You are a public school teacher. You are about half-way through your science or math lesson. The door opens and the principal walks into your classroom. Stops and looks around and surveys the classroom.
What is the principal looking for?
There are a
You are a public school teacher. You are about half-way through your science or math lesson. The door opens and the principal walks into your classroom. Stops and looks around and surveys the classroom.
What is the principal looking for?
There are a variety of answers to this question depending on the nature of the lesson. But, what is the principal evaluating? I can guarantee you that 98 times out of 100 the principal is trying to get a sense of the level of student engagement in the classroom. There are a series of questions the principal is trying to answer as he or she observes the classroom.
What are those questions the principal is thinking upon entering a classroom?
Where is the teacher?
What is the teacher doing?
What are the students doing?
Are the students actively engaged in the lesson?
What is the lesson’s objective and is it written or viewable to students, so they know what they are supposed to learn?
How is the lesson closure assessed to determine if students learned what they were taught?
How is the teacher providing sufficient repetition in subsequent days so students ‘own’ and master the content?
These are the exact questions the principal is thinking as they survey the classroom, and quite frankly, if not, they should be considering.
Active versus Passive Learning Examples
Active learning occurs in a myriad of positive ways in the classroom.
What are examples of active learning?
The students are working in groups or individually with a set purpose to their work.
Students could be taking notes in their math or science spiral and clearly listening as the teacher is demonstrating a process or procedure.
Students may be independently completing an assignment as their teacher works with a small student group or actively monitors the students.
When students finish the activity early, the teacher has set clear expectations so students continue to be engaged in independent learning.
Unfortunately, passive learning also occurs in a number of ways in the classroom.
What are examples of passive learning?
Students are sitting at their desks without a spiral notebook or paper on their desk and a pencil in their hand as the teacher talks or reads to them.
There a lot of activity in the classroom, but limited accountable learning is occurring.
Students are watching other students in their group do the work since there is no specific g