Reflective Essay on Classroom Observations

by Shirley Tharp

I had the opportunity to observe in four different teacher’s classrooms for about one hour each.  Each teacher was at the high school level. Three teachers taught math and one taught an academic elective class for students with special needs. The classes varied in grade levels, but most students ranged from 9^th - 11^th grade. The teaching styles and strategies varied in each classroom, but there were similarities between all four classes.

All teachers were utilizing some form of technology. Smartboards are the norm in my school and were used at some point during the various lessons with the exception of the academic elective class. The technology was used mainly to present the lesson for the day. Coach J. used it to provide a warm-up activity with five to six additional slides illustrating the math concept for the day. Ms. L. was using technology to review pre-algebra concepts needed for an upcoming quiz. Ms. H. was using her desktop computer, data projector, and smartboard to explain and demonstrate attributes of tangent and secant lines. Ms. C. had students using the wireless laptop lab to word process a writing assignment for progress monitoring of individual writing skills.

The students were attentive, responsive and on-task in all classes. Many students asked appropriate questions and made relevant comments that reflected an interest in the activities and learning. All of the teachers connected the new material by activating prior knowledge while previewing concepts yet to come.

These classrooms were full of activity with students working nearly bell to bell. The technology aspect of all the lessons provided motivation and got the students involved in the learning. Even though the lights were dimmed in Ms. L.'s room for Smartboard use, students were participating and engaged. Most lessons were interactive and required students to perform and/or respond by working problems at the board. Teachers were actively monitoring and checking student understanding and performance throughout each lesson.

Classroom Observation Log