Table Of Content09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 54
A Collaborative Model for Developing
Classroom Management Skills in Urban
Professional Development School Settings
Elizabeth Dobler
Emporia State University
Cathy Kesner
Meadows Elementary School
Rebecca Kramer
Marilyn Resnik
Whitson Elementary
Libby Devin
Scott Technology Magnet School
ABSTRACT: This article describes a school–university partnership that focuses on the develop-
ment of classroom management skills for preservice teachers in an urban setting, through col-
laboration between mentors, principals, and a university supervisor. To prepare preservice
teachers for the unique challenges of urban schools, three key elements were implemented.
First, interns were placed in diverse settings. During those placements, interns were provided
opportunities for dialogue and discussion with experienced educators, as well as the chance
to critically reflect on their teaching within a supportive environment. Collaboration between the
school and university facilitated these key elements and so encouraged the interns’ growth and
learning in their development of classroom management skills, for use with children from vari-
ous ethnic, social, and academic backgrounds.
Few teacher educators would disagree that are expected to behave amid cultural, eco-
classroom management is one of the biggest nomic, and family difficulties that distract
challenges faced by preservice teachers. them from the task of learning. Children who
Novice teachers struggle with the inner con- are not sure where they will be sleeping that
flict of wanting to be a friend to their students night, who witness the arrest of a family mem-
versus wanting to be respected in the same ber, or who physically lash out toward teachers
way as a mentor teacher. They marvel at the and children pose challenges to preservice
ways that experienced teachers motivate and teachers beyond the basic classroom manage-
manage children, making it look so easy. Their ment issues.
early experiences with directing the entire What can we as teacher educators do to
class may be a little disheartening when they better prepare our interns to be successful dur-
cannot easily get the students to do what they ing their internship and beyond—that is, into
want them to do. For those interns in an urban their own classroom? This article sets out to
school, added challenges occur when students describe a collaborative model for helping pre-
54 School–University Partnerships Vol. 3, No. 1
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 55
A Collaborative Model for Developing Classroom Management Skills 55
service teachers develop classroom manage- than others when combined with pressure to
ment skills, with a focus on the unique chal- continually improve test scores and meet
lenges faced by teachers in urban classrooms. standards and expectations. Teaching chil-
Becoming skilled in the area of classroom dren in urban settings has proven to be one of
management is a personal and professional the biggest challenges, based on the high
journey that takes many teachers years to mas- turnover rate of teachers (Lankford, Loeb, &
ter, if ever. Novice teachers are just beginning Wyckoff, 2002). About half of new teachers
the journey and so can benefit from various who choose a career in urban education will
sources of support, including peers, mentors, leave within the first 5 years (Darling-
principals, and university supervisors. Hammond & Sclan, 1996). Novice teachers
Teachers typically teach in the way that are especially vulnerable because of their lim-
they were taught, and they often carry into ited experience with and knowledge of the so-
their teaching experiences the beliefs that they ciocultural aspects of urban education
grew up with (Ladson-Billings, 2001). These (Chizhik, 2003). According to the mission
beliefs and attitudes may serve them well if statement of the Center for Urban Education
they are teaching in a situation similar to the at the University of California at Berkeley
one in which they learned. In reality, many of (n.d., as quoted from its website), urban edu-
today’s teachers and children face different cation stems from “a recognition that the
learning challenges, such as increased testing problems and issues confronting schools in ur-
and learning expectations, more students who ban areas cannot be addressed effectively
are learning English as a second language, and without attention to the social and economic
an increased emphasis on ethnic, social, and forces which exert influence upon the lives of
academic diversity in classrooms. If new educa- children and families.” What exactly are
tors are not familiar and comfortable with these forces that exert influence over children
these issues and their impact on urban educa- and families and so eventually affect schools?
