Classroom Observation Criteria

Communication with students

I chose this criterion because teachers communicate with students for several independent, but related, purposes: they convey that teaching and learning are purposeful activities; they make that purpose clear to students, and they provide clear directions for classroom activities so that students know what to do; when additional help is appropriate, teachers model these activities. ---One example of a good classroom practise is: In the course of a presentation of content, the teacher asks students, “Can anyone think of an example of that?”

2. Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques

I chose this criterion because it is important that questioning and discussion be used as techniques to deepen student understanding rather than serve as recitation, or a verbal “quiz” and because high-quality questions encourage students to make connections among concepts or events previously believed to be unrelated and to arrive at new understandings of complex material.---One example of a good classroom practise is: The teacher poses a question, asking every student to write a brief response and then share it with a partner, before inviting a few to offer their ideas to the entire

3. Sound design

I chose this criteron because classroom assessment practices are more effective when careful attention is given to the structure and format of the assessment and because a variety of classroom assessment designs will provide a much better picture of students’ learning. ---For example: When presenting classroom assessments in an oral form (e.g., class questioning), the teacher considers: complexity of word choice, volume level of voice, or complexity of questions and directions (e.g., multi-step tasks)

4. Effective