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Classroom Observation Analysis-Yates 1

M’Laura Yates

Classroom Observation Analysis

TED 621A

Prof. Denegri

National University

April 22, 2018


Classroom Observation Analysis-Yates 2

Abstract

In this analysis I will discuss two different schools and lessons which address the needs

of English learners (ELs) in the classroom. I will give an overview of each school and lesson

plan, focusing on the teachers’ modeling and students’ cognitive and affective behaviors,

identifying any second language methods used. I will then compare the two lessons, and offer

suggestions for improvement of implementation, especially for ELs.


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School Descriptions

Bess Maxwell Elementary- Bess Maxwell (BM) is an elementary school serving Pre-K-5th grade,

with approximately 300 students. BM offers students an all-inclusive, standards-based education

that focuses on the “whole child.” BM is very proud of the diversity displayed by its students

and offers a myriad of programs which support learning and community partnerships. According

to the SARC for BM, approximately 11 percent of the students are English Learners (ELs). Only

7 percent of those ELs met or exceeded the State Standards (CAASPP System Assessments) in

English/Language Arts, and 0 percent in Mathematics. The school has all-inclusive classrooms,

with English Language Development (ELD) pullout. Mrs. Hooper stated that each of her EL

students had ½ hour pullout each morning for ELD.

Mary Peacock Elementary- Mary Peacock (MP) is an elementary school serving K-5th grade,

with approximately 350 students. MP prides itself on providing excellent education through

strong teacher, student, parent, and community relationships. MP strives to meet students’ needs

through engaging instruction that is conceptually rich and fosters vocabulary development.

According to the SARC for MP, approximately 9 percent of students are English Learners (ELs).

22 percent of those met or exceeded the State Standards (CAASPP System Assessments) in

English/Language Arts, and 13 percent in Mathematics. The school has all-inclusive classrooms

with daily ½ hour ELD pullout.


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Lesson Analysis
Mrs. Hooper- I observed Mrs. Rachael Hooper’s Kindergarten class at Bess Maxwell on April

13, 2018, during a Science lesson on Habitats. She has 21 students, of which 2 are ELs,

speaking 2 different home languages. The classroom was arranged with kidney tables placed

around the room. There was a small class library area, dramatic play area, and art center. The

walls had student artwork prominently displayed as well as alphabet cards with pictures of

sounds, color cards with names on top of colors, shape cards with names, etc. She was giving a

lesson about animal habitats in a Science unit. The students were gathered around Mrs. Hooper

on the carpet. There was an anchor chart placed next to her chair with information about

different habitats partially filled out. She began by reviewing previously discussed information

and referring to the anchor chart they had already begun to fill out. She then read a book about

habitats, showing pictures and stopping frequently to have the students repeat key vocabulary

and terms, such as food, water and shelter. When students were getting impatient on the carpet

and needed redirection, she would address them by name and ask for answers about habitats.

After each student answered, she would instruct the students to give themselves a pat on the back

for participation. She repeatedly reminded the students that they were to listen, think, and look

while she was reading. She also emphasized different vocabulary with American Sign Language

(ASL), which the students loved to emulate.

Mrs. Sedgwick- I observed Mrs. Sedgwick’s 1st grade class at Mary Peacock on April 13, 2018,

during a Social Studies/ELA lesson on Inventions. She has 24 students, of which 3 are ELs, with

two different home languages. The classroom was arranged with 4 desk clusters spread around

the room. There was a reading area, tablets on each desk, science area, art area, and library

around the perimeter. The golden rule was painted high on one centered wall. Mrs. Sedgwick
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was seated in a chair with the students surrounding her on the carpet. She began her lesson on

inventions by reviewing and activating previous knowledge about inventions from students. She

encouraged all students to participate and patiently heard from each student, frequently parroting

back what they were saying for clarity. She then began to show large cards with pictures of

inventions on them, one at a time, reading information off of the back. She constantly reverted

from past to present, emphasizing the changes over time and then relating them to current day

use. The students were encouraged to imagine what things may mean, and Mrs. Sedgwick

related inventions to her childhood and then asked the students how these inventions work in

their homes. The inventions discussed were the telephone, light bulb, and automobile.

Throughout the reading Mrs. Sedgwick would pause and review vocabulary words and

information, asking questions of students to determine understanding. She read the story with a

smooth voice, regardless of interruptions, and was able to manage unruly students by having

them move to a different spot while continuously reading. She would begin to whisper

information when she wanted the students to quiet down, which worked quite well. She then

reviewed all of the pictures and had students ask any questions they may have. She asked some

final review questions to assess comprehension, such as, “How did these inventions make things

better?”

Analytical Comparison of Lessons

Both Mrs. Hooper and Mrs. Sedgwick demonstrated great SDAIE strategies, although

they did not identify them as such. Neither teacher was familiar with the SDAIE terminology,

but they were both CLAD (Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development) certificate

holders.
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 Both teachers activated prior knowledge of students prior to delving into the lesson by

reviewing and making connections from old to new material.

 They both used schema building by showing the interconnectedness of each subject.

Mrs. Hooper used an anchor chart and Mrs. Sedgwick brainstormed with the students.