tion, then we as teacher educators may be What do we mean by the term urban educa-
sending beginners into classrooms without the tion? Weiner’s (2005) definition places an em-
skills and strategies needed to be good teachers phasis on the cultural, linguistic, and eco-
for all students. Research points out that col- nomic diversity among students, while noting
lege course work, although an important foun- the lack of such diversity among teachers.
dation for understanding diversity, may not be Defining urban education through the ele-
enough to help form the beliefs and attitudes ments of culture, language, and economics pro-
that make for successful teaching in urban motes the view of urban education as a chal-
schools (Reiff & Cannella, 1992). However, lenge, attributed to the characteristics of the
immersion within urban classrooms does pro- context or setting rather than those of the stu-
vide interns the day-to-day practice of dealing dents. Such a view helps educators move away
with a variety of situations involving children from a deficit model, where children in urban
from diverse backgrounds. The hands-on na- classrooms are viewed as being unable to learn
ture of student teaching provides an ideal set- because of a lack of preparedness, a lack of
ting for exploring, testing, and understanding valuing education, or a lack of ability. Unfortu-
these beliefs and attitudes. nately, not all educators, including ones new to
the field, have made this shift in thinking.
Groulx (2001) conducted in a study that com-
Why Focus on
pared student teachers’ attitudes toward work-
Urban Education? ing in urban schools, before and after student
teaching; as such, the researcher found that
All schools certainly face their own unique preservice teachers do not often approach their
set of challenges, depending on the children, profession ready or willing to face the chal-
families, community, and staff. Some of these lenges of urban schools. They usually appear
challenges may seem a bit more daunting overconfident about their abilities to work
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 56
56 ELIZABETH DOBLER ET AL.
with children of diverse backgrounds (Reiff & The Classroom Management in Urban
Cannella, 1992) and so rely on naïve or ideal- Settings Project described in this article strives
istic beliefs to make instructional and manage- to put into practice certain elements identified
ment decisions. Up to this point, their educa- in the work of Kidd and colleagues (2006), in-
tion and experiences may not have prepared cluding an internship in a diverse setting, crit-
them to understand the different pedagogical ical reflection, and dialogue and discussion.
issues that they must consider when teaching The goal of the project was to provide interns
children of diversity. They often try to fit chil- with experiences that will influence their be-
dren of cultural diversity into the mold of their liefs and practices about teaching students of
own cultural experiences, which are usually diversity. This article describes the ways that
White and middle class. This problem is not collaboration between interns, mentors, prin-
limited to preservice teachers. Burstein and cipals, and university supervisors helped to fa-
Cabello (1989) found that 38% of certified cilitate placements in diverse settings, dia-
teachers described children of culturally di- logue and discussion, and critical reflection in
verse families as coming from a “deficient” cul- an effort to provide interns with a learning sit-
ture, as opposed to a “different” culture. As uation that promotes their deeper understand-
teacher educators, we have a responsibility to ing of diversity.
work toward breaking this pattern by helping
preservice teachers develop the skills they need
How Did This Project
to successfully teach all children.
According to existing research, teacher Get Started?
preparation programs appear to have limited
effects on preservice teachers’ knowledge and Our current professional development school
beliefs about cultural diversity (Cochran- (PDS) program had been in place for several
Smith, Davis, & Fries, 2004). Some evidence years, without our giving much thought to the
suggests that current approaches to course unique situation of an urban PDS placement.
work in multicultural education have little im- Up until now, we considered interns to be as
pact on preservice teachers (Cochran-Smith, prepared as they could be, having taken re-
2003). The teacher education programs that quired courses in classroom management and
appear to be making a difference in changing curriculum adaption for diverse learners,
beliefs and attitudes among preservice teach- along with content-specific methods courses.
ers provide candidates with diversity experi- We also valued the wealth of experiences that
ences (Lenski, Crawford, Crumpler, & Stall- they would encounter with a yearlong place-
worth, 2005) through classroom observations ment in a classroom. The need for more at-
and internships. Kidd, Sanchez, and Thorp tention to issues surrounding teaching in ur-
(2006) have identified the types of experi- ban settings was clarified when several
ences, as cited by preservice teachers, as being seemingly unrelated events occurred within a
most beneficial to influencing their beliefs and short time.
