Reflection on Observation

I chose to observe a fellow colleague at Tanana Middle School that teaches 8th grade math and science.  The classroom environment was very well organized and engaging. To open the lesson a warm-up exercise was utilized.  This was beneficial because it focused student attention on the task, reviewed critical information from the previous lesson, and gave an opportunity for students to get clarification or help on the previous concept covered.  During the lesson, the instructor assigned students in groups and gave them a particular role (i.e. reporter, recorder, task manager).   I liked this technique because everyone knew what was expected from them prior to being asked a question.  And, finally a few minutes at the end the lesson was utilized for summary and follow-on assignment expectations.  The instructor utilized their notebooks reminding them to ensure they wrote down key concepts as well as any follow-on requirements.  The entire class period was utilized, and students were well behaved.  The instructor transitioned from warm-up, instruction, group work, and closure seamlessly.  She utilized a comic strip visual to get students engaged prior to the warm-up, and she divided students into groups with assigned problem sets.  Finally, she summarized concepts, gave time for questions, and proceeded with follow-on assignment instructions.  I appreciated her use of a spinner to determine who she was going to call on to complete certain tasks.  I will use this technique as it randomly selects students; this is nice because it avoids the teacher calling on the same students.