ETP201: Interactive Notes (Observation 3)

Date and time: Interaction participants:

Date: 12/05/2016 • Classroom Teacher

• Pre-Service Teacher
Time: 15:00 – 15:15
• Student being observed
Observation details: Harley*
• Grade One • Another 18 students

• Classroom of 19 present children: 10 females, 9 males, sitting on the

floor

• During Readers Workshop

• 15 minute observation

Teaching materials, resources and set-up:

• Teacher sitting at the front of the class

• Floor mat

• Descriptive book to read to the class

Attachments:

Pictured: Area of classroom discussed in this

observation

Comments:

Harley’s teacher has begun sending him to Foundation rooms for either the rest of the period or the rest of the
day so he can reflect on the consequences of his choice of behaviours. It is then organised with the
Foundation teacher that he is kept a close eye on and is monitored for his behaviour so that either the next
period/day he is able to come back into his grade one class and follow the class agreements and expectations.
Harleys teacher believes it is starting to work as when he comes back from being away in the Foundation
area, his behaviour is significantly improved. I have also observed this during this placement.
Seating plan or class map:

The class follows an open plan structure classroom, with two classrooms adjoining to the right hand-side of
the learning area. In this session, the children are sitting on the carpeted floor with enough room between each
other to be keeping their hands and bodies to themselves. The classroom teacher reading the story is up the
front of the class.

Time: Duration: Explaining what is being observed

15:00 – 15:15 15 Minutes

15:00 (2 minutes) **The class is told to visualise the descriptive story book being read
to them**

15:02 (1 minute) Harley starts calling out “I want to see the pictures! Show us the
pictures”

15:03 (2 minutes)
Closed eyes to picture the story as did the rest of the class but moved
and sat directly behind another student

15:05 (1 minute) Was asked to move back to his original spot and he did. Then another
student got too close to him and apparently punched him in the back.

15:06 (1 minute) Harley punched the child in the back and then started banging his
head into the floor when asked to apologise to the child.

15:07 (5 minutes) The classroom teacher then said to Harley “If you can’t follow the
Grade One expectations then you can go back to foundation and learn
how to act in the classroom all over again”. Harley apologised.

15:12 (2 minutes) Harley continued swinging the rest of the observation and was talking
to himself repeating some of the words he heard in the story such as
“dancing trees” and “whistling wind”.

Moved spots to sit next to follow other boys in the class and sit near
15:14 (1 minute)
them.

15:15 Concluded Observation concludes

Reflections:

It appears that when Harley doesn’t get what he wants, he gets disruptive and is angered quite easily e.g.
when he didn’t get to see the pictures because the activity required them not to in order to visualise the story
themselves.

When he got hit in the back (I did not see this), he seemed to believe it was not okay for someone to touch
him and therefor he hit them back as he didn’t want to be touched. He did not seem to understand that it was
not the right thing to do to hit the child back instead of telling the teacher.

The classroom teachers method of sending him back to foundation to learn the expectations of a Grade One is
an approach I have never encountered before, however it seemed to be somewhat successful as he apologised
and kept to himself.

Possible topics for personal goals:

• Respecting others

• Responsibility of self and actions

• Showing kindness

• Communication skills – learning how to express himself or ask for help verbally instead of physically