practices with diverse learners. All of their
study participants listed an internship in a di- • During her first few weeks as an intern
verse setting as having an influence on their in a fourth-grade classroom, Libby1
culturally responsive dispositions and prac- broke up a playground fight. After the
tices. Other positive experiences included incident, we discussed concerns for her
critical reflection, dialogue and discussion, physical safety in this situation and
reading professional materials, and interac- wondered what would be the best tactic
tions with families. These researchers describe when encountering two students fight-
the personal journey toward the culturally re- ing. Should the intern break it up?
sponsive teaching taken by interns and how Should he or she go for help? What re-
these elements influenced their journeys in sponsibility does he or she have for the
different ways at different times. bystanders? What is the school policy
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 57
A Collaborative Model for Developing Classroom Management Skills 57
for teachers who break up fights? Even prepare them for the day when they will
the best course in classroom manage- be the leaders of their own classrooms.
ment may not adequately prepare in-
terns for the issues surrounding school Through conversations with the principal,
violence. mentor teachers, university colleagues, and the
• Justine, an intern in a first-grade class- interns themselves, we realized that our interns
room, expressed concern for a child clearly needed additional support to not only
from a homeless family whose mother complete their internship successfully but also
has recently been found guilty of and to feel prepared to take a teaching position in
imprisoned for murder. The child was an urban school, if so desired. Our approach
living with relatives but was having became twofold. First, we identified the ele-
tremendous trouble concentrating in ments previously mentioned as being key to
school. We discussed the needs that influencing beliefs and practices for teaching
this child might have when he arrives children of diversity. Interns would continue
in the classroom. Are our interns pre- to be provided with placements in diverse set-
pared to provide children with what tings, which is critical for expanding their
they need in order to learn, especially thinking. We also chose to focus on the ele-
as they face such challenging home ments of critical reflection and dialogue/
lives and experiences? discussion because these elements can easily
• The PDS university supervisor wit- encourage a strong partnership between in-
nessed a first-grade student throw a terns, the school administration, and teachers,
chair at the mentor teacher during a and university supervisor. Next, we made plans
classroom observation and wondered to implement two activities that promote
whether this same event could happen dialogue/discussion and critical reflection
when an intern is the lead teacher. while continuing the supportive and collabo-
Have we prepared our interns for the rative environment among all those in-
types of classroom management issues volved—first, participation in a series of semi-
that occur when children are not able nars with experienced educators and, second,
to keep their behavior under control? involvement with the district evaluation and
• Janelle, an intern in a fifth-grade class- reflection system used by all teachers. Both of
room, described a student with As- these activities relied on the expertise of for-
perger’s syndrome who is in the regular mer interns, mentors, and PDS school princi-
classroom full-time because of the in- pals to help interns to develop their deeper un-
clusion policy of the school district. He derstanding and repertoire of skills.
often acts out during class or self-
mutilates using a pencil or paper clip.
Internship Placements in
Janelle has never seen anything like
this and wonders what she should do Diverse Settings
when he becomes unmanageable or
hurts himself. Should she seek help? PDS sites in our university program are typi-
What happens when a child with a sim- cally chosen because of the diverse experience
ilar condition is in her own classroom available to university students based on the
in the future? location of the school and the economic and
• The principal of the PDS site expressed ethnic diversity of the children. Sites include
concern about the 1st-year teachers at urban settings and smaller communities, both
her building (one a former intern from of which may have significant numbers of
our program) and the struggles they children from a range of cultural and eco-
face with classroom management. She nomic backgrounds, including those learning
wondered if there is anything that we English as a second language. Several of the
can do for the current interns to better selected schools follow an inclusion model for
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 58
58 ELIZABETH DOBLER ET AL.
children with special needs, again providing mately 60 miles from these PDS sites. Because
our interns with a variety of teaching and of the size and location of the university, many
learning experiences. Two schools were se- of the students come from rural communities
lected for the Classroom Management in Ur- throughout the state and are most often, but
ban Settings Project. Both schools are located not always, female traditional students be-
within a major midwestern city and are con- tween the ages of 21 and 25 during the intern-
sidered to be neighborhood schools, with most ship. These students typically have limited ex-
of the student population coming from the periences with diversity, both in their own
community surrounding the school. One of lives and especially in educational settings.
