Learning Forward
Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.
FEATURE ARTICLE
15 Minutes to a Transformed Lesson
A Conversation Focused on Content Clarifies Teaching Objectives
By Learning Forward
August 2013
I recently had a 15-minute conversation with a very capable middle school science teacher that radically transformed the three-lesson mini-unit she was about to teach on the human respiratory system. I hasten to add that all the improvement in the lessons came from the teacher, not me. My only role was to follow the discipline of focusing the conversation only on the content for those few minutes, getting her to explain certain aspects of it to me, and keeping the conversation away from all the other topics: activities, materials, groupings, concerns about particular students, etc. Guidelines for conferences before an observation almost always call for the teacher to start with a statement of the objective. But it’s usually a very short cycle of question, answer, end
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Watch a content planning conference take place with science teachers who are members of a common planning time team.
www.rbteach.com
Revised Lesson Plan on the Human Respiratory System
Students will be able to:
- Describe the mechanism by which oxygen enters the body and the pathway it follows.
- Explain the magic moment when oxygen crosses cell membranes (the alveoli) into capillaries and thus enters the transportation system of the bloodstream/circulatory system.
- Explain the process by which oxygen does its work in the body.
- Explain what and how the respiratory system expels items the body needs to get rid of (carbon dioxide and water).
Big ideas:
- Every cell in the body needs oxygen, not just muscles. That includes bone marrow, hair, everything.
- When oxygen arrives at a cell, the chemical reaction within the cell of the oxygen with glucose releases energy. So oxygen is absolutely necessary for all cells to grow, muscles to move, etc.
- The bloodstream is the highway that carries oxygen to the cells.
- We also have to get rid of the carbon dioxide that is the product of this release of energy. If we didn’t, we’d die. The respiratory system is taking care of this “get rid of the stuff” function as well as the delivery of oxygen to do its work.
- Respiration is a process, and it’s a lot more than what we call “breathing.”
- Respiration is a process for getting oxygen into the body so the oxygen can do its work.
How to Have a Content Planning Conversation
References
West, L. & Staub, F.C. (2003). Content-focused coaching: Transforming mathematics lessons. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.
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