Harwigg FDBK (CEL)

Summary

In this educational discussion, a teacher reflects on the effectiveness of the 'turn and talk' strategy in her classroom, noting its success in engaging students and facilitating behavior management. She also addresses the challenge of managing students who complete tasks quickly and those who take longer, sharing her experiences with extensions and independent reading. The conversation explores proactive strategies for providing individualized support to students with varying learning speeds, aiming to enhance engagement and deepen understanding.

Takeaways

• 🔴 The red light indicates recording is in progress.
• 🤝 Savannah is thanked for the opportunity to interact multiple times, showing appreciation for the collaboration.
• 🗣️ The session will last about 20 minutes, focusing on the teacher's practice and future steps, with a specific next step provided at the end.
• 👂 The teacher has implemented 'turn and talk' in the classroom, which was previously discussed and is now observed to be effective.
• 👀 The teacher is learning about student behavior and understanding by circulating and listening during 'turn and talk'.
• 📈 The teacher is using formative assessment to quickly identify and address student understanding and areas for re-teaching.
• 🔄 The teacher is aware of the varying pace of students and is concerned about those who finish tasks quickly and may exhibit off-task behavior.
• 💡 The teacher is considering different strategies to engage the fast-finishing students, such as providing more challenging tasks or extensions.
• 📚 The teacher has tried independent reading and center work as extensions but is looking for more engaging alternatives.
• 🎯 The conversation suggests proactively working with students who finish quickly to provide them with tasks that match their skill level.
• 📝 The teacher plans to conduct a reading inventory to better understand the interests and needs of the gifted students and find appropriate texts.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the meeting in the script?

The main purpose of the meeting is to discuss the teacher's practice, specifically focusing on teaching strategies like 'turn and talk', formative assessment, and addressing the varying pace of student learning.

What teaching strategy was implemented and observed in the classroom?

The teaching strategy 'turn and talk' was implemented and observed, where students turn to their partners to discuss a topic, allowing the teacher to gauge understanding and manage behavior.

How does the teacher feel about using 'turn and talk' in the classroom?

The teacher loves using 'turn and talk' as it gives every student a chance to express themselves and allows the teacher to move around the classroom, listen to students, and provide quick formative assessments.

What challenges does the teacher face with students who finish tasks quickly?

The teacher is concerned about students who finish tasks quickly and then become off-task or disruptive, as it can affect the behavior and focus of the entire class.

What strategies has the teacher tried to engage students who finish tasks early?

The teacher has tried extensions, independent reading, and providing more challenging materials to engage students who finish tasks early.

How does the teacher plan to address the issue of students finishing tasks too quickly?

The teacher plans to proactively pull these students at the beginning of independent work time and provide them with more challenging tasks or projects that are tailored to their reading levels and interests.

What is the teacher's approach to formative assessment during group activities?

The teacher uses formative assessment by circulating around the classroom, listening to students, and providing immediate feedback or re-teaching when necessary.

What does the teacher think about the importance of engaging curriculum to manage behavior?

The teacher believes that engaging curriculum is key to managing behavior because if students are not engaged, they will become bored and off-task.

What is the teacher's plan for students who are not struggling but also not the fastest?

The teacher plans to work with these students individually to identify areas they are struggling with and provide additional support or activities to improve their skills.

What does the teacher need to better support the gifted students in reading?

The teacher needs to conduct a new reading inventory to understand the interests and reading levels of the gifted students and find more appropriate and engaging texts for them.

How does the teacher plan to utilize the small reading group time to benefit the gifted students?

The teacher plans to use the small reading group time to conduct a formative assessment and then provide the gifted students with more in-depth knowledge or advanced reading materials based on their interests and needs.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Classroom Interaction and Teaching Strategy Discussion

The paragraph discusses a conversation between a teacher and an observer, focusing on the use of 'turn and talk' as a teaching strategy. The teacher shares her experience and the benefits she has seen from this method, such as allowing all students to participate and enabling her to move around and listen to students' discussions. The observer asks about the teacher's learning from the students' interactions and the teacher mentions the opportunity for quick formative assessment. They also discuss the challenges of managing students who finish tasks quickly and the need for individualized feedback.

