Journal One

Jodie Winchester
October 26, 2016

ED 312
Journal One: Assessment During Instruction
As a future high school math teacher, I actively observe teacher within Wake County.
Over the past year, Wakefield High School, Sanderson High School, and my personal high
school have been my only experiences. At North Carolina State University, the College of
Education places students into high school relatively early compared to some colleges. Currently,
Im completely my fieldwork at Sanderson High School and Im gaining knowledge I didnt
have before.
During the lesson observation, I noticed the students were halfway playing attention to
the lesson. From personal observation, the students were only pretending to pay attention and
getting way with it. At the beginning of class, the students sit in their desk with their homework
ready to be checked. Initially, I thought the students were well behaved and ready to learn but I
was absolutely mistaken. The engagement level was at the bare minimum with only a few
students answering question. During the majority of the lesson, the students were playing on
their phones, sleeping, or talking with each other.
Over the course of the ninety minutes, the students ask less than five questions with the
homework activity and a small lesson associated with the pervious nights homework. The lesson
was focusing on proofing similar triangles with thought clouds outline the proof. I have never
seen proofs designed with thought clouds and I was interested in the layout of the proof but the
lesson focused more on classroom management than the lesson itself. Overall, the students
werent involved in the lesson and it showed through unasked questions and engagement.
As I was observing the students activity throughout the class period, I was also taking
note of the teachers actions towards the students, her teaching style, and assessment during the
period. When the students would get off task, she would call out individual students when they
were misbehaving. In the article written by Dave Foley, he outlines six classroom management
tips every teacher can use in their classroom. Mr. Foley mentions the teacher focusing on the
disruptive students and I found it really interesting a teacher doesnt need to stop their lesson to
handle the situation. They only need to walk towards the disruptive students and continue with
the lesson. The students will usually shut off the unwanted activity due to the teachers
proximity.
Looking in, I felt the teacher was trying to engage the students in learning but pulling
answers out of the students. Form personal experience, a teacher wanting a student to answer
would get the best result by standing at the front of the class in silence and wait for someone to
answer. In the past fifteen years of my education experience, the silent technique has never
failed.
While observing the lesson, the teacher would make decisions about the instruction while
giving the lesson. I was amazed by her ability to make decisions on how to present the material. I
would contribute that ability to her years of teaching experience. During the lesson, the teacher
asked me to check their homework for completeness and the students would receive a stamp on
their stamp sheet. The teacher was creating incentive to do their best on assignment through
receiving stamps. In Dave Foley article, one of the six tips for classroom management is to give
incentives to the students for assignments.
Over the course of the lesson, the teacher would give informal verbal assessment to the
students through questions with the teacher asking certain students in the classroom. I would
have improved the lesson by adding an activity other than going over homework questions. I
would also add an informal assessment with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down described in Tristan
de Frondevilles article about Ten Steps to Better Student Engagement. Overall, I think all
teachers have room to grow in all aspects of teaching and I have so much to learn before I
student teach. Im grateful to have the opportunity to learn under experience teachers and
develop skills for the classroom.
References
De Frondeville, T. (2009, March 11). Ten Steps to Better Student Engagement. Retrieved
October 26, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-teaching-strategies
Foley, D. (n.d.). 6 Classroom Management Tips Every Teacher Can Use. Retrieved October 26,
2016, from http://www.nea.org/tools/51721.htm

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Jodie Winchester

October 26, 2016

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