Running head: OBSERVATION 1

Educational Leadership: Observation

Katie Wissman

Longwood University
OBSERVATION 2

Teacher A is a first year, 6th and 7th grade Math teacher. Over the past several months, she has

been working to improve her student’s number sense. The following is the result of the teacher’s

attempt to implement the strategies we have been discussing.

Pre-Observation Conference

Before conducting the pre-observation conference several conversations needed to be had with

Teacher A. Some were done in person while others were conducted quickly through email. Prior to the

conference, we discussed which day and during which class she would like me to observe her. We

determined that her third block class would be the best time and chose a date about two days out from

our pre-conference. The pre-conference was held on Tuesday, April 23rd and the formal observation was

held Thursday, April 25th. We then discussed what instructional strategy she would be working on. As we

have been working together to improve the number sense of her students, we decided that would be a

focus area for her lesson. She also explained she would be tying it into a review lesson on one step

equations. During this time, we also discussed the lesson plan template, what I was expecting in each

category, and that I needed it sent to me the day before her conference to allow me time to go over it.

For our pre-observation conference, I met with Teacher A during her planning block. I had gone

over her lesson plan prior to the conference and was familiar with what she was planning to do. She

brought copies of the lesson materials she would be using with her to the meeting, including the

question cards, answer sheet, notes, and warm-up, which helped to clarify some of the questions I had

about the procedure in her lesson plan. She walked me through each piece, explaining what her goals

were for her students. As it was a review lesson, I asked what the students had already learned and

what she expected them to be able to do. She explained they had been reviewing one step equations

this week and had notes and examples in their binders. We also discussed how she is working to

improve student number sense by giving them space to explain their thinking. I took a few notes to
OBSERVATION 3

remind myself of our discussion later and any important points she was hoping to make during her

lesson to watch for. These points included students being able to pull important information from a

word problem then solve appropriately. The meeting lasted about 15 minutes in total.

Observation: Part 1

For the 5-minute walk throughs, I chose to observe the same class, a 6th grade inclusion class of

25 students, that I would be conducting the formal observation during. I attempted to see the class at

different times during their block. After each walk-through, I followed up with the teacher through

email, noting at least one strength and giving at least one suggestion. The first walk through I conducted

was on Tuesday, April 9th at the beginning of her class, around 11:00 am. I wanted to see how her

students entered the room and began working. Upon entering the room, students knew the routine of

picking up their warm-up from the table, getting their assigned calculator, and sitting down at their desk

to get started. A few students required prompts from the teacher, but for the most part, students were

started on their own. The warm-up was a spiral review of material learned throughout the year and

consisted of 5 questions. In my follow up email, I noted that her class had good routines established and

students knew the procedures expected for starting class. One suggestion I had was that she encourage

students to enter the room immediately instead of conversing with them at the door after the bell rang,

as these students were distracting as well as significantly behind their peers that started several minutes

before.

The second walk through I conducted took place Thursday, April 11th around 11:30 am. Teacher

A was conducting a review lesson on one step equations. She was using the SMARTBoard and students

were taking brief notes. Students were engaged and interacted with her as they solved problems

together. In my follow up email, I suggested that, since she is attempting to improve students’ number
OBSERVATION 4

sense, that she ask for them to explain their thinking. I also noted that she did a good job actively

engaging her students in a task, like note taking, that typically can be considered boring.

The third walk through I conducted took place on Wednesday, April 24th around 11:45. Students

were working independently at their seats on a classwork assignment. Students were not as focused as

they could have been and were spending more time talking with each other than working. In the short

time I was there, Teacher A did not prompt them to get back on track. Several students had also already

finished and were just sitting and chatting. In my follow up email, I suggested that she have alternative

assignments for early finishers and that she prompt those off task to continue working. I struggled to

find a positive comment, but I wanted to ensure I added one. I eventually noted that, when asked,

students knew what they were working on and the overall objective of the lesson.

