Post-observation

I was nervous about even watching the video, because I was uncomfortable with the idea from the beginning. I don't like to hear my recorded voice. I think this whole experience was uncomfortable for me because of the video taping.


I did feel that there were noticeable strengths in my post-observation, however. I made it a point to make the teacher feel comfortable and not feel as though I was in a superior position to them. We sat beside together in their room, rather than across from them in mine. I think both of us did an excellent job of staying positive through the experience and using eye contact. I try to be aware of the usage of "UM...and "AH..." when I speak, no matter the forum.

Mrs. Saxon's classroom was running very smoothly, so there was not much discrepancy in the way of her needing classroom management. Mrs. Saxon has entered the teaching profession after working in Cooperate America for most of her working life. This made working with her and talking to her very easy. We could speak constructively and share information in a very comfortable manner. She's older than me, so the dynamics of our conversation were different than had I been working with a younger teacher right out of traditional college.

I was able to collect artifacts of my visits and share collected data, such as random selection choices for student responses. On one particular day I walked through, I noticed that her objective did not match the lesson. This was one of the only "mis-matches" that occurred. This was easily explainable, as I am only available to be free for 30 minutes each day and our classes are blocked. I missed the first block and entered during the second half. The students had moved on. The group that I get to observe during this time are the 6th grade high achievers, who are learning grade 7 math. There are 14 students in the class. Her room was like Heaven!