Beth Prelgovisk

Patrick Hartnett, Ph.D.

School. He was finishing up his student teaching with Mr. Davis, a math teacher. I met with Mr.

Allen prior to class and learned that he was teaching 9th and 10th grade Geometry and the class

was preparing for a test on calculating the area of an object using formulas. At the beginning of

the class he had the students recall the work that was done the previous day and asked if they had

any questions before moving on to today’s lesson. Mr. Allen stated the objective of the lesson

and was clear on his directions throughout the class time. His voice was also clear and could be

heard in the back of the room. He handed out a packed for the students to use for class and to

prepare for the test. By observing his class, I could tell that Mr. Allen has established a culture

for learning, he can manage behavior, he used a variety of questions to drive his instruction, and

the students were engaged throughout the lesson.

The minute I walked into the room, I felt very at ease. The classroom conveyed a positive

learning environment for all students with clear expectations, and pride in their work. Before the

class started, the students and the teacher were having a conversation. Being inclusive of all the

students in class, he would ask a variety of students what their thoughts were on the subject.

Students also had conversations with other students and some asked about the upcoming test and

what they were going to do in class today. He explained a little about the test and went into

further detail during his introduction to class. As the class progressed, he gave students plenty of

time to complete the geometry problems. Mr. Allen would randomly ask students for their

answer. Some said that they were not sure if it was correct and he praised them for trying. “Well,

let’s see. You won’t know if you don’t try!” The students were willing to participate because
they did not feel threatened or embarrassed by a wrong answer. For three of the problems, Mr.

Allen asked a student what they had for an answer and put their answer up on the T.V. He would

then ask if anyone else had a different answer and put that up as well. He would continue this

until he had four different answers and asked the students which one they think is right. I could

tell this was building suspense and interest. When the right answer was revealed, students would

ask the other student how they got the correct answer. Students showed pride in their work as

they demonstrated to the class the steps they took to solve the problem. I love seeing this

technique: moments when students teach each other. Mr. Allen created a positive learning

environment in his classroom which increased participation that resulted in high quality answers

that students were willing to share with the class.

The Code of Conduct is clear to all students and the teacher responded appropriately and

promptly to inappropriate student behavior. Having a relaxed class can be a double-edged sword.

Though it makes students feel calm, it sometimes leads to poor behavior so that a teacher needs

to be on top of it. I observed this happening twice during the class period and I am glad it did. I

got to see how Mr. Allen would handle the situation. Three boys, who sit close to each other

almost in a triangle formation, started a conversation that was completely off topic. Mr. Allen

joined in on the conversation and led it back to the class lesson. The second time it occurred, he

calmly reminded one of the boys that he would be moved to a different seat if it continued. The

boys got the message and stayed on task for the rest of the class. This technique was successful

because the boys knew that there would be a consequence if they continued and more

importantly, they knew that the teacher would follow through. The boy wanted to keep his seat,

so the best option was to get back to work. Having a class code that is respectful, consistent, and

fair helps to keep the discipline to a minimum.

at a high cognitive level, and he allowed sufficient time for students to answer or to complete a

problem. During the one-hour observation, this new teacher used many different types of

questioning techniques. Mr. Allen used “wait time, place holders, clarifying, check with others,

prompting, cues, inference, and what might be the answer.” Mr. Allen did a wonderful job of

creating an interest in the topic they were studying. While solving the problem, more questions

were asked that led to other questions. If a student had the right answer, he would ask, “How did

you get to that conclusion? What steps did you take first? How do you know what the area of a

triangle is? What is the formula for that?” Mr. Allen also cued the class by asking, “What shapes

do you see in this figure and how do we solve for those?” During the lesson, he would call on a

variety of students, so in a way, the whole class solved the problem together. By asking a variety

of higher level questions and involving the whole class, the level of student engagement

increased.

Besides the higher level of questions, the packet of materials and the technology tools the

teacher used kept students engaged throughout the lesson. The activities and the materials were

appropriate to the instructional outcomes. There was a clear and coherent lesson structure with

suitable pacing. The objective of this lesson was to prepare the students for an upcoming test on

finding the area of an object. The material that was distributed to each student was a 6-page

handout. On the first page, there were examples of simple shapes with a space to put the formula

used to solving the area. At the beginning of the lesson, Mr. Allen reviewed the formulas to

make sure everyone understood how to solve for those objects and to give them an opportunity to

ask questions. This handout would be used as a resource. During class, Mr. Allen used a

computer with a pad. When he wrote on the pad, it projected the work on the TV. That way the
students could see the worksheet that they had in front of them, and the teacher could show the

steps to solve the problem on the T.V. During the post conference, I learned that this worksheet

was also on the google classroom, so that students in the back of the room could use their

computer to see the paper as well. Mr. Allen used the chalk board behind him to go over

examples or leave formulas on the board for a reference. The remaining pages, of the packet, had

different problems to solve for the area of an object. There were several examples on the sheet to

practice with. Mr. Allen gave the students plenty of time to solve a problem before the class

answered his questions correctly. If a student was finished early, the student could go on to a

new problem while they waited for Mr. Allen to pull the class together to answer the problem. At

one point, a student asked about a figure that was more advanced than the one they were working

on. He addressed the problem by putting up cues on the chalk board where she could refence

those to help her solve the problem. A few of the problems were similar, so after making sure

that the class knew the answers to those, he would ask, “What problem do you want to tackle

next?” Near the end of class, one student asked, “How do we study for this test?” The teacher

replied, “You could put in different measurements for the shapes in your packet and solve for the

area, for practice!” This class lesson plan kept the students interested and their needs met.

Students could self-assess their work and the teacher could assess the class on their knowledge

prior to the test. The student’s learning was increased by having a resource that they created to

practice and solve problems in order to prepare for their exam.

Going into this experience, I did not know what to expect. The last two observations were

with a relative and a friend. For the final observation, I chose a math teacher, Mr. Davis. He said

that he would be happy to be observed, but he had a student teacher with him that was finishing

up and it would be great for him to be observed. For me this was a perfect situation. It was less
stressed than I would be if I observed a colleague that I work with every day. I felt very

comfortable observing his class and I knew most of the students. I enjoyed being in the class and

recalled how much I liked math in high school!

Writing up the observation was a smooth process. I used the Charlotte Danielson’s

Framework for Teaching and found that it highlights on all the aspects of teaching successfully.

My goal was to capture a true picture of the observation and this framework was a great tool to

do that. Dring the observation, I used a form that I devised to record the teaching techniques and

met with Mr. Allen when he came back from vacation. “Teachers get frequent feedback and

coaching. Prompt face to face conversations are essential to closing the loop with teachers.”

(Marshal 195) The post conference went well. I shared information with Mr. Allen and described

the positive teaching techniques that he used. I was wondering how he felt about students using

their phone as a calculator and he was fine with it as long as they were on task. I asked if it was a

good representation of his teaching style and he thought it was. Since his professors at Thomas

College were not traveling to do observations, he was pleased that another teacher could observe

him and asked if he could have a copy of my paperwork.

This week’s observation process was a great experience. I am less hesitant and more

confident. The process surprised me, in that I became aware of my own teaching methods, why I

am using those techniques, and how students benefit from the learning process. It made me more

aware of the questions asked, the student self- assessment tools used, and how important

establishing a culture for learning is for all students. I do not think that I would change anything,

it was a positive experience for all. I have come to believe that observations are a teaching and

coaching opportunity and it is important to feel that we are all on the same team.

Marshall, Kim. Rethinking Teacher Supervision and Evaluation. John Wiley & Sons, 2013