Journal 1, Domain 1 - Teaching and the Environment

My following observations have taken place at Lions Park Elementary School in Mount Prospect in a 4th grade classroom. Before beginning I'd like to write a brief little statement about my experience so far. I spent the past four years planning on becoming a Secondary Education teacher, but here I am today going down a completely different track. My comfort zone would have been to observe in a middle school, but I decided to observe in an elementary school instead. I have been having a good time so far, and I hope that experience continues throughout the rest of my observations. But, here is what I've observed about the classroom:

In terms of organization, the desks are set up in a mix between small group and the classic row seating. What I mean by that is that the desks in the room are arranged in rows (or columns I suppose) like you'd see in many standard classrooms, usually at higher levels like high school. But within these rows are multiple desks. Each student has someone else they are sitting next to in the classroom. This allows for interaction between students, yet it is still in a way teacher-oriented as well. When students do assignments throughout the day, they can ask the person next to them for help without having the raise their voice. This helps keep the classroom at a reasonable noise level. It is also easy for the students to turn around and ask the people behind them (or in front of them) for help. The teachers desk is off in a corner, and does not take up much room that could be used to the students advantage. There is a table with four chairs around it where individual groups are taken from time to time when they have to work on something if they fall behind or need help. Overall, the children seem to know where everything is in the classroom and everything runs smoothly.

Most of the work done by the students is done at their own desk. The only exception is when they have to do group work. The room actually used to be the teachers lounge but was converted into a classroom. This leaves less room for extra tables. Some group work is done while sitting at desks with their partner, or can be done while sitting on the floor. Like I stated earlier, this seems to work for the children, but the setup of the room is partially teacher-oriented as well.

The room is filled with pictures and projects that the students have created. The teachers desk is covered with pictures that her students have drawn for her. This can show that she is proud of what the students create not only for school but for her as well. Not all projects can be hung up, but at the same time the teacher hates to waste projects that students have put a lot of effort into. When the kids do group projects, all the kids in the class get to bid for the project so that it does not go to waste. Each student can bid up to thirty minutes of their recess time to claim the project. This is much like an auction. When a student bids their time, they stay in and read or work on homework. So there is a sense of pride in the students and their work.

When it comes to resources, the classroom seems to have all the basic things needed to teach. I have seen a bunch of bins on the side, but forgot to take a closer look at them. I believe that is where the students keep materials like markers, crayons, etc.. This keeps their desk storage from getting cluttered, and helps to keep the kids organized. They know exactly where to go when they need to get supplies.

The students all seem to know what to do when they transition from one activity to another. On the right side of the whiteboard is a schedule for the day, with times given. This makes each student aware of what they are expected to do at certain times. When students are working on certain assignments individually, the teacher writes options for what they can do with their time if they finish early. They can read silently, write in journals, etc.. This helps to make sure no one gets off task.

Computers are used on a daily basis whenever I am in the classroom. The school has a cart that contains about thirty macbooks for the students to use. Each child is assigned a number for which laptop to use. They go to many different educational websites to practice certain subjects, and even practice for standardized tests. Whenever there is a writing assignment, they write all their drafts on the computer. Each student gets their own login information so their work gets saved to their account. A television can be connected to a computer so the students can watch the schools daily announcements. Each class gets a chance to do the announcements for one week. They read news, reminders, and make jokes for their announcements. This week was my classrooms week to do the announcements, so all the students were excited to watch themselves. There are also four macbooks that stay in the classroom permanently. The school seems to focus a lot on the use of technology.

Overall from observing I have learned that there are many different ways to effectively set up the classroom. I had to step into another fourth grade classroom for a few moments and their classroom was much different. The room was larger, and it had a Smart Board. The desks were grouped into groups of 4. In the end though, all the students in both classes were learning at equal paces. And the last thing is that you have to be proud of what your students are achieving. Hang their stuff on the wall and show them that you are proud. They will respect you more for noticing, and it might encourage them to try their hardest and be proud of what they make.