The Observation Was On Math

Before doing my observations I decided that I would use the narrative technique. A narrative assessment involves recording things as and when they happen in detail, over a period of between 10 and 20 minutes. I decided to use this technique as they can be used frequently without the children noticing too much. The only disadvantage could be that you may miss key observations as you are busy writing things down.

During the months of September and October this semester I spent time at two different schools in four different classrooms. Being able to observe different classes and teachers at Westside Junior High and South Live Oak Elementary was a very new and exciting experience for me since I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. My experiences at these schools gave me a better insight into the differences between schools, classrooms, and teachers. The purpose of this field experience was to get 10 observation or tutoring hours in an elementary or junior high setting. I chose to observe a

* Observe and record certain elements of the pupil’s academic work therefore taking some pressure off the teacher having to complete all observations themselves.

It is important to ensure that we meet the need of the students on every level. One effective way to do this is to observe, assess, and record children’s efforts and progress. In this way, an educator can prepare to help a child’s progression in the class. Being able to track and refer to the progress of a child helps to ensure greater levels of success. In the end, our program is only as successful as the children in our care. Record keeping can identify areas that need improvement, and allows us to teach to their strong points.

My observation for the spring semester was placed at Pine Richland High School. I was able to watch over John Dolphin’s twelfth grade British literature course. John Dolphin has been teaching at Pine Richland for the past eighteen years. I went to observe his class three times. Two out of three of those visits I was able to be at the school all day long to really get the feel of the way it is like to be at the school all day and seeing the difference of his eight classes. Throughout my time there I learned different strategies on how to keep the students involved, the way that a school of this size is ran, and the difference of how John taught compared to my previous observation teacher.

At 1:00 p.m. I entered into Evoline C. West Elementary school on Thursday, July 12 2012 for an interview with Mrs. Yolanda Lawrence. As I entered the classroom, I was greeted by Mrs. Lawrence, the head teacher in this classroom. Mrs. Lawrence has no assistant at this present because of it being in the summer. After I entered into the classroom, the entire class welcomed me with “hello Ms. Flournoy”. It made my day to see all of those smiley faces greeting me. This was a 2nd grade classroom which consisted of 17 students of which 8 were girls and 9 were boys. This interview and observation was a total of 2

At Arts-Based School I did my observation in Leni Fragakis’s third grade class. This was the first observation I had done since learning about instructional design. Since learning it, I now have a new way of observing, I pay more attention to the teacher; how she implemented the lessons, what strategies she uses, and the types of assessments she uses. This gives me a better experience because before I was just paying attention to what the students were doing and their part in the classroom and now I am paying attention to so much more. Even though it is important to watch the kids, I now also know how important it is to observe the teacher, too. I was also able to observe what I am learning in class be used in the classroom.

Observations and assessments can help the teacher plan activities that take into account the individual needs of the children. They also show how a child is developing. In my setting the teacher uses observations when planning and we complete narrative observations on a daily basis.

I observed the preschool classroom of Ms. K. Today was a smaller group, as several children are on vacation. This is a new facility and just the host teacher was in there at this time. I came into the classroom at 8:00 and left at 9:00. I spoke with the host teacher before and after the observation for feedback, which I felt was beneficial to both her and me. I observed the children during inside for 20 minutes. I observed the children during outside play for 40 minutes.

Jackson’s dry erase board already has the date printed for the children to write in their workbook pages. After the routine of sharpening pencils and passing around erasers, she begins engaging her students by saying, “Okay! Today we are going to study…” On the other hand, she orally assesses their recollection by asking, “Does anyone remember where we left off from our last class?” Either way, Mrs. Jackson’s students are always ready to learn by responding with excitement and demonstrating their attention level from previous classes. She maintains a humble presence in the entire school, not as an individual who provides intervention and diagnostic data, but as a nurturing instructor that encourages and motivates her students.

By talking to colleagues about what happened in the classroom, not only may we find solutions to problems but also share and broaden our teaching experience. (Brookfield, 1995; p.31-36).

I made a documentation board about an activity we did in the classroom. The activity was about using acorns to measure our bodies. I had the children guess how many acorns tall they would be and created a graph. On one side of the graph it said “prediction” and on the other side it said “actual”. The children each had a partner while doing the activity. One child laid on the floor, while the other child measured them with acorns and counted one by one. When they were finished measuring, we went over to the graph to write the result and then switched. On the documentation poster, I made sure I included all the children’s pictures, the graph we made, the children’s words, and the correct developmentally appropriate standard so that parents could

In an early childhood setting, being observant gives professionals and family members a helpful portrait of the children in their care, and as future professionals it helps us see how intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development occurs in children. Observing, documenting, and assessing young children shows how they progress from one stage to the next or when there is a delay in progression. The reason we observe young children is that “there is so much that demands attention and response; at the same time, by building in systematic observation, teachers can improve their teaching, construct theory, assess children, assist families, and solve problems” (Gordon and Browne, p.180). It gives dynamic information about each child’s learning styles, interests, abilities, and needs. Observation helps teachers improve teaching by making them become more objective and self-aware of biases they may have. It encourages us to remember that early childhood development is highly individualized, so customizing activities to benefit each child will help them utilize their abilities to their fullest potentials, and through this we will be able to recognize what behaviors are typical of various age groups. The reason we document our observations is so that we can keep records and show proper evidence of each child’s individual growth and participation in classroom activities. With good documentation, family members will able to see the progression made by their child.

Conducting classroom observations are very important to the prospective teacher. Observing helps show how experienced teachers manage their classroom. For this observation it was important to notice how the classroom was arranged, how the teacher interacted with the students, the teacher’s management style, and interview the teacher.

Observation is something that educators do carefully to gain information about young children. Documentation is the process of collecting evidence that serves as a record. When teachers observe the young children, it provides the information that the teachers need to build relationships with individual children and enable them to be successful learners. The best way the teachers should learn about children by carefully watching them, listening to them and studying their work. When the teachers are watching and listening to children helps us understand what they are feeling, learning and thinking. Observation is an excellent way to track children’s