Classroom Observation: Winter Term

One Reflection Form (Three Mini Observations)

Completed by PSU administrative intern

IAL intern’s name: _Holly Altiero__ Date_____2/27/2020_______________

Observation 1: Date/Subject: 2/27/2020 kindergarten math/4 th grade buddy group math

Length of observation: _15 minutes___Type of observation technique/tool: _3 column___

Observation 2: Date/Subject: 2/27/2020 5th grade

Length of observation: _20 minutes Type of observation technique/tool: 3 Column Tool

Observation 3: Date/Subject: 2/27/2020 5th Grade Social Studies

Length of observation: _15 minutes_____Type of observation technique/tool: 3 column

Complete each question or statement with a brief paragraph:

1. From the perspective of you as the observer, what was successful about these
observations? These observations felt successful n that I felt more like I was getting the
hang of observations now. I felt good about checking in with teachers ahead of time and
setting times up to be in classrooms. I also thought it worked well to see
classrooms/teachers doing so “non-traditional” teaching and so I chose to come in
during a day I normally wouldn’t be at school to see these activities. I felt that
interacting with students was easier and debriefing with teachers went pretty well
about what I saw and asking questions for clarification.

2. What didn’t work for you as the observer? Or could be improved?

The thing that I actually thought would work in my favor (coming in on a day I am not
scheduled to work) was the one thing that worked very much against me in all three
observations. Each classroom I entered, someone in the hall saw I was in there and
came in to talk to me or pull me out. This was very frustrating since I was there solely for
the purpose of doing observations since I kept getting pulled from them on my other
days in school. Each time I told the person I was doing an observation and each person
seemed not to acknowledge that I needed them to please leave me alone to finish and I
was in fact pulled out of the room from all 3 observations. I imagine though that this is
quite common for administrators and so I would love some feedback for how to handle

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 this? How can you complete observations when people pull you out of the room or
interrupt each one?

3. What did you learn?

I learned quite a bit about how shared teaching and community or group learning can
be very efficient and beneficial for students. I learned the value that pairing older
children with younger children can have for both parties. I also learned a great deal
about some new teaching strategies that 5th grade is utilizing to get students ready for
middle school. I had not heard admin talk explicitly about what we as a school were
doing to transition out 5th graders or prepare them for middle school so this was really
interesting to witness and discuss with teachers.

4. How will you apply this to your next series of observations? What skills of observing
or techniques do you want to improve?
I will continue to seek out opportunities to witness teachers in a shared teaching space
or setting. I think it says a lot about how a class runs and functions to watch teachers
both teach and supervise or co-teach alongside another person. As far as skills or
techniques I would like to improve I would say that I would like to better figure out how
to do an observation and not be pulled out of the room or interrupted. I would like to
learn more about how scheduling observations happens as the year gets busier and
closer to the end. I would also like to try using technology in my observations more to
help document things in case I do get interrupted and I can then remind myself what I
might have missed when not able to take notes.

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 Raw Data: Observation #1
Form Used __3 column form_________________
Teacher_Melling___ Class/subject __kindergarten math/4th grade buddy groups___
Date __2/27/2020______ Time in class _9:35-9:50______ Total minutes _18-20___
Time Teacher Actions
9:35 Teacher walks around the
room and checks in on
various students. Checks in
with students who look to be
disengaged or who are
getting loud
9:38 Teacher is talking with the
5th grade teacher whose
students are in the classroom
as mentors. They seem to be
chatting about schedules for
the next week.
9:42 Teacher uses a class call
“Class class” to get everyone
attention and lets them know
it is time to clean up the
math games. Teacher walks
around and assists in helping
to clean up games
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Student Actions Learning Task
Students are working with Math/partner
5th grade buddies to play work/mentoring
math based games. All but 2
look to be engaged, one is
working with a parent on
something else. All students
appear to be doing
something different.
Students report they are
playing math games with
math buddies
Transitions/math/partner
Students are drawing on
work/mentoring
white boards, playing
games, some are moving
around the room and
cleaning up. Students I talk
to explain they have earned
stickers by the number of
math equations they solve,
this is a reinforcement
available to all students.
Students begin to clean up,
5th grade mentors help them
Transitioning/cleaning
clean up and start to hand
up/independent self
out stickers earned.
monitoring
Students put games on the
back table and most head
back to their desk. Some
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 don’t clean up and keep
drawing on their small
white boards.

9:45 Teacher is explaining that a Students are engaged. They

parent will be leading an art are watching the parent set
lesson that involves painting Following multistep
up. Some are out of their directions/independent
and he helps set up an easel seats and trying to find
for her. He reviews with learning/whole group
alternative seating. One instructions/art
students that they should be student still sits with the
at a level zero voice and parent.
starting on the carpet so she
can give directions. Teacher
then moves to the back of the
room to observe the parent.
Parent begins to give multi
step instructions for students
to follow once they get to
their seats.

Observation #1: 1) Briefly describe the class demographics. 2) Analyze Data. 3) What did the data
reveal to you about the culturally responsive teaching practices in the classroom and/or the high
leverage instructional practices in the classroom?

