Developing a Keen Eye
Video Analysis Lesson Task
Explore this resource
1. Introduce
The developing a keen eye video library provides teachers and coaches with a rich set of resources to support the analysis of teaching with a goal of having productive and transformative discussions about ways to promote more ambitious teaching and learning in their mathematics classrooms. The introduction to each cycle includes background information about the lesson, the teacher, and the context for the classroom video recording.
2. Goal
Establishing clear and meaningful learning goals is an essential aspect of planning for effective mathematics instruction. Teachers need focused opportunities to articulate the intended math goals of their lessons as well as the key connections students need to make in order to achieve the intended learning goal. Math learning goals should be situated within a progression of coherent teaching that promotes and deepens student understanding over time.
3. Analyze
Research shows that analysis of teaching is one of the most effective levers for improving instruction and student achievement (Roth et al., 2019). The use of short classroom video clips and keen eye protocols focus teachers' attention on ways to promote students' engagement in mathematically productive practices and key moments when students' opportunities to make progress toward the intended learning goal occur during the lesson.
4. Reflect
Reflection is an essential part of improving planning and instructional practices. No lesson is perfect and whether teachers are new to teaching or have been teaching for many years, learning and growth results from an ongoing focus on teaching from a learning stance. The final elements the keen eye video analysis reflection cycle includes opportunities to delve deeper (optional prompts to explore) and hear final reflections from the teacher in the video.
BACKGROUND & CONTEXT
INTRODUCE
True or False: Exploring Chunking the Divisor
Students engage in a true false routine related to an equation that makes students to grapple with whether or not you can chunk the divisor in a division problem.
In this video analysis cycle, the teacher (Lynn Simpson) is asking students to explore a True or False statement related to the division of whole numbers. During the previous lesson, she engaged the students in an exploration regarding chunking the dividend in a division problem. For example, students made sense of why a problem like 312 divided 4 could be solved using partial quotients such as (100 ÷ 4) + (100 ÷ 4) + (100 ÷ 4) + (12 ÷ 4). In this next fourth grade lesson, Lynn presents a true or false problem to the students to support them in reasoning about whether you can chunk the divisor in a division problem
NARRATIVE & GOAL
True or False: Exploring Chunking the Divisor
Students engage in a true false routine related to an equation that makes students to grapple with whether or not you can chunk the divisor in a division problem.
In this keen eye video analysis cycle, students are trying to make sense of whether the equation (shown) above is true or false. Before watching the video, take some time to discuss why this is a logical lesson to follow students' exploration of the use of partial quotients to solve division problems. Discuss how students might think about this problem, particularly if the goal were to solve the problem without actually doing the computation (relational thinking).
Classroom MATHEMATICS PracticES
ANALYZE
True or False: Exploring Chunking the Divisor
Video Analysis: Round One
Prior to watching the video clip, take a few moments to review the first page of the video analysis protocol. What do you notice? How are the descriptors organized? Use the descriptors to focus your attention on the ideas embedded in the following areas of interest. Use the given facilitation guide to help you structure a meaningful and productive conversation
Classroom Environment
Teacher
Student Engagement
Classroom Environment
E1. Collaborative structures support student-to-student interaction
E2. Norms for engagement are in place (e.g., Rights of the Learner)
E3. Evidence of safe learning environment (e.g., mistakes are used as sites for learning, students volunteer explanations)
Teacher
T1. Asks questions that elicit students thinking
T2. Encourages justification using words, symbols, and visual representations
T3. Engages students in listening to and building upon one another’s reasoning (e.g., wait time, restating, re-voicing, adding on, agree/disagree, and why)
T4. Promotes connections by focusing students’ attention on key mathematical ideas
Student Engagement
S1. Grapple with the mathematics and engage in conversations about key ideas
S2. Question one another’s thinking (engage in respectful debate)
S3. Justify, clarify, and elaborate on their thinking
S4. Discuss and compare approaches
S5. Engage in continuous refinement (and revision) of ideas and precision of language
Students engage in a true false routine related to an equation that makes students to grapple with whether or not you can chunk the divisor in a division problem.
MATH Learning opportunities
ANALYZE
True or False: Exploring Chunking the Divisor
Video Analysis: Round Two
Mathematical Engagement
Mathematical Engagement
M1. Teacher elicits students’ ideas and incorporates them to promote key connections related to the identified learning goal.
M2. Use of representations (student artifacts) promotes mathematical sense making and productive discourse.
M3. Learning activities promote cognitively demanding mathematics practices by students.
M4. Students have extended opportunities to describe their reasoning and what they grappled with as part of their exploration.
M5. Small and whole group conversations are purposefully structured to help students clarify and refine their ideas and make productive progress towards the math learning goal.
Students engage in a true false routine related to an equation that makes students to grapple with whether or not you can chunk the divisor in a division problem.
EXTENDING OUR LEARNING
REFLECT
True or False: Exploring Chunking the Divisor
Questions to Explore:
- How did the use of the story context help students make sense of the given problem?
- What were some of the ways the students use the context (skittles) to justify their stance, true or false?
- How did the teacher support the students in clarifying some of the misconceptions or misunderstandings that emerged during the routine?
- How is solving the problem relationally different from solving it computationally? If the teacher's goal was to promote relational thinking, which students' responses would be explored further? In less depth?
Next Steps
Play Video
In this last part of the lesson, the teacher introduces the use of a visual model to help students connect the skittles context to what is going on with the mathematics. Discuss how the way the representation was used impacted students’ learning opportunities.