EDUC 101-Introduction to Teaching Observation I Forms Name Wanda Burton____________ Date Oct 18, 2011______________

1. Observe the classroom environment in terms of the usage of space and equipment.
I absolutely loved the design of the first kindergarten class that I observed. The teacher had established the following six learning areas in the room: 1. A padded, rocking chair, sitting on an area rug, gave the room a homey feel. The teacher used instructional material, mounted on a nearby wall and easel, while the children gathered on the rug in front of her. It was the perfect story-time location! 2. Unfortunately, I didnt get to see a puppet show, but the stage and puppets looked like fun! 3. The small library of books was taken advantage of in between lessons. 4. Toys were in no short supply in the play area. 5. Students wore headphones while using a computer for individual lessons. As each student completed their lesson, they gently tapped the next student on the shoulder, who then took their turn on the computer. The teachers aide was stationed nearby to assist anyone needing help. This process went completely unnoticed as the teacher continued her group instruction. 6. A large white board hung at the front of the classroom. The board was connected to a computer located on the teachers desk. Videos and other software programs made learning fun and interactive for the students.

2. Reflect upon how the classroom is organized for instruction.

The children in the two kindergarten classes sat at long tables consisting of two boys and two girls. The students were working on individual craft projects and sharing crayons, glue, scissors, etc. from a large tub in the center of the table. A bag hung from the back of each students chair; where he/she placed his/her work throughout the day. The completed papers were later put into book bags to take home. Individual desks were used by students in both of the 4th grade classes. The more structured of the two classes placed the desks in a U-shape, with girls on each side and the boys across the bottom facing the teachers desk. The desks were lined in straight rows, with students required to sit properly in their seats. Students were continually being told to, Sit on your pockets to stop them from putting their legs underneath them in the chairs.

In stark contrast, the desks in the other 4th grade class were all facing toward the teacher. They were strewn about the room in whatever fashion the students wanted them to be. Some students had lots of space between their desks, while others--mainly the girls--had their desks butted right up against each other. Many students were sitting on their legs in their chairs, but the teacher never reprimanded them for it. One of the 4th grade teachers was a man. I spoke with him about how relaxed I found his class to be. He told me that he doesnt sweat the small stuff, as long as the students come to class prepared to learn. His students seem to really enjoy his class, and I can tell that they like him very much. During a math lesson, the male teacher noticed that some of the students did not appear to understand. He moved them to chairs located directly in front of his desk to focus more attention on them. Once the students understood the lesson, they went back to their desks. He has a no tolerance rule of students making fun of other students getting help in class. He said it has made a world of difference in students not feeling embarrassed about raising their hands for help. Whenever there are small amounts of down time, he reads to the class from a particular series of books. To keep the students interested in the story, he sometimes stops reading and asks the class what they think is going to happen next. Everyone is eager to give their opinion. One student continued to get up from his desk during the reading of the story. Without skipping a beat, and using his own voice, the teacher said, Please sit down and quit walking around, said Mr. Banta. Then, using a voice from the character of the story, he said, I wholeheartedly agree! It was fun to watch him incorporate his discipline into the story without ever stopping. He was able to get the child to sit down without disrupting the entire class.

3. Think about classroom management plan used by the teacher.

I saw several types of discipline being used throughout the day by teachers, administrators and even lunch room staff. Rules were repeated many times. Some teachers would call a child out by name, while others would address the class as a whole. All teachers had reward programs in place. Some passed out small pieces of candy or toys found in penny, gumball machines. One kindergarten teacher gave tokens to students who were behaving properly. The students saved the tokens in small containers in their storage cubbies and could buy gifts with them on Friday. If they were later caught misbehaving, they had to return a token to the teacher. In both of the 4th grade classes, the teachers used wall posters with each students name on it. A pocket was located under their names for placing a brightly, colored card into it each time a student misbehaves. The cards are approximately a 4x4 square, and can be seen from across the room. It was obvious to all students who had been bad that day. When other students receive rewards like extra recess time, the students with

colored cards in their slots have to sit on the sidewalk and watch. It was interesting to see the different methods that the teachers used to control their classrooms. One kindergarten teacher used positive phrases like, I like how Tommy is sitting quietly with his hands in his lap, to encourage her students to mimic his good behavior. The 4th grade teacher rang a little bell when his students got carried away. He told them, voices off, and they immediately sat quietly in their chairs, prepared for whatever he said next. The other 4th grade teacher ran a much more structured class. To get her students to be quiet, she very firmly said, Close your mouth, because I dont want to hear you. Both methods worked, but I prefer one over the other.

4. Observe how classroom routines affect the teaching and learning environment.
I liked the system the kindergarten teacher used to determine how many students would be eating school lunches and how many brought lunch from home. The children had little animal cutouts with their names on them. They attached their Velcro-backed animals onto a poster, designating whether they were buying or brought their lunch. That teacher hung posters around the room to help her organize things. Her chore poster included things like holding doors open or taking papers to the office. She assigned students to do the tasks each day, and they had fun looking for their name on the list. Another person who had assigned tasks was the teachers aide. She was very helpful when students came to class late, or when the students were getting ready for the bus. The students had a fire drill on the first day of my observation. The PE teacher informed the Kindergarten students what would happen and where they were to go when the alarm sounded. I wasnt able to observe the little ones during the drill because I had to leave for my 4th grade class observation. The students in the 4th grade class were given no warning, and were all surprised when the alarm sounded. The teacher told them to quickly get up and go outside. Once all students were safely out of the room, the teacher turned out the light and shut the door. Another teacher checked the restrooms to be sure that no students were left inside the building. Once outside, all students were told to get in lines according to their classes. They stood like that until the all clear had been sounded. It was a smooth process, but I did not see a system in place to account for each child. I felt that a roll call should have been taken to be sure that every single child had made it outside. Maybe they do have that system in place for real emergencies, and they dont do it for drills. If so, they should take the few minutes to practice it anyway. I didnt see any teachers with a list of student names in their hands. I know in a real emergency the teachers might panic and may not think about getting the list. But if they practiced it every time they had a drill, they would be more likely to remember the list in a real emergency.