The document provides guidance for observing a classroom to analyze patterns of interaction and communication. It includes questions for observers to consider regarding how the teacher opens and closes class, interacts with students, engages students, and checks their understanding. It also addresses the tools and materials used by the teacher, and how they adapt instruction in response to students. The observation focused on a class learning about weekdays, where the teacher used grouping, worksheets, videos and miming to engage students and check their comprehension of daily routines by the end.

1. Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción
Facultad de Educación
English Teaching Programme
Teaching Experience I
OBSERVATION TASK 2: Focus on classroom
interaction.
Carolina Rojas
Teaching experience 1
Maria Lagos
Rocio Muñoz
Concepcion. September 2014.

2. OBSERVATION TASK 2
Managing classroom communication.
This task is concerned with how communication takes place in a classroom
setting, and specifically with the patterns of interaction that provide the vehicle
for communication. In this task you’ll be collecting data about how
communication works within the classroom, for example, who talks and to
whom, who questions, who responds.
a) Arrange to observe a lesson.
b) Consider all the elements worth viewing: the teacher, the students, their
interaction or dynamic, whiteboard, the classroom environment itself,
movement, time.
c) Observe the class in order to answer and reflect on the following
questions:
 How does the teacher open the class? What tone does this set? (attention,
motivation, engagement, other)
The teacher opened the class smiling and saying good morning to everyone.
Furthermore, she told to the students what they are going to learn and
motivating all the time to the students.
 What interaction or relationship does the teacher establish with the students?
How does this affect the learning environment or opportunities for learning?
The teacher was very kind when she corrected students’ errors. She was not
rude and she did not criticize them for their mistakes. This attitude made Ss
feel more comfortable and confident about the activities and their performances.
 Are students engaged? –at what level and in what ways? Is the engagement
sustained? How can you notice this? Exemplify.

3. Most of the students were engaged. We could notice this through their
participation in the activities. Despite the fact that they almost always spoke in
Spanish, they answered the worksheets in English and they answer all the
questions that the teacher made. Also they repeat some words when the T
asked them to do it.
 How has the teacher prepared for this learning occasion? What tools are used
and does the teacher apply them effectively? Note: tools include humour,
visuals, small group work, writing exercises, guided class discussion, quizzes,
others.
The students were learning about the weekdays, so the T organized them in
seven groups with each day (but the Ss were looking each other). Moreover,
there were visuals aids tacked onto the wall about the days, so every student
could admire it. Then the teacher gave to them worksheets about the daily
routine, so they had to complete this and then discussed it with the whole class.
The T used miming to explain the meaning of some words that the Ss do not
know. Also, she used a video to explain examples about the daily routines.
 How does the teacher know if the class is going “as planned”? Are there clues
to show the teacher maintains this trajectory or adjusts course when
unexpected events happen?
The main clue that the T has was students’ responses to the class. The T
clearly could see that her class was moving as she had planned because of
students’ reaction. All of the students were completing the activities as the
teacher asked them to do it. The only adjustment that the T did was at the end
of the class when some students had to go out early from the class, so she had
to check the activities quickly or to give the rest of the worksheet as homework
for those students who were leaving.

4.  How does the teacher close the class? How does this affect what students think
or learn? What evidence shows that students clearly understand the content
and context for what is learned by the end of the class?
The teacher asked to repeat to the students some sentences and answer some
questions about their daily routine in order to check their knowledge. The
students answered successfully every question with the correct structure and
repeat every sentence with the correct pronunciation.
Adapted from Wajnryb, Ruth. “Classroom observation Tasks”, Cambridge
Teacher training and development,1992