E-Teaching observation feedback form

Peer Observation

Date:	02/04/14	Time of Lesson:			09:00-11:00	Time of Observation:	09:00-10:00	No. Attending:	15
Lesson Topic:		Modern methods of construction				Group Observed:	TADLD1LBW – Level  3 plastering diploma
Name of Observer:			James Crowley			Name of Staff Observed:	Tim Weston
Focus of the Observation				Incorporating e-teaching tools within vocational classes

Purpose of Peer Observation of Theory session Over the two peer observations please choose up to 5 aspects of TL&A identified below across theory sessions. 1)      Planning for and delivery of active learning – SoW / lesson planner / Learner planner 2)      How engaged are the learners? What are they doing? How does the teacher ensure variety of activity and that they are working independently? 3)      Use of initial assessments / formative assessments to plan learning - How have initial assessments been used to help plan the sessions, how does the session support the needs of individual learners? 4)      Effective use of question and answer techniques – (how many open, directed, supplementary or differentiated questions asked? Do all students participate in answering questions? Are the questions challenging or 'surface' only? 5)      Teacher talking time / learner activities / group work - What is the balance of different types of activity? 6)      Attendance & punctuality - How is good attendance and punctuality supported? 7)      Recap of previous topic / session - How are links made to previous learning? 8)      Introduction to session - How is the session opened? How are learners engaged at the start? 9)      Aims and objectives – Shared with learners - Are all learners clear on what they will learn and why? Are links made to the course programme? 10)  Checking learning – Formative and summative - peer assessment, quizzes, worksheets mini white boards, quizdom etc… How is student learning checked? How clear are they on what they have learnt and what they still need to improve? 11)  Use of ILT - How is ILT incorporated in the session? 12)  Other

Examples of good teaching practice/ strategies that aid learning: I have learnt various important things from this observation. The first thing is about making lessons more learner centred through incorporating various e-teaching strategies/tools. The lecturer I observed set up his lesson in a very relaxed manor and got the students to complete tasks which were both challenging and enjoyable. I was really impressed by how the lesson flowed and how well the students interacted within their particular groups. The lecturer used a Powtoon presentation to outline his aims and objectives which was visually appealing and got the learners attention immediately. The groups seemed to be well thought out and the session incorporated the use of e-teaching in a research task using google docs which worked well as all learners within the groups were involved. The teacher seemed to know his class very well and so devised his groupings very thoughtfully and this strategy achieved positive interaction. He assigned the groups in a way that benefitted the whole group through peer teaching as some of the less able students were paired with more developed students. The lecturer handed out instruction sheets prior to the session in order to inform students of how to set up a google account and then how to share the google doc with their assigned team members. This worked very well and all learners were soon on task and were clear on how this activity could benefit them during the session. I also learnt that using an e-teaching tool which we learnt about during the course can be easily integrated into a vocational session. It was a seamless process and one in which enabled all learners to get involved. The students loved the format and it gave me some very interesting ideas as to how I could initiate both the Google Docs and Powtoon resources within my particular classes.

Reflections/Ideas about other activities/ approaches that could be used: I will implement new e-teaching tools within my sessions and I have already started to do so. I enjoy incorporating new learning strategies within my classes and now that I have more confidence using these tools I will endeavour to embed various tools within my classes, particularly Padlet, pirate pad, powtoon, taxedo and quizlet.

Reflections on activities/ideas I can adapt for my own teaching / area: This observation will change my future teaching practice in a number of ways. The first way will be ensuring that I implement various e-teaching strategies in my sessions to make them more learner centred. I will use google docs for various group research tasks in my sessions and adapt it to suit my classes. This type of activity is very student centred and it engages the facilitating of learning ideal. “What the learner does is more important than what the teacher does” (http://www.geoffpetty.com,2012). This will enable my learners to think for themselves and gain more from my sessions. I will also encourage learners to assess this way of teaching to ensure it is working for them and also checking that they enjoy this interactive way of learning It will also make me change the way I plan sessions in the future as I will be using far more e-teaching techniques within my sessions. Distance learning is something that I’m very interested in and I’m currently working on an interactive scheme of works with a learning technologist at the college which, if successful, will see learners taking more accountability for their learning and interacting online in groups to complete assignments

After the observation you may want to share your reflections with the member of staff observed. Key areas of good practice should be discussed at team meetings in order to share and disseminate.