1. Classroom demographics: 27 students in total, 3 identify as Black, 3 as Latino, 1 as Asian, and

20 as white. 2 students are receiving SPED services and 0 LEP. 6 are listed as historically
underserved, 7 receiving free and reduced meals. 1 part time Para is in this classroom and one
parent is currently required to stay with her son who otherwise runs out of the school.

2. Data Analysis: During the observation, the teacher visited 4 students individually during math,
each was a white female and each appeared to be crying or upset. During the parent led portion of
the observation, the parent called on both SPED students several times to ask if they understood.
3. Culturally responsive instructional practices and/or
High Leverage Instructional Practices: Flexible/intentional mentoring from 5th grade,
scaffolded math learning games and opportunities, multistep instructions. Transition time allowed
with information about the next task.

Written Feedback to Teacher:

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It was really great to observe during the 5th grade math buddy learning time. I noticed that while the
mentors were working with kindergarten students you seemed to talk mainly with the 5 th grade teacher
until a kindergarten student visibly or audibly expressed frustration or needed help. I noticed that students
were both excited to start art and reluctant to end time with math buddies, I wonder if a visual timer or
countdown might be helpful for some students. I observed G.’s mom working with him pretty exclusively
but also interacting with other students, I would love to hear more about how that is working. I observed a
variety of flexible teaching strategies and a very calm learning environment overall for students. I liked
the use of flexible seating during the math intervention time and I found the parent support to be abundant
in the classroom for the art activity. I counted 6 adults aside from me in the room for that, how has that
been scheduled? Is that typical? How often are parents in to tech lessons? I would love to come and see
another parent led lesson.

OBSERVATION #2:

Form Used __3 column Form_________________

Teacher_Ritzinger/ 5th grade Grade___ Class/subject __Social Studies/writing___

Date __2/27/2020______ Time in class _9:55-10:10___Total minutes _____15________

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Time Teacher Actions
9:55 Teacher is working 1:1 with a
student and announces that she is
available to check in with students
to approve them moving on to the
final essay. Teacher helps student
by asking questions “what does
this article tell us? Would that be
what we want to know? Is this
article from a good source? How
do you know?”
Student Actions Learning Task
Students are in small Independent
groups, most have a research/information
computer out, some are gathering/writing non
reading books. When I talk fiction/social
with students each table studies/history/independent
tells me they are working seat work
on the Revolutionary War
paper. They have to use a
variety of sources to
construct a 5 paragraph
essay. Students who are
done get to read, some are
still reviewing articles to
gather information, some
are revising first drafts and
others are typing final
drafts. They tell me they
will give speeches on these
next week.

10:00am Teacher pauses the class to do a
time check and let everyone know
that they will work on the essays
until 10:20 and then they will be
transitioning to another activity.
Teacher reminds students of hat
they can do if they are done and
encourages finished students to
begin work on their speech cards.
Teacher remains in the same spot
to help one student, this student is
a Latino male student.
Students are looking either Independent
at the teacher or down at research/information
computers while she does a gathering/writing non
time check. Students fiction/social
continue to work on their studies/history/independent
projects. A few students seat work
start to move around on
wiggle seats and a few
begin to get off task and
chat with each other.
Another student shushes
them.

10:05 Teacher is working with several
students asking questions about
their paragraphs and providing
some feedback and editing. She is
still seated in the same spot and
yells out a few times to students
that appear to not be working.
Most students are still
working independently at
their desks. Some are
getting help from the
teacher, some are talking to
one another. About 80%
look to still be engaged.
Independent
research/information
gathering/writing non
fiction/social
studies/history/independent
seat work

10:10 Teacher is walking around the
room to check in with students.
She is reminding table groups they
have 10 minutes left to finish up.
Teacher got up once the other
counselor walked in to talk to me
Students are still working
at table groups, Some are
now talking softly to the
teacher as she comes
around. About 5 students
appeared to be distracted
Independent
research/information
gathering/writing non
fiction/social
studies/history/independent
seat work

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 by the counselor coming in
to talk to me.

Observation #2: 1) Briefly describe the class demographics. 2) Analyze Data. 3) What did the data
reveal to you about the culturally responsive teaching practices in the classroom and/or the high
leverage instructional practices in the classroom?

1. Classroom demographics: The class has 26 students, 3 identify as Asian, 1 as black and 2 as
Latino with 20 identifying as white. There is 1 SPED student and 0 ELL students. 3 students
identify as historically underserved and 10 on free and reduced meals.
2. Data Analysis: This observation included very little whole group instruction and so it was
difficult to measure much. Teacher worked one on one with one students for the majority of the
observation, this student was Latino and is on an IEP.
3. Culturally responsive instructional practices and/or
High Leverage Instructional Practices: Flexible workspace, flexible seating options, explicit
instructions on what next steps were, reminders of impending transitions. Teacher scaffolded
learning opportunities and activities to complete the research and writing.

