroughly so that you have an idea and
become familiar with the tasks and the procedures you need to work on throughout the
visits and observations at the educational institution.

Your mentor does not necessarily wish to know beforehand which particular points you
want to focus on, as that might influence his or her teaching.

In the first two or three lessons that you observe, feel free to write down your general
impressions without using these sheets at all. This will help you to orientate yourself
within the school and give you more time to prepare for the more focused observation to
follow.

We hope you will make the most of your experience that you will learn and grow from
your tasks during the observation teaching practice presented in this workbook.
Confidently, they will help you become aware of the teacher’s role in the classroom as
well as to develop skills to be used in a near future as part of your teaching practice as
student teacher in the next coming months of this current school year.

Upon accomplishing your teaching practice you will write a paper in which you analyze
the data collected by the observation sheets / tasks and report on what you have learnt
from this particular observation experience.

Congratulations! You are beginning an integrated theory/practice course that will

immerse you into the world of language teaching and learning
GUIDELINES

Guidelines for lesson observation

The observation of classroom teachers is a serious business; it should not be

approached casually. Classroom observations provide Student Observer – Student
Teacher the possibility to observe, document and learn about classroom life. However,
learning how to observe in an appropriate manner takes time, careful reflection,
personal tact, and creativity due to the complexity of classroom activity, You need to
have in mind that you (as a student observer) are a guest in the teacher's classroom,
who is there thanks to the goodwill of the cooperating teacher. A guest's purpose for
visiting/observing is not to judge or criticize the classroom teacher or to offer
suggestions, but simply to look for instances that can enhance your own professional
development as future EFL teacher through this experience.

Procedures:

You should arrive to the classroom a few minutes ahead of time. If something
unexpected comes up and you are not able to observe the class, you should notify your
supervisor or mentor as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to keep your
supervisor or mentor informed.

Once you have entered the classroom, you should be as unobtrusive as possible, sitting
where directed by the teacher. It is important to bear in mind that you are not a regular
member of the class. You should take your written notes as unobtrusively as possible
and you should not initiate or pursue a conversation unnecessarily.

Any notes you take during a classroom visit (observation) should be made accessible to
the teacher if he or she requests. It is imperative that you keep impressions of the class
private and confidential. Any direct references to teachers, in either formal or informal
situations, must be kept anonymous
The Learner

DAY 1
 OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Learner

Class Profile

1. School: Instituto Superior 17 de Julio

2. Teacher: Lic. Paola Cabrera

3. Class: 01

4. Number of students: 20 Boys: 15 Girls: 5

5. Age of students (media): 18-22

6. When did they start learning English?

Comenzaron a aprender inglés desde el inicio de su educacion escuela y colegio

7. Level: 2

8. Number of English lessons per week: 2 lessons per week

9. Number of teachers they have had so far: 2 teachers

10. Course book: English ID 2

11. Course books they have used so far: 2 books

12. Supplementary materials used concurrently with textbook: Book Platform

13. Is the classroom a room set aside for English lessons? The classroom is reserved
for English classes

14. Usual seating arrangement: All students have individual seats

15. Any other relevant information: classrooms have everything you need for learning

Classroom management:
 The teacher's action-zone
BACKGROUND

"Jackson & Lahaderne (1967) found that some students are twenty-five times more
likely to be called on to speak in class than others. In language classrooms, where
students may be of different levels of ability, the fact that some students have much
more difficulty answering questions than others, may lead the teacher to call on only
those students in the class who can be relied upon to answer the questions in order to
maintain the momentum of the class. This reinforces the teacher's tendency to direct
questions to only certain students in the class." (Richards, J.C. and Lockhart, C. 1994)

Another tendency is for teachers to address their questions to the few students within
their action-zone. This action-zone is indicated by those students with whom the teacher
regularly enters into eye contact and who are nominated to take an active part in the
lesson. Students seated in the middle front row seats and to the right hand side, girls,
students whose names are easy to remember, and brighter students are more likely to
participate in the lesson.

Strange as it may seem, the two tendencies tend to occur together. Who are the
students who prefer to sit within this zone? Which students choose to sit outside of it?
The purpose of the following task is to raise your awareness of these issues.

Source: Richards, J.C. and Lockhart, C. (1994): Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms.
CUP

DAY 1
 OBSERVATION TASK 2
Focus: The Learner
The teacher's action-zone

Task: Draw a seating plan of the classroom and enter the students' names next to the
seats. Put a tick against a student's name every time he or she is addressed.

When they are engaged in pair work or group work, put a circle around the names of
students who are working together.

