Lesson

Plan Reflection I
John Kamal, November 11, 2014

The primary goals for this lesson were to have students use their existing knowledge of
the world around them to define force, to categorize various types of forces, to identify
situations in which these forces occur, and lastly to learn appropriate physics notation
for forces. Based on the quality of the discussions, I believe that my principal goals were
met, however, I will use formative and summative assessments in the coming weeks to
more accurately quantify the attainment.

I was pleased with the thoroughness of my preparation for this lesson. I first spoke with
my mentor teacher about techniques she had previously used in introducing these
topics. In building the lesson, I used a combination of the components that she thought
worked well, resources from a Modeling Workshop she had attended, and new
techniques I introduced myself. The biggest challenge I had in building this lesson plan
was finding opportunities for interactive and inquiry-based learning. I therefore
introduced individual/team exploration and presentation during the Catalyst phase of
the lesson. This was followed by an interactive discussion/instruction session
introducing and classifying each new type of force.

I identified supporting demonstration materials that would be helpful in relaying the
targeted concepts. I also created a daily script that outlined the timing of teacher-led
and ancillary activities needed to facilitate the lesson. I also prepared detailed timings
for each of the four sections that would have this lesson. All of these materials
accompanied me during the lesson so that I could quickly refer to the plan and related
timing to assure I was on track.

The school culture at SLA, and within this physics classroom specifically, are ideal for this
kind of lesson. I found the students highly engaged and very much interested in

exploring these new concepts. On several occasions, I needed to pay specific attention
to off-task behaviors and directed students back into the mainstream of the class.
These interventions all worked well given the culture of the class and the relationships I
had established over the prior months.

In reviewing the video, I was pleased that my classroom presence and instructional
technique did not hold any unforeseen surprises. Fortunately, I have been in front of
groups of people a great deal my professional career, so I am able to demonstrate a
sense of comfort in the classroom.

When teaching, I try to pay close attention to previous feedback I have received from
my site director, teaching mentor, and other school observers. Specifically, I tried to be
aware of my location in the room, preferences for instructing to certain sides of the
room, and of my tendency to be pulled off task at times. I am endlessly trying to strike
the right balance between indulging the curiosity of my students and assuring that the
targeted learning takes place. In several situations during this lesson, and in parallel
lessons with other sections, I may have indulged students too much. However, there is
a trade-off between encouraging this type of curiosity and encouraging a strong sense
of exploration and lifelong learning that I try to model for my students. I had set an
additional personal goal for this lesson - staying aware of time and adhering better to
my planned schedule. I had created two back up activities in case the time ran long so
that I could continue to engage the students. I did not need to use those activities for
this section, but did for others.

On a personal note, I greatly enjoyed building and delivering this lesson. I was glad to
see in the video that the excitement that I feel every day coming to the class was
modeled and on display for the students. I enjoyed immensely the interactive give-and-
take with the class and had a great deal of fun exploring all these new concepts and
answering all those great questions along the way.