Reality PD: Video Analysis

In the video, Reality PD, the teacher demonstrated how to organize a lesson to ensure that students know what they are learning and are engaged in the material. The goal is for the lesson objectives to be specific, measurable and aligned to the standards. The objectives should also be clear to the students. I liked the way the teacher discussed each math vocabulary word to ensure her students were learning the terms associated with the lesson. The teacher helped the students read the objectives aloud and worked on the vocabulary. It is vital that students know what they are learning and how they are going to learn the subject. She then had the students practice restating the objectives in their own words. Once the objective was clear, the teacher connected the learning to students prior knowledge. She connected the objective with how they can use it in their everyday life. This connection motivates students and

The teacher brought a real world, independent problem to the students to reinforce the concept of the lesson. She used money because it is fun for the students and captures their attention. The lesson the teacher chose required the students to work and make decisions. It was not just practicing a new math skill in isolation. The teacher differentiated her lessons to make sure all students were successful. A teacher must meet students where they are. She changed the content or the length of the problems so they could work through the lessons successfully. Another facet of a well organized, objective driven lesson is that students should authentically explain what they are learning and why the objective was important. For example, after working in groups, one group presented their work while the other students were checking the presenting students’ work and the teacher was assessing the work based on a