Classroom Management- Observation 3

Throughout the last few weeks I have visited a local High School to observe the classroom atmosphere, content taught in the classroom, and classroom management. This specific observation was on classroom management.

            As soon as the bell rang, students came rushing through the door. Some had earbuds in their ears listening to music, while others gossiped about the newest information spreading around school. Part of their routine is to walk through the classroom door, grab their binder in the back of the room and take their seats. Some follow directions well, while others need guidance and have to constantly be told what to do. In order to get students focused, the teacher provides them with a DO-NOW, each and every class meeting. This is how he gets his students focused on academics. About two minutes into the period, the principal’s voice can be heard over the intercom system… “just a reminder, passes should not be given out the first fifteen minutes of class. Thank you.” This is the principal’s way of managing the hallways in the school… sure seems like a good idea.

            It would be a good idea for the teacher to take attendance during the time the students are working on the DO-NOW, but he doesn’t. He prepares the PowerPoint for the lesson and walks around to make sure students stay on task. It occurs to me now that he never ended up taking attendance. Once the students complete their daily activity, the teacher distributes papers to each student individually.  While he is standing on one side of the room distributing the papers, the other side breaks out in conversation, and vice versa. Instead, he should have sent the papers around or had the student’s pick one up on their way in. This would have prevented the outbreak of chatter.

            Once papers are distributed, the teacher reminds students that any due/overdue homework should be handed in. At the front of the classroom, he has bins set up, each labeled with a section number. Students simply drop off their homework in the bins once it is complete.

            As he starts his lesson, students have a hard time focusing their attention. The walk from the hallway to the classroom acted as a transition period in which they lost focus on their academics. Students just cannot stop talking. The teacher quiets the class by reminding them that if they can get through the PowerPoint and their assignment in a sufficient amount of time, they will have free time at the end of class. This usually works. But, just as they start to focus their attention…a student walks in late. It is like a vicious circle. All that work to get the students focus doesn’t matter now. It’s time to refocus. The tardy student is handed the assignment sheet for the day and takes their seat. Once the lesson is over, the teacher approaches the student individually to explain what he/she missed the first few minutes of class. This way, they can complete their assignment.

            As students work on their assignments, the teacher walks around to ensure students are grasping the new information. If they aren’t he will take a few minutes to walk through the problem with them. Then, he will continue on his way around the classroom. The classroom is fairly quiet when students are working. They really do enjoy learning as long as they aren’t constantly being reprimanded. So, 10, 20, 30 minutes pass and students are beginning to put the final touches on their work.

            The attention is brought back up to the front and the teacher goes over the in-class assignment with the students. There is always a bit of a discussion. When the teacher feels as though his students have grasped the information he gives them free time to sit and chat. He doesn’t assign homework, and doesn’t collect any papers. The papers are expected to be in their notebooks for the proceeding class meetings.

            About 5 minutes before the bell rings, students begin lining up at the door. They cannot wait to break through the doors and yet again become enveloped in the world outside of the classroom. When they walk through the doors for their next class, the same scenario ensues.