Classroom Observation at Saint Vincent - Essay Example

room Observation By Introduction My room observation took place at Saint Vincent, a Catholic primary school. I observed year three. Overall, I observed three methods used for engaging children in the classroom. The three methods were learning objective and targets, visual aids and actions and activities. Each of the three methods observed will be explained and described in this paper. Method One: Learning Objectives and Targets Learning objectives and targets refer to the lesson or end result that teachers establish for the day’s lesson (Moss and Brookhart, 2012). According to the learning target theory of action, the learning objective and target should be established in a way that includes a joint journey by the teacher and the classroom for the express purpose of gaining and assessing ‘understanding’ (Moss and Brookhart, 2012: 9). Thus at the start of the lesson, the teacher announces the day’s learning objective and target. This therefore places some responsibility on the classroom to achieve that target and with this understanding, the classroom is more likely to be involved in the lesson and therefore engaged (Moss and Brookhart, 2012). I observed that the learning objective and target was communicated in a way that was compatible with year three students. As Moss and Brookhart, (2012:9) suggest, the learning objective and target should be described in a ‘student-friendly’ way through the use of ‘words, pictures, actions, or some combination of the three’ and should include what the teacher ‘intends students to learn or accomplish in a given lesson’. This amounts to the ‘meaningful’ sharing of learning objectives and targets and therefore are ‘actual targets that students’ are able to ‘see and direct their efforts toward’ (Moss and Brookhart, 2012: 9). I observed that the Saint Vincent year three teacher used a combination of words, pictures and actions to describe the learning objective and target. This communication had the effect of gaining the classroom’s attention and provided a reference point for the children to traverse through the day’s lesson. Essentially, the learning objective and target established for the students that the lesson for the day was meaningful. Moss and Brookhart (2012) explain how the meaningful communication of learning objectives and targets engage students. Students are engaged because there learning targets empower them. Empowerment and engagement occur because students are in a position where they are ‘better able to compare where they are with where they need to go’ (Moss and Brookhart, 2012: 10). Students are ‘better able to’ establish ‘specific goals for what they will accomplish’ (Moss and Brookhart, 2012: 10). Students can also select ‘effective strategies’ for achieving ‘those goals’ and are in a better position to ‘assess and adjust what they are doing to get there as they are doing it’ (Moss and Brookhart, 2012: 10). Thus the communication of a learning objective and target immediately allows children to take responsibility for their learning. This automatically empowers children and as such motivates them to learn so as to achieve the learning objective and target. Teachers are not merely instructors, but guides in the learning process together with the children. Method Two: Visual Aids I observed a significant emphasis on visual aids, primarily through the use of whiteboards and learning resources in the classroom. Lessons were accompanied by illustrations on the whiteboard or items within the classroom. This method of teaching and learning is informed by the development stage of primary school children. Children at this stage of development have always been described as ‘visually oriented’ (Faurot, 2003: 2). Therefore, according to Faurot (2003: 2) ‘the learning processes of this age group are significantly enhanced by intensive visual components’. Children of today are even more ‘visually oriented’ as a majority of today’s children are exposed to television and film and are also frequently using computers (Faurot, 2003). Therefore, today’s children have naturally grown accustomed to visual tools. The written and spoken word would do very little to gain and hold the attention of today’s children (Faurot, 2003). The words must be accompanied by visual aids. I observed that the lesson flowed much like a narrative with visual aids interjected to arouse the imagination, attention and interest of the children. As Faurot (2003) explains, visual aids also function to create a scenario in which children experience the lesson. Through the use of visual aids, children have a real reference point which functions as an experience as opposed to a mere lesson. Children end up with a visual that they can reflect on and store in their memory. When children reflect on the image or visual, they can connect it to the lesson and gain a more meaningful understanding of the information contained in the lesson. In the absence of the visual aid, children at this development stage are less likely to commit the lesson and the information to memory. I observed that the use of visual aids drew children back in when they appeared to drift off. From what I was able to observe, visual aids always engaged the whole classroom. Each time the teacher approached the whiteboard, all eyes followed the teacher, and children watched attentively and with anticipation while the teacher mapped out illustrations on the whiteboard. Ultimately, the use of visual aids in the classroom brought the lesson to life in a way that engaged the classroom. Method Three: Actions and Activities Actions and activities form a part of active learning which is in turn a method of teaching and learning that involves classroom activities that are designed to engage students (Prince, 2004). In this regard, active learning is a departure from conventional learning and teaching which usually involved student passivity as they simply received and processed information from the teacher (Prince, 2004). I was able to observe active learning in practice in my observation of year 3 at Saint Vincent’s Catholic primary school. During whole group sessions the evidence from my observations suggests that active learning was construed as involving physical movement, questions and answers with the teacher and the manipulation of physical resources. The rationale for active learning is founded on the variables attributable to engagement. For example, active learning is said to be instrumental in improving students’ attitude toward learning and is also attributed to the improvement in students’ thinking and problem solving abilities (Prince, 2004: 3). Active learning is said to facilitate the ‘retention’ of information and in doing so, motivates students to not only learn, but to explore and move on to the next step in the learning process (Prince, 2004). Active learning is instrumental in gaining the student’s attention. Students, and particularly young children can drift off and are easily distracted. Active learning gets students involved in the lesson and in doing so acts as a safeguard against the student losing interest (Prince, 2004). When a student loses interest in the lesson they are far less likely to retain much of the lesson (Prince, 2004). Through active learning, students are less likely to lose interest as they become active learners and experience the lesson as opposed to merely receiving the lesson. As with learning objectives and targets, active learning places of a measure of responsibility on the student for learning. Active learning therefore empowers the student and puts him or her in a position to self-regulate his or her learning. Empowered and engaged, students are motivated to learn and contribute to the teaching and learning process. Empowerment and engagement occurs because the student has a measure of control over his or her own learning and participates in a joint learning and teaching experience with the teacher. In addition, active learning can be paired with collaborative learning. Collaborative learning occurs when students are involved in an interactive classroom and work together or in groups to complete projects or lessons (Prince, 2004). This would obviously involve activities and actions within the realm of active learning. I observed direct and indirect collaborative learning at Saint Vincent’s primary school. Direct collaborative learning occurred when students were put in groups to either solve a problem or to complete an exercise. Indirect collaborative learning occurred when students asked the teacher questions. The answers to those questions were shared with the entire classroom and thus functions as an activity than can be interpreted as collaborative learning. Conclusion In my observations at Saint Vincent’s primary school, I am able to conclude that the three methods of teaching and learning identified were conducive to engaging the children in the classroom. The three methods created and sustained a flow that involved the children and held their attention. Although some children might have appeared somewhat distracted at times, the use of visual aids and actions and activities served to draw the children back in. The children exhibited a healthy curiosity which was likely a result of the introduction of a learning objective and target. Visual aids and activities throughout the day appeared to have both heightened and appeased the children’s curiosity. I am therefore able to say that learning objectives and targets, visual aids and actions and activities are effective methods for achieving children’s engagement in the classroom. Bibliography Faurot, K.K. (2003). Books in bloom: Creative patterns and props that bring stories to life. American Library Association. Moss, C.M. and Brookhart, S.M. (2012). ‘Learning targets: Helping students aim for understanding in today’s lesson.’ Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 1-44. Prince, M. (2004). ‘Does active learning work?: A review of the research.’ Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3): 223-231. Read More