Observation Learning Log (IPT) TE307 TEIP7319

The IIE Bachelor of Education in Intermediate Phase

Teaching (IPT) 3rd Year Observation Learning Log 2021
Observation is an important part of learning how to teach. As a beginner teacher, you need to be
aware that there is much of the curriculum that you cannot learn only from theory. This time in
school has been allocated to provide you an opportunity to examine best practice in real-time, and
to investigate the mechanisms that govern school management and leadership. Observation has the
dual benefit of learning from master teachers and learning about yourself. These observations
should also influence the way you plan for your Teaching Experience.

Always be open to every learning opportunity you are presented with. As a lifelong learner, this is
just the beginning of your learning journey.

How can you benefit from the practice of observation?

● You have an opportunity to observe new techniques, strategies, ideas and the use of
resources from qualified and experienced teachers.
● You operate within a professional learning community that share a common educational
vision.
● You have an opportunity to ask questions, clarify thoughts, and develop your personal
teaching identity.

Your Grade focus in each year of the degree is as follows:

Intermediate Phase Teaching

Year 1 Grade 4

Year 2 Grade 5

Year 3 Grade 6

Year 4 Grade 7

Below is a summary of tasks for your Observation Learning Log. This can be used as a checklist and
Table of Contents for your Observation Learning Log.
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Task Completed ✓

SECTION A 1 Teacher’s Action zone

TEACHING 2 Use of Board work
AND
LEARNING 3 Questioning and ‘wait time’

4 Giving Instructions

5 Evaluating written work

SECTION B 1 Attendance policies

SCHOOL 2 Organisational Structure
MANAGEM
ENT 3 Interview with a Principal or Deputy Principal
SYSTEMS

Section A (50 marks) + Section B (30 marks) = TOTAL (80 marks) Your
Observation Tasks have been divided into two sections:
Section A: Teaching and Learning

Section B: School Management Systems

Purpose:
Teaching is a complex task with nuances of techniques and styles that contribute to or diminish from
learning. Since learning takes precedence over teaching, the following Observation Tasks have been
designed to alert you to some factors that may influence the learner experience and therefore the
learning experience.

Answer each of the following questions on a separate page. Your observations must be typed and
filed according to the Task Checklist for your POE.

A. TEACHING AND LEARNING

Using observation as a developmental tool to make a further commitment to knowledge
acquisition and the migration of skills acquired to current teaching trends.

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1. TEACHER’S ACTION ZONE (10)

Task: Draw a seating plan of the classroom and enter the learner’s names next to the seats. Put a
tick against a learner's name every time he or she is addressed. When they are engaged in paired
work or group work, put a circle around the names of learners who are working together.

Sihle

Andile

Siya Tamia

Serita

Marcell

Ayanda
Ms.
Sakhile Pearl K. Moonsamy
 

Naledi


1.1. To what extent did the teacher succeed in involving all the learners in the lesson?
The teacher managed to involve all the learners throughout the lesson by asking them
questions based on the topic, letting them ask their own questions and even through a whole-
class discussion. She also tried to ask them personal questions that would link with the topic
and get them to engage better. However, some learners were still left out and not called upon.

1.2. Where was the teacher’s ‘action zone’?

The teacher was mostly situated at the front of the classroom, in front of the chalkboard and
moved about the front a lot when teaching.

1.3. How were the learners called upon to answer questions?

Each learner was called upon by their name when they raised their hands and it was their turn
to share their answer. The teacher would randomly pick learners to answer sometimes even if
they did not put their hands up, so that they could become more involved and often their
answers we correct too.

1.4. To what extent did learners feel comfortable volunteering (if they did at all)?
Most of the learners felt comfortable to raise their hands continuously to give answers and
ask questions, even if their answers were incorrect, they still continued to try and paid careful
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attention to the answer given by the teacher to help them understand better. However, there
were a few shy learners who would never raise their hands.

