Evaluative Observation 2014

MELP Evaluative Teaching Observation Report
Instructor Crystal Rose Date 10/15/14
Observer (left blank for privacy) Time 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
1. Clear student learning outcomes aligned with MELP curriculum
I thought Crystal did a nice job with the SLOs that were targeted in the lesson. The
SLOs were taken from the Level 1 OS objectives, so these were definitely aligned with the
MELP curriculum.
Before the semester began, Crystal had prepared a chart showing the SLOs to be done
in ESL 130 this semester (coordinating MELP SLOs with learning objectives from the textbook
materials), so it was fairly easy to see how these SLOs fit into the semester’s plan and how they
were connected to previous and future lessons.
The SLOs observed were these:
 Use basic phrases with accuracy to agree and disagree politely.
 Identify topic, main idea and details of short, presentations, reports, interviews, and
conversations; demonstrate comprehension by answering simple questions.
 Apply language skills and communication strategies in interactional contexts.
2. Choice of tasks, activities or materials
The day’s activities were put in an agenda on the board so students could see what was
going to happen. Activities targeted language and skills at the students’ proficiency level and
Crystal presented the content at an appropriate level for the students to comprehend. In
addition, her directions were clear and students seemed to follow them easily. I was impressed
with how hard-working and cooperative the students were (especially compared to MY class
with most of the same students….).
Students first worked in inside circle/outside circle pairs/groups with a warm-up activity
based on this prompt: “What do you do to practice speaking and listening outside of class?
Describe what you do. Why do you think it is useful?” Students had the opportunity to present
their ideas and to agree or disagree with what other students said. It was also a good, practical
way for them to learn some new ideas from their classmates that they can try in the future.
Crystal’s use of music prompts effectively signaled to students that it was time to move on to a
new partner.
Students then reviewed their comprehension of a listening done in the previous class.
The worksheet prompted them to demonstrate their comprehension (and memory) of the
listening. Using the transcript from the listening, they answered questions about what they had
listened to, what the topic was, what some of the caller’s opinions were, and whether or not they
agreed or disagreed with the opinions. This also involved summarizing what the callers said.
Students gave a brief summary and Crystal wrote this info on their board.
Updated 9/2014

3. Achievement of learning outcomes
Informal assessment of the learning outcomes was done by Crystal listening to the
groups and getting feedback from them. Other assessment will take place in the listening unit
test after this unit is finished. Students do recordings in lab for assessment and there are other
informal assessments by commenting on students’ uses of the targeted structures.
4. Special Areas of Focus for Teaching
One of the effective teaching descriptors I was asked to observe was related to whether
in-class activities, tasks, or materials supported the achievement of the learning outcomes, and I
feel they did. I believe Crystal achieved this goal. As noted elsewhere, her lesson was well
planned and activities flowed well. The organization of the lesson content was clear. She
encouraged and got effective student input. I felt this was a successful lesson and successful
learning experience for the students.
5. Summary of Strengths and Areas for Development
I think Crystal has a good handle on MELP’s curriculum with regards to using and
implementing the student learning outcomes. Crystal has done a good job of planning and
managing the class in accordance with the MELP student learning outcomes. She has good
organizational skills and activities seemed to flow from one to another easily, with minimal time
used in students transitioning from one activity to another. Students seemed familiar with
classroom routines for inside-outside circles.
Instructor
What did you learn through this observation?
One thing I learned through this observation is to appreciate the level of motivation and
participation that happens in our class. The students are always very eager to participate, and it
makes lessons go smoothly for the most part. I also learned that I’d like to be more forthcoming
about which learning objectives we are focusing on with students. I’ve always used an “agenda”
on the board to sort of show what we will work on during each class, but I haven’t always made
the learning outcomes obvious to the students during the lessons. Since the observation, I’ve
tried writing the target learning outcomes on the board during each activity so students can
hopefully see the purpose of each activity. While the students are largely motivated to do well
and participate in class, making the outcomes clear to everyone could help the students who
might feel that what we are doing is “too easy” or not necessarily worth their time.
This lesson was a partial review of the signal phrases used to conclude, and I think I realized
how valuable it is to make connections to the language we use in class with the assessments or
assignments that I ask students to do. For example, we did this lesson about signal phrases to
summarize, and I later asked the students to use these phrases to summarize small group
discussions and they used similar phrases in their group presentations later that week. It was
great to see that all groups used some kind of signal phrase, and one group used “to wrap up”
which was used in the listening activity that we did in class.
Updated 9/2014

Instructor comments:
I think it’s important to keep in mind how I’m going to assess the learning outcomes we address
in class activities. While I largely use the textbook listening assessments (modified), I think I
could do a better job of (1) making the outcomes obvious to students during class time and (2)
integrating these outcomes clearly in the listening and speaking assessments. I think the
process could just be more straightforward to students. I think by bringing students in on the
learning outcomes early and reinforcing the purpose of activities during class by revisiting these
outcomes I can address both of the observer’s questions. The assessments (both formal and
informal) will more clearly address the target outcomes and allow me to judge whether students
have met the requirements. Through this process, the assessments will be guided by the
learning outcomes, not the content we cover in class, which is ultimately my goal for this course.
In previous terms I have done learning outcome activities in class where students consider the
outcomes and sort of evaluate themselves on whether or not they feel they have practiced these
skills and improved in these areas. It might be useful to do something like this during the last
few weeks of class to help students see their progress and give them a greater sense of
ownership over their learning.
Observer’s signature
Date
Instructor’s signature Date
Observers please complete and submit observation reports by ___________________.
Updated 9/2014

Evaluative Observation 2014

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