Observation Record: Peter as Teacher and Janet as Coach

 

Peter Baron said,

I just mailed you the video. That is the only copy, so I'll need it back.

 

Our classes are an hour and thirty minutes, so there are two tapes.  Feel free to fast forward. There were ten students, plus me, their teacher (gray sweater), Katie Favara doing the video (blue sweater), and our Lan Tech all helping out. Additionally, the laptop cart blocked one aisle and my projector blocked another. My evaluator never showed up. She had to run kids through the metal detector instead.

 

Class went well. Students were paired for research, and sat with their partners for this class, but each had their own computer and did their own PowerPoint project. We got through just about everything I wanted to cover, except for animation, and I'll go back and do that with them next "A" day. In the tape you will see a lot of partners helping each other, and helping neighbors. The big girl who comes in late was at the Counselor discussing an upcoming job interview. She is a one finger typer and had to search for every letter on the keyboard. None of these students had ever been in any of my classes.

 

I was amazed at how well they adapted to the touch pad on the laptop computers.

 

Their teacher seemed confident that she could continue with the laptops and PowerPoint next class period. She's very nice and even sent me her IEP before attending one of my Technology classes earlier in the year.

 

Your job is to count (or time) off task behavior from the students you can see. It will be tough differentiating between off task and neighbors helping each other. For most of the class there was at least one teacher off camera to the right.

 

Results could be in the form of a snapshot: the average student was off task 5 times averaging 15 seconds each time.

 

I would also like any comments you would like to provide on how well it appears they are helping each other.

 

Data Gathered by Coach for Teacher

Peter as Teacher, Janet as Coach

 

Mar. 11, 2003  Janet said:

 

I could see only five of the students most of the time, but those five were engaged and enjoying the lesson.

 

You provided good instructions and demonstration of the skills that are necessary to use a laptop, for example, the use of both hands for some keyboard functions. 

 

The lesson was characterized by appropriate sequence, and the pace seemed to be geared to the needs of the students.   I liked that you asked for student input about what should be placed on each slide. 

 

Using the projector while you explained was very effective; they were getting both visual and auditory examples of what they were expected to do. 

 

The manipulation of images was fully explained and you did a good job of emphasizing the use of the cursor:  “always use the corner of the image.”

 

The boy in the blue shirt was off-task about every 8 minutes for about 15 seconds, but only when you were busy with one-on-one help with another student.  They should have learned enough about Powerpoint to create another on their own and to see the benefits of an electronic presentation.

 

 

Observation Record: Janet as Teacher and Peter as Coach

 

Janet writes,

I am interested in your evaluation of my explanations, instructions, speed and clarity of speech. What else could I do to improve the directions? Evaluate my interaction with the students and their achievement of the goal - to create an autobiography.

 

 

Data Gathered by Coach for Teacher

Peter as Coach, Janet as Teacher

 

Peter writes,

 

explanations

All were understandable clear enough for the students to follow.

 

instructions

You told the students exactly what you expected of them.

 

speed

The pace seemed a little slow to me, but I do not work much with ESL students.

 

clarity of speech

No problem here. Your speech and diction were excellent. Your sentences and directions were concise, pointed and directed at the appropriate students, or to the whole class.

 

What else could I do to improve the directions?

Unless typing in the URL was a specific part of the lesson, you could have made it easier for them to get to the pictures page. The pictures link could have been from an AppleWorks document that you gave them, or from an easier URL to enter.

 

As part of the lesson, it would have been interesting to have the students show you and their classmates where in Mexico they were born. http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/

 

Evaluate my interaction with the students and their achievement of the goal - to create an autobiography.

You have a great relationship with your students. They seemed genuinely pleased with the results they achieved. Printing the autobiographies provided them with instant feedback. Good job.