Video Analysis 1

The videos were about a fourth grade lesson plan on variables. The teacher, Mrs. Klein, introduced the concept of variables by assigning a number to each letter of the alphabet. The students were in groups and they were assigned various tasks to use the different variables to create words and assign numbers to the words. The tasks were designed to introduce variable and the concepts of the links between numbers and letters.


Questioning: Reflective task 1: Describe how the teachers questioning and the manner in which student responses are handled, contribute or do not contribute to a positive classroom learning environment.
The teacher uses prompts to get students to discuss and share their ideas throughout this lesson. By having the students explain and discuss with their peers and teachers it allows the students to bounce ideas off one another. Class discussion gets all of the students thinking and their creative juices flowing. This type of questioning and class discussion creates a positive classroom learning environment for the students to be successful.

Assess: Personal Reflection 1: What techniques do you use to determine whether students have learned the materials you are teaching?
Assessment is essential to determine whether students have truly learned the material you are teaching. Assessment can be informal or formal. Mrs. Klein used informal assessment for this particular lesson by listening to students conversations for understanding. She analyzed what the students could pick up on, what they were looking for, what they could see within the problems, and how they solved the problems. Another way to assess informally is through participation. Formal assessment is another technique to determine if the students have learned the material. Formal assessment could be a test, a worksheet, a project, etc. Through assessment, informal or formal, the teacher can determine whether students have learned the material.

Responding: Reflective task 1: Describe the student-teacher interactions during the task debriefing discussions and assess the effectiveness of these interactions.
During the debriefing of each task, Mrs. Klein asked the students to reflect on the work and share some examples with the class. Mrs. Klein prompted questions which allowed the students to share their ideas and theories about the tasks. Mrs. Klein gave positive feedback to the students and encouraged their theories and ideas. This type of discussion creates a positive learning environment and a positive student-teacher relationship. By having the students share their ideas and how they solved the problems, it allows for other students to learn from the discussion.

I enjoyed watching these videos, I think watching a teacher teach a lesson in an actual classroom setting is very beneficial. Not only is it beneficial to see how she teaches a math lesson, but how she conducts her class in general. There were several interesting classroom management strategies that she used throughout this lesson, clapping for example. Another reason I enjoyed watching these videos is to get ideas for my future classroom and how I will conduct my class. I liked the round group tables with supplies in the middle, that is not something you see often in classrooms and I liked the idea.