3.2 Middle School Observations

 Introduction

    This past week I had the wonderful chance to observe two Middle School classes. The first class I observed was Mrs. Prince's 4th grade math class. The second class I observed was Mrs. Young's 5th grade science class. Observing these two classes gave me the chance to see different teaching methods I could potentially be using in my future teaching career. 

Middle School Observation 1

    The first class I had the chance to observe was Mrs. Prince's 4th grade math class. While I was observing this class the students were learning about fractions in word problems and how to convert them into mixed numbers. Mrs.Prince would have a student read the problem aloud to the whole class, if the problem was a harder one she would work it out with the class on the whiteboard. On the easier ones she would have the student work it out, then have one come to the whiteboard to work it out. I thought this was a great way to have the whole class involved in the lesson the whole time. I noticed that mostly every student was on task the entire class. I had a wonderful time observing Mrs. Prince's class, I will be using some of her teaching methods in my near future.

Middle School Observation 2

    The second class I had the chance to observe was Mrs. Young's 5th grade science class. While I was observing this class the students were learning about River Erosion, using a science website called Gizmos. I really enjoyed how Mrs.Young would walk around her classroom, while teaching. She also worked the Gizmos with the students, so they knew exactly how to work out the problem. Mrs. Young later explained to me that the students ATLAS test looks a lot like the Gizmos do, so that is why the students use that website. I really enjoyed observing Mrs.Young's class, I hope I will be using some of her methods when I begin teaching. 

Greatest Takeaway

    My greatest takeaway from observing these classes were definitely the different teaching methods I learned. My greatest takeaway I got from observing Mrs. Prince's class was the different callbacks she used in her class in order to get their attention. My greatest takeaway from observing Mrs.Young's class was the layout of her tables, I had never seen group pairing the way she did it, there was not a single student who had their backs turned to the front. I really enjoyed observing these two classes.  

Conclusion

    In conclusion, I had a great observing Mrs. Prince's and Mrs. Young's class. I cannot wait to use some of their methods that I learned this past week while observing. Overall, I learned a lot over this past week, and I enjoyed my time while observing these two classes. 

3.1 Elementary Observations

 Introduction:

    This past week I have had the wonderful opportunity to observe two Elementary classes. This was a great opportunity for myself because one day I see myself teaching an elementary class. I hope one day I can use the experiences I had with these classes in my future to be a better teacher.

Elementary Observation 1:

    The first class I had the chance to observe was Mrs.Elder, who teaches Kindergarten. When I was observing this Kindergarten class, I changed my mind about teaching Kindergarten, I really enjoyed the hands-on learning that was taking place while I was there. Secondly, I enjoyed how the teacher was using outside sources in order to teach her students, such as videos. The students had been focusing on the letter "K" so after teaching the students the difference between a "K" and a "C" she played a video to give a better understanding of the letters. I found this to work very well for the students, because some students take in information in different ways. I loved observing Mrs.Elder's Kindergarten class, who showed me that being a Kindergarten teacher may be in my near future.  Also, I will be using some of Mrs. Elder's teaching methods in my career. 

Elementary Observation 2:

    In the second class I had the chance to observe Mrs.Lancaster's 2nd grade class. When I was observing this 2nd grade class, I got the chance to see a new method of teaching that I have never seen before. Mrs.Lancaster handed out a passage for her students to read on their own. But, in this passage there were different grammatical errors, so the students had to find the errors. One thing that really stood out to me was that Mrs. Lancaster noticed one student who was struggling and falling behind, so she paired one of the students who was caught up and was able to help the another student. I thought this was very interesting because everyone had their own individual desk, while these two students were sitting at a pair of desks. I will be taking the method of using one student to help another out, once I begin teaching. I really enjoyed observing Mrs. Lancaster's class, and will be using some of her methods in my teaching. 

Greatest Takeaway:

    My greatest takeaway from observing these classes was the different methods that both teachers brought to attention that could potentially be used in my career as a teacher. My greatest takeaway from Mrs.Elder's class was the layout of her classroom. She had different tables at different lengths, some table were short for the students sit on the ground and do their work, others had chairs for the students to sit at, others were tall for the students to stand and do their work. With this layout each student could do their work comfortably. Then in Mrs. Lancaster's class, the way she interacted with the students, she was always giving words of encouragement to the students to motivate them more. Also, her wall decor was also encouraging for the students. I really enjoyed observing these classes. 

Conclusion: 

    In conclusion, observing Mrs. Elder's and Mrs. Lancaster's classes was a great opportunity for me to take the methods they both used to teach their classes. But, also the layout of both classrooms gave me insight on what I would like my future classroom to look like. Overall I had a great time observing both of these classes, and I can't wait to use what I learned from them in my teaching career.