Subject/Grade: Social Studies, 7th grade
I notice “Mr. C’s Constitution” prominently posted above the chalkboard at the center of the room. Four rules are listed:
1) Respect all people and property.
2) Be prepared for class and on task.
3) Remain in assigned seat.
4) Raise your hand before you speak.
The students file in and take their seats. They are quiet and orderly. Mr. C asks a couple students some questions about a quiz they are to hand in as they enter. The noise level rises, and as class time begins, Mr. C tells them to calm down. The students oblige. One student, Steve, is asked to run a paper over to another teacher’s class.
Mr. C tells the class he has one assignment for the day that will be “short and sweet.” One student returns, “We don’t want sweet.”
“Then I’ll give you more work,” Mr. C replies.
One student tells the student that is acting up to stop. The student replies, “I’ll slap your face.” Mr. C sternly tells him to stop and he does.
Mr. C starts reviewing a discussion of Pocahontas from last week. As he asks the students questions, he refers them to three outline questions written on the chalkboard. It reads: What place?
Leader of Colonists?
Leader of Native Americans?
Mr. C leads them through each point quickly. They all raise hands to answer and are responding accurately. He praises their performance quickly and moves on. Steve comes back into the class, tacks the paper to the board and takes his seat quietly. Mr. C then puts on a video of an A&E Biography of Pocahontas. They have been watching this in previous sessions and are about halfway through it. He tells them to take out a notes paper that he has typed questions on, outlining the highlights of the video. They watch the video and take notes.
Mr. C moves to his desk in the back of the room to take attendance. There is another teacher in the room who works with the learning disabled students. She walks around to make sure they are on task. After a few minutes, Mr. C pauses the tape and leads the students through a few of the notes questions. They are on task, but tired, and responses are few and far between. Mr. C praises them for appropriate answers. He re-starts the tape.
Some more time passes and he stops the tape again to go over some more note questions. Steve has many of the answers and Mr. C continually calls on him. There is not much wait time allowed for other students to get their hands up. Before he re-starts the tape, he tells them to focus on question 10, as the question “is a little tricky and (they’ll) need to pay close attention.” He plays the tape and pauses again after a few minutes. Asking questions again, this time he gets many good answers from around the room, and continues to probe for more responses. At one point, he ignores some hands and says, “Someone besides the same old people.” He picks out some students that have been quiet. They respond with good answers.
When the video ends, Mr. C hands out some paper and tells the students to write one paragraph about what they think of Pocahontas. He plays down the assignment. As they start to write, he tells them, “You guys did a good job watching that. I know it was a little rough, but we just knocked out about six chapters of the book.” At this point, both teachers are returning a lot of graded papers and other paperwork, which distracts some of the students from writing. Mr. C notices they are off task and he tells them to write the paragraph or it will be their homework. There is some chatter. One student who is very off task gets a lunch detention.
Mr. C has them pass up their notes from the video and their paragraphs and he starts another video. This is Disney’s Pocahontas. He tells them that this is mostly for fun before the holiday, but that he does want them to look for similarities, differences and stereotypes.
Mr. C provides a classroom environment that is well suited for student success. Through use of wall hangings, classroom expectations, guidelines and expectations are communicated clearly to the students. He also values safety and order, in the arrangement of the classroom. Mr. C also models positive interaction with the students, by greeting them as they enter the class. He also makes sure he maintains accurate records by following up on the students’ completion of the assignments.
Some of the students in the class are learning disabled, and Mr. C has to be constantly aware of their behavior. Right away he is tested by one student and responds appropriately by reprimanding him and quickly moving on.
By starting the new week with a review of last week’s material, Mr. C demonstrates the importance of reiterating the content, as prerequisite relationships are important to the day’s lesson. He has main ideas listed on the board to help students focus, and leads a good question and answer session to bring them all back up to speed.
The special education teacher in the class is focused solely on the learning disabled students in the room, and is discrete about managing their behavior and keeping them on task. The teachers try not to draw attention to the fact that these students need extra help.
