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I'm going through a bit of a time-warp sitting in McManus' room, but overall, it is very enlightening seeing and experiencing the energy of the room and the students in the class. There is a clear expectation that any outside distractions (ie. technology) are not necessary, creating a very focused and engaged class. The students are actively note-taking during the lesson, and it is obvious that they all understand there will be an assessment related to this material, contributing to the focus. There is a bit of banter between McManus and some students, which provides some levity to the density of the lesson. McManus is patient and clear in delivering the content, asking lots of questions, prompting students when they get stuck, and demonstrating each step and explaining the process. While the material is quite complicated for me to follow (despite having taken the class with her before), I feel comfortable in the room, and it seems the students feel similarly.

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Craig had a great structure to his class. Students knew what to do, what to be ready for, and were well prepared to begin the class. Everyone in the period knew what their job was for that day (either be in the large circle, or sit outside the circle and prepare for their day in the circle). Within the large circle discussion, students were ready to go, ready to listen, and contribute to the discussion. They seemed to all listen to each other, were respectful of each others views and talked to each other with respect. Craig also posed questions tot he group, offered probing questions to engage students to think, and encouraged others to share their views. The class was welcoming, inviting and felt "safe".

Ideas that were raised during the post observation meeting:

"What is the purpose of this activity?"

"What are we really looking for within these observations?

"Can the administration be more direct at what they want us to look for"

"If we only observe one class, isn't that just a small snapshot of one period over a full term.....how can we really observe a gain insight into equity and inclusion if we are only watching for one period in one day of an entire term......wouldn't we need more date to draw any conclusions about what we are seeing?"

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Issues that might be worth discussing as a faculty:

-what are the blind spots/case studies of places and behaviors that inhibit inclusion and belonging. Let's hear the examples of exclusion and not belonging

-What do we do with diminished rigor throughout the school. Are we demanding less, and is this the actual equity question. We might not be holding them accountable.

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Feeling that we are not demanding enough from the kids and what happens when we lean hard and try to increase rigor. There is a sense that we are excluding kids from the classroom when we start to demand too much.

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Structure of how they enter the class: all students feel like they are seen and heard. What might be the values that contribute to the space of belonging and preparation.

Fascinated that we have some responsibility to create a class where the students take responsibility for the learning and the community and learning space.

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I enjoyed being a fly on the wall of the Sutphin Epistemology experience. I appreciate the way in which every student who entered is greeted and acknowledged in a personal way. Further, every student knows the expectation that this a tech-free environment upon entry, which created healthier social environment, and it made the transition to the actual class much quicker.

I felt a kind of expectation of academic maturity in the way in which Sutphin organizes and presents his materials and how the students engage in the materials, which creates a surprisingly thoughtful, scholarly environment for a Sophomore-level course.

There are several elements I would bring into my own teaching to help my overall culture. For one, my classes would benefit from me having a bit more structure around the expectations around technology, especially at the beginning of classes. Additionally, I thought the way Sutphin made meta-comments about the direction and content of the seminar discussion, as well as shouting out good questions and re-directing to provoke further conversation.

Overall, this was an informative and positive experience! Thank you!

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Great start to the period, getting all students involved with "hot takes". All students seemed very eager to participate. They could go "deep" or stay on the surface level" I loved that they could choose how risky they wanted to be.

A great deal of enthusiasm was on display in the class. Students were engaged, laughing, sharing opinions and this was being fostered by Rob's teaching. He was leading the class in the discussion, keeping students on track and encouraging a positive atmosphere in the classroom.

I got a very strong sense that the students felt very safe in the room.  They were able to share their thoughts without judgement.

I felt like a warm classroom environment.

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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 inclusion and belonging for our students?

You might post about:
•An instructional strategy
•Classroom culture
•Relationship building
•A feedback strategy
•Use of digital or analog tools

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•An image with a written description
•A hand-written response
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The soft start was something that stood out. Many kids were late due to morning announcements. They rolled in like they were arriving at a party. They walked around, dabbed a few kids up, said hello, chatted with some neighbors. Maybe a party is the wrong metaphor, perhaps it's more like a neighborhood coffee shop.

I'm curious about this free-flowing lack of structure and generating a less stressful environment where flexibility is a central value