Classroom Observation Barnes 1

Sarah Barnes

EDU 201 Introduction to Elementary Education

Classroom Observation

College of Southern Nevada

Classroom Observation Barnes 1

ASSIGNMENT #1 (Observation)

1: What are your first impressions of the classroom environment? Is it warm, inviting, organized, etc?
Describe the physical environment in detail.

When I first walked into my observing teacher’s classroom I initially felt overwhelmed. The classroom was dark,
smelled of sweaty kids, everything seemed cluttered, but she was very warm and inviting. There were five large
tables along three walls of the classroom with the student desk set-up in the center of the classroom. The teacher had
two desk together in the shape of an upside down L and it sat up front to the right side of the classroom near the
white board. She had a computer sitting on the desk that her chair sits in front of and a printer sitting on the other
desk She had 2 filing cabinets behind her for storage and 1 filing draw, which she kept her purse locked away in.
Papers were everywhere and there was no clear sign of where certain things go. Everything seemed so unorganized.
Even the teacher’s desk/area was messy. Although I felt like there was no organization, my observing teacher and
her students knew where everything belonged.

2: Please describe the student make-up of the class, including gender, ethnicity, ELL, students with physical
challenges, and any other apparent attributes that are important to note.

End of 1st class observed:

I usually started my day observing at the tail end of Mrs. Parson-Browns 2nd and 3rd period class. Majority of the
students in the 1st class consisted of Hispanic girls. There were many Hispanic boys and a mix of African-American
boys and girls. They were quiet and laid back and the teacher did not have to redirect them much at all.

2nd class observed (4th and 5th period) 5 groups of 6 desk:

1st group of desk closest to the white board > 3 girls > 1 Hispanic
1 African American
1 Asian American
3 boys > 3 Hispanic

2nd group of desk closest to the teachers desk > 2 girls > 1 Hispanic
1 African American
4 boys > 3 Hispanic
1 African American

3rd group of desk behind 1st group of desk > 4 girls > all African American

4th group of desk behind the 2nd group of desk > 2 girls > 1 Hispanic
1 African American
4 boys > 2 African American
2 Hispanic

5th group of desk behind the 3rd group of desk > 2 girls > 2 Hispanic
1 boy > 1 African American

3rd Class observed (6th and 7th period) 5 groups of 6 desk:

1st group of desk closest to the white board > 2 girls > 1 Hispanic
1 African American
4 boys > 1 African American
1 Hawaiian
2 Hispanic
2nd group of desk closest to the teachers desk > 3 boys > all African American
2 girls > all Hispanic
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3rd group of desk behind 1st group of desk > 3 girls > 2 Hispanic
1 African American
1 boy > 1 African American
4th group of desk behind the 2nd group of desk > 2 girls > 1 African American
1 Hispanic
4 boys > 2 Hispanic
1 Asian American
1 African American
5th group of desk behind the 3rd group of desk > 2 girls > 1 African American
1 Hispanic
2 boys > 1 Asian American
1 Hispanic

3: Are their posted class rules? If rules are posted write them exactly as they appear.

Yes, my observing teacher has 7 class periods that she teaches. She allowed each of her class periods to write out
their own classroom rules and she has posted them on her wall for students to see. There are class rules posted on the
wall. Each class was able to make up their own set of class rules specific to them so in her class she had 4 sets of
classroom rules

4: Does the teacher enforce these posted rules? What rewards or consequences are used for compliance or
noncompliance?

My observing teacher does an excellent job of demanding respect from her students and keeping her class
in order. If a student gets off task and starts becoming disruptive, she will say “excuse me” and she will
call the students name. Most of the time that alone was enough to get her students attention and redirect
them back to their work. In other cases where just calling their name didn’t work the teacher would take
a point away from her student using an app called class DoJo. Points allow for students to take a restroom
break, buy a pencil with their points if they don’t have one, and other privileges.
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ASSIGNMENT #2 (Classroom Layout): Use graph paper or drawing software to create an accurate
overhead view, labeled drawing, of your assigned classroom. Then answer the questions below

>>>INSERT YOUR DRAWING HERE<<<

1: Describe the workflow of the room. Is the space used efficiently?

