Teacher kicked off seminar with question. Evidence of strong teaching of the topic (minimum wage) was seen through the student responses in the Socratic. Students made beautiful connections to their own experiences and the topic.

Instructor stepped in at appropriate times with validating statements and clarifying questions to move conversation forward and deeper.

There was a very strong wrap up.

It was clear from the start that Mrs. Walton has built a culture around learning in a light and engaging environment. She started class by clearly stating the agenda for the day and discussing the upcoming final. The class was very engaging and included, videos, pair-shares, large group responses, and a bit of lecture at the end. The topic was relevant as most students were familiar with the movie Black Panther, which excited students to dive deeper into the elements in the movie but also led to some side conversations and comments. Mrs. Walton was very good about calling people back in to the conversation when she noticed they were distracted or chatting, she would gently prompt students with a question guide them back to the larger group. I really liked how she paused the videos at various moments to add context and ask clarifying questions.

What stood out most to me was that the class had one student who was the “resident researcher.” I loved how Mrs. Walton created a group learning environment, instead of answering all questions, the researcher was called to confirm, expand, and offer more insights by doing a quick research and then sharing with the class. I was able to observe this happen on on two occasions.