SETON HILL UNIVERSITY CLASSROOM OBSERVATION FORM

Student: Mackenzie Longo Teacher: Mr. Mark Wolfgang

Grade: 9th and 10th (mostly 9th) Subject: Honors Biology

Franklin Regional SHS

1/17/23

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
Describe the classroom environment (seating arrangements, bulletin boards, etc.):

The classroom has 6 lab tables (that are set up as two tables together). There is a taller lab table
at the front of the classroom that the teacher spends most of his time at, and then there is a
second lab table that is fixed and has a desk section and sink. The front chalkboard has a
Promethean smart board, which is primarily what the teachers all use here.

The front of the room has several different materials related to the content, as well as a rolling
cart and a desk. There are posters all over the room on species native to Pennsylvania, as this
teacher also teaches zoology.

INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY
Describe how the teacher grabs the students’ attention at the beginning of the lesson:

Students were given a few moments to finish up work for the first period of their double lab
period. They signaled to the teacher that they were done by shutting their Chromebooks. The
students then had a quick discussion and started the lesson.

Describe the structure of the lesson (pacing, instructional strategies, group work, etc.):

The teacher is moving rather quickly through the lesson today to make up for lost time from last
week. Students in this class period and the last class period (periods 6 and 7) lost class time on
Friday because there was a sewage issue in the school, so everyone had an early dismissal.
Students watched a few videos, and then did some turn and talk based on what they learned, and
then shared out what they spoke about in their groups. After that, the students watched a video
on HeLa cells, and completed a worksheet in class in groups. If students didn’t finish their work
(which because of the increased pacing, most of them did not) they were supposed to finish the
assignment for homework so that they can have a discussion tomorrow. This lesson is a
“storyline” lesson (from NGSS), which allows students to make real world connections with
what they are learning to real life, and allows them to take ownership over their learning.
Describe how the teacher ends the lesson:

The teacher ended the lesson by allowing students to watch a TedEd video on HeLa cells, and
then completing their own worksheet/reading packet. He reviewed what was expected of them,
and then allowed them to work on it for the last 15 minutes or so of class.

Describe the teacher’s style of classroom management:

There is a more laid-back classroom management style in this room. The students were all taking
notes while watching videos. Students were self-aware to an extent about timing and stepping
out to use the restroom, waiting to make sure they were leaving at an okay time. Some students
wanted to be a bit of jokesters behind his back, and there definitely is a maturity difference
between this classroom and the classroom that I am student teaching in (this is mostly 9th graders,
the other classroom is all 11th and 12th grade). He also gave students hints into if he was going to
grade this for tomorrow (he will). The students must take responsibility in this classroom and
that is obvious. The teacher mentioned that they were the ones who signed up for Honors
biology, and gently reminded them to get back on task if they were not already.

Describe how the teacher uses formative or summative assessment:

The teacher is planning to use formative assessment with the worksheets (getting checked the
following day). At the end of each storyline, students take a formal summative assessment,
which will probably be happening within the next week or so.

Describe how the teacher incorporates technology:

Technology is a big part of this classroom. The students all have their own Chromebooks, and
recently finished a HHMI Biointeractive activity about p53 genes. The students also would have
used this technology for their own research on animals and p53 genes, but they did not have the
time to do that in order to get back on track. Instead, the teacher had students watch a video on
the Promethean board about elephants and p53, and then continued on pace with the original
lesson plan from there. Students were allowed to use their technology to help them (but it wasn’t
very helpful).
REFLECTION
If you had the chance to teach this lesson, what changes would you make? What would you
keep the same? How would your use of instructional, classroom management, or assessment
strategies differ? How would these changes enhance student learning?

If I had the chance to teach this lesson, I would have given it just a bit more structure. A good
part of why this class ran as it did was because they were playing catch up, but I feel as though a
bit more structure would have been helpful for these students because of their age. As I
mentioned above, there was a big maturity difference for these students compared to the students
I normally work with, and some of that comes with time and age, but I’m not sure how these
students will end up. I would keep the content the same because I feel like it is engaging for the
students and will be something that sticks with them. I might have put explicit directions on the
board for students, just because many of them weren’t paying attention several times and I
would’ve been tired of repeating myself. I did like how the student “notebooks” were – they
were a guided notes type thing, in a folder with a three-hole punch, that allowed students to have
their materials all in one place. Since these students are younger, they do need some sort of
guidance.