Observation: Part 2

Teacher A’s announced observation took place on Thursday, April 25th during her third block

class. I arrived with the lesson plan we had discussed and an outline of the formal observation form that

my school uses with each professional standard to guide my evaluation. This lesson was on solving one

step equations in word problems. Students had a partner and were working on task cards hung around

the room. They would walk to a card then answer the question on their answer sheet. Answer sheets

had a section to show work and explain their answer. During the lesson I did a combination of note

taking and observing as I walked around the room, listening and talking to students and observing how

Teacher A interacted with them. The following are my notes summarized into a chart on how Teacher A

met each professional standard:

1. Professional -Social Contract and 4 questions are posted

-essential question posted
Knowledge -lesson and activities are standards based
-Teacher A is competent with the content as shown by her ability to work
students successfully through problems
OBSERVATION 5

2. Instructional -used partners

-teacher was available to help
Planning -tracked IXL’s on whiteboard
-reviewed content before activity
-activity was relevant and meaningful
-lesson flowed and transitioned smoothly
-provided area for explaining student thinking as discussed in talks about
improving number sense

** Suggestions**
- perhaps label the harder questions as “challenge”
- give them a way to check their work and answers when finished, then
make corrections for mastery learning
- anchor charts

3. Instructional -Students were up and moving around the room, actively engaged
-multiple components to lessons
Delivery -had a list for what to do when finished
-kept examples on the board for student reference
-checked in with all students during activity
-used technology (SMARTBoard) to enhance lesson
-explained questions to struggling students using prompting questions

Examples:
“If there were 14 books on the table, and 5 of them were yours, how
many were Aniya’s?”
Students: “Oh, 9”

“What are the numbers you are given?”

Students: “6 and 72”

“Which is the total?”

Student: “72”

“How can we turn them into a number sentence? What operation are we
using? Why?”
Students: “Multiplication, because it says ‘How many times’. So, it is
6x=72”

“What does inverse mean?”

Student: “Opposite”

“What is the inverse operation of multiplication?”

Student: “Division”

“How can we get the letter by itself?”

Student: “Divide 6 on both sides”
OBSERVATION 6

“Where can you find examples to help you?”

Student: “In my notes”

**Suggestions**
- Example was written over the list of things to do when finished
on the SMARTBoard, perhaps erase one and write it somewhere
else
- Vet questions beforehand so that some aren’t too difficult.
Stopping to help students with the two that were above their
level kept you from being able to walk around the room and work
with everyone.

4. Learning -uses SGA and Quarter 3 Exam for review planning

- uses classwork, quizzes, and warm-ups to guide lesson planning
Assessments -quizzes are standards based
-emails parents regarding failing grades and poor behaviors
-classwork from today’s lesson was to be turned in for a formative
assessment

**Suggestions**
- Use a formative assessment that is not partner based so you have
a better understanding of each person’s abilities
- What will you do if assessment does not demonstrate
understanding?

5. Learning -provides a safe physical, intellectual, and emotional setting

- posts expectations clearly in Social Contract
Environment - Teacher A was friendly, respectful, and inviting to all students and
visitors
- students were working in partners, promoting teamwork and trust
-classroom is clean, organized, and easy to navigate

-SMART Goals set goals for professional growth

- confers with other Math teachers on a daily basis
-Teacher A shows professionalism in relations with students and peers

6. Professionalism **Suggestion**
- Relying too heavily on coworker’s resources could result in
materials that aren’t right for your students (i.e.- some of your
questions were too hard for your students and at a level that they
hadn’t learned yet). Perhaps consider checking each question
before posting or creating/finding some of your own resources.
OBSERVATION 7

7. Student -SMART Goals aim to show growth with end of the year assessment
-analyzes student test scores to drive instruction
Academic

Process

-find ways to challenge early finishers

Final Notes -differentiate lesson from the beginning for higher or lower level learners
by color coding question cards around the room, then breaking students
into groups based on abilities. For example, high fliers to the red cards
while those struggling with this particular material do the green cards.

-students understood expectations for partner work and moved easily

and quietly around the room, remaining on task the entire time. Well
done establishing those procedures!

