Ducato 1

Adrienne Ducato

Professor Kathy Ferrando

Explorations in Teaching

18 February 2018

Lesson Study 2

The lesson study observation at Strawberry Point School, with Mr. Gasparini, was an

enjoyable learning experience. This kind of exposure to a classroom I find to be highly

beneficial. Mr. Gasparini provided helpful pointers on educating a diverse group of students and

satisfying their many needs. Throughout the duration of the lesson, Mr. Gasparini incorporated

several Teacher Performance Expectations (TPEs) into his classroom. His teaching methods

were accommodating of all of the students, which was to their advantage. Mr. Gasparini

embodied what a career as a teacher is all about in a very positive manner. Brad Henry, the

twenty-sixth Governor of Oklahoma, reminds us that “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite

the imagination, and instill a love of learning” (Henry, n.d.). As a prospective teacher this is what

I aspire to accomplish, similarly to the ways Mr. Gasparini fully encompassed this.

TPE 1 is defined as engaging and supporting all students in learning. First of all, every

student was provided with the necessary information on the subject. Mr. Gasparini demonstrated

this TPE by assigning each student to a group and then giving them a specific job in the group.

This allowed for every student to have the ability to participate. By assigning the students their

own specific jobs they stayed more engaged in the learning process. The students also had the

right not to share aloud when called on. It created more of an apparent safe space for the students

by giving them the choice to decide what they wanted to do.

 Ducato 2

TPE 2 is defined as creating and maintaining an effective environment for student

learning. Mr. Gasparini encouraged all of his students in a way that made them feel safe. It was

evident as a guest at the school that it was a safe environment. There was a box near the exit of

the classroom that said “I deserve acknowledgment,” and students could leave a message in the

box to tell of good deeds occurring on the campus. Classroom control was evident in the

directions given by the teacher. All of the students were required to wear safety glasses as a

means of protection. As part of the rules the safety glasses were to cover each of the students

eyes the entire time and not to be removed while outside experimenting. The students listened

carefully and were well behaved the entire lesson.

TPE 3 is defined as understanding and organizing subject matter for student learning. In

regards to this class it is understanding science pedagogy. Mr. Gasparini was a knowledgeable

individual and great teacher. He was capable of teaching the material to a wide variety of

students at different learning levels. The students knew their role for the assignment and what to

do. This is because of the thorough instruction provided by the teacher and the students paying

close attention. The extensive scientific terminology and the vocabulary was used and

understood by all of the students. This shows the students are learning and the teaching methods

are benefiting them. In the beginning, the teacher asked for someone to explain the lesson being

taught, which he referred to as a high risk question to tell the college students. This is important,

because it reinforces what the lesson is about and shows that the students are understanding what

is being taught. At the end students were asked to identify any variables they could change and

they then proceeded to apply these variables in practice. The ability to point out such variables

shows that the students had a deep and apparent understanding of the lesson.
 Ducato 3

TPE 4 is defined as planning instruction and designing learning experiences for all

students. The teacher organized groups in a particular way that he knew would benefit everyone.

There were several special needs children with some having more noticeable signs than others.

Yet this did not hold anyone back and the teacher made sure every student was involved in the

experiment. In particular, there was a teacher aid to help one boy wearing a red jacket who

needed more guidance in the classroom due to various needs. Also, I noticed there was a variety

of chairs for specific students. They ranged from normal desk chairs, to ones on wheels, to stools

for students to maneuver around on. The reason is certain students are more wiggly and this

allowed them to move without feeling the need to get up and wander around the classroom. This

is one way that demonstrates the needs of every student being met. Mr. Gasparini organized the

groups to create balance and flow amongst a diverse classroom. To satisfy all their needs he

grouped students together who he knew would best work together. It was evident that the teacher

knew his classroom and the group of students well.

Democracy, equity, and diversity were clearly addressed in the lesson on multiple

occasions. The students were provided with the same opportunities in a fairly equal manner and

none of their peers were treated in an unfair way. The students were encouraged to be themselves

as seen in their work depicted on the walls. For instance, students created tennis shoes on paper

with nice comments on them, along with another assignment where students wrote about things

they care about in the world. Also, their turns were equally distributed with a device that

randomly picked whose turn it was, however, they were not required to if they felt

uncomfortable or just simply did not want to. They were all allowed to participate through their

own assigned parts for the experiment. No matter their differences they were treated as equals by
 Ducato 4

the teacher and the peers were encouraging toward one another. This was such a diverse group of

students with varying needs, yet they were all accommodated.

The strategies worked nicely for the students, because they incorporated everyone in the

classroom. This was a diverse group and the teacher managed to fulfill all of their individual

needs. The students learned how to perform an experiment and the variables that had an effect on

the outcome of it. Mr. Gasparini taught a science lesson to fifth grade students. It was about

experimenting with different temperatures of water mixed with alka-seltzer to create rockets. The

students timed how long it took their groups to explode up into the air. I know this, because I

witnessed the lesson with my own eyes, participated with the students, and talked with two

different groups about what they were learning and what they were assigned to do. The

experience was so positive and the tactics used by the teacher are surely ones I will be

incorporating into my own classroom.

Reference
 Ducato 5

Henry, B. (n.d.). Google. https://www.google.com/search?q=a+good+teacher+can+inspire+

hope,+ignite+the+imagination+and+instill+a+love+of+learning+brad+henry+date+

said&source =lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjImfDV-LfZAhVSHGMKHX-

RAk0Q_AUICigB&biw =996&bih=754#imgrc=y-vRTgzlTpFZ0M:-y8.