1.5. How will your findings influence your teaching?

I would try to include all learners in my lessons in such a way that the content is aligned to
their interests and becomes interesting so that they can all relate and therefore participate
more easily. I would also try to get the shy learners involved by engaging them in lessons by
asking them simple questions or to come up to the board and write their answers of other
learners as they are being verbalised in class. The teacher did not use group work due to
covid-19 and its protocols.

2. USE OF BOARDWORK (10)

The white/green/black/smart board is a teacher's resource. Organised board work is a basic skill
which helps learners learn and organise their own work.

Task: At two points during the lesson, copy the board's contents in the tables below

Transformations

xxxx

What is a transformation?

xxxx

A transformation takes place when we use a rule to change something by moving it

around or by making it bigger or smaller.

xxxx

Reflections

- One type of transformation is called reflection.

- When we reflect a shape, we flip the shape from one position to another.
- The shape is reflected over the mirror line to create an image.
Eg:

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xxxx

Translations
- Translation is also a type of transformation.
- When a shape is translated, it is moved to a different position without being changed
in any way.
- It is the process of sliding a shape to a new position.
Eg:

xxxx

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Rotations
- Rotation is a type of transformation.
- It is the process of turning a shape to a new position.
- The centre of rotation is the fixed point about which the shape is rotated.
Eg:

Activity

xxxx

1. Describe each of the following transformations:

a)

xxxx

b)

xxxx

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c)

xxxx

d)

2.1. What did the teacher use the board for?

The teacher used the board to explain the new mathematical terms to the learners by providing a
definition and example for each which the learners had to copy from the board. She also used the
board to present the learners with an activity which they had to copy and complete in their
workbooks.

2.2. What were the learners doing while the teacher was writing on the board?
The learners were also writing while the teacher was writing on the board because they were
copying the notes from the board as they were being written. They were also discussing with each
other what the content is about by making reference to the drawings on the board.

2.3. Discuss whether the board work added value or not to the teaching of the content?
The board work definitely added value to the teaching of the content because it helped learners to
understand the content and terminology better while also providing them with visual
representation through the example so they could see how it is actually done without becoming
confused. It is also useful since the learners can refer to these notes in the future when studying
for exams, especially the FAL learners who needed the notes and examples with drawings to grasp
content better.

2.4. How did the information assist learners to organise their own work?
The information clearly shows learners how to record notes neatly and in an orderly manner so
that it is easier to follow and read while also teaching them how to organise their work in their
books. It also teaches them study tips on how to structure their work and answers and shows
them what size the drawings should be so that they are easy to view and work with. The teacher
also uses ‘x x x x’ to indicate to learners where they should leave a line so that their work is neatly
spaced and readable.

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2.5. How will your findings influence your teaching?

I will try to make good use of the board just as my mentor teacher did because it clearly
helped cater for the different learning styles and therefore helped the learners understand the
content better through the examples and visuals. The teacher used interesting techniques as
mentioned above to get the learners to organise their work neatly so that they could use their
books to study. I noticed that the learners enjoyed taking the notes down from the board as
well because they used it as a guide when completing activities if they wanted to remember
certain aspects.

3. QUESTIONING AND ‘WAIT TIME’ (10)

An important dimension of a teacher's questioning skills is wait-time. This is the length of time the
teacher waits after posing a question and before calling on a learner to answer it, or rephrasing the
question, or directing it to another learner, or giving the answer. Task: Measure the teacher's wait-
time and fill in this table.

TEACHER’S QUESTION LENGTH OF WAIT TIME LEARNER’S RESPONSE

3.1 What does 1 minute One learner said that it is something
transformation mean? that can change into something else.
They explained that they used their
understanding of what a
‘transformer’ is from a movie that
they watched to arrive at this
answer.
3.2 What is a reflection? 1 minute The learners said that a reflection is
what you see when you look in the
mirror and another learner said that
it is a mirror image.
3.3 What is translation? 2 minutes There was no response so the
teacher had to explain that it is the
process of sliding a shape to a new
position without changing it in any
way.