the sites is an English-as-a-second-language Some students request internship placements
attendance center for the district, which in schools that appear to be easier to teach in,
means an increase in the number of English- because the population is less diverse. They ex-
language learners attending the school, along press concern about teaching in a setting that
with an increase in the services available for is so different from their own experiences—
these children. This same school also serves as that is, an urban setting—and they share
the site for the district’s hearing-impaired pro- doubts about their ability to handle “those
gram. Both schools are located in more estab- kids.” A small number of interns actually re-
lished sections of the city, with a mixture of quest an urban setting because they want to
economic and cultural backgrounds among experience more diversity, as a way to better
the school families (see Table 1). Both schools prepare themselves for their future teaching
also use an inclusion model; as such, students positions. Most of the interns at the two sites
who have a variety of different social, emo- described in this article chose an urban setting
tional, and learning needs receive assistance for the convenience of being able to live with
from special education staff within the regular family or friends. A few expressed a sense of
classroom whenever possible. pride at being able to return to their home
Intern placement is done through inter- communities as interns and give back to the
views conducted after interns have met the education system that educated them.
program requirements—namely, having a min- Nine interns were involved in this project
imum grade point average; passing language (7 women, 2 men, all Caucasian), which lasted
arts, reading, and general knowledge assess- for the fall and spring semesters. The female in-
ments; and successfully completing required terns were between the ages of 21 and 25, and
prerequisite courses. Interns are placed with the two male interns, 25 to 35. Some of the in-
mentor teachers who have at least 3 years of terns grew up in the city where the PDS
teaching experience and have completed a schools are located, whereas others came from
university training program. The university is rural areas surrounding the city. All the interns
located in a small midwestern town, approxi- were from middle socioeconomic levels. For
Table 1. Data for Professional Development Schools
Meadows Whitson
Students (n) 533 381
Building ethnicity (%)
White 46 61
African American 24 7
Hispanic 10 20
Other 26 12
Students identified as being economically disadvantaged (%) 71 52
Students with an identified disability (%) 9 13
Students identified as English-language learners (%) 1 13
Note. Data from Kansas State Department of Education’s building-level report card for each school (see http://online
.ksde.org/rcard/county.aspx?cnty_no=089).
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 59
A Collaborative Model for Developing Classroom Management Skills 59
many, if not all, of these interns, the situations deep sense of responsibility for helping the
that they encountered in an urban school were children in their classes. Some of the chil-
not what they had expected. These situations drens’ situations were heart wrenching, and
were more demanding and emotionally chal- we referred back to the list that we had gener-
lenging and required more patience than what ated, with examples of the difficulties that
they had expected or imagined. The next com- some children faced in their day-to-day living
ponent of the project—dialogue and discussion and how these situations wear on the heart of
activities—provided evidence of their feelings a caring teacher.
and concerns, along with their understanding One intern, Janelle, described the student
and support, especially in the area of classroom with Asperger’s syndrome and the ways that
management. he was sometimes violent to fellow classmates,
to teachers, and to himself. We asked how she
managed to keep a positive attitude every day,
Dialogue and Discussion
even after he had physically lashed out at her.
