Teaching Observation Where are the Conditions of Learning? http://timssvideo.com/77
Glows	Grows
·         The students were immersed in the strata, fossilization, rock types, and identification of the types of rocks the instructor was teaching. ·         The teacher demonstrated to the students through video images, 2-D charts, and actual rock samples how to identify sedimentary and igneous rock types. ·         I felt that the teacher also had good expectations of the students. For example when he asked them questions, he expected the correct ones seeing that this was a review from the previous day. If the students randomly answered he would help guide them to a better choice. ·         The students seemed very engaged with the teacher’s lesson but I noticed that he often ignored the overly eager students and continued to call on the same students time after time. ·         Responses to the correct answers were encouraged. ·         The teacher was very interactive with the students and asked many questions to keep them engaged but he did not allow them to explore in-depth on their own. ·         I liked how the teacher brought in the example of people using the glass to shave. This helped the students relate the rocks to a practical use. This should have been done more often throughout the lesson. ·         The teacher encouraged the students to use their handouts to find the correct answers.	·         I do not feel that the teacher gave the students responsibility by letting them help in guiding the classroom discussion. ·         There was not time for the students to employ what they were learning other than through the teachers closed ending questions. ·         The students were not using the application process of transformation, discussion, and reflection to make sound decisions about what they were learning. ·         At times I felt the teacher was condescending to the students’ incorrect answers and that he did not let them make approximations and/or mistakes in which to learn from. ·         I felt the response to the students’ incorrect answers were not encouraging by the teacher. ·         The teacher needed to learn the students’ names. I also noticed that the closed captions misspelled EVERY name. ·         The teacher should have given the students more time to look at each rock sample. His expectations for this one hour lesson were too high given the tremendous amount of information that was being covered.  ·         The graffiti on the teachers work station should be cleaned up, either by sanding or painting. I could see where the students might have felt the graffiti was appropriate seeing as the teacher was writing on the TV with a marker. I realize that the marker was a dry eraser but think this could be misleading to students in this age group; they might think it is okay to do this to the TV at home or in other classrooms.

10 Standard Operating Procedures for my Biology Class/Laboratory

1.      NO eating or drinking in the laboratory.

2.      Keep personal items placed in the appropriate storage areas.

3.      NO horse playing allowed.

4.      Closed-toed shoes must be worn at all times during lab hours.

5.      Long hair should be pulled back and loose clothing secured.

6.      Appropriate laboratory personal protective equipment (PPE) must be donned for all experiments. (E.g. gloves, safety goggles/glasses, face shields, lab coats, aprons, etc.)

7.      Experiments should NEVER be conducted in the laboratory alone.

8.      Turn off all hot plates and burners when exiting the laboratory.

9.      Thoroughly clean all work surfaces and equipment after each use.

10.  Microscopes should always be handled with two hands, cleaned after each use, and put away properly (objective lenses on lowest setting, stage flush with arm and centered).

questions for teachers on how they facilitate learning environments

1.      What strengths do you bring to your current position that help you facilitate learning?

2.      What have you learned from your current position that has helped you facilitate learning?

3.      How does your facilitation fit within the context of the schools mission, values, and goals?

4.      How do you monitor your learner's progress within the classroom?

5.      When you encounter resistance from your superiors in regards to your facilitation techniques, how do you handle this, especially if the way in which you facilitate seems to be working?