Abstract
Teacher's ability to analyze educational situations is crucial not only for their decision about future practice but also for their own feedback. Teachers' development and their lesson observation skills are a cultivating element during their pre-service training.
Prospective teachers generally do not have sufficiently developed observation competencies. The main focus remains in the content orientation whereas the pedagogical knowledge [1], observation skills included, remains secondary.
Our team has decided to determine the quality of chemistry student teachers observation skills [2]. It was assessed in their 4th year at university on specific case studies.
The student teachers underwent their in-school orientation practice as well as other practice and, in addition, they have completed the first teaching practice. Students gradually followed chemistry lessons at basic school (lower-secondary), grammar school and non-chemical secondary vocational school.
After each observation, they wrote a reflection. By monitoring the depth of their reflection, changes in their ability to reflect a lesson can be observed.
In the final interviews, interference effects [3] such as provided observation sheet [4], colloquium immediately after the lessons and the teaching practice itself were identified. The results show significant differences in the students' ability to reflect lessons.
The effect could dwell in their teaching (analyzing) talent, verbalization skills but also in the extent to which the pre-service training was efficient.