Observation and reporting

Choose a partner so that you can visit each others class once during the next week (for a full period). These observations are not intended as an evaluation. They are to help both the observer and the observee develop teaching skills. For the next ten minutes try to decide what aspects of the class your partner should particularly concentrate on when visiting your class (and vice versa). Some possibilitities are:

• Contact with class (eye contact, volume, clarity of writing, responsiveness to students)
• Clear organization of appropriate material
• Extent of student involvement (Partner could try to chart how many students were involved.)
• Problems with language
• Are students working successfully in groups?
• Specific mathematical examples that others could use.

After the observations, and before class on next Tuesday you should meet with your partner and discuss your reactions. Next week some of you will be asked to report on your observation and especially on what you learned observing another ta that you can use in your own classes. These reports should contain only positive comments. Discuss problems privately with your partner.