Professional Documents
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he saw a rectangle when he looked at a roll of paper towels, when most other students jumped
right to the term (cylinder) that they learned in kindergarten! I also have established expectations
to ensure that all students engage in the discussion (both speaking and listening); students know
that I will call on a few of them to tell the class what their partner shared or what they shared. I
am also getting better at asking higher order questions that require the students to understand the
reason behind certain outcomes, rather than simply explaining the reason why myself.
In this lesson, I employed several different approaches to engage students in learning
(component 3c). First, I provided scaffolding through modeling. This step was critical because
this lesson provided many hands-on opportunities for students to explore the different aspects of
solid shapes, which in and of itself intellectually engaged students in the learning. I also engaged
students in higher level thinking and learning when I asked them to make and confirm
predictions and explain their thinking to their partner if they did not agree on an outcome.
Think-Pair-Shares at the end of each days activities allowed students to reflect on that days
learning, while journal entries provided an opportunity for reflection on the entire lesson.
Finally, I engaged students in effectively using materials when I directed them to borrow shapes
from another desk group since we did not have enough shapes for every pair to stack 3 shapes.
This strategy demonstrated my high expectations of students while providing them with built-in
movement breaks!
I used both formal and informal assessment in instruction (component 3d). There was
informal assessment occurring throughout this lesson, primarily through observation of student
responses and partner/group work, but also using other techniques such as shape hold-ups and
worksheets. One of the reasons this lesson took longer than planned was that I stopped several
times to address misunderstanding that I discovered through such observation! As a final
formative assessment, I will have students assess their understanding themselves using a rubric
before they take the lesson assessment.
I demonstrated flexibility and responsiveness (component 3e) when I incorporated multiple
instructional strategies (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) into this lesson so that students would have
a deep understanding of solid shapes. I planned for differentiation and follow-up for students
who were still struggling after the lesson. I also routinely provide students the opportunity to
correct mistakes on their worksheets; they know they can ask for guidance if they need it, but
that either way, I expect them to understand why they got a question wrong and how to correct it.
While I believe that I designed and delivered a robust and engaging lesson that met all of the
requirements of Domain 3, I know that I still have work to do in this domain. Because I take the
time to ensure student understanding, seize teachable moments, and provide time for reflection to
synthesize learning, my lessons usually take longer than planned. I would also like to
incorporate more student self-assessment for progress, especially on lessons (such as this) which
span several days. I believe that adding this step will help me continue to grow in an area noted
on my mid-term evaluation: implementing accommodations.
When designing a lesson that requires higher order thinking, I do partner students
heterogeneously, but I have found that such student mentoring is not always sufficient. Although
I plan to provide one-on-one support in those cases, it has been difficult to find the time to fit it
into the day. My cooperating teacher and I have agreed to use our Imagination, Creation, and
Exploration (ICE) room time to provide small group and one-on-one time for students.
Essentially, I have been hosting a center; I call students over to work with me on math concepts
based on the informal assessments I have done.
References
Danielson, C. (2014). The framework for teaching evaluation instrument [PDF document].
Retrieved from http://danielsongroup.org/framework/