05:01

📚 Addressing the Pace of Learning and Behavior Management

This paragraph delves into the teacher's concerns about students who complete tasks rapidly and the subsequent behavioral issues that arise. The teacher identifies two distinct groups: gifted students who finish quickly and others who may rush through without attention to detail. The observer suggests proactive measures, such as engaging these students with tasks that match their abilities and interests, to prevent off-task behavior. The teacher discusses her attempts at providing extensions and the need for a more engaging approach, such as tailored reading materials or projects like PowerPoint presentations.

10:02

🔍 Proactive Strategies for Diverse Learner Needs

The conversation continues with the teacher planning to address the needs of advanced students by conducting a reading inventory to find appropriate texts that match their interests. The teacher also considers grouping these students for more focused work during independent reading time. For students who rush through tasks, the teacher plans to provide additional support and guidance to ensure they understand and complete their work accurately. The observer suggests pulling these students aside at the beginning of independent work time to provide them with tasks that are more challenging and engaging.

15:03

🗓️ Next Steps and Support for Teaching Strategies

In the final paragraph, the teacher outlines her immediate next steps, which include conducting a reading inventory and possibly organizing materials for more engaging activities. The teacher expresses her intention to start these steps soon, indicating a proactive approach to addressing the needs of her students. The observer offers support and asks if the teacher needs any additional help, to which the teacher responds that she might need a new reading inventory for her gifted students to better understand their interests and reading preferences.

Keywords

💡Turn and Talk

Turn and Talk is a classroom engagement technique where students are instructed to turn to a partner and discuss a topic or question. In the video, it is used to facilitate discussion about 'Lunch Bunch' and regular lunch, allowing every student a chance to express themselves and enabling the teacher to circulate and assess understanding. It is highlighted as a strategy that promotes active participation and behavior management.

💡Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment is an ongoing process used by educators to evaluate, provide feedback, and adjust instruction to improve student learning. In the script, the teacher uses formative assessment by observing students during activities to quickly identify those who understand the material and those who need additional help, exemplified by the teacher's ability to provide immediate redirection and support.

💡Independent Work Time

Independent Work Time refers to periods in the classroom when students work individually or in small groups on tasks assigned by the teacher. The script discusses challenges the teacher faces with students who complete tasks quickly and become off-task, indicating the need for strategies to engage these students more effectively during this time.

💡Gifted Students

Gifted Students are those who demonstrate exceptional abilities or aptitude in one or more domains. The conversation in the script touches on the teacher's observation that some students complete tasks rapidly, possibly indicating advanced skills or understanding. The teacher considers providing these students with more challenging materials or activities to keep them engaged.

💡Behavior Management

Behavior Management involves strategies used by educators to create a positive learning environment and address disruptive behaviors. The script mentions the teacher's concern about students who finish tasks quickly and then become a distraction to others, highlighting the need for proactive behavior management to maintain a focused classroom atmosphere.

💡Extensions

Extensions in an educational context refer to additional activities or challenges provided to students who complete their work early or need more complex tasks to maintain engagement. The script discusses the teacher's use of extensions to cater to students who finish quickly, such as center work or independent reading, but also the need for more tailored extensions to keep these students on task.

💡Reading Inventory

A Reading Inventory is a tool used to assess a student's reading interests, levels, and preferences. The teacher in the script considers conducting a new reading inventory for gifted students to better understand their reading interests and to find more appropriate leveled texts that can challenge and engage them.

💡Middle School Life

Middle School Life refers to the experiences, social dynamics, and academic challenges faced by students in middle school. The script mentions that the teacher's gifted students are interested in books about middle school life, indicating that relatable content can be a key factor in engaging students and fostering a love for reading.

💡Book Labs

Book Labs are interactive sessions where students engage with a book through discussion, analysis, and related activities. The script describes how the teacher uses book labs in small groups, allowing students to take charge of the discussion and create a positive, task-oriented group dynamic.

💡Proactive Intervention

Proactive Intervention involves taking anticipatory actions to address potential issues before they escalate. In the context of the script, the teacher plans to proactively engage with students who finish tasks early by providing them with additional, tailored activities to prevent off-task behavior and ensure continued learning.

Highlights

Using 'turn and talk' strategy in the whole group to ensure everyone gets a chance to speak and express themselves.