Feedback Conference

After the formal observation, the feedback conference was held the next day, Friday, April 26th

during Teacher A’s planning. I began the meeting by asking her how she thought the lesson went. She

expressed that overall, she thought it went well. She had glanced over student’s papers and determined

that for the most part, students understood one step equations, but were reluctant to explain their

thinking. We discussed how, as this is a procedure relatively new to them, it is understandable that it is

still inconsistent. Her plan is to introduce the procedure of explaining their thinking at the beginning of

the year next year so that it becomes a common routine for students and is more consistent throughout

the year. When asked what she thought went well, she noted that students were actively engaged and

were using the resources they had, notes, examples, and each other, to problem solve when they

reached a difficult question instead of immediately asking for help. She also noted how they worked well

in partners, stayed on task the entire time, and seemed to grasp the material well, as it was a review

lesson. When asked what she thought could be improved, she discussed the fact that some problems
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were above the 6th grade level and that she should have checked them beforehand. I went over my

notes with her and provided her a copy. I highlighted the good things that I saw, which were similar to

the strengths she identified, including students being actively engaged and capable, the positive and

collaborative atmosphere of the classroom, and that students were capable and aware of the objective

of the lesson. We also discussed some of my suggestions highlighted in my notes, such as differentiating

instruction and what her next steps are regarding this particular standard. Does she feel students are

ready to move on or is she going to continue to review this next week? She stated that she felt they

were ready to move on, but problems such as these would be revisited in the warm-ups as they spiral

through the curriculum daily. A challenge I left her with was considering how this lesson could

incorporate technology a bit more. The conference lasted about 20 minutes and was a productive

conversation.

Reflection

Overall, I felt Teacher A did a nice job throughout the entire observation process, from pre- to

post- conference. She was organized and meaningful in her lesson planning and instruction was

delivered clearly. Teacher A has been working this year on classroom management and, while it wasn’t a

focus of this lesson because this was not a class she was struggling with in particular, students were well

behaved, on task, and new classroom procedures. She can be, however, a bit informal with students at

times, joking around with them and getting them off task, though it was not observed in this particular

lesson. However, I feel that will come with a combination of maturity and experience as she is very

young, and this is her first year teaching. I do feel she relies too heavily on her peers and isn’t learning to

develop her own materials specifically for her students. I noted this in her evaluation and we discussed it

briefly, as she noticed it also when some of the questions were beyond her student’s level. I felt her

lesson was successful as students were accurately solving problems, and some progress had been made
OBSERVATION 9

regarding the goal of improving student number sense, but as we discussed, it is not a routine they are

used to yet and still bulk at the idea. Introducing this at the beginning of the year as a norm will help.

Throughout this experience, I learned that this is a very time consuming process and would be

difficult to do with many teachers. However, it may be easier to accomplish when I am a principal and

my time isn’t as limited by teaching my classes. As a principal, and through what I have learned in my

shadowing experiences, I would like to try to visit each classroom at least once a week. While this is

ambitious, it is possible, as demonstrated by those I have shadowed, if it is made a point and goal. It is

also appreciated by teachers, as in my building, our principals are not visible, and it is a point of

contention among our teachers. They want the principals in their rooms and to be provided with

feedback. I have learned that there is a great deal of reviewing and research to be done on my end to

adequately prepare and help the teacher during the observation and to provide that meaningful

feedback they are looking for. In the future, I would like to develop a digital observation form or

checklist that I can use to quickly note what I see and send it to the teacher. It is time consuming to hand

write my notes and takes away from my ability to observe. Overall, this has been an exceptional learning

process and has taught me how to deliver criticism in a coaching manner and not a judgmental seeming

one.

I have neither given nor received help on this work, nor am I aware of any infraction of the Honor Code.
OBSERVATION 10

References

Teacher A (2019, April 23). Teacher interview [Personal interview].

Teacher A (2019, April 25). Teacher interview [Personal interview].

Teacher A (2019, April 26). Teacher interview [Personal interview].

Manassas Park Middle School Formal Observation Form (2018-19)