Observation Summary
I spent 10 hours observing several different classrooms at Walsh Elementary School in the Pilsen neighborhood. The age groups I observed ranged in grade from First to eighth, allowing an interesting perspective and comparison of strategies, applications, and interactions.
Upon entering the classrooms, the most obvious differences are the organization of the rooms. The areas are set up, presumably, depending on the teacher’s preference and belief in how the learning environment should be structured. In the earlier grades, 1st through 4th, I found the desks more often arranged in groups facing one another, in contrast to individually or rows facing the blackboard. The former setting is similar to Piaget’s theory that small groups of students should play an important aspect of learning. In the latter settings, the arrangement of students separated from one another tends to be a more traditional approach, and could quickly be dismissed as the teachers’ lack of using appropriate implications of theory. However, during observation, two possibilities arise.
Teachers may, for instance, be concerned with issues of punishment, as described by the behaviorists. The teachers may be attempting to break poor habits by forcing the students to work as individuals. If the student is separated the stimulus and response will be as well, and therefore the teacher can determine if the student is developing appropriately. Too often, when students work together, it is not entirely obvious which student is at fault when a problem arises. Thus, by individualizing the student, and applying punishment in fair and efficient manner, the teacher can shape their behavior in a desirable fashion, and in particular, to develop a student whom can work independently of others.
In every classroom I observed, the teachers interacted with the students in a similar manner. As the students worked at their desks, the teacher would walk around the room, observing their progress and ensuring they were succeeding in understanding the material. If the student showed no signs of difficulties the teacher would often reinforce their achievements with a verbal praise such as, “good job” or “well done.” When a student was not understanding the material the teachers I observed acted in different manners. The most common strategy used was scaffolding. The teacher would kneel, sit, or stand beside the student’s desk and assist in solving the problem. Occasionally the teacher would reduce the difficulty of the problem, allowing the student to begin at an easier level. Or, the teacher would show the student how to solve the problem outright, gradually asking the student to take part in the process until the student had a grasp of the procedures. The least common strategy, but apparently the most interesting and fun for the student involved, could be described as Gestalt theory. The teacher would compare the problem to other situations the student had encountered. For example, a teacher once changed a math problem that involved abstract figures into a scenario that involved sharing candy with his friends. After the verbal exchange, the student’s face lit up and he pronounced, “Oh, I get it!” And he went diligently back to work.
A popular learning strategy used in every classroom I observed was rehearsal. Often, before an exercise would begin, the students would be directed to repeat times tables, letters of the alphabet, vocabulary words, etc. The teacher would then verbally direct the class through problems on the board, thinking out loud so the students received an appropriate model for their later activities. Although it is similar to rote memorization and traditional teaching, rehearsal is undoubtedly a successful strategy and compliments other strategies very well.
The teachers I would consider to be the most successful were those that were the most active and energetic. The teachers that instilled mastery learning attempted to interact with as many students as possible with the allotted time. In comparison, the least successful teachers sat behind their desks, observing the students from afar, and forcing the students to visit his desk to receive help and clarification. The best teachers would think out loud and verbalize, almost incessantly, with the class. Encouragement, both verbal and with body language such as nods were used effectively to enable efficacy within the students. The best teachers would occasionally admit to not knowing or understanding the material, demonstrating integrity, and ask the class for help to think through the problem.
The role of teacher is a complex and important position that must b continually reviewed and updated according to new research or past failures. I observed numerous teaching strategies that seemed to be extracted directly from our textbook, whereas there were many other methods that served as examples of what not to do.