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General
Guidelines. Not all questions
or statements will apply to your grade level, but most will. Below are
suggested questions that should be answered in your submitted report
regarding your visit to the Mentor Teacher.
Procedure - Observe the Mentor Teacher for at least half
the school day
I.
Look for
- History content
- Classroom management and technology
- Methodology such as questions asked, lecture, book, slides,
technology
- Classroom atmosphere
- Classroom activities that engage all students
II.
Discuss
Discuss your observations and questions below in at least a
forty-five minute private meeting
Possible
questions to ask during the meeting (not all questions will apply to your
grade level).
- Observers should ask for a copy of the course syllabus (if one is
available). In the case of elementary school observers, you may want to
ask for the theme or unit plan.
- What resources are used outside of the school-speakers, field
trips, local history societies, museums etc?
- How does the Teacher use the resources in the school's library and
librarian-media specialist?
- Specifically, what primary documents are used and how are they
used? Get recommendations of those (documents) that are particularly good.
- Ask how the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are
used, what materials used, and amount of time for the unit etc?
For elementary school, the questions may be how is American culture
taught, what materials are used, and amount of time spent for the unit?
- What are some of the successful strategies you used in designing
your lessons that engage students in learning history?
- What strategies clearly do not work?
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What is the best lesson you ever taught? Why do you think this is
so?
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If you could recommend two history content books to be read by the
teacher-participant what would they be? What two history content books
would you recommend for the teacher-participant's students?
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Are there some professional development books and books on teaching
strategies that the Mentor Teacher would recommend, any courses,
institutes or workshops?
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How does the Mentor Teacher integrate history with other subjects?
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How does the Mentor Teacher use the Internet and computers?
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How does the Mentor Teacher motivate all students?
III.
Reflect&Based
upon your observations, experience, and responses to the questions, your
reflective word processed double spaced report of approximately five pages
should deal with three broad areas:
- Content
- Delivery
- Management in and outside of the classroom
In
the last section of your report, you should answer the following:
-
From your observation of and conversation with the Mentor Teacher,
what teacher practices used by the Mentor Teacher do you intend to
incorporate in your teaching?
- What questions arise from your thoughts of the visit that you will
include in your spring visit to a Mentor Teacher?
- What significance do you give to the outcome of this teacher being
considered a Mentor Teacher with regard to the following:
Interaction of the teacher with students
Subject knowledge
Preparation
Delivery
Innovative strategies
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