Purpose of informal evaluation:
to provide educational leaders data to maximize student achievement through improved instructional practices.
Unlike formal observations, informal observations are quick “snapshots” of the classroom. An individual observation is not particularly telling of a teacher’s practice, but over time, the data will begin to show trends.
Refer to flow chart of CITW - any initiative or activity they are rolling out in the classroom/campus fits into one of the strategies.
Refer to google site on strategies - https://sites.google.com/site/brazosportisdmcrel/
Walkthrough process:
Best Hopes - begin in groups so that everyone is consistent, seeing similar levels of blooms and practices, gives you data on what staff development is needed in your building, climate of growth for teachers, goal setting from teachers,
Creating the Environment:
Setting obj & providing feedback - specific but not restrictive, allow for creativity, communicate learning obj to students, if it is not posted 9 out 10 times the students can’t tell you what the obj is, connect learning obj to previous and future learning, engage student in setting personal learning obj
what will you see/ what will you hear when you walk in - kwl charts, learning obj vs agenda, checking for understanding, stating before and at end, restatin obj, rubrics, goal setting, surveys
providing feedback - simply telling a student an answer is right or wrong has a negative achievement on learning. give them data the same why we like to receive data, addresses what is correct and elaborates on what the students needs to do next, appropriately in time time to meet student needs, check for understanding against criteria such as rubrics or directions, engage students in the feedback process (self, peer, or revision)
what will you see/what will you hear when you walk in - self rubrics, meaningful conferences with teacher, verbal correction, graded work, verbal correction and encouragement, polls, peer feedback, formative assessments (dry erase boards, response cards), receiving feedback from educational games, discussing & commenting on quizzes or assessments,
reinforcing effort & providing recognition recognizing hard work, not so much asocial efforts. enhance students understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing students’ attitudes and beliefs about learning. some students attribute success in school to luck, ability, or even other people, such as their friends or their teacher. some attribute to natural ability or born with it. students have the most control over their effort.
teaching students about relationship between effort and achievement, providing students with explicit guidance about what it means to expend effort, asking students to track effort and achievement.
what does it look like/ sound like - exemplary work/non exemplary, student teaching, stamps/stickers, growth mind-set, sincere praise,
Refer to articles - “How not to talk to your kids - new york magazine” and “mind-sets and equitable education (NAASP)”
cooperative learning - (cooperative learning and homework have changed the most) cooperative groups are NOT more important than pairs or small groups, using of a variety of criteria to group students in small groups, including both positive interdependence and individual accountability, applying cooperative learning consistently and systematically.
scaffolding grouping - time control!!, assigned roles, projects, groups working on tasks, accountability
rubrics for cooperative learning - google uw stout cooperative learning rubrics, 1st link that appears
true definition of cooperative learning - including both positive interdependence and individual accountability
Developing Understanding
cues, questions, focusing on what is important, use of explicit cues, asking inferential questions, asking analytic questions, enhancing student ability to retrieve, use, and organzie what they already know about a topic, q/a discussions with and between students are moving up blooms
advance (not advanced) organizers - given prior to learning, anything to engage and introduce new learning, hook/wow factor/engagement, setting the stage for learning by engaging students. animoto videos, media, demonstrations, experiments,
NLR - creating or using graphic organizers, students creating/using physical or virtual models and manipulatives, students using their imagination or senses to generate mental pictures, drawing pictures, illustrations, or pictographs, engaging in kinesthetic representations.
Summarizing & Note Taking - Enhances students’ ability to synthesize information, teaching students rule- based summarizing strategies, using summary frames, matched to the explicit types (Summary Frames) discussing essentials of specific information, summary frames actively used as an advance organizer, podcasting, book reports, or outlining, cornell notes, multimedia summary. note taking enhances students’ ability to organize information in a way that captures the main ideas and supporting details.
Providing Practice - designated time to work on skills, practicing in many different ways with rich feedback,
If students are testing, cleaning out lockers, taking attendance, regrouping in room - then we mark “no research based instruction” because no instruction is happening...it’s not a bad thing, unless we begin to see a pattern.
Extending & Applying Knowledge
Identify similarities & differences - sorting or classifying fall under this category, creating metaphors, creating analogies
Generating & testing Hypotheses using a variety of structured task to guide , high level applications of learned concepts, students using knowledge in “real-world” context, student overheard saying “let’s try this”, student brainstorming and/or troubleshooting, systems analysis - look at all parts, what happens if one part is missing or not working, experimental inquiry - run test to check, investigation - historical or current, , problem solving - solving real world issues
“What if...” questions
Bloom’s vs Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK)
Technology - Teacher directed technology
Brainstorming/idea mapping software; inspiration
Instructional interactive; virtual manipulative
Instructional media; movie/ ppt /song/ podcastInteractive whiteboard
Kinesthetic technology; cbr
Multimedia creation; teaching making
Non-educational use;
Student response systems
Word processing
clickers
science probes
display tool - interactive whiteboard in use w/o software, document camera,
interactive whiteboard
non-educational use (watching movies w/o purpose)
webquests
virtual investigations/manipulatives
Kinesthetic technology (GPS systems, Wii)
calculator
multimedia creation
student response systems
word processing
Federal Programs to order books. Study guide is on ascd.org for the book
www.ascd.org
click on books and publications
browse books
search under dean
click on Classroom Instruction that Works
At bottom says resources and study guides
