Class observations: 10th Grade Modern Perspectives:

“stand on the line” – “find a stopping point;” ended with “head back to your seat and we’ll parse this out;” transition – “we’re going to take what we’ve learned and …;” very clear verbal instructions and smooth projection change to the CW activity that is written out – prep for a discussion

“take a couple more minutes to finish your thinking” to bring prep time to a close; clear expectations about what comes next

Assigned groups easily – no time wasted figuring out who would work with who

Quiet “we’re gonna start” as he moves by each group; guides students back to their desks; recap of what they’ve done as they begin the Harkness

“Let’s start with chapter 4. Here’s one of your questions…” and then the kids started running with it

One last quote to explore with analysis; some questions about expectations for this activity; expectations broad and a bit open ended, which seems like a struggle for a few but most dived right in

Building on the fact that the activities progressed in complexity and cognition, they flowed together quite seamlessly. So rather than emphasizing “effective closure” and “intentional transition,” I would characterize this as “seamless progression.” That doesn’t mean that the first two were not present, rather that you are operating on the next level of pedagogic skill and art here.

SK changes both instructions on the board and announces the shift from one activity to the next–transitions are clearly marked but everything seems to flow smoothly