Observation Task 5: Different learning styles and

differentiation
Focus: On a lower-level learner
Objective: For student teachers to gain an initial understanding of how learners are different.
Procedure:
1. For this observation, you will begin by observing the class for 1 hour.
• What do you notice? Does the class have any strengths or weaknesses?
• Are there learners who finish activities quickly? What do they do when they
have finished?
• Are there learners who do not finish a task(s)? How does the teacher deal with
them?
• Are there any learners with special needs? How does the teacher meet their
needs?
• How does the teacher manage learners with different levels/abilities?
2. When you have made your notes, ask the teacher to help you choose a lower-level
learner in the class.
3. Observe the learners for the rest of the day and make notes on a schedule (see below).
4. After the observation answer:
• How many different activities did the learner do?
• How did s/he interact with the other learners throughout the day?
• What was the longest period of time the learner spent focusing on one activity?
• What did the learner do during the break times?
• What did the learner’s attention span / interest during activities seem like?
• What did the learner seem to like doing the most / least during the day?

Here is an example of notes from observation of lower-level child:

Time Activity (what is the Notes (what happens during the activity?)
learner doing?)
9.30 Teacher gives out a Alya is working on the activity but is asking her
reading activity to do in friend for the answers. She is finding it difficult…..
groups.
9.50 Teacher plays a game Alya is joining in with her friends and is playing the
with the whole class. game.
Observation Task 5: Record sheet- A day in the life of a lower level learner
Follow a learner for a day and write down the activities and movements in the table below.
Name: Mohammed Age: 3 and half years Level: Nursery
Brief description:

Date of observation: 27/ 10 / 2018

Time Activity / Notes / comments
Movement

8:30 Ms. Alia asked

them to line up Mohammed was playing around
to go to the class

It was a free
9:00 playing time and
Miss Alia asked
them to play Mohammed was screaming in the class
with any toy
they want

Ms Alia sang a
song which says Mohammed didn’t sing, and he was playing with the
10:00 “everybody pack kitchen set
away so we can
set on the carpet

Ms Alia sat on
10:15 the carpet and
she had 70 flags
of UAE and she Mohammed was not able to count any flag
asked them to
count with her

Reflection
The following question may guide your response:
 What have you noticed about learners from this observation?
 What did you notice that relates to the theories we have been discussing?
 What interested or surprised you?