 Both teachers used appropriate language input and pacing while reading information and

connecting the new vocabulary to concepts of the lessons. They each enunciated

carefully and had the students repeat the new words.

 They both could have implemented more metacognitive development by helping the

students understand how they knew and could apply the new information. I think

metacognitive development may be more difficult for the younger students to verbalize

and the teachers need to work harder on ways to insert this SDAIE strategy into their

lesson development.

 Both teachers used bridging to relate the content of the lessons to the students’ personal

experiences. Mrs. Hooper related the vocabulary words, such as water, food and shelter

to the students’ needs. She also asked for stories about students who may have visited

different areas where these habitats exist, i.e.; deserts, forests, etc. Mrs. Sedgwick

bridged the inventions to things the students currently use at home, such as telephones,

lights, cars, etc., and took it one step further by asking the students how their lives would

change if these items had never been invented.

 Mrs. Hooper modeled different ASL signs for the students to make, and drew different

animals, their food and shelter on the anchor chart with the students helping with

characteristics they learned from the book. Mrs. Sedgwick demonstrated how students
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would have used a rotary phone and described the process of mail from the Pony Express

as a means of information transportation before telephones.

 Both Mrs. Hooper and Mrs. Sedgwick used contextualization for their lessons by giving

extended descriptions of habitats and inventions to help aid in making the lesson content

more meaningful. Mrs. Sedgwick had several objects for the students to hold and look at,

such as candles, a rotary phone, an early cellular phone, and a Model -T car.

 Both teachers could have developed more text-re-presentation to demonstrate

understanding through the use of an alternative format.

 Both teachers included the ELs in their discussions and neither made the lesson content

and delivery any less informative or complex due to having ELs in their class. Mrs.

Sedgwick stated, “If an EL student needs more clarification on a topic, this just helps

those who understand the subject learn a different way to understand. It’s a win-win for

the whole class.”

 Both teachers were very enthusiastic about their lessons and cultivated the discussions

with encouragement and patience for the students. Although there were many

interruptions they were each able to keep the students focused and intent on the new

information.

 In both classrooms the students were fully and actively engaged in the lesson by thinking,

acting on, and practicing what they were learning through discussion and feedback from

their peers and teacher.


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Improvement Suggestions

“Within preparation, teachers engage in setting both content and language objectives,

considering key content concepts and potential adaptations and important supplementary

materials. For example, in a given lesson, teachers often create two sets of objectives, one for

content (what will be learned) and another for language (how the content will be learned).

Providing objectives to students implants a framework for the lesson to follow and allows

students to acquire skills, strategies, and content” (Babinski, 2018, para. 15).

Both teachers could have used more learning strategies in metacognitive development.

Reflective journals are a great example that could be used in Mrs. Sedgwick’s 1st grade class

which would help the students understand what and how they are learning, as well as vocabulary

development. Mrs. Hooper could have the students think/pair/share the information they are

learning, as well as discuss and quiz each other on key terms. These strategies would be

especially helpful for English Learners. They both could have integrated more student activities,

such as role-playing, or demonstrating a video into their lesson plans to help students find other

engaging ways to learn and retain the new information (Serdyukov, 2014, p. 220).

Another area that both teachers could have developed more was text re-presentation.

Mrs. Hooper did have an anchor chart, but could have benefited from dramatizations of habitats,

or centers where the students could make their own habitats into two and three-dimensional

models. Mrs. Sedgwick would also have benefitted from the students dramatizing each

invention and recreating the past to present scenarios she presented for each invention (SDAIE

Strategies PowerPoint).
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Awareness of Multiple Intelligences would also help them develop lesson plans that

include many different types of learners. Students aren’t all the same type of learners, and the

more types that are targeted through careful lesson planning, the better the students will

understand and retain the concepts being taught. When teachers help students develop oral

language through these strategies, we “help the students build conceptual understanding and

develop social relationships” (Haley, 2014, p. 136). Mrs. Sedgwick knew which Common Core

Standards her lesson targeted and tailored it to meet those standards. This was a perfect example

of the “…lesson content objectives being tied to specific grade-level content standards” (Haley,

2014, p. 35).

Both teachers should compile careful observation notes for the lessons, so they can

capture the student’s strengths in relation to the curriculum and lesson objectives. “This will

indicate the level of instruction needed to build on the learner’s strengths” (Haley, 2014, p. 98).

The school district needs to implement teacher development in the area of second language

acquisition. Both teachers have had no supplemental classes or support since they graduated

from college over a decade ago. New strategies and data should be learned so that the students

are better served by teachers who are knowledgeable about current issues and instructional

methods in the classroom.


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References

Babinski, Leslie M., Amendum, Steven J., Knotek, Steven E., Sánchez, Marta, & Malone,

Patrick. (2018). Improving Young English Learners' Language and Literacy Skills

through Teacher Professional Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial. American

Educational Research Journal, 55(1), 117-143.

Haley, M. H., & Austin, T. Y. (2014). Content-based second language teaching and learning: An

interactive approach (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Serdyukov, P., Ryan, M. (2013). The 5-minute lesson plan: A practitioner's guide. Boston:

Pearson.

SDAIE and Related Strategies. n.d. Unit One Lecture Three. National University.

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