3.4 Can you tell me what 48 seconds The learner responded that it is when
rotation is? we turn something.
3.5 How will your findings influence your teaching? When learners cannot remember or
do not know the answer to a
question, I would try and give them a
hint, rephrase the question in a
simpler way or even remind them of
the previous lesson so that they can

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4. GIVING INSTRUCTIONS (10)
Task: Observe the instructions the teacher gives during the lesson and complete the table. For each
skill, decide how successfully it was achieved, and write your commentary in the right-hand column
of the table. The commentary should support your thinking.
INSTRUCTION GIVING
SKILLS
Signalling start of activity
(creating a silence)
Use of simple, short
sentences. Logic and clarity
of language
Voice quality, eye-contact,
gestures, body language,
sense of humour
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try and find the answer instead of
giving them the answer right away. In
this way they will find and remember
the answer by using their cognitive
skills.
CLEAR/NOT VERY COMMENTARY
CLEAR/UNCLEAR
Clear The teacher grabs learner’s attention
by raising her voice so that she’s loud
and clear and says ‘eyes on me’ and
the students reply with ‘eyes on you’
so that she knows they are now all
focused on her, silent and then the
activity can begin.
Not very clear The teacher uses simple, short
sentences most of the time but tends
to lose the learners a little through her
language during explanations which
becomes too detailed and hard to
follow as there are mostly FAL
learners in the classroom and
therefore they struggle with English as
a language overall.
Clear The teacher’s voice is very clear and
well projected in the classroom so
that every learner can hear her
clearly. She also makes sure to face
the learners at all times when
addressing them with distinct hand
and facial gestures and body language
that adds to the understanding of
what she is saying. Furthermore, she
adds to the comfortable nature of the
classroom by making the learners
laugh and getting them to share their
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Checking understanding. Clear
Repeating instruction in a
different way
Signalling end of activity Clear
How will your findings influence your teaching?
5. EVALUATING WRITTEN WORK (10)
Task: Ask two teachers for permission to collect two learner’s exercise /work books from each of their
classes. Ideally, the learner’s exercise/work books should be of the same age and language level.
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experiences.
The teacher always asked the learners
if they understand the content, do
they have any questions or if there’s
anything they would like her to repeat
and explain again. When the learners
responded by saying that they
understand she would pick a random
learner and ask them to repeat the
instruction she gave and explain what
they have to do to test if they actually
know what is required. If she found
that they were confused by their
responses she would explain the
instruction again with an example to
guide them.
Towards the end of the activity, the
teacher gives the learners a little
reminder that they have 5 minutes left
to complete their tasks before they
move on to the next part of the
lesson. Thereafter, when the activity
time has passed the teacher again tells
the learners to put their pens downs
and says ‘eyes on me’ and the learners
respond with ‘eyes on you’ to indicate
that they have listened and are ready
to move on.
The teacher uses some interesting
techniques to grab the learner’s
attention that I would like to
implement in my classroom. However,
I would try to be more
accommodating with the use of my
language so that it is clear, has simple
diction and is easy to understand so
that the FAL learners don’t get lost
during the lesson and on instructions.
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5.1. What conclusions can you draw from the learner responses?
Both the learners were able to copy the notes from the board clearly and correctly by following
the instructions given and their work is neatly written. Learner one has answered all the activity
questions correctly with clear explanations showing their complete understand of what needed to
be done by using the correct procedures. However, learner two did not answer all the questions,
she left a question blank maybe because she did not understand it or did not know the answer and
therefore had to write the correction in pencil, but learner two also used a different answering
technique to arrive at the correct answers as opposed to learner one. It is clear that learner one
understood the content better than the other, and learner two needs more guidance.

5.2. What correction/assessment techniques did the teachers’ use?

When it was time for corrections, the teacher discussed the answers verbally with the class and
then recorded these answers on the board so that learners could copy them down as corrections.
With regards to assessment, the teacher includes an informal assessment as learning (oral
discussion and observation of learner’s in-class engagement), which is done throughout the lesson
to track the learning of the students and their participation. She also asks questions based on the
topic and at the end of the lesson as recap of the topic to test learners process of thinking when it
comes to the lesson topic (Assessment as and for learning).

