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English 202A
Mr. Henne
February 4, 2008
INTRODUCTION:
The topic for this observation paper is an elementary classroom setting. A second
grade teacher and her class were observed for about one hour. I chose this subject
because I currently attend school for elementary education, and because second grade is
one of the grades that I am interested in teaching in the future. When observing in the
classroom I was looking for a number of things. I wanted to see how the students
interacted with each other during different situations such as small group activities and
classroom discussions. I was also looking for how the students responded to the
teacher’s different teaching styles and attitude toward the different subject matter. I
hoped to learn during my observation what type of teaching styles work best with
different subject matter and how well students work together in groups at such a young
age.
METHOD:
Subjects:
The teacher that was observed was a female in her mid twenties. She has been
teaching second grade for the past three years. Her classroom consists of a wide variety
of students. The classroom has a mix of seven and eight year olds. There are more boys
than girls in the classroom as well. The class is made up of twelve boys and eight girls
coming from several different races. The class contains Caucasians, African Americans,
and Hispanic students. The students come from a variety of socioeconomic statuses as
well. Some come from families that are in poverty while others come from families that
Setting:
For the observation I was in an elementary classroom. It was very bright and well
decorated by the teacher. The room had drawings on the wall that students had made for
the teacher, an area for a student of the week, and a large carpeted area for reading time
for the students. The room also had colorful letters of the alphabet hanging from the
ceiling and a spot marked off on the chalkboard where the students would place a magnet
of their name under if they packed or were getting the school meal for lunch.
The teacher’s desk was placed in the back of the classroom so that she could see
all of the students from her desk. The children’s desks were placed in squares making
little groups containing four students each. During the observation I sat in the back of the
classroom at an extra desk that the teacher kept next to hers. This way I could see the
entire classroom and the reading area, since they used both areas while I was observing.
Procedures:
In order to select my subject of study I first thought of what all I could observe
that would incorporate with my academic interest. Once I decided that I wanted to
observe a teacher and their classroom it was very simple to set up. I already have to tutor
at a school for another class so I set up to observe for an hour at that school after my
tutoring session.
OBSERVATIONS:
During the hour observation I observed many different things in the classroom.
When I first got there they were in the middle of taking a spelling test. The teacher
would repeat the word several times when giving the exam and then use it in a simple
sentence that the children would understand. The children were surprisingly silent the
entire time. After that she collected all of the spelling tests and got ready to give the
The way that the teacher gave out the spelling words was by writing them on an
overhead projector and spelling them out as she wrote them. As the children copied the
words down in to their spelling books some talked amongst themselves and others were
repeating the letters as the teacher spelled out the words. The teacher had to tell a few
children that were talking amongst themselves to pay attention a few times, but always
did it in a pleasant tone. Once all the words were copied down she read through the list
two times and had the students repeat the entire words so that they learned to pronounce
them. It took a few times of her pushing the students to repeat the words after her until
Next the teacher made a smooth transition on to math. Before starting on the
new lesson for the day she first went over the homework for the night before. To create a
small activity and get a mix of students involved in the classroom she picked ten students
go up to the board and put their homework problems up. She first picked students that
wanted to go up to the board and then picked students who weren’t as eager and a little
shy. Once the problems were up on the board they started to go over the homework.
First she would have the student that put up the problem read it out loud and then she
would ask who got the same answer. A majority of the students would raise their hand
each time. Some of them would get extremely excited when they had the same answer as
the board and jump up and down in their seats. A few of the students she had to tell to
settle down because they became too rowdy. Then after the students would put their
hands down she would ask the few other students who got different answers what
answers they got. She would then try to explain to them why the other answer was the
correct answer. At the end of going over homework she collected it, and then began the
new lesson.
As she taught the new lesson she would ask the entire class questions and have
them respond with the answers. She also had students come up to the board and help her
with the math problems as well. Most of the students seemed to pay attention and
participate during the lesson. The lesson only lasted about fifteen minutes. At the end of
the lesson she handed out the homework for the next day. It consisted of ten problems
The last thing I observed before I finished my observation was story time. All the
children rushed over to the large carpet. One student started to run over and the teacher
yelled at him in a very stern voice to stop running and walk. Once all the students were
situated the teacher came over and sat down in the corner of the story area. She read
them a story called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The
students were quiet the whole time she read the book. They starred at her intensely as she
read to them and showed them the pictures in the book. Some would raise hands while
she was reading and ask questions about the story. The teacher always took all of the
I was very surprised how quiet the students were during their spelling test. I
thought that some of them may try to talk during the test but they did not. It seems that
they have begun to understand that during certain activities you need to be quiet and just
do your work. I liked the way that she gave the spelling test. I think that it is a good idea
so say the work several times and then say it in a sentence. I imagine it helps the children
out a great deal to hear it numerous times. At the same time I think the same is true with
how she gave them their new list of words. Repeating them and having them say the
words after her are a good way for the students to become familiar with the spelling
words.
Next when she did the math lesson I was just as impressed. I have learned from
my educational psychology textbook that getting children involved and interacting with
them is a great way to stimulate their brains and get them to learn more. That is exactly
what the teacher did in math class. She got students up to the board and had the entire
class participating when going over the homework. It also helped to keep their attention
by making them involved in the lesson. I’m sure that by having them interact during the
math lesson it helped to make the material more clear and that the students picked up on
Lastly, I really agree with having story time when it comes to teaching young
children. It helps to open up children’s minds and let them become more imaginative.
Theorists Vygotsky and Piaget both see reading as a way to stimulate the mind.
Vygotsky feels that children learn from interaction with people, mainly by language. As
they hear the words they begin to understand them and are able to use them themselves.
Piaget also agrees with language development and says that it is just as important and a
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion I’m really glad I did this observation. It really helped me learn a
lot. I got to see different ways to get the students involved in the class during lessons, and
how to teach short lessons so that the students do not become bored. It also helped me
see that second grade is definitely a grade that I want to consider teaching. The students
are energetic and like to be involved in the class, however at the same time they are
beginning to understand that sometimes they need to be quiet and listen to the authority
figure.
The only thing that I would maybe do differently if I had to observe again is
maybe observe the class for a little longer than one hour. That way I could see how they
act as they go through the day and begin to become tired. That way I could see if their
attitudes toward the classroom change at all. In the end I feel like the observation ended
up being a success. I got to observe teaching styles and see how students reacted to them
just like I wanted to. Observing in a classroom is definitely something I would be willing
to do again.