Classroom Instruction

Lesson Structures

Classroom instruction, whether in-person or online, was very structured and intentionally planned. There were elements of class that were routine and contributed to a more predictable learning environment. Each lesson or day of class included a formative assessment that provided immediate feedback to me on how well students understood the concept as well as their mastery of skills. 

Student Discussions

Creating a space to facilitate discussion amongst students was important in every unit. When I taught 9th grade English, it was part of a weekly routine for students to engage in discussions around different topics. Student engagement was the highest during this time, especially when students were well-equipped with the tools to participate. I used different formats of discussions in both in-person instruction and online instruction to expose students to different ways of synthesizing information and sharing their perspectives. 

Communicating with Key Stakeholders

One of the core values of Muchin College Prep is family. Embodying family at Muchin means developing partnerships with key stakeholders in a student’s education. Parents and guardians had direct access to check a student’s academic progress at any time. When parents had questions or concerns, they were able to reach out to discuss how to support their student at home. During the pandemic, effectively communicating with students and their stakeholders was especially important as both students, parents/guardians, and myself were very new to this way of learning. By staying in communication with parents and guardians, I was contributing to fortifying a student’s educational support system. 

Data-Informed Instruction

At Muchin, the practice of using data to inform instructional moves is prevalent. Academic data is transparently communicated with students and their parents/guardians. As a teacher, I would share classwide data with students regularly so that they knew why certain instructional moves were being made (reteaching, intentional grouping, etc.). Each quarter, our students took an interim assessment that mimicked a PSAT (9th and 10th grade) or SAT (11th grade). After each interim, I shared both individual and course-wide data with students and worked collectively with them to create goals for the following quarter and eventually for state testing (PSAT and SAT). 

There was a time at Muchin College Prep when high SAT scores was the north star goal. However, after the pandemic Noble Schools shifted its priorities to centering the student content and skills development and experience, and teaching the SAT was de-centered. The SAT continues to be a gatekeeper for students to enter college; therefore, it remains as one of the goals we set out to accomplish. 

I also collaborated with my colleagues, Dean of Instruction, and Principal to analyze the data and set goals for the following quarter. Below is an example of how quarterly data was analyzed in our teaching teams.

When I taught freshman English at Muchin College Prep, scholars took a weekly mastery quiz that was based on grammar. Students received their results within 48 hours and were given the chance to remediate and take the assessment again. If a majority of students did not master a skill (more than 70%), the reteaching of the skills would happen in class and the opportunity for reassessment would happen on the next quiz (skills would be spiraled into new quizzes). Data served as a roadmap for students and myself in the classroom. It told us where we were at a certain point in time and where we needed to go. 

Student Experience Surveys

Twice a year, students are given a survey where they are able to give feedback to their course instructors and advisors and about school climate. While teaching remotely, the Student Experience Survey provided the most critical feedback for me as an instructor. Students were experiencing a new way to learn and had to find ways to stay engaged without the same human interaction they had prior to the pandemic. The first link provides quantitative feedback in terms of favorability of responses. The scale went from one to four. The blue bars show the number of students who selected three or four for each question. The second link is qualitative feedback from students in response to the questions, "If this teacher were to change one thing about his/her teaching, what would it be?" and "If this teacher were to make sure to keep doing one thing about his/her teaching, what should s/he keep doing?" After reading each response and doing a further analysis of the data, I would take my findings back to my students and engage in conversations about how I can help improve their experiences in my class and would commit to improving 1-2 practices.