Reflection #1: Junior High Observation

This morning I had my first classroom observation at a junior high and many aspects of the teaching stood out to me. I noticed that the teacher kept up a relatively steady pace as he moved through the attendance, review from the previous day, and basic new concepts that would continue to be touched on at a later time. He prompted his students with many questions to check understanding and to get them thinking actively. The teacher also had them write down key points that were presented with the Elmo document camera and ACTIVboard, and had students respond chorally to acknowledge that their attention was on him. He transitioned through about 3 different things within the first half hour and later shared with me that he has learned to “read” his class and can guage their interest and boredom level. He used relevant examples of the concept he was teaching, and then had students write their own examples. Lastly, I noticed that he wisely had the class pick up after themselves before they left class, keeping his classroom spotless and ready for the next period.



The class teacher was so aware of his class and where they were at that day. He was able to adjust his teaching to fit the needs of his students and in doing so, was successful in keeping them engaged much of the time. I feel that I learned a lot from observing his teaching method and I will hopefully reflect some of the key elements I learned into my own teaching.