Reflective Questions for Professional Development Plan from Videotaped Lessons

Adapted from research on effective science teaching

Procedure: Watch your videotaped teaching and make notes on each of the following 10 statements. Incorporate more pertinent aspects of your notes (not all) into your Professional Development Plan (see below).

1.       How well did I introduce the objectives, task(s), concept(s), or instructions to prepare my students for this new lesson, lab, project, or activity?  What could I have done to better prepare them for doing and understanding it?

2.       Did I adequately get the students’ attention when I needed it? Did most all of the students seem to understand what I was teaching or asking them to do? If not, what could I have done differently to remedy this?

3.       Did I periodically check to see that all students were on task and completing their assigned task? How did I handle those who were not?

4.       Did I attempt to question all students equally and allow adequate wait time before seeking a response? How could I improve this?

5.       Was I creating an atmosphere of trust, caring, and mutual respect? Did I plan and teach with an understanding of the diverse learning styles and cultures of all my students? What evidence do I observe that this is so?

6.       Where in my lesson did I build on students’ prior knowledge, understanding, or interests? Were segments of the Learning Cycle evident in the lesson beyond the “explain” phase?

7.       Where in my lesson did I use some form of inquiry (or process skills)?  What technology did I use to facilitate student inquiry? Did this technology help facilitate my teaching and student learning? Cite examples.

8.       Did the students show that they clearly knew my academic AND behavioral expectations throughout the lesson? What evidence do I observe to support this? How might I improve this?

9.       Where in my lesson did I “formatively” assess student understanding and learning of the lesson at hand? Is evidence from the videotape and student work (collected and assessed) strong enough to support the claim that all of the students “learned” science today? How might I improve this?

10.    Did I bring adequate closure to the lesson by reviewing what was learned through notes and questioning, extending the lesson through a supplemental worksheet, having students present information/results, explaining instructions for cleanup and what will ensue tomorrow, etc.? How could I improve my closure of this lesson?

Final Analysis for Professional Development Plan

Write your Professional Development Plan as follows (2 typed pages):

• First, briefly describe the lesson: What goals and objectives was I trying to accomplish in it, what did the students do? Also, address student learning by citing evidence from the results of assessed work.

• What 3 things (minimum) did I do well in my videotaped lesson (based on the above reflective questions) and how can I share my strengths with my fellow classmates? Elaborate on each of the three.

• What 3 things (minimum) do I most need to work on (goals) before my next videotape (or during my internship or first year teaching)? Elaborate on each of the three or more.

• What specific steps and actions will I take to further my professional development NOW in my beginning teaching? Take each area needing work (from above) and describe concrete steps you will implement in teaching to address them. [For example, if you speak too softly, state that you will have your partner or teacher give you hand signals while you teach to speak more loudly.]