SED 406 Observation #3
This observation
occurred in an Advanced Placement classroom at the high school in Providence
that I went to do observations in. The
teacher Mrs. H stood at the door and greeted the students as they entered the
classroom. As soon as they entered the
students each went to the folder bins at the front of the class and collected
their folders. They then found their
seats and had discussions amongst themselves until the class started.
When class started,
the teacher discussed the DO NOW she had posted on the board. This particular one was not normal in its execution. She explained that she had heard this question
on the radio that morning and wanted to know if her students could answer it because
the radio personality could not even though the woman said she had taken AP
History. She revealed the question and
the students went to work answering it in their DO NOW packets. She walked around to check the answers. Once the majority was done, she had them
discuss the answer, which she was happy to see they all got correct. Mrs. H did not require the students to raise
their hands in this discussion but allowed them to call out their answers and
discuss amongst themselves.
Once this
was complete, Mrs. H began the lesion.
The students would be learning about what Federalists felt about the Louisiana
Purchase and would be examining primary source documents to learn why the Federalists
were opposed to it. The teacher began
with using an overhead projector to give background notes on the topic. The students were allowed to move closer to
the front of the room to see better the timeline she projected. This was done without any fuss, in such a manner
as if it was an everyday occurrence.
As the
teacher lectured on the timeline, the class listened quietly and took down
notes. As she is lecturing the teacher
noticed one student wearing a hood and she walks over to him and privately
reminds him that it against the rules and asks him to put the hood down, which
he does right away. Once the lecture is done,
and the students receive the documents that they will be reviewing, they work
in peers to complete the in class assignment.
As the students
work the teacher keeps the groups on track by checking in with them. She is also taking this time to check that
the homework from the day before has been completed. One group that was socializing instead of
working immediately began to work when she walked up to them and asked how they
were doing on the assignment.
Although
the teacher did not take attendance, she was able to see who was there by the
use of the folders. As the students had
entered the class, they retrieved their folders the absent student’s folders
were still in the holder. The teacher
was also able to place the day’s assignment inside the folders of the absent
students. This system was organized and
enabled the teacher to ensure that absent students would have the material they
missed.
The school
and classroom rules were all posted on the walls of the room and the class only
required minimal reminders to follow the rules.
This teacher had the respect of her class and she treated the students
with respect as well. This led to a well-managed
classroom where there was a minimum of distractions allowing for the most time available
to be in class work. A well-managed
classroom will lead to the maximization of learning time and mutual respect
between the teacher and the students will help with the management.
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