Classroom Observation – Kiesler

Name:                                                                                                          Date:                                 
 
Jeremy Kiesler
 
High School Biology
 

1. (00:02) Listen to the energy and excitement Kiesler has with his class. Teachers with a passion for their content area are more likely to engage students and foster interest in the subject.

 
 

2. (01:03) Kiesler recognizes that his content area introduces a lot of vocabulary that is unique and unfamiliar to his students. To many students, it can be similar to learning a foreign language. By helping students to break down the words into roots, he is providing them with a skill they can forever use when they encounter unfamiliar words.

 
 
 

3. (03:22) Notice the resources Mr. Kiesler has on his board for students to refer A daily agenda, daily objective, classroom expectations, weekly homework and a word wall are all displayed prominently in the classroom. These help students stay organized and know what to expect during their time in Mr. Kiesler’s class.

 
 
 

4. (03:39) Kiesler is using a strategy called Think•Pair•Share, in which students think about something independently, pair up and then share/discuss their answers. This encourages collaboration and thoughtful academic conversation among students.

 
 
 

5. (05:13) Kiesler is all about the                                                    in his classroom. He

knows that by offering encouragement and acclaim, his students will feel empowered to take risks and feel a sense of pride when they succeed.
 
 

6. (09:23) Notice that Kiesler is trying to gauge prior knowledge and he is doing so using active participation to engage all learners. We have seen a couple examples of his active participation strategies: thumbs up/thumbs down and 4•3•2•1 finger signals.

 

7. (14:41) Short video clips can be helpful in the classroom when used Videos that illustrate a concept or skill can be more engaging than just explaining the concept.

Additionally, remember that you will have a mixture of visual, auditory and
kinesthetic learners in your classroom. Be sure to use teaching tools that reach all of the different learning styles.
 

8. (17:31) By having students assist in constructing the definition of vocabulary terms, Mr. Kielser has increased the students’    .

 

9. (29:27) Notice how Kiesler pauses the video periodically to recap or elaborate on what the students have just seen. This is another way in which Mr. Kiesler maintains student engagement and ensures student comprehension. Here Mr. Kiesler has just taken that a step further and asked students to provide a rationale (using higher order thinking) for why the fungus causes the ant to climb upwards.

 
 
 

10. (35:07) Kiesler has these students hooked! A sign of an engaging lesson is when students are eagerly asking questions for the sake of gaining knowledge.

 
 
 
 

11. (39:60) Effective teachers always reflect on the lesson, and lesson outcomes. Listen as the teacher reflects on this lesson, and compare it to the responses you have written on the observation worksheet. Use both the teacher’s reflections and your own observation when writing your overall observational