FREE 4+ Student Observation Forms in PDF | MS Word | Excel

Teachers are individuals who have wide ranges of knowledge with regards to a subject of their expertise. However, aside from being smart and responsible in dealing with children, a teacher must also interact and build a stable relationship with his students regardless of their attitude and behavior. With this, it is an essential task for teachers to observe and assess their students properly by using a type of document appropriate for gathering the evaluations. This document is known as a student observation form and is commonly provided by the educational institution’s administration where the students are enrolled.

Interactive Student Observation Form

What Is a Student Observation Form?

Student observation forms are tools for a teacher to achieve an effective communication in knowing his students well. The form contains sections that include a student information area to state the name and the class number of the student, as well as the name of the teacher to determine who the observer is. The main section or the body of this observation form is identical to a survey questionnaire wherein there are sets of questions accompanied by a rating scale in order for the teacher to indicate his assessment scores. The total score from the observational categories will then be tallied and summed up to achieve the general observation rate of the student which will then be used for determining his skills set and how the teacher will aid him to improve his class standing.

Student Information Behavior Observation Form

Why Use a Student Observation Form?

There are numerous reasons why teachers and even psychologists use student observation forms and one of the most common is to properly document the improvement of a student. By keeping the form to the student’s records, the teacher will be able to know if there are changes in the student’s behavior and what possible aspects have contributed to the changes as well as what could be included in an action plan to aid the student.

Another known reason why this form is essential to any observer is that it also allows the teacher to conduct a self-assessment or a reflection of himself with regards to what he can do and avoid doing for the student’s welfare. With this, the teacher will also improve himself to be a successful employee and an instrument for the student to learn better.

Student Observation Form in DOC

What’s Included in a Student Observation Form?

Some student observation forms are in a questionnaire format while some are in a checklist form. The format will vary on what the school and the teacher prefer to use for effectively conducting his student assessments. Nonetheless, below are some of the aspects to tackle and ask in any student observation form:

• Student’s behavior observation – This is the most important subject that needs to be included by the teacher. The behavior observation is necessary for determining if a student is dealing with signs of depression and other issues from his home or in school. With this, the teacher will be able to help by recommending the student to a counselor or by addressing the problem with the student’s parents. Mental and medical health problems must also be acknowledged to assure that tests and activities in school will not trigger the student’s symptoms.
• Student’s strengths and weaknesses – As the observation form caters the various skills, talents, and the abilities of the student, it is significant that the teacher or the observer will also indicate which area needs to be improved and changed for the student to achieve a greater educational success. The list of strengths will also be a tool for the teacher to determine who among his class is suitable for joining academic and non-academic contests or extracurricular activities.
• Student’s response and interactions – This will distinguish how the student is able to manage himself in class whether he is an individual who shows curiosity and interacts in a topic or if he is a silent worker who shows excellence through projects and quizzes. Incorporating real-life situations and examples during the observation are also effective in knowing the level of readiness for a graduating student to be involved in the field of his employment in the future.

Student Observation Form Sample

Student Class Room Observation Form

How to Conduct an Effective Student Observation

Printing out the right form or document is just the first way to begin the student observation process. However, teachers and observers must also be prepared of what they aim for the observation such as their goals and objectives. With the objective in mind, teachers will be able to eliminate subjects and matters that are not relative to the process. Judgments must also be accompanied with ample explanation to aid in constructing individual plans for the student who is the subject of the observation.

Another tip to conduct a more effective student observation process is to interact properly to the students and gather their own feedback about how the school, as well as the staff, became tools for their education. Depending on the school administration, student feedback forms will be provided to allow the students in addressing their concerns. This way, the student’s teacher and the observer will know the side of the student and how the school has affected or contributed to his day-to-day accomplishments.

Lastly, the teacher or the observer should also gather the student’s reports and records in order to know the previous performance of the student and to distinguish changes or updates. Reports can include the grading cards from the previous semesters, projects, attendance sheets, and even the teacher’s record book that contains all the points that the student acquired.

Conducting student observations may add up to the work and obligations of the faculty but it is a crucial step to aid the students in developing themselves as well as the teachers in getting to know more about how they can acquire a relationship with each of their students. Nonetheless, teachers and observers must also keep in mind that when conducting the observation and student evaluation, there should be fairness and equality to assure that the observation procedure will benefit the whole student body and the educational institution itself.