MARTINEZ MUÑOZ LLAMUCA MAÑAY PASTRANO

TINOCO AJALA HUAJAN VALENCIA PATIÑO
JONATHA JUAN ALISSON
PIÑAN MOYA
ESPIN MUÑOZ ROSERO MUÑOZ YEPEZ
ANRANGO PUETATE TANYA PUETATE CHRISTY
CARLOS
ALEJAND
ICHAU AGUILAR
CHANDI ANDRANGO
TUQUERRES CAMPO SISA
PERUGACHI MINANGO VELIZ
JONATHAN YAHANA
JAIRO MARLON CIRINO
CRISTO

GUANOTOA ALDAZ CHINGO SÁNCHEZ ROMERO

LANDIVAR MORENO SANDOVAL PANAMA GONZALEZ
JULIAN JOSTIN MARTIN ELSA

To what extent did the teacher succeed in involving all the students in the lesson?
Being few students, the teacher managed to involve most of the students

Where was the teacher's action-zone?

The teacher's action area is all over the front of the class
How were the students called upon to respond to questions?
The teacher asks for answers to questions by name, naming each student

Did any volunteer?

Yes, there were two volunteers

Did the seating facilitate better group dynamics?

Yes, the location and distribution of the seats allow mobility and quick accommodation
for group work

How will these findings influence your future teaching?

These characteristics positively influence the sense of class management, the total
participation of students, and the method of getting their attention.
 DAY 2
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Learner
Classroom dynamics 1

Task: As soon as you enter the classroom, choose one student to observe closely and
try to sit close to this student so that you can see their face. Observe this student at five-
minute intervals and make record you notice.

After… Activity in progress What is the student Comments and

saying/doing? Is questions to discuss
s/he involved in the with your mentor
task?

5 mins. Pay attention Pay attention to

the teacher's
class
10 mins. Pay attention Pay attention to
the teacher's
class
15 mins. Pay attention Pay attention to
the teacher's
class
20 mins. Pay attention Pay attention to
the teacher's
class
25 mins. Pay attention Pay attention to
the teacher's
class
30 mins. Distraction with Was distracted by
the cell phone answering
messages
35 mins. Note-taking Write down the
homework left by
the teacher
40 mins. Carrying out Develop the task
activities previously
commissioned
 DAY 3
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Learner
Classroom dynamics 2

Task: Concentrate on a particular student. Sit where you can watch him or herthemt not
tquicklyiously. Mark on the graph below, using a simple wavy line, the degrees of
concentration appar shown by the student as the lesson progresses. You may wish to
watch two students at the same timesimneouslyferent color lines.

100 %

75 %
Concentration. (percent)

50 %

25 %

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Time (minutes)

Try to explain the behavior you have seen and give any possible explanation for the
apparent concentration level at that time.

During the class it was possible to observe that the student paid attention at all times to
the class, this is due to the management of the class by the teacher, who knew how to
capture his attention, as time passed the student gradually decreased the attention
given and this was because he had to take note of the activities commissioned by the
teacher
 DAY 4
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Learner
Student talk

Task: Observe the length of the utterances the students make. Tick a box each time a
student says something in English and put a circle around the box when the word is
meaningful, i.e. real natural and not just artificial classroom language.

Utterance One word Two Three Four Five More than

words words words words five words
Nr.1
Nr.2
Nr.3
Nr.4
Nr.5
Nr.6
Nr.7
Nr.8
Nr.9
Nr.10
Nr.11
Nr.12
Nr.13
Nr.14
Nr.15
Nr.16
Nr.17
Nr.18
Nr.19
Nr.20

Examine your completed grid. Do any patterns or tendencies emerge? Consider what
aspects of our teaching may prompt longer answers and more natural language.

A pattern of repetition of words is seen by several students, since they

listen to the others use them and use them too, before this can be
considered an additional motivation in terms of speaking
 DAY 5
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Learner

Academic learning time.

The amount of time students spend on classroom activities has been identified as one
of the most important factors affecting student learning. The time during which students
successfully achieve high accuracy rates in learning activities is known as academic
learning time. An important A significant for teachers is to maximize this 'academic
learning time' in lessons.

Task: During this lesson, measure the time students are fully involved in learning
activities. After the lesson, class your findings with your mentor.

Activity Discussion questions Academic learning time

(mins.)

1. warm up What did you do on 10 mins

your last vacation?
2. explication Present simple and 40 mins
present continuous
3. participation What are the 35 mins
differences between
present simple and pas
continuous?
4. carrying out activities Complete the activities’ 60 mins
books and listening
activities
Total 145 mis

What was the rest of the time spent on? Was that time well spent?
The rest of the time is dedicated to solving doubts of the students.
It was a time well spent since all the doubts were covered and the subject was
completely addressed.
How much time did the teacher talk relative to the time the learners spoke? (e.g.
50-50%)?
In a percentage of 50-50% both the teacher and the students spoke during the class

Could this be improved? How?

