What to observe in a classroom?

• Classroom climate

·         - Routines, procedures: are they clear and useful?

·        -  Student behavior, commitment

·        -  Autonomy of the students in their work (Are they able to work alone or do they need constant monitoring?)

• Preparation

·        -  Lesson plan (Is it really used?)

·        -  Material (Is it ready at the beginning of the lesson?)

·         - Anticipation of possible problems and questions

·         - Clear learning objectives

• Use of teaching material

·        -  Traditional (whiteboard, textbooks)

·         - ICT

·         - Library, research material

·         - Lab

·         - Use of extra material (beyond the textbook)

• Content

·         - Logic and clarity

·         - Relevance to the curriculum

·         - Good examples

·         - Accuracy (definitions, notations…)

• Monitoring

·        -  Does the teacher check student comprehension?

·        -  Scaffolding and feedback

·        -  Reactiveness

·        -  Can the teacher observe his students?

• Attitude

·         - Professionalism (politeness, outfit…)

·         - Body language

·         - Voice control

• Teaching strategies (any teaching strategy is acceptable, if it fulfils its objectives)

·         - Variety of teaching strategies

·         - Relevance

·         - Enough practice and theory