Concerns about managing student behavior during 'turn and talk', but found it effective for engagement.

Teacher circulates to listen and provide quick formative assessment, identifying understanding and areas needing re-teaching.

Observation of students finishing tasks at different speeds, with some completing quickly and others taking more time.

Challenge of keeping fast finishers engaged and on-task during independent work time.

Strategies for providing extensions and additional challenges for gifted students to keep them engaged.

Using independent reading time to address different reading levels and interests among students.

Proactive approach of pulling students aside at the beginning of independent work time to provide individualized support.

Importance of providing appropriate level of challenge to prevent rushing through tasks without attention to detail.

Using technology like PowerPoint as an extension activity for gifted students to demonstrate understanding.

Considering reading preferences and interests when selecting books for independent reading to increase engagement.

Utilizing small group reading activities like book labs to foster discussion and deeper understanding.

Need for a reading inventory to better understand the reading levels and interests of gifted students.

Planning to start implementing new strategies and conducting a reading inventory soon to better support students.

Discussion on the importance of proactively addressing the needs of different student groups to enhance learning outcomes.

Overall, the conversation highlights effective teaching strategies for managing diverse student abilities and interests in the classroom.

Transcripts

great red means it's recording right all

right Savannah thank you once again

you're welcome so glad that um I'm so

glad we have the chance to see you three

times I know it's been a lot it's great

I mean from our perspective just to

watch over the course of the visits and

so you already know what to expect you

know we'll talk for about 20 minutes

about your practice

um we'll be talking a bit about today as

well as what you want to try next and at

the end of this time you'll have a

specific Next Step

um as well as some some reflection time

around what's going really well and

hearing some of our feedback so perfect

does that sound good yeah okay so so the

first thing I just wanted to um to ask

you you know when we met not the last

time but the time before I don't know if

you remember it was a while ago but one

of the things we had talked about was

using turn and talk in the whole group

right you updated us last time that

you've done that and then we saw it

today so I just wanted to first of all

mention you know that it was we saw that

right

knew who their Partners were and

immediately turned and talked when you

asked them to talk about the

similarities and differences of Lunch

Bunch and regular lunch and you

recognize that one student and a partner

and you went over to her and told her so

um I just I'm curious from you what are

you learning about turn and talk I love

it first off I love it so much and I

always was more worried about the

behavior than anything because a lot of

them once I get talking it's hard to

just rain them back in really quickly

right and once I did it a few times I

realized it's fine and they are able to

manage their own behaviors and I can

manage them as a group

but I love it because I like you said

last time well the first time you're

like if you do turn and talk everyone

gets a chance to talk and I have a few

kids that if they don't get to talk

they're talking regardless if you call

them or not they'll talk on top of other

people

um so they do get to express them

themselves and then I walk around and I

get to hear everybody yeah which is fun

good and I'm not just sitting down it

gives me a chance to actually move

around and hear everyone so a couple

different things I'm curious about to

hear a little more about

um you know what are you learning about

the kids when you circulate and listen

in what are you what are you noticing

about them it allows me to give a quick

formative assessment to see one if they

even know you know what we're talking

about and to see if we're all in the

same Plainfield if we don't if some kids

don't get it I can give a quick re-teach

without having to do some type of pen

and paper it's really quick

yeah yeah or if I see just one group not

getting it I could slow it down and be

like okay well this is what this means

or this is and really clarify quickly

individually yeah

um so so with that so just another thing

we noticed okay that in the whole group

when the students started working on

their um

organizers you also have that strength

around formative assessment that you

notice right away that several students

were right and as soon as I saw that I'm

like well it's good that it's happening

because they can see that I'm noticing

it at the same time I was like and you

were able to use that strategy of kind