Mr. C has designed a well balanced lesson plan by incorporating the video with short question and answer sessions between clips to help the students focus on the main ideas. During the question and answer portion, he is lacking wait time at first, and the effect is that he is constantly calling on the same student. The slower learners don’t have enough time to think of responses before the answer is given. He adjusts this as he moves along, increasing wait time and soliciting responses from most all of the students. When the students answer, even if the answers aren’t always correct, Mr. C does a good job of giving them positive feedback.
At the end of class, the students are quickly given a short essay to write. The instructions aren’t very clear and both teachers contribute to interrupting the students as they try to work quickly.
Mr. C's classroom is the epitome of a successful classroom environment, as the room is organized, procedures and expectations are posted, and content related material is displayed. Mr. C has a lot of energy and has a nice rapport with his students, as he constantly praises them for their responsiveness and encourages participation from the lower level students. He has minimal behavior issues, as classroom procedures are clearly identified. I did not identify the use of a rewards or consequence plan, which I would highlight in my own classroom. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Mr. C does a good job of designing a coherent, balanced lesson. I like that he started with a review to ensure all students, especially the learning disabled, were on the same page before building on that knowledge with new material. I also think the teachers’ ability to be discrete about helping the learning disabled students is important. Students can be very cruel to their peers when they know they are getting extra help.
Mr. C also does a good job of incorporating wait time, once the discussion gets moving. Towards the end of class, he probably should have abandoned the short essay or moved it to the following day’s activities, as it was rushed and not very productive.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Classroom Observation 1
Subject/Grade: Language Arts, 8th grade
I enter the classroom and immediately notice that the day’s activities are outlined on the chalkboard in the front of the room. One particular assignment, regarding persuasive writing, is explained clearly on a paper easel at the front of the room. The classroom is well organized and not cluttered. Wall space is used effectively, with some banners for Team Hampton to boost student morale, and other wall hangings to reinforce classroom expectations (one paper outlines Proper Heading procedure). Also, student projects are displayed along the walls. These are “author projects” from the previous year.
Students enter the classroom quietly, for the most part, and take their seats. Mr. R stands outside the doorway, greeting them as they arrive. When the last student arrives, Mr. R moves to the front of the classroom and immediately jumps into a discussion about the book they are reading, Travel Team. The students listen and call out responses. Mr. R jokes a bit and they laugh. Most are engaged, and it seems Mr. R has a nice rapport with the students. He moves around the front of the classroom some, though he is bound to a podium holding the book. As he begins to read Travel Team aloud, he sits leisurely on the front of his desk.
Most students seem to be paying attention to the reading. One student turns around at one point to talk to another student. He is mouthing words quietly. Mr. R catches him, looks at him and says his name. The student goes right back to listening and the other students are not phased by it.
Mr. R finishes the chapter and tells the students to silently read their individual books they will use for a book project. This time is listed on the chalkboard as Reading Workshop. He prepares at his desk for the next assignment. One student, in the back of the class, does not read at all for a few minutes. He finally starts to read. Other students are off-task, silently “goofing off”. Mr. R calls them on it individually, but as some get back on task, others are off-task again. One student is signed out to use the lavatory.
He moves them into the next lesson. They are to read a short persuasive article about brain “exercise” and long-term effects. They take about ten minutes for this, and as Mr. R sees them finishing up, he opens a discussion about the article. He uses the questions at the end of the article to lead the discussion. They discuss the main ideas of the article and also how the author used persuasive writing techniques to convey those ideas.
Mr. R provides a classroom environment that is well suited for student success. Through use of wall hangings reinforcing classroom expectations, outlining the day’s activities on the chalkboard in the front of the room and explaining the persuasive writing assignment on the easel, directions, procedures and expectations are communicated clearly to the students. He also values safety and order, in the arrangement of the classroom. By displaying student work, the students’ pride is their work is enforced. Mr. R also models positive interaction with the students, by greeting them at the door, joking with them and portraying comfortableness in the classroom.
Mr. R does a good job of monitoring and responding to student misbehavior during Travel Team reading, without disrupting the lesson. Also, Reading Workshop time allows for a smooth, and useful, transition between lessons. That is critical, being that his classes last through two periods.