Activities Janelle replied that she wanted to be in the
classroom because she helped to provide the
To facilitate dialogue and discussion, four sem- stability that this boy needed to have a good
inars were scheduled over the course of 6 day. She believed that she could make a differ-
weeks during the beginning of the second se- ence for him. Other interns responded simi-
mester of the 1-year internship. At this point, larly about providing stability and being a pos-
the nine interns had watched their mentor itive influence to individual children. These
teachers implement classroom management beginning teachers realized that urban class-
strategies and had since begun some initial at- rooms hold challenges, but these teachers also
tempts of their own, still under the the men- felt needed and so believed that they could re-
tors’ direction. The seminars provided an op- ally affect the children in a positive way.
portunity for the mentors and the principal to The three remaining sessions involved
share experiences, as well as a chance for the panel discussions with new teachers, current
interns to ask questions and gather ideas, mentor teachers, and a principal from a PDS
thereby further promoting the collaborative site. These discussions consisted of an open
nature of the PDS setting. question-and-answer session between the
The first seminar served as an introduc- panelists and the participants—of whom the
tion to the term urban education and the former shared some of their most difficult,
unique challenges presented by teaching in di- and most successful, moments as teacher or
verse settings. Most interns already had initial principal.
experiences in this area, and the university su- The first panel consisted of recent gradu-
pervisor and interns spent the time brain- ates of the PDS program. These new teachers
storming a list of the challenges that they have made a conscious choice to seek teaching po-
faced so far (e.g., school violence, homeless- sitions in the same urban school district in
ness, tardiness/absences). While creating this which they were interns. Their advice focused
list, the group discussed the daunting task of on a common idea—namely, that teachers
teaching in an urban school. During the dis- should not assume that children understand
cussion, two themes emerged. Interns individ- classroom directions and routines, even once
ually expressed initial gratitude for the invalu- these directions have been explained. The
able experiences they were receiving by being teachers reiterated the need for keeping direc-
placed in a diverse setting. Everyone recog- tions simple and repeating them frequently.
nized the value of being exposed to challeng- School rules and routines may be different
ing situations, during a time when lots of scaf- from the experiences that children have had
folding is available for developing the skills at home, so teachers must be patient and
needed to be an effective teacher with all stu- consistent. Teachers must also keep good doc-
dents. Interns were also quick to express a umentation about the types of classroom
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 60
60 ELIZABETH DOBLER ET AL.
management techniques used with the whole naire, completed by the interns after the sem-
class and with individual children. The sec- inars ended, revealed the classroom manage-
ond panel, mentor teachers, described ways to ment techniques that they collected. One in-
develop trust with children and so gave sug- tern wrote, “It’s better to use a calm voice
gestions for making the classroom a place when talking to a child rather than yelling.”
where everyone is treated with respect. One All the interns’ responses indicated an appre-
mentor teacher believed that the children ciation for the opportunity to hear the others’
cannot all be treated in the same way, because experiences. One intern wrote that the semi-
they bring so many different experiences and nars gave her a chance to “focus on things or
these experiences sometimes need to be taken aspects about teaching for the future.” The fu-
into account. Still another mentor thought ture, she mentioned, may be realized in the
that her job was to love the children as much classroom tomorrow, next week, next month,
as she can for 9 months and then hope that or next school year. Having the opportunity to
she has given them enough to survive. Mari- discuss their experiences and critically reflect
lyn, an experienced mentor, explained her be- on what they had seen and done proved to be
lief that creating a positive environment in- invaluable for the interns as they prepared to
fluences classroom management. She greets begin teaching full-time in their PDS class-
children each morning by name and with a rooms.
