How To Pass a Teaching Observation (Follow These 8 Steps)

A classroom observation – one of the most stressful moments for any teacher. Having another adult (often a supervisor) analyze your every move while trying to do your job can certainly feel overwhelming. But an observation should be seen more as an opportunity to impress and portray yourself as a capable educator. So, how do you successfully pass your teaching observation?

To pass a teaching observation, you should create a comprehensive lesson plan and familiarize yourself with the material. During the observation, focus on the students, not the observer, and remain calm. Lastly, opt for tried and tested activities and strategies rather than new and ambitious practices.

Passing an observation class isn’t up to luck or fate, but good preparation before the class, focusing on important things during the observation, and taking your feedback in a constructive way. Continue reading to learn how to manage this and pass the observation.

We already discussed why teachers get observed in the first place and what happens during an observation. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out these related articles.

Here’s how you can pass a teaching observation:

Table of Contents

1. Write a Good Lesson Plan

It takes some time for new teachers to learn how to write comprehensive lesson plans with only essential information. Although writing lesson plans can take hours, they’re the foundation everything is built on.

Therefore, you should always spend extra time and energy, especially before an observation, to devise a lesson plan that has a natural flow between different activities. Your lesson plan should include the following:

Clear learning outcomes and success criteria
List of resources you’ll need

Description of each activity and their duration
How you aim to meet the needs of every child (differentiation)

During your observation, you should stick to the lesson plan as much as possible. Of course, something unplanned always pops up, and observers will pay close attention to how you behave in those situations. But for the most part, you should be able to carry out your intentions stated in the lesson plan – provided that your lesson plan is well thought out.

Here’s a great YouTube video showing how to write a comprehensive lesson plan with all the essential components:

2. Prepare and Then Prepare Some More

Linked to the first point of writing a good lesson plan, I can’t stress enough how important it is to prepare. It’s one thing to think of the perfect activity your students would love, but it’s another to spend some time thinking about its practicality.

We can think of classroom observations in the same light as college exams: you wouldn’t expect to enter the examination hall without preparation beforehand.

Therefore, you should dedicate some time reviewing your lesson, which will include the following:

Gathering and printing resources
Checking IT equipment

(Re)arranging the classroom if necessary

Something else to keep in mind is the state of the exercise books. Observers will often use the opportunity to flick through and scrutinize the work in students’ books, so make sure that your marking and grading are up to date. This also applies to your display boards. It might be worth updating and revamping your current display boards before your classroom observation.

Also, if you plan on doing an activity that uses technology, you’ll need to find out in advance if your students know how to use devices and programs or if you’ll need to spend extra time setting everything up for individual students.

There’s a fine line between preparing for a class and memorizing every step by heart – and you don’t want that. Many new elementary school teachers do this, and the final result is that they sound robotic. Practice the order of activities and key questions, but don’t try to memorize every move on your lesson plan.

It’s also crucial to be flexible during your observation. Despite numerous preparations, some things might not turn out as you expect during the observation. For example, a technical malfunction may disturb your lesson, or a student may fall ill, etc. Remember to be calm and not freeze up, as you will want to demonstrate good adaptability and versatility skills to your observer.

3. Get Familiar With the Material

So you wrote an excellent lesson plan with all the essential elements observers look for. On top of that, you feel well-prepared. The next step is to familiarize yourself with the material.

High on top of the list of things the observer will be looking for is the learning taking place. Let me break it down into the essential criteria:

Is the learning objective clear?
Does the content match age-related curriculum standards?

Are the students engaged and participating in the lesson?
Is the learning accessible to all students?
Is there evidence of progress in the lesson?

These points will almost certainly be on the observation form, so, one by one, your aim will be to incorporate these within your teaching. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Is The Learning Objective Clear?

By the end of the lesson, what learning or skill do you want your students to have acquired?

The observer will often speak with the students during the lesson and ask them what they are doing or learning. Therefore, it is recommended that you share the learning objective with your students at the beginning of the lesson, along with a summary of how they can achieve the outcome – known as the success criteria.

If you are not already doing this, try this out a couple of times before your lesson observation. That way, your students will become familiar with the procedure, and it won’t come as a surprise to them on the day of the observation.

Does The Content Match Age-Related Curriculum Standards?

Most schools will follow a curriculum, like the Common Core State Standards. Therefore, you should ensure that the material you are teaching follows the correct standards.

Sticking with the Common Core State Standards, you’ll be able to find the Math and English standards from K-12, which is extremely useful in ensuring that the content you teach is age and skill appropriate.

