Application of Marzano (case study/example)

Video Transcription

Welcome, I'm Trisha Fyfe, and in today's video lesson, we'll look at the lesson titled Application of Marzano. As we learn about this topic, we will work towards a few main learning objectives, and together we'll answer the following questions throughout this video lesson. How can we apply the Marzano framework to a teacher who is going to be observed? And what is the process for considering the best evaluation methods and techniques?

Let's start by discussing the case study that we'll look at today. Our scenario is this, the teacher, Mrs. Smith, is a third grade teacher in Washington state. This is her second year teaching. The classes consisted of 23 different students, 10 girls and 13 boys.

Two of her students have ADHD and five are English language learners. Mrs. Smith will be teaching a language arts lesson today on main ideas and supporting details. Because her students have been struggling with writing paragraphs, especially including those main ideas and supporting details, Mrs. Smith has decided to review these concepts in a new lesson, reviewing main ideas and details.

Here's a review of the components of the Marzano teacher evaluation model. Remember, there are four different domains with elements that fall under each domain. Take a moment and pause to review this model, if needed.

Let's look at some questions that we can use to guide us in the evaluation process. I'll use this case study as a guide for answering these reflective questions. We'll start by talking about how we can prepare. Here are some questions to consider when you're reflecting on preparation.

Suppose you are going to be observed during a lesson, how would you prepare? How would you prepare for the preconference? What questions would you ask your evaluator? What information would you provide your evaluator about your class and your students?

Let's go through these one at a time, and we'll look at how Mrs. Smith might have responded to each one. First, how would you prepare? If I were Mrs. Smith, as a second year teacher, I might still feel pretty new to the process of evaluation and critique. It would be essential for me to review the processes and materials, including rubrics from my school beforehand to fully understand the expectations.

Since Mrs. Smith was being evaluated using the Marzano model, I'd also make sure that I had the domains and elements printed off for reference, as well as any resources and tools from my district or school, such as a rubric. The second thing that I might do would be to reflect on strategies that would help me to remain calm and efficient during observations, especially if I knew they would make me anxious. Remember it's always important to show you at your best. Planning and preparation is essential. This is in domain two Marzano's model.

If it were an announced observation, how would you prepare for the preconference? What questions would you ask your evaluator? What information would you provide your evaluator about your class and your students?

One of the first things I would do in this scenario is compile information that is important and relevant about my class. I would spend time writing down a description of the makeup of my class, including the number of students that are boys and girls, and list any students that have 504's or special needs, as well as ELL students. Any information you have about class dynamics will help your evaluator understand the observation better.

I would write down a description of what we have done in class that's relevant and has led up to the observation and lesson, and I would gather student samples and assessment information for students' writing to get the evaluator and myself an idea of students' levels and needs. This falls under Marzano's domain one element 2, which is tracking student progress. Let's say maybe students have been struggling with writing paragraphs that included many ideas and details. I'd let the evaluator know that this is the reason I am presenting this particular lesson. I'm reviewing these ideas about main ideas and details.

This is essential to Marzano's domain one design question, will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge? This contains elements 14 through 20. I would also collect the lesson plan to be used, and assessment tools I would use during and after the lesson.

Finally, I would compile a list of questions for the evaluator about expectations and also any concerns that I might have. Questions included might be what are you going to be looking for in this particular observation? Is there anything specifically, such as classroom management or a specific teaching strategy you would like me to focus on?

Let's now talk about the observation itself. Here are some reflective questions to use to guide your preparation for this part of the evaluation. What kinds of things would you hope to highlight during that announced observation? What teaching strategies would you use?

If I were Mrs. Smith, I would really want to highlight a few things during this lesson. First, I would want my evaluator to see I have been using strategies that I have spent time preparing and working on for professional growth and development. Say I've been using intentional grouping strategies in my classes recently, with the goal of creating active learning opportunities for all my students, including English language learners and special needs students. This is essential to Marzano's domain two, planning and preparing for special needs of students. It is also relevant to match up domain one's elements, classroom strategies and behaviors.

A specific example of this relationship is design question, what will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge, which includes elements 21, 22, and 23. Let's say Mrs. Smith started the lesson off with a mini lesson in reminder on group roles, and then used group work during these activities. She intentionally selected the groups with members of varying levels of understanding on these concepts. If this were the case, I would want to highlight the fact that I was using the assessment data from prior lessons to guide teaching on these concepts.

After the observation, it's time to start thinking about the post conference. Here's a reflective question you should consider here. How might you deep brief about the observation with your evaluator? If I were Mrs. Smith, I would consider talking with my evaluator about taking some time for each of us to reflect and gather thoughts before meeting for the post conference. I would propose that we write down notes, questions, and concerns to discuss together. This directly goes back to Marzano's domain three, reflecting on teaching, specifically elements one, two, and three under evaluating personal performance.

During the post conference, we would address what went well with the lesson, and what areas needed improvement. The evaluator should offer suggestions for improvement during this time. I would take this opportunity to ask the evaluator about other teachers that might be good to observe, as well as opportunities for professional development.

Based on what your evaluator saw, they decided to conduct two unannounced observations. What kinds of things would you hope to demonstrate during that unannounced observation? How would you prepare? In this situation I would hope to have had time to observe other teachers in action.

I would look for opportunities to watch teachers during times where they're working on things that I am also working on, and ask for feedback from other peers about strategies I have in place. I would hope to show, during this unannounced observation, that I have been working on a growth in the areas that my evaluator and I have discussed. Most importantly, I would want to make sure that my evaluator was able to see that I had been working on the elements of domain three, both evaluating personal performance and also developing and implementing a professional growth and development plan.

How might you seek assistance from your evaluator? How would you let them know of your needs? I would make sure that I was honest in my needs and what tools and support I could use. I might set up a time to meet with my principal to discuss these needs, or send an email regarding concerns and needs. Of course, you'll get to know what is best for you and your evaluator as you establish that relationship.

You decided that you need ongoing support. What would you put in place? How would you self monitor? How could the teacher evaluation tool help you with the self monitoring and your growth? For this needed support, I might see if there are opportunities for professional development in the areas that I'm working on. I would also connect with a peer to set up times for peer observations or discussions occasionally.

This would be a peer that had expertise in one or both of the areas that I needed support. This would be a time to check in and make improvements. The Marzano teacher evaluation tool would be essential for growth and reflection. I would use the rubrics and tools provided by my school and district for this model to track progress as I rated myself on various areas throughout the year.

Let's talk about what we learned today. We looked at the following questions in this lesson. How can we apply the Marzano framework to a teacher who is going to be observed, and what is the process for considering the best evaluation methods and techniques? In this lesson I walked you through a review of the Marzano teacher evaluation model, and we used the scenario of a teacher who is to be evaluated using this model.

Now that you're more familiar with these concepts about Marzano's teacher evaluation model, let's answer a few questions. Consider a scenario of your own. Walk through these questions, applying elements of Marzano's model in your answers. Were there any challenging questions for you?

Thanks for joining me today in discussing the lesson application of Marzano. I hope you're able to apply these ideas to your own teaching. To dive a little deeper and learn how to apply this information, be sure to check out the additional resources section associated with this video. This is where you'll find links targeted toward helping you discover more ways to apply this course material.