FOCUSED

PROFICIENCY OBSERVATION #1 CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

INTERN:

WYLAND OYAMA

OBSERVER:

GNEVANS

DATE OF THE OBSERVATION:

11 FEBRUARY 2016
SUBJECT/GRADE LEVEL/CLASS PERIOD: 7TH LIFE SCIENCE 5TH PERIOD WITH ANDERSON @FCMS

RECORD OF THE OBSERVATION BELOW

How does the Intern manage student behavior and create rapport with and among students in an
environment of respect?
At beginning of period, student is answering a question, when others are talking, says quiet down were
trying to hear what---has to say.
On top of student behavior- constantly making small corrections to address students off task. Uses 5-4-3-2-1
while in lab giving instructions. Excellent persistence throughout the lesson in correcting behavior. Keep on
it & things will improve.
Has a very dynamic and engaging teacher persona. Nice loud / clear teacher voice, can be heard &
understood from all areas of the room.
After the lab, when talking to students, lowers body down to face students at their seated level rather than
towering over them.

How does the Intern effectively and safely use physical space / proximity to enhance learning for all
students (If relevant, specifically address lab safety)?
Constantly circulating around room during the discussion & lab- does not get stuck at the front.
No lab safety concerns with todays lesson

How does the Intern manage classroom procedures to maximize time for instruction?
Class begins promptly when bell rings with a bell ringer question.
Has students peer grade bellringer assignments from the last week.
Pacing of the class feels right, there is no real down time, moves smoothly from one activity to another
without leaving more time than needed for each activity. WO regularly checks time to ensure lesson stays
on pace. In lab uses timer effectively to set up competition and keep rounds moving along.

How does the Intern establish classroom standards that foster a culture of learning for all students?
Uses a mug to randomly call the names of students to answer questions. When Savion could not answer the
question, WO reframes the question to something he would be likely to know so he could answer, then re
asks original question for another student to answer.
Very high interest data collection Woolybooger activity to illustrate the process of natural selection on a
population. Students are getting competitive with the others in their group which is exactly what you would
want for this lab
Keeps a log of the data from all rounds on the board in the lab so students can focus on the task & copy the
data at the end- this way no one will be missing the data they need to complete the rest of the lab.
When student asks a question, instead of giving the answer, asks a series of questions back to her to help
her come to an answer.
Comments for Debriefing / Classroom Management Tip (Try This!):
What I want you to write down, what is important to know, & what will be on the testis Good way to
help students focus on what is important.
Stickers seem to be an effective incentive for getting students to want to be called on to answer questions.
When giving instructions, be sure to take a moment to make it clear that all students need to be giving you
their full attention. Do not talk over student conversations. Just say something like I need all eyes on me.
Still waiting for some of younow waiting for two more people keep this up until all students are quiet
and focused (will feel awkward the first time or two you do it, but students will learn this routine pretty
quickly
Streamline instructions. It may be more effective with a group like this to prepare a slide with a brief
overview of instructions with pictures (remember talking about vips in class?) to brief students before going
into the lab.
I am very happy with how you are managing student behavior today. This activity has a high potential for
craziness as students are clearly excited, but your constant attention to pace & correcting off task behavior /
maintaining focus has kept things moving along well.
Avoid sending students back into the classroom when you are staying in the lab. Especially in a state of
excitement, walk into the room with students & get them settled, then you can return to lab if needed to
straighten up ( better yet, if possible have students collect up materials and put them away (or reset for next
class) as they leave to return to the room.