Millersville University Matthew J.

Monahan
EDSU 700 April 26, 2016

CLINICAL SUPERVSION PROJECT

CLINICAL OBSERVATION CYCLE #1: JOSEPH WHARTON

Joseph Wharton is a first year business teacher in the Central York School District.
The observed lesson is for a standard mixed class Business Basics course in the high
school.

Pre-Observation Conference: Joseph Wharton

Form F: Formal Classroom Observation
1. To which part of your curriculum does this lesson relate?

This lesson falls within the economics unit of the business basics course. Supply and
demand, and its effects on the economy, are a major concept of this course.

2. How does this learning fit in the sequence of learning for this class?

This lesson will be the first lesson that Mr. Wharton will teach his class on supply and
demand. Lessons on supply and demand fall within the economics unit.

3. Briefly describe the students in this class, including those with special needs.

This class is comprised of 28 students, 16 male and 12 female. This is a standard level
class. Two students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). The students with IEPs
benefit from preferential seating, close to the point of instruction, and test
accommodations. This lesson will cover an 80 minute block period.

4. What are your learning outcomes for this lesson? What do you want the students
to understand?

Mr. Wharton hopes that students will be engaged in a class activity that teaches them how
scarcity and demand can have the effects of increasing or decreasing the price of a
product or good.

5. How will you engage the students in the learning? What will you do? What will
the students do? Will the students work in groups, or individually, or as a large
group?

Bell Ringer- students will answer a Poll Everywhere multiple choice poll
using school-issued iPads.
Teacher will explain the Pearl Exchange Activity
Students will engage in the Pearl Exchange Activity to learn concepts of
supply and demand. Teacher will interject and instruct between each of four
 trading sessions. Teacher will record student data on white board during each
trading session.
Students will review written questions on the Pearl Exchange Activity paper
with peers.

6. How will you differentiate instruction for different individuals or students in the
class?

Based on observation of students, the teacher will provide extra instructions or a more
detailed explanation of procedures and results for students who need it. This will be at
the teachers discretion.

7. How and when will you know whether the students have learned what you intend?

Mr. Wharton will collect the Pearl Exchange Activity sheet from each student and
review each students work. The closing activity for the lesson is a ticket out the door
and Mr. Wharton will review that student work. Students will also be assessed on supply
and demand through the formative assessment of a quiz and the summative assessment of
a unit test.

8. Is there anything that you would like me to specifically observe during the lesson?

Mr. Wharton has asked that the observer pay special attention to the pacing of the lesson.

Formal Observation (February 8, 2016): Joseph Wharton

Please see attached document.

Post-Observation Conference: Joseph Wharton

Form D- Teacher Lesson Reflection
1. In general, how successful was the lesson? Did the students learn what you
intended for them to learn? How do you know?

Mr. Wharton feels confident that the students learned major ideas associated with the
concept of supply and demand through this lesson. He bases that confidence on the
student work that he collected and reviewed, as well as on data from student quizzes and
tests that indicate a high level of student success on questions pertaining to supply and
demand.

2. If you have samples of student work, what do they reveal about the students level
of engagement and understanding? Do they suggest modifications in how you
might teach this lesson in the future?

Student work illustrated a basic understanding of the concepts of supply and demand
covered in this lesson. Student work on the Pearl Exchange Activity indicated a lower
level of understanding than scores on the quiz and unit test, suggesting a growth in
student understanding.

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 3. Comment on your classroom procedures, student conduct, and your use of
physical space. To what extend did these contribute to student learning?

The Pearl Exchange Activity was a useful tool for teaching the concepts associated with
supply and demand. It facilitates student conversations with several peers and requires
students to move around the room to make deals. Student conduct was appropriate and
enhanced learning rather than hindering learning.

4. Did you depart from your plan? If so, how and why?

Mr. Wharton stated that he did not depart from his plan during the lesson.

5. Comment on different aspects of your instructional delivery (e.g., activities,

grouping of students, materials, and resources). To what extend were they
effective?

Mr. Wharton feels most confident and satisfied with the level of engagement that students
experienced in this lesson. He sees value in providing opportunities to be physically
engaged in lessons, whenever possible, because of the length of the block. He
appreciates the Pearl Exchange Activity because it turns a complicated economic concept
into something tangible for students. He believes that it provides a solid foundation for
other learning about supply and demand, as well as the economics unit generally.

