Special Education (SPED): Lesson Observation
What to Look For When Observing a Student Teacher
Do you ever wonder what you are supposed to be looking for when you're observing your student teacher? Many cooperating teachers have similar questions. In order to support you in your supervision of CSUN student teachers, we have developed two short, self-paced and self-guided training videos for you. These video clips are designed to provide you with opportunities to:
- practice using the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTPs) to help you identify areas of strength and areas for growth during your student teachers' lessons, and;
- check your observation points against those that were identified by faculty in the mild/moderate specialization of the Department of Special Education.
Join us below for the first part of this process: Observing a Lesson
Observing a Lesson
Below is a 6-minute, edited video of a student teacher teaching a high school special day class. He is reviewing concepts in American Government in preparation for a test. Before beginning, please take the following steps to prepare you to observe his lesson.
- BEFORE YOU WATCH THE VIDEO: Download and print the observation form by clicking on this link: Special Education Observation Form (M/M). (It can also be found on the homepage, on the left-hand banner under INFORMATION> Forms.) If you are not already familiar with the CSTPs, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the bullet points in each of the six standards before beginning the video.
- WHILE YOU WATCH THE VIDEO: Use the observation form to guide you in identifying the student's areas of strength and areas for growth as they relate to the CSTPs. You may write your observations in the boxes next to each standard, or on the third page (or both).
- AFTER YOU WATCH THE VIDEO: Compare your list of observation points to the ones identified by the department faculty. (See pages 2 and 3 to follow).
Scroll down and click the PLAY button to watch the video. Please note: this video has been edited down from 27 minutes to the 6 minutes you see below. It does not include the entire lesson as it was presented to the students.
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