Familiarizing yourself with the curriculum also allows you to identify gaps in your knowledge, should you not be entirely comfortable with what you teach. There is no shame in not knowing everything you are required to teach your students. But it will be one of the things that the observer scrutinizes you on, so make sure you brush up on your subject knowledge.

Are The Students Engaged and Participating in The Lesson?

It’s not a good look if your students are bored or dozing off during your lesson observation. To prevent this, make sure that you keep the teacher’s input short and concise, and the lesson activities should be engaging.

To boost student participation, have questions prepared and ask all students to attempt the questions on their dry-wipe whiteboards rather than just selecting one child.

Another good way to improve engagement and participation is through partner or group work. Give opportunities for students to work collaboratively where they share thoughts, discuss ideas, and support each other.

Is The Learning Accessible to All Students?

The buzzword in education in recent times has been “differentiation.” How are you meeting the needs of all your students? Of course, this is a tall order. But the observer would expect to see that every child is included and able to complete the learning outcome to some degree.

The topic of differentiation is an extremely extensive one, but to get you started, check out this video from the Little Learners channel. Here, you will find out what differentiation is and some examples of differentiated learning.

Is There Evidence of Progress in The Lesson?

It is expected that students make academic progress each and every day. Therefore, if the observer were to ask you, “how did your students progress during the observed lesson?” what evidence can you provide as a response?

No single method works best for all classes, and it depends on the material being taught. You can use the work produced by students in their books as a good indicator of progress. You can give the students a mini quiz at the end of the lesson to assess their understanding of the learning. You can even use student responses to gauge how far they’ve come over the course of the lesson.

However you plan to measure the progress in your lesson, be sure to put some thought into it before the observation. Hence, highlighting the importance of familiarizing yourself entirely with the material you plan to teach.

Top Tip: Ask Yourself Questions in Advance

If you know your students well, one of the best ways to get familiar with your teaching material is to imagine how your class would react when you introduce that material.

Use that reflection to prepare a few questions that you imagine your students might ask during the lesson. It could be related to misconceptions or challenges they may face. Or you can try to preempt the engagement level toward a particular activity you have planned.

Additionally, don’t forget that some observers also like to ask questions of their own. So, consider what they might ask about the material and prepare your answers in advance.

Taking time to analyze these points will only boost your chances of acing the observation.

4. Know Your Students

A primary reason why teachers get observed is to ensure that they uphold good teaching standards and practices for the benefit of their students. In other words, all this stress and endeavor is for the students – so make sure you know them well!

Start by familiarizing yourself with the academic data. This will include classwork and homework assignments, tests and quizzes, and the general performance of students in class.

Knowing how your students perform academically is extremely valuable. First, your lesson objective can be shaped by an area of learning most of your students may lack. That way, you are almost guaranteeing that students make progress by the end of your lesson.

Second, if you know the strengths and weaknesses of your students, you are in a position to better meet the needs of all. For instance, you can provide additional resources and instructions to challenge the more able students while offering more support and scaffolding for those you anticipate will find it harder to access the learning. You can only do this effectively if you can identify these students before your observation.

Third, the teacher’s knowledge of students’ attainment and progress is another criterion on the observer’s checklist. Therefore, you might be asked questions about how your students are getting on, during or straight after the observation. Be prepared to respond to such questions with confidence.

Besides academics, you should also know the conduct of your students. The observer will unquestionably be looking at your behavior management approach.

To make life easier, implement a carefully thought-out seating arrangement beforehand. Separate the chattier students so they are not sitting near a close friend. For the students you need to keep an extra close eye on, have them seated closer to the teacher’s desk. Be vigilant about who is sitting next to the windows. A student constantly turning to look outside at the slightest movement or sound is not the ideal candidate.

A good teacher will reflect and act on these issues before the lesson observation takes place. But as you can see, the preparation is only possible if you know your students well.

5. Stick to Tried and Tested Practices

The observation timeline will usually go like this: the teacher gets informed about their observation; they experience a burst of ideas and creativity to make an excellent lesson plan that will impress the observer; the teacher then incorporates a variety of new activities and strategies; the teacher gets a mixed response from students to all the new implementations; consequently, the teacher is left somewhat disheartened by the outcome, especially considering how much time and effort they invested.

Creativity, innovation, and risk-taking are exemplary traits that I encourage all educators to foster and exhibit. Yet, when it comes to classroom observations, maybe it’s best to stick to more tried and tested methods.