There were five large tables along three walls of the classroom with the students desk set-up in the center of the
classroom. The teacher had two desk together in the shape of an upside down L and it sat up front to the right side of
the classroom near the white board. She had a computer sitting on the desk that her chair sits in front of and a printer
sitting on the other desk. She had 2 filing cabinets behind her for storage and 1 filing draw, which she kept her purse
locked away in. Papers were everywhere and there was no clear sign of where certain things go. Everything seemed
so unorganized. Even the teacher’s desk/area was messy. The table along the right wall when you first enter the
classroom was neat. It had four Mac Computers neatly set up and covered with computer covers. The white board
wasn’t covered to much in writing. Everything on the white board seemed neat and organized with the daily
objective listed. Behind the teachers desk stood a filing cabinet and a filing closet. The filing cabinet held and locked
Classroom Observation Barnes 1

her purse away and did not seem to be too cluttered. The filing closet was so full and It held all sorts of bins full of
supplies.

2: In your opinion, how can the physical arrangement of the room be improved?
If it were my classroom I would take out at least a table and have some better arrangement of my classroom
supplies. The classroom is very small, so there isn’t much that can be done.

ASSIGNMENT #3 (Instruction): Observe any instructional time in your assigned classroom, and record your
observations when presented with the questions below:

1: What is the posted daily/weekly schedule for different subjects or periods?

My observing teacher has the left side of her white board dedicated to listing the objective / Essential Question /
Daily Agenda for her classes and everyday it is different. It is set up like so:

MON TUES WED THURS FRI

DATE: 10-09-17 10-10-17 10-11-17 10-12-17 10-13-17

OBJECTIVE: Today I will Today I will learn to

assess my convert between
knowledge of decimals and percents
ratios and rates
Essential Question: How do you use What is the relationship
equivalent rates in between percents and
the real world? decimals

Today’s Agenda: P.1 - Agenda P.1 -Agenda -

+1 = 13% F -binder check Quickwrite
+2 = 25% F -Costa’s vocab -shortcuts in notes
+3 = 38% F book -hand out
+4 = 50% F -TRF -TRF’s
+5 = 63% D P. 2-7 P.2-7 -Agenda
+6 = 75% C -agenda -Bellringer p.116
+7 = 88% B -bell ringer -Rwl P.109
+ 8 = 100% A -review -Cornell notes
-ch. test -rate yourself
-ALEKS -ALEKS
-ticket out the -HW P.113
door -ticket out the door

2: Is instruction delivered in small groups, centers, whole groups, individually?

Instruction is given to the class initially as a whole group and then if students need individualized instruction they
receive that one on one.
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3: Describe your cooperating teacher’s teaching style.

My observing teacher’s teaching style is very engaging. From the moment her students step in the door she has them
doing some sort of problem solving called a bell ringer. She allows her students to communicate to each other often
as long as she sees them getting their work done. When it comes time to review a lesson, go over homework, solve
the bell ringer or exit ticket she allows her students to learn hands on. She never just gives them the answer. She has
them figure it out and allows a student to come up and demonstrate how a problem is solved.

4: How does the teacher incorporate the sensory modalities (learning styles)? Give examples.

When the teacher starts her lesson, she uses an Elmo to visually show her lesson. She talks as she is giving the
lesson asking questions and allowing her students to answer them, but she never just plays anything for students to
learn auditorily. In some of her bell ringers she incorporates kinesthetic learning by setting up some posters around
the room with math problems for students to walk around find the poster and solve for the answer. The teacher never
provided students with any tactile learning styles except when they were working on their own using the chrome
books.

5: Do the students seem engaged in the lesson(s) presented? Please explain.

Yes. The students seem engaged because she calls on her students throughout the lesson to answer questions and
almost always every students hand is raised. The students also receive participation points whenever they answer a
question correctly.

6: Are there any students isolated from the rest of the class? Explain?

No, the teacher does not have any students isolated from the class purposefully. She, however allows students to
isolate themselves if they feel they will work on a test or quiz away from their particular group and at that time they
would go sit at the long table in the back.

7: How does the teacher handle transitions from subject to subject or activity to activity? Are the transitions
efficient?

My observing teacher teaches math and math only. You can definitely tell that the teacher and students have a
rhythm that they are used to and they know when its time to transition to the next activity in the class. The teacher
will usually start the day out with a bell ringer that she gives each student as they enter the classroom. Once they go
over the bell ringer and students solve it, she will tell the students to pass them to one person at the table and usually
by then she already has a few students asking if they can pick the bell ringers up. She will pick one student to collect
the papers and during this time she is telling the class to get their math books off the shelf and turn to page so and
so. She doesn’t ever need to use transitional phrases to get her students to listen. Her students are older so
transitioning from activity to activity is not as hard as someone teaching a kindergarten class.

