3 Things To Include in Your Observation Lesson Plan

Once we are rolling with a new school year, evaluation season starts! Let’s talk about 3 things to include in your observation lesson plan. Some teachers get panicky about being observed while others are excited for the feedback, or just to show our administrators the reality of a classroom environment now-a-days. Whether you’re old or new, nervous or confident, we all want to impress our evaluators. So what are admin looking for when they come to watch us teach? Here are 3 things to include in your observation lesson plan.

Students Using the Language

There is no “one size fits all” lesson plan. A lot depends on your students’ age, proficiency level and class vibe. Bur if you know you’re being observed, students using the language in a meaningful way is a great way to impress! For this reason, if you are able to help guide your administrator about when they should come in, I like to suggest a time that is nearer to the end of a unit. This way, students have had time to learn some new things, and can now begin applying it.

Here are some suggestions for how to make this happen!

-partner work (think guided conversations, scenario cards, draw what I describe)

-group work (think group writing challenge, peer edit, reading scavenger hunt)

Students Collaborating

One of 3 things to include in your observation lesson plan is students collaborating. As we start to understand more about being culturally responsive teachers, we know that some cultures thrive and learn best when working together. Group work does not have to be the only way, but it’s great to have a mix of partner, group and solo work.

The ideas I listed above all require student collaboration!

Another hint I have for you is to try to make sure that observation day is not the first time they are trying a collaborative activity! Every new activity brings a bit of confusion and sometimes apprehension for students. Therefore, it’s ideal if the type of activity you choose is something they’ve tried before and are familiar with.

Higher Order Questioning

The last of the 3 things to include in your observation lesson plan is higher order questioning. For me, this is always a challenge! It’s definitely something I need to work on. But on almost any teacher evaluation rubric, higher order questioning techniques are one of the hallmarks.

If you are thinking, “HELP! I’m not sure how to do this!”, here are some suggestions.

-as students are collaborating, walk around and listen in on their conversations. If they are making a mistake or disagreeing about what is correct, ask an open-ended question. “Cameron, why do you think this is the right way?” “Emily, can you explain the difference between X and Y for your partner?”

-ask students to reflect on their learning with an exit ticket. You can prepare this ahead of time on a Google Form, on a photocopied paper, or you can just have your questions ready for students to turn and talk. You can ask them to explain something, or you can ask them to list what they are better at now, what questions they still have, how they can apply what they did today in another situation, etc.

One thing is for sure! If you include these 3 things in your observation lesson plan, your evaluator will be both happy and impressed, and we teachers LOVE getting an A!