of one-on-one right feedback to continue

to redirect it right yeah because they

were all over the place one was doing

Lunch Bunch one was a lot we're doing oh

and two and Z yeah yeah you're

definitely aware and able to provide

that individualized feedback

um well thank you yeah so

um so okay so there's a couple different

directions we could go okay conversation

I I would love to keep talking about

turn and talks and the whole group

structure

um or we could talk more about the

independent work time

um and how that's going for you we

haven't a chance to talk about that yet

at all right

um so curious which which direction

would you like to go

um yeah the second one sorry

okay this is for you you okay growth

yeah yeah so so why that direction what

are you because I have our class is

really I have half the students that are

really really really fast about

completing things and then the other

half

um not they put their thought into it

but they take their time okay so I have

extend like extensions planned for all

of my activities but sometimes they even

run through those oh wow so then we're

doing independent reading but then

they're off task and they're holding

their books up like this and then

talking to okay I'm like oh my goodness

you know they're still working on the

first thing that's even a challenge that

we all have right teaching right with

varying levels of of speed and skill and

you're already sensitive to that so one

of the things that that made me think

about and you could talk about today as

an example or in general but you you

named

um half of them are fast yeah right and

others take their time and just take

longer right and then is there another

group I want to make sure I have them

clear on I mean I'm sure there's someone

right in the middle of the road okay but

yeah yeah the fast ones I'm always like

go back and make sure because a lot of

time it's when we're writing make sure

you did like your we call it cups like

capitalization usage punctuation okay

but they just fly through everything and

I even do I play an extensions based on

like their levels I have some that are a

lot tougher than others but they're just

flying through everything and so so

talking about is that the group you're

most concerned about okay so because

that's when the behavior starts start

okay definitely now yeah so so you're it

sounds like just to make sure I'm

understanding you're feeling comfortable

with the ones who are kind of right

around the level or struggling you know

what to do with those groups it's this

group that's finishing fast and you're

saying it's about half the class

five people misbehaving feels like the

entire class sure absolutely you're like

wow

one of the things you're doing

so you're noticing

noticing that it's right it's a learning

well I think you control Behavior

through curriculum in my opinion right

so it's not engaging kids are gonna be

they're gonna be bored and off task so

what are some of the skills they have

that are really strong that that group

that group yeah

um well often it's our

gifted type students okay

and I think that they're just

either flying through it or it's the

students who

do not care as much to pay attention to

the details and they just zip through it

and it's like okay we'll go about you

have to go back and look and they're

like oh it looks great and they don't

even you know check anything mm-hmm

so so that group's actually kind of kind

of different there's some students who

are

potentially have the halved already

they're meant to be practicing right and

then there's the group that is

exhibiting behaviors that shows that

they're finishing fast but maybe not

accurate right it's like they think

there's a medal for being fast a battle

for being like the first one to finish

there's a reward for being the first one

to finish and I always tell them you

know the first one to finish it doesn't

always mean that yes sure yeah got

everything so today did you notice those

two groups not really today because

today they were good yeah right yeah

and they all finished right about the

same time okay but they all had

different varying and lengths and like

some kids had like three or four

comparisons okay and some okay yeah

um so so what have you you've tried

extensions so what's an example of like

an extension we have like Center work so

they would do something like that if

it's done okay

you've tried independent reading I think

you said yes yeah

and the problem with

our kids with independent reading they

get books and then I think they just are

in a hurry and they just pick something

out so I think maybe me giving them like

one kid loves dragons and he's in that

group and I have dragon books at home

from so I'd be like oh well maybe you

could read this book it's more engaging

than the book you've randomly picked out

at the library or they pick out books

that are really really difficult and

then they struggle and move so then they

don't read it yeah or they just flip

through the pictures

[Music]

