Clinical Supervision Observation Cycle

ELP 553: Organizational Management I: Human Resource Management

Dr. Gregory Hicks

North Carolina State University

Fall 2019

Jessica Currin

Pre-Conference Notes
Teacher: McMillan
Dates: Pre-Conference: 9/23/19
Observation: 9/25/19 at 9:00 am
Post-Conference: 9/27/19 at 11:10 am

1) What is the focus of the lesson?

This is the first lesson in the OJ Simpson unit. Why was it called the “Trial of the Century?”
What was OJ’s racial identity? How does this case demonstrate race relations in American then
and now? Students will understand the main points of accusation. What was the reaction to the
verdict?

2) What outcomes or standards will be addressed?

NCSCOS – Race Relations in America

3) What skills and knowledge will students develop?

- Analyze information
- Research
- Write an essay based on the trial supported by facts from the trial
- Come to consensus with their group
- Collaborate with others

4) How will students be actively engaged during the lesson?

“I don’t have to worry about student engagement when we discuss OJ Simpson. The students
will be engaged.” Students will follow the video with a rubric and come up with a verdict based
on criteria of the law. We will pause the video to discuss throughout the video. “I want students
to understand and appreciate points of view different than their own.”

5) What will students do that will you let you know that they mastered the lesson concepts?
Test at the end of the unit. Essay at the end of the unit. Discussions throughout each lesson.

6) What led up to this lesson? What learning experiences did students have in the lesson before
this one?
“This is the first lesson in this unit. There are five parts to the video. We will watch part 1 on
Wednesday.”

7) Where would you like me to position myself so that I am not interfering with the lesson?
“Sit wherever and feel free to interact with students.”

8) Is there anything you would like me to look for during the lesson? Is there any specific data
relating to your PDP that you would like me to collect?
“Just give your input. How many different students participate during the lesson?”

9) Is there anything else you would like to share?

“Just be part of the class.”
Raw Notes During Observation
Note: M = McMillan (Teacher)

9:00 - bell rang, Students were in their seats (new seating assignments)
9:01 - M reminding students to put cell phones and earphones away, reminded a student that he
couldn’t eat in class
9:02 - M went over the essential question on the board
Essential Question: How did the OJ Simpson murder trial affect the criminal justice system and
race relations in America?
M asked students what they know about this case
Called on Bree - OJ had a problem with his racial identity.
Sequoia - Didn’t he kill two people?
Female, Jamiya - He was accused of killing two white women.
Chalina - He was accused of killing his ex-wife who was white and the boyfriend of his ex-wife
who was also white
Lee - I thought she was having an affair.
9:06 - two students walked in late with late passes and he asked them to sit down, he read their
notes and gave them their papers, the two students left the classroom (ALC?)
9:07 - I have given you a sheet with questions. Take notes while we watch the video. You will
need to use this information in your essay. You will need to back up your ideas with evidence.
M - What was the accusation against OJ?
Class - He murdered his ex-wife and her friend.
M - My brother and I to this day can’t talk about this case. He swears he didn’t kill the people. I
think he did. We can talk about that more.
M - How did OJ Simpson become famous before the murder case and why was he seen as an
American icon?
A girl - Wasn’t he a famous football player?
M - He was a well-known football player. He was the first player to break the 2,000 rushing yard
records
A girl - Wasn’t he affiliated with the Kardashians?
M - You will see all of this in the film. We will pause the film to have conversations.
Cy’Ke - Can I move up front so I can see?
M - Yes sir. Bring your sheet with you.
M - Read over questions to students. We will deal with #9 tomorrow.
M - Told the class that tomorrow we will be doing a class activity based on the information we
learned today. Make sure you take good notes. We will take some time in class to come up with
a thesis for your essay.
9:14 - Started documentary
Paused the video at 9:16 to discuss the parole hearing (from when he was trying to get out of
prison for stealing his memorabilia)
One student (Sequoia) had his head down and M asked him to sit up. Student complied.
9.18 - M walked around the room and sat at the back of the room between several students.
M actively watched the video throughout the lesson.
9:23 - Sequoia had his eyes closed and head down. All other students were watching the film.
9:24 - M walked over to Sequoia again and asked him to sit up.
9:24 - M moved his position and took a seat in the front right of the room next to another group
of students.
9:26 - Did you hear that? “That one play made him an instant star. Everyone wanted to interview
him and gave him his fame.”
9:27 - M moved to the back of the room.
9:27 - Jabril came up to M and asked him if he could use the restroom. He signed out and went
to the restroom.
 9:32 - M moved to the back left of the room.
From Film: August 11, 1965 - Riots and Police Brutality (Will you compare this to situations
today?) “Police responded with too much force and not enough understanding.”
9:35 - M said, “What did that look like guys?” “A war zone.”
9:36 - M asked Cy’Ke to sit up and he did.
9:36 - Jabril returned from the restroom. Another male student left for the restroom.
9:36 - M asked Edward to sit up and he did.
9:39 - M paused the film. “What does it mean when he says he was seduced by the white
community? Why was OJ criticized?”
He wanted to be accepted by the white community so bad that he shunned the black
community.
Being on the USC campus, it was a whole different way of life than the black communities
surrounding the campus.
9:41 - Shaffer came and took Cy’Ke out of the room.
9:42 - Mackenzie asked to use the restroom and M told her to wait in the back until the other
student returned from the restroom.
M - Those student athletes stood up for racial equality and it hurt their professional careers.
Who does that remind you of?
A student said, “Kaepernick.”
9:45 - Cy’Ke returned.
9:45 - Mackenzie left for the restroom.
9:49 - Male student returns from the restroom.
9:55 - Mackenzie returned from the restroom.
9:55 - Male student (Shimoore) left for the restroom.
9:57 - 8 students have their head down.
9:59 - Shimoore returned from the restroom. Another male left the room.
10:00 - M moved back to the front right of the classroom.
10:00 - I left the room at 10:00.

