Assignment:
Observing other teachers is a powerful tool that provides an opportunity to experience different classroom management styles and helps to improve classroom management skills. It can also help develop and shape individual style.
Allocate at least 5 hours in the field to support this field experience.
Speak with your mentor teacher and seek opportunities to observe a secondary classroom (different from Clinical Field Experience B), specific to your content area. Your mentor teacher must approve any hours spent observing another classroom environment.
Observe and take notes on how the teacher incorporates classroom management, student engagement, expectations, and routines in the classroom.
After your observations, interview and collaborate with the teacher about classroom management, and how they introduce expectations, routines, and procedures to students.
Your interview should include, but not be limited to, the following:
- The classroom management style of the teacher.
- How classroom expectations, routines, and procedures are introduced and reinforced in the classroom.
- Which strategies the teacher uses to engage the students.
- How the teacher deals with, and handles, behavioral issues in the classroom.
- How the classroom is physically set-up. Note examples and incidents of mutual respect and validation.
Ask additional and follow up questions as appropriate.
Use any remaining field experience hours to assist your mentor teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.
You have now had three classroom observations. At the conclusion of the field experience, complete a 250 to 500 word summary reflecting upon your experiences and describe how you will apply what you have learned to your future professional practice.
Describe which classroom you most identify with and which classroom you do not. Do you feel there are still certain experiences that you need to have before feeling more prepared to go into the field?