Data Gathered
by the Coach (Janet) for Peter, the Teacher
Peter says,
On my tape I would like you to comment on how frequently I
let them get off task and for how long. It just seemed that this group was ditzier than most.
Janet
says,
Here are my observation remarks:
It is clear that most of the teachers are enjoying the
training. The pacing is good and none
seem frustrated. I can't tell if the teachers have a
handout; did they?
The teacher in the blue to the left seemed to be visiting a
little too much or just not participating, but it is hard to tell on
video.
I can't tell who you are mentoring.
Overall, I think 95% of the teachers were on-task 95% of the
time. I'm genuinely surprised that they
were comfortable with learning a program as complex as Dreamweaver.
Have you looked at my tape yet?
Peter says,
I was mentoring Katie Favara. She
was at the teacher's computer in the front of the room.
The teacher in blue on the left was
there for refresher training.
Data Gathered
by the Coach (Peter) for Janet, the Teacher
Janet says,
Do you remember the comment that "Janet is so
together"? Well, you will have
plenty of fuel for criticism when you observe my taped lesson. First, let me say that I forgot to tape the
first class where I taught the fourth-graders how to import a graphic from the
web. Also, these students have very
little experience with Word; they had never used a floppy until this
experience. The lesson on graphics went
great, but the next time I went to the class, the lesson was on creating a
table. You will see some lack of
togetherness!
First, I created a video of my own pet to spark interest in
the project. The speakers on the
teacher's computer did not work. Next, I
suggested that we create a table with 14 columns and 19 rows. I soon discovered that the size of the table
was waaaaay too big for an introduction on creating
tables. In addition, the fourth-grade
teacher's computer gave me unexpected problems, using autosum.
Lessons learned: test
the mentee's computer before trying to teach a lesson
with it, troubleshoot all the problems that might occur with the lesson goals,
and start simple.
The kids and teacher did learn about columns and rows and how
to insert data. Some of their tables are
messed up with regard to format and I have their floppies and will try to clean
up problems before we have the last class session to finish typing in the data.
The teacher is satisfied with the lesson and, I think, was
assured in a way when she saw technology throw me some stumbling blocks. She sees the value of tables and wants to
continue to re-inforce the skills.
Look for the following when you observe the lesson.
Is the scope and sequence of the lesson appropriate for the
skill level of the students?
Was the lesson tested before presentation?
Do the students seem to understand the concepts and
skills? (after
they get to the lab)
How many students are off-task in
the lab?
Is the instruction that uses the white board an effective strategy
or not necessary?
Did the students need to practice the skills as each step was
given or was the amount of instruction given acceptable?
These students have 8 classroom
computers in their classroom, but they must go to a lab for all of them to have
computer. In the computer lab, there is
no overhead computer for instruction, so teaching in the classroom and then
going to lab for practice is the only way it can be done now. Not a good situation for elementary students
and one that I have criticized for several years, but to no avail.
Peter writes in blue and Janet’s
questions are in red.
Is the scope and sequence of the lesson appropriate for the
skill level of the students?
Yes, though I think the whole table concept could have been
introduced with a simpler problem, or with fewer pet options and student names.
Was the lesson tested before presentation?
Too much down time while you typed in pet categories and
student names. That could have been done ahead of time by the teacher you are
mentoring so she could see the problems developing, such as the table size and
font size.
As you noted in your comments to me, testing the progam on your computer was not the same as doing it on the
one in the teacher's classroom.
Do the students seem to understand the concepts and
skills? (after
they get to the lab)
I could not determine if they comprehended what the end
product would look like.
Manipulate column widths.
How many students are off-task in
the lab?
At any given time, one or a bunch. Without a teaching computer and projector you are
handicapped and have to go station to station helping. The kids were not far
enough along in the project to work on their own.
Is the instruction that uses the white board an effective
strategy or not necessary?
Yes. I think the white board is very necessary. It helps
them to see what is coming. The white board was a good time to give them the
labels "row" and "column" that you were going to use to
describe the table.
Did the students need to practice the skills as each step was
given or was the amount of instruction given acceptable?
The problem here is classroom versus lab. They could have
practiced with a smaller table, to draw it and label the rows and columns.