Payton Lupu

Edc 230
Observation #3

Freshman History
PEDAGOGY

Teaching Practices
a. Teacher directed learning
1. On the day I observed this classroom. It was mostly
teacher directed. As a large group they watched a video
about the American Revolution and took notes as they
watched it. After the video was done Mr. Lincoln asked the
students two questions and asked them to work quietly on
them for about five minutes. When they were done, Mr.
Lincoln asked one of the students to read their answer. I
thought that he did a very good job at feeding off the
students answers. He was quick to generate another
question from the discussion topics.
2. The only small group work that I witnessed was about five
to ten minutes at the end of the class period. After
watching another video on the French revolution, the
students were asked to compare and contrast the French
and American Revolution. He asked the students to talk
quietly amongst their table which seated four students. He
walked around the room to listen to discussion and keep
the students on task.
b. Student Directed learning
1. In the class I observed, there was little student directed learning.
After talking to Mr. Lincoln I realized that that day was a lecture
day. The next day the students would participate in an activity
where they have to think for themselves and create slogans for
revolutionary leaders. Mr. Lincoln would provide masks and
depending on the role each leader played in the revolution, the
students would have to create a fitting slogan.
2. There was no play based learning.
c. Mixed Methods
1. I enjoyed Mr. Lincolns teaching style. It was very different than
what you would find in an early childhood classroom because the
students generally know how to behave and what is expected of
them. He first started with a video, then transitioned into class

discussion. He then provided another video for the students and

once again discussed that video. Then in small groups, he asked
the students to compare the two videos. He also said that he
does group projects in the class.
Room Arrangement
A. The room seemed small. There were seven sets of student tables
with four students at each. There was a white board and smart
board at the front and to the right of it was the teacher desk. On the
other side of the room along the wall was a book shelf for storage.
Hanging on the walls were flags, posters, and student work. It
seemed very plain compared to the early childhood rooms I am
used to being in.
B. I feel that the room is conducive for learning at the freshman level. I
know there is little one can do about the size of the room, but I do
believe that if the students had more room, they would feel more
comfortable. The room was cold when I was there and I thought that
was uncomfortable, but Mr. Lincoln and his students discussed how
it was colder than usual, so I dont believe that it is a usual
occurance.
Transitions
a. In one class period there were approximately four transitions. Mr.
Lincoln transitioned from the video to lecture/discussion, then asked
the kids to stand for voting as opposed to raising their hands
because it was a morning class and they seemed tired. I liked that
because it is a way of getting the students moving without actually
stopping the class. He then transitioned into another video, then
class discussion, and lastly small group work.
b. I believe that for a high school freshman class the transitions were
appropriate. Mr. Lincoln did not give the students time to get bored
with the lesson because he changed up his teaching styles so the
students would not drift off.
Classroom Guidelines for Behavior
a. Students know the behavior expectations. They have been in school
for many years and know when it is appropriate to behave in certain
ways and when it is not. Mr. Lincoln did a good job of forming a
relationship with his students that he can be fun, but professional
and the students know when to have fun and when to pay attention
and focus. No rules are posted, but Mr. Lincoln said that it only takes
about a week or two for his students to get adjusted to procedures
in the classroom.
Interactions

a. Mr. Lincoln is the only adult in the classroom on a regular basis. He

has a placement student who comes in about five hours a week. He
forms a very good relationship with his students and genuinely
cares about them. He also keeps his relationships with students
very professional. He seems to make the students feel comfortable
with him and they are not afraid to approach him with questions or
concerns.
b. I liked what I saw when I was there. He interacts so well with the
students. The students respect him, but are also comfortable joking
with him. They know when it is time to pay attention and be serious,
but are not afraid of confronting Mr. Lincoln with their concerns.

Student Development
Cognitive development: Because the class was mostly lecture based, I did
not see a very wide range in cognitive abilities. It was very hard to pick up on
this in the short class period. I did notice that some students were more apt
to raise their hand to answer questions, but Mr. Lincoln did a good job at
keeping the class balanced with not one or a few students answering all the
questions.

Moral Development: I was not able to observe any moral development.

Physical Development: It appeared that the girls were more physically

developed that the boys in the class. With a couple exceptions, most boys
seemed small in stature. I believe that this is because boys reach puberty
later than girls.

Motor Development: All the students seemed to write well. By that I mean
that they held their pencils like most people do. In a pronate grip and use
smaller muscles to control the pencil. I did not get to witness large motor
skills.
Social Development: The students seemed comfortable talking with Mr.
Lincoln, and comfortable in a social setting. I was not able to observe many
interactions between the students themselves because the entire class
period was dedicated to learning and the lesson Mr. Lincoln prepared.