MSSE 370

Classroom Observation Reflection prompts

Spring 2017
Nathan Buchholz

Spend 3-4 hours observing adolescent learners within a classroom setting. Then, respond to
each prompt in a thoughtful, well-developed paragraph. Submit your responses to Dr. Higdon at
higdonrl@jmu.edu no later than Sunday, May 7 at 11:59 pm

#1. First Impression

So you walk into the room, what are your thoughts? Does this seem like a place that you would
like to learn as a student? Does this seem like a place that you would like to teach? What is it
about the placement that gives you those impressions?

The first thing I thought when I walked into Mr. Ornsteins classroom is that it was
incredible. The walls were lined with bumper stickers of important terms for civics and
important documents papered the walls. Terms were defined like pro and con and everywhere
you looked the room seemed to scream information at you. The rules of the classroom were
clearly displayed and motivational posters were everywhere. The classroom seemed both
inviting and informative which made it seem like a great place to learn. The walls required an
enormous amount of work, which would be difficult to pull off, but I loved the classroom. I
want my classroom to be both inviting and informative. I want my classroom to be a helpful
actor in student learning. The complexity and sheer amount of decoration in the room also
gives the impression that this teacher cares about his students enough to create a great space
for learning. The sheer amount of work it requires already starts telling students that the
teacher cares. I want my classroom to be like that one day.

#2. Physical Setting

What is your physical space like? Are students seated at desks or tables? What is the
arrangement of the furniture-Traditional or Groups? Does the space provide adequate learning
space for students?

The classroom was smaller than expected. There were never more than between fifteen
and twenty kids inside the classroom while I observed. The small size of the classroom made
the space feel intimate and safe. The students were seated at tables in groups. These groups
were also teams that were busy doing SOL preparation. The groups worked together to solve
different puzzles and learning games that Mr. Ornstein set out for them. I thought the
placement of the space was conducive to learning. It created strong incentives for teamwork
and a creative process of students working together to learn concepts. This was shown when
the students would engage in review games. They worked together to come up with the right
answers and were able to learn cooperatively.

#3. Classroom Management

How is classroom management handled within the class? Is classroom management an issue?
What have you observed that is effective for adolescent learners?

The classes I observed did not have many classroom management problems. The
students were just required to stay mostly on task or to not be incredibly disruptive during the
game sessions. There were clear lines, mostly when it came to physical contact with other
students that were enforced, but I did not observe much need for those rules to be enforced.
Every time a line was crossed the students knew it and seemed to back off and defer to the
teacher. This taught me two things. First it seemed that the clear expectations were key for
adolescent learners in order to respond well to classroom management. They knew the rules
and knew when they crossed them things were serious. The second is that there was respect
Mr. Ornstein had earned that made them defer to him. This signifies a stronger relationship that
I was not able to fully witness. Those relationships with your students are vital to ensure a
strong classroom.

#4. Student to Student

What are the interactions like between the students? Does the class get along? Do they talk
about school stuff or out of school stuff? Do they pick on each other? Are there distinct groups?

The class seemed to mostly get along but I did see some problems. It was hard to get a
real feel for the underlying interactions between students with a short time observing but I did
notice interactions between the boys mostly that seemed not to be all good natured. It was
hard to tell but it seemed like some of the boys would consistently pick on each other and it
was hard to tell when something crossed the line. Most of the class was focused on work while
they were together or talking about school social events. Distinct groups did seem to exist more
in the first class than the second class I observed. The biggest divider was gender, boys
generally were with boys and girls with girls. This was only ever really shaken up by the groups
the kids were assigned to. It was difficult to get a great feel for how the students interacted
with each other but my observation bore out that most of the relationships were positive and
most discussion between students centered on the review games they were engaged in.

#5. Student to Teacher

What are the interactions like between the students and teachers-formal or informal? Is there a
clear line of teacher vs. friend?

The line between students and teachers was clearly defined. Mr. Ornstein would
occasionally goof of or mess with the students but everyone in the class knew when someone
crossed a line. A good example of this is when some boys were playing basketball with a tennis
ball. The game got out of hand and Mr. Ornstein took down the basketball hoops in the class.
The students immediately knew he was serious and treated him with respect. It signified that
while Mr. Ornstein was personable he was still deserving of respect and following his classroom
rules. The line also was clear in conversation. Mr. Ornstein generally interacted with students
based on the material he was teaching not by getting involved in school gossip. It meant that
there was a distinct way that he spoke which was different from the students. These factors
were the biggest things that set up teacher student interactions.

#6. SOL's
How heavy is the emphasis on the SOL's? Are the teachers worried or occupied with them? Are
the students concerned? What role do the SOL's have in determining what happens in the class
on a daily basis? Is this a good thing or bad thing?

The classes I observed had a heavy emphasis on the SOLs. They were either review
games meant to help students retain information or handouts that gave out helpful test taking
tips. The students were very concerned with their SOLs and gladly participated in both the
activities and the discussions about test taking strategies. Mr. Ornsteins entire class was geared
towards studying for the SOLs which meant he was taking them very seriously as well. This all
worked together to make the SOLs a huge part of the classes I observed, and dominated what
the students did on a daily basis. I liked the way the SOL review happened. The games Mr.
Ornstein came up with were creative like rearranging a set of cards in the right order to match
a key term and an example. My observation time was brief so I did not get to see new content
was introduced mostly just review of old content. What I can say is the SOL review was
innovative and engaging which made the amount of review the class did a good thing. I do not
think the majority of the class just taught to the test but instead that the SOLs were near so
they were preparing quite a bit. I saw in action how SOL review does not have to be boring and
unhelpful. Instead it can be a vital part of a vibrant class.