Artifact: "Fieldwork Observation Report"
INTASC Standard: COMMUNICATION SKILLS: The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, non-verbal and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
In this artifact, the writer considered and analyzed what he observed during about 20 hours in a high school classroom. He noted both strengths and weaknesses in the teaching he saw. He noted that many students were actively engaged in the discussions. He reported that the teacher drew relevant examples from the novel being studied, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and today, and extended that lesson into an assignment for the students. He observed students who were able to summarize the lessons well and enthusiastic desire to respond in many students.
However, he also noted that students for whom English was not their first language seemed less engaged and markedly less likely to participate, and he did not observe the teacher taking any kinds of actions to remedy that.
He noted that specific things the teacher did to communicate with the students and to keep the class under control, noting that when students are engaged and communication fosters active participation, behavior problems are minimized. However, he also noted that the teacher tended to dominate discussion. The artifact reflects an awareness that classroom communication can be dominated by the teacher fairly easily, and that this may not always be desirable particularly in a discussion of literature.
The artifact reveals the power of teacher expectations, and that these expectations are communicated in a variety of ways, and that students will attempt to deliver what the teacher communicates is desired. In this classroom, it was discussion that was heavily teacher directed. He also noted that the needs of the ESL students were not adequately met in this classroom although the overall instruction was good.
