- What grade levels and courses did you observe?
- What did you notice about how the students were engaged?
- Did anything surprise you?
- What is your overall impression?
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Classroom Observation
Share a very brief summary of your experience. You are writing a full reflection on this experience so there's no need to go into detail. Please do not identify the teacher or school.
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ReplyDeleteI thought I'd share some info with you in order to avoid any paperwork problems for the student teaching portion of ARC. Don't delay in securing your fingerprints/background check. I called CREC this morning and they are experiencing an unusually high volume of requests and are booking appt.s now for Wed, May 26, and are closed for Memorial Day. Typically they schedule appts. on Mon, Wed and Fri from 9 - 11, but now they are requiring an email request be sent to:
fingerprinting@crec.org, they will tell you when your appt. is. The actual appts. are Mon, Wed, and Thurs. from 10 - 1, so you see the narrow window here. Also, they do not accept cash, credit or personal checks. CREC requires a money order or bank/cashier's check for the $60 fee. Obviously, ID is required, too. Check out their website below. I hope this helps.
http.www.crec.org/fp/fingerprinting.php
I observed a math teacher last Friday. It was a really fun day. The first thing I learned is that I should have worn comfortable shoes!!! The second thing I learned is that 45 min is a lot shorter than you think it is.
ReplyDeleteI observed an 8th-grade Algebra and Pre-Algebra teacher recently. During her 2 prep periods I also observed a 7th-grade teacher during his Pre-Algebra and General Math classes. Most of the kids in the advanced classes seemed engaged, while many of the kids in the general classes seemed difficult to engage. I was surprised by how chatty & sociable middle-schoolers are! My overall impression was that it's a busy day, there's lots to accomplish, but it's something I can do and feel good about at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteI observed algebra, geometry and pre-calculus honors classes today at a local hs. The teacher I "shadowed" also included me in the team planning meeting. After school I attended a presentation on new technology (very interesting!) I was surprised by the amount of "checking in" that the instructors do with each other. Also, the teacher made adjustments to the same lesson for each of the duplicate algebra classes. The teacher seemed to work harder to engage the younger students, while using a more "lecture" type style with the typically older honors students. I don't know if this was a function of the age/ability/ or interest of these students. Something to reflect upon, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI observed an 8th grade teacher one day (Pre-algebra and Algebra I) and high school teachers another day (Algebra I, Geometry, Integrated Algebra and Geometry, and Algebra II). I noticed the same thing that others have mentioned - in the honors classes the students were very engaged with the lesson, but in the other classes it was sometimes a struggle to get certain students to participate or be motivated. I was a bit surprised that the honors classes were treated more as a lecture, while the other classes were more interactive. I feel that even though the honor students are generally more engaged, they should still be offered an interactive experience so that they don't eventually become "turned off" to math. Overall, it was great to see so many different grade levels and subjects. I recommend that everyone see both middle school and high school classes if you have the chance!
ReplyDeleteI observed all high school grade levels which included Critical math, Algebra II, and Elementary Functions classes. I switched teachers so I could sit in on the Critical Math class. This class is strictly for students working to a 6th or 7th grade level (TOPS!). It was by far the toughest as far as keeping the students engaged. In fact, the aide who usually assists the teacher was absent that day so she was on her own with over a dozen 'at risk' students. It killed me not to help her but I felt it was really important to see how she dealt with the situation. I was most affected by how all the student, honors, average or below-average really had a personal connection to their teacher --they might still give a hard time about completing work, but they definitely cared about and wanted to please their teachers. I loved that!
ReplyDeleteCan someone confirm what is meant by "divide and conquer" as a teaching strategy? I've found a number of different meanings of this phrase ranging from chunking in instructional strategy to classroom management.
ReplyDeleteThe classes and grades I observed Basic Algebra 2 (grade 10), one Honors Algebra 2 (grade 10), one Algebra 1 (grade 9), and one Senior Math (grade 12).
ReplyDeleteIn the first class of the morning, the engagement was rough. It got better as the day went on, with the exception of senior math (the last period of the day); there, about half the students just could not be bothered to participate. The teacher conducted her routine in more of a traditional manner: she took attendance immediately and followed up with a homework review. I thought it took a bit of time to get the lesson underway in every class.
I was surprised to see a couple of minutes before every class ended, the students queued at the door to leave and waited for the bell to ring! Since it happened at the end of every class, I don't think it was a fluke. I didn't follow up with the teacher for an explanation, so I don't know if that was allowed per school policy or just her; it could be that there isn't enough time between classes for the kids to get to their next class (it's a very big school).
Overall, I thought it was a good experience, since I got to observe multiple grades and classes, an AP class, a class with quite a few students with IEPs and 504s, and a few behavioral issues. I wish I could go back and observe again, now that I've had a few ARC classes under my belt. I'm sure I would look for different things and ask completely different questions of the teacher.
I observed my sponsoring teacher teach an Algebra II class and two Geometry Classes. I also observed a co-teaching Geometry class and an honors Pre-calculus class. The students were sleepy for the first class of the day, but generally engaged during the classes. The students in the Pre-calculus class were especially interested in math, probably because they admired their teacher. I observed only one discipline problem while I was at the school. The most surprising thing I observed was that the students did not use their math books in their classrooms. My overall impression was that the students were actively learning math without many distractions.
