Observation Sheet Questioning
Graduate Standards - AITSL
Professional Knowledge:
Professional Practice:
Question Type
Do you feel your questions
were clearly structured and
readily understood by the
students?
Did you use a variety of
question types?
What balances was there
between the various questions observations from the practical component, then onto labelling the
types?
Consider both why and when
you made use of the different
question types?
1. Know students and how they learn
2. Plan and implement effective teaching and learning
Yes, the written questions were clearly phrased and only one student
requested clarification on one question, which was easily explained
verbally by re-wording the question.
Yes, there were several simple questions, some requiring longer answers
and some evaluation and comparisons. Also included was a diagram to
label, and some guided group discussion to assist in completion of the
simple questions.
There was a logical flow from simple questions relating directly to
pathways which required deeper consideration. Following this were
longer questions of increasing complexity.
Short answer in groups immediately after experiment, allows for
discussion to stay on topic and move quickly through question list.
Diagram to begin thinking of the internal processes, and then longer
answers to contemplate the factors influencing, and reasons for reflex
reactions to build on previous questions and allow for independent
consideration.
Distributing and Directing Questions

Did you recognise any pattern
in the distribution of your
questions amongst the
students? Consider reasons
for this pattern?
Several students were requesting assistance with why are reflex arcs an
automatic behaviour? When automatic was reworded as
uncontrollable or immediate, they understood the question. Poor
phrasing could be the reason. Others were unsure whether sneezing was
reflex or normal response, with the justification that sometimes a sneeze
can be controlled with significant effort. That was an ambiguous question
that could have been removed from the worksheet.

With detailed, written instructions complimented by verbalised

How have you directed instructions.
questions to the group?

Yes, both when asking for verbal feedback the students had had time to
Have you used wait time? consider their response and write it down before verbalising, and also
when completing the worksheet students were able to read the text book
and complete answers in their own time.

Yes, with a small group it was very straightforward to direct questions at

Did you make eye contact with individual students and the entire group, and making eye contact is an
the group as you directed your integral part of addressing the students.
questions?

Reactions to Students Responses

Correct responses and interesting personal examples given by the

How do you deal with correct students were responded to with enthusiasm and praise. Even in passing
responses? Do you qualify any when seeing that a student was completing the worksheet quickly, I was
praise given? quick to compliment them on their swift work

By indicating the parts of the question/previous questions that the

How do you deal with incorrect student got correct, and attempting to guide them through the section
responses? How do you deal that they started to go off-track. Simplifying the theory, rewording or
with students who stumble and using a real-work example in this case worked to assist each student that
grope for an answer? struggled on a particular question in this case.

When looking for additional examples of reflex responses, I asked if any

What use do you make of the students had ever been on a farm with electric fences, which led to a
students responses to develop lively (on-topic) discussion of electrocution response. While also
the teaching point? Have you focussing on eye reflexes for the prac, I drew their attention to eye hazard
redirected any questions in chart on the door to the science lab. When asked, no student had every
order to add to an initial looked at it, and we had a quick discussion on eye health and safety in
response? the lab, and the importance of safety glasses.

Are you the only evaluator of
the students answers?
Overall Comments
Written answer sheets were collected, and are freely available for
secondary evaluations.
Verbal responses were evaluated by myself, or the other student teacher.
Within the guided discussion, students were also able to self- and peer-
evaluate throughout the course of the lesson.
Observation Sheet Managing the classroom environment

Graduate Standards AITSL

Professional Practice:
1. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
2. Planning for Effective Management

Was your lesson plan effective Within the small group the class was very well behaved, and the
for managing the class? management techniques worked effectively.

e.g. How did the students Low levels of enthusiasm, but they were more than happy to complete
react to your lesson overall the activities and stay on-task. Discussion of reactions increased their
and to your planned activities? focus, and they were very satisfactory in their behaviour

Did anything unexpected Some minor disruptions to the class when setting up for small groups,
happen? caused by lack of forethought on my part.

Did you provide a variety of Not many physical activities, but a variety of educational activities.
activities?

Were you satisfied with your We ran significantly over time, due to less than satisfactory time
timing, particularly for the end management.
of the lesson?

Did you feel you were able to There was a small amount of improvisation, and certain aspects of the
change things if needed? lesson could have been changed quickly if required.

Were you aware of classroom
procedures and school
disciplinary policy? How
much did you know about
your students?
After sitting in on the class several times, I knew the students by sight
and a small handful by name. Very little knowledge of their background
or history. Some knowledge of school policy but not sufficient that I
would feel comfortable handing out formal punishments.

How did your mentor teacher
maintain a safe learning
environment?
What strategies did you
observe your mentor teacher
using to maintain this?
She began the class and supervised the entire lesson, and took the
majority of the students for her own group work. While not intervening
directly, the mentor was supervising our progress and was on hand in the
event of a mishap.
Maintaining proximity and a visual presence. Very limited physical and
verbal interaction.

