Park Elementary Classroom Observation

Park Middle is located in Scotch Plains, New Jersey and is one of two middle schools within the town. On average there are 930 students enrolled at Park over the past three years (See Appendix A, Table A1). Additionally, Scotch Plains’ population consists of 77.4% White citizens, but is also composed of 11.1% of African Americans, 7.7% Asian, and 6.7% Hispanic citizens (see Appendix B, Table B1). The town’s population is largely representative of the school’s demographics (see Appendix C, Graph C1). When referencing the school’s performance on district benchmarks and state testing, Park Middle School has met most of their established targets. However, even with most established targets met, certain subgroups are in need of further attention

1. Describe the organization and physical setting of the classrooms you observed. Pay particular attention to safety and accessibility, the physical arrangement of the room, the classroom environment and appearance (Danielson 2e):

In this lab experience I was observing eighteen to nineteen first grade students at Jefferson Elementary. Most of the observations take place in the classroom. I observe at different times of the day, so that I can experience different areas of study. I have observed this class with their regular teacher, two substitutes and the reading coach, as well as a portion of the class with two special activity teachers.

Education in classrooms are getting a different twist these days. In order to get kids more engaged at learning, teachers are trying to figure out ways to get then interested. With a handful of technology available that can distract kids from learning, teachers are using that same technology as a tool for learning.

From my very first observation I could tell that technology played a huge role in Ms. Felder-Way’s classroom. She found ways to integrate technology into almost every lesson. All of the students were assigned Chromebooks which were purchased by the district. In the classroom there was a SMART Board, two desktop

Ms. Penn’s Kindergarten class consisted of 9 boys and 7 girls. This was the last hour of the instructional day, and as I walked in I noticed that the students were already working in centers in groups of 3-4. This class was a little noisy and unorganized as compared to other kindergarten classrooms I have observed so far at Krahn elementary. The students seemed to be enjoying their time in centers and were eager to pack-up after cleaning up in the end since it was close to dismissal.

After conducting this research, it is proven that these rapid changes in technology are changing the way we teach. Technology can be a distraction and lead us off topic, especially when it doesn’t work. In turn, it also enhances the learning environment throughout the day which is why it is incredibly important for teachers to feel comfortable implementing it. Learning is enhanced through the use of computers, iPads, interactive SmartBoards, and more. When technology is properly utilized in the classroom language barriers are decreased, students feel encouraged to make further investigations, and a variety of learning styles are incorporated on a daily basis. A variety of resources can be utilized. It is simply a matter of the teacher using them in a ways that encourages conversations, enhances the skills students are currently learning, and provides students with additional practice. It is not enough to just use the resources because we have to, teachers must use them effectively.

Over October break, I was able to spend six hours observing in my local elementary school. Polk Street Elementary School houses students that range from Pre-Kindergarten to the sixth grade. Out of 697 students, more than seventy-five percent identify as Caucasian, and only three percent of students are “limited in English proficiency”. Polk Street offers free and reduced priced lunches to students who fall below a certain range on the poverty line. 10.2% of students participate in this program. Overall, the school is made up of middle class, white families who live in the area.

Another important benefit of implementing technology in the classroom is it can help teachers create personalize instruction and make it easier to provide accommodations. It can be very difficult and time consuming to differentiate instruction for a classroom of students. The use of technology can make this a much more workable task. By using technology, the teacher can differentiate instruction with just a few swipes per student. It also gives the teacher more options to work with depending on student need. For example, if a student has trouble writing, they can use an iPad with voice adaptive software to answer questions or complete assignments. This eliminates the stress they may feel being forced to write during an assignment or test situation.

I observed a sixth grade classroom (eleven to twelve years of age) at a middle school in Ringgold, Georgia. The classroom seemed to be fairly even in regards to how many children of each sex were in the classroom. The majority of the students were white with a few african american and hispanic children among the mix. The sixth grade classes did not have enough employees to only teach one subject therefore, the teacher that I observed taught language arts and mathematics. The first thing you notice when you walk into the classroom is the mathematical shapes all along the upper wall like a wallpaper border. These shapes were projects from her students in the years before. The next thing that you’ll notice is the way the desks were set up. They were set up in three separate groups. One group of around twelve desks faced the

Observations at Columbia High School were collected in the Student Services department for 9th and 10th graders in the Huntsville City Schools (HCS) district. Students enrolled in this self-contained, special needs unit are supported by a curriculum design with prevocational transition targets. These exceptional learners work toward benchmark academic, behavioral, and vocational skills development.

Ms. Nicole Ince's classroom welcomed me for an observation on Wednesday, July 29th, 2015. Ms. Nicole has recently had a few drops with children preparing for kindergarten so her numbers have changed. There were 21 children when I began my observations but the class roster has dropped down to 18 with the class split nine boys and nine girls. Her classroom is located in the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Child Care Center which is located in rural Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The school is also a private school that maintains a waitlist. It contains four classrooms; Ms. Nicoles preschool class, two toddler rooms consisting of children 18 to 36 months and an infant room with children birth to 18 months.

I teach at Marshall Elementary School in Dubuque, IA. Marshall is in a suburban area of our city. The families at Marshall are in a wide range of incomes, but mostly the families are low to middle income level. The school is located in an area around houses, there is train tracks that run behind the school, then behind that is an industrial area. The Mississippi River runs along the industrial area. The families at Marshall are employed in a wide range of places throughout Dubuque. There are quite a few stay at home moms, factory workers, food service employees, office staff, etc.

Education has found its way into the loop of technology. Teachers are using ipads and laptops during class time to help conduct experiments, or share a presentation. This is allowing the students to gain instant access to the information they are seeking. Students also receive the opportunity to complete their homework online and print off their assignments instead of just using paper and pencil. Another pro for Technology in Education, there are countless sources out there which help enhance learning. In one research conducted, they compared the performance of teaching kids how to read a clock. One group was coached by an online app, another was shown by a toy clock, and the last group was trained by a drawing example. The results revealed that the children that were taught by the toy and app exceeded the paper drawing group (Galetzka).

The use of technology in schools has a great effect on not only students, but teachers as well. Today, we mostly think of technology as computers, but it is much more than that. In fact, one of the first technologies used in the classroom was the chalkboard.