I had the opportunity to observe the AP Physics teacher at Bellwood-Antis High School! Mrs. Flarend was a fun and experienced teacher to observe!
Observation
The day I visited, Mrs. Flarend was going over an in-class assignment that her students had been working on the day prior with a substitute teacher while she was out. The objectives of the lesson were defining energy, analyzing how energy works. The entire class was very engaged in the lesson especially when Mrs. Flarend asked discussion questions with the class. The most effective methods for achieving the objectives were using questions to get the students to think about their every day lives and what kind of energy they experience. She also used their previous assignment to make connections to the current discussion of energy. I believe that the teacher was facilitating learning because she focused the students on topic and encouraged them to think in their own way about the solutions to her questions during the lesson.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed my time observing Mrs. Flarend's class! I feel that she did an exceptional job with clarity, enthusiasm, and with-it-ness. I hope to implement her way of asking deep-level thinking questions into my own lessons!
What was a specific strategy you noticed Mrs. Flarend use when asking questions?
ReplyDeleteOlivia, I have had success with asking students questions that have no (known) answer. This sends their minds into the deepest levels of "What if?", "I wonder why?", etc.
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