We sat across from each other as I conducted the post-observation. During the conference Ms. M was very energetic, did not hem or haw and answered all my questions like a pro. I started by asking her what she thought went right or wrong with her lesson and if there was anything she would have changed. Her answer was nothing. She was working on her vocabulary lesson, “Bringing Words to Life”; a power point that illustrates the high frequency vocabulary words of the story to be used was all planned out and had a reinforcement activity back at their desks to work on. The students were energetic and had been taught well how to go back to their seats and work on the reinforcement page of their vocabulary words.
She explained to them what was expected of them.
We were very comfortable. It was evident working with her that she was very comfortable with herself. During her observation, she was very involved with the students and enjoyed what she was doing. She was well prepared and her instruction showed it. The students were also very engaged with the lesson.
One area that I thought could be improved is giving the students a little more time to answer her questions about the vocabulary words. I feel she could have used a timer and given them a specific amount of time to turn and talk about the vocabulary words. One area that I was really impressed with was the use of hand motions to show the students when to come back together after discussing. Another aspect that I was impressed with was the use of a bell to get the students to calm down and come back together.
I used the pre-observation conference focus sheet of the Charlotte Danielson Frame Work for Teachers. It gave me insight into her class.
I was constantly praising her for the way she went about the lesson and how she had control of her students. Talking with the teacher, I could see that she was very confident of the way she presented her lesson.
In conclusion, I was very impressed with Ms. M’s lesson and I would recommend that she continues the same way in the future. While I was doing the post-observation I felt that I was encouraging her at times to continue to teach the material the way she was. I did encourage her to give her students more time or set a time limit when the students turn and share their answers. There was a collaborative approach with Ms. M on how she can improve her lesson. I feel this is important because as a novice teacher, she can benefit from other ideas.
