DropBox for Teacher Evaluation

Mathematics

At the start of the class, the teacher gave a short, timed quiz for the students. The teacher gave the lesson’s objectives after that. Most of the learning was student-led. Students were actively engaged in the reading. They were allowed to do examples on the board and entitled to critic each other’s work. The teacher then gave the final opinion on the problems.

Questions were given for discussion halfway through the class. The groups were formed randomly by drawing sticks. The students had opportunities to ask questions, to answer questions as well as to give their suggestions. The students received homework according to each one's abilities, and each student was expected to understand the day’s concept as it would form the next class’ bell ringer quiz. Each student had a pre-set expectation for the end of semester examination, based on their ability, and the teacher compared their quiz scores to confirm whether they were moving towards their set target.

English Language Arts

The class started with the teacher telling the students the objectives of the day’s lesson, and then homework was collected. The teacher did not seem to remember many of the student’s names. Questions were directed mostly to students sitting at the front, while not much attention was given to those at the back rows. The teacher seemed to be acquainted with some students more than others. However, every student got an opportunity to ask a question.

There were no groups, although the students were allowed to consult with one another on some of the questions the teacher asked. The teacher did not move around the class but stayed at the front of the class during the whole lesson. He demonstrated enthusiasm in the lesson presentation, spoke clearly, and explained ideas well, but there was no variability in his performance. At the end of the class, the teacher reminded the level that he was available for any consultations and he also assigned homework to the students.

Social Studies

The teacher had a well-prepared lesson plan, together with the lesson’s objectives. The class began with a short one-question quiz that was done in groups of five. The groups interchanged their work and criticized their fellows’ work, awarding marks. The teacher then asked three random students to tell what they knew of the lesson’s topic.

Everyone got an equal chance to contribute to the class, either by answering questions or asking them. The teacher knew most of the students by their names and demonstrated a positive, respectful relationship with all of them. The transition time between activities was minimized, and the transition was carried out in an orderly manner. The teacher gave no assignments or homework for the class. The teacher created a friendly environment that ensured that all the students would be in a position to get the most out of this lesson. Students were asked to feel free in asking for clarification of areas that they thought they had not understood.

Science

The teacher had a lesson plan. She gave the class objectives for the lesson and asked the students to write the objectives down. The learning content was coordinated with the instructional goals so that after each objective met, she would ask the students to cross it off. She communicated respectfully and effectively with the students, addressing all students by their names. The teacher seemed to have a positive, friendly relationship with the students. She used practical examples and illustrations and presented her content in a logical and sequential order.

The teacher paid attention to the whole class, using a soft voice that encouraged the participation of all students. After each objective accomplished, she gave room for questions from the students then asked her questions. She criticized and praised student responses constructively. Congratulating the students for their answers reassures the self while criticizing in a meaningful way helps the students to know the response might not be correct, but they have a chance to improve. Tasks were assigned in groups, and the teacher moved around the class to make sure each group was carrying out their work as was expected. The group work gave a chance to all students to express themselves without the fear of being judged by other students, and it goes a long way in building the self-worth of such students. At the end of the lesson, an assignment was given as homework.

Accounting

At the start of the lesson, the teacher provided feedback on the previous class’ assignment and told the students the implications of their scores. The teacher told the students about the lesson objectives. He gave a relation of the class to the previous one by asking questions and then explaining. The teacher monitored the students’ learning actively, walking around the class as the lesson progressed. He spoke clearly, putting ideas across in a logical manner, and praising/ critiquing, eliciting, as well as responding to student questions.

As the class progressed, the teacher asked questions that were meant to evaluate the level of knowledge acquisition by the students. Each student got a chance to attempt a problem. The issues were application questions that required a bit of critical thinking from the students. He seemed to know every student by name, though it was not a very big class. Most of the class activities were not teacher-led, which gave the students an opportunity to assume personal responsibility for their learning. At the end of the class, an assignment was given that was to be done in pre-existing groups.