Physical Education Contextual Factors Observation Assignment

Description of Assignment: Your job is to closely observe the class and critique what you are seeing and hearing. To critique means go over, review, or analyze. Note, however, that critique is widely accepted as a noun in a neutral context; for example, “The committee gave the report a thorough critique and found it both informed and intelligent.” Used in this way, critique means a pointing out of strengths and weaknesses, not just the “negative” aspects and then analyzing (e.g., Why? How? Etc…) rather than just describing them.

Purpose of Assignment: The purpose of this assignment is for the student observe variables that contribute to what you know to be best practice (or not). More specifically, the student should observe and critique the following behaviors: a) Teacher Managerial Tasks; b) Teacher Instructional Tasks; c) Classroom Atmosphere; and d) Student skill or (apparent) fitness levels.

You should include the following information in your observation report:

Introduction

nature/focus of the lesson: 4 circuit Station (Short jump rope, Sit and reach Fitnessgram assessment, body weight and height, Rock Climbing wall)
School, teacher(s) name(s), grade level, number of students, location of lesson, date and time observed. 4^th Graders, 20 students,45 minute class period

Teacher Managerial Tasks

What kinds of rules and routines does the teacher have in place that you can notice?
Were the rules and consequences visible?
Were the rules and routines well established? Were students held accountable?
How much time was spent managing versus instructing versus student activity time?
What do you notice about the behavior of the children? What are some contributing factors?
Describe a few the managerial tasks to keep students engaged. For example, was the space organized in a safe manner? Were transitions between tasks effective?
What is one managerial task the teacher implemented well?
What is one managerial task that may need more attention?
What managerial tasks do you think you need to focus on most for effective teaching?

Teacher Instructional Tasks

What activities are they performing? Why? Are they developmentally appropriate based on what you can see?
What kind of feedback is the teacher providing and how frequently?
Does the teacher provide students with opportunities to respond?
How much time was spent instructing versus management versus student activity time?
What do you notice about the behavior of the children? What are some contributing factors?
What is one instructional task this teacher performs well?
What areas may need some attention?
Which areas will you most likely need more attention from you?

Classroom Environment & Atmosphere

What do you notice about the environment (physical and otherwise)? Describe the classroom/gymnasium/outside area in detail. How does it contribute to the atmosphere in the class?
What was the demeanor of the teacher(s) like and how did it contribute to the class environment?
What do you notice about the behavior of the children? What are some contributing factors?

Student Skill and Apparent Fitness Levels

What are the fitness levels of the students (from your observation only)?
At what skill-proficiency level are the majority of the students? Are there any that are in differing levels, if so, what levels? How do you know? Describe what you see.
What do you notice about the behavior of the children? What are some contributing factors?

Conclusion

What did you see actively taking place in the lesson that we have talked about in our class/gym? What Appropriate Practices did you observe (be specific)? Which ones did you not see? What was the level of activity time in the class you watched? How did you determine this?
Approximately how many chances to practice and be physically active did the students get? What you liked as a team about the class, What you disliked as a team about the class, 3-4 things that could have improved the lesson, 3-4 things you saw you will use in your classroom teaching, How did the teacher assess student learning? Other areas your team feels important to mention