Post-Observation Reflection

I had the opportunity to observe a second year social studies teacher, Miss A. Two days after the observation I completed the post-observation conference,which was conducted in Miss A's classroom. Miss A sat at her desk and I sat across from her. Throughout the conference, Miss A and I maintained eye contact and faced one another. The tone of both of our voices was very pleasant and friendly. We both used "ummm's" and "uhhhh's" several times. Miss A and I have been friends for the past two years, which I think made us nervous throughout this process leading to the "ummm's" and "uhhhh's". Being able to watch the video allowed me to realize how many times I said, "um" and "uh." I would not otherwise have picked up on that. I also noticed that we both giggled a few times. Once again, this could have been because we were friends and nervous, but irregardless should not occur during a conference with a teacher. If I choose to stay at Milton Hershey School there is a good chance that I could be supervising some of my friends and I will have to maintain a level of professionalism, which would mean not giggling and saying, "um" and "uh."

Before the conference I made sure to review the pre-conference notes and observation notes. During the conference, I reviewed my notes with Miss A. I made sure to start off with positive feedback. For example, Miss A did a nice job incorporating technology and content area reading strategies into her lesson. After providing positive feedback, I shared my recommendations with Miss A. Most of the recommendations had to do with classroom management and student behavior issues. Before giving my recommendation, I described what I saw and asked Miss A how she thought she could improve the situation. After listening to her ideas, I shared a few of my own. Based on the students she has in her classroom, I suggested that she try what she believes will work best with her students. However, I made sure to state that if she tries something and it does not work, she needs to try something else or schedule another meeting with me and we can work on a plan together. I also made sure to ask Miss A if she the lesson turned out how she planned.

For this conference, I believe that I used a collaborative approach. Throughout the conference I made sure to listen and clarify what the teacher was saying. Not only did I offer my recommendations, but I asked Miss A to participate in the problem solving process. Together we were able to come up with several possible solutions and Miss A was given the opportunity to choose the solution that she felt best fit her students. However, I did tell Miss A that if the situation did not improve she should schedule another meeting with me to develop another plan.

Overall, I think that the whole observation process went well. There are areas that I need to continue to show growth, including maintaining my confidence and composure during the post-observation conference.