Ed 327 Reflection 2

October 4, 2012

Observations… 

Mr. Pitcock runs a very structured classroom. I am not sure if the students recognize it exactly because there is significant freedom with in that structure. Although this was something I recognized in my first impressions of him, it still manages to shock me the subsequent times I have been observing his class. I have been in some classes where you can tell there is a certain amount of inconsistency, sometimes the teacher is well prepared and on their A game and other times they are not. Mr. Pitcock seems to always be on his A game.

I think this structure works well for most of the students, it certainly meets their developmental need for structure with clear limits (Developmental Need 2). He gets them to work as soon as the enter the room and there is very little time for them to get distracted, although like most students their age, they manage to do so with relative ease. But when this happens, Mr. Pitcock is adept at handling the disruption by calling attention to it and letting the students know what they could be doing instead. I thought this was a very effective classroom tool, because instead of taking the time to go over what the student is doing that is incorrect, he lets them know right away what they should be doing and moves on to let the student do it. So many teachers take time to address the student’s behavior, and sometimes I feel that causes others to then get distracted and misbehave.

Another thing I have noticed that I appreciate is Mr. Pitcock uses media very effectively, and it is integrated well into the lessons. Some teachers do a rather lackluster job of putting together Powerpoints and giving their students guided notes, but I have often noticed Mr. Pitcock’s use of technology is very purposeful (InTASC 7). He does not just use it because it is there.

Mr. Pitcock also puts an emphasis on high expectations (InTASC 8). In one class period, his ScienceX class (the honors level class) he took a minute at the start of class to reiterate the expectation that students needed to answer questions with complete sentences. He praised some of the students for their work asking them to read answers to the previous quiz questions aloud which helps them to feel competent. Having high, but achievable expectations is important in any classroom because not only will the students rise to meet those standards, but they will feel a greater sense of achievement upon doing so creating a positive feedback cycle which is critical in a process as risky as learning can be sometimes (Developmental Need 3).

My last noted observation of Mr. Pitcock’s class was in his assignment of the final project  for the section on earth science. He allowed the students significant freedom for creatively designing their projects, a great tool this age group which needs significant freedom to express themselves (Developmental Need 4). He gave them a clear framework (rubric) for the assignment and then set them loose to determine how they could meet the needs of the project, whether that be from a powerpoint, poster, model, or anything else they could dream up (InTASC 6). Some of the student really got into it and they created great projects!

Interactions…

In working with the students I have noticed that many of them really do not like science–or so they tell me. Although, I know this is the case for most students, I find it highly upsetting because Mr. Pitcock does a lot of interactive labs which I think are really engaging. I am wondering what he can do to get all of the students on board in his classroom and excited about Science! Obviously this is every teachers goal: “how can any of us get our students as excited about this topic as I am we are?” But another point is how to simply get students engaged in their the subject matter because science has such important relevance for every aspect of our lives. Maybe he has some innovative strategies coming up in future lessons, or perhaps I can use some of my tools to add to lessons in the future and get the students excited!

But other than this little note, I have really been enjoying working with the second group of students in the special needs class. It has been interesting to watch how Mr. Pitcock makes modifications for this group many of which are ENL students (InTASC 2&7). I also like that this class is smaller, he is able give them much more personal attention and in doing so more easily develops relationships with each of these students (Developmental Need 1).  And I have been fortunate to work with these students on an individual basis as well, I have been helping out a few of them when they get behind during class time. I think working with the students will help me build a repertoire of “go-to” activities for helping diverse learners.

Comments are closed