Juggling two jobs while attending school full-time hasn't allowed for me to conduct more than three observations. However, I feel that I have gained valuable insight into the reality of life in the classroom and the teaching profession. I also expect to continue to develop and improve upon my teaching abilities as I progress through the Bachelor of Education program.
My final observation occurred at Gateway Christian School, which is located down the hill from my house in a neighborhood of mixed dwellings, both modern and traditional. While walking past the melody of old and new houses, I contemplated what I would observe at Gateway - a school that is modern in it's location but traditional in it's values and beliefs. I am not a practicing member of the Christian faith, so the religious aspect of Gateway intrigued me. I wondered how Christianity would be incorporated into the curriculum?
I didn't have long to wonder, as I was immediately assigned to the grade 4 class team taught by Mrs. Neilson and Mr. Kanenborg. The class began it's day with an exercise referred to as "Bible Warm Up". In this activity students were required to answer questions about a certain passage from the Bible. The teachers emphasized self and peer evaluation, but patrolled the class for students seeking additional assistance. The classroom walls were plastered with a myriad of Christian teachings that followed the school's mission of "...providing a Christ-centered education in which students are encouraged to serve God joyfully, in all areas of life."
Following the daily "Bible Warm Up" exercise, students gathered at the front of room, where four stools had been placed for the two teachers, myself and my fellow classmate, Jamie. Students were permitted to ask questions pertaining to the schedule of their classes that day, as well as anything else that was weighing on their minds. Students also asked questions of myself and Jamie, relating to our experiences as student teachers. It was a very warm, positive and loving experience.
Once the question session was completed, students watched a video that explained the difference between Biblical and modern Israel. Jamie and I were assigned to another class during the video.
While we walked the halls to our next observation, I noticed that the walls were filled with various tenets of the Christian faith. Students were encouraged to conduct themselves in a manner that closely resembled what was expected of them by God. This encouragement was reiterated in each of the classrooms I entered, and occasionally by the teachers. I am unsure if there is a correlation between the atmosphere of respect and the Christian beliefs promoted by the school, but I felt that the learning environment was vastly different than that of my previous observation placements.
Friday, 15 April 2016
Observation # 2 Westpark Middle School
The morning air was frosty but the atmosphere within the school walls at Westpark Middle School was frostier and chilled me to core...
After reporting to administration, I began my observations in Ms. Leah Deschenes' Grade 6 English Language Arts (ELA) class. The class began with a review of the five points about quotations. During the review, Ms. Deschenes repeatedly reprimanded students for speaking without raising their hands. Following the review, the teacher further reprimanded students regarding incomplete/missing assignments. Students did not seem to respond favorably to the continual scolding from their teacher, as noise levels remained loud through out the lectures. I felt that the teacher's method of dealing with disruptive behavior and unfinished homework was ineffective and negative. Although it may have been too late for the teacher to implement strategies to prevent such behavior (best done during the start of the term), I felt that there were more effective methods of intervention. Instead of wasting her words and energy repeating her command for students to be quiet, perhaps she could have stood by the talkative students and conducted the lesson standing next to them. A more direct approach could have been to stop speaking altogether and wait for the class to quiet down on their own before commencing with the lesson. If such strategies failed to calm the class, I think it would be acceptable to employ an extreme strategy such as leading a serious discussion with students as to why it is inappropriate to conduct themselves in that manner, and reiterate the consequences of continuing with their behavior. Brainstorming ways to handle disruptive behavior with students ensures that the consequences for breaking the rules are clear and understood by all students.
Once the Ms. Deschenes finally regained control of the class, she had students break into groups of five for group reading, also referred to as Literary Circles. Students took turns reading passages of their novels to the other members of their group. While conducting their reading, students were required to identify various figures of speech, recording their findings in their Literary Circle booklets. Prior to the commencement of group work, the teacher reviewed the figures of speech the class had studied up to that point in the course. Students worked diligently, occasionally seeking assistance from the teacher for clarification on specific figures of speech. Noise levels seldom reached the level witnessed at the start of class, although it was necessary for the teacher to remind a handful of students to focus on their work instead of chatting about unrelated nonsense.
I spent the next two classes observing a grade 6 and 7 math classes. Both classes experienced disruptive behavior similar to that in Ms. Deschenes grade 6 ELA class. I did not observe coping mechanisms that differed greatly from those employed by Ms. Deschenes. It seemed to me that there was a massive lack of classroom management skills on the part of the teachers I observed. I felt that the teachers had either given up on trying to control their classes or had simply become burnt out/detached by their previous efforts, and let the class descend into chaos. I did not feel that their repeated shouting at students to be quiet was effective nor appropriate since the cooperation on the part of students was limited and short-lived. There was a definite absence of respect between students and the teachers.