The problem with trying new things is that you aren’t sure how your students will respond. They may love it, and it goes down as a huge hit. Or, the changes may leave them feeling very confused and uneasy.

That’s why, for an observation at least, use activities and strategies that you and your students are more familiar with.

The urge to impress the observer by pulling out all the stops will be tough to overcome, especially if you are a new teacher. But remember that sticking with practices you know will minimize surprises, making you feel more relaxed and comfortable during the observation.

If your primary concern is having an activity that the students will enjoy, then ask them for their input. Give them options of lesson ideas you have already used and get them to choose one they would like to do again. If the activity fits in with the material you plan to teach, it’s a win-win for all parties.

6. Don’t Over Do It

Building on from the previous advice of sticking to tried and tested practices, whatever you’re planning to do during your classroom observation, please don’t overdo it.

If you look online or speak with colleagues, you are bound to find endless resources, activities, and strategies that look and sound amazing. You’ll probably be tempted to use some of these in your observation lesson. But remember, you only have a limited time.

If you plan to have three or four different activities in one class, for example, don’t forget to factor in the transition time between each activity. Or the time needed to explain and give instructions for each activity. And, of course, the time required to complete the task. In theory, your calculations might add up, but in reality, the lesson might end up being tumultuous.

An overly ambitious plan is also likely to make your students feel overwhelmed. If you are rushing to get through everything you have planned for, students will feel exhausted trying to keep pace – not to mention the confusion it will cause.

Maybe the key is to take a more pragmatic approach and ask yourself, “will I be able to realistically cover all of these activities during the lesson?”

Similarly, do not feel inclined to print, cut, or laminate heaps of resources for one lesson observation. Obviously, we all want to impress the observer, and the perfectly trimmed, colorful resources you came across on Teachers Pay Teachers are a fantastic addition to the class. But bear in mind that there are other, more important, areas of your teaching practice that you can focus on instead of burying yourself under fancy printouts.

7. Remain Calm During the Observation

Observation classes can be nerve-wracking, no matter how experienced or senior a teacher may be.

It’s hard to keep your feelings hidden in this situation, but try your best not to show nervousness during the lesson. Most students are socially intelligent and will be able to sense if their teacher is feeling uncomfortable. In turn, this may make them feel uneasy also.

Here are some things you should pay attention to that will make you feel and look calm:

Think about the pace of your instructions – don’t talk too fast or too slow
Do not raise your voice at the students
If your hands are shaking, put them behind your back or have something to hold on to, like a book

Stay hydrated if your mouth is dry
Shift the focus from yourself to your students – let your students do most of the talking
Change your teaching position – don’t stay in one spot for too long

If you are worried that your nerves will get the better of you during your observation, practice by asking a trusted colleague or friend to watch you teach before your observation. It might not eliminate the problem, but it should help.

8. Focus on Students, Not the Observer

It’s usually hard to ignore an observer who’s analyzing and checking your every move in your classroom. Your eyes might keep returning to them, and paradoxically, you’re constantly thinking about what the observer is thinking. Students, on the other hand, come second in this instance. It should be the reverse.

You should direct almost all of your focus on the students instead of the observer. I say almost because it’s still useful to be aware of the observer and what they are doing in your classroom. For example, they might be looking for evidence of students’ work, in which case you can assist them.

Additionally, depending on the situation and the observer, you might even want to invite them to get involved in the lesson. They can work closely with a group of students or even be a scriber for you as you deliver instructions.

Nevertheless, you should always keep in mind that it’s just another class, and you have new information and knowledge to pass on to your students who are eager to learn. So, keep your attention on them instead of observers who are there to observe you, not the other way around.

Again, if you are finding this difficult, a helpful strategy is to deflect the attention away from yourself and onto the students. Ask them questions and get them to lead at specific parts of the lesson. Your students will be more engaged, and you’ll demonstrate a good student-teacher relationship. Plus, the observer will spend less time looking directly at you.

Final Thoughts

Whether you love them or hate them, every elementary teacher has to go through observation from time to time. Many new elementary teachers think the more activities, games, and teaching styles they use, the better. However, remember that keeping it simple will give you a better chance of passing.

If you have a scheduled observation soon, remember to:

Prepare a good lesson plan and practice it before the class

Familiarize yourself with the material and get to know your students well
Opt for activities you are comfortable with, and don’t overdo it
Keep calm and focus on the class, not the observer

Listen carefully to the observer’s feedback after your observation