1.  NARRATIVES DISCUSSING
1. I choose the lesson of Life Sciences as my observation subject so I will critically
discuss it as it following: The Situation Analysis of the lesson was
Teacher: Mrs Nawana
Topic: Biosphere, Biomes and Ecosystems
Grade: 11
Date: 04/098/2012
Period duration: 45 minutes
The lesson of Life Sciences was taking place during 3rd period on a Tuesday morning just
before the lunch. Mrs Nawana came to the laboratory at exactly 08h00 o’clock as the lesson
was taking place at the laboratory she enter the laboratory, firstly greet and introduce us to
her learners with a nice and happy face accompany with lovely smile on the other hand she
was dress properly (formal) and presented as a quality teacher. Her laboratory is medium in
size and it consists of approximately 40 learners (girls and boys), their diverse backgrounds
and culture all of whom are second language English speakers. The laboratory was well
organised and does not present a barrier to learners. Her laboratory was having enough chairs
and desks to accommodate all learners and desks was arrange in rows only one student per
desk so they don’t have eye contact during class activities. Each learner have has own
textbook and workbooks as well as stationary. And the laboratory was equipped with black
board/chalk board and posters on the wall that is relevant to the unit (lesson). The school is
located in a middle class area and most learners are from middle- or upper-class families.
The invitation (attention focusing)
And she started the work of the day by using pedagogy of game playing, Mrs Nawana ask the
class to each learner to take out their Life Sciences textbook and workbook and tell them to
open on unit-10 (Biosphere, Biomes and Ecosystems). She continue tells them that they all
ecologists who prescribe fires in the fynbos biome. And also ask questions to determine pre-
knowledge by using Bloom’s Taxonomy method of asking questions like “ What would be the
consequences on the ecosystem when there are less producers?, How energy flow to the
ecosystem?, Why do you think that when there is less producer on the ecosystem is gone be

2. unbalance? (S. Gravett, 2010). Also use closed and open questions. She got a questioning skills
of which were seeking clarification, pausing: wait time, handling incorrect responses and
redirection. Her questioning method and techniques she was asking questions and learners
response and she also reflect back to her learners and using body language, facial expressions,
show respect by facing them when they speak, eye contact, do not interrupt, knowledge
response, rephrase learner response once they have finished she stared to reflect to them.
Questions and answers of this lesson
 What abiotic factors are?
 Is non-living things which is light, air, soil, rock, temperature and water
 Name two South Africans biomes.
1. Fnybos
2. Savannas
 Define the concept of Ecology.
 Is the study of enteraction between organisms and with the invironment to
ensure the survival and reproduction.
The teacher also asks them to read and discuss the important terminologies. She then asks
them what they understand about all concepts of these terminologies. She was expected that
some learners will understand that these terminologies are based on organisms and species.
She was using this as a starting point for discussion about those terminologies concepts on
their differences and similarities. The learners were taking out their resources, read and
discuss those terminologies. All learners were participating in the discussion about concepts
of these terminologies. The media for the lesson was textbooks will act as media; there was
no additional media is required for the activity was a workbook. The time for the activity was
5-10minutes.
Engaging with new content
The Teacher works from the previous discussion by asking the learners to try and define
Ecology. Ecosystem will also be discussed here. She then compares their definition to the
glossary on the back of their textbooks. She moves the discussion in pairs. She gives each
partners a copy of environmental studies and worksheet with the environmental studies

3. related questions they must answer about it. Each partner will require finding and draw the
2 different food chains. Throughout the activity she then moving partners to partners to
answer any questions they might have and to provide guidance if they get stuck or go to topic.
The learners participate in defining ecology through discussion. Move into their partners.
Discuss the environmental studies with their partners and answer the given questions on the
worksheet. Find and draw the 2 food chains. The time of the activity was 20 minutes to
complete group work and plan feedback.
Summary and Integration
The teacher conclude the lesson by giving each group a turn to present their drawing (finding)
and ideas to the rest of the class. Again she act as guide and clarify any issues they may have
as well as answering any questions they have at this point. This process of feedback was both
summarise the lesson and give her the opportunity to judge if they have grasped the concept
of ecology. For homework she asks each partners to create a poster that they think will
promote the acceptance of environmental studies (ecology) in our school. Once submitted
and graded the posters will post on the classroom notes board. The learner’s partners were
take turns presenting their finding to the class. These not presenting were listening and ask
questions as the presentations are being given. Learners were writing down their homework
and make arrangements with their partners to get together its completion. The time was
10minutes for feedback and 5minutes for discussing homework. The end of the lesson was at
08h45.