8: List ways the teacher uses “attention getting” commands, word phrases, signals, etc. Are they effective?

The teacher uses a phrase “Class Class” to get the attention of her class. When the teacher says “class class” the
students responded with “yes, yes” and the teacher proceeded to talk and give instruction.
The teacher also uses a hand clapping pattern to quiet the students down and get their attention. She will say clap
your hands once if you can hear me, the class will then clap in unison once and then she will say clap your hands
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twice if you can see me and the class will clap twice. She will continue to do this as many times as necessary until
she has the class’ full attention, listening and looking waiting for the next instruction.

9: What specific behavior issues does the teacher have to deal with? How does the teacher handle the
behavior issues? Be specific.

There were a few issues during one class period had to deal with. At the start of the class one student came in that
was not in dress code and was sent to the Deans office for a dress code violation. Two other students came in late
and one explained that he was late due to a dress code violation in his previous class and was sent to the office and
another disrespectfully said he was “doing something.” He was written up for being late because he did not have a
legitimate excuse for being late.

10: Are there any policies or procedures that help or hinder instructional time? Please explain them and how
they help or hinder instructional time.

Although I understand that there are rules that need to be followed and strictly enforced…dress code is such a major
infraction that it does cause the teacher to stop what they are doing, write that student up and then send them to the
Deans office. In doing this, it has cut into instructional time for the other students around and has caused the one
student who was sent to the Dean to miss an entire class lecture.

ASSIGNMENT #4 (Culture): Using the questions below, carefully observe and evaluate the culture of the school..
Remember you are evaluating the school for its educational culture, place of learning, sense of safety, invitation for
learning, promotion of self-actualization, development of values and socialization.

Physical Characteristics: Look at the physical areas of the school to determine atmosphere, comfort, and feelings
the school creates for students in the educational setting.

1. Consider the school property: building, grounds, fencing, equipment, landscaping, trees, parking
lot, crosswalks, gates, signs and symbols. Describe in detail.

West Preparatory Academy is located in a slightly run down area. The front of the school is located what seems to
be the back of the school. Since the school is connected to a public park, the grassy area is fenced up, but there is
easy access into the grounds through the fence openings. The school has trees surrounding it and a few modular
buildings located to the left of the school if you’re standing at the front entrance. The school although in an older
part of town is very clean inside and out. The parking lot is extremely small and on the days, that I have been there
to observe and have left just before school let out, I would see parents parked all the way down to the park area and
around the corner.

2. Next, study the interior of the school: halls, floor coverings, lighting, doors, windows, hall colors
and decorations and entrance security. Explain in detail.
The interior of the school is clean. The school is somewhat of an open concept type school where the quad area is all
outside, but all the classrooms are located inside the different hallway wings. When I first entered the school there
was nobody monitoring the entrance area or walking around, but I did notice that during passing period there was
someone placed at each hallway door exit. I did notice a bit of a sewer smell when entering the school and when
walking down the hallway to my observing teacher’s classroom it smelled like a bathroom. The entrance to the
hallways locked during lunchtime and unless you had a key you were unable to enter. The hallways were bare and
plain except for rows and rows of lockers and white tile flooring. The doors were big, green, heavy doors and most
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of the teachers had their door windows covered with wrapping paper or construction paper. There were no windows
inside the classrooms.

Culture of the School: Read, listen and observe to determine the climate, values, and atmosphere within the
school.

1. Explain the school’s mission statement, motto, and mascot.

The mission of West is to prepare the best and brightest minds to tackle a future with limitless possibilities.
The motto of West Prep is, “My West, My Best!” and the mascot is a wolf.

2. Analyze staff and visitor interactions in the main office. Note student and faculty interactions in
other areas of the school.

I only had to stop by the office once and that was to drop off my initial paperwork for starting my observation. The
staff was extremely nice and energetic and was so excited to hear that I wanted to become a teacher. They even
called the Assistant Principal over and he asked if I would like to work there at West which was pretty cool!

3. Observe student-to-student interactions, inside and outside of the building. Observe where
students gather to socialize – lunchroom, halls, common areas, playground, etc.

