Observation Assignment #4

Name_________________________________        Date____________            Total              /15

***Make sure to show all of your work***

1-5 True or False (Write out the whole word ex. True) (2 points each)

1.) A net of a cube must to only have 4 sides to create a cube.                                ____________

2.) An octahedron has 12 edges.                                                                                ____________

3.) A soccer ball is an example of a truncated icosahedron.                                     ____________

4.) A tetrahedron has 6 vertices.                                                                                ____________

5.) A cube has 6 faces.                                                                                               ____________

6.) Create a net of a regular octahedron, using a ruler and protractor.  (5 points)

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1) What do you think the objective is?  The students shall be able to derive information from knowing what the shapes look like and from Euler’s Theorem.

The students will be able to construct an Archimedean or Platonic solid with the help of a ruler and protractor.

2) What level of Bloom’s Taxonomy is that?

Knowledge, Analysis, and Application

3) How will you assess it in 10 minutes or less?

I will assess them in 10 minutes or less through questions 1-5 for knowledge and analysis and Application through question 6.

Observation Assignment #3

            I have to say that the classroom management in this building as a whole is nothing like I have ever seen before.  The students at East Greenwich High School, as a whole, are very driven and they are well behaved.  The students were all in the classroom and had their stuff at their seats before the bell rang for the end of the passing period.  When the bell rang they made their way back to their seats.  Unless they were asking the teacher about something. The class would begin right after the teacher asked about who was absent. 

            As the class begins, I notice that the students have the procedure of leaving the room one at a time and they had to sign out on the chart, and finally take the pass.  This procedure does not hold when people have to go to the nurse or when the students are called out of class.  I did not get a chance to see an example of how the teacher collects paperwork except when the students were placing their homework into the designated bin.  The paperwork that the students needed for the class was passed out by the teacher as he was explaining the next activity.

            At one point a student came into the classroom late and as soon as they got to their set the teacher made sure to quickly summarize what they had been doing.  A different student at one point had their cell phone out and was texting and all the teacher had to do was make a serious, but at the same time joking remark that let the student know that the way they were behaving was not how they were supposed to be, and the student put the phone away.  When I asked the teacher about this later he said that he feels setting the expectations early on makes all the difference.  He says that he spends the first three days to set expectations and to get to know the students.

            In his classroom help enforces the expectation of 24-hour mutual respect and he expects his students to have a positive attitude whenever they come to class.  I really appreciate the idea to 24-hour mutual respect and I will make sure to bring this into my classroom, but as far as the positive attitude goes, I think that sometimes it cannot be avoided.  We can do everything in our power to make them happy, but sometimes they are going to have a bad day, and we should make them feel ashamed of that.

            I feel that the way that the classroom management was handled added a sense of safety that is needed in order to learn at the optimal level.  The students are able to concentrate on their studies rather than worrying about what the other students think of them because they know that the teacher will make sure that sure that any behavior that is negative s corrected.  Because the students aren’t afraid of being too smart the students aren’t afraid of having or sharing the right answers.  The students may even be competing to have the correct answer, but that could also lead to bad things if not managed.  However the teacher is very aware of what is going on between his students, in and out of the classroom, so he is able to maintain balance in the classroom.  Before the students arrived in his classroom he gave me a rundown of all the students and how they would interact with him and with the other students.  This demonstrated a great understanding and awareness of his classroom which is beneficial in so many ways because then he can figure out how to handle situations that is truly the best for the students.  I believe that the way that the classroom is managed is intertwined with the amount of success in the classrooms.

Promising Practices Conference

            This semester I attended the Promising Practices Conference.  The first workshop that I attended was the one on Google Maps. While we were there, they demonstrated how to use the program to make our own maps so that we could make our own interactive field trip.  The professors that were presenting the workshop were both from the history department and they made a map of a walking path in Providence that would visit many of the different historical sites in Rhode Island.  They explained to us that we could find awesome field trip destinations in Rhode Island if the right research is done.  I think it would be a great thing to do with math class if I could find enough places in a close area to bring the students to see and make them more interested in the topic.  I could also use the Google Maps program itself to make an activity so that technology could be incorporated into the course.  Math can be a really difficult subject to try bring technology into, but it is also important to do.

            The second and last skill shop I went to was the one on bullying.  I find that this is a topic that must be incorporated into every class.  I found that there were some topics that I didn't realize, that should be talked about like special needs, which never are.  Some take these things for granted and just think "Oh, they should know this" or "Well this a no brainer" but no these should be talked about all the time.  With any difference that there is could be, teachers need to teach their students that acceptance and inclusion.  She gave us poems and books that would help to spread those the feelings of inclusion and understanding.  As well as poems that explain the heartache of being bullied or having a loved one who is bullied.  I want to make sure to include these lessons in my classroom because this is such an important topic that it shouldn’t just be in the advisory class or the English class.

