TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Observation Report
Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed

Name of Observer: Hyeonseong (Daniel) Shin Observation # 2

Date

Observation
Environment (include

URL if the class was

online)

04/16/2015

UCR Extension

Class
Skill/Content
Grammar

Class
Teacher
Level/Number
(Beg./Int./Adv.)
IEP 400
Debbie Peterson

Focus on relevant areas from the What Can Be Observed handout. Notice how the
teacher handles these areas during the class.
OBJECTIVE OF THE LESSON: STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO COMPARE PAST TENSE SENTENCE
PRESENT TENSE BY PRACTICING PAST TENSE IRREGULAR VERB FORM.
Notes while observing:
Yesterday, Ss learned the simple past tense form of regular and irregular verbs. Today,
they will practice more on the simple past tense form.
Warm up (2 minutes)
-T reminds of Ss what they learned yesterday.
-T passes out the handout in which there are lists of regular verbs and irregular verbs
and exercises.
Presentation (5 minutes)
- T tells they will focus on the transition of irregular verb.
- T gives an example of verb transition.
e.g.) I burn my toastI burned the toastThis toast is burnt
(present)
(past)
(past participle)
Practice 1 (20 minutes)
<Exercise 12>
- After Ss listen to question from the audio, Did Sara go to class yesterday? Ss are
asked to fill in the blank using past form of the verb. Yes, she ____ to class yesterday.
- T asks answers for each question to Ss. When a student pronounces the verb incorrectly,
T gives a correction right away. T gives a correction on pronunciation and grammar at
the same time because T wants Ss to improve their fluency as well as accuracy.
Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook
<Exercise 13>
- In this Exercise 13, Ss do pair work. When Partner A asks the questions, Partner B
answers the questions with Yes and a complete sentence. For example,
A: Did you find a pet store?
B: Yes, I found the pet store.
- T asks Ss not to look at their handout when they answer to the questions because when a
student does not know the past verb form, his or her partner will let him or her know the
past verb form.
- After pair work, T asks Ss what answers are. When T asks the answers, T put Ss name
at the end of the sentence. For example, T says, Did you buy a parrot, (Name)? It
enables all students to pay attention to Ts question and need to be ready to answer
because they do not know which Ss will be asked to answer.
- Also, in the same way with the previous practice, Ss are asked not to look at their
handout when they reply to Ts questions.
Practice 2 (20 minutes)
(Students work on Exercise 14 and 15 in the same way with Exercise 12 and 13.)
-When there are difficult verb transitions that Ss do not know, T explains them drawing
pictures on the board to help Ss understand verb form.
For example; lie lay lain / lie lied lied / lay laid laid
hang hung / hang- hanged
Warp up (3 minutes)
- T summarizes what they have learned today and asks Ss to work on irregular verb form.
- T gives extra works so that Ss can study by themselves in home.

Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

(continue on back)

Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook
What did you learn about teaching or learning from this lesson? Discuss your
observation focus, and the theory you have studied in your TESOL classes. Consider
the three levels of teacher reflection (surface, pedagogical, critical). (100-200 words)
From this observation, I learned how to design grammar class communicatively.
Grammar classes that I had taken when I was young were boring because the teacher
presented grammar rules and students were asked to practice to get used to use and
apply the rule by filling out a lot of blanks. However, this grammar class that I did
observation was not boring. Although students were asked to fill out the blank, they
worked those practices using their listening and speaking skills. Students listened to
questions from the audio. Students found out the answer by discussing their partner, and
they were asked to speak out the past verb form and were given corrections on
pronunciation right away from teacher. That is, like CLT (Communicative Language
Teaching), even though it was the grammar class, the teacher facilitated communication
in the classroom. The students were actively engaged in negotiating meaningin trying
to make themselves understoodeven when their knowledge of the target language was
incomplete (Larsen-freeman and Anderson, 2011).

What activities/techniques from this class do you want to remember for your own
teaching practice? Discuss specific ways in which you could apply the techniques and
methods you saw. Discuss your future teaching environment and your students needs
and goals. (100-200 words)
First of all, I would like to keep the technique that the teacher changed the lesson
depending on students needs and their achievements. This is because although students
learned irregular verb forms yesterday, they did not get used to utilize irregular verb
forms correctly yet. Thus, the teacher decided students needed to work on the irregular
verb more through many practices. It can happen in my future class because even though
I prepare the lesson plan, the students sometimes are difficult to keep up with my all
lesson. In the future, depending on the degree of students understanding, I will make my
lesson plan flexible.
I also want to remember the rationale that teaching grammar does not only focus
on grammar rules. When I usually thought about teaching grammar, it was focusing on
form, repetitive exercise and drills so that students could use language accurately.
However, in this class, the teacher focused on fluency as well as accuracy because the
teacher wanted students to apply what they have learned in real world. This was why the
teacher also gave corrections on pronunciation as well as grammar. Like she did, I will
also keep my eyes on fluency even though I will teach grammar in my future class.

Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook
References
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). In Techniques and principles in Language
Teaching. New York, N.Y., USA: Oxford University Press.

Last Updated: 11/10/2015 7:48 AM