School #1

Subject & Level Biology Promising Practices Recognize Ss who were the dance performance the night before Asks Ss how they think they did on their test, then gives Ss the opportunity to ask individual questions before making test corrections over the weekend Computer Science Education Week: show Ss a video to make them aware of the field of computer science- T says this is great because so many Ss dont know what they do in college Evident that T is on good terms with Ss (T calls self brash and sassy with Ss) Leave open-ended questions for class so there can be discussion and find/correct misconceptions Periodic Table Playing Cards- Rummy with cards by using groups or periods Surprising Practices Gives Ss opportunity to make test corrections but T gave Ss the answers on the test when she graded Asks Ss to take out their smart phones and pair up if Ss do not have a smart phone o Computer Science Education Week Questions and/or Implications How often does she include outside sources to add to Ss knowledge? Evident that T really cares about her Ss

Chemistry

Holiday breakfast party$2/student o Ss are expected to help, and T said that many Ss have never cooked a meal before so this is an opportunity for them to learn how to make breakfast Does not check for correction of misconceptions but only basic understanding on tests o joked(?) about making the test while drinking Very open about theater people being weird, and T was surprised when a girl said she was a theater major because she was normal o 1 S responded by saying Im

I am interested in Ts teaching style since I was unable to observe her teach during my visit.

Algebra 1

Molly recognized that her students were having trouble understanding the relationships between lines that are parallel and perpendicular so she tailored the do now towards reviewing these 2 types of lines Students given homework packet, and Molly spent time going over some tricky problems such as when there is a lose 3/0 what does this mean? Handing back papers while answering student questions as needed- great multitasking!

not weird, Im gay. Many Ss left class to go to practice rooms after test Very adept at using Promethean board: creating graphs, lines, copying elements over, etc. Many students pulled out from the middle of class for a pizza party

I wonder what Mollys students are like when they are not being videotaped. She had asked me to videotape for her, and it was evident that the students were very aware of the taping.

School #2
Subject & Level Algebra II 11th grade Promising Practices Ss are given a lot of freedom within their groups to determine where they want to launch their home made catapults Heres my advice to you: use your time wisely, communicate effectively with your friends, and be very, very safe. Catalyst: what do you get when you add 2 seconds to 5 meters? --preview for activity later and expectations for the remainder of the year Groups given sandwich bag with velocity vs. time and position vs. time graphs---asked to pair them up o Ss explain their approaches to the class T constantly checking in with different groups of Ss Ss within the school can go to Math Lab to do work or get help During my visit, most Ss working on benchmarks, but Ss can retake standards too No bells, so need to keep track of time individually- Karen tells Ss that they should have no excuse Surprising Practices Ss were asked to take a video of their catapult launches, but T only wanted to watch it at the end of class, not having students send it or turn in with final benchmark project. T told Ss to contact Ss who were absent because they missed a workday. Up to them to figure out what absent Ss can do so that everyone is accountable. Lets Ss know she gets frustrated not that they arent learning because she knows learning is a process, but frustrated when students are actively working against learning Says shes seen people add numbers with different units and she calls them an idiot Later she made a mistake, and she calls herself not very smart Questions and/or Implications I like that Ss were able to choose a target for their catapult, and it was clear that the results Ss saw from their catapults made them want to solve the problem. The Ss were definitely very invested.

Physics 11th grade

I am wondering how the practice that the Ss did relates to student benchmarks. It seems as though the students made a car and are racing them down a ramp.

Math Lab

Ss seek help from one another who are in the same level of math class

Geometry 9th grade

While Ss work on task 4 of benchmark, Karen checks each students task 3 Karens CM graduated from Penn TEP, and thinks

Ss are given a lot of freedom to work on their benchmark for the entire class period after the warm-up, but there were definitely Ss who were

for being late because they have lunch right before class 1 S working on warm up on front board, Karen gives Ss hint and also has a box to physically show Ss the diagonal from corner to corner Biochemistry Willing to consider letting Ss eat in class as long as they come to agreement terms (clean up after self, no trash, etc.) Working towards getting Ss to learn from each others presentations- give feedback to groups then T gives feedback T give Ss time to regroup with their groups to make a portfolio for how they would revise their presentation Addresses students as scientists Passing out papers/checking homework at the beginning 1 student does weather each day Filling out rubric during each presentation

that curriculum development was the most difficult for her so shes pushing Karen to do more o Emphasize importance of finding a balance/prioritize. Recognize when youre being ridiculous Practice Group Presentations on Evolution Project o Intro, best 4 slides, conclusion o Groups that get an A may be asked to present at EduCon but other groups will have to re-present

off task. I wonder whether this is a lesson-learned situation where Ss will have to face their consequences if they choose to be unproductive during class.

I like the idea of having students re-present but I think it could also be useful for all groups to present again since all of the presentations could have been improved with more detailed as outlined by the T.

Biology/Chemistry 9th grade

Peaks (good work) and valleys (needs improvement) for presentations o presenters get to call on peers to give feedback In the middle of class, Victor & his CM allow Ss to get up and stretch---they do this by telling Ss to touch different parts of their body using scientific names

Victor had trouble keeping a group of students focused during presentations, even though they did provide feedback at the end. I wonder if he can combat this by making students accountable for taking notes on presentations or something along these lines.