An Authentic Classroom Observation

Classroom observation is an essential tool to help a researcher who will become a teacher in the future to understand the educational environment realistically and directly. The aim is to observe the classroom, teaching strategies, and teacher-student interactions. This observation is a requirement in ''Second language acquisition'' subject. It has been done by observing grade 2.

Here is the observation report:

Observation focus: The teaching strategies that the teacher used during the lesson.

Observer: Aishah Hasan

Date: 27 April 2025.

Class level: grade 2.

Lesson duration: 50 minutes.

Number of students: 30.

Book: We can! 2, KSA edition.

Lesson topic: Unit 2 - My Things - Rhythms and listening.

Language used: Arabic, which is the native language for students. English is used for simple commands and for the lesson's vocabulary.

Lesson procedures:

1. The teacher started reading the words and wrote it on the board.

2. She brought authentic samples of the words. She brought pens, pencils, paper, glue, scissors, erasers, and candy.

3. She started pointing out the things and pronouncing the words with their translation in Arabic.

4. She played an audio for the words.

5. She made students repeat out loud after the record and point to the things.

6. She used the TPR strategy to make students move and have a fun learning process. She chose two students each time to point to different things.

7. In sounds and letters activity, she clarified the sound differences, vocabulary meaning, and matched it with the pictures.

8. In borrowing things relay activity, she told them they have to be polite when dealing with people, not only in the classroom, but also outside.

9. She explained the phrases with their meanings in Arabic, then used TPR again to act out the activity. She asked them to use any of the words that they had just learned.

10. She asked them to open the workbook to do the exercises. They used the same strategy when repeating the words after the audio.

11. In the next activity, she asked them to listen to her and fill in the blanks with the missing words.

12. As an assessment, she gave them ''Listen and practice. Write.'' as homework. She told them to do it at home by themselves.

Initially, the students were nervous about having a new person around, but they got used to me easily. Also, I noticed the teacher used many strategies to motivate learners and keep them concentrated. TPR is a strategy for doing the activity while moving for students who prefer learning while moving. Differentiated instructions played a crucial role in this lesson. She played the audio not only to improve their pronunciation, but also for students who prefer audio materials. She brought sensory samples for students who prefer touchy things.

In conclusion, I have experienced new things in this observation. It made me realise how the actual classroom works and how the teacher deals with students' different personalities and needs.