6. If you had an opportunity to teach this lesson again to the same group of students,
what would you do differently?

If Mr. Wharton had an opportunity to repeat this lesson with the same students he would
focus on:
Pacing- he would explain a bit less time at the beginning of the lesson and get
into the Pearl Exchange Activity sooner, leaving more time at the end of the
lesson for reflection and conversation.
Checks for understanding: he would leave a bit more wait time for answers to
his questions about the procedures and the concepts. He would try to make
sure that students understood what they were doing before moving on.
Student recorders: he would have students record their own data on the white
board rather than recording it all himself. This would make him more
available to students and give them more ownership over their data.
Use of Article: Mr. Wharton would use an article on a Pearl Exchange as a
real world example of supply and demand that correlates with this lesson.

7. Consider different aspects of your planning and execution of the lesson in light of
the domains and components on the following pages. Determine evidence, if any

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 for each of the components and what that evidence demonstrates about your level
of performance.

Mr. Wharton and the observer had a conversation about domain 4c (Communicating with
Families). The observer rated Mr. Wharton as Basic because of the rubrics focus on
actual engagement rather than attempted engagement. The observer noted that he is
displeased at the way in which this element is described in the rubric, and Mr. Wharton
agreed. Both educators understood that this rating did not affect the overall teacher score,
and that the conversation was important.

Plan for Continued Growth: Joseph Wharton

Form G
Strengths of the Lesson:
Engaging- each student had an active role in the learning about supply and
demand
Physical (psychomotor)- each student was given opportunities to move around the
classroom and interact with peers for the purposes of buying or selling pearls
Clear example of concepts in action- brought the concept of supply and demand
from a relatively complicated concept to a tangible example

Areas for Growth:

Pacing- teacher directions were fast enough to confuse students and require
additional explanation later in the lesson.
Checks for understanding- teacher asked questions that represented checks for
understanding, but did not provide sufficient time for students to process those
questions and ask clarifying questions.

Plan for Continued Growth:

Teacher will continue to consider ways in which to engage students in instructions
that encourages them to be engaged in their own learning.
Teacher will continue to consider ways in which to provide students learning
opportunities that allow for physical movement and engagement in their learning.
Teacher will continue to consider ways in which he can provide rigorous and
relevant examples to teach concepts of economics and business in ways likely to
be clear to high school students.
Teacher will continue to be involved in school community through coaching and
student run businesses.
Teacher will assign a number of minutes to each segment of his lessons during the
planning phase in order to focus on pacing more deliberately.
Teacher will count 3-5 Mississippi silently after each question meant to be a
check for understanding in order to allow students to process questions and
formulate their own questions.

Overall Teacher Evaluation Rating: Joseph Wharton

Please see attached document.

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 CLINICAL OBSERVATION CYCLE #2: EMILY DICKINSON
Emily Dickinson is a third year English teacher in the Central York School District.
The observed lesson is for a standard 8th grade English course in the middle school.

Pre-Observation Conference: Emily Dickinson

Form F: Formal Classroom Observation

1. To which part of your curriculum does this lesson relate?

The 7th grade English curriculum covers five units throughout four marking periods. The
last unit is about reflection and historical context and the main text is the play, Anne
Frank. This lesson will focus on artifacts and life quotes, particularly how life quotes
change based on culture. The lesson is the introductory lesson for life quotes and Anne
Frank.

2. How does this learning fit in the sequence of learning for this class?

This opening lesson will come full circle with the final activity in this course for the year
as students will write their own life quotes. Each students life quote will relate back to a
letter that they wrote to himself/herself at the beginning of the year. This is building the
skill of reflection.

3. Briefly describe the students in this class, including those with special needs.

This 7th grade class is comprised of 28 students, 16 of whom are boys and 12 who are
girls. Three students have 504 plans, two students have speech 504 plans, four students
have Gifted Individualized Education Plans (GIEPs), and two students are coping with
transitional situations at home.

4. What are your learning outcomes for this lesson? What do you want the students
to understand?

Students should be able to comprehend what a life quote is, and apply life quotes to their
own lives through observation and self-reflection. Students should ultimately, although
not yet after this lesson, be able to connect to literature without having read it yet.

5. How will you engage the students in the learning? What will you do? What will
the students do? Will the students work in groups, or individually, or as a large
group?

Padlet Life Quote Analysis- Students will begin to understand life quotes with
real examples and reflect upon which quotes resonate with them.
Anne Frank Quote Gallery Walk- Students will move around the classroom in
six groups, taking pictures of each quote and discussing them with peers in
their groups.

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 Fortune Cookie Activity- Students open fortune cookies, share quotes with
peers and try to glean possible meaning from the quotes.
Flower Pedal Quotes- Students pick a flower pedal on which to write a life
quote and his/her initials. They will be placed on a class flower that will
remain in the classroom throughout the unit.

