"You can teach students one lesson a day; but if you can teach them to learn by creating curiosity, they will continue the learning process for as long as they live." ~ adapted from Clay P. Bedford

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Back at School! Day 1 of Observation

Well, the observation adventure began this morning at 8am: I was at school bright and early, dressed to impress with my teaching plan book in hand. The morning huddle which usually happens on Monday was postponed to Tuesday due to Thanksgiving. Morning huddle, I learned, is where the entire staff of the school congregates in the library simply to talk about upcoming events, what's happening in the school (example field trips), special announcements, etc. The principal/director of the school took this wonderful opportunity to introduce me to the entire staff - I was definitely not expecting this, but glad that it happened. Many staff members came up to me after the meeting and generously offered to have me observe their classes - I have a full two weeks ahead of me.

I started this morning with an English 9 class. They had just completed or were in the midst of completing their novel study and starting to work on their essays. The teachers took them to the library where the teacher-librarian did a complete lesson on "narrowing the topic." It was a wonderful lesson and the students seemed engaged and interested. The technology that was used in the library was incredible! Every student was equipped or could be equipped with a school lap top, as well, the library was equipped with two SMART boards. I was so excited to see a SMART board actually being used - it was so cool! Without using the computer the teacher-librarian simply touched the "white" board and started sliding and manipulating the information being displayed. She used candy as an incentive to pay attention and created a fun and engaging activity that would help the students narrow a topic. In their essay groups they completed the activity with ease.

Second block was a Dance class for grade 10, 11, and 12 students. This class was extremely fun and it was evident that the students definitely wanted to be there. I assume that the class was conducted much like a PE class - activities were on going, there was very little rest between activities and the students were always moving. The teacher provided verbal instructions followed by a physical example. If the students were having trouble she was very helpful. She also encouraged students to move at their own pace and individually decide what was the best for them instead of being influenced by students who may be more advanced.

Third Block was a Geography 12 class. In retrospect this class may not have been the best class to observe simply because the students were doing a quiz and independent study. Nevertheless, I still observed and managed to learn a lot. Somehow the teacher was able to maintain a quite learning environment where the students remained on task and focused. I'll have to return to this teacher's class to find out how she managed this! It was truly incredible and something I have not seen before.

My final block of the day I visited a grade 12 English class. The class had just begun Hamlet and was in Act 1 scene ii. Thankfully I've read this particular Shakespeare play several times and was able to follow along. Unlike the other teachers, this teacher was very full of energy and enthusiasm. She used her "teaching" voice and kept the students engaged. She assigned "parts" to students who either volunteered or were singled out. Periodically (every 2 or 3 lines) she would stop the students and ask what the words meant, what was Shakespeare saying. This ensured that students were following along and understanding the language of Shakespeare. Most students had their books in front of them and made notes whenever they could.

There was a lot going on today and I think a lot of that has to do with the long weekend: students were particularly chatty in some classes simply because they wanted to catch up and find out about everyone's turkey dinner; teachers saw the long weekend as an opportunity to prepare themselves better and get back on task immediately. Teachers made sure that students understood they were back in class and not on holiday anymore, as well as reinforce classroom routines and expectations.

Despite the early wake-up call, today was fabulous. I saw the implementation of several strategies we talked about in class including TPS, group work, and AB partnering. In every class the student-teacher relationship was respectful and friendly. Overall I thought today was very educational and enlightening. It is so re-assuring to see that the strategies and activities we are discussing in class are being used in classrooms today. Now I must run off to grade 7 Volleyball practice where I'm helping out.

Until next time,
LC

p.s. next blog post I promise to get more specific.

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great first day!

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  2. Hey Kathreen,

    It really was a great day! I couldn't believe how friendly and inviting the staff was. I literally went from one classroom to the next with ease. I did look for a technology class but this school doesn't have one! They do have all this fabulous technology (ipad's, SMART boards etc) and they are trying to integrate it into the classroom but there is no actual course. They are simply bringing the technology into other classrooms and getting the students to use it.

    LC

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