Executive Functions Of Teaching

Domain One: The Executive Functions of Teaching Sample Walkthrough Reflective Assessment Form by Mike King Permission Must Be Granted before Using The executive function is one of the three domains to be assessed. The other two teacher assessment domains are classroom environment, and instructional performance. The executive function of teaching includes lesson planning, selecting the desired outcome, grading and assessing student performance, and designing activity structures. Each of these important activities is defined in detail for the purpose of establishing a common language for both the evaluator and the teacher during the performance assessment process. The second part of this chapter describes the process of assessing the teacher’s preinstructional factors at the planning conference. This process includes sample questions and other evaluation tools for determining the effectiveness of the teacher’s planning and post-teaching abilities. In this document you will find a few samples used for conducting walkthrough assessment and types of reflective questions to be used at the close of the assessment.

The Executive Functions of Teaching Behavior Based Walk-Through Assessment Form Teacher ____________________ Date __________ Time _________ Subject _________ Student Engagement

Teacher Engagement

___ Students were on task at 80% ___ Working Independently ___ Asking questions ___ Working problems at the board ___ Reading ___ Listening ___ Working in groups ___ Discussing assignment ___ Making a presentation ___ Transitioning

___ Using structuring statements ___ Monitoring seat work ___ Providing guided practice ___ Asking higher order questions ___ Modeling ___ Lecturing ___ Giving directions ___ Answering questions ___ Providing corrective feedback ___ Praising student efforts

Reflective Statement:

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Evaluating Assessment Strategies There are a number of different ways by which evaluators can assess teacher performance in this area. These include student success rates as reflected in their grades (A, B, C, etc.); the teacher’s utilization of alternative assessment strategies; and the teacher’s utilization of diagnostic information to assess wholeclass competencies and individual student skill development. One method of evaluating the teacher’s ability to implement assessment strategies is to ask questions during a walk-through or at a planning conference. The following questions are examples of the types of questions that the evaluator should ask during a walk-through. The evaluator should limit the number of questions to one question per walkthrough assessment.

Sample Walkthrough Reflective Questions How do you use assessment strategies to plan for instruction? How often do you share diagnostic/evaluative information with individual students? What methods do you use to share this information with your students? What methods do you use to evaluate daily student performance in your classroom? Discuss the process you use to determine student grades. What methods do you use to encourage quality work from your students? Discuss how you use each of the following to assess and increase student performance: ○

standardized tests

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criterion-referenced tests

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teacher-made tests

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performance-based projects and activities

How many grades do you take weekly? Are tests weighted differently than daily grades? How do you prepare students to take tests? How do you determine that your instruction was effective? What do you do when your assessments show that most of your students did not master

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Traditionally, lesson plans should include at least four basic components: what is going to be taught, how it will be taught, when it will be taught, and how the learning will be evaluated.

Sample Walkthrough Reflective Questions Some questions that the evaluator could ask to assess the teacher’s planning strategies are: •

How do you determine what is going to be taught on a yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily basis?

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When you begin planning a lesson, what is your starting point? What do you think of first?

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Discuss your lesson-planning strategies.

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Discuss how you write your daily lesson plans to achieve identified outcomes.

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At this point in the planning process, do you feel that you are ahead or behind where you need to be at this time in the school year?

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How does what you taught last week or last month relate to what you are teaching today?

Strategies for Observing Teacher Activity Design In activity design, evaluators should look for how the teacher directs instruction in order to respond to the learning needs of all the students; how the teacher provides opportunities to transfer classroom learning into other settings; how the teacher involves the students in interactive activities in order to stimulate interest and participation; and how the teacher designs tasks that are oriented to real-life applications. Activities can be independent, interactive, and cooperative. Evaluators need to check for a variety of activity types within the lesson. The evaluator should also ask the teacher to bring to provide samples of materials and resources, such as worksheets, manipulatives, visuals, etc., that will be used during the observation. The evaluator should discuss with the teachers what materials and resources are used throughout the year also, not just during the observed lesson. The evaluator can locate some of this information in the teacher’s lesson plans. For example, the plans can provide information as to whether the teacher is using a variety of activities or the same ones over and over. When inquiring or observing the teacher performance in designing activities a main focus for the evaluator should be the teacher’s methods for involving the students in the learning process. Active participation is absolutely necessary for effective instruction. The teacher should also be cognizant of what sub skills the students need in order to successfully accomplish the activity. The following questions could be assessed while observing and assessing the teachers’ ability in designing activity structures. Sample Walkthrough Reflective Questions

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How do you provide for individual needs and learning styles when designing classroom activities?

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How do you design activities to stimulate student interest and interaction?

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What types of resources do you use to implement an activity?

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How does the teacher determine whether or not their designed activity was successful?

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How do you design tasks that are oriented to real-life applications? How often does this occur?

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How do you structure activities to allow students to transfer their learning into other content areas?

To request more information about walkthrough assessment you can contact Mike King at: [email protected]

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