Roller Coaster Physics
In the video on The Teaching Channel about Roller Coaster physics, I was extremely impressed with the level of expectation the teacher held for her students. Not only did she hold high expectations, but the students seemed to truly rise to the occasion and meet her expectations. Students had a rigorous task at hand. They were given different assignments each day, but all assignments revolved around creating a roller coaster using physics, mathematics, and computer skills and knowledge. Students were expected to collaborate with one another, apply knowledge and challenge each other, and meet the expectations their teacher held. The teacher expected each student to have a job in their group, and to perform their job effectively to ensure the group would succeed. Also, the teacher provided guidelines and deadlines, so students knew exactly what was expected. Overall, I found the project to be academically rigorous, and I believe the students did their very best and performed at the level the teacher expected.
Behavior expectations in the STEM class were also very high. Students had a great deal of independence, and had to learn to work together as a team to succeed. The classroom was run in a very non-traditional way. At no point was the teacher lecturing and telling students what to do. Instead, the students were running the class. The behavior expectations were that students would actually act more like adults at a engineering job. They were expected to perform well, and to collaborate. In this situation, it appeared that students met the behavior expectations that the teacher held. Her high expectations led students to rise up, become more independent learners, and take responsibility for their learning.
The norms and procedures set up in the classroom also contributed to the high level of student success. Though the teacher did not discuss norms explicitly, it is clear that classroom norms were established. As an onlooker, I saw that students were active learners. They believed in what they were doing and felt responsible for their actions in class. Also, I noticed that students had a great deal of respect for one another. The discussions happening between students were impressively mature, and it is clear that the teacher taught students how to communicate professionally, and that this was a norm in the class. Finally, I noticed that students were on task and well prepared at all times. There was never a question about what to do next. Students took initiative, sought out solutions, and worked hard to make their project as good as possible.
3rd Grade Chinese Math
This video didn't really provide the viewer with a good idea about what takes place in the classroom. From what I gathered by watching the video, the teacher is very traditional. She expects that students will pay close attention while she is talking and teaching. She also seems to expect that students will catch on quickly. The problem is, I did not observe any way in which she was truly checking for student understanding. She was only calling on a few students that were first to raise their hands. She did not seem to have high academic expectations for all students.
The behavior expectations in the Chinese math video were also vague. The teacher did not correct any behavior, and she quickly sped through the lesson without acknowledging students who appeared to be distracted. It seemed that several students in the back were not paying close attention, and there was nothing to hold them accountable. There was no reinforcement for students who were paying attention either. Though the student behavior was not bad, I didn't get a sense that the teacher held extremely high expectations for the students. other than that they would sit quietly and occasionally participate while she taught.
One norm I noticed in the video is that students would participate in whole group recitation. The teacher expected that students would go through answers all together, and I heard students chanting things together. Another norm I noticed was students did not talk to one another, and respected the teacher when she was speaking. Finally, I noticed that students raised their hands anytime they wanted to answer a question or speak. The class appeared to be under control and respectful of the teacher, but I am not confident that the learning environment was conducive for all students.
Whole Brain Teaching
It is is clear that the teacher in this video held high academic expectations. In the short two minute clip, I gathered that she not only expects students to listen and absorb information, but she expects students to turn right around and reteach what they have learned. She doesn't treat any students differently or ask for less or more from some students. In fact, she doesn't even call on students. Instead, she expects that all students will be focused and attentive, and then stay on task as they use the appropriate signals and language to learn about and teach their partner the material. I think that Whole Brain Teaching is an excellent strategy that truly does establish high academic expectations when used properly, like in this video.
Behavior expectations were extremely high as well. Students were expected to use the time the teacher gave them to maintain focus and get their work done. There was no side talking, and I believe that is because they knew what was expected of them. There was no question about it. Ninth grade can be a challenging time, but these students lived up to the high behavioral expectations that were set for them.
Norms in this classroom include, most notably, participation. Every single student was using Whole Brain Teaching strategies and there was no student who was defiant or not participating. Students appeared to have a great deal of respect for the teacher as well as their classmates. Students stayed on task, and it is clear that many classroom norms were established, and students held to these norms.
Analysis and Summary
Creating a positive learning environment with high academic and behavioral expectations is key to student success. There was much to reflect on and learn from each of the videos detailed above. As a teacher, I absolutely hope to set the type of rigorous and high expectations set forth by the STEM teacher in the first video. I was very impressed with her students and the quality of work and effort produced. This is a direct reflection of her teaching strategies. Laying out expectations and giving students an exciting yet challenging project is a great way to provide academic rigor while keeping the work fun. I love the project she did, and I hope I can implement similar projects in the future that will challenge my students. The second video really showed me that I do not want to be the type of teacher who just stands up and lectures. The students did not look like they were enjoying their time, and it was clear to me that the teacher only had high expectations for a few students. There was no way for all students to demonstrate their competency. Putting careful thought and preparation into lessons to ensure academic rigor and and student participation is crucial for learning. Finally, the video on whole brain teaching was extremely informative and led me to consider using that strategy in my classroom. I have used aspects of whole brain teaching before, but have not taken it so far as the teacher in the video. I loved how engaged her students were, and how they appeared to truly be learning and absorbing the content. As I begin my career as an elementary school teacher, I think that whole brain teaching would be an excellent strategy to use. It keeps students engaged, takes the classroom to a student focused classroom rather than a teacher focused classroom, and also allows the teacher to visually see the learning that is taking place.