outside of this okay okay just curious

about that yeah

um so I wonder this one possibility I'm

thinking about with this with this this

gifted group can you list off who they

are so maybe just so I get a picture in

my mind who are you thinking they

weren't here today okay all right so

maybe that's why yeah yeah so um so are

there three of them there's two of them

there's two of them oh okay

so um and they're always mad that you

guys come on Wednesdays because you guys

never forget they're like why do they

always

always days we're never here on

Wednesdays

so so you know I've noticed that you

already have an instinct of you know

you're obviously formatively assessing

and kind of going to students one-on-one

to intervene right you know so one

possibility to get ahead of this problem

it's not a problem I mean it's a good

problem to have potentially pull those

two students

proactively right at the beginning of

independent work time or even during

independent reading if that's a better

opportunity and I think it's about

giving them something to do that really

is at their level and right you're I

think you have an instinct about that

you're saying maybe they need a book

that maybe they're reading the same book

or a book that's truly at their level of

challenge I did one time

um have them do like a PowerPoint

because they're so into computers after

they completed it they did a PowerPoint

on what they had just done okay and that

worked but I didn't know if they were

supposed to I don't want them on the

computer all the time yeah yeah so it's

a good instinct is there something about

their reading they think they could get

better at even do you have an idea about

that like is it you know reading a

certain genre or yeah yeah they're in

the same small reading group okay as

well so I could even work on them with

something to get like together in a

group okay yeah that might be a way to

address the and I don't know

specifically what it is it sounds like

you have some some ideas but getting

ahead of it with those two

um this is what you're going to work on

during independent work you're going to

do what everyone else does and then this

is what your what your project is or

your reading work is

um okay you know and and I think the

slight tweak to what you're doing sounds

like you're going to them individually

is to just get ahead of it like at the

beginning right but um an opportunity

yeah yeah

okay and and how about the other the the

ones who kind of rush you know are you

usually like not the struggling but not

the probably right in the middle right

in the middle or lower middle yeah

um so I mean there's plenty of stuff I

can work on them

so even yeah go ahead pulling them and

working with them about something that

we're doing the right like that

assignment show me how we do this or

great yeah yeah yeah so using that same

strategy of proactively possibly pulling

them too

um so that you're giving them what they

need right because you're you're so

close to this already because you sound

like you know oh he's gonna finish he's

not gonna oh I know I couldn't tell you

the names I can tell you everything what

they're gonna say when they're finished

everything I think you it might help you

feel like you're running around less

right you know yeah and if I do it

proactively before they're yell I'm done

and then everyone else is like oh my

gosh she's done like why am I not done

and then they start like kind of rushing

a little bit too and it just it creates

the snowball snowball yeah okay

um so so can you say back I want to make

sure I we're on the same page what are

you what are you going to

these with these kids you've identified

I'm going to pull them at the beginning

proactively and

come up with something for the for the

gifted my too gifted work with something

that they need to improve on maybe with

their reading skills because we do have

the reading groups right before we

usually do whole group okay so that

would actually work out well because I

can you know do my little formative

assessment in my small group and then

say okay this is what we're struggling

with this is what I can do yeah during

whole group and then pull my middle of

the road and maybe work on the

assignment with them or find something

that they're struggling with the

assignment and then work with them

together more intentionally just with

them right all right so what do you

think

I know

you're going to do this what would we

see those groups of students doing

um well one they're not going to be

disturbing the classes to benefit my

whole class absolutely and yeah I feel

like they're going to just get that more

in-depth knowledge of either what we're

working on or with the middle group or

they're just going to benefit even more

and just move even higher for my gifted

kids okay so you might even see the

benefit in the small group right right

with them in that reading time right it

might be accelerated

um great do you need any support like

what would you need either from Miss

Roth

um from Marie you know in order to help

this

um along

um

I don't know I think I need to do a new

reading inventory actually okay for my

gifted kids oh say more what do you mean

by that just to see what they would like

to read okay and then maybe find more

level texts for them on something that

they it just is hard because one's a

very sassy girl and one's a very rough

boy so they're

reading likes might be completely

different it's okay but they're also

very into Middle School life so we could

do like books like fiction books about

middle school and find something more

that they're into because we were doing

Harry at the spy and that was a good one

that they really liked because she was

smart and sneaky and they could kind of

like this yeah yeah um and that worked

really well so maybe even something like

that that we could work on and then plan

activities around that book yeah I mean

and it could just be

right you know that could be you don't

well we do book labs in our small group

that's what we were going to do today

and they like it because they get to

they run the show I just stop in and

make sure that they're working

positively as a group because sometimes

they bicker a lot and then working make

sure that they're on task but they love

it because they have their little rules

that they all made and one person hosts

a group each time so she comes up with

questions and then they have a

discussion yeah so it works really well

that's so that could even be like a mini

one that they could do they have like

this mini book right the two of them so

you sounds like you need a reading

inventory yeah and just kind of getting

some materials organized look up for

books that might be appropriate

um great and it sounds like those are

your next steps yeah when do you think

you'll start on this oh yeah yeah

probably soon soon okay like tomorrow

tomorrow I like to think try things like

right now yeah

so Anna thank you thank you thank you so

much anything anyone else wants to