4.  DIFFERENCES ANS SIMILARITIES
 DIFFERENCES
2. On our observation with my partner we find the following differences observations
that teacher of Life Sciences use the laboratory as a venue and the Mathematic
Literacy teacher use classroom as a venue for her lesson to take place. The Life
Sciences teacher was dress properly (formal) and presented as a quality teacher but
the Mathematic teacher was dress causal and he didn’t presented as quality teacher.
I disregarding with this above statement because only qualification of a teacher is
going to show a quality of a teacher but not his/her dressing style. Lesson of Life
Sciences was on the 3rd period on a Tuesday morning just before the lunch and Maths
was 5th period on Wednesday noon after lunch, I accepting this because learners
should be still fresh and able to focus with energy on the content of the lesson. Life
Sciences lesson was on grade 11 and for Mathematic Literacy lesson was on grade 10.
The classroom of Maths was not having posters on the wall like the Life Sciences
laboratory, I accepting this because sciences classes are very creative on designing
(drawing). The lesson topic of Life Sciences was about Environmental studies and the
lesson of Maths was based on Calculating Areas. On the laboratory learners were
sitting in rows and one person per desk so there was no eye contact to learners during
the time of discussing whereby on the classroom learners were sitting in pairs per desk
as their desks were arranged in groups of 6 learners so eye contact existed during class
activities, my view is that learners should always have eye contact.
Their introduction was not the same because the Life Sciences teacher came in the
laboratory at exactly 08h00 o’clock when she enter the she laboratory firstly greet her
learners and introduce us to them and she then carry on to start the lesson by asking
relevant questions to the topic, whole the teacher of Maths came 10minutes later but
he just enter the class with a stick on his hand and learners stand-up and greet us but
the teacher didn’t greet his learners therefore he firstly introduce us and start the
lesson by handing in some hand-outs with angles with formulas. I disregarding the
introduction of Maths teacher because when the teacher enter the classroom should
always greet his/her learners to show a respect to them.

5. But on their media the Life Sciences teacher was not having an additional media
whole the Mathematic teacher was having an additional media that was required for
his activity which was calculate, pens and rule, I accepting this as in all Maths classes
they should use rule for measurements and a calculate to do calculations. Mrs Nawana
use only the 45minutes for her period because she was well prepared for the lesson
but the Maths teacher use more time because he end up add 10minutes above which
means that he was not organised on his time management, I disregard this because a
teacher should be a time management .
 SIMILARITIES
I accept with all our similarities because we get that they use the same period duration of
which is 45 minutes only for their lessons. They only accommodates about 40 learners (boys
girls) to their lessons and both lesson have learners from diverse backgrounds and culture all
whom are second English speakers. Both teachers use the same media for their lessons e.g
textbook and worksheets for the questions that are relevant to their topics of the day. Their
laboratory/classroom resources were equipped with black board/chalk board.
Their teaching strategies were very effectively to their lessons because in teacher- centered
and learner-centered were related involved. As these teachers was teaching effectively
because in their introduction they ask their students some questions that were relevant to
their topics of the content that they were going to taught on that time of the day. But both
teachers didn’t confirm their lesson outcomes. To their questioning methods and techniques
both were on the some process because they use 3 stages: asking the question; learner’s
response and teacher’s reflection to leaner’s response. And some using body language, facial
expressions, show respect by facing them when they speak, eye contact, do not interrupt,
acknowledge response, rephrase learners responses once they have finished. They use one
questioning skills of which were seeking clarification, pausing: wait time, handling incorrect
responses and redirection. Moreover these teachers were using types of questions according
to (Bloom’s Taxonomy) Level 1, in asking questions in terms of quizzing questions, as learners
will have applied the intelligence. I say this because Bloom’s Taxonomy is basically on using
types of question which is including these following words, should this?, why does?, what
is?, how is?, where is?, who is?, when did?, which is?, list type of ?, and which is?.

6. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR THEIR LESSONS
Life Sciences
 What abiotic factors are?
 Is non-living things which is light, air, soil, rock, temperature and water.
Mathematic Literacy
 What is the formula of calculating a surface area of a square?
 Surface area= length x breath.
 MY ASPECTS OF THE LESSON WHICH I WILL DO DIFFERENTLY
3. My view on teaching strategy is that as a teacher wills also dressing properly (formal)
to present my position. I will be friendly to my learners and bring a stick because of
the good reasons like misbehaviour/unrespect-fully of a learner. Always when I’m
entering the classroom I will firstly greet my learners and I will make sure that I’m
using time management to my period activities.
My classroom will be always arranged according to groups of 6 learners (3boys and 3girls)
and two students per desk to allow eye contacts to exist during my classroom activities like
to accommodate group work and discussion systems. My classroomwill be having posters on
the wall on the process of making promotion to all units. I will ensure that my classroom is
accommodating only 40-45 learners for the reasons of allowing all learners to be engaged and
involve on my class activities. And know WHO?, Are my students I’m going to teach like
knowing their diverse background, cultures and religions.
knowledge skills Values and attitudes
1. Defining Ecology
2. Exploringvariousforms
of ecology
3. Discussing potential
strategies for
accommodating and
1. Designing a poster to
promote acceptance of
environmental studies
2. Critical thought and
discussion of complex
issue
1 .Acceptance of ecology
3. Caring
4. Tolerance of
differences
5. Reflection

7. promoting the
acceptance of ecology
In my lesson’s introduction/invitation I will firstly introduce the topic and then and confirms
the lesson-outcomes which will be cover the cognitive domain (knowledge/mind-on);
affective domain (attitudes/hearts-on) and psychomotor domain (skills/hands-on). For the
example on Life Sciences based on the topic of Environmental studies like this by the end of
my lesson the learner should be able to achieve the following outcomes:
 Cognitive domain
1. The learner should be able to define the term Ecology.
 Cognitive domain
2. The learner should be able to identify different forms of Biomes in South African.
 Psychomotor domain
3. The learner should be able to able to design a poster promoting acceptance of
 Affective domain
4. The learner should be able to able to with learners from different communities in order
to achieve a common goal. (group work assignment)
And I will help my learners get in touch with their existing knowledge and identify gaps, flaws
or misconceptions in their knowledge, For instance, I will ask questions or ask learners to write
a definition of concept or I will start with a relevant story or anecdote. They use one
questioning skills of which were seeking clarification, pausing: wait time, handling incorrect
responses and redirection. Using the using types of questions according to (Bloom’s
Taxonomy) for an example:
 What is ecology?
 How energy flow to the ecosystem?
 Why do you think that when there is less producer on the ecosystem is gone be
unbalance?
At that time learners will be giving an account of their prior knowledge on the topic: they may
answer a question, give a definition or discuss expectations. They may be asked to comment
on a story or anecdote, thereby becoming interested, and also giving the teacher a sense of

8. their current understanding. At this lesson the textbooks will act as media. Time: This will take
me only 5-10minutes.
On engaging with the new content I will mediates learning of the new content by facilitating
discussion, guiding learners to conduct an experiment, engaging them in an educational game
by going around school to search for different ecosystems. The learners will then follow my
guidelines, participate in discussions, engage in practical or play, and critically question the
new content. Media Transparency with the glossary definition of ecology. Time that I’mgoing
to use it is 15minuted for discussion and 20minutes to complete group work and plan
feedback
On summary and integration I will checks whether learners have understood the new content
and can apply it in everyday contexts. And I will ask learners to compile a mind-map of the
lesson, write a one-minute summary of the most meaningful content learned, or solve
problem. The learners will reflect on what they have learned in the lesson through drawing a
mind-map, writing a summary, solving problems, etc. Media the homework assignment will
be the last question on their worksheets thus these sheets will be used again for this section
and if it needed I will refer back to the previous transparencies used. Time for this it will be
10minutes for feedback and 5 minutes for discussion homework.

9.  REFFERENCES LIST
S. Gravett, L. Lomofsky, (2010). Becominga teacher. Process Education Teaching Institute
Handbook. Location?: Pacific Crest. Pp 86-129
De Jager Melodie: Brain gym for all (2001): A personal programmers improving your quality
of life. Johannesburg: Human& Rousseau.(MAPS) page59-65
Huddleston, P. AND Unwin, L. 1997. Teaching and learningin further education diversity and
change. London: routledge. Meerkotter, D.A. 19