Running head: FORMAL CLASSROOM OBSERVATION 1

Formal Classroom Observation

Professor David Teja

CSU-Chico EDTE-265-72

Emily Hall
FORMAL CLASSROOM OBSERVATION 2

Formal Classroom Observation

The classroom observed is made up of 12 students aging between 3 and 5 years old. It

appears that more than half of the students speak Spanish, with about 4 of them primarily

speaking Spanish in the classroom. Due to this, there is also a teacher’s assistant that solely

works with the Spanish speaking students in a separate group. The 4 students are in a separate

group, which also includes 2 others to make up its own table group. Among the other students,

there are clearly some students who appear to be very quiet and some who appear to be more

outgoing. Also, the teacher noted that the students are scaffolded so that the students at a lower

level are seated next to, or in a group with, students who perform at a higher level. The teacher

did not specify who the students were, but made it clear to note that each table group had at least

one low and/or shy student and at least one higher-leveled student.

The teacher successfully adjusted the teaching styles to maintain student engagement.

Since the students are so young, the consistent change in activities was helpful in keeping the

students focused and interested. The teacher began the class by having students move around,

dance, and sing to some educational songs about the weather. Then, the students sat on a rug and

went over the date, weather, names of the students, and feelings or emotions of everyone in the

class. The students were encouraged to wait patiently for their turn, listen to their classmates, and

express their thoughts in complete sentences.

After doing this activity, the student again interacted in an activity-changing song and

dance, to which they chose an animal to imitate as they walked to their assigned chairs. At their

chairs, the teacher and teacher’s assistant, worked with the students in large groups. Each group

contained 6 students, and the teachers did ensure to give each student the opportunity for
FORMAL CLASSROOM OBSERVATION 3

individual interactions. During the main lesson- taking paper drawings and constructing them

into 3d versions with magnetic tiles- the teacher took time to observe each student’s progress and

give feedback. The students who appeared to be more shy or lower leveled did tend to have more

personal interaction time with the teacher. This proved that the teacher was actively conscious of

the learning levels of their students and worked to ensure they were given the necessary tools to

improve. In this specific classroom, the students remained focused and there were very few

instances of behavioral problems or outbursts. On one single occasion, a student got frustrated

that they did not have the teacher's attention, but was immediately redirected to interact with the

peer next to them. The teacher momentarily altered their focus to this student and told the student

to tell their peers about their ideas.

Overall, the observation in this classroom can be used as a great resource for managing

my own future classroom. Some personal challenges I think I may face is keeping my students

consistently engaged in the activities I plan. I found that simple tactics, like playing transitional

songs for students to dance to, can help me to get students to focus on their tasks. Since there are

various learning styles, it is helpful to find what interests the students and utilize that. Music,

dance, visuals, and manipulations are all great things that I noticed throughout this classroom.

These tools are great ways to keep students engaged, while also tending to their personal learning

styles or needs. In this class, there were students of diverse learning styles, as well as diverse

backgrounds and needs. The teacher did a great job of recognizing the needs of the students and

creating a positive learning environment. The best example of this is how the teacher has a

teaching assistant who is there to best assist students who speak Spanish as their primary

language. The only thing I would do differently in my own classroom is allow the students to
FORMAL CLASSROOM OBSERVATION 4

work in smaller groups. This helps with allowing students to express their ideas or opinions to

each other, instead of waiting for the teacher to interact with each student individually.