A. Teacher Presentations
In what ways does the student teacher:
- inform students of the purpose of the lesson?
- use different modes of presentation with the diverse learning needs of the students in mind? (for example: oral, written, visual, tactile) and a variety of materials as integral parts of direct teacher presentations?
- demonstrate or model what is expected of students during the activity phase of the lesson?
- build “comprehension checks” and evaluation criteria into lessons? Is the teacher candidate sensitive to the pacing of the lesson, making sure all students are engaged and following?
- reinforce the objective of the lesson at the conclusion?
B. Collaborative Activities
In what ways does the student teacher:
- create small learning groups in which the students learn to work collaboratively and independently?
- pre-teach the group process skills necessary for students to complete the assignment successfully?
- hold each student responsible both as an individual and as a group member? How is that accomplished?
- emphasize oral communication through instructional use of accountable talk — discussion, listening and responding to the ideas of others and group interaction?
- firmly structure a variety of group activities (e.g., role plays, simulations, debates and collaborative, small group work) with adequate directions, clear goals, time limits and accountability criteria clearly stated?
- provide all students with the materials and information they need to succeed at their tasks?
- have a good sense of which objectives are best accomplished using collaborative activities?
C. Questioning/Discussion
In what ways does the student teacher:
- use questions to determine if students understand and can perform the purpose of the lesson?
- identify and appropriately use different types and levels of questions?
- ask questions eliciting a variety of discourse modalities: e.g., summarizing, analyzing, synthesizing, comparing, etc.?
- use questioning and nominating techniques, such as wait-time, probing, rephrasing, connecting responses to previous contributions etc., effectively? Does the student teacher use strategies that demonstrate awareness of cultural, ethnic, linguistic and gender preferences in student participation? How does the student teacher gauge the effectiveness of these strategies?
- include key questions in the lesson plan? Does the student teacher “script” an arc of questions for a lesson?
- employ a variety of strategies (restating ideas, offering counter examples, etc.) to engage students in discussion and learning?
D. Development of Student Skills
In what ways does the student teacher:
- design thoughtful, sequenced assignments that break complex undertakings into manageable steps?
- engage learners in generating knowledge, testing hypotheses, and exploring methods of inquiry and standards of evidence?
- design “workshop” tasks that engage learners in exploration, discovery and hands-on activities?
- instruct students how to read for understanding and enjoyment, how to use a variety of reading strategies to retrieve relevant information from texts, how to write more clearly and coherently? Are students given models or exemplars to guide their work?
- instruct students in developmentally appropriate concepts of numeracy? Are students instructed in mathematical problem solving using a variety of techniques including manipulatives, mental math, estimation, and written communication of problem solving strategies and understandings? Are students instructed in basic computation as well as underlying mathematical concepts?
- instruct students in oral presentation and listening skills? Does the student teacher make criteria for excellence in these skills available to students?
- instruct in multiple forms (artistic, literary, historical, scientific, mathematical) of expression (orally, in writing, through reading, via visual modalities, manipulatives and technology)?
- provide students with regular tailored feedback? Does the student teacher conduct conferences with appropriate questions to scaffold student learning? Is homework and written work checked and responded to in a timely fashion?
- closely monitor and record individual skill attainment and progress?
- encourage students to extend themselves beyond their range of comfort in carrying out a variety of classroom tasks and activities?
- use technology as a learning tool?
- design learning activities that extend beyond factual recall and challenge students to develop higher level cognitive skills?
- encourage students to generate knowledge, test hypotheses, and explore methods of inquiry and standards of evidence orally and in writing?
Much of this standard ties into the mini-lesson format I tout throughout this portfolio. By design, the mini-lesson informs the students explicitly of the lesson's purpose, it gives opportunities for students to try different media and strategies, and, as long as do my job correctly, it lets them know exactly what's expected of them.
I frequently had the students use manipulatives during math, and it was interesting to see some kids latch right onto them, and others struggle to see their utility.
Modeling is critical, as I learned while trying to teach various multiplication strategies that at the surface resemble one another just enough to be confusing. Watching me go through each step of a certain strategy was crucial in the students' being able to go off and work successfully after the mini-lesson. Without modeling, I'd just be telling them what to do, which I've also learned from experience, does not render positive results.
Another critical component of the mini-lesson is the close or share, when the group gathers back around and talks about the work they just did, reflecting on challenges and surprises, and typically going over problems that hung people up. During lessons as I made my observations, I'd be on the lookout for potential share topics, which I'd jot down. The image at left represents a page of my actual lesson plan on which I was writing reminders to myself of what to mention at the share.
What happened before the lesson even started can be instrumental in that lesson's success; I'm referring to the five or ten minutes spent at morning meeting or another time to preteach a skill or strategy necessary for the completion of the lesson. During my math project, before my SLIM original that demanded they use rulers to determine distance on a map, I did a quick ruler-use lesson at morning meeting, reminding them to start at 0 not just the end, to not go crazy measuring curves, and other pieces of advice. I also, of course, modeled for them how I would measure a map to determine a distance. All this was done before math class began, so when 10:00 rolled around we could jump right into the lesson without worrying about clerical issues such as ruler use.
In my chicken wing dissection science unit, I developed student skills by, again, modeling on a video projector how I remove the skin from a chicken, so everyone can see without crowding around a small table. Then I gave them a chance to poke around on the first day, just to get used to the tools and the wing itself. The next day we began the actual dissection. One mistake I made that turned out for the better, I think, was purchasing wingettes (inadvertently) rather than whole wings for the first day. I was mortified when I saw the wing upon which I had based my lesson about the claw and feathers was lacking those features! I had bought the upper parts of the wings. Fortunately, the kids were not intimidated by the familiar shape, the same as typical buffalo wings. They got comfortable with the procedures and materials using a slightly milder version of the wing. Then, the next day, after they'd had some practice, I brought in the big wings complete with a whole host of different tissues.
The feedback I tried to give was always constructive and positive, and seldom with any quantitative score attached to it. Since I viewed every math worksheet as an assessment in itself, to track number grades for all those worksheets would have been unwieldy and impractical. Instead, I used those worksheets as a place to query for deeper or alternate answers, to ask questions about a chosen strategy, or to point out good use of a strategy. In the example below, I simply point out the successful use of the grouping and partial product strategies; this way, if the students hadn't yet started to feel comfortable with a new strategy but was executing it correctly, positive feedback would encourage them to keep trying the strategy.
