Classroom Instruction Observation Form

Gifted In-Field Endorsement Program

For
Cameron Calland-Jones
Completed by Ashley Rolader
April 25, 2017

Strand Component of a Standards-Based Observed Observed Evidence Comments for

Classroom (Tally Marks) Improvement
Instruction Learning goals (e.g., essential question, X Lesson Plan and essential questions
what students should know, understand, addressed during delivery.
and be able to do by the end of the
lesson) are aligned to the GPS/QCC and
TAG Learning Objectives and are
communicated by the teacher.
Instruction begins with an engaging X Carousel Brainstorming Food for thought: I find it
hook/activating strategy to strengthen it helps reinforce my lesson
learning. if the carousel questions
relate directly to the lesson
content. Possible questions
for this lesson could be:
Can you be organized in a
messy way? How are letters
like numbers? If you were
a letter, would you be found
at the beginning of the
alphabet, the middle, or the
end? Why? Etc
All essential steps of the selected critical X Lesson Plan
or creative thinking strategy are
introduced in a predictable and logical
format.
Instruction ends with a summary activity X Summarizing Activity relates to
that extends the learning. essential questions you can easily
assess whether or not students
understand the content.
Content specific vocabulary is X Lesson Plan
developed in context.
Instructors questioning techniques X Love the questions in each step of the process! They were
require students to use higher order targeted, yet required higher order thinking. I had fun trying to
Adapted from GA DOE GAPSS Analysis Classroom Instruction Observation Form and NAGC-CEC Teacher Standards for Gifted Education
 thinking skills and metacognition. answer the questions myself, and the kids were clearly engaged
Instructional tasks require students to X during the lesson.
use higher order thinking skills and
metacognition. Food for thought: It is a tricky balance encouraging creativity and
focusing on content at the same time because the two often
conflict: content requires a right answer while creativity is, by
nature, anything other than one answer. Guaranteed, if you have a
classroom environment where children are comfortable taking
risks, you WILL get answers during metaphorical expression that
are irrelevant to your specific content but do, in fact, make sense.

In your lesson, you asked kids, When does Friday come before
Thursday? Many of the kids answers involved the timing of a
week. While the content answer was in a dictionary, the kids
were still demonstrating a great creative skill thinking flexibly!

One way to honor creativity and still focus on content is to ask

follow-up questions like: Which one of our responses was the
most creative or interesting? Then hone in on the responses that
relate to your content by asking, Which of these responses relates
best to or shows the best relationship to or makes you
think about a connection you didnt think of between etc.

For example, once I asked the question, How are roller coasters
like movies? and a student responded, Because there is always
THAT person using their phone. Was it an accurate and clever?
Absolutely! This child saw a connection that no one else thought
of and used humor/wit. Was it what I was trying to teach? Not
reallyWe all had a laugh, acknowledged the creativity, and then
focused on the responses that were more targeted to my physics
lesson (such as, They both have ups and downs.)

Another way you could fish for the right answer is to leave it
hanging until the end of the lesson. You might have said to the
kids, These are some great connections! There is one more way
that Friday comes before Thursday, and at the end of our lesson,
Im going to see if someone can guess it!

One more way to get kids to target on content is to look for

patterns in responses/questions. Start by sharing out the responses
Adapted from GA DOE GAPSS Analysis Classroom Instruction Observation Form and NAGC-CEC Teacher Standards for Gifted Education
 to all of the questions (record visually if possible), and ask the kids
if they can see a pattern. With your riddles, the kids may have
been able to see the pattern of things that have to do with a
dictionary. Then you can ask them, Thinking about this pattern,
how could you explain each of the riddles?

What I really loved about the Friday/Thursday question was that

even though your students didnt get the right answer, their
answers were still about organization (timing of a week), which is
one of the skills you were teaching!

___________ is differentiated to meet __Content __Readiness Extensions

student ___________. __Process __Learning
_X_Product Style(s)
__Environment _X_Interest
Instruction and tasks reinforce students X The direct analogy questions are
understanding of the purpose for what great! They personify words
they are learning and its connection to while still addressing the content
the world beyond the classroom. specifically.
Instructors role predominantly _X_Facilitator
observed: __Lecturer
Instructional delivery mode _X_Whole Group Small group discussion was focused
predominantly observed: _X_Small Group and engaged.
_X_Paired
__Independent
Students were predominantly engaged _X_Recall Activities
in: __Textbook Activities
__Worksheet Activities
_X_Higher Order Thinking
__Performance Tasks
_X_Discussions
_X_Listening
The use of technology is integrated X Online dictionary, Brainpop, Prezi,
effectively into instruction. SEESAW, photos
Students effectively use technology X
during the class period.
Instructional goals, activities, X
interactions, and classroom environment
convey high expectations for gifted

Adapted from GA DOE GAPSS Analysis Classroom Instruction Observation Form and NAGC-CEC Teacher Standards for Gifted Education
 students.
Assessment Formative assessments are utilized X Monitored student answers in order to
during instruction to provide immediate deliver timely feedback.
evidence of student learning and to
provide specific feedback to students.
Planning and Classroom management is conducive to X Classroom Environment is very
Organization student learning. welcoming, and students were
Instruction is provided in a safe and X comfortable in taking risks with their
orderly environment. answers. They were excited and proud
The teacher maximizes instructional X to share out.
time.
School The culture of the classroom reflects a X
Culture risk-free learning environment.

Overall Assessment Below the Standard - 1 Approaching the Standard 2 Meets the Standard - 3 Exceeds the Standard - 4
Absence of major components While students met the learning With implementation of 15-20 With full implementation of
of a standard-based classroom as goals of the lesson, absence of major of the components of a 17-20 of the components of a
noted above prevented the gifted components of a standards-based standards-based classroom, standards-based classroom,
learners from meeting the goals classroom as noted above prevented the students met the learning the students exceeded the
of the lesson. the gifted learners from being fully goals and demonstrated learning goals and gained new
challenged by the lesson to think critical and/or creative insights that can be transferred
critically and/or creatively. thinking. beyond the discipline of study.

Adapted from GA DOE GAPSS Analysis Classroom Instruction Observation Form and NAGC-CEC Teacher Standards for Gifted Education