Stripling Middle School
October 17th, 2018
This observation was different than my past experiences as I observed an art class. I found the environment of the room to be extremely engaging as the classroom had several drawings, paintings, and other pieces of art work scattered around the walls. As opposed to desks, the classroom had three long tables in the center of the room, to offer more space for larger projects. In addition, one wall had posters of basic art concepts and principles that were easily readable and accessible to the students. The classroom was not as organized as the past classrooms I have observed; I noticed the teacher tripped over chairs, there was lack of labels indicating where supplies were located, and student folios were not stacked away properly.
The first striking thing I noticed were the individual Chrome books each student had. Each student has a small carrying case and within them were computers. Although they were not in use during this particular class, I still found it interesting for the school to supply their students with their own technology. Some students, however, did take their technology out even when the assignment did not ask them to. In this instance, the technology served as a distractor to some of the students. In most cases though, and when used properly, the distribution of individual technology to the students is greatly beneficial.
I found the overall behavior of the class interesting as well. This was the first class I observed where the students were not well-behaved. Some students were on their phones, using their laptops, throwing markers at each other, raising their voices, and listening to music. The teacher would sometimes address these issues by stating, “I can hear you from across the room” to misbehaving students, however, her commands were often ignored, and the students continued to talk. On the other hand, there were a number of students who were quietly on task and completed their work on time despite these distractions.
Something I noticed from this class that I would like to include in my future classroom would be the display of classroom procedures, rules, and student work around the room. At the front of the room the teacher had displayed large posters that listed class procedures. This was effective as I noticed that at the end of class, the students knew what they needed to do before they left, that is return their folios to the file cabinet and submit finished work into the work bin. In addition, on the wall, the teacher had a placed a large poster displaying her conduct for respect, which seemed to be written by students. She also placed multiple student art pieces around her room, which I enjoyed viewing; it truly made the classroom feel more personable.
A connection I made between this observation and a topic from lecture would be the method the teacher used to grab her student’s attention. The teacher would say, “Hornets” and the students would respond with “pride.” We discussed this in lecture as a strategy of classroom management. With a method like this, a teacher can easily bring the class into order, quiet the students, and effectively give instructions.
Another connection I made between this observation and a topic discussed in lecture would be the use of fundraisers to raise money for the school. This school in particular was on the lower end of the financial spectrum so the potential results of a fundraiser would greatly benefit the students. I noticed a group of students discussing their popcorn fund raiser and their conversation reminded me of the fundraisers described by Dr. Alexander’s children. Fundraisers can be an effective and fun way for schools to raise money and based on the conversation I heard during this observation, I believe the fundraiser will serve as a success.
The most intriguing aspect of the observation would be the behavior of the students, therefore the question I have relates to that. If the rules and procedures are clearly displayed and established yet students are still not following them, what ways can teachers enforce the rules, so they stay relevant throughout the school year? In addition, if disruptions in class are constant and a teacher is constantly drawing attention to the source, is there a point where the distraction should be ignored?