Reflection #5: Elementary School Observation

The other day I observed a first grade classroom in the afternoon. I observed many excellent methods that the teacher used in her classroom that I view as important to the structure and function of the class. These include the way she managed her class and made efficient use of their time. For instance, the teacher provided motivation for the students to model exemplary classroom behavior by reinforcing positive behavior with verbal encouragement and setting up a reward system for the class. She promoted an organized environment and orderly transitions in several ways, one of which was dismissing students by table whenever a task needed to be accomplished, including getting water after recess and getting their backpacks at the end of the day. When instructing the class she was very specific with what she was asking them to do. It is so important for a teacher’s expectations to be clear, and I could tell that she worked hard to make this happen by not only saying the instructions, but also having a visual model.

I would have to say that first grade is distinguished from other grade levels by the nature of the students. In my observations I noticed that they participated in a great deal of kinesthetic activity in their learning, as well as choral response. These two elements in particular are likely more necessary especially in the younger elementary grades because of their short attention span and level of distractibility. The teacher often brought the class back together by calling out a fun little rhyme, and the students had already learned the proper response. I look forward to asking the teacher more about how she integrates kinesthetic activity into her teaching, particularly in learning to read. I learned some valuable tips when observing her math lesson and it has inspired me to think more critically about different ways to integrate the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles into my own teaching. I’d also like to ask her how she initially teaches the class about how the classroom functions, including her different class rules and the general schedule of the day.