Modeled Lesson - Sanford Inspire

Modeled Lesson

I.

Modeled Lesson Protocol

II.

Observation Journal

Note to users: This protocol was originally designed to be used with pre-service teachers who are completing their field practicum (i.e. student teaching). However, the activities described here could easily be adapted for use with in-service teachers in professional learning communities. The term “TCs” is used repeatedly in these documents and refers to teacher candidates, or student teachers.

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Modeled Lesson Protocol (Back to Table of Contents)

Coordination with Mentor(s) Low Medium High

Low

Time in Higher Education Classroom 20-40 minutes

Pre-Planning Medium

High

Time in K-12 Classroom 40-60 minutes

Lesson Outcomes What type of thinking or reflection is this protocol designed to get teacher candidates to do?

The purpose of this protocol is to help teacher candidates operationalize the way(s) in which a particular pedagogical concept, competency, or strategy can be enacted in actual practice, as an intermediate step before they are tasked with applying it themselves. A modeled lesson allows teacher candidates to observe an exemplary teacher demonstrating a practice (or group of practices) that they are striving to make a part of their teaching. Instructor Preparation What up-front preparation will the instructor need to do to prepare for this protocol?

The course instructor will need to coordinate with the classroom teacher in which the modeled lesson is going to occur in order to ensure that the lesson follows the class’s scope and pacing and meets an identified need of students in the classroom (based on diagnostic and formative assessment data). Steps What is the procedure for completing this protocol?

The course instructor identifies an instructional focus on which to base a modeled lesson that will be delivered to actual K-12 students (e.g. academic feedback, shared reading, modeled writing, checking for understanding) 1. The course instructor coordinates with a classroom teacher at the school site to determine the standard and objective(s) that will be taught in the modeled lesson, the date and time in which the modeled lesson will occur, and the desired learning outcomes of the lesson. 2. The course instructor plans the modeled lesson and reviews it with the classroom teacher prior to implementation. 3. The course instructor defines the roles that the teacher candidates will play during the modeled lesson. For example, what will they be observing for? How will they interact and work with students during the lesson? What role will they play in assessing student learning? 4. The course instructor delivers the lesson to a class of K-12 students while the teacher candidates act as participant-observers. 5. The instructor and teacher candidates return to the iTeach classroom to debrief the observation, pose questions, synthesize new learning, and prepare to enact the concept or skill under investigation in future lessons. *NOTE: This protocol could also be used with a mentor teacher or teacher candidate executing the modeled lesson


Reflection What will teacher candidates be prompted to think about upon the completion of the protocol? What questions will they consider?

Depending on the course instructor’s own comfort level, he/she may invite teacher candidates to give feedback on the lesson and note possible areas of strength or refinement. Teacher candidates should be able to share observations about how the classroom students responded to different elements of the lesson, and the evidence of student learning they were able to collect. TCs should also be encouraged (or prompted) to ask why the instructor made particular instructional choices during the lesson, as well as other possible choices that could have been made. Setting Students Up for Success What challenges does this protocol present? How could it go wrong? What can the instructor do to address possible obstacles before implementation?

In order to maximize the learning benefits of this protocol, the instructor should ensure that teacher candidates clearly understand their roles during the modeled lesson, as well as the thing(s) they should be observing for. The instructor may even wish to use a note-taking template or observation journal for TCs to complete during the observation, for possible use during the debrief afterwards (See sample). Implementation How should the protocol be implemented within the structure of the class?

A possible implementation protocol might look like this: 1. TCs meet the instructor in the iTeach classroom to clarify roles and observational foci for the lesson. 2. Instructor and TCs travel to the classroom and instructor executes the modeled lesson. 3. Instructor and TCs return to the iTeach classroom to debrief the observation and use the learnings from the modeled lesson to plan upcoming lessons. Additional Resources Access these to learn more about this protocol

Modeled lesson observation journal References Bates, A.J., Drits, D., Ramirez, L.A. (2009) Connecting university supervision and critical reflection: mentoring and modeling. The Teacher Educator, 44(2), 90-112 Jones, K.A., Jones, J., & Vermette, P.J. (2011) Six common lesson planning pitfalls – recommendations for novice educators. Education, 131(4), 845-864.


Observation Journal (Back to Table of Contents)

Observer:

Teacher Observed:

Date/Time:

Lesson Objective:

Teaching Strategy Instructional Technique, Method, or Skill

Teacher Actions

Student Actions

What is the teacher saying and doing? You may want to include times. Describer using specific words and actions.

What are the students saying and doing? You may want to include times Describe using specific words and actions.


Guiding Considerations Answer the following questions to help guide your reflections. Complete this portion before discussing it with you partner. Remember, you are not evaluating the method (or strategy), but analyzing it to determine how to best use it.

1. What do I need to know about my students before implementing this technique or strategy?

2. What do I need to think about or plan for in order to use this technique effectively? (Ex: If the technique is giving academic feedback, what would I need to do at the planning stage in order to give good academic feedback during the lesson?)

3. What conditions might make it difficult to implement this technique? How could I plan to address these?

4. What are the primary benefits or goals of using this technique?

Questions Use this section to pose questions about specific things you observed, or specific instructional decisions that were made during the lesson.
