During an observation for my teaching practise in a high school, I had the opportunity to see the practical implementation of history teaching and to compare it with my own teaching practice. The class that I observed was about the foreign politics of Hungarian king Louis the Great. The lesson’s organization and structure were easy to follow: the teacher logically built up the material, introduced new knowledge after a review, and concluded the lesson with source analysis and a summary. The visual aids, especially the PPT, were aesthetically pleasing and motivating, which helped maintain students’ attention.
During the lesson delivery, I noticed that the teacher acted confidently and consistently, particularly in terms of discipline and directing student attention. However, in some cases, discipline was somewhat uncertain, and the review occasionally ran long. It made me consider how I could more effectively balance frontal teaching with active student engagement.
In terms of communication, the teacher maintained students’ attention with a clear, confident presence and targeted questions. I also observed that during source analysis, the teacher often interpreted the text themselves, which limited students’ opportunity for independent thinking. This reminded me of the importance of finding a balance between guided questioning and independent analysis in history lessons.
Regarding subject-matter competence, the teacher responded to students’ answers confidently and professionally, and used maps and sources effectively to illustrate historical connections. I see this as a positive example of how historical knowledge can be actively integrated into a lesson while ensuring that students perceive a solid foundation of subject competence.
This observation reinforced for me that a well-structured lesson plan and visual aids significantly support maintaining students’ attention, while also highlighting the importance of deliberately creating space for independent thinking, critical analysis, and student activity. These experiences can guide me in planning and delivering my own lessons, particularly in fine-tuning the balance between student engagement and frontal teaching.