            Then we had the speaker on hip-hop education.  This one was quite confusing for me because he wasn’t expressing what we should do exactly but that we shouldn’t have classrooms structured as they are.  He didn’t explain how exactly to include the cipher in the classroom.  So I’m not sure how to include this in the classroom, although I do believe that should be a change in the structure of the classroom.

Here you can post your comments on my second lesson, Thank you!

Observation #2

Lesson Plan Template for SED 406 and 407 part 1 = planning
Teacher Candidate: Alexandra Johnson	Subject: Geometry	Grade(s): Mostly 10th grade
Name of Lesson: Solids
Learning Objective(s), including Bloom's taxonomic level: (label A, B, C, *D) *optional The students will be able to recognize the relationship between a solid shape and it’s net.
Student Standards (GSE or/GLE or Common Core-in draft for math/science- list which): CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.GMD.B.4 Identify the shapes of two-dimensional cross-sections of three-dimensional objects, and identify three-dimensional objects generated by rotations of two-dimensional objects.
Teacher Standards (professional society and/or NETS  and RIPTS-list which): 2. Teachers have a deep content knowledge base sufficient to create learning experiences that reflect an understanding of central concepts, vocabulary, structures, and tools of inquiry of the disciplines/content areas they teach.
Rationale: Why this lesson? How does it fit into the curriculum and context? Is this the introduction, conclusion, or somewhere in the middle of the unit of instruction? To develop special relations so that students can apply these skills to real world applications.
Materials/Resources needed, including technology: White board, markers, examples of shapes, chromebooks, and website domain
Accommodations and Modifications (special needs and learning styles) For example:  Dr. Kraus has poor vision and needs written material to be at least 12 pt. font.  He also reads two grade levels higher and needs appropriate reading material.  Microphone for a mostly deaf student
What content resources support this knowledge base? (list at least 2) textbook and websites
How confident are you in this topic as you start this lesson? He is very confident and familiar with the subject

Lesson Plan Template part 2 = action
Bell-ringer: How will you get students seated, and ready for academic work? (without your voice) Do now: problems
Anticipatory Set: How will you introduce the material, interest the students, show relevance of topic? Last night’s homework of finding a website to help
Phase (change as needed)/Time	Teacher action	Student action	Questions/Assessments
e.g. Intro/5 min.	Deriving the word “polyhedron”	Answer if the know what the different parts of the word mean
Presentation or Open-ended/	Demonstration of different solid	Listen to the lecture and make connections	Connections
	Demonstration of nets	Listen to the lecture and make connections	Connections
Guided Practice or Convergent/	Lead students to websites	Exploration of the websites
	Guide them through exploration
Closing/	Website quiz
HW/Application/	Textbook problems
Review and Reflection: How will you review for students who are still having trouble? Show them how to draw the shapes in more depth
Extension: What will you offer to students who have mastered this? They are able to explore the websites further
*Closing: How will you review the material, and draw conclusions? (may be listed above) Website quiz

	Lesson Plan Template pt. 3 = reflection
WHAT?	What went well?   The students were really excited to explore the websites, and they seemed to even enjoy the quiz.
	What area of weakness needs addressing? being able to connect a net with a known shape for sure
	Which objectives were met? What is the evidence? The objective was met for the most part by all of the students. This is known through the quiz results.
	Which students did not meet objectives? I don’t know
	Was time managed appropriately? Yes
	Did any teacher mannerisms or actions detract from the lesson? No
	*What were the strengths and weaknesses of classroom management? The classroom was very well managed and the students were respectful towards the teacher and other students, most of the time.
SO WHAT?	Was the lesson engaging? Yes, especially the web exploration
	*What did I learn from my peer observation (address at least one aspect)   I learned that with expectations being established early on in the year, the classroom can be very easily managed
NOW WHAT?	How will this experience influence your professional identity?  I now know that I need to be consistent and fair.
	How will it influence how you plan/teach/assess in the future? I will make sure that my expectations are clearly set and I am consistent with them

Observation #1

            I entered the school with the teachers, at a time that was even earlier than the time that I had complained about when I was a high school student.  There was not a single student in the hallways but I could hear the sound of an early morning band practice.  The hallways were so wide and open, that even as the students started to pour into the school, there was plenty of room for everyone in the hallways.  The classroom I would remain in for the day was very clean.  The room was well lit and it was very easy to move around.  The desks were set up so that the desk were in pairs of 2 on the sides, tilted in towards the teacher and in the middle there are four desks right next to each other, and there are three rows of this configuration along with one row of six in back of the center of the class.

