I.

Observation 3:
Guiding Young Children

I.

Grade:
Kindergarten

II.

Students:
11 Boys
6 Girls

III.

Setting:
Lamonte Elementary School
Kindergarten Classroom
17 Students, 1 Teacher, 1 Student Teacher

IV.

Pre-Observation:
The purpose of this observation was to see if guidance was used in the classroom. In
order to complete my observation, I chose a Kindergarten classroom with children ages 5
to 6, at Lamonte Elementary School. I took one day to complete my observation. Prior to
going into the classroom, I researched guidance practices set by the National Association
for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). I conducted my observation by using an
anecdotal record.

V.

Data:
This Observation was conducted on Tuesday October 18th, 2016
8:45 a.m.
Morning Routine:
The students went over the calendar
The teacher and the students have kept track of how many days they had had been
in school so far
It was the 28th day of school
The teacher guided the students to say 28, they had them trace a 2 and an 8 with
their fingers in the air
A student volunteer came to the board and the teacher guided them to use their
straw bundles to count 28, the teacher guided the student to pull out 2 bundles of
10 straws and 8 individual straws to represent 28
Before they could continue the teacher noticed a student was bouncing around and
disturbing other students, the teacher stopped and set an example of another
student who was sitting nicely and asked the rest of the class to sit how that
student was sitting
When the student is still being disruptive a few minutes later, the teacher asked
them to please go to their seat
The teacher continued the lesson, starting with counting the days in the month, 18

VI.

The teacher took away a number from the calendar and asked the students to look
at the calendar and figure out what number was taken
Almost all students volunteered to answer, the teacher chose a student who has
trouble with this and used guidance to help them figure out the number, the
student was unsure and the teacher told them to count the numbers until they see
the blank spot, when the student did this the student then figured out what number
was missing
The teacher asked them to explain how they know this number is missing, the
student said because after 10 comes 11 and before 12 comes 11 and 11 is missing
While the students sang a song and I assisted them, the teacher went over to the
student who they had sent back to their seat
The teacher explained why they had to go back to their seat and let them know
why they needed to sit out for a few minutes
When the teacher and the student returned to the carpet, the teacher started to go
over a new poem with the students
The poem is about bats
The teacher asked the students what they knew about bats, the students raised
their hands and one student called out and said, I can hang upside down like a
bat!
The teacher asked the student to please not call out and to wait their turn
The teacher asked the students what the new word of the week is, the teacher
picks a student who is raising their hand nicely and they say The!
Throughout the poem, the word the is used in basically every sentence
The teacher asks the students to come up and circle the work the and with
guidance the students find all of the thes in the poems
The teacher guides them to pronounce the properly, putting emphasis on the
th by sticking their tongues out a little bit
9:00 A.M.
Morning Message
The teacher lets the students know that she is proud of how nicely they are sitting
and that it means a lot that they are ready to learn
The students volunteer to come up and fill in the morning message
The teacher guides them to spell properly, put their letters on the right line and
whether or not to use a capital letter or not
When one student is done filling in their word, the teacher guides them to pick
someone who they usually dont pick
When the class is done the teacher lets them know that they will now be moving
onto stations
I conclude my observation at this time
Analysis:
During my observation I saw appropriate guidance of young children taking place. I
observed during the students morning routine, where the students often need assistance
answering questions about the calendar and reading poems. I saw positive guidance
taking place. When students needed assistance, the teacher did not just tell them what to

do. The teacher guided students to find the answers themselves. When a student is being
disruptive, the teacher asked them to please stop as to not disturb the other students.
When the disruption continued, the teacher sent the student back to their seat. After a few
minutes, the teacher would go over to the student and explain why they were sent back to
their seat. After my observation, I asked the teacher what they had explained to the
student. The teacher told me that she let them know that by disrupting other students, it is
taking away from their learning. The teacher asked the student how they would feel
someone was disrupting their learning and the student said they would not like that at all.
I believe that the teacher did a great job using positive guidance to ensure a supportive
learning environment in which the students can get the best educational experience.
VII.

Recommendations:
During my observation, I saw positive use of guidance strategies. I did not see much
room for improvement at all. The way the teacher interacted with the students, let them
know what they have done wrong when a mistake was made and how she guided them
when they needed help, showed me that these students are exposed to a positive
environment when they come to school. Although I only wrote this observation about one
day when I specifically observed for guidance, I have seen guidance used throughout
every visit of mine to this kindergarten classroom. Whether it is walking in the hallway or
transitioning to a new activity, the students are always guided in a positive manner.
According to the NAEYC, there are 10 developmentally appropriate practices that are
effective for guiding positively (2009). Overall I saw that teacher using
acknowledgement of students actions, encouragement, modeling, giving directions,
asking questions, demonstrating and providing information. I did not specifically see the
teacher creating challenges for the students. Although the teacher did challenge the
students when she hid a number from the calendar and asked them to figure out which
number it is, I feel the students could be challenged further. Possibly by switching the
numbers and making the students figure out the proper order. I feel that the teacher could
also expand on giving specific feedback to students. When the teacher complemented the
students on how nicely they were sitting, I feel it encouraged them to do this all the time,
but they were not told exactly why it is important they sit nicely. With a little bit more
feedback, the students will be able to understand why it is important that they sit nicely in
order to foster their continuous development. Overall, I believe the teacher used positive
and developmentally appropriate learning experiences to guide the students.

VIII.

Post-Observation:
I go to Lamonte Elementary school every Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., during
my time here each week I observe a classroom with a warm, welcoming, educational
environment. I observe the morning routine as well as other classroom activities. I
believe that from my three hours of observation I was able to identify positive guidance
strategies that encourages a supportive learning environment. Through becoming familiar
with the 10 developmentally appropriate practices for guidance, I was able to identify
positive guidance used during the classroom activities.

IX.

Citations:

Gartell, D. (2012, January). Guidance Matters. Retrieved from

https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201201/Gartell_Guidance_Matters_Jan2012.p
df
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2009). 10 Effective DAP
Teaching Strategies. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/dap/10-effective-dapteaching-strategies