personal comment. After modeling this for a
week, she asks the intern to take charge of
this process, so that when he or she begins Critical Reflection
teaching that class, he or she will have already
developed a personal relationship with the Discussion and critical reflection often go
children. hand in hand, as these interns would soon
The third panel consisted of a principal learn. By participating in a PDS model, the in-
from one of the schools, who in speaking to terns had the opportunity to assimilate into
the interns emphasized the importance of de- the school system as much as possible. Both
veloping relationships with parents. She cau- principals in the project schools believed in
tioned against playing the “blame game,” creating a realistic experience—that is, what it
where we as educators blame parents for not feels like to be a new teacher—by making the
doing certain things for their children. Teach- interns “junior” faculty members. Interns par-
ers must keep in mind that they see only a ticipated in all school-related activities, in-
small portion of a child’s life; thus, they should cluding professional development sessions,
be careful not to make any hasty judgments. parent–teacher conferences, back-to-school
Interns were also cautioned against assuming night, and faculty meetings. This intense par-
that children will come to class with the skills ticipation even included involvement with
and behaviors appropriate for school and that the process that the school district used to
all children will be ready to learn. As with the evaluate teachers; that is, the interns were
mentors, the principal emphasized a team ap- evaluated as if they were full-time faculty, and
proach in which the student, teacher, princi- this was in addition to receiving evaluations
pal, and parents are all working together. completed by the university supervisor. Once
These four seminars provided opportuni- each semester, the principal or vice principal
ties for interns to question, discuss, and reflect formally evaluated interns, following the same
on their teaching and learning. Stories and ad- process of critical reflection used with certified
vice from experienced educators gave interns faculty at the school.
support for their developing classroom man- The school district used an evaluation
agement skills, in conjunction with what they process adapted from the framework for teach-
learned in course work and through placement ing and evaluation (Danielson, 2007; Daniel-
in classrooms with children of ethnic, social, son & McGreal, 2000), which includes the
and academic diversity. A follow-up question- four domains of planning and preparation,
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 61
A Collaborative Model for Developing Classroom Management Skills 61
classroom environment, instruction, and pro- cussion. The entire process provides a com-
fessional responsibility. The framework is de- mon vocabulary and invites an open commu-
signed to encourage professional conversations nication that can assist an intern or beginning
among teachers and administrators as they teacher in the improvement process.
seek to enhance their skill in the complex task Interns at the two PDS sites participated
of teaching. Dialogue and critical reflection in this evaluation model as if they were full-
are key components, given that teachers are fledged members of the faculty. In addition, as
asked to reflect on various aspects of their stated previously, interns also participated in
preparation and teaching, before and after the the university evaluation process, which in-
lesson observed by the administrator. Addi- volved an observation and evaluation com-
tional components of the evaluation model pleted by the university supervisor (three to
are used for beginning teachers to provide five times during the semester), which is re-
them with support and opportunities to reflect quired for university accreditation. Naturally,
on their newly developed skills. For the pur- the interns initially felt as though they were
pose of this article, we focus on the domain of on the hot seat, with so much evaluation oc-
classroom environment and on the compo- curring. As time went on, they came to realize
nents of the evaluation process that promote that evaluation and reflection are an integral
critical reflection about classroom manage- part of teaching. During conferences with the
ment skills, although this is but one small part university supervisor, interns would describe
of the instructional framework. the feedback received from the principal and
Before the observation, the intern submits the ways that they had implemented sugges-
a lesson plan and a class profile describing the tions into their teaching. Receiving feedback
children, based on gender, age, language cate- from both the principal and the university su-
gories, identified exceptionalities, racial/ pervisor became an invaluable learning expe-
ethnic and religious/cultural groups, instruc- rience as the interns developed their class-
tional levels, developmental characteristics, room management skills and critically
and learning styles (see Figure 1). reflected on their growth.
These documents are meant to enhance
the intern’s awareness of individual differences
and needs in the classroom while providing Conclusion
the intern and the principal with a tool for
promoting conversations. During the observa- As the interns neared the end of their year-
tion, the principal uses the observer notes long experience in the classroom, they (indi-
form (see Figure 2) to record observed teacher vidually and as a group) reflected on their own
behaviors in nine areas, including managing areas of growth and personal goals set for their
student behavior, respect and rapport, estab- 1st year of teaching in their own classrooms.
