Child Observation Report

The child observation was held at the Corozal Community College, in a science lab
classroom setting on the 19th July 2016 from 11:10am to 11:40 am since the lessons are only 40
minutes. The tables in the lab where with some in the center and two at the side of the class close
to the window. From the starting of the class the students entered the room and they find their
own way to sit, most of them sat with their friends at the center tables and a few went to the side
tables. Why I choose this scenario is because of a science major I was interested on how to have
all the students more engaged when teaching them. Also some of the common behaviors of what
students do in a particular science session, so that amendments be done when doing a science
lesson. Having the attention of all students is one of the main objectives of all teachers, and as an
observer in this class I saw that many of us as educators have much to learn everyday as we
teach since different cases happen in a lesson. Student sat on some groups around the tables,
some by pairs, threes and the most was of fives. They felt comfortable like that since they sat
with people that they know and were able to work with the people around them.
Students settled down a few minutes after they entered the class room, some running
from students to grab the best chair in the room occurred at the beginning thats why some time
was lost in settling down. The lesson started with all the students focused at what the teacher was
saying in the objectives to be covered in the lesson only a few noticed that I was sitting at the
back of the class. After a few minutes that the class started, I noticed that some of the students
that were sitting at the back to the other side I was sitting started to talk among the little group
that was at the corner of the stable. The little talking was not of a distraction to the rest of the
class since it was barely heard by the other students since the class was very large. The students
at the front were the opposite of the ones from that were sitting at the back. The students at the

front at no time lost focus to what the teacher was teaching. Few moment later other group of
students started to talk at the middle of the room, this group was a little louder that the teacher
had to call their attention. Students had the routines clear in them that every time the student
raise his/her hand was to ask a question to the teacher. They used to bring down their hand until
their question was addressed. Teacher gave instructions to copy down some of the notes that was
presented to them on the board. Most of the students followed to what the teacher said, a few of
them didnt wrote no notes at the first instance when the instruction was given. Even when the
teacher gave a task to write their answers on their note book, a few didnt followed the
instruction that was given. At an instance noticed that one of the students at no point was doing
what he was instructing them, then he walked all the way to teacher and recommended him to do
his work in a nice way. The students started to do his work, although his notes were mixed up in
a note book that had notes from other subjects as well. Then the participation of the answers of
the students to the teacher, a lot of students got distracted easily. The class got a little loud due to
little control of the students since the class discussion was occurring among the students in their
little groups. The students felt good when the teacher told them that the answer was the correct
one, since they were more confident to answer again in the following question. Students were
more eager to participate in the class discussion and answer the questions. Then the students that
were not participating were called out, they also responded the questions right, but were shy to
answer by themselves until they were called to do so. Also during the class discussion was taking
place some of the students were talking in their little groups, but when the teacher used to get
close by the group the student tended to get quiet most of the time or pretended to be discussing
about the lesson. Even when the teacher asked the students to answer a question a few was
because they were not paying attention or were making other things in their little groups, only a

few was due that they were quiet in class. As time was approaching to the end, student were
more eager to get out of the classroom, they were well aware of the time, more than the teacher.
When the buzzer sounded the student packed their bags fast and started to be restless so that the
teacher gave the instruction for them to leave the room. The teacher dismissed the students and
also instructed them to place the chairs on top of the tables, many just ran out of the room
without placing the chair properly like it was instructed.
What I can conclude in this observation, is that student tend to have different behavior
attitudes in a class. Some to be very quiet other to be loud in class and a few to be distracted by
what is happening outside of the classroom. Reasons why students behave in this manner is a lot,
although we can only assume some of the reason and be certain of it, many reasons as well
doesnt not apply to different students at times too. Children are surrounded by many influential
models, such as parents within the family, characters on childrens TV, friends within their peer
group and teachers at school. (McLeod, www.simplypsychology.org, published 2011, updated
2016) Stated by Bandura of social learning, where students behavior is influenced my others that
are closed by. Even what they see in TVs and now at the social media, so they see it works in
there and they try to use it in class at times.
One of the patters that I saw that captured my attention was when the teacher walked around the
class the groups that were talking of other topics got quiet and pretended paying attention to the
class this reminded me of Pavlov theory. He stated the dogs in his lab had learned to associate
food with his lab assistant. (McLeod, www.simplypsychology.org, published 2007, updated
2013) Where the students assimilated the presence of the teacher that is close by that they needed
to stop talking and get focus in their lesson. Also another behavior that I saw was the one of
appraisal to the student like stated in skinner theory of operant condition. He stated that The

operant is the behavior just prior to the reinforcer, which is the food pellet. (Berger, 2005)
Teacher reinforced why they were having the correct answer for the question and as well having
the student be sure of the answer by giving them an appraisal at the end of their response. Those
were a few of the patterns and behavior that I noticed that was liked with what we were studying
in psychology of learning and related to the theories of behaviors in learning in education. Then I
didnt saw no favoritism of student happening, all students were given equal chance to answer in
class even if they were quiet in the lesson. In the form of order in class, there was no need to
deviate from it since the class well behaved and there was no use of alternative methods to be
applied in the class.

References
Berger, D. V. (2005). www,psychologistsanywhereanytime.com. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologistanywhereanytime.com/famous_psychologist_and_psy
chologists/psychologist_famous_b_f_skinner.htm
McLeod, S. (published 2007, updated 2013). Retrieved from
www.simplypsychology.org: http://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html
McLeod, S. (published 2011, updated 2016). www.simplypsychology.org. Retrieved
from http://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html