6. How will you differentiate instruction for different individuals or students in the
class?

Ms. Dickinson is using iPads as technology, but will provide printed documents for
students who need them. She has considered proximity of seating to accommodate
student need. Students will engage in partner work for comprehension. She will provide
individualized written instructions. She will use post-it notes for procedures and missing
notes.

7. How and when will you know whether the students have learned what you intend?

Ms. Dickinson ends each class session with an exit slip, which is a five-minute activity
to reinforce learning. She also begins each class session with a starter, which is a five-
minute activity to show understanding from the previous lesson.

8. Is there anything that you would like me to specifically observe during the lesson?

Ms. Dickinson would like me to pay close attention to student behavior and engagement.
She is confident that this lesson will be an avenue for quality learning as long as students
are invested and distractions are kept at a minimum.

Formal Observation (March 22, 2016): Emily Dickinson

Please see attached document.

Post-Observation Conference: Emily Dickinson

Form D- Teacher Lesson Reflection

1. In general, how successful was the lesson? Did the students learn what you
intended for them to learn? How do you know?

Ms. Dickinson would give herself a 9 out of 10 for the lesson. She believes that this
lesson was a great way to introduce the unit and its important concepts. Next time she
would like to include a musical tie in to better connect with auditory learners.

2. If you have samples of student work, what do they reveal about the students level
of engagement and understanding? Do they suggest modifications in how you
might teach this lesson in the future?

Ms. Dickinson created a worksheet called the guided life questions worksheet for
students who struggled to grasp the concepts or those with shorter attention spans. This

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tool broke down a few Anne Frank quotes and illustrated how people have used her
quotes to make connections. She also provided examples of the manipulative that she
used in the lessons. All of these elements are available on the class Schoology page for
student access. This was based on student work.

3. Comment on your classroom procedures, student conduct, and your use of

physical space. To what extend did these contribute to student learning?

The routine of starters, closers and attendance rosters has been established throughout the
year, and this contributed to the success of the lesson. Ms. Dickinson shared that using
iPads with 7th graders can be frustrating because they can be used as crutches and can be
distracting for students. It is an ongoing struggle to engage students who choose not to
be engaged.

4. Did you depart from your plan? If so, how and why?

Ms. Dickinson did depart from her plan. She reordered some activities due to the fact
that she was being observed and because she knew that students were beginning a highly
engaging unit in another class. Understanding that they would likely want to discuss that
unit, she moved some things to the beginning of the lesson to allow students an
opportunity to discuss, then settle into the lesson.

5. Comment on different aspects of your instructional delivery (e.g., activities,

grouping of students, materials, and resources). To what extend were they
effective?

While many aspects of her instructional delivery were effective, Ms. Dickinson would
like to incorporate her smart board more effectively into the lesson. One idea would be
to use the smart board as a way to make life quotes more interactive. She would also
have numbered the stations for the Anne Frank quotes so that students would not have the
option of picking their own groups solely based on friends.

6. If you had an opportunity to teach this lesson again to the same group of students,
what would you do differently?

Music- explicit tie in with music to engage auditory learners more effectively
Grouping strategies- make groups more socially heterogeneous and
incorporate less student choice in this element of the lesson
Smart Board- incorporate in ways to make activities, especially regarding life
quotes, more engaging.

7. Consider different aspects of your planning and execution of the lesson in light of
the domains and components on the following pages. Determine evidence, if any
for each of the components and what that evidence demonstrates about your level
of performance.

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The observer and Ms. Dickinson had a productive conversation based on the ratings
included in the domains of the Danielson Framework. The observer rated the teacher
higher than she rated herself. Because she understood the strengths of her lesson and had
suggestions for improvement formulated, the observer was able to help her flesh out
those ideas and provide encouragement for the ways in which her teaching has been
thoughtful, engaging and meaningful.

Plan for Continued Growth: Emily Dickinson

Form G
Strengths of the Lesson:
This lesson incorporated several strands of learning for different styles of learners
This lesson made good use of both formative and summative assessments.
Teacher took note of students who were engaged and sought ways in which to
reach students who needed encouragement to be engaged. Used tablet for
formative assessment. Puzzle pieces were summative. Good use of both in a
single lesson.

Areas for Growth:

Clearer opening for lesson, more captivating, to set tone for connections with life
quotes and/or Ann Frank
Would like to teach with practice, also without an observer. New lessons make
her somewhat nervous, especially with observer.

