Assessment of Classroom Teaching

Science Education
Virginia Tech
Intern:
Name of Lesson:

Duncan Smith
Work/Power/Energy

Observer:

Veronica van Montfrans

Date:
3/31/2015
School/Grade: High School Physics
10-12

1. How was the lesson constructed and organized?

Mr. Smith began his lesson with review questions that students had to answer by using
interactive clickers. The students could work together to answer the questions or
individually, but they all had to answer the questions on their own individual clicker. This
let Mr. Smith see the percentage of the class understood the previously lesson before
moving on. He then went over all the questions to clear up any misunderstandings. This
led to an in-depth discussion about the questions, one that Mr. Smith facilitated expertly.
After the discussion questions, Mr. Smith asked the student to open up their computers
and go to a PHET Lab on ramps. The students then worked on that until I (the observer)
had to leave (about 15 minutes until the end of class).

2. What strategies did the teacher use for engaging students?

Engagement happened as soon as the students entered the classroom. The clickers that Mr. Smith
used were not just good at monitoring their learning, but instantly provided student engagement.
The technology was not so novel that it distracted from the lesson, but it was novel enough to
have the students wanting to use it.
Mr. Smith is very conversational with the students. He has a rapport that they students respect and
understand, and he can carry a dialogue with the students about the topic to keep them engaged.
Mr. Smith knows the students names, which is very important.
During the discussion of the clicker questions, Mr. Smith utilized a ball that students could throw
to one another to pick someone to answer questions. This strategy kept students alert and actively
participating in the discussion/their learning.
3. How did the teacher manage and monitor student learning?

As previously mentioned, the clicker review questions allowed Mr. Smith to determine
the percentage of the students that understood the review questions.
It was evident that Mr. Smith had good rapport with the students as they proceeded to the
discussion section. He used the engagement tactic of the balltoss to see who understood
the topics discussed.
Mr. Smith circulated the room to answer questions constantly and check on lab they
students were doing on the computer. He also crouched down to the seated-level of the
students while answering questions.

4. How did the students respond to the activities?

Students seemed to know exactly what to do with the clickers and the PHET lab. They
seemed to respond pretty well, and were asking questions constantly about the content,
which is a good indication that the logistically instructions were clear enough to so not to
distract from the learning.

They were a little slow on picking up on the ball toss, which lead to a few students being
surprised and hit with the ball. But they eventually woke up and responded to the activity.

5. What are suggestions for this lesson and for future planning?

Mr. Smith needs to be a bit more confident in his delivery from the very beginning of the
lesson. As the lesson progressed, Mr. Smiths confidence increased and his command of
the class and subject was very evident.

Overall, a very good lesson. Great job!