Visit 3:

At the visit:
Describe the learning environment in the classroom. Discuss with supervising teacher
how they have organised the classroom. Ask them to explain it has been set up that way:
The learning environment of the classroom I have been assigned is very organised and
cohesive. The teacher organises the classroom so every student is able to learn something
during that day. My supervising Kindergarten teacher stated that because she has advanced
students and students that are struggling to read and write, she has to implement strategies to
benefit both levels of students. For example, she will split the class into specific groupsallowing the more advanced group to do some independent learning, so she is able to help
students that need it. Although there are disruptions from the special needs children in which
learning gets interrupted, my supervising teacher uses strategic lesson planning and
implementation to ensure a successful learning environment.

Observe a small group of students. What was the purpose of the lesson? How did the
teacher organise the learning situation e.g. was the class in groups/ individually? Make
notes on how the group is engaged in the lesson and describe any individual differences
that you notice in the way the students work.
The purpose of this lesson was to meet the syllabus outcomes of the English syllabus for
reading. Due to the fact she has children still struggling with the alphabet and has children
reading multiple books, the teacher set up a lesson where all students can benefit. She grouped
the children specifically- those who are more advanced and those who arent, then set certain
literacy activities on tables for each group to aid them. The students become engaged when
they know they are learning, in a fun , engaging environment- for example with the use of
building blocks , children had to make words. Some individual differences would be, some
students do not work cohesively with other students and get distracted. Others might be some
find it a struggle to complete activities independently so their behaviour turns for the worse- as
they just wander around the class or be the distraction for other students.

Observe and record what the teachers does to1. Manage behaviour
When students are not behaved my supervising teacher first talks down the student, and
states what their consequences of their behaviour has caused. She not only addresses the one
student, but talks to the whole class on how a certain behaviour is unacceptable, simultaneously
explaining why it is unacceptable. At other times she may occasionally have teacher aids for the
special needs children 2-3 times a week to ensure their behaviours do not disrupt the class.
2. Assist individual students
She groups students so she is able to go around the class and assist students independently, or
gives a set task for the students and calls a student one by one. For example this strategy is
used when she wants to aid each student in reading and see what level they are at.

3. Assess progress
My supervising teacher has a portfolio which documents every student from the beginning of the
year- stating what their capabilities are, and documents each week how they performed during
class- including their limitations, strengths and weaknesses.
4. Handle interruptions
She either apologises to the class, and moves on from what she was teaching, or gives the
students a little breathing space to get them concentrating again, for instance a fruit break or
walk around the class and sit back down again.

Talk to each students in the group about what they did and what they learnt.
During maths lesson, I went around and asked students what they did and learnt. They stated
that theyre learning numbers from 1-30 and sequencing as their teacher is teaching them
the concept of sequencing.
Talk to supervising teacher about how the lesson went and about the learning that took
place
My supervising teacher stated that the lesson went well, however due to some students with
special needs and their distracting behaviour sometimes it is hard to ensure that all students are
doing their work accurately, as she has to cater to teaching and managing special needs
students at the same time controlling the class as a whole.
What factors contributed to this learning?
Factors include:
-

Special needs students

Group learning
Cohesive learning
Class environment
Levels of students

After this visit:

What have you learning from your observations? How could you use this knowledge
during the professional experience? Reflect.
As a teacher, one major hardship would be catering to 30 odd students, and their needs.
Teachers need to ensure that all students are learning. From my observation I could conclude
that this is not an easy task, and that teachers need to have strategic lessons to ensure every
child is learning.