Planning Conference Summary

So the planning conference didn't go quite how I expected, but went well enough. The questions below are apparently an official questionnaire one has to go through with TPEP. At least it is for the Danielson model. I'm sure it was probably included somewhere in some of the dozens of documents we're handed and expected to go through at the beginning of the school year. It would have been nice to have this all ready to go, but my supervisor was very flexible and we took what we would be doing as a class that day. My document states that the Planning Conference is optional if the below questions had been answered ahead of time, but I much benefited from going through them with my supervisor. 

PLANNING CONFERENCE
Questions for discussion: 

1. To which part of the curriculum does this lesson relate? 
2. How does this learning fit in the sequence of learning for this class? 
3. Briefly describe the students in this class, including those with special needs. 
4. What are your learning outcomes for this lesson? What do you want the students to understand? 
5. How will you engage the students in the learning? What will you do? What will the students do? Will the students work in groups, or individually, or as a large group? Provide any worksheets or other materials the students will be using. 
6. How will you differentiate instruction for different individuals or groups of students in the class? 
7. How and when will you know whether the students have learned what you intend? 
8. Is there anything that you would like me to specifically observe during the lesson? 
9. How and when will you know the students have learned what you intend?
10. Is there anything that you would like me to specifically observe during the lesson. 

TPEP Evaluation Forms and Procedures

This is a 62 page PDF from North Thurston's Public Schools, only 2 pages of which have anything to do with North Thurston. All the rest are I'm sure the same everywhere. I went to http://tpep-wa.org/ to try and find the original, or at least one associated with my own district, but quickly became numbed by the overwhelming amount of bloated government documents. Trying to remain apolitical in this blog, but all of this need for conformity just reminds me of the children's classic A Wrinkle in Time. Especially given the fact that the evil antagonist is a giant brain named IT. What a cool coincidence that IT is the initials for Information Technology and usually refers to a bunch of people dedicated to making sure our networked 'brains' are all the same and able to work together. But I digress. The dangers of  being a computer teacher with a K - 12 Reading endorsement, I guess. 

It would have been nice to have gone over the planning document in our PLC meetings, but we have only been able to meet twice this year due to the fact that my PLC is comprised of electives teachers, and some of us have been required to stay at our home schools to attend various meetings. Core teachers probably have more PLC meetings than they want. Over three per week now, I believe but I'm not sure.