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Sam Fernandes observed a lesson at an elementary school where most students were English learners. The teacher effectively addressed TPE 7 (teaching English learners), TPE 1 (pedagogy for teaching math), and TPE 2 (assessing student learning). For TPE 7, the teacher used repetition, sign language, and visual representations to help students understand vocabulary and concepts. For TPE 1, the teacher utilized visual aids, open-ended questions, and movement to engage students in the math lesson. For TPE 2, the teacher subtly assessed understanding through questioning and having students teach each other. Fernandes felt they gained valuable knowledge and tools for teaching English learners and assessing student comprehension.

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Lessonstudy

Sam Fernandes observed a lesson at an elementary school where most students were English learners. The teacher effectively addressed TPE 7 (teaching English learners), TPE 1 (pedagogy for teaching math), and TPE 2 (assessing student learning). For TPE 7, the teacher used repetition, sign language, and visual representations to help students understand vocabulary and concepts. For TPE 1, the teacher utilized visual aids, open-ended questions, and movement to engage students in the math lesson. For TPE 2, the teacher subtly assessed understanding through questioning and having students teach each other. Fernandes felt they gained valuable knowledge and tools for teaching English learners and assessing student comprehension.

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Fernandes 1

Sam Fernandes
Professor Michaels
LS 4000
9/24/16

Lesson Study Reflection

Recently, I had the opportunity to observe a lesson at an elementary school in San


Rafael in which the vast majority of the students were English Language Learners. Although I
have been in the Liberal Studies program at Dominican for over a year now, this was the first
time I felt like I had a true exposure to what it means to conduct a lesson for primarily English
learners. In addition to watching the teacher engage in TPE 7, which is teaching English
learners, I observed the teacher in her ability and tactics to teaching math, TPE 1, and assess
student learning TPE 2. The teacher whom I observed had an amazing ability to address each
of these TPEs adequately and efficiently, and I left feeling as if I had gained a tremendous
amount of knowledge and insight.
For the first TPE, which is TPE 7- Teaching English Learners, there was a tremendous
amount of examples and instruction to be observed. However, there were certain tactics that the
teacher used that stuck and resonated with me the most. The use of academic language was
high within the classroom as the teacher discussed the material with her students, and to
reiterate the topic and vocabulary, the teacher would use repetition as a tool to help the students
remember and clearly understand that which was being said. The teacher would also use a lot
of movement and sign language in order for the students to tie a physical sensation to a certain
idea and word, allowing them to have something to fall back on in the event that they could not
remember the word or idea at that moment. In addition to this, the teacher gave the students the
opportunity to visually sketch out what they see in the problem in a way to put their thoughts

Fernandes 2
onto the page in a way other than just words and numbers. Within the small group that I worked
with, the students drew pictures of dogs and piggy banks and people, all of which were
elements of the story. This allowed the students the better understand and comprehend the
question as they could see and interpret it in a way other than just trying to digest what is being
asked simply by reading it on a page. Never once did I feel like the teacher watered down the
lesson in order to make it easier to understand in terms of vocabulary and terms. I consistently
felt as if the expectations were clear and high, she just gave the students the resources to
succeed at the task at hand.
Next, I observed TPE 1: Pedagogy for Teaching Math. Seeing as the lesson was solely a
math lesson, this TPE was rather easy to gather information on. However, as with TPE 7, there
were certain ideas and practices that I greatly admired. The first was the use of visual aids
around the classroom. Even as the students had to leave the larger group and answer the
questions on their own, they had multiple resources to help and guide them placed around the
room. Whether it was number charts, examples of the diagrams they could use to help them
solve the problem, etc., they were given the tools to succeed. The teacher also had an excellent
way of using questions in order to engage the students thinking. For example, the teacher
would ask things like What do you know? and What are you trying to find out? as a way to get
the students to independently think about the question in a way that allowed them to explore
their own thought process and understanding. The use of these open ended questions was a
way to get the students thinking about the material without giving them the answers. Lastly, the
use of physical movement within the lesson was an amazing thing to observe. The teacher
allowed the students to stand up, move, and cross the midline. This was a tool used to help the
students become better engaged and eager to delve into the lesson, which helped the
instruction that followed. Each part of the lesson was tactfully and amazingly placed in a way
where I left feeling like the children were engaged, challenged, and given the tools to succeed.

Fernandes 3
Lastly, I observed TPE 2: Assessing Student Learning. The teacher subtly did this
throughout the lesson, but I was able to clearly see the way in which she assessed her
students. She would call on certain students to answer questions, which is one of the more
commonly observed tools in terms of checking for a students understanding. In addition to this,
she would also do something that I had never seen within the classroom before, which was
allow the students themselves to instruct each other. One student was called to come up to the
whiteboard and demonstrate the way in which he went about the problem. From there, the other
students would add their input and ideas while the teacher, for the most part, remained silent.
They would explain their thought process and be given the opportunity to justify their answers.
This allowed her to observe her students and their understanding of the lesson as they engaged
with each other. Once I was able to recognize how she was assessing her students, I was then
able to use the same tools to assess the students for myself. I was able to observe the students
within my group, and within the larger classroom, and assess how they were learning for myself.
With the tools mentioned above, in terms of teaching English learners within the context of a
math lesson, it became clear to me that, for the vast majority of the students, understanding and
comprehension was high, and if there were some where it was not, the use of conversation,
questioning, and student interaction between each other allowed for learning to be facilitated.
This lesson was one that allowed me to leave with more knowledge and tools than I had
ever thought possible. There was so much that I observed in all of the TPEs mentioned above
that I will forever carry with me. From this lesson, I finally feel like I have an understanding on
how to teach English learners, approach the topic of math, and then assess my students in both
of these areas. This lesson was one that I feel incredibly grateful to have seen, and I believe
that I have grown tremendously as a future teacher.

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