This week in class was not abnormally exciting. For the most part, the students have been continuing with units that they started in the previous weeks. One different thing that happened this week was that my mentor teacher had an observation. The principal of the school and the department chair observed the classroom during the first class of the day, Biomedical Interventions, a Project Lead the Way course. Leading up to this observation, my mentor teacher had been gathering materials to present during her pre-observation meeting and had been providing me with some insight into what the process is like for her. It was interesting to hear her perspective from a teacher who has tenure and who has been through many observations. She pointed out the things that she typically does with the class that the administrators would be looking for, like having a clearly stated objective. She also mentioned how important it was for the observation that she make sure to come up with good questions for the students and to get them involved in discussions. During the observation, both my mentor teacher and I spent time questioning the students as they worked in groups on a project. The school principal also made the rounds, having the students describe what they were doing and what they were learning from the task. Ultimately, the observation went well. The department chair and principal were both pleased with what they saw in the classroom.
This week in class we have been learning about Danielson's Framework for Teaching that can be used to evaluate the quality of instruction. Not only was I able to take the time to look at my mentor teacher's instruction and compare it to the framework, I was also able to see this week how a professional observation is prepared for and carried out in the classroom. Having this experience gave me things to think about for when I have my first official observation as a teacher.
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