Observations

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post for a while. We have returned from Spring Break and have started up with a little data collection once again. However, it looks like Mr. Bayer and I will need to be slowing down the quizzes and worksheets until we are sure that we will be able to get the classes through the textbooks before the AP exams. So for the next few weeks I plan to do some more observations of other teachers in order to learn more about teaching and how lecture/hands on activities factor into real-world teaching.

Just the other day, I had the great opportunity to observe one of the history teachers, Mrs. Stogsdill. She teaches sixth grade world history here at BASIS. I sat in and watched her class go through a worksheet. It was very interesting to see the dynamic of a sixth grade class versus what i am used to seeing in eighth or tenth graders. I have concluded that the sixth graders work on their own much better than eighth graders.

In this post, I'll go over a lot of what I have learned about a more hands on approach to teaching history. The first thing I noticed in observing Mrs. Stogsdill's class is that the teacher is still very important to the lesson. My adviser Stefano had explained that students use the teacher as a guide to keep them on track. Mrs. Stogsdill was constantly walking around, explaining what a question was asking, or directing the students to the correct page in the book. I think that as the kids get younger, the teacher needs to be more involved in nudging them towards the right answer. Like I said, I saw little discipline issues, rather, I saw that many students just had trouble understanding the reading.

Another thing I noticed in the lesson is the clear explanation of the lesson goals and consequences for not reaching those goals. Everyone that I have spoken to regarding hands on lessons has told me that it is essential to make it clear to the students what their job is, what the teacher expects from them, and how to do said task. Considering that the students have a lot of leeway in terms of accountability with an activity lesson, it is very important for the teacher to clearly state what needs to be accomplished by the end.

Something interesting that both Stefano and Mrs. Stogsdill did was that they reviewed the answers to the worksheet or the activity. Unfortunately, Mr. Bayer's classes are strapped for time and we were unable to incorporate an answer portion aside from returning the activity with the correct answers. This prevented the kids from asking any understanding questions. It appears that going over the answers with the teacher is very helpful in terms of learning the lesson.

While I observed Mrs. Stogsdill's class, I asked around to see what the student opinion on worksheets was. I definitely received a mixed range of answers. Some found the activities helpful, while others said it didn't really help. Some said that the worksheets help if you utilize them for later studying. Granted we can't accept every opinion a sixth grader has, I do agree that the worksheets cannot be seen as a busy chore to do and be done with, they need to be used more than once in order to be helpful.

An important skill that came out of a hands on lesson that I did not expect was the basic student skills gained. Outside of the scope of history or language, these activities help the kids on a personal level. Mrs. Stogsdill told me that in the worksheets, kids work in small groups. She said that the groups teach kids how to help each other or how to learn from each other. The more advanced kids develop skills to help those who have difficulty reading the book. And those with difficulties learn how to work with a classmate in order to find the answer. The students I work with don't experience this because Mr. Bayer and I don't allow them to work in groups. I think that group work on an activity is more helpful for younger kids.

It was very interesting to have the chance to see how another teacher implements the student centered lesson. I am glad Mrs. Stogsdill gave me the opportunity. Additionally, she was nice enough to offer to contribute data to my project. I already have a stack of pre-quizzes to grade, and soon I will have some post quizzes as well. Additionally, I am speaking with another teacher here at school about working with her class. I am so lucky to have so many resources here at school that I can use for my research. And everyone here is very helpful. I plan on making a trip or two over to Flagstaff High School in order to do some observations there. I will let you guys know what I learn. Till next time!