Mr. R reinforces the unit goals with the activity regarding brain “exercises”. The activity and lesson clearly convey persuasive writing techniques to the students. Mr. R's classroom is a very good example of a successful classroom environment, as the room is organized, procedures and expectations are posted, and student work is displayed. Mr. R also has a nice rapport with his students, as he jokes with them and there is a feeling of comfort and trust between them. Unfortunately, it seems that this can backfire at times when joking is unwanted. I would try to be more strict and firm early on in the year, so that students can meet that expectation before I opened myself up to a looser environment.
I too would use Reading Workshop time to do paperwork, but I would move among the students for a least part of the time to keep them on-task. The students seem mostly engaged during the double period, and have assimilated the major goals of the lesson, which were assessed during the question/answer session at the end of the period.
I enter the classroom and immediately notice that the day’s activities are outlined on the chalkboard in the front of the room. One particular assignment, regarding persuasive writing, is explained clearly on a paper easel at the front of the room. The classroom is well organized and not cluttered. Wall space is used effectively, with some banners for Team Hampton to boost student morale, and other wall hangings to reinforce classroom expectations (one paper outlines Proper Heading procedure). Also, student projects are displayed along the walls. These are “author projects” from the previous year.
Students enter the classroom quietly, for the most part, and take their seats. Mr. R stands outside the doorway, greeting them as they arrive. When the last student arrives, Mr. R moves to the front of the classroom and immediately jumps into a discussion about the book they are reading, Travel Team. The students listen and call out responses. Mr. R jokes a bit and they laugh. Most are engaged, and it seems Mr. R has a nice rapport with the students. He moves around the front of the classroom some, though he is bound to a podium holding the book. As he begins to read Travel Team aloud, he sits leisurely on the front of his desk.
Most students seem to be paying attention to the reading. One student turns around at one point to talk to another student. He is mouthing words quietly. Mr. R catches him, looks at him and says his name. The student goes right back to listening and the other students are not phased by it.
Mr. R finishes the chapter and tells the students to silently read their individual books they will use for a book project. This time is listed on the chalkboard as Reading Workshop. He prepares at his desk for the next assignment. One student, in the back of the class, does not read at all for a few minutes. He finally starts to read. Other students are off-task, silently “goofing off”. Mr. R calls them on it individually, but as some get back on task, others are off-task again. One student is signed out to use the lavatory.
He moves them into the next lesson. They are to read a short persuasive article about brain “exercise” and long-term effects. They take about ten minutes for this, and as Mr. R sees them finishing up, he opens a discussion about the article. He uses the questions at the end of the article to lead the discussion. They discuss the main ideas of the article and also how the author used persuasive writing techniques to convey those ideas.
Mr. R provides a classroom environment that is well suited for student success. Through use of wall hangings reinforcing classroom expectations, outlining the day’s activities on the chalkboard in the front of the room and explaining the persuasive writing assignment on the easel, directions, procedures and expectations are communicated clearly to the students. He also values safety and order, in the arrangement of the classroom. By displaying student work, the students’ pride is their work is enforced. Mr. R also models positive interaction with the students, by greeting them at the door, joking with them and portraying comfortableness in the classroom.
Mr. R does a good job of monitoring and responding to student misbehavior during Travel Team reading, without disrupting the lesson. Also, Reading Workshop time allows for a smooth, and useful, transition between lessons. That is critical, being that his classes last through two periods.
Mr. R reinforces the unit goals with the activity regarding brain “exercises”. The activity and lesson clearly convey persuasive writing techniques to the students. Mr. R's classroom is a very good example of a successful classroom environment, as the room is organized, procedures and expectations are posted, and student work is displayed. Mr. R also has a nice rapport with his students, as he jokes with them and there is a feeling of comfort and trust between them. Unfortunately, it seems that this can backfire at times when joking is unwanted. I would try to be more strict and firm early on in the year, so that students can meet that expectation before I opened myself up to a looser environment.
