TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook
Observation Notebook Feedback Form
Goal: Increased awareness of varied teaching practices gained through reflective observation of
teaching

Reader comments on each report

1. Both of your reflections were especially effective because you were able
to connect what you observed with specific teaching strategies that you
had learned in your course work, e.g. Helgesen & Brown, LarsenFreeman & Anderson.
2. Your reflection of how what you observed can be used in your future
teaching was on target in terms of the importance of teaching
grammatical skills in a communicative context and understanding that
students will need considerable reinforcement before they achieve
mastery of the target structure.
3. In your second reflection, you recognized that the instructor guided the
students in developing their speeches so that both their fluency and the
grammatical and lexical complexity of their statements increased. Being
able to do that well is a sign of very good instructional practice.
4. Both of your reflections showed insights into the use of authentic
language to promote communication. First, TBLT is an excellent
pathway to enable students to work with authentic language. You also
recognized how the internet can provide students with authentic
examples language use once you return to Korea.
5. Both of your reflections were especially effective because you were able
to make the connection between theories you had studied, e.g. recasts
for error correction, kinesthetic reinforcement, and their actual use in the
classroom.
6. I liked your suggestion in your second reflection that students should
close their eyes and just listen to the sound. Since one cannot produce
a sound until one can hear it, utilizing techniques to facilitate that
process would be a very good strategy.
7. In this particular observation, I liked the way that you developed a
comparison to the way that you were taught grammar and this
instructors use of an inductive approach. Using that approach requires
students to be much more engaged in the lesson.
8. It is good that you recognize that the students ability to apply strategies
like guessing the meaning from context must be developed over the
course of an entire class and not just a lesson topic. As you plan your
teaching activities, think about how you can build this process into your
syllabus.
9. I agree with you that having the students summarize what they
remember from the essay without seeing it in front of them is a very
good way to help them avoid plagiarism. It is also an excellent way to
promote students concentration when doing academic reading.
10. Your reflections identify a very important strategy that you can use to
provide your students with authentic materialshave them do internet
research. As you note, most of your future students will not have been
to the U.S., so being able to provide them with a clear image of what a
particular context looks like is an excellent way to promote learning.

Score / 10
9.5

8.5

8.5

8.5

9.5

8.5

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Observation Notebook Grade Form

Required: 10 observation reports that evidence effort and increase in awareness / understanding
of the teaching process.
Student: ___Hyeonseong Shin (Daniel)_____________________
Date of completion: ________________

Exceptional - A

Above Average - B
Average - C
Below Average - D
Fail - F
Please see the Observation Rubric for an explanation of each level.
Comments:

Daniel: I really impressed by how comprehensive your Observation Notebook is. By

keeping such detailed records of the artifacts that were used in each class you were
much better able to reconstruct what took place.
Your reflections offer some very insightful ideas about why and how the teachers you
observed conducted the lessons in the manner they did. Being able to reflect on ones
teaching is an essential step in developing professionally and your work here suggests
that you are well on your way to doing that. Well done

Evaluator Name: ____Bill Baker______________________________

Date: _____August 13, 2015___________________