4. Discussing the lesson with the student teacher
The School Experience Supervisor plays a crucial role in encouraging student teachers to use active-learning strategies and the school in supporting the student teacher in using them. You can do this by involving the cooperating teacher in the discussion after the lesson if this is possible.
You could suggest that the student teacher completes a diary to submit to you on your next visit to school. This can then be used to reflect with the student teacher on the next visit and in seminars as well as in a follow-up session once the teaching practice period is complete.
Tool 8 of this Toolkit is dedicated to giving constructive feedback.
The post lesson observation discussion is the opportunity for you and the student to co-construct knowledge about teaching in this context. Your aim should not be to tell the student what they did wrong, but rather, through questioning and listening, help them to work out for themselves how they could have improved the lesson.
Start by asking the student to evaluate the lesson themselves.
- what went well?
- what were the pleased with?
- what did they find difficult?
- what would they do differently next time?
Listen carefully to their responses and ask follow-up questions. The student will want to know what you thought, but you will have more impact on the student if, when you get to that stage, they have already worked it out for themselves.
3. Observing the student teacher’s lesson