Student to student interactions from my observation were for the most part friendly. There was an incident inside the
classroom where a girl and a boy were arguing back and forth before the teacher got in the classroom (she was
standing right outside) and as soon as she walked in, they both shut up. During passing periods students like to
gather in the hallways and in the quad area which from my observation is not allowed. Teachers and security staff
were yelling and telling kids to move it, no gathering and to keep walking.

4. Explain how the school is organized- office, library, halls/classrooms, signs.

When you first walk into the school right to the right is the office, nurse’s office and the library. When you walk out
of the office and come around the corner on one end of the school is the gym and on the other end of the school is
the cafeteria. The quad area had plant walls all down the center of the quad with trees growing out of them and it
looked nice.

5. Examine school traditions, achievements and awards; community recognition or community

partners; extracurricular activities/clubs and athletics. Look for and document sources of
community pride and sense of identity through ceremonies, assemblies, trophies, and artifacts.

I did not see any of these things up and around the school nor did I see them in the classroom at all.

Culture of the Classroom: Each classroom has its own culture and way of life.

1. Look for teacher expectations for learning and success.

In the classroom were motivating poster to encourage students, however there were no clear signs of what
the teacher specifically expected out f her students.

2. Evaluate the level of student participation in the class. Who participates? Who does not?

Most of the kids were very involved. I was pleasantly surprised at how often the kids volunteered to answer the
question, go up to the board and want to write the correct answer. At times there were students, who even before the
lesson got started asked if they could answer a question.

3. Evaluate the interactions between teacher and students, rapport, cohesiveness, distribution of
power, teacher personality.
Classroom Observation Barnes 1

Although the teacher’s personality is very stern and direct, she also brings a very caring a nurturing aspect
to her classroom. She would laugh and joke with the kids and ask them how they are doing. One of the first
things I recognized was the amount of respect the students have for their teacher and vice versa. Every
single student asks and answers with yes or no and the teachers last name. In fact, one of the causes for
having a point taken away is being disrespectful to each other and the teacher.

ASSIGNMENT #5 (Cooperating Teacher Interview): Arrange for a convenient time to interview your
cooperating teacher. Ask the questions below. Include any school document, handouts, etc. the teacher provides..

1. What was the primary reason you became a teacher?

I wanted to give back to the community in which I was raised. Becoming a teacher and accepting a
position at West Prep is my way of Paying It Forward.
2. What are the main challenges you face as a teacher?

Finding a balance with all of the different learning levels, abilities, and situations within my classroom. I
may have IEP students, ELL students, transient students, students of different socio-economic status,
students from different cultural backgrounds, homeless students, and students in foster care situations. I
must ensure that I am providing equity in my instruction and addressing the needs of all students and
sometimes that is a huge challenge.
3. What is the best part of being a teacher?

Making connections with students and families, having the opportunity to impact the youth from my
community, those Aha moments when students gain an understanding of a particular concept with which
they’ve been struggling, and summers off.
4. How do you determine where students sit in class?

Most students have free seating in my class. I rearrange my seats (grouping) often, so they never really
get too comfortable in one particular seat. The only students that have assigned seats are those that have
had behavioral issues in class or those paired for ELL purposes.
5. How do you select members of any flexible groups?

We use WICOR partners often, so most times, students are grouped based on their WICOR partners.
6. How often do you interact with parents in person? What are the main reasons for
interactions with parents?

Interaction with parents may occur about once every other week. We will schedule a parent teacher
conference for students with behavioral issues, failing grades, or any concerns that the parent may have.
7. How much grading do you complete on a daily/weekly basis?

Some form of grading takes place daily, whether it is a bell ringer activity, a project, a quiz, a test, a
partner activity, or a ticket out the door.
8. How long does it take to prepare lessons for the day/week?
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Depending on the lesson, lesson planning can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours each day. It
depends on if I have to write notes for the lesson, gather materials for the lesson, cut out items, etc.

9. What procedures or strategies do you use to maximize instructional time?

We use a variety of strategies including Kagan, AVID, Collaborative Study groups, WICOR partners,
White boards, Carousel Walks, Tickets out the door, etc.
10. What positive reinforcements you used successfully? What behavioral consequences seem
most effective with this age group?

I use Class Dojo points for my class. Students earn points for turning in homework on time, answering
questions accurately, participating in particular activities, helping others, cleaning the classroom at the
end of the period, etc. Students lose points for talking out of turn, off task behavior, disrespect,
unpreparedness, etc. At the end of the month, students participate in a grab bag activity if they have 10 or
more points. Students may also use their points for bathroom breaks, water breaks, pencils, etc.
11. How are specialist teachers involved in your instructional planning and process?

