Graduate Teaching Internship – Term 1 Prompts and Questions
to develop understanding of teachers’ strategies in the classroom
When working within a classroom or observing teachers, GTIs can use the following prompts to focus their thinking on the strategies used to promote engagement and pupil learning.
Prompts and Questions / Your observations, thoughts and reflectionsLesson structure
- How does the teacher start the lesson?
- Did the lesson link to previous learning? How do you know?
- What is the success criteria and/or lesson objectives?
- What type of activity was used to start the lesson and engage the pupils/students?
- How did the teacher ‘chunk’ the lesson – breaking up teaching and independent work by feedback and review of learning?
- How did the lesson finish?
Teaching and learning
- Look at the different learning episodes in the lesson-
- How much time is spent on teacher talk/pupil work? (Teacher is the facilitator of learning)
- Look at the way the teacher explains the different sections of the lesson
- Were there opportunities for the pupils to work in different ways? ( For example: independent work, pair work, group work.- l learning styles- activities /tasks )
Subject knowledge
- How does the teacher or the lesson focus on the key concepts, language and skills relevant to the subject area.
- As an intern how would you ensure the secure and accurate subject knowledge which supports confident teaching?
- Where does the lesson fit into the national curriculum/school curriculum long term planning?
- How does the planning reflect a clear understanding of what needs to be learnt and how pupils’ knowledge and understanding will be developed systematically?
- How to the resources support the learning for individuals and groups?
- How is technology used to enhance the learning in the subject?
- How does the teacher’s personality and body language display an enthusiasm for the subject with appropriate expectations and commitment?
End of lesson
- How does the teacher end the lesson?
- How does the teacher organise the lesson end and the leaving of the room?
Summary
Key ideas and approaches that promoted learningThings to look out for next time and/or to discuss with teachers