Classroom Observation Protocol

Fermilab (modified)

Pre-Observation Data:

Date:

Teacher:

School:

Course:

Grade/Level:

Observer:

Program:

1. Topic(s) covered:

2. Purpose (objectives):

3. Intended outcomes:

4. Materials used:

5. How students will be assessed:

Classroom Observational Data:

1. Description of the classroom:

2. Teaching aids/materials used:

3. Assessment strategies used:

Classroom Activities Data:

1. Introduction to lesson (invitation to learn; explains activity; explains relation to previous lessons;
assesses students’ prior knowledge:

Time Stamp What is the instructor doing? What are the students doing?
Student Data:

1. Number of students (gender distribution? Ethnic distribution?):

2. Describe the content of the student’s notebook for the class:

3. What percentage of students were on/off task most of the time?

4. What percentage of students were interaction with each other around content? What percentage of
students were interacting with each other around non-academic or procedural issues?

5. What percentage of students were actively participating in discussions or activities?

6. What percentage of students demonstrated enthusiasm about the subject or activity?

Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning Data – Part 1:

1. What percentage of students seemed to work around developing and revising hypotheses? What
percentage of students were looking for the correct answer?

2. What was the engagement level of the students during the activity?

3. What percentage of students sought information to complete the assigned work? What percentage
of students sought clarification for conceptual understanding?

4. What was the role of the teacher? Rate them on a scale from SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE to
FACILITATOR.

5. Was the activity more algorithmic or more heuristic?

6. Was the content emphasis more abstract or more applicable and connected to the real-world?

7. Did the instructor mostly ask closed questions or open-ended questions?

Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning Data – Part 2:

8. What was the confidence level of the students during the activity?

9. Did the instructor seek more facts or did the instructor seek student understanding in questioning?

10. Did the students use evidence to support their claims in discussion or presentation?

11. Who talked more: the students or the instructor?

12. Did the students talk more to the instructor or to other students?

13. Did the instructor provide reasoning or did the instructor help students reason through the thinking
processes?

14. Was there only ONE answer to the activity, or could student come up with multiple solutions?
Reflections and Interpretations:

1. Overall, what happened during the classroom observation?

2. What didn’t happen during the observation (e.g. the students didn’t grasp the lesson)?

3. Alternative ways instructor might have handled the lesson/question/situation:

4. Characterization of students and their attitudes toward the subject matter, instructor, and activity:

5. Notable non-verbal behavior:

6. Surprises or concerns related to the goals of the classroom: