If your school's principal has told you about your upcoming teacher observation, you may feel a little nervous and wonder how best to display your skills in the classroom. If so, use the following tips for planning your lessons in preparation for a scheduled teacher observation:

Pick a Topic You Are Passionate About

Before you start on your lesson plan for your observation day, sit down and think about which topics that you feel the most excited about when teaching. If you select subject matter that you are truly passionate about, it will not only show through during the lesson, but it also excites your students.

For example, if you teach history and love covering the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, plan on coming up with a lesson plan that revolves around that time period. You can then extend on the lesson by planning an in-class project for your students, as discussed in the next section.

Maximize Student Involvement

On the day of your teacher observation, you should avoid planning on giving a lecture about the topic that you have chosen. Not only does this minimize student interaction, but it could also come across as dull and boring to them and the observer.

Instead, plan a lesson that maximizes student involvement. Doing so helps to ignite the excitement for the students and lets you shine as a teacher as you give them a creative and hands-on project to complete.

Using the above example of the Ancient Egyptian pyramids, you could divide up your students into groups. Then, instruct each group to come up with a hypothesis as to how the pyramids were constructed. 

After they have come up with their plan, give them craft supplies to demonstrate how their hypotheses would work. Give them a time limit to construct their projects, then plan enough time to have each group present their project and explain their theory.

Doing an in-class project as the one described combines several teaching methods. It gives the students a hands-on learning experience while using their critical thinking and reasoning skills to come up with a solution to a historical inquiry.

Planning your lesson plan carefully can help make you and your students feel more at ease during your observation. For more information about what you will be graded on, speak with your principal or a representative from the board of education about what they look for during teacher observations.

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