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.