Plan for Continued Growth:

Teacher will continue to consider ways in which lessons can benefit students with
varied learning styles through the incorporation of several strands of learning.
Teacher will continue to consider ways in which to effectively use formative and
summative assessments to gauge student learning.
Teacher will continue to consider ways in which to provide students learning
opportunities that allow for physical movement and engagement in their learning.
Teacher will continue to use her interpersonal skills to provide an educational
environment that welcomes students and holds them accountable for behavior and
instructional outcomes.
Teacher will brainstorm, individually and through conversations with colleagues,
ways in which to make lesson openings more captivating. Before planning her
next unit, teacher will speak with at least one colleague about this concept.
Teacher will consider ways in which she can include music in lessons to engage
auditory learners. She will attempt to do this at least once per unit.
Teacher will consider the effects of student grouping on instruction. She will try
at least three different methods of grouping next time she teaches this course.

Overall Teacher Evaluation Rating: Emily Dickinson

Please see attached document.

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 SUMMARY REFLECTION: MATT MONAHAN (EDSU 700)

When I registered for this course and noticed that the only required text for the
class was The Handbook for Enhancing Professional Practice, by Charlotte Danielson, I
was less than enthusiastic. My former district in New York State initiated us into the
Danielson Framework during the 2012-2013 school year. It would be the terrifying
magic bullet that threatened to pierce our pedagogy and injure our professional stability.
Once I learned more about the framework, and was observed with the framework as the
basis, the specter of Danielson had disappeared. This was not scary. Although it was
time consuming, and a bit cumbersome, I found real value in the conversations that the
framework required between the supervising principal and myself. I began working in
Pennsylvania the next school year as my new district was rolling out the Danielson
Framework. The framework constituted a large portion of one of my last-stage
interviews and the interviewing principal asked me for a copy of my Danielson
evaluation in order to consult a real world example. My new colleagues, like my
former colleagues, were nervous and skeptical of the framework. It was new and people
feared that it had the potential of serving as a tool meant to get teachers. I assured
them that this would not be scary. Three years later conversations with colleagues reveal
that most teachers would prefer to be engaged in clinical supervision, based on the
Danielson Framework, to differentiated instruction.
This clinical supervision project has been instructive to me in several meaningful
ways. It has been eye opening for me to begin to grasp how much of a supervisors time
observations require. I understood, through teaching, that the cycle required a pre-
observation meeting, a class period for the formal observation, and a post-observation
meeting. What I did not understand is the time required to address the domains in the
Danielson Framework rubric in meaningful ways. I was incorrect in my assumption that
the supervisors work did not require time outside of the three previously mentioned
interactions. As an observer it would be very helpful to have access to software, like
Teachscape, that would assist in the recording and categorizing of teacher data and
scores. My knowledge of software programming is limited to the ability to type
software programming, however it does not seem like a difficult task for a software to
include a practice template. This might help supervisors practice as they are becoming
familiar with the system and, of course, graduate students becoming more familiar with
the framework.
The challenge associated with basing teacher evaluation on observed evidence is
real. It may seem self-evident at times that an individual is a good teacher or that they
are engaged in good teaching at a given time. However what makes the Danielson
framework clinical is its tie to observed evidence, not bias or interpretation. I appreciate
the fact that elements of domains not observed in a lesson may be addressed later on.
The Danielson framework is akin to a classic courtroom scenario in that it is based not on
what one knows, but what one can prove.
This exercise has reaffirmed my prior belief that the real value of the Danielson
Framework is a forum in which educators discuss the process of education. The process
is time consuming and requires significant documentation. It did give me excuses to
have meaningful conversations about lesson planning, learning outcomes, decision-
making and ways in which to improve instruction. In addition, these conversations

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energized me because I was able to get excited about some really creative and effective
instruction.
My educational vision, developed so far as a student in Millersville Universitys
Leadership for Teaching and Learning program, states:
The school community will engage in learning opportunities to help all learners solve problems
in a rapidly changing world. Success in the school community will be measured by what learners
produce and the value that learners place on outcomes. This inclusive, diverse and democratic
community relies on participation from all stakeholders.
I am surprised to see how well clinical supervision, based on the Danielson Framework,
fits into my educational vision. Of course, if I had the power to change the framework
the process may be somewhat streamlined. This framework is valuable, however,
because it engages teachers and supervisors in deliberate conversations about curriculum
and instruction that are focused on quality learning opportunities. Such conversations
represent a positive example of the power-with approach to leadership that this
program encourages in future educational leaders.

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