Lower Moreland Township School District Mini-Observation Form Name ______________________________________ Building ______________________________________ Date _________________ Revised 5-09 Curriculum Clarity promoted by teacher that Action Observed Teacher Action (These actions increase the likelihood that learning will occur.) Clearly communicates learning tasks and relevance so that students are able to identify task and why they are doing it Structures an activity that engages the learner with the objectives integrating new knowledge with the previous learning Plans lessons with standards based focus where activities align with the district curriculum Plans and delivers coherent presentation—organization, response to students, technology use, directions, groupings Chooses instruction and assessment strategies that clearly align with learning objective Develops meaningful focus/ Communicates clearly Instructional Engagement evident and/or enhanced by teacher who Communicates high expectations for students Expresses enthusiasm Demonstrates knowledge of content Demonstrates integrated knowledge of content and knowledge of students through choice, structure and/or pacing of learning activities Uses probing questions to clarify student understanding Designs lesson structure that promotes student processing of the content Engages students actively in cooperative group by structuring individual accountability and/or positive interdependence Uses effective questioning techniques—phrasing, wait time—to engage the learners Calls on students with and without hands up Asks higher level questions Structures respectful tasks for all/ differentiated instruction Explains material in a variety of ways Variety of instructional activities used that reinforce or further the learning goal Delivers instruction that appeals to a variety of learning styles/Uses multi-sensory activities Structures guided practice and independent practice appropriately Teaches students strategies for learning, retaining and/or expressing knowledge Monitors learning and adjusts instruction to meet student needs Constructs rubrics, checklists and/or models to promote clarity Employs closure that reviews learning objective and relevance Action Observed Structures an activity that engages the learner with the objective(s) employing motivation theory—level of concern, technology, interest, novelty. Ongoing Assessment promoted by teacher that Makes use of multiple forms of assessment Collects formative assessment data Employs formative assessment to modify instruction Pretests to determine level of understanding Questions for understanding/ Checks for understanding Uses probing questions to clarify student understanding Gives effective feedback—timely, specific Provides opportunities for students to model, apply, create with feedback from teacher Uses rubrics, checklists and/or models to promote student understanding of learning goals and/or to promote self assessment Student Cooperation promoted by teacher that Teacher Action Notes: (These actions increase the likelihood that learning will occur.) Teaches classroom management components—procedures, routines, rules, consequences are firmly in place Develops classroom community where there is “Comfortability” in classroom Structures the classroom to support learning Employs active participation to generate instructional management Demonstrates “with-it-ness” Provides positive reinforcement/ Catches students being good Deals with departures from expected behavior promptly/ Error correction Teaches cooperative group behavior, discussion techniques and/or partner responsibilities