Classroom Observation Notes

Sara Nyitrai
20, 2016

Science 30 (blk 1)

Observation session #1

April

Topic: Physics
Things to Celebrate

Thanks for having me in your class today Sara.

Your calm and consistent demeanor with the students establishes a solid
learning environment.
Powerpoints are clear and informativethey add to the lesson, as opposed to
Being the lesson
Good relation to the data booklet as a tool for assistance in problem solution.
Explained how and when to access it.
Good movement around the room for attention and accountability
When you took the cell phone away from the student, it was very minimally
disruptive, which is goodyou didnt give up your focus or authority and it
was discreet. Good!
Hannahs question relating to the +/- charges and the size due to the
negative exponentvery clearly answered
Responsive to student feedbackduring sample calculation, you
acknowledged why the mass of +/- isnt theirs to know on the data booklet,
and so provided that on the board. Good adjustment, and again, good
circulation for one-to-one contact with students during calculation time.
Your call back to focus was respectful and well-received. Theres clearly an
air of mutual respect between you and the students.
You consistently model what you expect of the students with respect to work
processesshow the formula, include units, etc.
You used a finger sign assessment as formative feedbackthis was good in
that you had everyone commit, and followed it up with a rationalethis
promotes accountability and a further check that the comprehension is
actually what they perceive it to be
Great catch on the conduction/induction mistakegood ownership of the
error and well-received with the kids. No ego here, which is awesome!
Good use of tech/multi-media on magnets. Also gave one active student a
magnet and paperclip to play withon-topic distractions are great for these
kids.
Good review of assignments, timelines, and expectations. This included
flexibility for those on Grad retreat.

Things to Consider
(This isnt the what went wrong segment, but rather suggestions, questions for
my understanding, and things to consider as alternative approaches. But
remember, these come from my parachute perspective on this particular lesson,
which cant take into account past context or flow of a unit)

Whats the content that is provided to students? In what manner? (I.e. are
they given note packs, online resources, etc?)

There was a lot of information todaywhile thats ok, anticipate buy-out from
the kids, and find ways to activate their experiences even with short activities
or changes to keep their focus and attention high
How do you involve the visual learners a little more acutely? Other than
notes on board, what visual reinforcements could be added for this type of
learner?
Your 2-sentence summary only saw one student response. Can more
responses be acquired to heighten engagement and accountability? Did
Rorys response satisfy the question you were seeking response on?
Im not sure the description you gave of magnetic north actually being south
stuckI saw a number of quizzical looks on faces, and after you put it out
there, kind of dropped it. Id suggest this needs review or at the very least,
clarification.

Sara, thanks for welcoming me into your class today. It was a good lesson! Once
youve had a chance to review and digest these comments, lets plan to spend 15 or
20 minutes going over them, as a recap of todays observation.