Zakirunnisa Noor
Turning acceptable lesson observations into consistently strong ones
- Experience
- An experienced teacher, in her own words
- Observations
- Once acceptable to good, now “much more than good”, by her account
- Next
- Higher levels in her profession
Zakirunnisa had taught for years, and her lesson observations came back somewhere between acceptable and good, with planning that ate her evenings. She now builds objectives around Bloom's levels and corrects course mid-lesson, and her observations sit well above good.
Objectives first.
Zakirunnisa Noor calls lesson planning “a laborious, time-consuming job”, and then says how she saves time on it. She keeps her long-term, short-term and lesson plans systematic. Each lesson starts from its objectives, where she builds in the levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. “I see to it that I give them higher levels,” she says. Then she looks at the learning styles of her students and differentiates the activities, the content and the methods.
She sees it in the room. Her students are engaged, and their questions to her go beyond the classroom. “These finer details of lesson plan is what I have learnt from this course,” she says. She opens the video with a similar point: “Though I am an experienced teacher, I have learnt a lot.”
This course has put a vast impact on my pedagogy. I have refined myself. Rather you can say fine-tuned myself.
Feedback at the right time.
Feedback used to mean two things to her: a parent-teacher meeting, or a diagnostic remark on a student’s work. From the course she learnt different types of feedback and different times to give it. The timely feedback, she says, “motivates and encourages my students to go ahead”. It is not only for students. When parents and the school management get proper feedback too, “many issues are solved at the right time”.
Changing course mid-lesson.
She gives one reason for the change in her observed lessons: “Because of the confidence in me. I plan them well and I execute them.” When a lesson is not reaching its objectives, she changes it while it is running. “And then yes, I hit the target.” Her students enjoy the classes, she says, and her bond with them has improved.
She has also taken up reflective practice. “I would not pay heed to these practices before,” she says. Now she reflects on her teaching strategies, and it helps her further planning. Working systematically has given her time back. She spends it with her family and goes on visits to new places. She has set professional goals as well. “I want to reach higher in my profession, to higher levels.”