I too would use Reading Workshop time to do paperwork, but I would move among the students for a least part of the time to keep them on-task. The students seem mostly engaged during the double period, and have assimilated the major goals of the lesson, which were assessed during the question/answer session at the end of the period.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Class 5
I recently read an article titled To Build a Nation of Readers: An Elementary Solution written by Peter Gow. In the article, Gow first cites some vague statistics about poor reading levels in America and then contends reading is the most essential skill schoolchildren must acquire at the elementary level. Of course, math and science are important as well, but reading should be prioritized above all else. He is led to a conclusion that it is imperative that the nation is focused on teaching children to read first, because most children that succeed academically are good readers first and in the long run, literacy is necessary to live and compete in a world where communication is expressed primarily through the written word.
So the author presents his plan to bring about “massive improvement” in American literacy. It includes dedicating an entire school year (most likely fourth grade) to reading. He advocates suspending all coursework centered in math, science, arts and even grammar/spelling. The focus would be exclusively geared to silent and oral active reading. He chooses fourth grade because most children are able to decode written text by that point.
Gow suggests that all fourth grade classrooms be designed like “giant libraries”, with plenty of reading material and comfortable reading areas. Students would read all day, with breaks for lunch and recess. Of course, to keep the day moving along, the teacher should incorporate a variety of language arts and literacy techniques.
The goal of this type of classroom is to teach students that reading is fundamental. The teacher’s ultimate goal would be to engage students in seeking out texts that interest them and, in doing that, showing them the inherent worth of reading. By years end, even those that needed continuous remedial instruction will be reading at grade level and would have worked through dozens of books. The higher-level students may read hundreds. These students would have a true appreciation for reading a variety of texts.
It is hard for me to believe that any public school would take the chance of implementing this program, especially in the current atmosphere of increased standardized testing. I would love to see it incorporated at a private school or as part of a homeschooling plan (this is where it would probably first see daylight) to test it’s effectiveness. Of course, as with all grand plans, those who are the “guinea pigs” may be done a huge disservice in the process.
So the author presents his plan to bring about “massive improvement” in American literacy. It includes dedicating an entire school year (most likely fourth grade) to reading. He advocates suspending all coursework centered in math, science, arts and even grammar/spelling. The focus would be exclusively geared to silent and oral active reading. He chooses fourth grade because most children are able to decode written text by that point.
Gow suggests that all fourth grade classrooms be designed like “giant libraries”, with plenty of reading material and comfortable reading areas. Students would read all day, with breaks for lunch and recess. Of course, to keep the day moving along, the teacher should incorporate a variety of language arts and literacy techniques.
The goal of this type of classroom is to teach students that reading is fundamental. The teacher’s ultimate goal would be to engage students in seeking out texts that interest them and, in doing that, showing them the inherent worth of reading. By years end, even those that needed continuous remedial instruction will be reading at grade level and would have worked through dozens of books. The higher-level students may read hundreds. These students would have a true appreciation for reading a variety of texts.
It is hard for me to believe that any public school would take the chance of implementing this program, especially in the current atmosphere of increased standardized testing. I would love to see it incorporated at a private school or as part of a homeschooling plan (this is where it would probably first see daylight) to test it’s effectiveness. Of course, as with all grand plans, those who are the “guinea pigs” may be done a huge disservice in the process.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Class 4 reflection
I was giving a guitar lesson on Saturday, and the student brought up something about a vocabulary quiz he had on Friday. Being that this was one of our topics on Thursday night, I was intrigued and immediately started asking him questions. He said the students had to learn 12 words a week. On Mondays, the teacher follows a book and gives the students 12 words to memorize, define and use in a sentence. On Friday they take a quiz which basically just regurgitates their homework assignment. I asked if the teacher incorporated any games or interesting techniques to help the students assimilate the words into their vocabulary. He said she didn't do any of that. I had to bite my tongue to avoid telling him that the way his teacher was going about teaching them vocabulary was probably not ideal. My student is an above-average student, so I don't think he has much of a problem with it. Unfortunately, I'm sure there are students in that class that are struggling with these weekly vocabulary quizzes.
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