5.3. Describe the quality of formative feedback.

The formative feedback given by the teacher is good. She clearly gives the learners feedback that is
motivating and personalised which is evident through the comments that she writes in her
learner’s books which indicate to them their progress and helps keep them in the write direction.
The teacher’s feedback is related to the criteria of assessment and the lesson outcomes which is
evidence in the homework activities which the teacher provides to aid them in their understanding
of the content and prepare them for tests/exams.

5.4. Compare the evaluation techniques of both teachers. Describe your findings.
Teacher 1 Teacher 2
 Uses classroom assessment techniques like  Uses classroom assessment techniques like
questions and observation of learner’s questions and observation of learner’s
responses during discussions and on responses during discussions and on
activities. activities.
 Through homework activities and tasks  Through informal tests during class time,
which is marked individually by the teacher usually at the end of the lesson.
to track students learning.
 Through informal tests during class time,
usually at the end of the lesson.
The evaluation techniques used by the teachers are quite similar when it comes to assessing the
learners progress and tracking their learning. However, one teacher goes the extra mile to set

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creative homework activities to challenge the learners and ensure that the learning continues at
home which is very beneficial, and she marks these activities and leaves comments in the learner’s
book.

5.5. How will your findings influence your teaching?

These teachers both use quite interesting and effective evaluation techniques that I would also like
to implement in my classroom and with my learners. However, I would try to use a wide variety of
assessment techniques to accommodate all my learners needs such as informal but engaging
activities, assignments, investigations, tests and exams.

B. SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

1. Attendance Policies (10)

Task: Download and read the Department of Basic Education’s Policy on Learner Attendance.
Available at:
http://us-cdn.creamermedia.co.za/assets/articles/attachments/27546_n_361.pdf Compare
this to the school’s Attendance Policy.

1.1. Explain the process followed by the school to record and monitor attendance.
The school makes use of daily registers to record and monitor the attendance of the learners.
The attendance register is an official document of the Department of Education and helps
keep track of the learner’s attendance per grade and class. This register is marked daily by the
class’s form educator, and if the teacher is absent then another staff member aids in the
marking of the register for the day. After the registers have been marked, they are usually
sent to the school’s office and administration team, who help with the recording of the
attendance onto an electronic system for security and quality data recording. This data is kept
for reference and to track the student’s attendance over a period of time to note if there are
any problems with them being present at school regularly and as stipulated by the learner
attendance policy.

1.2. Write a short paragraph on the degree of absenteeism at the school and the measures taken by
staff to address frequent absenteeism.
The degree of absenteeism at the school has been quite high over the past two years (2020
and 2021), due to the global pandemic of COVID-19 that the world has been faced with. Many
parents are afraid to send their children to school because of the COVID-19 virus which
impacts our life on the daily and prevents us from living under ‘normal’ conditions, which is
why the rate of absenteeism is especially high even though exams are around the corner. The
school has adopted several ways of encouraging learners to come to school and even to urge
parents to send their children to school as it is a very important aspect of their life and future.
The school management has sent letters and emails to parents to remind them of the
importance of education and attending school, they also encourage parents to send their
children to school and explain that all the necessary covid-19 protocols will be adhered to at
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all time in the classroom and on the school ground; that includes wearing of masks,
continuous sanitising and social distancing. The school also implements some rather extreme
measures depending on the degree of absenteeism. If a learner is absent from school for
three consecutive school days without any explanation, valid reason or notice given to the
Head of Department (HOD), the HOD concerned (senior primary phase) must report the
absence to the principal. The principal must, as soon as possible, make a reasonable effort to
contact the parent by whatever means are suitable for the circumstances of the school and of
the family concerned to address the matter. Furthermore, if despite the intervention of the
HOD, a learner persists in being absent without valid reason, then the learner must be
charged with breach of the school code of conduct for learners and the learner record in the
class register must be cancelled if the learner is absent for 10 consecutive school days
thereafter.
2. Organisational structure (10)
Task: Record and observe the different personnel within the school context who work to enable
effective teaching and learning.

