Video Lesson 2 Reflection - Spagnoli

Anthony Spagnoli
EDUC 540
Video Lesson #2 Reflection
With over a month between my first and second recorded lesson I can confidently say
some things have changed for the better, while others have stayed the same and still need
some work. Overall the lesson on “Life Over Time” was well received and the students were
engaged. I used direct instruction for most of the class but gave the students to do partner
share as well as partner work throughout the lesson. I am working to get away from using direct
instruction as a crutch, but I am finding it challenging and will continue to work on that.
The essential question for this lesson was simply, “What are living things?” While I did
not get to use my assessment tool (exit slip) because of time management issues, after
reviewing the lesson I can say that the students seemed to have a good sense of what
characteristics living things shared. Part of why I’m confident in that is because of the reaction
to the activities we worked on in the lesson (clock vs turtle, window eye dilation, and dog
stimuli/ reaction). Students were engaged and easily comprehended the activities. I planned
these activities specifically to be small bites of the lesson, which when added together, would
help them understand the concept of living things.
I’ve also had more time to hone my lesson planning skills since last time. Whereas
before I was unsure of how much information to put into a lesson plan (I had been putting way
too much content in for my first month), I have a better understanding of the amount of
content needed for each 50-minute lesson. For this lesson I wanted to put two major points
into my lesson: the relationship to stimuli and reaction, and sexual vs asexual reproduction.
Pairing down the content to two or three things, I have found, easily fills the period and
provides ample room from improvisation and ad hoc changes where needed.
I continue to have solid control of management of the classroom. I give my students
respect and genuinely listen to their questions and respond in kind. In return they show me
respect by listening when I’m talking, doing their work when asked, and returning focus to me
(or someone else) when the time is appropriate. I allow a certain amount of cross talking, but I
am quick to correct it when it becomes disruptive. Typically, a tap on a student’s desk is enough
to correct the problem and doesn’t disrupt my lesson.
While I think my delivery to the students was clear and easy to follow, I wished I had
spent more time with the material myself, so my understanding was slightly deeper. A lot of
this material I am familiar with on a surface level, but students often ask great questions that
require a better understanding. I understand this will come with time too, but I hope to be able
to spend more time in the future digging deeper so I can better respond to student inquiries.
I continue to work on my questioning techniques. I’ve gotten much better at writing
question into my lesson plans and asking them during the lesson. It’s important to have good
questions already thought up because in those quite transition times, I’ve found a question to
ponder is a nice way to make the transition smoother. While I still have the goal to make my
questioning better, I think I’ve started down the right path. My aim is to craft great questions
for every lesson, even if they’re not directly incorporated into each lesson plan.
Finally, one final aspect I would like to put my energy to in the coming months is my
class opening and closing. In this lesson I didn’t think either of them were that strong. I know
that a good opening sets the tone for the class, so I want to ensure I’m always starting on the
right foot. And I want to ensure the closing of the lesson wraps up the content nicely and
students get a quick review of what they’ve learned for reinforcement.
Observation notes:
• Wasn’t as affirmative with class beginning as I could have been

• Friendly demeanor with the class
• Start (do now) wasn’t strong. Just a discussion. Should have prepared a specific “do
now”.
• Used inquisition questioning to ask students to answer each other’s questions as well as
probe questions further
• Used good graphics to show changes in earth over time that prompted good discussion
and questions.
• After intro I reviewed what we were going to go over with the class which was a good
way to prepare the students
• Aligned my teaching with my co-teacher’s lessons better than before
• Did not provide a closeout for the lesson (time management issues)
• Used an interactive “experiment” to show how organisms respond to stimuli

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Anthony Spagnoli

Video Lesson #2 Reflection

help them understand the concept of living things.

I continue to have solid control of management of the classroom. I give my students

to correct the problem and doesn’t disrupt my lesson.

I continue to work on my questioning techniques. I’ve gotten much better at writing

students get a quick review of what they’ve learned for reinforcement.

• Wasn’t as affirmative with class beginning as I could have been

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