WCPSS Secondary Math Observation Tool

WCPSS Secondary Math Observation Tool

Teacher______Date of Observation______

Room #______Course______Time______

Unit/Lesson/Topic______

Classroom Environment
Seating: / Singles
Pairs/Trios
Groups
/ Seating Orientation: / Students face towards teacher
Students face towards each other
Room Arrangement: / Inhibits student interaction
Allows student interaction
Facilitates student interaction
/ Classroom displays: / Learning aids, concept-related items
Ongoing activities, projects
Examples of student work
Student recognition
Applications, careers
Racial, cultural diversity
Extracurricular opportunities
Lesson Overview: / Written objectives
Written agenda
Assignments posted
Classroom Culture
Major activities
of teachers & students: / Lecture/note-taking, teacher-led demonstration
Class discussion, small group discussion, student presentation/board work
Hands-on activities following a set of specific steps
Hands-on activities with open-ended instructions/latitude to decide steps
”Seatwork”: reading text, working on worksheet, questions, problem set
Processing: represent/analyze data, find patterns, write/reflect on learning
Assessment: test/quiz, performance task, questioning to assess learning
/ Using Discourse / Teacher-- Students
Students--Students
Both
Collaborative culture / No collaborative culture
Some evidence of collaborative culture (e.g. group roles defined)
Evidence of collaborative culture
Collaborative norms clearly defined
Technology
Teacher-driven / Student-driven / Lesson Enhanced
Technology used: iPad/iPod Document Camera Computer Projector Calculator Interactive Board Other
Researched Best Practices
Old skill/information
New skill/information
Similarities & Differences
/ Summarizing /Note-taking
Reinforcing effort
Homework & practice
/ Nonlinguistic representation
Setting objectives/feedback
Generating/testing hypotheses
Cues, questions, organizers
Standards for Mathematical Practice*
1.  Make Sense of Problems and Persevere in Solving Them
Students are reasoning, thinking, and/or proving their answers.
Students are demonstrating a structured approach to problem solving.
Students check the reasonableness of their answers.
Students collaborate to understand the approaches of others.
3.  Construct Viable Arguments and Critique the Reasoning of Others
Students are engaged in mathematical discourse.
Type(s) of discourse: / paraphrase / agree/disagree
explain / add on
verify / question each other
Students are making and testing mathematical conjectures.
Students are making arguments to defend their reasoning.
Students understand and evaluate arguments of others.
4.  Model with Mathematics
Students are using mathematical models as evidence to support problem solutions.
Models may include: / Drawings
Manipulatives
Symbols
Graphs/Tables
Students are using and/or sharing multiple representations (verbal, graphical, tabular, algebraic).
Comments

* Incorporating the Standards for Mathematical Practice will lead to increased levels of rigor in the classroom. These 3 standards were chosen for focus because of their high leverage.