Data Collection for Teacher - Number of Students Participating:

I marked a tally each time a student answered a question or gave a comment pertaining to the
lesson. I recorded a total of 9 tally marks.

Demographics of the Class:

Total Male Female Asian Black Hispanic American Indian / MR Native Hawaiian / White
Students Alaskan Native Pacific Islander

31 18 13 0 23 2 0 1 0 5

9th Graders 10th Graders 11th Graders 12th Graders

0 6 14 11
 Reflection on Observation Cycle

Mr. McMillan has been teaching for fourteen years and is licensed as a Social Studies

teacher in grades nine through 12. He teaches World History, Honors World History, and

Honors African American Studies at Sanderson High School. I observed a lesson in his second

period Honors African American Studies class which includes a total of 31 students. There are

18 males and 13 females. Twenty-three students are black, two are Hispanic, one is multi-racial,

and five students are white.

Mr. McMillan and I had a pre-conference two days prior to the observation and a post-

conference two days after the observation.

During the pre-conference, Mr. McMillan referred to his lesson plan several times, so I

know that he had spent time planning and thinking about the delivery of this lesson. He was

able to tell me the focus of the lesson, the skills students would develop, and how students

would be engaged during the lesson. He was very confident that his students would be engaged

and eager to participate in discussions about O.J. Simpson. It was decided that I would keep

track of the number of students participating either by answering a question or offering a

comment related to the lesson focus.

During the observation, I sat in the back-left corner of the room so I could see all the

students, the door to the classroom, and the instruction taking place throughout the room. I took

observational and anecdotal notes throughout the observation. I kept track of the pacing of the

lesson, questions and answers, and students coming in and out of the classroom. It was

important for me to keep track of the pacing so I could see how the lesson developed and if the

instructional time was used effectively or not. I like to keep track of students coming in and out

of the classroom to share during the post-conference because often the teacher is not aware of

this because of focusing on teaching and managing student behaviors. Throughout the lesson, I

kept a tally of how many students participated. There are 30 students in the class and only nine

students participated in the class discussion. The nine students only participated one time each.
There were many times when Mr. McMillan had to ask students to lift their heads up off their

desks. Mr. McMillan started the video at 9:14 am, paused the video twice (9:16 am and 9:39

am), and it was still playing when I left the room at 10:00 am.

Our post-conference lasted a little over 18 minutes. We had a good, honest conversation

about the lesson. Mr. McMillan had reflected on the lesson and already had some ideas for how

he would change the lessons prior to our post-conference. He was receptive to my feedback

and questions. He appreciated me giving him a copy of my raw notes and the teacher

evaluation rubric. I felt like I was able to focus on the positive parts of the lesson while also

emphasizing areas for improvement, such as student collaboration, student engagement, and

various learning styles.

Reflecting on my pre-conference with Mr. McMillan, there are a few things I would ask

differently if I were to have this conference again. I would have asked for a seating chart so I

could keep better track of which students participated in the lesson and where the students that

participated were physically located. I would have inquired more about his intended use of the

video. Did he plan to play the video the whole time and how this may or may not meet the needs

of all types of learners? I would have asked him if he had predetermined places that he would

pause the video throughout the lesson. Since he only paused the video two times during the

time I was in the room, I am not sure if he knew exactly when he was planning on pausing for

conversation.

Throughout the observation cycle, I was able to display fairness, integrity, and

adherence to ethical practices. I made sure that Mr. McMillan knew the discussions and

observation was strictly between the two of us. I made sure to conduct the pre-conference and

post-conference privately in his classroom to make it a more familiar environment for him. I did

not share my information with the administration team or any other faculty member. The only

person I shared information with was Teresa Pierre, my North Carolina State University

Executive Coach. Teresa and I were able to debrief the observation cycle.
 I am grateful for Mr. McMillan’s willingness to let me come observe and provide

feedback. I made sure to acknowledge my appreciation to Mr. McMillan.