Transcript LG 524 CLASSROOM OBSERVATION

LG 524
CLASSROOM OBSERVATION
WEEK 7.
WHAT OCCURS IN CLASSROOMS….
• Classroom observation is a means of
undertaking research into what occurs in
classrooms by attempting systematically to
observe and keep records of classrooms events
• For example in research into how teachers use
question techniques, the chart could show how
often the teacher asks a question, who he asks,
how long he waits for an answer, any pattern of
which learners he asks.
FOUR TYPES OF CLASSROOM
OBSERVATION
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Psychometric.
Interaction Analysis
Discourse Analysis
Ethnographic
• These are not the Word of God; there are
variations and combinations depending on
your Research Topic.
Modes of Observation
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1.JH. EAP.Language In Use. Upp/Int. 27/03/00. 90 minutes.
Type of Class. General English Course Book. Reading, summarizing (oral),
discussion,grammar focus.
(Figures on the left refer to time in minutes).
1.Topical.Changing the Clock.
2-4.Topical. Current film.
5-6.Student problem Toothache,>Dentist.
7-8. Student question. Vocab, from 2-4.
9-11.Course related. Coming exams, revision.
12. Course related. Homework.
13-28. On TG task.
29. Student Question. Vocab.
30.Topic related question.
31-32. On TG task.
33. Task related Teacher activity. Questions.
34-35.On TG task.
Observing Learner Behaviour
• A good deal of CO research has been aimed at
observing learner behaviour in the classroom. A
study aim may be to observe the overt
behaviours of good language learners in the
classroom; this may be correlated with other
data, such as comparing hand raising frequency
in learners(learners who ask or answer questions
more often than other learners) with overall
proficiency measurements.
Observing Teacher Behaviour.
• As much attention has been paid to teachers
classroom behaviour as that of the learners, with
some studies concerned with the amount of
teacher talk, others with the function and
distribution of teachers talking, and others with
the way teachers modify their speech in second
language classrooms.
CAUSE EFFECT RELATIONSHIPS
• CO is one of a number of techniques which tries
to establish relationships between teaching
practice and learner success or the lack of it, or
learner response
• Of course one has to establish what constitutes
success (passing an exam, an ability to perform
certain functions in English?); To give a test
directly after the classes? But did they learn as a
direct result of the class, or through some other
factor(knew it already// cheated…).
CLASSROOM OBSERVATION POINTS.
• The setting, what effect the physical setting of
the classroom may have on learners/teachers.
• Human variables, such as gender, age, L1, L1
Culture and how this affects learner
behaviour,i.e. in strategy use.
• Interactions; what kind of interactions take
place, i.e. in asking questions, who answers,
teacher asking questions, techniques and
response to questions , leaner response to
teacher feedback.
Structured observation
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The focus on the observation
The frequency of the observations
The length of the observation
Nature of entry, ticks, crosses
Access to the observation environment
Observer presence
Observation notes
EXAMPLE OF OBSERVATION IN
PRACTICE
• Teacher and participant observation.
• Observing the teachers actually teaching may
not only provide extra data but point to specific
instances where the teacher was mistaken or
misguided in what they claimed about their own
TG use.
• Lesson observations are used as a further source
of data; complementing interview data.
Access
• As a student in a department of Language and
Linguistics I had no standing that would have
allowed me to insist on access
• Permission obtained from the appropriate director
or head of department first, before approaching
individual teachers.
• I explained to the teachers who had agreed to the
observation what the purpose of my study was, how
the observations would help in data gathering and
analysis, and how I would go about the actual
observation in the lesson itself
OBSERVATION INSTRUMENT 2
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36.Student question. Vocab.
37.On TG task.
38-40. Task related student activity.summary.
41-44.OnTG task.
45. Task related student activity.summary.
46-47.Task related teacher act.question,vocab.
48.Task related student act.summary.
49.-50.Task related Teacher/Student act.discuss.
51-57.On TG task.
58-59. Topic related, student/class management.
59-60. Topic related. Teacher monitors,elicits answers.
61-82. On TG task.
83.Topic related, student activity.
84-87. On TG task.
88.Course related, IELTS exam.
89.On TG task.
90. Class finishes.
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
• In Participant Observation of my own class
taking observation notes was clearly impossible
during the class itself, classes were recorded and
the observation instrument filled in soon after
the class with the aid of the recording
• My main concern was to find out
when/why/what the teacher (in Participant
Observation, myself) deviated from the TG plan
or TG-suggested activities for the lesson
REFERENCES
• Allwright, D. 1988. Observation in the language classroom. London.
• Hopkins, D. 2008. A teachers Guide to Classroom research. Open
University (in paperback or as online book from library website)
• Brown , J. 1995. Observing Dimensions of Learning in Classrooms and
Schools. Online Book.
• Waynryb, R. 1992. Classroom Observation Tasks: a Resource Book for
Language Teachers and Trainers. Cambridge
• Ragosta, M. 2011. Reliability in Classroom Observation.
• Cohen, Manion, Morrison. 2011. Research methods in Education.
Routledge
• Slimani, A. 1989. The Teaching/Learning Relationship: Learning
Opportunities and Learning Outcomes. An Algerian Case Study.
Unpublished PhD. Thesis. Lancaster University UK.
• Slimani, A. 1992. Evaluation of Classroom Interaction. In Alderson,
Berreta,Evaluating Second Language Education. Cambridge.
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