I’m so excited to share with you another set of look-fors when you observe in classrooms! Last week’s List (https://jackson-consulting.com/jills-top-10-teacher-observations) was a hit…so I decided to come back with MORE for you to print and use right away!
Another thought came to mind as I was preparing my notes to share with you…
You could share the things to look for during observations list with your teachers as a starting point on what to look for – this gives them options and choice…both very important when working with adults! I think that the sum of these two Top 10 lists are really a menu of options for you as you pre-conference and helps you get organized for an observation!
So, without further adieu…here is your second set of 10 Things to Look For During Classroom Observations!
- Types of responses (verbal, written, group talk, physical)
- Entrance, exit and transition routines
- How the teacher checks for understanding and determine whether the content “stuck”
- Quality of discussion with student (does the teacher model professional conversations, follow discussion rules, use proper English, complete responses?)
- Purposeful scaffolding of instruction when students struggle to “get” a new concept
- What percentage of the lesson is teach/model? What percentage of the lesson is guided practice? What percentage of the lesson is application?
- The arc of the lesson: How the teacher starts and ends, how the teacher links new content to existing knowledge
- Quality of teacher academic feedback
- Quality of tasks during guided practice and application
- Change in language between different parts of the explicit lesson format (“I do”, “we do”, “you do”)
What other resources could I share with you that would make your observation simpler and more powerful? I’d love to hear from you!