Written Feedback to Teacher:

This was a quiet time to observe but it was really a testament to how well the class seems to operate
with minimal need for instruction. Each table of students knew what they were supposed to be doing
and most were engaged and doing their work the duration of the observation. I noticed you spent a lot
of individual time with L. He seemed to need step by step help that you indicated was due to and IEP
with writing minutes on it. I noticed that the classroom itself had a lot of visual reminders for what to do
during each academic activity. There was a writing wall that students looked over at multiple times
which indicates pre-teaching about that resource. I noticed that you asked students to validate their
resources which I would love to know more about the pre-teaching that went into deciding what an
appropriate web source would be. I loved the way students were able to all be working on the same
thing but in different ways and in different stages but all have the same end goal of the speeches. I hope
to be able to come in to observe some of those next week also.

OBSERVATION #3:

Form ____3 column____________________________________

Teacher_Mrs. Munoz________ Class/subject _5th grade social studies/writing___________

Date __2/27/2020______ Time in class _10:30-10:50_________Total minutes __20_______

Time Teacher Actions Student Actions Learning Task

10:30 Teacher is working with one Students are spread around Small group
small groups of 5 students the room in small groups. work/collaborative

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 that is segregated. 3 students
are working well together
and two are looking/voicing
feeling left out. Teacher asks
them how they can solve this
issue? How can they divide
the tasks so everyone is
working together indirectly
if not directly? She reminds
them their presentation will
require them all working
together nad they will all be
sharing their grade. Teacher
goes around to different
groups and asks them to
show her the articles from
Newzilla so she can help
verify them.
10:40 Teacher gives a command to
the class in Spanish and they
all respond in Spanish.
Teacher gives students a
reminder that lunch recess
will be at 10:50 so they will
need to start cleaning up
soon, they need to make a
file for their articles, return
laptops, replace bean bags or
wiggle seats where they
belong. She gives several
reminders of the voice level
that should be happening
during this cleaning and
impending transitioning. She
stops talking if they lose
attention and waits for them
then starts again.
10:45 Teacher is walking around
the room and helping
students get cleaned up. She
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Some are on the floor, some learning/research/resource
in desks, some on bean verification/writing/prepari
bags. Students all appear to ng for speech
be talking together or at
least looking at one another
or typing. I talk to several
groups and they explain to
me they are researching a
chosen time in history or
movement from the
revolution or after and they
will be presenting to the
rest of the class next week.
They say they like doing
this work together and
collaborating. Some do not
like it because they dislike
their groups or their topics.
Students are in small Small group
groups spread out and start work/collaborative
to move and chat after learning/research/resource
teacher gives Spanish verification/writing/prepari
command. Some start to ng for speech/transitioning
clean up, some start to talk,
some start to go in the hall
and get called back in. Some
are making files for their
work and others are turning
them in.
Students are cleaning, some
Cleaning/responsibility to
are getting games out, some
classroom and property/self
are getting coats and others
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 is asking students where the
computers go, why some of
them are in the halls or
getting games out. She
reminds students that it’s not
recess yet so they need to
keep cleaning up. Teacher
says “if you want the
privilege of staying in the
classroom for recess to use
my games then you are
helping to clean my room
right now”
are still putting computers management/mastering
and folders away. All are transitions
talking but seem to be
engaged in one of the
teacher’s commands.
Several are getting spots
staked out around the room
to stay in for recess.

Observation #3: 1) Briefly describe the class demographics. 2) Analyze Data. 3) What did the data
reveal to you about the culturally responsive teaching practices in the classroom and/or the high
leverage instructional practices in the classroom?

1. Classroom demographics: There are 25 students in the class. 2 identify as Asian, 1 as Black, 4
Latino, 1 Native American, 1 Pacific Islander and 16 as white. 3 students identify as SPED, 7 as
historically underserved, and 1 as ELL. 7 receive free and reduced meals and 5 as TAG.
2. Data Analysis: Teacher seemed to talk to each student as she went around to the groups, I didn’t
notice her spending more time with a specific gender or race. This class had a high number of
TAG students and I did notice that one group of students had 3 out of the 5 tag students in it.
3. Culturally responsive instructional practices and/or
High Leverage Instructional Practices: Flexible learning environment, scaffolded work groups,
frequent student check ins. Visual and verbal ques for transitions utilized.

Written Feedback to Teacher:

This was a really great activity for students. For the most part I saw a lot of evidence of
how well your classroom runs based on how on task students were with little need for
reminders or redirections. It was clear that a lot of pre-teaching for this activity was
done and students seemed to be engaged and bought in. In a few groups I saw students
struggling to work together and you stepped in to do some social emotional learning
with them on how to work together without being friends but still working toward the
common goal of a good presentation and shared grade. I noticed that there was a lot of
time used for clean up/transition and I was curious if that is the amount of time that
they are always using and if you would be open to trying a visual timer to help remind
students about transitions as opposed to verbally trying to end the activity and move on

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 to the next with a large amount of time. I was also curious to learn more about your
indoor recess options and how those run, had I been able to stay and not been pulled
out I would have wanted to see how the indoor recess runs.

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