- Information
- AI Chat
Observation Table
Education Foundations (D097)
Western Governors University
Recommended for you
Preview text
Observation Table
Video 1: Notice and Wonder
Video 2: Living and Non- Living Factors in Ecosystems
Video 3: Creating Digital Stories
Level (i., elementary school, middle school, high school)
This lesson is done with a second-grade class at Shields (Richard A.) Elementary School.
This lesson is done with middle school students at Jhs 104 Simon Baruch Middle School.
This lesson is done with high school ELA students at New Tech High School.
Setting (i., rural, urban, suburban)
This elementary school is in a rural community in Lewes, Delaware with 24% of the student population coming from low-income families. Most of the students are Caucasian, while a quarter of the students are from different ethnic backgrounds.
This middle school is in an urban community in New York, New York where over half of the students come from low-income families. Almost all the students come from different ethnic backgrounds, including Asian, White, Hispanic, and Black.
This high school is in a suburban community in Coppell, Texas where only 13% of students come from a low-income family. Most of the students are Caucasian, while the remaining students are a mix of Hispanic, Asian, and Black.
Instructional topic or content of the lesson
The students participated in a math lesson where they were encouraged to look at a statement without numbers and formulate their own observations and questions that they wanted answered. The students were able to lead the lesson by agreeing to a question that they said they wanted answered before breaking off and choosing their own details to add to
The students participated in a science lesson where they were given real world data about predators and prey and asked to analyze the data. The students were encouraged to think of different factors, both living and non-living, that could affect the data. The students were able to discuss with their table groups and formulate their own opinions
The students participated in an English lesson where they were tasked with creating digital stories to share their ideas on the American creed. The teacher showed them a short video and tasked them with expanding their original thinking before sending them off to work. The students then paired off into groups and had great student led discussions with minimal
solve the math problem they helped create. It got the students thinking and understanding that sometimes you need more information to solve a problem.
before the teacher brought them back and they discussed their findings as a whole group. It allowed the students to think critically about the information instead of just writing what the teacher told them to.
teacher feedback. It was interesting to see the students expand their thoughts and have in depth discussions with each other rather than sit and listen to a lecture. The teacher would go around and facilitate student discussions using higher order questions to get her students to think critically about their work.
Technology use, including examples of how technology is used in the classroom
The only technology I noticed being used was a smart board. The teacher projected the sentence the kids needed to see before leading a discussion where she wrote the students thoughts and questions on the smart board.
This classroom did not use much technology except for a smart board that projected the graphs they were looking at. The lesson mainly involved the students using pencil, paper, and books containing the same graphs and information as the board.
This classroom used technology throughout the whole lesson. Each student had their own devices that were open and being used for their project. The teacher also utilized a smart board to project information to all the students. The teacher also had students tweet answers to a question as an exit ticket at the end of class.
The third topic to be discussed is the level. In the elementary class I observed that
since the students were so much younger, the teacher had to lead the lesson. This is
like the middle school class because the teacher also leads the lesson, but it is also
different than the elementary class because the students had more time to work with
partners. This is different to the high school because the students were able to lead
their lesson with only supervision from the teacher because they were older, and the
teacher was able to send them off on their task without the supervision and guidance
needed for younger students.
3. Describe one historical, cultural, or legal influence on education and its impact
on each of the classrooms observed.
The influence that all three classrooms have in common is the space race. This
influenced education by not only putting a greater emphasis on science and math, but
also of the application of technology in the classroom.
We see the impact of this influence on the elementary classroom in that students were
encouraged to think critically about a math problem. The teacher used a concept
called “notice and wonder” to get her kids to notice the small details while also asking
questions to find out more information that may be important but is not given.
The impact of this influence on the middle school classroom is seen throughout the
lesson. Students were given real world science data where they had to analyze and
form their own conclusions based on the data. By giving students real world data and
having them learn to appropriately analyze the information, use other resources or
knowledge to ask questions, and form conclusions, students are gaining the ability to
think critically about problems.
The impact of this influence on the high school classroom can be seen through the
technology used. Before the space race, schools did not receive as much funding or
input on curriculum decisions. This changed when the space race started. The space
race resulted in schools receiving a massive amount of funding at the time that was
used to reshape curriculum and replace outdated textbooks and technology. The
impact of this is seen through the fact that every student had their own computer as
well as how the teacher’s lesson was completely technology based. This allowed
students the ability to go deeper into their research because the information was
readily available at their fingertips.
4. Explain how high-leverage practice is applied differently among each classroom setting.
The High-leverage practice observed in the elementary classroom was “leading a
group discussion.” The teacher was leading the discussion by asking her students
question and actively listening to their responses. With the teacher’s guidance, the
students were able to practice their communication skills with each other as well as
practice how to collaborate with a group. Students expressed their own thoughts and
ideas, while also agreeing or disagreeing with other students’ thoughts and ideas. This
type of High-leverage practice helps students learn to actively listen to their peers,
work together with peers, and think critically.
The High-leverage practice observed in the middle school classroom was “designing
single lessons and sequence lessons.” The teacher used the “BSCS 5E Instructional
Model.” The five stages were “Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate.” The
lesson shown in the video was part of the “explain” portion of the model. By using this
model, the teacher is showing the use of sequencing her lessons. By using this model,
she can create five unique lessons that target different aspects of a single goal. The
students can fully comprehend each stage before they move on the next lesson. By
Teaching Works. (2019) High-leverage practices. Retrieved from
teachingworks/work-of-teaching/high-leverage-practices
Teaching Channel Video. Notice and Wonder: Second Grade. Retrieved from
library.teachingchannel/landing-page?
mediaid=9hSvpwSQ&playerid=Cogatb0c
Teaching Channel Video. Living and Non-Living Factors in Ecosystems. Retrieved from
library.teachingchannel/landing-page?
mediaid=pBaKhTPI&playerid=Cogatb0c
Teaching Channel Video. Creating Digital Stories. Retrieved from
library.teachingchannel/landing-page?
mediaid=uLfs0lQb&playerid=Cogatb0c
Observation Table
Course: Education Foundations (D097)
University: Western Governors University
- Discover more from:
