Methods of Teaching

Whole-class discussion of results from observations (20 minutes)
Start this discussion with a sentence-completion exercise. Ask Student Teachers
to complete the following sentences in writing:
• During these observations I was most surprised by…
• During these observations I was worried by…
Student Teachers will review the posters from the small-group work and ask any 
questions they have, including about the ‘Teacher Observation Form’. They will look 
for patterns in the information. For example, teachers in the lower primary classes are 
more inclined than teachers in the upper primary classes to move around the room 
so they know what all children are doing. Or, when teachers stay in one place in the 
room, children are less inclined to be attentive to the teacher. 
At this point ask four or five Student Teachers to read their completed sentences. If 
others want to read their sentences, honour their requests. Ask Student Teachers to 
talk about the consequences of the teachers they observed paying more attention to 
high- performing children than to low-performing children. Bring the ‘surprised’ and 
‘worried’ comments into the discussion if they are relevant.
Closing (5 minutes)
In five minutes or less, have Student Teachers write a summary of today’s class. Have 
them leave their summaries on your desk.

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42
UNIT 1
UNIT 4
UNIT 5
UNIT 3
UNIT 6
UNIT 2
UNIT 7
ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN EDUCATION/B.ED. (HONS) ELEMENTARY
Week 4: Managing complexity
NOTE TO FACULTY: As noted in the introduction to the unit, this course is a story about 
the work of classroom teachers. As such, it can also be seen as an advance organizer 
for the teacher education curriculum in which students in the ADE/B. Ed. (Hons) degree 
programmes are enrolled.
For example, this unit is a narrow window on the knowledge and skills students will acquire 
in the Classroom Management course that they take next semester. In a limited way, last 
week’s sessions introduced Student Teachers to the fact that children are likely to get 
more attention from a teacher if they are in a class of 10 children rather that in a class 
of 40. This week’s sessions introduce Student Teachers to two of the many ways that 
effective teachers organize work in the classroom so children do learn. Because they have 
already seen how difficult it is for one adult to distribute attention equally among many 
children, week 4’s first session could be devoted to helping Student Teachers appreciate 
how important it is to know and remember important information about each child in order 
to show equal interest in each of them. Thinking about creative and effective ways to 
remember information about each child could be the purpose of the session. The second 
session of the week is about using clear, positive language when telling children what they 
are expected to do. It is difficult, especially for children in lower primary classes, to learn 
how to work in groups. The third session this week could be used to study and practise 
learning in pairs as a precursor to working in groups.
Sub-topics
• Learn names, interests, and learning strengths fast
• Establish rules and routines
• Grouping children
• Organize books and other materials for easy access
• Create pairs of students to help each other
Week 4, session 1 lesson