Online Classroom Observation

ONLINE CLASSROOM OBSERVATION
Teacher: Clive Brown
Level: Upper-intermediate level (B2)
Time: 10.05-11.15 a.m.
Place: British Study Center, School of English, Oxford
Focus Point: The silent blonde hair woman
The setting:
Apparently, the classroom is medium-sized and well-equipped with learning facilities. To
the right of the door, there is a huge rectangular wooden board with some decoration of multiple
sheets of notices and papers. To the left of the door, there is a couple of information sheet on
phonetic symbols. Next to them, there is one wide rectangular whiteboard on the wall. In front
of it, there is only one active male teacher who is standing, talking, and managing the learning
session. About a few meters ahead of him, there are eight female students at the center of the
classroom. They are sitting in a row of semi-circle shape on their lecture chairs together with
their learning materials, such as a pen/pencil, a notebook, and a multi-colored English textbook,
on top of their lecture desks. Above their seats, there is a projector on the ceiling, transmitting
its audio-visuals onto the whiteboard while a few rows of fluorescent lights are on. At the back
of the room, behind the students’ seats, there is one large teacher’s desk with a computer screen
on top of it. Above the teacher’s desk, there is one round white clock ticking, showing that the
time is now five past ten.
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Participants:
There is one middle-aged, male teacher standing and talking in the front of the classroom
and there are eight female students aged between twenties and forties during the observation.
Seemingly, these present students come from multi-cultural and different ethnic groups, in which
two of them are Asian --- (Korean and Japanese) --- while the other six are European (French,
Greek, Spanish, Italian, and two students that I don’t know.) All of them hold an upper-
intermediate level of English proficiency (B2) and are wearing casual clothes, but they seriously
show their impression, facial expression, classroom participation, and enthusiasm in a great
different extent.
Activities and Interactions:
The teacher begins his lesson by informing the students what they are expected to learn:
History of Films. The teacher describes the three main classroom activities that all eight students
will undergo: watching videos without sound, watching videos with sound and subtitles, learning
vocabulary as well as giving feedback and discussion. Despite the diversity of students, most of
them possess an expression of interest, by showing their smiles and make eye contact to the
teacher while he explains, talks, and walks, back and forth, before giving directions for them to
carry on.
Oftentimes, the teacher politely encourages his students to participate in all activities by
allowing them to share their responses, complimenting them after each feedback, and asking
them if there are any doubts or questions to make sure that they understood before he continues
the next activity.
After playing video without sound and subtitles, the teacher allows 20 seconds for the
students to discuss with their partners. Simultaneously, he observes the students’ engagement,
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participation, interaction, and collaboration among themselves while quickly taking some short
notes onto his long, rectangular, navy-blue pad without interrupting them. After finishing the
discussion with their partners, each student is expected to share their answers, give feedback, or
response to the teacher collaboratively and actively.
After playing video with sound and subtitles, the teacher asks if there is any unknown
vocabulary. If there is, he elaborately clarifies them with his body gestures and associated words
or synonyms as well as pronunciation. For example, the teacher writes the word ‘documentary’
on the board, then write some phonetic symbols with a red-ink whiteboard marker to highlight
the stress sounds, and says ‘Repeat after me, everybody’ to confirm the students to practice such
word pronunciation. In addition to this, the teacher also illustrates that even though the word
‘documentary’ seems to have different syllables, it is in fact pronounced as “tri” (one syllable)
rather than “ta-ri:” (two syllables).
Conversation:
During the final classroom activities, most students seem to enjoy their learning and
discussing since each of them talks, asks, comments, questions, and feedbacks with the teacher
and their partners. They occasionally nod their heads, show a wink of smile, make an eye-
contact to the teachers and their partners. When discussing, most students are obviously sitting
quite close to their partners, and they sometimes lean forward to each other, and make an eye
contact several times, except a blonde-haired student who is sitting on the third seat from the left
side of the row.
Subtle Factors:
As seen from the corner of the room, a fair young adult European student with a shiny
shoulder-length blonde hair in a blue-jeans jacket is sitting on the third seat from the left side of
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the row quite emotionlessly. She seems to show no responses or any reactions to the teacher or
with her partner. Neither does she show facial expressions nor expresses her voiced impressions
to the teacher and her classmates; in fact, she is sitting about two feet apart from her active
partner who is wearing yellow cardigan. Since the first few minutes to the end of the lesson, she
has been listening to the lecture passively, sitting motionlessly on her lecture chair, and fixing
her hair silently from time to time. Only when it is necessary to talk with her partner on the
right, she will turn her head. At 11.00, it is noticeable that she will turn her head and change her
posture only if her partner starts the conversation first. However, their eyes are hardly met. The
blonde hair seems to speak very quietly and reluctantly. It gives me a sense of suspect. I wonder
what she was thinking and why she had that silent behavior. Avoiding eye contact and very little
communication indicate that there may be a gap between them or among themselves both
physically and emotionally. Therefore, it is crucial for the teacher and the observer to find out the
solution.
The observer’s commentary:
By facilitating classroom activities, eliciting challenging vocabulary, asking students
prompted questions, and giving compliments or positive feedback regularly, the teacher is
professionally active and well-prepared for the whole lesson. Nevertheless, a shoulder-length
blonde-hair student on the third seat from the left side of the row appears to be passive, silent,
and emotionless for the entire class. Unlike other students, she neither asks questions nor gives
responses to the teacher and her classmates. (But if she really did, it means that her voice might
be too soft for my ears to hear. Moreover, even though I tried to detect her voice, I still could not
hear what she said very clearly!) Therefore, it might be safe to say that the teacher should notice
and find out what her lack of response, speechless reaction, and voiceless participation are
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literally or connotatively meant for, so that the teacher and her classmates can help her enjoy
learning, participating, or collaborating with others through a suitable guidance and effective
solutions accordingly.

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ONLINE CLASSROOM OBSERVATION

Teacher: Clive Brown

Level: Upper-intermediate level (B2)

Time: 10.05-11.15 a.m.

Place: British Study Center, School of English, Oxford

Focus Point: The silent blonde hair woman

Apparently, the classroom is medium-sized and well-equipped with learning facilities. To

time is now five past ten.

Activities and Interactions:

the next activity.

response to the teacher collaboratively and actively.

rather than “ta-ri:” (two syllables).

side of the row.

The observer’s commentary:

By facilitating classroom activities, eliciting challenging vocabulary, asking students

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