Clip 15/18: Debrief Part 2
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Lisa Hennefarth notes that the video she chose regrettably was not in English throughout, but it did highlight which swimmer was in the lead at different times, and how thrilling it was at the end. She notes that all students were able to identify who was in the lead at which points of the race. She observed that students incorporated some of the commentary language in the video in their own commentaries (“pulled ahead” or “fell behind.”) Because more students had had prior experience with car racing as opposed to swimming or running/ track and field, Lisa identifies that the video supported students in having a reference. She reflects on the “three read” approach to ensure that students fully understand the problem: what it’s about, what it’s asking, and then reading it out loud (noting that the student who volunteered to read has shown great growth in his English proficiency.)
Teacher Commentary
Teacher Commentary
Lisa Hennefarth
I think the biggest thing is starting from the very beginning of the school year when you know your students, so I take a great deal of effort in understanding my students and where they're at. It's not just a cursory “You're sitting in my classroom, I don't know who you are” kind of thing. I look at your test scores, I will look at what school you came from. Because I want to kind of know up front, not to formulate any opinions, but to kind of understand where they come from. It's all about understanding their story.
In the video, I say to a student, “I noticed that you did this, can you explain why?” I know that mathematically he's not as strong, so his choice of vocabulary words are going to be different, and I may need to prompt him and scaffold those words a little bit more for him. Whereas there's another girl that I know is extremely well versed, she's going to take charge, but at the same time she's very kind, and so you kind of say “She's doing this, so what do you think about that? Why did you guys decide that you're going to do this?” or “What does that number mean?” or “Can you explain this part of the graph for me?”
I want students to explain it to me in their own words. I wish I could say that there's some kind of a methodology, but really it's intuition with me. It's hard for me to articulate why I do the things I do; it is something I feel inside of me when I'm walking around. I watch a student's body language. I watch, are they open or are they closed? Are they sitting facing each other, or are they facing away? Are they maintaining eye contact, or are they always looking down? These are all these nuanced things that I can use to read a room.