Cbserver: nell Moakley

uaLe: 11/27/2014
School: lurness Plgh School

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Algebra l SmarLboard, classroom seL
of LexLbooks, ob[ecLlves
clearly sLaLed and vlslble.
1eacher wllllng Lo provlde
asslsLance durlng
lndependenL pracLlce.

SLudenLs mosLly began
lndependenL work
lmmedlaLely, wlLh some
conversaLlon as Lhey worked
ln palrs.
1eacher qulck Lo anger,
seems Lo have
pre[udged cerLaln
sLudenLs as worLh less
Llme (noL sure lf good or
bad)
very Leacher-dlrecLed
lnsLrucLlon. l do, ?ou
do"

8lgor/preclslon Lo maLh
lesson was low, esp. on
graphlcal
represenLaLlons.
1eacher seemed more
focused on classroom
managemenL Lhan
lesson. (klds were noL
belng especlally rowdy
or uncooperaLlve from
my polnL-of-vlew)

1eachers yelled aL
sLudenL who had
flnlshed for provldlng
(requesLed) help Lo
anoLher sLudenL.
Classroom calculaLor seLs
and LexLbooks seL are a good
ldea, havlng klds haul
around Lhelr offlces" ls noL.
Wlsh Lhls opLlon was
avallable aL my placemenL
school.

Was rlgor low (sloppy,
lnaccuraLe graphlng, for
lnsLance) because Lhese
aspecLs of Lhe maLhemaLlcs
were less lmporLanL Lo Lhe
Leacher? Less known?

1he raLe aL whlch sLudenLs
solved problems was hlghly
varlable, one sLudenL was
sLuck on Lhe very flrsL
problem whlle a group Lo
her lefL flnlshed a full seL of
more Lhan a dozen.
CeomeLry
(2
perlods)
ConfldenL, aware Leacher. ls
probably qulLe good when
he's noL encouraged" Lo
Leach maLerlal for a prevlous
year's sLandardlzed LesL.
unforLunaLely, Lhe
lesson was klnd of a
busL. noL geomeLry, noL
useful.

1esL prep" day,
compleLely dlvorced
from course currlculum.
(SLem-and-leaf ploLs).
SLudenLs mosLly goL Lhls,
and were bored almosL
lmmedlaLely.


1o whaL exLenL does
admlnlsLraLlon-forced LesL
prep beneflL vs. harm
sLudenL progress?
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LSCL
Amerlcan
Cov
An exam was admlnlsLered
Lhls day and a pro[ecL was
lnLroduced. 1eacher used
clear, dlrecL language, boLh
spoken and wrlLLen, and
slmpllfled concepLs well
wlLhouL dumblng down".

use of Lechnology, lncludlng
smarLboard, weebly, eLc.
evldenL ln class

1eacher comforLable wlLh
sLudenL collaboraLlon
sllpplng beLween Lngllsh
and naLlve languages
LSCL classes compleLely
separaLed from maln
classes. uon'L know
enough Lo say lf Lhls ls a
neL poslLlve or neL
negaLlve for Lhese
sLudenLs.

klds ofLen have as much
Lrouble communlcaLlng
wlLh each oLher as wlLh
Lhelr Leachers (dlfferenL
naLlve
languages/backgrounds)
1o whaL exLenL should
regular" Leachers conslder
Lhemselves quallfled Lo
Leach LSCL verslons of Lhelr
classes? Several of us are
placed ln Lhese classes, and
whlle we mlghL be LalenLed
enough Lo wlng lL", l can'L
help buL feel LhaL speclflc
experLlse ln Leachlng LSCL
would be of greaL beneflL ln
classrooms llke Lhls

Are Lhe supplemenLary LexLs
for learners of Lngllsh" any
good? PlsLory ls a complex
sub[ecL wlLh many shades of
gray-lL's easy for Lhls deLall
Lo be losL ln LranslaLlon."
Lngllsh LlL 1eacher showed good
undersLandlng and prepared
analysls of secLlons of
asslgned LexL.

Several sLudenLs were
aLLenLlve and parLlclpaLlve,
and were clearly Lrylng Lo
engage more Lhan
superflclally wlLh Lhe LexL. A
few were able Lo draw
parallels Lo real llfe"
wlLhouL prompLlng, as well.
8ead-alouds.l dldn'L do
Lhese ln hlgh school
(excepLlng Shakespeare
and oLher wrlLlng meanL
for performance), and
was surprlsed Lo see lL.

ALLendance raLe: Lhls
applles Lo mosL classes
observed, buL lL was
mosL egreglous here.
30 mlsslng?

Much of Lhe class was
mlsslng, several sLudenLs
were dead-sllenL all
perlod, and a few were
openly aparL from Lhe
class.head's down,
readlng oLher work, eLc.
very good LhoughL-
provoklng warmup quesLlon
was used prlmarlly as an
enLry lnLo LexL dlscusslon. l
almosL would have preferred
lL Lhe oLher way around, LexL
provoklng deep LhoughLs!

Some of Lhe mosL engaged
sLudenLs were also Lhe mosL
easlly dlsLracLed. Cne
sLudenL osclllaLed beLween
slde conversaLlons and on-
polnL observaLlons of Lhe
LexL very smooLhly, wlLhouL
seemlng bored.or
apologeLlc.

Pow Lo malnLaln conslsLency
of sLrucLure wlLh regular
aLLendance raLes > 33?