Entry # 1 / Classroom Observation

9/27/2011

Teaching

The lesson I observed was a part of the life skill curriculum. The week's life skill was on the topic of stereotypes. The purpose of the lesson was to make sure the students understood how stereotypes could be defined as well as what it felt like to have someone personally act on a stereotype. The teacher took the hands on approach and started the lesson by involving the students without explaining or telling them anything first. The structure of the lesson involved the class being divided into groups. The teacher had the students number off and then form groups according to their number. This was a very appropriate approach for the activity. Due to the fact that the students are second language learners, the teacher also utilized the white board by writing the number of the groups and what they were expected to do.

The teacher then explained that all of the students in group one were allowed to play with anything that they wanted to play with in the room. The second group, however, had to sit on the carpet and watch group one play. The third group was allowed to play with something only if someone in group one said it was okay and gave their permission. The students started to complain and ask, "why?" The teacher told them that their group number determined what they would be doing for the day. After a few minutes, the teacher had the groups switch and everyone was given a chance to see what it was like to be in each group. After the lesson, the teacher explained what a stereotype was and used the activity to show them how it feels when a person is judged by one factor, such as race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, etc. The teacher wanted them to understand that these groups were unfair and that it did not feel good to be in the groups that were not allowed to play. The discussion was productive and the students seemed to understand the point that the teacher was trying to make.

Community

The students in the classroom are extremely diverse, yet almost act as if they are all brothers and sisters. It was really amazing to notice that they supported their peers and even though one group was able to tell the others that they weren't allowed to play, none of them did so. The group of students acted like a small family. One of the students did not exactly understand what was going on, so another student literally pulled them by the hand to show them where they were supposed to be.

The language levels of the students in the classroom range from almost non-existent to upper beginner. I think it would be easy for a new ESOL student to feel comfortable in this classroom setting. The students that are more advanced acted like parents to the lower level students and guided them along the way. The teacher used both spoken and written English, so if a student felt weak in one of those ares, they would have the other area as back up. The students were obviously used to the high mobility and activity in the classroom. Frank (1999), explains that this could be a part of the hidden rules that exist in the classroom. A new student might not feel comfortable with a lot of activity if it is not what they are used to. Because this was a life skill lesson, there were not any other materials used beside the activity and the discussion following the activity.

Ethnographic Perspective

It is obvious that some aspects of the classroom can be observed upon immediate entrance. The teacher had a strict, but comfortable control over the classroom. The main events that took place during the lesson were the instructions that were both verbally explained and written on the board, as well. The teacher interacted with the students on an informal level, by walking around the room and making sure that each child understood what was going on. The teacher also informally asked the students how they were feeling and took notes in order to structure the conversation following the activity. After the activity, the students were asked to sit back down in their familiar space and take turns explaining how it felt to be in each group. This seemed to be important because the students were previously somewhat uncomfortable in their groups, and were not much more comfortable in their proper seats.
If an observer walked into the classroom during the actual activity, they would be very confused and possibly even frustrated at the fact that the teacher seemed to be torturing the children and showing favoritism. The setting might have also been slightly unorganized as children were trying to figure out which group they were in, as well as asking the other groups for permission to play. This would also look very strange to an outsider. The two aspects of the classroom life of space and time made the classroom welcoming. The space was organized in a way that felt cozy, but not cluttered. The teacher had the lesson planned in a proper manner and spent an appropriate amount of time on each aspect of the lesson. The flags from the student's home countries were proudly displayed. The posters and art on the walls also added to the friendly environment of the classroom. All of the students were involved and no one seemed to be left out. The students were at ease in asking the teacher and other students questions. It was a pleasant observation and a wonderful learning experience.

Frank, C. (1999). Ethnographic eyes: A teacher's guide to classroom observation. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann