Classroom Observation - Huffaker

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Elizabeth Huffaker

High School Math - PreCalculus

1. Notice that Ms. Huffaker has a bell-ringer or warm-up on the board at the beginning of class. Students are free to begin working on it when they come in and then Ms. Huffaker gives them a bit more time after she makes any announcements needed for the day. Why is this important? Reflect.

2. Ms. Huffaker makes reference to information students have previously learned and explains to students why they are revisiting those topics. It is important to refer back to prior learning from time to time so that students maintain a strong foundation of understanding and are able to build upon those skills/content later on.

3. Ms. Huffaker maximizes instructional time by completing "housekeeping" tasks during times when students are working independently and not receiving direct instruction. How does this enhance the instructional time available to her? Reflect.

4. As Ms. Huffaker goes around checking homework, take note of how she redirects students, provides feedback and gives praise or encouragement when needed. This multi-tasking is important in maintaining a respectful learning environment.

5. (05:56) What has Ms. Huffaker accomplished during this exchange with her student? Reflect on this exchange. Note how she has corrected a common mistake or misconception.

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6. Notice how Ms. Huffaker used her phone to set a timer to control the amount of time

spent on a task. She also placed it under the document camera so that a visual reminder of time remaining was also available to students. You do not have to use this method - there are many online timers you can use &/or embed in your presentations. Spend some time searching the Internet or trying different methods to determine what works best in your classroom. What other apps might you find to keep the class moving? Reflect.

7. Ms. Huffaker has just provided a student with a visual representation to answer her question. In subjects, such as math and science, this can often make a big difference in the level of student understanding. Why do you think this is? Reflect.

8. How did Ms. Huffaker increase the critical thinking for this activity? Reflect on those strategies.

9. Did you notice how as Ms. Huffaker circulated around the room, she never once gave the students the answer? Instead, she asked leading questions to guide the students to determine for themselves which trig function was needed to solve the problem. Why do you think she chose to require students to think by asking leading questions? Reflect on the importance of students' reaching understanding with the support of the teacher, and not the 'answer' from the teacher.

10. Ms. Huffaker skillfully transitioned from the warm-up into new instruction. She was able to utilize the example from the warm-up and by asking questions that draw on prior learning, she segued into the new material. Do you recognize how she did this? How might this impact your instruction? Reflect.

11. (20:38) Again, as Ms. Huffaker works with a struggling student, you observe her asking guiding questions. Ms. Huffaker knows that the student has all the tools to solve this problem, she just needs assistance locating which pieces of prior learning she should use. What is Ms. Huffaker doing? Reflect.

12. As you continue to watch the video, take note of the lighting Ms. Huffaker has in her room. Ms. Huffaker has taken steps to ensure that even when the overhead lights are turned down so that the interactive white board or document camera can be used, students are still able to see what they are writing. She has added various lamps and Christmas lights to provide enough task light. This is something to consider when setting up your classroom, especially in classrooms with no windows. How does the physical layout and resources in the classroom enhance the learning. Reflect.

13. Personal whiteboards can be a very valuable tool within the classroom. Students are usually more engaged when using the whiteboards and teachers can quickly and easily check for understanding by asking the students to hold up their boards.

Teacher Tip: Purchasing enough pre-made white-boards for a class of 24-32 kids can get expensive. Your local home supply stores will carry large sheets of the white- board material that you can have cut to the sizes you want. This is usually much more cost effective than buying pre-made.

14. Notice how Ms. Huffaker has just reminded two different groups of students to be careful of common mistakes students make when solving this type of problem. Why do you think she does this? Reflect.

15. Here Ms. Huffaker is making a connection to another content area. Math and science often piggy-back off each other while language arts and social studies compliment each other. It is possible, though, to make connections between all disciplines, including art, music, health fitness, etc. The more connections a teacher can make between content areas, the more valuable the learning will be to the student. What connections to you see to your own curriculum? How might you incorporate other content areas? Reflect.

16. Effective teachers always reflect on the lesson, and lesson outcomes. Listen as the teacher reflects on this lesson, and compare it to the responses you have written on the observation worksheet. Use both the teacher’s reflections and your own observation when writing your overall observational reflection.

17. Think back to your days in school or even in another setting. How would you feel if you went an entire day without someone speaking directly to you? Ms. Huffaker makes a conscious effort to have a moment or two of one-on-one time each day with her students. Who do you think this benefits, the teacher or the student? Reflect on this on your observation page.