After 15 years in education, I’ve had a few formal teaching observations in my time, including one coming up next week. It’s got me thinking, what makes a successful observation?
Being Prepared
While this step is pretty obvious, it’s also the most crucial step to a good observation. It’s normal to be nervous for your principal to step into your classroom. I still get nervous every time.
Review Your Lesson Plan
First, when you have your observation you usually need to submit your lesson plan ahead of time. Take time when creating your lesson plan to ensure it has all the parts your administrator will be checking when they come and observe. For me, this means I need to pay attention to how I will be assessing my students, posting the objectives (and referencing them during the lesson), and student interaction. My administrator will also be looking for my lesson to have I Do, We Do, and You Do components.
Most schools will allow you to see the observation tool prior to your observation. If you are new to teaching, ask to see how you will be evaluated so you can plan to have these components in your lesson.
Planning for Assessment
I feel like the biggest thing your admin is coming to see in your formal teaching observation is classroom management and how the students are learning. Since I often think of my end goal first, let’s talk about how to show your admin you are assessing students.
One of my favorite ways to assess “on the fly” is to have my students record answers on a whiteboard. This is particularly great during math class. I like to give a countdown for students before they show their answers as it helps to cut down on students looking around to find an answer to write for themselves.
Another easy way to assess is to ask students to give thumbs up or thumbs down. This can be in response to another classmate’s answer, or to a point you are making. You could also provide an answer and ask students to give a thumbs up or down if they agree or disagree.
My last favorite way to show assessment is a quick exit ticket. An exit ticket, in my opinion, can be one question or up to 3 questions. These are just printed on a small piece of paper and collected as students leave class, (or for elementary), before you transition to the next subject.
Add Engagement
If you teach younger students, you will want to build in plenty of ways to keep students engaged throughout your lesson. Adding in ways to assess throughout the lesson, such as individual whiteboards, can really help with this. But also having moments for students to turn and talk or discuss a question is helpful.
Some other ways to add engagement are to use Kagan strategies such as fan-N-pick, rally coach or stand up, hand up, pair up. Make sure to plan ahead and teach any new strategies before your observation.
Your Classroom Environment
While your principal is there to see how you are teaching, they will also likely comment on your classroom environment. This could be how you interact with students to what the physical room looks like. You’ll want to make sure to shine in both areas on your observation day.
For my observation I like to make sure to have my posted objectives and learning criteria at the front of the room. I also have the daily schedule posted so all students can see what is happening during the day.
Next, I’ll do a quick clean of the room and restack any of my piles or get rid of extra papers I no longer need. I don’t want to not be able to find the materials I’m looking for when it comes time for the lesson.
Follow Up
Many times my admin has come to observe my lesson and didn’t stay the whole time. I’ve also had it where they stayed much longer than I expected. If they come but miss key point of the lesson (such as the assessment piece or student engagement), don’t be afraid to send them an email.
For my last observation my admin only stayed for the warm up activity so I emailed her my teaching slides and included a few pictures of students doing the main lesson and activities.
Most observations you will meet afterwards with your principal to discuss what they saw. This will give you the chance to explain your thought process as you moved through the lesson and discuss what took place after they left. This is the time to advocate for yourself.