Observation:      Al Sumow                                                                                      Date:  28th February 2016

Teacher:              Maryam Mohamed                                                                    Class: Grade 1

Mentor:               Rose                                                                                                Time: 10.35

 

INTRODUCTION

Desert and Ocean on the board.  Introduce we will learn about the dessert and the ocean (don’t forget ‘the’).  You ask what desert means and put 2 collages on the table, a boy points to the desert.  OK< yes, you remember you need to focus their attention – remember to praise the students and give positive comments.  You introduce vocabulary – children repeat – OK, and ask what is habitat – it’s a place to live – try not to answer your own questions.  You could ask the children what the Arabic word for desert / ocean is?  I like the idea of turn and talk. 

When you are talking to children you need to a) get their attention completely and manage the talk, hands up and use names (all the time using names and praise).  [You allow too much shouting out]  It might be better if you sit down so you can talk to the class easier.  You show pictures and ask children to match in correct place on whiteboard.  You can use this time to remind children to sit, look and listen by giving the pictures to the children who are behaving well.    You introduce the questions – but focus them before - not all are paying attention.  You choose 5 children and give the leader of each team a bib, then send them to their table.  How did you choose the children who will work as a team?  Once at the table you need to refocus attention – try to be louder and talk to the whole class – you tend to focus on the table near to you but you need to include all of the class.  You want them to talk to each other – perhaps tell them to think of 5 fish, but you interrupt their thinking by getting them to answer.  Then you show a video and play music.  How does this link together?  You need to explain the links in the lesson so that it is clear what students and doing and why?  First ocean then desert video – OK but what do you want children to do when they watch the video?  I am not sure you have a clear idea of what you want the children to do here.  When you plan, try to think exactly what you want the children to do as they watch & listen to the video.  Why did you send the class to table to see the video?  Could they watch it on the floor?  There is a song in the video – do you want the children to sing?  If so, then you should lead the singing.  In general, the introduction was too long as you spent less time on the activity.  How could you introduce the habitat making activity more effectively? – how did the children know what to do?

ACTIVITIES

You have put a lot of effort and time into creating the materials for this activity.  The children immediately begin to unpack the black bag and look at the material.  What exactly do you want the children to do?  You forgot to set the timer at first.   Is there a language element to the activity.  The activity itself allows the students to engage in talk and idea relating to oceans and deserts – although I think some stronger instructions and perhaps a demonstration or model would have been helpful.  What will you follow this up with, as I would like to see some language work at some point.  ON the whiteboard, you use the word – sea star – but the correct word is starfish.  You start a countdown – remember to use spoken instructions too – to make it quicker.  – especially as you start again.  You need to attract the whole class’s attention at this point.  Can you establish a signal – e.g. clap your hands =you do get their attention but you need to build on this as you then go and lose it again.  You move to one table – ‘can you tell me about your habitat’ – the rest of the class are not paying attention, you need to involve all the class – otherwise they are still engaged in the activity and the talk is more like ‘in-task talk’.  How can you get the rest of the class to listen to and look at the rest?   In future lessons, you need to make more effort to manage the whole class at one time. 

CONCLUSION

Rose demonstrated to you – how you can manage the class more easily. 

SUMMARY

I liked the creative, collaborative activity – and want to know how you would develop it to use more language.

You need to work on developing a teaching personality that is louder, more decisive and clearer.  I need you to make positive comments about children’s action, you need to use children’s names much more, and you need to be bigger and more confident to talk to the whole class.  You need to plan your instructions, so write down what you need to say.  So, remember to:

• Focus attention of the whole class before you start

• Give clear instructions for what you want children to do

• Use names

• Praise the children – and be positive

MAIN POINTS

You have good ideas for activities but your main aspects to work on are a) class management and b) communication with children during the introduction.  You need to manage the children’s talk, so they participate in turn but don’t all shout out or miss the important ideas you are teaching them.  Remember, too, that the introduction does not need to be so teacher led – you can involve the children actively at this stage. 

Finally, try to link the lesson together – .OK, now we finished this, we will move on to do this’