K-6 Update
02.28.20
When I walk in...
I'm always curious about what is in the mind of a teacher when an administrator (or two) walks into your classroom. I know when I was teaching there was a momentary "Oh crap!" but that quickly faded and I proceeded along nervously. That nervous feeling diminished over time, but it never completely went away. Having someone watch me was always just a bit unsettling.
Likewise, I'm sure many teachers wonder what an administrator is thinking after they have walked through your room. It occurs to me that we might be able to bridge the gap of "I wonder what they're thinking" by having crystal clear, simple explanations of what it is exactly we are looking for when we are in your room. It also occurs to me that across the five elementary buildings there may be five (or ten!) different versions of this.
So, allow me to share what I am thinking and looking for when I'm in your room:
Reading Block
- Are students engaged with a rigorous text?
- Is there discussion (students speaking) about high-quality questions related to the rigorous text?
- Is there writing in response to the high-quality questions related to the rigorous text?
Math Block
- How many cycles of at-bats are occurring (question, student-response, feedback, repeat)
- Are the at-bats rigorously aligned to the standards?
- Are active engagement strategies such as choral response and cold call used the majority of the time? Side note here: If I am asking the class a procedural question such as "What is the next step in the process?" then I would want to use the questioning technique Question --> Wait --> Cold Call. If I am asking a computation question such as "What is 36 divided nine?" then I would use choral response (every student says the answer aloud). If I am asking students to complete a problem on their own then I would use some sort of whole-class engagement tool like a whiteboard (low tech) or Peardeck (high tech) to ensure I have maximized engagement AND maximized the feedback I receive on student learning.
General
- Is the teacher giving high-quality real-time feedback
- Are purposeful questioning techniques used such as (ask the question, provide wait time, cold call) to maximize student engagement?
- Does every minute matter? Are we ensuring that every task is the highest leverage way to use each minute?
- Does instruction progress through the gradual release model based on checks for understanding?
- I do --> We do it together --> You do it together --> You do it on your own
- Model --> Guided Practice --> Collaborative Practice --> Independent Practice/assessment
I see many teachers that do many of these things intuitively. The best teachers do these things intentionally.
If you're interested...
- Six Piece of Advice on Teaching with Complex Text by Timothy Shanahan
- Dyad Reading - A protocol to use for helping students access complex texts.
- The research behind the process above.