2.1 With the assistance of your mentor teacher, draw an organisational chart that clearly
illustrates both the hierarchy and the positional leadership within the school structure.
2.2 Add to the organisational chart above (in 2.1) the core functions of each person that
showcases all elements of school administration outside of classroom practice.

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The Head of Department:
Mrs. S. Jairam
- in charge of the senior
primary and all its
educators
- handles the organising
management of the school, learners
- in charge of overall leadership and
Mrs. D. Pillay
- senior primary educator
- subject advisor in charge of FAL Afrikaans
- runs the school lunch drive
Mrs. V. Chetty
- senior primary educator

- subject advisor in charge of HL English

The Principal: Mr. M. A. Moideen

and handing out of 'take-

home packs' for junior - runs the school tuckshop
primary learners at home
during covid-19 Ms. K. Moonsamy
- senior primary educator
and all its staff.

- in charge of intermediate phase Maths

and Science

Mrs. S. Singh
The Deputy Principal:
Mrs. D. Muthen - junior primary educator
- in charge of the junior - subject advisor in charger of
primary and all its numeracy
educators
Mrs. M. Missola
- handles the organising
and handing out of 'take- - junior primary educator
home packs' for junior - in charge of Zulu as an additional
primary learners at language
home during covid-19 - handles the planning of fun walks
and debs ball usually pre-covid19.

2.3 What do you believe are FIVE key elements of a successful school?
I believe that there are five important aspects that create a successful school, these are;
 Quality of the leadership - students clearly perform better when there is a principal who
provides strong leadership, good skills and attitudes towards the overall running and care of
the school, its staff and the learners. When the leaders of the school are effective, they are
always visible, able to successfully convey the school’s goals and visions, collaborate with
teachers to enhance their skills, and are involved in the discovery of and solutions to
problems that will help learners and cater for their individual needs.
 Having high but achievable expectations – both the teachers and students should have high
expectations. When a teacher has high expectations of their students, it is shown that this
standard creates a positive impact on students’ performance overall, in a sense that they
achieve more. Furthermore, having high expectations of teachers need to be given more
attention. In other words, teachers who are expected to teach at high levels of effectiveness
are able to reach the level of expectations, particularly when teacher evaluations and
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teacher professional development is aimed towards improving instructional quality and the
overall teaching and learning process.
 Collaboration and communication – it is clear that through team and group work we can
achieve more than what we can accomplish by ourselves. Having a good and productive
communication system is the difference between a team that works well together and a
team that falls apart. Schools that have a teamwork mentality and good communication
measures, both within the school and as part of a greater community, tend to perform at
optimum levels with regards to learner development and the overall running of the school,
because when everyone work together and brings their ideas together to solve problems
and accommodate each other, there’s no doubt that success will knock at the door.
 A supportive teaching and learning environment – it is clear that a warm and positive
classroom environment helps improve attention, reduce anxiety, and supports emotional
and behavioural regulation of students. When educators foster a positive learning culture,
the learners are more likely to acquire higher motivation that leads to wonderful and
optimal learning outcomes, which will ultimately be seen in the learner’s development and
achievement overall as they will also become more inclined to participating in lessons and on
activities.
 Effective family and community engagement – it is understood that successful schools
effectively engage families and communities in support of students. In doing so, they identify
barriers to such engagement and find various ways to overcome them. Their efforts to build
authentic connections to families are focused on a belief that every parent wants the best
for their child and their education and, when provided with the right invitations,
accommodations and opportunities, they can help their child, and all children, be successful.

3. Interview with a Principal or Deputy Principal (10)

Task: Make an appointment with the school principal or deputy principal for an interview. Present a
ONE-page report which encapsulates the answers to the following questions:

3.1 How would you describe the ethos of the school?

3.2 Tell me something that makes you proud to lead this school.
3.3 What is the greatest challenge facing school leadership at the present?
3.4 Do you feel that the education of our children is supported well by the community and other
stakeholders?
3.5 If you could wish for one thing in your school, what would that be?

