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Observation of Patrick's Scripture class 4/1/2025

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Observation of Patrick's Scripture class 4/1/2025

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When I walked into Patrick's 1st period class they were sharing a moment of silence (and up on the screen was projected a number of reasons why silent prayer is valuable).

To review the homework and the day before, students were asked to answer several questions (that were student generated and projected on the board) about the gospel of Mark. Patrick used the opportunity to ask a few more questions and students had to search the answers in their bibles - no tech used.

Then Patrick asked students to use their tech tools to fill in a form asking them to match the gospel story with the literary, theological, or historical objectives. The theologian Sean Freyne's work was used to unpack this. I thought it was a fantastic way for students to use their knowledge of specific passages to interpret the overall narrative and underlying themes. Everyone was participating and focused.

The next segment of class was a reading of the Gospel of Mark - picking up where they left off the day before. Patrick used the popsicle stick and spinning wheel technique to designate rotation of readers. It was just the right amount of text and time spent on this for students to stay locked in. Students applied some "ongoing questions" to what they just heard, and were instructed to complete their "summarizer" about Mark's portrayal of Jesus.

Homework was assigned and that was it! :)

It was just an awesome class - so well planned out and executed. There was something for everyone and it's clear students respect and trust Patrick's knowledge of theology and scripture.

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The use of the survey to explore the different literary themes in Mark seemed to keep students engaged in the task and also do more than just summarize general plot points, using the Freyne article.  Some students seemed to be taking advantage of the opportunity to work with a partner, and some seemed to be working independently.  After working for 5 minutes, it transitioned to an all-group review of the survey.

Using the popsicle sticks for random partners to transition to reading the text all together as a class using the spinwheel.

Students are looking through, reading, and engaging with the Biblical text at multiple points throughout the class, but doing so with different tasks, transitions, and manageable chunks.

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The atmosphere was really calm as class began.  The rhythm of prayer (which I think is a daily routine for your class if I remember correctly) was simple and smooth and reverent.

You shared questions from Oona, Mila, and Cosimo from a Padlet activity and then used those questions to spark some review of the text that could support thoughtful responses to those questions.

I noticed the use of the pair-share and then return to an all-group discussion based on those student questions.  Most students seemed to find somebody to connect with, though some were not checking in with a neighbor actively.

The all-group discussion was thoughtful, substantive, and engaging.  There was room for student voice, and your questions helped to keep things moving forward digging into the text.  There were opportunities for students to search through the text to find relevant examples/evidence/narratives.

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I'm grateful to Bunny and Patrick for their thoughts and observations, shared in the padlet and in direct follow-up conversation.

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Observation of Jeremy's Social Justice Class 1/14/25

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Observation of Jeremy's Social Justice Class 1/14/25

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Jeremy's room is always calm and focused. I love his station rotations - and want to incorporate it into my lesson planning. The packet of resources (readings, videos, and podcasts on the topic of Refugees) that students are given is varied and challenging.

Each group of students was totally focused on their task at hand: reading an article, watching a video, or engaging in a reflective conversation with Jeremy. The group in conversation really impressed me - it wasn't a superficial discussion - you could tell the students were genuinely interested and were prepared to engage.

After a while, students physically, energetically, and academically rotated - to a different task. Everyone knows what is expected of them.

Again - my attention was directed towards the discussion group. Jeremy has students start out with a paired-share - so smart because it gets their ideas/reactions flowing.

Observing the groups that were reading and watching the videos was valuable as well - as I could detect students employing different learning styles to "chew" on the content.

Jeremy is so present and kind with his students. His classroom has a lovely learning atmosphere.

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What did you gain from your experience in your team member's classroom that you can bring into your own teaching practice to strengthen learning outcomes for our students?

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