lishing a culture for learning, and providing In response to an anonymous questionaire, in-
feedback to students. The principal jots down terns expressed positive comments about the
direct quotes or descriptions that can be used sharing sessions and opportunities for critical
to re-create the classroom events during the reflection available during the school year.
postobservation dialogue. One intern wrote, “I think that talking to new
After the observation, a conference occurs teachers is very helpful because they are doing
in which (1) the intern reviews reflective the job for the first time and almost every ex-
questions about the lesson and (2) the princi- perience is a learning experience they can
pal offers comments related to the evidence share.” The interns’ comments indicated that
collected during the observation. The evalua- knowledge in the area of classroom manage-
tor uses a rubric to analyze the intern’s skills ment was needed, useful, and appreciated.
(see Table 2), and the intern completes a re- A bigger issue remained in the minds of
flection sheet (see Figure 3), both of which the university supervisor and principals.
serve as tools to encourage reflection and dis- Would the support given to these interns help
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 62
Class Profile
Teacher _______________________ Observer _________________
School ________________________ Subject/Period _____________
Grade level ____________________ Date ____________________
1. Number of students:Male_____ Female_____
2. Age (grade) range_____
3. Approximately how many students are in each of the following language categories?
_____English language proficient
_____Limited English language proficient
_____Non English proficient
4. How many students have identified exceptionalities and/or an I.E.P.?
_____Blind or visually impaired _____Physically disabled
_____Deaf or hearing impaired _____Mentally retarded
_____Emotionally or behaviorally disabled _____O.H.I.
_____Gifted _____504 Plan
_____Learning disabled _____Other (specify) _____________________
_____Developmentally disabled or Early Childhood Special Ed
5. How many students are represented in the following racial/ethnic groups? Use TERMS groups?
___American Indian or Alaskan native ___Other (please specify)
___Asian
___Black or African American ___Multiracial
___Hispanic or Latino
___Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
___White
6. How does your class reflect the makeup of the overall school population?
7. Describe the general instructional levels represented in the class (number of students).
Above grade level Math____ Reading____
At grade level Math____ Reading____
Below grade level Math____ Reading____
Math SIP____ Reading SIP____
8. List some of the developmental characteristics you would expect from the age group you teach.
9. Do any of your students have religious or cultural affiliations that require special considerations?
If so,explain.
10. What percent of your class do you think falls into the following categories of earning styles?
_____Visual_____ Auditory_____ Kinesthetic
11. Describe other circumstances or factors,regarding your students or classroom,of which an ob-
server should be aware.
Figure 1. Class profile for school district evaluation.
Note. Published with permission of Topeka Public Schools.
09_119 (08) Dobler.qxd 4/2/09 6:05 PM Page 63
Framework for Teaching Observation
Observer Notes
Teacher_________________________ Subject_______________________ Date_____________
Observer_____________________ Class Period/Grade________ Time In_____ Time Out_____
2a: Respect and Rapport 3a: Communicating Clearly and Accurately
*Teacher Interaction with students *Directions and procedures *Oral and written
*Student Interaction language
2b:Establishing a Culture for Learning 3b: Using Questioning and Discussion
*Importance of content *Student pride in work Techniques
*Expectations for learning and achievement *Quality of questions *Discussion techniques
*Student participation
2c: Managing Classroom Procedures 3c: Engaging Students in Learning
*Instructional groups *Transitions *Representation of content *Activities and
*Materials & supplies *Non-instructional duties assignments *Groups of students
*Volunteers and paraprofessionals *Instructional materials and resources
*Structure and pacing
2d:Managing Student Behavior 3d: Providing Feedback to Students
*Expectations *Monitoring of student behavior *Quality: accurate, substantive, constructive
*Response to student behavior and specific *Timeliness
2e: Organizing Physical Space 3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and
*Safety and arrangement of furniture Responsiveness
*Accessibility to learning and use of physical *Lesson adjustment *Response to students
resources *Persistence
Figure 2. Observer notes form.
Note. Published with permission of Topeka Public Schools.
