One parent teacher conference after another, we were disappointed about our son's grades. The teachers were saying that it seemed like he couldn't keep up, and his classmates talked about how fun he was to sit next to in class. I could see trouble on the horizon, so I began focusing more seriously on working with him at home to teach him important principles. It was difficult at first, but after a few months, he started to pick up on things. Now I can honestly say that he is well behaved and happy, and I know that those early efforts paid off. Read on to learn more.
Now that the new school year is underway, it's time to plan for those classroom observations. Every teacher needs to expect at least one classroom observation throughout the school year. In most cases, your administrator will give you advance warning about their anticipated observation. However, there may be times when your administrator feels that an impromptu observation is required. Because of that, it's important for you to always be prepared for a classroom walkthrough. Here are four tips that will help you ace your walkthrough.
Keep the Students Engaged
When it comes to having a successful walkthrough, one of the most important things you can do is keep your students engaged in the lesson. One way to keep students engaged is to ask plenty of questions. When students know that you're going to be asking questions, they're more likely to pay attention to the lesson material. Be sure to provide plenty of visual material for your lessons. Many students learn better when they have something to look at that's visually stimulating.
Control Noise Levels
When you're planning for your walkthrough, your biggest fear might be that your students become overly noisy. Unfortunately, noise is bound to happen, especially in a room filled with young students. Luckily, noise doesn't need to spell disaster for your walkthrough, especially if you've taken steps to control the noise levels. One way to control noise levels is to lower your own speaking voice. You may think that getting louder will provide you with the desired response, but that's not necessarily the case. Most students tend to get louder once you begin to raise your own voice. However, when you lower your voice to just above a whisper, students will usually stop talking so that they can hear what you're saying. Use this method during a classroom walkthrough.
Encourage Interaction
When students aren't allowed to interact during a lesson, they tend to get distracted. Unfortunately, if your students are distracted and disengaged during a walkthrough, you may not receive the best response from your administrator. To get high scores on your classroom walkthrough, encourage interaction among your students. One way to do that is to provide opportunities for group participation. Breaking your students up into small learning groups will allow them to engage with each other on an educational level.
Have a Lesson Plan
If you haven't put your lesson plans together yet, now's the time to take care of that, especially if you haven't had a walkthrough yet. Having a daily lesson plan printed out will allow you to provide that to your administrator as soon as they enter the room. That way, they can follow along with the lesson without interrupting the flow.