ReplyDeleteI was generally impressed with all six teachers I observed (Algebra I, Calculus, Algebra II, Advanced Pre-Calculus, Advanced Algebra II, & Honors Algebra II). Because the township has a separate freshmen high school, I only observed 10, 11, and 12th graders. It was interesting to see how the teachers played off their personalities and concentrated on their strengths. The best of the group used six different activities/methodolgies to keep her students engaged duing a 55 minute Honors Algebra II class. Surprisingly, the worst behaved kids were the brainiacs in the Honors class.
ReplyDeleteI had the opportunity to observe teacher at two different schools.
ReplyDeleteMy request to observe the first school in my opinion was handled in a rather sloppy manner. They had me go in on a Friday (a problem I did not foresee). On this day, tests were being done in most of the classes, so there was not a lot to pick and choose from as far as observing a learning environment.
In the first school I observed two teachers both teaching Algebra II. The first teacher I observed at 8:15 in the morning, so the student were relatively sleepy. There was one discipline problem that was handled in a rather efficient manner. The teacher used differentiated instruction to introduce more complex problems involving exponents. After wards, the students copied their homework from the books, which did not leave the class. There were no special needs students in this class.
The other two classes I observed were also Algebra II classes, but the teacher in this class had just begun the FOIL method the previous day for both classes. He taught multiplying binomials the previous day and use differentiated instruction to teach factoring the day of my observation. there were special needs students in this class, but for some reason the special ed teacher was absent. I found myself helping the teacher evaluate his class. Despite the situation, the students seemed to have admired the teacher.
Given the above experience, I though another perspective was in order. An administrator recommended that I observe a sixth grade class at another school, and I was glad that I did. This middle school teacher was much more upbeat and integrated technology much better than the other two teachers. The topic was adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. The teacher included a card game which reinforced that material. She also assigned worksheets for homework from math-drills.com. There were discipline cards carried by the whole school to keep track of behavior, and the teacher handed out Homework Passes for students who kept up with their homework for a period of time. Obviously, I was most impressed with this class.
I observed math classes at a high school in a low-diversity, high socioeconomic district. For comparison, I also observed math classes in middle school and high school in a low socioeconomic district.
ReplyDeleteInstruction in the former was fast-paced and the classes were in two tracks, standard and honors/AP. The students in the former ranged from high-risk (repeat and basic skill learners) to average skill. I observed modifications for students with apparent intellectual disabilities in both districts, with an aide or special ed teacher and modified study content. Most of the teachers use some kind of an initiator (typically not called a Schema Activator), and most posted objectives and homework. I have to say that every teacher I observed engaged the students and maintained good pacing with smooth transitions. I have to go back to my observations last fall in yet another district to recall a seasoned science teacher who was entirely outmatched by her class.
I got to observe a teacher teaching a class that I taught last semester as a long term sub. I had mostly used his materials, so I got to see him teach the exact same lesson as me - only MUCH better! I am looking forward to becoming great!
ReplyDeleteI observed an Algebra 2 class. They began with a review for a quiz 20 minutes into the class. The teacher took out a handout from the previous lesson, and reviewed the few concepts on probability (dice and cards). There was NO schema activator. After he asked if anyone needed anything in specific reviewed (there were 2 students who asked questions), he handed out the test. It looked pretty easy, so I took it and got an A.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher moved quick, yet relaxed. There was one special needs child who had a tutor/ assistant sit by him the entire class, whispering explanations in his ear. There was some murmuring, as the quiz had a typo the students found, which was quickly resolved. after 15 minutes, the teacher gave a 5 minute warning, and then 5 minutes later, collected the test.
The teacher was a very nice fellow around 35, and he said he had no discipline problems - the key is to build a relationship with each and every kid - this seems to me the single most important skill successful teachers must have - the ability to relate to kids, to treat them with respect, and earn theirs by listening to them and validating their needs.
I spent 2 days at a high school and I have observed 10-12th graders in Geometry B, Algebra 2, Honors Algebra 2, AP Calculus and a class called, Math, Society and You. I have found that for the most part the students were co-operative and engaged in class. I have also experienced that the higher the course level, the better behaved the students were. What has surprised me, it was the students’ constant need to use their cell phone for texting but I learned a great tool to use to remedy this habit. My overall impression was that the amount of years one has been teaching is not directly proportional with the quality and style of the teaching. I believe that it is a matter of being organized and enthusiastic about the subject, as well as being adventurous enough to apply different teaching methods that are the keys to effective teaching.
ReplyDeleteI viewed ALG 1 and Geometry class in a Waterbury high school for grades 9-12. I was surprised to see seniors in ALG 1 but it does happpen. The level of engagement was low. Most students were either talking or texting on their cell phones. My overall impression was if you want to teach students you must establish discipline first.
ReplyDeleteJOhn
I observed three different teachers at Hamden High School, grades 9-11. It was eye-opening to me how much of each teacher's energy went into classroom management! I remember thinking at one class that it was possible that every student had his/her mouth open at once.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from this observation about routine. I saw some classes that clearly had a lot of routine and structure, and it was clear that students knew what was expected of them. This seemed to take a lot of pressure off the teacher and help the lesson run smoothly.
P.S. Melinda, I'd love to hear your remedy for cell phone problems!
Evan,
ReplyDeleteHey I also Observed three teachers at Hamden high in the same age range as you. I did have the special privilege of doing this with a two hour bomb scare interruption.
I witnessed various extremes from an animal house type geometry class to very in control higher level algebra 2 class.
The one thing that I was impressed by was the level of confidence, professionalism, and consistent treatment all three teachers exhibited.
I really give them credit.
Classroom control and student engagement is definitely the key!