9.- OBSERVATION IN CLASSROOM INTERACTION

OBSERVATION IN CLASSROOM INTERACTION

Creating opportunities for students to socially interact is important in developing strong social skills. Most children learn develop appropriate social skills by observing how others act in different environments, situations and with different types of people. When a teacher provides opportunities for students to work in pairs and small groups and use multiple modes of communication (e.g., discussions, making presentations, brainstorming) they can acquire knowledge. Also, is very important to encourage students to work together as a class to contribute to a comprehensive answer. But, it is important to develop conversations among students (and between students and the teacher). Interaction should be objective in order to several students can explain their ideas to the whole class.

Furthermore, when teachers work with kids, interaction should be useful because during the early childhood years children gain knowledge and skills that provide the foundation for later learning. Young children learn many of these skills through the interactions they have with their teachers.

The role of the teacher during these sessions is passive but very crucial. It is the responsibility of the teacher to create a learning atmosphere inside the classroom. It is through these interactive sessions that the teacher can extract responses from learners and motivate them to come out with new ideas related to the topic. The teacher is an observer who helps the learners to construct an innovative learning product through group discussions, debates and many more. Teachers will define themselves as planners who design the best of the modules of interaction that would be effective to invite the learners in classroom interaction.

However, an important part is classroom observation; it is another form of ongoing assessment. Most teachers can "read" their students; observing when they are bored, frustrated, excited, motivated, etc. As a teacher picks up these cues, she or he can adjust the instruction accordingly.  It is also beneficial for teachers to make observational notes. These notes serve to document and describe student learning relative to concept development, reading, social interaction, and communication skills. Teacher can use it in order to improve his or her class.

REFERENCES FOR ADITTIONAL INFORMATION:

• YouTube,. (2015). Classroom observation Part 1. Retrieved 30 April 2015, from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAz7TD02ytU
• Heather Smith,. (2006). Opening classroom interaction: the importance of feedback.  Retrieved 30 April 2015, from:http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03057640601048357
• Gosh Amarita,. (2010). Classroom Interaction -Part 1 (Definition, Objectives, Types, Teacher's Role and Merits). Retrieved 30 April 2015, from:http://www.examiner.com/article/classroom-interaction-part-1-definition-objectives-types-teacher-s-role-and-merits