REFLECTION ON CLASSROOM OBSERVATION

1. What did you feel went well in this class session?

Before the observation, I was very nervous. I wanted to make sure that my students still
received the same quality instruction despite my nerves about being observed. After
reading this observation, I felt good knowing that I was able to transmit the lesson well
without letting my nerves get the best of me.

My students have been on time and attentive so far, and I was glad that Mrs. Warren was
able to observe that as well.

Each class, I try to open by talking about class business and through other sort of “warm
up” activities. I was glad that Mrs. Warren observed that positively.

I was glad that Mrs. Warren was able to observe this class because it had a good balance
of lecture and discussion time. Since that balance worked really well, I felt confident
about my ability to plan instruction time. I hope to keep focusing on that balance.

Finally, last semester, Mrs. Warren observed me teaching a professional workshop to the
Professional Writing Program. Afterward she was very positive but had some
constructive criticism. We spent a lot of time after that discussing the difference between
“presenting” and “teaching,” so I was extremely happy when Mrs. Warren agreed that I
had done well with that. That’s something I tried to focus on during my first semester, so
it was nice feeling confident about that going into my observation.

2. What would you like to change about this class session if you had to teach it
again?
As Mrs. Warren pointed out, I said “Right?” repeatedly. I think that this was definitely a
sign of my nerves. I can see how any silence at the end of my question or statement
would have made me nervous with Mrs. Warren present, so I used “Right?” as a filler.
When Mrs. Warren and I met to discuss the observation, her record of the number of
times I used that filler blew me away. We talked about it, and she helped me see that the
way I used the word was to end a topic or Q&A session. I wish that, instead, I had taken a
deep breath and been patient.

I also am glad that I have one observation left now that I have finished the Evaluating
Questioning Techniques seminar. That seminar really helped me to think about how to
ask discussion questions during class. I think that the tools I learned through that seminar
will help me be more confident the next time I am observed. Instead of using filler words,
I will be more confident about developing questioning or summarizing techniques that
suit the material and add to the instruction.

3. In the light of the observer’s comments, what aspects of your teaching approach
will you look at changing in the future? How will you do this?
There are a couple things I would like to focus on after viewing her comments. To start, I
would like to continue fostering some of the more positive aspects that Mrs. Warren
mentioned. For example, Mrs. Warren commented that I did a nice job of connecting the
lesson to past material. In future classes I would like to make that even more of a focus. I
think that it would be nice to discuss in each class the preexisting knowledge that will
help students make connections. I think that by thinking more about that as I plan class, I
can make sure to continue focusing on those connections.

There’s another thing I would like to improve that relates to that: the use of technology.
This semester, I am still in a smart classroom but unlike last semester I do not have a
computer classroom. It was nice last semester to have each student participate using their
laptop when applicable. As Mrs. Warren noted, that’s an important part of the teaching
day and I enjoyed the benefit those laptops added to my classes. I want to focus on using
technology despite the hurdle of not being in a technology classroom. I think through
some small changes to the in-class assignments I can still have students participating with
the technology even if they don’t all have laptops. That’s something I would like to
continue to improve with my teaching approach.

Finally, I do want to work on my nervousness. When it’s just me and the students I
typically do not feel very nervous after that first week. However, when I am being
observed or even when I have guest speakers, I often feel more nervous. I would like to
work on being more comfortable having others in my classroom. I think I can really
benefit from a calmer approach to that situation. When that happens, I will be able to
avoid

4. What have you found useful/not so useful about the observation process?
I thought this observation process was extremely useful. As I mentioned, when Mrs.
Warren and I met to discuss the observation I was taken aback by my “Right?” mistake!
As we continued to discuss that, I felt confident that I could fix that issue. Additionally, I
was able to see what aspects of my instruction time Mrs. Warren focused on. For
example, she commented on how my students were on time, mentioning that more that
half the students were in class before the start time. I had never noticed that before, but I
can see how paying attention to something like that can help you understand how
seriously students are taking your tardy policy. I felt similarly when she mentioned
details about the way I seemed prepared for my course. I feel better about myself when I
feel prepared for my class, but I did not know that the preparation was so visible to
observers. That helps me to understand how students are able to tell when you are
prepared (and when you’re not!). That makes me feel better about the time I spend
preparing for class.

More than anything, it was so nice to have feedback about my teaching. I tried so hard to
be a confident first-time instructor, but it’s hard to tell how you’re doing when students
are your only source of feedback. When Mrs. Warren came in and then met with me later,
I was able to ask her about certain aspects of my teaching style, talk with her about ideas,
and better gauge how I was performing in the classroom. After the observation, I felt
more confident in the classroom. While I think it’s important to prepare as much as
possible when you start teaching, I really think that this feedback along the way is one of
the best ways to improve upon your skills as you go.