Specialist teacher are not at all involved in my instructional planning. My math team comes together
once a week to plan in our PLC (professional learning community). Other than that, we plan on our own.
12. How often are you evaluated, and what measurement tool is used by the administration for
determining your teaching performance?

An administrator can pop into your classroom at any moment. They may stay for 2 minutes or they may
stay for 45 minutes. The amount of times that they observe you for a lengthy amount of time depends on
whether you are a probationary or veteran teacher. Probationary teachers are observed more often. They
use the NEPF as a measurement tool.
13. What consequences are there if your evaluation is not favorable?

I’ve never had an unfavorable evaluation, but I assume that an unfavorable one will mean
micromanagement of your teaching and being in danger of losing your position.
14. What surprised you most about teaching as a profession?

The lack of parental support. I remember back when I was in school, we would be so afraid to have the
teacher call home for a negative reason. We knew that there would automatically be a consequence at
home, no questions asked. I guess I expected the same thing when I began teaching. However, I have
found that it is difficult to get parents to come in for conferences. It is also sometimes difficult to reach
them on the phone. The most difficult part is when parents get upset with the teacher for calling them and
bothering them about their child!
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ASSIGNMENT #6 (Observing a student): Discretely observe one student in your assigned classroom during
direct instruction. Explain what the student did during the observation. Summarize the lesson given and the
student’s responses to the lesson. Make sure to document ALL behavior in relationship to what was being presented
by the classroom teacher. Please describe what you discovered about the student’s learning styles, involvement in
class, and his/her educational needs.

During the three days that I was observing there was one boy in particular that I gravitated to. He reminded me a lot
of my son and I began to ask questions about him. The teacher told me that he was one of her good students when he
wasn’t acting up and that he played basketball. She discussed how he possessed a great deal of potential, but that
sometimes his mouth gets him into trouble. I began to observe him and I noticed that on the first day when he
realized that there was someone new sitting in the classroom he started to act out a little bit. He was loud, cracking
jokes, telling on his peers to the point to where the teacher had to ask him what his problem was and to stop showing
out because there was someone new in the classroom. She then introduced me to the class and immediately the
questions started. “Oh you want to be a teacher?’, “I like your shoes” “I like your nails” etc etc. This particular boy
said to his table “Oh we have to behave because if we don’t that’s disrespectful.” He was very attentive during the
lessons and sat and did his work when he wasn’t bothering his classmates. Over the three day period however, he
seemed to mellow out a bit and just got his work done.

ASSIGNMENT #7 (Summary): Thoroughly summarize and reflect upon your entire 10 hour Field Observation.
What did you observe, learn, realize about teachers, students, instruction, the school environment? How has this
observation better prepared you to understand the teaching profession? How does the observation relate to the text
information and class activities? What specific ideas on teaching will you remember to include in your classroom?

I truly enjoyed my observing classroom experience. It was a great experience and one that even more so
has encouraged me to keep going. I remember early on in the semester, my EDU 201 professor said that
these observations would tell us if this is truly what we want to do or not. I can say that through this
observation I am 100% sure that teaching is what I want to do. I truly was inspired by how much these
kids just wanted to learn. Their hunger and thirst for knowledge and the attentiveness they gave to each
lecture and lesson was very surprising yet humbling. It showed me that although kids these days are
growing and maturing far beyond their years, at the root of it all they are still young children with the
innocence to still want to learn and it is our duty to give them the knowledge they seek.

The first day after my observation I had a pounding headache. I had asked the teacher what her
attitude was toward allowing the kids to talk and she said that she does not mind at all. She said she
never wanted to be a teacher that required her class to just sit there all day and listen so she lets them
talk. She lets them talk while they do classwork and in some instances while they work on quizzes.

My observing teacher was a great. She made me feel extremely comfortable enough to ask any
and everything I wanted to even willing providing information on her own. One thing I did find troubling
was the fact that she said that she has days where she thinks to herself why am I still doing this, but that
sad part about that was that it wasn’t because of her students. It was because of her administration,
staff, and co-workers. That was never a factor I ever considered there would be issues with when
deciding that I wanted to teach. That was very disheartening to hear.

Overall I learned a great deal from the teacher. I am encouraged and I can’t wait to see this through and
finish with my teaching degree. My observation has given me even more motivation and
encouragement to do my best and become the best teacher I know how.