Observation Report

Name: Karin Knapik

School: J. F. Kennedy Middle School

Evaluator: Rosemary Vickery

Date: Nov 27, 2013 11:15 AM EST
Shared: YES

Pre-observation Conference Date:

11/26/13

Observation Date:
11/27/13
The lesson planned was for the 6th grade science class - creating spreadsheets of how students use their personal time, then
analyzing the data & creating charts. This would be a precursor to students creating spreadsheets on their Bee Research data
later on. This lesson took place on a release day before the Thanksgiving break, so there was a shorter period than normal.
Ms. Knapik was hoping to get through the entire process but suspected it might roll over into the week when students returned.

Post-Observation Conference:
12/4/13

OBSERVATIONS (CEIJ):
l-A-1 Subject Matter Knowledge - Ms. Knapik demonstrates sound knowledge and understanding of the discipline & pedagogy
it requires by consistently engaging students in learning experiences that enable them to acquire complex knowledge & skills in
the subject.
This was evidenced by:
The instructional technology lesson planned had a direct link to the research students had been doing in science class.
Students would create spreadsheets & charts of their personal time as an introduction to creating spreadsheets later on for the
Bee Research data. The lesson was broken down into component steps so that students could experience how to go through
the process of building a spreadsheet, then analyzing data & finally creating the chart for visual display of the data.

1-A-2 Child & Adolescent Development

Through her lesson planning and reflection at the post conference, it is evident that Ms. Knapik demonstrates knowledge of the
developmental levels of students. However, there was a missed opportunity in this lesson to provide differentiated learning
experiences to those students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency in the use of technology.
This was evidenced by:
~ the planned final product of the unit was creation of an iBook, a very engaging project for 6th graders
~ the teacher used frequent alerts to notify students of transitions & time remaining in the period
~ she redirected two students who had strayed to an incorrect website, "Check again, you don't need to be in Moodle, it's
Google drive, right?"
~ there was very little differentiation planned, this was a whole class lesson - this was discussed at the post conference.
Ms. Knapik is encouraged to break the class into smaller groups that will allow her to spend more time with students who may
require additional support.

I-A-4. Well-Structured Lessons

Ms. Knapik develops well-structured lessons with challenging, measurable objectives and appropriate student engagement
strategies, pacing, sequence, activities, materials, resources, technologies, and grouping.
This was evidenced in the lesson plan provided by Ms. Knapik and observed during the formal observation:
Written on her webpage & reviewed orally prior to the lesson getting underway:
Questions you'll answer as a result of this lesson:
1. What percentage of your time do you spend sleeping on a weekday?
2. What activity do you do most during the weekend?
3. Looking at both charts, do you think you should make any changes to how you spend your time?
Student learning objectives:
1. Learn how to create a simple spreadsheet, including how to use the SUM feature and to create a variety of charts.
Observation Report - Thu Dec 18 14:04:35 EST 2014

2. Use the charts to analyze a simple set of data.

After 5 minutes, students had logged into the website, answered teacher questions related to the purpose of spreadsheets &
were prepared to begin their work. Throughout the lesson, there was no disruption to the learning.
Due to her thoughtful planning, students were immediately engaged, there was no lost time and the teacher was able to scan
the room for any students experiencing problems logging into the lesson.
II-A-1. Quality of Effort and Work
Ms. Knapik defines high expectations for the quality of student work and the perseverance and effort required to produce it; she
provided exemplars, rubrics, and guided practice:
- She provided guidance as to what students needed to review on her example spreadsheet before creating their own - "I'll
show you a simple example and then you'll know how to create & analyze data & finally create a nice chart. Watch up here."
- "Ok, now I have text here, what else do I need to add to the text? Numbers, great!"
- She then roamed the room & checked in with students, "Notice where I put my cursor, which cell? That's right, the cursor
should be where? What do you think the SUM means?"
As a result, her students had an example that helped guide their work and individual prompting and cueing was provided to the
students who needed more attention.Asking the students probing questions also helped them to understand that spreadsheets
were an efficient way to collect & analyze data - the purpose of the lesson.
II-B-1. Safe Learning Environment
Ms. Knapik uses rituals, routines, and appropriate responses that create and maintain a safe physical and intellectual
environment where students take academic risks and most behaviors that interfere with learning are prevented.
- Agenda & Lesson objectives & Itinerary are all posted & reviewed, so students knew what to expect during the class.
- She uses a reassuring tone with the students: "You're close, what else do you know? Look at how you spelled my name on
the website - will that get you where you want to go?
- She has established a strong rapport with her students and reminds them that learning can be fun by injecting humor into her
remarks: "...here's where the fun begins, watch this chart - see magic, right? Now you'll try with your data."
Because Ms. Knapik has provided her students this safe learning environment, they are able to move through the class safely,
feeling the support of their teacher & without fear of criticism.

ll D-1 Clear Expectations

Ms. Knapik clearly communicates and consistently enforces specific standards for student work, effort and behavior.
When introducing the steps to creating a spreadsheet, she reviewed each one with the group & checked in with them before
moving on:
Spreadsheets: "What is it used for? How are they used? What's specific or special about spreadsheets? They have numbers,
great!"
As a result of the teacher breaking down the spreadsheet into its component parts, students were able to create their own
spreadsheet, tracking their personal time & applying a sum formula to the date.

COMMENDATIONS:
Ms. Knapik is to be commended for her thoughtful planning, provisioning, and classroom management that allowed for a very
smooth instructional technology lesson on spreadsheets the day before a long holiday break. Her class was extremely wellorganized & there was absolutely no misbehavior.
Additionally, Ms. Knapik is to be commended for her willingness to provide professional development after school to faculty
members, her participation as a member of the Technology Day Planning Committee & for her participation in the PTO
Technology demonstration to parents at an October PTO meeting. (Standard 3 Family & Community Engagement & Standard 4
Professionalism)

RECOMMENDATIONS:
As discussed at the post conference meeting, Ms. Knapik is encouraged to structure her lessons so that more time is allocated
to giving students practice on creating the product they are working on. In this lesson, she went through the entire process of
creating a spreadsheet, students needed to follow along as she modeled how to do this. Instead, it is recommended that she go
through each step, provide students time to practice & then have them summarize their lesson at the end of the period, this
may provide students with more 'hands on' time.
Additionally, it is recommended that Ms. Knapik find ways to work in small groups with students who need more support,
specifically ELL students and students on individual education plans.

Observation Report - Thu Dec 18 14:04:35 EST 2014

SUMMARY STATEMENT:
Ms. Knapik has made a very smooth transition as a new faculty member this year. She has taken the initiative to reach out to
teachers seeking ways to integrate instructional technology lessons into content areas. Her lessons are well structured and
actively engage students in using technology as a tool to enhance their learning.

Evaluator Signature

Rosemary Vickery (signed by Rosemary Vickery on 2013-12-09 10:37)

Evaluatee Signature
The signature of the educator does not imply agreement with this evaluation but merely indicates that he/she has read it. If there
are areas of disagreement, the educator is encouraged to so indicate on an attachment that should be signed by both the
educator and evaluator.

Karin Knapik (signed by Karin Knapik on 2013-12-09 11:07)

Observation Report - Thu Dec 18 14:04:35 EST 2014