Video Observation

Notetaking Tool
Observers name:

Kristen Fuller

Lesson observed:

Abigail Hancock

Sequences Lesson
Purpose: To provide a framework for reflection and collaborative conversations about
teaching and learning.
Directions: Read over the guiding questions below. As you view the video, jot down notes
about what you see and hear. Note any examples or evidence to support answers to the
questions.
Student Engagement/Classroom
Involvement
1. How are students involved in the
lesson?
What is the extent of student
involvement?

2. Were there opportunities for

students to
ask questions? What kinds of
questions
were they asking?
How did the teacher help students

Notes
The students were very involved with this lesson.
They answered questions, read problems out loud
to the class, took notes in their math notebooks,
and worked problems on their own and as a class.

Yes, the teacher helped the students make

connections by having them explain how they had
heard the word sequence used before. She also
connected the word to a game that some of the

make connections to what they

were learning?

3. Describe the interaction in the

classroom.

Student Learning
1. What evidence do you see that
indicates student learning?
2. Was the learning outcome
explicitly conveyed to the
students?

students were familiar with. Additionally, the

teacher used dance as another way to connect
what sequences are to the students. She
connected the first word problem to the students
by asking them if they had ever saved money
before.
The interaction in the classroom was very good.
The teacher spoke with a great tone to the
students. She was respectful to the students. She
allowed the students to participate in various
things throughout the lesson. While the students
created the tables in their notebooks, the teacher
walked around and praised their work.
Notes
I did not see the assessment part of this lesson,
but I know that the students were given the
opportunity to indicate what they had learned
during this portion of the lesson. In the teaching,
the students were able to practice solving
problems individually. I saw the beginning of the
practice portion of the lesson, and the students
were given the opportunity to create their own
sequencing problem and show the pattern in the
problem. In order to do this, they must have a
clear understanding of what sequencing looks like
in math problems.
The learning target, or learning outcome, was told

to the students at the end of the engagement

section of the lesson. The teacher had the
learning target on the board, and she had a
student read it aloud to the class.

3. What evidence did you see that

the learning goals were achieved?
4. How did the teacher monitor
student progress?

As mentioned earlier, the video did not show the

practice part of the lesson, so I did not see
evidence that the learning goals were met.
However, I am sure that if I had seen this part of
the lesson, I would have seen this evidence.
One way that the teacher monitored student
progress was by asking questions. She checked to
see if the students understand what they were
learning by allowing the students to answer
questions.

Instruction

1. What is the teacher doing?

(Facilitating, lecturing, colearning, etc.)
2. How was content/concepts
presented to students? Was there
adequate explanation of the
concepts to ensure student
learning?

3. What kinds of questions did the

teacher ask?
What questions provided
opportunities for students to
explain, defend, compare,
evaluate?
Did the teacher wait for
responses? Probe for deeper
understanding?

The teacher is presenting information to the

students, but she is doing it in a way that allows
the students to be actively involved. The students
were not just being talked to, but they are the
given the opportunity to answer questions and
solve problems.
The concept/content was presented to the
students through word problems and visuals. The
teacher used a table to help the students see the
sequence of the problems.
The teacher asked many questions throughout the
lesson. She asked questions in the engagement
like what was different about this video?, how
many different languages do you think there were
during this video?, and are there any thoughts
on how this video relates to math.
Yes, the teacher waited for responses and probed
for deeper understanding. She also made sure to
call on a variety of students rather than the same
students every time.
Some questions that the teacher asked during the
teaching portion of the lesson include How have
you heard the word sequence used before?
Yes, the teacher waited for the students to think

through the question and raise their hand, and

then she would call on a student to answer.

4. What tasks are students doing?

Did the students have the
opportunity to practice their new
knowledge or skill? Did the
practice help support the learning
outcome?
5. How did the teacher manage the
learning environment?
(Procedures, securing attention,
time on task, etc)

The tasks that the students are doing include

solving problems, taking notes, and answering
questions. The learning was scaffolded so that the
teacher showed the students and acted as a
model, and then the students were given the
opportunity to practice problems.
The learning environment was very calm and
quiet. The teacher had good control over the
classroom, and the students were very obedient
and on task. The teacher rewarded the class with
2 points during the lesson because they had good
behavior.

Feedback

3-2-1

3 Affirmations based on the observations and evidences above

I like how you used tables to record the sequences! This was a
great way for the students to organize their notes and clearly see
how the number grows each day/week.
I love how many questions you asked the students. By having to
think through and answer questions, the students were very
involved in the lesson.
I LOVE how you created a word problem about students in the class
and that you let them decide the details of the problem. This was a
great idea because it made it personal to the students.
2 Questions for Consideration
Would it have been possible to have the tables for the problems
premade for the students? This might have saved time.
Is there a way that you could have incorporated technology into
the lesson in some way?
1 Recommendation

This was a great lesson! I recommend that you make all of the
word problems personal to the students. I love that you did this
with the problem that you created with the students.