Reflection #4: High School Observation

I observed a freshman Honors English class and found it to be a great learning experience. What stuck out to me in particular about this class was the high level of organization and how attentive the teacher was to her students. First of all, the class was very orderly. There were whiteboards on almost every wall, some were used for upcoming school events and others were used to display the homework assignments for the upcoming week. The teacher had a slot of time specifically for students to write their assignments in their school planner. She also had the class period schedule posted on the wall next to the objective for the day. The teacher's organization and hard work conveys her desire for her students to have what they need to be successful. She was constantly moving around the classroom while they were working, assessing students and checking in with those who seemed disengaged. She integrated a journal prompt at the beginning of class, and after giving examples of a new concept would call on students for their examples. She would also put prompts on the SMART board for the class to easily refer to as they worked on their homework.

This class was different from the upper grade high school classes that I’ve observed. As it is their first year in high school they seem more industrious and focused on learning. They appeared to be very compliant and didn’t have as much attitude as some of the upperclassmen. The students were for the most part highly engaged in their work, working with one another when instructed to, and asking the teacher questions with great ease. I would be interested in asking the teacher more about her teaching strategies and how the multicultural nature of her classroom influences her lesson planning and the way she approaches the class. Overall it was a very informative classroom observation and I learned a lot from the way she organizes her class and the way in which she prompts the students to think critically.