Purpose:

The following questions are specifically designed for use in classroom observations. They may also be useful for students for reflecting on their current learning environments.

Objective:

• Experience the use of a reflective journal in teaching.

Student Project:

From the beginning of the semester, keep a journal containing observations of elementary or secondary classrooms OR your campus classrooms. Each journal should include the following entries:

Classroom environment: Describe the seating, lights, and general atmosphere of the room for facilitating learning.

• Is the lighting adequate?
• Are there any computers or TV monitors in the room?
• How is the technology used there?
• Is there any background noise?
• How is the classroom space utilized?

Special student needs: Describe how individual differences of students are addressed in this classroom.

• Do any students in the classroom have learning disabilities or other special needs? How do you know? What signs made you aware of those needs?
• Are there gifted students in this classroom? How do you know?
• How are the needs of the students being met?

Behavioral dilemmas: Keep a list of the problems and dilemmas the teacher encountered today and rank them in terms of difficulty and importance. Then describe an instance when the teacher used behavioral learning theory to handle a classroom problem.

• What happened?
• What did the teacher do in this situation?
• What did the student do?
• What might each have done differently?
• What was the result?

Cognitive theory: Describe the teacher's use of cognitive psychology during teaching.

• Did the teacher use advance organizers?
• How was the information presented to the students?
• Did the teacher use any discovery learning? Were groups used to help discover important aspects or was the work done individually?
• What questions do the students and teacher ask?
• Did the teacher attempt to address and dispel naïve theories about the world before proceeding with new information?

Social skills and friendships: Describe the friendship patterns of the classroom you are visiting.

• Is there an apparent hierarchy of students?
• Are friendships mostly with others of the same sex or opposite sex?

Motivation and classroom management: Describe the management and motivational techniques used by the teacher.

• Which techniques being used are the most effective? Least effective?
• What teaching practices motivate these students?
• Are individual interests taken into consideration in providing a supportive learning atmosphere?
• How much time is actually spent "on task"?
• Select one or two students and try to determine how they attribute their successes and failures.
• Is the teacher using I-messages or empathetic listening? Provide examples.
• What percentage of class time is spent on the following?
  
  

1. Self-paced/individual learning
2. Lecture/demonstration
3. Small cooperative groups
4. Competitive activities or examinations
5. Other

Effective teaching: Describe and rank the success stories of this teacher and classroom over the period of your observation.

• What teaching methods are being used effectively and ineffectively?
• Discuss any disappointments you saw in the classroom.
• Discuss any great success stories you saw in the classroom.
• Is this a classroom where you would like to teach?
• What do you think about teaching now?
• How well does this observation build on what you read and discussed this semester?

Assessment:

Each journal should contain at least the entries listed above. Use reflections in your journal for class discussion. Discussion topics could include the usefulness of reflection on the teaching of others versus one's own teaching, journal writing as an assessment tool, or various specific themes generated by students.

Variation:

1. If you do not have opportunities to observe in local schools, observe a specific college class. In all cases, anonymity should be preserved as much as possible, and pseudonyms assigned to any teachers and students who are the subjects of observation.
2. As opposed to a K-12 or college classroom, do your reflections on a learning center, museum, zoo, or other informal or nontraditional learning situation.