Observation of mentor teacher

Date: 20/11/15
Period: 2
Subject: Year 8 English Film study.
Notes:
-Students were asked to stand behind their chairs while Mary stands at the door,
calling late comers in.
-She takes time to make sure all students are in a good spot especially making
adjustments for a student who is on a behaviour/work contract.
-Students are asked if they have their book. Mary spoke to the students who
forgot their books but was prepared for this by having photocopies of the page
they would be working from so that all students would be able to keep up.
-Mary asked some opening questions to help students engage and re-connect
with the topic. She would call on some specific students to answer if they didnt
look focused or engaged.
-Mary gradually moved them from a stage of accessing prior knowledge to
understanding new knowledge and skills. They did this by reading through the
requirements of their next assessment task as a whole class; Mary called on
students to read small sections (again, using this as an opportunity to ensure all
students were focusing) then they would briefly discuss a section of the task with
leading questions such as why should we write this? or why would the reader
want to know this?
-Students had a clear understanding of what they were required to do and the
process they could use to achieve the task.
Students were then given time to work on a small, practice film review. They
were told that they may talk a little bit while doing the task; however they were
given a 20min time limit and told that they would be discussing their answers
after that time. This ensured that students applied themselves to their task.
-Mary walked around and helped students with the task.
-She separated two students who were not working well together.
-When a student had a question, Mary would lead them to discover the answer
for themselves rather than give them the answer.
-A 5 minute time reminder was given which helped a few students re-focus.
-The concluding reflection at the end of class made sure all students were on the
right track, new what they would need to do for homework and understood the
purpose of their learning from that lesson.