TESOL Observation Field Notes

Class Observation #____

Teacher

__Sarah_Hynes___________

Date/Time_____2.1.2016___________

Class

____ENG107_______________

Location______Coor L1-34____________

Effective Principles of Observation:

Wipe away preconceived notions before starting your observations.

Collect observations under different circumstances and from varied perspectives.

Take thorough notes, including quotes and details about the setting and atmosphere, and collect
important class documents.

Engage in active listening using a detached observer approach.

Keep systematic track of observations that surprise you or contradict your prior beliefs.

Pre-Class Notes (e.g., what are the teachers goals for the lesson? what are the demographics [e.g., student population,
class size, proficiency level] of the class?)

Asked student to find the third resources, compare with WAC 107 class, what the different with that class. Asked
student how to understand the how to find the fact( About homeless people).

Description/Observation of the class

Reflection on/Interpretation of the class

1. Find this question correct or right(students become to

free groups 2-3 peoples)(This question is pick some
student homework resources questions): The National
Alliance to End homelessness did a research study and
found that the number of homeless people on one night
in America in 2015 was 578,424.

She is really good at manage the class time, she

controlled each discussion time very well.

(i.e., what is happening?)

-She walked around into the groups and asked students

what do they think about the opinions is this questions
correct or not. She discuss with students. Most student
are searching this question online and find more results.
2. Other considerations(analysis the resources)z:
1. Are there any issue with the research?
2. So you can acknowledge a number that seems
to go against your argument, but continue to
state your opinion anyways, maybe from
different angle. For example, the homeless
total might only number. 18%of the total
population but neverlessness in the society.
3. You get t o decide how you will frame your
data.
Example: the number of homeless is greater
than the population of Las Vegas
OR

(i.e., what does it mean?)

During the discussion time she always walk around in

the classroom, if the time is enough she will walk
around into the whole class and asked all the groups
what do they think, if the time dont enough she will
pick the groups has big population and go to ask them
what do they think about the questions.
Her teaching was so great, in her class example is not
from the randomly place, she pick some students
research resources and questions to become an
examples to show the whole class students. She always
did everything was step by step and she always write
down everything let students can see more directly and
easier.
She was training student how to find the correct
resources and how to use those resources to find out is
this questions a strong argument or not? (no matter
which discussion she always walk around in the
classroom and hear students opinions and discuss with
the students) The most important part she did very well,
during she asking students questions, if she realize
student are missing understand the questions she will
give students some information and she will help the
students get into the right directions and help them to
find the answers. Sometimes if necessaries she will give
students more questions and help students to find out
the answers.

The number of homeless is less than one

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person per 550.

She is using the resources and show students about the
data and show how to make and using the data.

2. Separate questions A/B to each different

groups( give two questions to randomly groups)
(Students work with partners( small or bigger
group) to find the problem the reason)
Teacher asking:(Is this questions a strong
argument?)
A.
Claim: Preventing citizens from having guns will not
solve the problem of mass violence.
Reason: People can kill other people using means other
than guns.
Evidence: For example, a guy at a Chinese university
killed his roommate with poison from the lab. (From
your research)

B.
Claim: Capital punishment should be abolished.
Reason: A problem with capital punishment is
sometimes a government can kill an innocent person.
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Evidence: For example, the state of Texas wrongly

convicted a guy for killing his kids in a fire which, it was
later discovered, he did not start.

She walk around the whole class, she listened each

groups their opinions and help them find out the
answers. Some of the students are miss understanding
the questions she helped them lead them to the correct
questions.
Finally she discussed those issues in the whole class.

Post-Class Notes (e.g., are there follow-up questions for the teacher? does anything need to be clarified?)
Class notes 2-1

3. Audience-awareness in introducing your research results

4. Logical errors/weaknesses
Big or small:
The National Alliance to End homelessness did a research study and found that the number of homeless people on
one night in America in 2015 was 578,424.
Small number:

U.S. population 320 million(318.9 million)

Percentage of people who are homeless is (578,424/320,000,000)x 100+.18%<2% of the population

Other considerations:
1. Are there any issue with the research?
2. So you can acknowledge a number that seems to go against your argument, but continue to state your
opinion anyways, maybe from different angle. For example, the homeless total might only number. 18%of
the total population but neverlessness in the society.
3. You get t o decide how you will frame your data.
Example: the number of homeless is greater than the population of Las Vegas
OR
The number of homeless is less than one person per 550.

Research question: is the number of homeless in the U.S. decreasing or increasing?

Number can most directly reflect the change of the situation. National Alliance to End Homeless, which is a most
authoritative website about American homelessness, did a research about the number of the homelessness in U.S. on
April 1, 2015. They found that On a single night in January 2014, 578,424 people were experiencing homelessness
meaning they were sleeping outside or in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program. From 2013 to 2014, a
period of ongoing recovery from the Great Recession, overall homelessness decreased by 2.3 percent and homelessness
decreased among every major subpopulation: unsheltered persons (10 percent), families (2.7 percent), chronically
homeless individuals (2.5 percent), and veterans (10.5 percent). It seems like 578,424 is a big number. However, China
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have almost 1,000,000 homeless people. So it is just about people in China. It seems good because this number was
decreased by 2.3 percent. There could be several reasons for this result.
1A. As a reader, what parts of this paragraph are the easiest to understand? What are the most difficult? Why?
1B. How could you revise this paragraph to make the data easier to understand?
Logical Errors Activity

Here are some claims along with a supporting reason and/or evidence. Each of the claims has a weakness in its
logic or its evidence. With a partner:

1. Explain what the flaw is

2. Explain how you could rewrite the claim or conduct more research to fix the flaw.
A.
Claim: Preventing citizens from having guns will not solve the problem of mass violence.
Reason: People can kill other people using means other than guns.
Evidence: For example, a guy at a Chinese university killed his roommate with poison from the lab. (From your
research)

B.
Claim: Capital punishment should be abolished.
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Reason: A problem with capital punishment is sometimes a government can kill an innocent person.
Evidence: For example, the state of Texas wrongly convicted a guy for killing his kids in a fire which, it was later
discovered, he did not start.

For Wednesday homework:

1. Find your third secondary source.

2. In Digication, Step 8, answer the five questions (same as before about your source)
3. Keep a research log. You can keep it on your own computer or Google Drive. I will require you to turn it in
with the Reflection.
Following questions:
For all the data and all the information the students learned into the class, how can we make sure the students
are getting in the correct information and make sure their homework are doing correct?