Interview with the Head of Department:

The Head of Department of Clayhaven Primary school believes that with regards to the
ethos of the school, the needs of their learners are always top priority as they are what
make the school, give it its name and upholds its values. They believe strongly in discipline
as this is what helps shape the children and build the foundation of the school and its aims,

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but of course all discipline is done within boundaries and as seen fitting to ensure that
learners acquire the acceptable behaviour, have respect, show good morals and values.
Additionally, the main aim of Clayhaven primary is to make sure that learners are given the
best opportunity as possible to reach their goals which is only possible with the staff of the
school. It is clear that the educators are very dedicated to their work and do not fail to put
in their maximum effort to ensure that their learners receive an education that is of quality
and high standard, which is evident in the amount of time and effort they put into all their
lesson preparation.

The HOD, Mrs Jairam states that she feels very proud to be a part of the leadership or the
school and its management. She expresses that Clayhaven Primary is the type of school
where one is given the room for improvement and can learnt a lot by just being present on
the school’s grounds as it strives to motivate you and involves you in all ways and does not
stagnate you. She expresses from a personal experience that the school is one which gives
both its learners and teachers the opportunity to grow, become faced with experiences that
they can learn from and allows them to under introspection on all levels.

It is clear that the most challenging thing that the school is faced with at present would be
the unfortunate global pandemic of COVID-19 which affects many if not all schools,
especially Clayhaven being an under-resourced school unable to continue with learning
online. The HOD expresses that learner absenteeism is a big issue that the school is facing as
parents are afraid to send their children to school and therefore learners are missing out on
a lot of work and are basically being robbed of their education. Furthermore, it has become
an effort for teachers to perform quality and accurate evaluations of learner’s progress and
achievement due to their lack of presence at school. Additionally, teaching with masks
makes it very difficult for learners, especially FAL learners, to follow through and keep up
with what is being taught and therefore it becomes an added effort to teach a whole class
effectively. With that being said, the school is also very limited with regards to resources
which also stumbles them and the teaching and learning process, however, they try to give
the learners the best education.

Mrs Jairam believes that Clayhaven Primary is indeed well-supported by the community and
other stakeholders which is why the children are still able to receive a good education and
succeed. It is understood that many of the learners attending the school live in surrounding
areas and often come from a low socioeconomic background, however, there are many
sponsorships with regards to food and stationery that is provided to the school which the
learners benefit from greatly as it not only helps them at school but also at home. In other
words, the community does its best to aids those in need where seen necessary and if
possible.

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It is clear that the most important thing that the school needs is a better infrastructure,
learning environment and resources, and this is a vision that the HOD shares as well. The
HOD of Clayhaven Primary school believes that their classrooms are quite outdated and not
very conducive to learning at the moment nor is it very sightly. Therefore, she believes that
the classrooms need new and proper desks so that the learners are comfortable and can
write better during lessons. The school also does not have any science products to engage
learners in hands on learning and the teachers bring what they can from home to help make
the teaching and learning process run more smoothly. Even though Clayhaven is so limited
with its resources, the little that they have manages to serve its purpose. However, some
little renovations would definitely help for a more conducive teaching and learning
environment

NOTE: Please refer to TE309 Marking Rubrics for the Observation Learning Log rubric.

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MY SCHEDULE OF TASKS FOR TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Observation Observation Lesson Lesson Lesson

Classroom Classroom Observation Observation Observation:
Record Record
Management Management Natural
Sciences and
Technology
TEACHING EXPERIENCE ACTIVITIES

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Lesson Lesson for Lesson Lesson 2: Lesson

IIE Observation: Observation
Observation: Mathematics
supervisor: Record:
FAL
English HL
Natural Afrikaans
Sciences Natural
and Sciences and
Technology Technology

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Lesson 3: Write Write Lesson 4: Write teaching

reflections reflections philosophy
Natural English
for TE weeks
Sciences
and
Technology

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