My observations at Westpark Middle school were not positive nor useful in developing effective teaching skills, expect to perhaps exemplify how NOT to manage a classroom.
After reporting to administration, I began my observations in Ms. Leah Deschenes' Grade 6 English Language Arts (ELA) class. The class began with a review of the five points about quotations. During the review, Ms. Deschenes repeatedly reprimanded students for speaking without raising their hands. Following the review, the teacher further reprimanded students regarding incomplete/missing assignments. Students did not seem to respond favorably to the continual scolding from their teacher, as noise levels remained loud through out the lectures. I felt that the teacher's method of dealing with disruptive behavior and unfinished homework was ineffective and negative. Although it may have been too late for the teacher to implement strategies to prevent such behavior (best done during the start of the term), I felt that there were more effective methods of intervention. Instead of wasting her words and energy repeating her command for students to be quiet, perhaps she could have stood by the talkative students and conducted the lesson standing next to them. A more direct approach could have been to stop speaking altogether and wait for the class to quiet down on their own before commencing with the lesson. If such strategies failed to calm the class, I think it would be acceptable to employ an extreme strategy such as leading a serious discussion with students as to why it is inappropriate to conduct themselves in that manner, and reiterate the consequences of continuing with their behavior. Brainstorming ways to handle disruptive behavior with students ensures that the consequences for breaking the rules are clear and understood by all students.
Once the Ms. Deschenes finally regained control of the class, she had students break into groups of five for group reading, also referred to as Literary Circles. Students took turns reading passages of their novels to the other members of their group. While conducting their reading, students were required to identify various figures of speech, recording their findings in their Literary Circle booklets. Prior to the commencement of group work, the teacher reviewed the figures of speech the class had studied up to that point in the course. Students worked diligently, occasionally seeking assistance from the teacher for clarification on specific figures of speech. Noise levels seldom reached the level witnessed at the start of class, although it was necessary for the teacher to remind a handful of students to focus on their work instead of chatting about unrelated nonsense.
I spent the next two classes observing a grade 6 and 7 math classes. Both classes experienced disruptive behavior similar to that in Ms. Deschenes grade 6 ELA class. I did not observe coping mechanisms that differed greatly from those employed by Ms. Deschenes. It seemed to me that there was a massive lack of classroom management skills on the part of the teachers I observed. I felt that the teachers had either given up on trying to control their classes or had simply become burnt out/detached by their previous efforts, and let the class descend into chaos. I did not feel that their repeated shouting at students to be quiet was effective nor appropriate since the cooperation on the part of students was limited and short-lived. There was a definite absence of respect between students and the teachers.
My observations at Westpark Middle school were not positive nor useful in developing effective teaching skills, expect to perhaps exemplify how NOT to manage a classroom.
Thursday, 14 April 2016
Observation # 1 LTCHS
The red and brown brick exterior of Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School loomed large in the distance. As I approached the parking lot I could hear the thumping beats of the latest offerings from Justin Bieber and Iggy Azalea, courtesy of a nearby group of students huddled at their vehicles, awaiting the first bell sounding the start of another school day. Although I was initially intimidated by the prospect of being around students nearly 20 years my junior, I soon realized that my fear was unfounded, as a girl with multi-colored hair and facial piercings held the front door open for me with a welcoming smile on her face.
Having successfully navigated the school grounds and parking lot, my next challenge was to locate the office to report for my observation. I managed to arrive at the office on time, and was soon assigned to the Language Arts classroom of Ms. Lisa Olesen.
Ms. Olesen's classroom was located in the farthest corner of the north-east corridor of the first floor. Upon entrance into the classroom, I was immediately greeted by a warm smile and firm handshake from Ms. Olesen, who promptly introduced me to the students, explained my presence, and implored the class to remain respectful and well-behaved for the duration of my visit. Observing the students assured me that such a reminder was unnecessary as all of the students were quietly seated, facing the teacher, and prepared to commence the warm-up activity I had briefly interrupted during my arrival.
The Grade 11 students began their nearly 80 minute class with a daily activity called "The Mug Shot". This activity required students to provide feedback on how to correct the errors in a sentence from a previous student's work (which was referred to as a "mug shot") that was projected onto the smart board. The offending mug shot of the day was of a run-on sentence. A sea of raised hands indicated that the students were confident in their understanding of various language arts concepts, including the run-on sentence. The activity further served to develop and improve the writing skills of students. The learning environment was one of positivity, respect and mutual affection between the students and their teacher.
