Benchmark - Clinical Field Experience D: Beginning Teacher Observation and Feedback 1

Benchmark - Clinical Field Experience D: Beginning Teacher Observation and Feedback

Autumn Dickerson

Grand Canyon University: EAD530

January 27, 2021

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Summary of Pre-Conference, Observation, and Post-Conference 

            The teacher that we implemented the coaching cycle with is a first year teacher. Starting

your career mid Coronavirus pandemic is a lot to wrap your mind around, let alone the various

other responsibilities that come with teaching. “As a result of the demands placed on novices as

they enter the professsion, many teachers struggle when the support system is not strong enough

to help them implement the ideas and knowledge that they learn in their preparation,” (2002).

During the pre-conference, the teacher was asked what she was most nervous about beginning

her career, and her reply was staying on top of making sure IEPs are implemented properly.

Following this, my principal mentor asked her if she knew what a 504 was. She was not familiar

with the term, but by guessing, she assumed it was for sick children. She was not completely

wrong; however, it is important for her to know the difference so the principal told her that he

would schedule time for her to sit down one on one with the special education department leader

in order to get a clear understanding of her role. The teacher was also asked what the expected

outcome of the lesson would be. The teacher let us know that we would be observing a re-

teaching day. As a class the results from the mid unit quiz were not good. The teacher made note

that there is no way that they will be successful if she moved on without re-teaching the first

parts of the unit. She also let us know that there are two children that are a distraction. She has

documentation that she has been in contact with the parent, tried different seating arrangements,

and one of the children has been written up.  

            At the beginning of the observation, students were in groups and seemed to be working

on matching term. We quickly realized that there was a timer going and when it stopped, the

students rotated to another table to continue matching terms. Once the students rotated back to

their original spots the teacher set a three-minute timer for students to look at their boards and
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make corrections if needed. The teacher then asked everyone to take out a piece of paper while

she collects the boards. The class had an open discussion about the boards and whether the terms

were correct or incorrect. There seemed to be two students with their heads down, we assumed

they were the students that typically cause distractions. After the teacher went over each of the

boards, she gave each student a small piece of paper with a number on it. Each number aligned

with a problem, and the students were instructed to use the piece of paper they have to plan how

they will teach their classmates to work their problem. The students were to work on this for the

remainder of the 50-minute period and should be ready to present next time the class meets. The

teacher walked around, observed, and helped students as needed. 

            During the post-conference we began by telling her how much we enjoyed watching how

she implemented strategies that allow every student to work on their problem area. We asked her

if the she was intentional about the problems that were given to the students. She said that gave

each student a problem similar to the problem they struggled with the most on the quiz. This

shows that the teacher is also using a form of the coaching cycle because she is reflecting and

adjusting based on the needs of the student. During the post-conference, we also addressed the

two students that slept the entire class. While it was peaceful to teach without distraction, the

students missed valuable instructional time. The principal spoke to the teacher about RTI and

that process. He told the teacher that he was doing this referral himself and he would need a copy

of the documentation that she mentioned during the pre-conference. Because we were so pleased

with the lesson, the principal arranged for the special education department leader to spend the

remaining 30 minutes with the teacher discussing special education and 504s.  

Recommendations for Effective use of Technology 

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            In this district, the technology is not evenly distributed. All teachers have a desktop

computer and a projector. Many of the teachers with newer technology received donations or

wrote grants specific to what they teach. I noticed that there was a projector, a teacher computer,

two student computers, and a class set of Chromebook. My recommendation would be to utilize

the Chromebooks more. For example, with the lesson we observed, the teacher could have done

a KahootIt with the terms and they could have played the game as a class as the reviewed terms.

The Chromebooks could also be used to allow the students who have reached mastery to begin

an introduction to what is next so they do not have to sit through being retaught a lesson. Google

Classroom is a great tool to use for this, especially of your district is a Google Schools district. I

do not know enough about her class to know if extra technology use would be a positive or

negative contribution to the class, but the students need to become familiar with using

technology for individual and society purposes. Jim Knight wrote, “A poorly implemented

innovation decreases people’s readiness for change and can ultimately make things

worse,”(2014). 

Promotion of Collaboration, Trust, and Personalized Learning Environment 

I feel that the teacher was able to complete this observation process feeling supported.

She never said it, but I could tell by the expression on her face that she did not know there was

additional support for behavioral issues. She also got immediate assistance with understanding

special education and 504s. This is not a gesture that many get to experience in such a quick

turnaround, therefore the teacher will be able to end her meeting and adjust her preparation for

what is next in a quick fashion. She was also able to see that the small details do have significant

meaning. We commented on the intentionality of her reteaching methods. As a new teacher, she

now has familiar faces that she has begun building a rapport between. She may have a sense of
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comfort due to the quick turnaround for help in the areas that she needed help. Just as the

learning for her students was personalized, the continued learning for the teacher was

personalized and can be used immediately.

             

Self-Awareness, Vulnerability, Transparency, and Ethical Behavior 

Mitchell and Bott wrote, “The focus of teacher preparation programs is typically on

helping candidates become effective teachers,”(2015). There has to be a sense of trust from the

higher ups, and confidence from the teacher in order to be effective. As a teacher coach, I

reminded myself to step back and put myself in this teacher’s shoes. She is not only new to the

profession, but new to the school also. It was important to me to discuss all of the areas I

struggled in during my first years of teaching with my mentor principal. It is important to be

consciences of teachers that are just starting their careers because they are the future. Being that I

have been an educator less than 10 years, I was able to share stories with this teacher with hopes

of putting her at ease about her performance. I made sure that she knew that she had an upper

hand because new practices are all she knows. Once she gets comfortable with the flow of things,

she will be a great asset to this school.

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References

Knight, J. (2014)/ What You Learn…. When You See Yourself Teach. Educational Leadership,

71(8), 18—23.

Mitchell, M., & Bott, T. (2015). Preparing Student Teachers and Beginning Teachers for the

Post- Teaching Conference. JOPERD: The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation &

Dance, 86(2), 10—13.

Villani, S. (2002). Mentoring programs for new teachers: Models of induction and support.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.