This could be improved with activities that involve the student more than the teacher.

What have you learned from this observation?

Personally learn to cope with the participation of students in the class and make them
participate in the same amount as the teacher
The Teacher

DAY 6
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Teacher
 Conditions for learning
Task: As you observe this lesson, consider the following questions:

What is there about the classroom, the activities, the teacher, and the students that
helps create effective learning? What aspects of the lesson might hinder learning?

There may be questions that you would like to ask the teacher about the various
decisions taken before and during the lesson. Make a note of these for post-lesson
discussion.

Positive factors Negative factors

The classroom The classroom

The activities The activities

The teacher The teacher

The students The students

Note what you would like to 'steal' from your mentor to incorporate into your teach
This could include personal qualities, teaching skills and techniques, activities, the
way the teacher creates a good classroom atmosphere, etc.:
Source: Scrivener,J. 1994 .Learning Teaching. Heinemann

DAY 6
OBSERVATION TASK 2
 Focus: The Teacher
The use of mother tongue.
A considerable amount of class time is spent organizing and preparing learners for
language activities. The teacher must give instructions and explanations, check to
understand, and so on. In these instances, you can tell whether English is the
established mode of communication within a particular classroom. Where is the use of
the mother tongue justified, do you think?

Task: Use the chart to help you record data about the use of the mother tongue. Ask
your mentor their views on the issue.

Teacher's mother tongue utterances Students' utterances in the mother tongue

Draw up guidelines for yourself about using the mother tongue in the language classroom.
 DAY 7
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Teacher
Board work

The board is the teacher's most definitive resource. Organized board work is aan essentialskill
that helps students learn managenize their owrk.

Task: At two points during the lesson, copy the board's contents in the tables below:

What did the teacher use the board for?

Did they use it effectively?

How did he or she organize their work?

What were the students doing while the teacher was writing on the board?

What have you learned from this observation?

Source: Wajnryb, R. 1992. Classroom Observation. CUP

 DAY 8
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Teacher
Oral correction techniques

Task: Use the chart to help you record data about how the teacher corrects. If you hear a
mistake being made, but the sentence in the appropriate column.

The teacher did not The teacher Teacher signaled for Teacher invited peer-
correct this mistake corrected this self-correction correction here
mistake for this mistake
automatically

It is just as important to praise students when they are doing really well as it is to point out their mistakes.
Teachers can show their appreciation or disapproval through the use of facial expression and body language.
Which of these does your mentor use?

Discuss with your mentor why he or she chose to correct in the way she did and write down what you learnt from
this observation.
 DAY 9
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Teacher
Giving instructions

Task: Observe the instructions the teacher gives during the lesson and complete the table.
For each skill, decide how successfully it was achieved, and write your questions for post-
lesson consultation in the right-hand column of the table.

Instruction-giving skills Clear? Discussion points

Not very clear? Unclear?
Signaling start of activity
(creating a silence)

Use of simple language

Use of short sentences

Logic and clarity

Use of target language

Voice quality

Eye-contact

Mime, gesture, body

language

Repeating instruction in a
different way

Not stating the obvious

Use of visual aids

Demonstration rather than

explanation

Checking understanding

Signaling end of activity

  Evaluate the instruction-giving that you observed.
 Please use the empty space on the previous page to answer the following questions:
 In your opinion, which three elements made it successful?
 Which elements made it less successful?
 What are the most important factors for you personally when giving instructions?
 What will you incorporate into your own teaching after doing this observation task?

Adapted from Tanner,R. and Green,C. 1998. Tasks for Teacher Education. Longman
The Material
 DAY 10
OBSERVATION TASK 1
Focus: The Material
Accuracy and fluency

Practice activities have two objectives: precision at applying the system, and
automatization of the system. These two objectives are called accuracy and fluency.
The two essential criteria for choosing, designing and evaluating practice activities are
the quantity and the quality factors. Simply put, this means the more practice the better,
but with attention to form, in the interest of accuracy.

Task: Decide whether the activities in this lesson are oriented towards fluency or accuracy and
whether attention has been paid to both quality and quantity.

Comments and
Activity Fluency-oriented Accuracy-oriented questions on
quality and
quantity

spoken written spoken written

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
Do you think the balance of activities was right or would you like to change it?

Did the accuracy practice activities motivate the learners to want to be accurate?

Did they have enough thinking time available to pay attention to form?

Did the fluency activities attempt to simulate real-life language use and did the learners pay
attention to meaning?

Was there any built-in need to interact?

What insights into the lesson did this activity provide?

Thank you for working through Observation Tasks.

We wish you good luck.

_______________________________________

SIGNATURE

English Major Coordinator