Demetria Pufahl Teacher Observation and Interview Paper November 4, 2013 Intro to Education Classroom Observation I chose to do my observation

and interview at Rogers Adventist Academy with Tanya Wessman. She teaches a classroom that has about 25 students that are a mix of first and second graders. When I first arrived, I was pleasantly surprised with the organized, clean and well-put together classroom. The large windows let in lots of sunlight and it was a nice environment to learn and teach in. She also had a student teacher and two other classroom aids that helped the children when needed. Upon arriving, the children were out at recess so I was able to observe how quietly they came into the classroom once recess was over. They knew exactly where to go and what to do as soon as they came in. I feel that this really demonstrated a high level of organization and communication in the classroom. Also, keep in mind that this was only the second or third week of school, which I find very impressive that she was able to establish a routine with the children that early in the school year. This was their math time and the first graders sat on the rug in the front of the classroom for their lesson with the teacher, while the other helpers took care of the second graders who were working quietly at their desks. The lesson was taught to all the different learning styles, which is very important for a teacher to do when it comes to a difficult subject like math. She kept her voice loud enough for them to hear, but it was not too loud to keep from distracting the other students. As the students finished their work, she would check it to make sure that it was up to her standards. One girl

needed to go back and correct her handwriting and when it was corrected the teacher praised her on the neat work stating, You know that I expect your best handwriting at all times and this looks much better. Having high expectations is a good teaching strategy and I saw this applied in many ways in my short time there. It was now time for the first and second graders to switch places and Mrs. Wessman rang a bell that let them know this. I observed all of the same things with the second group as I had in the first one. As I think about how Mrs. Wessman used reflective decision-making, I find it difficult to find instances where I observed all three steps of this. I think that this is because I was only in the class for about one hour, so I did not have much opportunity to see this in action. However, I could definitely tell that she had really thought about how the lesson would go and what she would do to teach the lesson ahead of time. Im assuming that she reflected on her past experiences and allowed that to shape the way that she would teach the lesson with this years new group. Some of the effective teaching skills that I observed include providing effective feedback when the students would bring their papers to be checked, planning the math activities ahead of time, and varying the learning situation when the kids would switch from group work to individual work. Overall, I feel that this was a classroom full of effective teaching strategies and the students really enjoyed the environment that they were able to be a part of. Looking back, I feel like I was most impressed with the classroom climate. It was an environment that was easy to learn in and I felt that the students were also more eager to learn because of that. It was my dream classroom with all of the natural light, openness and organization. I learned that the environment you teach in needs to be a place that feels calm and conducive to learning. I also learned that having a regular routine and sticking to it can make or break the learning

environment you are trying to create. I am amazed that I could learn so much in such a short amount of time. I am excited to have more opportunities to do this and I am even more excited to have my own classroom someday.

Teacher Interview My interview ended up being fairly short because she only had a very small amount of time to dedicate to this. I still learned a lot, but it was definitely not as beneficial as the observation was. I started the interview by asking her what her philosophy of education was. She answered by telling me that she felt as if she was writing her dissertation again and she didnt know how to answer that question on the spot. This was a little intimidating, so I skipped to the next question. I asked, What do you believe are some of the most effective methods of teaching? She felt that it is important to be simple and direct with all instruction given and it is important to have a variety of hands-on activities available. Next, I asked what she thought about the role of a teacher. By now she had loosened up a bit more I felt a little better about the whole interview. She felt that teachers are supposed to be encouragers, supporters, always loving and all about the helping their students learn. Considering that I was in a private, religious school, I asked her how she handles students that have different religious beliefs from the one that the school teaches. She feels that respecting the beliefs of others is important, but her overall duty as a Seventh Day Adventist schoolteacher is to teach the particular religious beliefs that Adventists have. After this, I thanked her and made my way back home. As I was driving home, I reflected on the experience and all that I had learned and observed. The interview did not go as well as I originally wished, but I still gained some more insight into the reasons behind the structure of her

classroom and why she chooses to teach the way that she does. I can definitely take some of these things and apply them to my future career as a teacher. Overall, this experience was a very positive one and I learned a lot. I was able to open my mind and gain a better understanding into what effective teaching looks like and I look forward to having more opportunities to participate in learning experiences like this one.