Following the warm-up activity, students were instructed to gather into groups to continue their work on a project for a literary piece by Edgar Allan Poe, entitled "The Cask of Amontillado". Students were permitted to work in the classroom, or in adjacent hallways and the library, which suggested a high level of trust between the teacher and her students. Ms. Olesen periodically checked on the groups of students to answer questions about the short story and/or the assignment, which was a re-telling of the story from the perspective of various characters. The group project consumed the remaining 70 minutes of class.
The grade 11 class was followed by a 45 minute period known as "Flex Time". During this period students were permitted to catch up on homework, visit with teachers to receive assistant on assignments/course material, or simply relax. This was a relatively new addition to the high school schedule, and preliminary findings demonstrated a significant increase of high school completion rates and a decrease in student stress levels. I was thoroughly impressed by the initiative of the school to tackle the issues of high school drop-outs and student anxiety.
The final class of the morning was a grade 9 honors class. Ms. Olesen began the class by reviewing previously assigned homework . The rest of the class was devoted to the continuation of the movie-adaptation of the novel, "Stardust". The novel was chosen to explore the fantasy genre. The movie was intermittently paused to discuss the theme of the story and types of characters observed by students. The use of media to reinforce student learning and understanding is a tactic I plan on utilizing in my future classrooms, as I believe that it is an effective way to engage students and assist them in achieving their learning goals.
The ease with which Ms. Olesen managed her classroom was admirable and inspiring. While remaining professional at all times, Ms. Olesen conveyed warmth, passion and a sincere dedication to both her students and her subject matter. My observations of her classroom served to solidify my desire to one day become a high school Language Arts instructor.
Having successfully navigated the school grounds and parking lot, my next challenge was to locate the office to report for my observation. I managed to arrive at the office on time, and was soon assigned to the Language Arts classroom of Ms. Lisa Olesen.
Ms. Olesen's classroom was located in the farthest corner of the north-east corridor of the first floor. Upon entrance into the classroom, I was immediately greeted by a warm smile and firm handshake from Ms. Olesen, who promptly introduced me to the students, explained my presence, and implored the class to remain respectful and well-behaved for the duration of my visit. Observing the students assured me that such a reminder was unnecessary as all of the students were quietly seated, facing the teacher, and prepared to commence the warm-up activity I had briefly interrupted during my arrival.
The Grade 11 students began their nearly 80 minute class with a daily activity called "The Mug Shot". This activity required students to provide feedback on how to correct the errors in a sentence from a previous student's work (which was referred to as a "mug shot") that was projected onto the smart board. The offending mug shot of the day was of a run-on sentence. A sea of raised hands indicated that the students were confident in their understanding of various language arts concepts, including the run-on sentence. The activity further served to develop and improve the writing skills of students. The learning environment was one of positivity, respect and mutual affection between the students and their teacher.
Following the warm-up activity, students were instructed to gather into groups to continue their work on a project for a literary piece by Edgar Allan Poe, entitled "The Cask of Amontillado". Students were permitted to work in the classroom, or in adjacent hallways and the library, which suggested a high level of trust between the teacher and her students. Ms. Olesen periodically checked on the groups of students to answer questions about the short story and/or the assignment, which was a re-telling of the story from the perspective of various characters. The group project consumed the remaining 70 minutes of class.
The grade 11 class was followed by a 45 minute period known as "Flex Time". During this period students were permitted to catch up on homework, visit with teachers to receive assistant on assignments/course material, or simply relax. This was a relatively new addition to the high school schedule, and preliminary findings demonstrated a significant increase of high school completion rates and a decrease in student stress levels. I was thoroughly impressed by the initiative of the school to tackle the issues of high school drop-outs and student anxiety.
The final class of the morning was a grade 9 honors class. Ms. Olesen began the class by reviewing previously assigned homework . The rest of the class was devoted to the continuation of the movie-adaptation of the novel, "Stardust". The novel was chosen to explore the fantasy genre. The movie was intermittently paused to discuss the theme of the story and types of characters observed by students. The use of media to reinforce student learning and understanding is a tactic I plan on utilizing in my future classrooms, as I believe that it is an effective way to engage students and assist them in achieving their learning goals.
The ease with which Ms. Olesen managed her classroom was admirable and inspiring. While remaining professional at all times, Ms. Olesen conveyed warmth, passion and a sincere dedication to both her students and her subject matter. My observations of her classroom served to solidify my desire to one day become a high school Language Arts instructor.
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