Professional Documents
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F Jackson Mini-Observation Conference
F Jackson Mini-Observation Conference
A conference was held to discuss job performance expectations and/or observation(s) of job performance. The expectations
and/or the observation(s) and the conference are summarized below.
Students were active participants in the learning process. Not all students were eager to share their work with
the whole-group, but the students called attempted to answer. Ms. Jackson showed respect and encouraged
students efforts when they shared. Her interactions with students were polite and business-like. I did not
witness disrespectful behavior among students. Some students appeared hesitant to share out. (3)
Ms. Jackson has established a cognitively busy classroom, where students are excited about learning. Some
students were confused about where/how to draw the array (using a foldable), so their tablemates attempted
to help. They had their materials ready, were not off-task, and appeared engaged in the lesson. Students
showed genuine excitement for specific tasks. Ms. Jackson stated that they were going to solve a word
problem using RDW and the students yelled, Yay! Ms. Jackson communicates the importance of the content.
In this particular observation, students werent necessarily taking initiative in improving the quality of work, or
questioning/commenting in an effort to understand the content. (3)
Standards of conduct appear to have been established and implemented successfully. Second graders were
a little off-task as they waited for the interventionist, but did not create a major distraction for the third graders.
Ms. Jackson frequently monitored student behavior and her response to misbehavior was effective. (4)
Strengths: Classroom management works well. Ms. Jackson is able to deal with misbehavior, though very
little was witnessed, effectively. Students were excited about the different pieces of the lesson.
Expectations for Growth: Building a community where students are constantly reflecting on their learning,
making changes to their work without prompting, and facilitating questions/discussions among their
classmates, would be a logical next step. Pushing students, especially those that were hesitant or didnt
want to volunteer, is important.
Domain 3: Instruction
3A: Communicating with Students
3B: Questioning and Discussion Techniques I D A E N/R
3C: Engaging Students in Learning
3D: Using Assessment in Instruction
3E: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
Feedback and Reflection (Narrative):
Learning target was communicated prior to the start of the Conceptual Understanding section of the lesson.
There were some opportunities for students to explain their thinking to other classmates. Example: Ms.
Jackson displayed the word problem about cell phones with a tape diagram. Some students were able to
show/explain their thought process/strategy with the whole-group. Ms. Jackson ensured students were using
accurate mathematics vocabulary to describe their solution (product, partition, equal groups, divided,
commutative property). The learning expectations, for the most part, were clear and students didnt require
much prompting to begin a task. (4)
Questions (Word Problem Prompts) were rigorous, and required a high-level of cognitive processing,
especially when students were asked to use specific strategies (tape diagram). Students were expected to
use the RDW strategy and restate the question in an answer format as a way to guide their thinking. Ms.
Jackson offered multiple opportunities to connect their strategy to solve with an expression. She used
questioning to prompt students struggling to communicate their thoughts and as a tool to illicit accurate use of
math vocabulary. She asked, What is the commutative property? Turn and talk with your table. For this
particular lesson, I did not witness students initiating higher-order questions. Not all students were actively
engaged in the discussion. (3)
Students were engaged in the learning through most of the lesson observed. They were moving from one
task to another quickly, with very little disruption of instruction. Students were aware of the learning target.
Ms. Jackson made attempts to involve multiple students in whole-group discussions. Not all students shared
their thinking, but they were engaged in the tasks at their seats. As a student demonstrated their strategy for
solving the word problem on the SmartBoard, she prompted when needed, in order to push the student beyond
their comfort level. I did not observe a closure to the lesson, so I am not sure if students had an opportunity
to reflect and consolidate their understanding. (3)
Strengths: Ms. Jackson monitored the pulse of the class and made adjustments accordingly. She prompts
students to stretch their thinking and make connections. Students showed enthusiasm for the work. Ms.
Jackson stresses the importance of using accurate math vocabulary and provides multiple opportunities for
students to explore the meaning.