As the students arrived Mrs. R. directed them to look at the board to review the
objectives for the day. She then
reviewed them verbally, giving clear, concise, instructions. She asked students to think about three
things they personally needed to finish their Holocaust project. She instructed the students to look on the
back of their chairs to locate an index card that had a writing prompt relative
to their assignment. Questions were
open-ended and led students to be opinionated and reflective. They were then
instructed to journal for about 5 minutes.
Students who got out of their seat were asked to return and begin
working on the assignment. The teacher
walked around the class to see who needed assistance. One student was struggling with her prompt so
the teacher helped her by talking it out.
The student then resumed working on the assignment and the teacher went
on to assist another student.
After
the students finished journaling they worked in their groups on the Holocaust project. Students had been making a display to
represent what they have learned about the Holocaust. They had freedom to design their model
however they wanted as long as it was reflective of their knowledge of the
Holocaust. Students could paint, print
pictures, or use the internet to find further information. Materials were provided within the
classroom. The teacher stated that she
likes to have the students rotate partners in group work so the same kids will
not work together for every project. This
encourages diversity and as she stated, “the kids feed off each other.” This has been a little problematic this year
because the classes have been smaller.
She said the kids work better when there are more chances to switch off
and work with different people.
In
comparison to the other class I observed, this one seemed way more efficient. This
teacher was enthusiastic and her assignments were fun for the students. Her energy seemed to affect the overall mood
of the classroom. The students in this
class were more respectful to Mrs. R. and motivated to learn. They seemed more knowledgeable about their
content, while in the other class the students were clearly not motivated and many
of them did not have a good grasp on the material. Both classes were at the end of a unit and it
was clear that this class had gained more. Surprisingly,
Mrs. R. has only been teaching for 2 years.
Even her student’s think she had been a teacher for many years. She kept that very hush, hush. She had so
many great ideas for her classroom. One
was called RAFT, which is a method
of writing: Role: Who am I writing
as? Audience: Who am I writing for? Format: How should it look? Topic: What am I writing about? She said this has completely changed the way
her students write. It was obvious Mrs.
R. is always looking for ways to improve her classroom and motivate her
students.
The
last thing Mrs. R. showed me was her raffle box that she does once a
month. Students earn tickets for various
things in the class, including good behavior.
She then draws a few tickets each month and those students receive a
prize. She has taken nothing out of her
pocket for the prizes. She went to the
school’s athletic department and requested donations of t-shirts, water bottles
and other things she could use as raffle prizes.
I
was so impressed with this teacher. If I
can be half as effective as her in the classroom, my students will be
successful. She went above and
beyond. Her passion for her job and her
students showed every step of the way.
She is a great model for the future.
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