Classroom Reflection

A general population third grade class was observed to further understand the psychological aspect of teaching. The Title I school classroom observed has sixteen students, eight girls and eight boys, and is almost entirely made up of students from a low socioeconomic status (SES). The desks are arranged with one big horseshoe and two rows of desks inside the horseshoe shape. The teacher has made adjustments to seating assignments and layout due to student behavior and feedback. The class is made up with students eight to nine years old with two students repeating the third grade. Snowman and McCown (2012) highlight that students in this class would be in Erikson’s fourth stage of psychosocial development, industry

This chapter in The Skillful Teacher on classroom climate talks about a lot of different thing that fall under three categories: Community and Mutual Support, Confidence and Risk taking, and Influence and Control. I will speak about how my mentor teacher creates one aspect from each category in her classroom. The first category community and mutual support describes “the degree of inclusion, affiliation and mutual support students feel with one another” (330). I feel that Ms. Curran does good job at creating a classroom climate that values “Group identity and responsibility and interdependence”. Students are working with partner every day during class. Ms. Curran often reminds students that they must work with their partner and to ask their partner questions before they ask her. One example is that during a class I have seen her check in on a partner group and see that one student know the answer and the other is asking about that same question. She will walk away and tell them to ask their partner. This is also very clear during activities like discovery where students are figuring thing out for themselves before it is taught to them in formal way. They only have their partner to ask question and figure things out with Ms. Curran and myself purposefully try to not be very helpful. So like the jigsaw, discovery’s “structure forces interdependence because students must rely on their peers to learn certain material” (334)

Students in the classroom come from a variety of backgrounds. Their lives are shaped by their families, their communities, but also their peers in school whom they will spend hours a day with throughout their educational career. The ability to form relationships with others, to create lasting friendships that grow and evolve with time, is detrimental to all children and their development. Lacking the ability to do so, whether it is directly because of their conditions or because of how other students perceive them, can dramatically harm them emotionally and mentally.

I believe that I am proficient in establishing a classroom setting that calls upon the students to learn in an individual and collaborative manner. I believe that I have sufficiently encouraged positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation. I have shown this in learning activities that have been presented to the students. An example of this would be with the placard assignment, which had the students fill out a sheet that corresponded to four maps to help them figure out what artifacts certain cultural regions would use. During this learning segment, students would have to be self directed after the directions were given, the students would have to use collaborative skills, and they were all engaged during

John does not socialize with his classmates but he will communicate academically with one student. The seating arrangement was modified to allow these two students to sit adjacent to each other. These changes could foster social communication for John.

I agree with the authors, “It is precisely through information of these kinds of social activities that we identify funds of knowledge that can be used in the classroom to help improve academic development” (Gonzalez, Moll & Amanti, 2005, Pg. 80). We start teaching at the beginning of the school year holding biases towards certain students. Sometimes we heard in the office or teacher lounge that student XYZ is a “nightmare”, we are scared of those students because we are afraid they will ruin our classroom environment. This was my mentality when I first stepped into a classroom as a tutor.

My time spent in the Clinical setting, so far, has been extremely inciteful as to how to become a better educator in a classroom setting. Through the data I collected I was able to connect Borich’s Seven Variables of learning to the students. By being in the clinical setting for nearly two months, I have been exposed to new ways of thinking when it comes to structuring a classroom and instructing a classroom. Within this reflection you will find out how I would better plan an effective lesson for the pupils in my future classroom. You will also discover what I will do about certain issues in the classroom and how I will address/fix them.

Amid this lesson, students will be set in pre-composed gatherings of two. The grouping will be based on the student's pre-test score. The thought is to put a high scoring student with a low scoring student, and together they will work cooperatively. My justification for putting students in this design is very basic. The student who didn't score as well on the pre-test will get assistance from their peer who did. The pair will read and finish their specific role over Franklin Roosevelt's March 9, 1937 Fireside Chat about reorganizing the Supreme Court. The student who scored higher on the pre-test will provide research of the document and read it so everyone can hear. While the student who scored lower on the pre-test will represent what is

In the education world of today, it is understood that one can only be effective in teaching by taking into consideration the different learning styles of students. In a classroom, it is expected that teachers would want their students to acquire a meaningful knowledge base, become proficient problem solvers and learn how to work productively with others (Biehler and Snowman, 2006, p. 370). If this is the case, teachers need to know how to be able to develop this situation in the classroom and make it more conducive to learning. Therefore, it would seem that they need to encourage students to converse with each other with group discussions and assignments, to make sure they are active in

In the observed lesson, the teacher has strategically placed desks in a way that amplifies the potential discussion between the students in the inner circle. The students are able to easily pay attention to the speaker, which enhances retention and allows students to implement active listening in regard to their peers. This is not only found in

Using the skills, such as discussing ideas without attacking the other individual, learned from a classroom discussion similar to Dr. Pratts classroom, students have the potential to develop a mutual understanding of those around them. Understanding others causes the students to better themselves and in turn leads to a more diverse

In order to create an environment of respect and rapport, Mrs. Williams greets her students at the door with a smile and inquires how each student is doing. The classroom interactions among the teacher and students are respectful, caring, and sensitive to students as individuals. Mrs. Williams always takes a few minutes for students to share events from their lives to make them feel important.

Another positive social interaction is that of the planner. Having each child have their own planner and going over how to use it during class gives the student an opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns they might have with the planner. To further this social interaction Mr. Collet sometimes allows the students to help develop the homework procedures for that day. This is an excellent practice and gives the students a since of ownership in their work. When late homework is brought back Mr. Collet sits down with the student and discusses why the assignment is late.

The first stragtey to discuss is her use of effective groupings arrangements. For instance, students are part of a whole group lesson, small group, cooperative activity, and partner work. First, Ms. Sullivan starts the lesson with the whole group seated on the carpet. This is when she introduces both the content and language objectives, discusses the target vocabulary, and explicitly reviews the lesson targets using visuals and modeling. Next, students work in partner groups using a “think, pair, share” strategy. To illustrate, students work together in partner work to discuss how they solve problems. At the end of the lesson, students also work collaboratively in a small group to complete a graphic organizer to reflect on what they learned. These grouping strategies are supported by Lev Vygotsky’s Constructivism theory. According to Vygotsky, discourse and interaction are channels for learning

Teaching can be a challenge, you never know what to expect and each classroom will be unique. However, you will always have to be prepare for teaching in a situation you may not be comfertable with. Educating students and practicing proper knowledge on subjects such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation and disability are vital in creating a safe and respectful classroom for all. School is often looked upon as a place of security for students and it is our job as teachers to help maintain that status.