            There are a lot of things on the walls of the classroom but, at the same time were wasn’t enough to make it distracting.  One the walls there are inspirational sayings and things that foster inclusion and acceptance.  Along with those, there were things that would give you access to the teacher’s website if you used your smart phone to scan the picture.  The teacher has two desks that are both in the front of the classroom.  One is where he lives while the students are in the classroom, it is a very simple desk with enough space to have his document camera on it, the projector, the materials needed for class, and his lesson notes.  Then the other one was a sturdier structure with all of the things that a typical teacher might need throughout the day with a bit of decoration that was very personal to him.  To me the room feels inviting and relaxing, not scary like so classrooms can seem.

            Students started to come to the class I was in during the second period, ready, but not excited for their Introduction to Pre-calculus class.  The teacher and I stood outside as students trickled in.  This was a very small class of only 13 students and there was one student absent.  This class is all white with a fairly even mix of males and females.  As I sit in the back of the room observing them, I notice that there are some really loud voices and some very quiet students.  The teacher uses a lot of names and uses comments that make the lesson stand out to each student.  There is a student in the front of the classroom who looks like he is on the spectrum.  I am very impressed with the way that the students seems to be engaged in the class.  I am also impressed with the amount of respect that is demonstrated by the students as they interact with the teacher and with each other. 

            The teacher has obviously put a lot of effort into the management of his classroom and it is paying off.  As the teacher calls on random people to answer questions, the students are all able to answer the questions and it doesn’t look like they are ever flustered by the questions.  This demonstrates that they are comfortable with the way that he teaches, they are able to keep up, and they are comfortable with each other.  To be able to get every student that way, is very difficult but very valuable to the teacher.

            The students do not have to be called on to participate they can talk to the class if there is a space in time for them to participate.  The system that has been developed seems to be very effective for the class and they are able to make sure that their questions are answered and their connections are valued.  This class seems to be a very inclusive and nurturing environment.  Not all the students may be able to outwardly appreciate this but I believe that every student in his class knows deep down, that this class is beneficial to them.  So, as they leave the class, they leave with having learned a few valuable skills.

    I taught my first math lesson to my mother and my brother.  I have learned a lot from this experience.  What did you think of it?  Constructive criticism is encouraged, Thank you!

The Four Most Important Qualities for a Teacher to Have

There are so many qualities that a teacher should have in order to be successful in their profession.  However, more than anything, they must be observational, passionate, flexible, and authoritative.  When teaching in a classroom, there are many things that a teacher must be aware of.  A teacher has to monitor the class for people that may not be in the prime emotional state for learning.  They have to make sure that the class is following and learning the lesson.  They have to make sure that the classroom is comfortable so that the students can concentrate on learning.  The comfort level of a room alone has many factors that require a teacher’s attention.  Things like the temperature of the room, the lighting in the room, and the peer relationships in the room.  

A dancer in arabesque
photo from:
http://galleryhip.com/ballerina-arabesque.html 

Teachers also need to observe the world in a certain way that allows them to pull lessons from their real life experiences.  Relating lessons to the lives of students is very important to helping the students to retain the information that is being given to them.  If a teacher wants the students to remember things, they need to help the students to build relationships to the concepts that have already been established in their brains.  For example, if a math teacher knew that there were a lot students that danced in their room, they may want to relate right angles to the legs of a dancer that is in an arabesque.  Or a physics teacher might want to relate projectile motion to playing basketball if there are sports players in the room.  The observational skills that make all of these connections possible are not something that all people possess, but they are something that all teachers need.

No one should be a teacher without passion for what they are doing.  As a teacher, you have children looking up to you for guidance.  If it is visible that you are not happy with your job, there is no way that the students are going to remain interested in the topic that you are teaching.  These students are relying on you to teach them everything that they need to know to be successful in the world, and if they don’t think that you are taking them seriously, they are not going to respect you or anything that you have to say.  Passion keeps the energy of the classroom alive, which helps the students stay interested in the lessons, and the teacher to remain happy in their profession.

Flexibility is definitely necessary because there are many things that could come up throughout each class that could cause a delay in a lesson plan.  Between fire drills, emotions, illness, etc. there are numerous things that could push back the timing or the flow of the class.  A teacher needs to know when and how to change their plans without getting overwhelmed.  If a teacher becomes visibly overwhelmed, then the students may feel like they have to worry about the quality of the lesson that they are being taught.  Flexibility helps to keep the teacher sane and the classroom moving smoothly.

An authoritative teacher is necessary because expectations on behavior and the conduct of the classroom need to be maintained for the classroom to run smoothly.  A teacher needs to be reasonable with the expectations that they set up for the class, but they also must be constant.  There was nothing that frustrated me more, as a student, than a teacher that didn't follow through with the expectations that they had set into place.  How is the class supposed to take a teacher seriously if they don’t follow through with the discipline? That only sets the students up to not respect authority, and it causes that class to fail.  Ultimately, teachers need to be observational, passionate, flexible, and authoritative in order for them to have a successful and fulfilling career.