Mr Bedley Observation

Written Summary Mr. Bedley was observed teaching a middle school Science class as a visiting instructor. Secondly, this is Mr. Bedley’s very first visit to this classroom. Therefore, he did not have the opportunity for instructional interaction with the students prior to his evaluation. Furthermore, Mr. Bedley has no background information or demographic data relating to the students in the class. Therefore, Mr. Bedley will not be evaluated in teacher standards D, E or F; as they correlate to a teacher in place for the entire school year.

Planning and Preparation for Learning: Mr. Bedley’s goal during the visit was to model student engagement for the regular classroom teacher. He began the class with a warm-up activity. Students were prompted to answer a question and then stand up after their answer was written down. During this time, Mr. Bedley moved around the room monitoring the students and informing them how time they had left to complete the task. Additionally, Mr. Bedley provided feedback and reinforcement of appropriate student behavior. It was evident that Mr. Bedley had a strong plan for the class period and was exceptionally prepared.
Classroom Management:
As this is Mr.
Bedley’s first interaction with the students, he stated during our pre-conference observation that he would like to focus his attention on only a handful of student behaviors. Nonetheless, it would have been appropriate to a dress the student sitting on the desk in the front of the room. Perhaps, he did not acknowledge the behavior early in the class because he had not interacted with the student prior. However, later in the hour after Mr. Bedley walks right by the boy and does not ask him to stand up. From observation, this student was one of the least engaged students in the classroom after Mr. Bedley walks by and does not address the issue. In the future, Mr. Bedley would improve his practice through addressing the
behavior. It was observed that Mr. Bedley uses a point system for both the student and class as whole. Each individual could earn points or lose points on a daily basis for behavior or participation. Prior to moving each class activity Mr. Bedley laid out the ground rules for the activity and the consequences for not following them. For example he states, “If you break one of these rule, I’ve just given you; you’ll lose ten points on your score sheet.” Additionally, Mr. Bedley checks for understanding the ground rules each time they are given.
Delivery of Instruction: Mr. Bedley’s method of delivery is smooth and appropriate for the age group. His explanation of the classroom scoreboard is outstanding and easy for students to follow. It is easy to recognize that Mr. Bedley is a passionate and energetic educator. For example, when checking for student understanding he asks them to repeat, “I got it, I like it!” Throughout the students, mimic Mr. Bedley’s statements and movements with great enthusiasm and fervor. Mr. Bedley is a motivated instructor and aspires to move from task to task quickly.
Therefore, three times during the lesson he began an activity and stopped it within seconds. Furthermore, Mr. Bedley has a number of class and individual score procedures along with statements and actions to go with them. Consequently, this evaluator had a difficult time classifying and sorting through them all. Likewise, certain students and groups of students began to disengage as the class period went on as they lost track of the appropriate responses.