Maintaining a Positive Attitude in the Classroom

This was not hard, as I genuinely enjoyed interacting with the small
How did you demonstrate to
the students that you valued
them, and enjoyed learning?
e.g. Tone of voice, facial
expression, sense of humour,
introduction to students and
topic.
Which aspects of your
teaching style do you feel
helped you maintain class
attention?
e.g. Variety of activities, class
or group discussion, pace of
lesson, interest at class level.
Did the students know what
was expected of them?
Were you able to redirect
energies of attention seeking
students? Did the students
have enough to do?
Dealing with Minor Misbehaviour
Were you aware of what was
happening in all parts of the
classroom? Did you know
what each student was doing?
Did you take any action when
you observed poor behaviour?
Why? Why not?
group. I would hope I kept my vocal tone light and conversational, my
expression open and welcoming. I injected some situational humour into
the prac by suggesting outlandish scenarios that might cause a reflex
response, and related to the students through their own personal
experiences. I directly participated in the prac as well, having one of the
more reserve students shine a light in my eye and all of them watch for a
reaction. Being so involved seemed to help get across a positive vibe to
the students.
Personally, being active, attentive, conversational and complimentary
seemed to help. The variety of activities and beginning with something
physical followed by discussion seemed to work well, as they could be
active and make noise for a time, before settling down to work
individually once they had run out of restless energy somewhat.
Yes, instructions were clear and no student showed serious signs of
confusion regarding the task.
The students had more than sufficient work to keep them entertained.
Only one was a little talkative, so I directly engaged her in discussion
relating to the topic. It kept her from disrupting others, showed me that
she grasped the concept and, once she had run out of steam from talking,
ensured she was on topic and ready to continue on with the worksheet.
In all parts of the classroom, no. I occasionally checked on my fellow
student teacher to ensure there was no major disruptions, and I was
highly aware of my own group, their actions and progress. I was not too
aware of the progress of the group under the guidance of the mentor
teacher.
Only once, and it was very minor. One student began clapping loudly in
front of the faces of another student. It was only done once, and brought
up because of a reference to flinching in the worksheet. As it was not
malicious and the other student took it in good humour, I quickly
 reminded the clapping student that, while very effective as we all saw, it
is also very rude and not acceptable behaviour.

Did you use non-verbal cues? I maintained proximity around all students, which seemed to minimize
e.g. Contact, pause, gesture, any potentially disruptive behaviour. No other non-verbal cues seemed
movement toward student/s necessary throughout the short lesson.
concerned.

Overall Comments
Looking at the whole school
Describe the school in terms of its
demographics, appearance and resources
(be general here and do not name the
school).
What were the roles and responsibilities of
the teaching staff you observed?
After discussion with your mentor teacher
describe how policies and processes of
government, administration and schools
have an affect on the work of the teacher?
What did you observe non-teaching staff doing to
support teaching and learning in the school?
The school is an older school, initially being opened
in the early 1950s. Some areas are showing their
age, although mod cons such as air conditioning,
ducting, and gas and water plumbing in the science
labs have been installed. Landscaping is minimal and
the layout is utilitarian. The demographic is varied in
terms of ethnicity and background, but could broadly
be described as lower socioeconomic. The resources
appear to be adequate, with ipads available for loan
from the library, class sets of textbooks and sufficient
lab supplies, but there are no luxuries available
The teaching staff are highly self-motivated and
driven individuals, who take their responsibilities to
their students very seriously. Beyond classroom time,
incorporating conducting lessons and behaviour
management, they are wholly responsible for
planning lessons, organising resources (with
support), holding department meetings,
recordkeeping and liaising with students and parents.
As well as this they conduct yard duty, or
supervision of students during breaks, and get
involved in extra-curricular activities, such as
students vs teachers volleyball games.
In essence, the governmental processes and policies
directly affect the content of the curriculum and
therefore the structure and content of the lessons, as
well as the nature of assessments. The schools
policies and administration methods also affect the
teaching content, where departments try to align their
class content in order to complement one another
and allow for collaboration during lesson planning.
The school policies also influence the culture and
direction of the school itself, and so can change the
expectations in terms of behaviour, manner, dress
standard etc. of the teaching staff.
They are responsible for general administration,
upkeep of the buildings and grounds, organisation

Students
You will have observed the diverse
nature of your classes. How was this
diversity supported?
and maintenance of the library, and the science lab
supplies. The principal and deputies are
responsible for HR management, business
development, resourcing, procurement and
budgeting, as well as parent/student liaison and
discipline where required.
There is cultural diversity within the teaching staff, so students
are exposed to an array of backgrounds, ethnicities, teaching
styles and personalities. The staff are very supportive and even-
handed when dealing with all students, in terms of not singling
out or stereotyping any individuals. The lesson content over my
short prac was not culturally biased in any way.
Function of Schools
Did you observe the connection
of your schools with the broader
community? How did this
happen?
What do you think the function of
school is?
Reflection think about your
experiences during the week and
describe how your previous
experiences have informed your
view of teachers and schools.
Has anything changed?
One particular link with the outside community that I observed
occurred when a representative from a tertiary education
institution came to give a presentation on pathways into
apprenticeships, tafe and university upon graduation. It
effectively tied in much of the student experience to future
endeavours and goals that are external to the high school.
Throughout our first week Parent-Teacher nights were held,
which seemed to strengthen the school-home link for many
students and could be leveraged as both a motivation and
disciplinary tool. Having a level of familiarity between staff and
parents assisted in creating a more community-based feel to the
school.
Primarily, the delivery of a well-rounded educational experience
to young citizens. However, there are boundless social and
societal advantages to having students learn within a school
environment. Teamwork, tolerance and empathy come from
being surrounded by a diverse range of students and staff, and
within such a setting young people are able to develop a sense
of understanding and civic-mindedness that may not be possible
without a system that provides young people the opportunity for
learning as a group.
Without delving into too much description, this week has opened
my eyes to the reality of teaching in a lower socio-economic
area. Classroom management and student engagement are a
constant struggle, and this shows in the staff. Many see it as a
challenge to be revelled in, and form strong bonds with the
students. These are hardy, passionate people who take pride in
their job.
Some others have allowed resentment and apathy to settle in,
and in turn have let their teaching standards slip. I now realise
that in teaching, like in any profession, one must maintain their
focus on delivering a high quality product, as well as maintaining
and honing their skills. This experience has taught me to not let
my focus on the end goal waver, and to strive to be an
inspirational teacher and worthy peer to others in the profession.