Observation of a 2nd Grade Classroom - Assignment Example

The first element that I believed brought an element of respect and rapport was that the teacher never spoke down to the students, and rather encouraged the students to ‘speak their mind’. For example, the teacher asked the students what color did they thought the planet Mars was. Even though some students answered incorrectly they were applauded for speaking up and making a good guess.2. What rituals and routines do you notice that establish a culture for learning?One of the most important themes that emerged was that there seemed to be a ritual to some activities that seemed to create some anticipation amongst the students.

For example, the teacher would use collaborative learning techniques such as group work. It was clear that the students enjoyed working in groups, so there was some incentive for the students to behave and learn the lesson so that they could begin the activities together.3. How does the organization of the room attribute to successful and/or limited classroom management?In the classroom that I observed, the chairs were arranged in a semi-circle pattern so that students were never overly obstructed from the teachers' gaze.

Moreover, there were five special education students who were paired off near the front of the classroom so that they could get extra attention from the teacher (If needed), and generally, the room had an equal distribution of the sexes. So from this perspective, there was little or no opportunity for certain problem areas to emerge.5. How does the teacher ensure that communication between the teacher and students is clear and accurate?The teacher always used clear language. For example I noticed that the teacher I observed never used the term “Ummmm, maybe” rather the teacher would use the words “Correct” or “I don’t think so” Moreover the teacher always encouraged the students to speak up yet when a student would say something incorrect they would be not be chastised.

This helped encourage a free exchange of ideas between the teacher and students.6. What type of questioning techniques and discussion techniques are used during the lesson?In terms of questioning techniques, the teacher-directed a number of questions to the group as a whole and would ask for feedback. However, the teacher would also direct the same question to the whole class and encouraged students to “Turn to your neighbor” and determine the best answer between the two of them. Finally, there was a lot of group discussion where the students had to work on sheets as a team.

This way the teacher could address all of the small groups and then see which students needed the most attention.7. How are students engaged throughout the lesson, specifically during the anticipatory set?Overall the students were very engaged throughout the lesson. In fact, the teacher was able to create so much anticipation in the students that at some time it looked as though they were on the verge of frenzy. Moreover, it was also pleasant to see the diverse classroom work together on the lesson plan.

During the anticipatory set, students seemed to be a little too eager to dive into the activity and as such may not have been focusing on the work at hand however after seeing their answer response I am convinced that they did indeed gain all of the relevant information.8. What are some types of feedback you notice during the lesson?From the students there was not so much vocalized constructive feedback, they were much more apt to communicate their feedback though groans and excited grunts. However, the teacher was excellent at giving feedback to the students.9. How does the teacher demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness?

The teacher was able to demonstrate these attributes with the students through seamlessly addressing the needs of special needs students when they were working in small groups. Next, the teacher was able to demonstrate responsiveness by adding constructive and interesting points to the small groups to engage the students with information that they would respond to.10. What specific instruction strategies are present in the lesson? Are these effective and appropriate for the content, age of students, and ability levels?

Ultimately the teacher utilized brainstorming and circle learning techniques. I would have thought that this would have been a bit too advanced for the students (who I expected would be likely to misbehave when given the opportunity to work with their friends) however the result was the students were engaged and generally well behaved.11. Are transitions between activities effective? What types of assessment do the teacher use before, during, and after the lesson?The transitions between circle learning and small groupthink sessions were seamless, as the students were excited to work in small groups and complete their activities.

To assess whether or not the students grasped the lesson on the planets and establishing that the sun was a star was achieved through the teacher observing the work of every single student in the class and verifying that they understood the planet order. This effectively established that the students were working well during and after the lesson.