Classroom Observations

For my first observation, I went to Blue River Elementary School and observed Mrs. Nichols kindergarten classroom from March 3rd to March 11th. As part of my teacher ed experience, I worked with the students during their math and reading centers (students were broken into pairs and worked on math activities, reading stories and computer learning games). I also observed specials which included: Computer and Real, P.E., Art, Music and Spanish classes.   

Mrs. Nichols classroom fostered a positive learning environment. Her classroom was very colorful, and walls were decorated with helpful learning and motivating decorations. She had a variety of different tables and seating, some students sat on pillows with low tables, some chairs wobbled for more active students and some were just normal chairs making it a very diverse learning and functional environment. Classroom materials were located in the center of each table which was easily accessible to the students. Mrs. Nichols set guidelines and expectations for students to follow in her classroom. She was strict when necessary, but also very loving and nurturing. Students seemed to be very engaged and involved when Mrs. Nichols was teaching.

Some of the lessons/activities that I observed were a weather project and Dr. Seuss week. The weather project consisted of groups of 4 students who worked together in researching a specific weather topic. The topics were tornadoes, sunny, snowy and thunderstorms. They listened to audiobooks, read through books and watched videos on their topic to find information. Each group made a poster which included a drawing of their weather pattern. After the research was completed, the students wrote a script and presented their information like they were a weather reporter. This project was effective for the students because they learned to work together as a team, they learned how to research and present facts by memorization, and learned basic presentation skills. For Dr. Suess week, Mrs.nichols read aloud a Dr. Suess book each day and the students got to read their favorite Dr. Suess book individually. For a fun activity Mrs. Nichols made green eggs and ham in the classroom so the students could try it. She also made cat in the hat oreo cookies with lifesavers… the kids loved them. The students really enjoyed Dr. Seuss week because of the fun activities and funny stories.

Mrs. Nichols built strong relationships with her students and made her classroom feel like a family. When Mrs. Nichols wanted to get the classes attention she would say, “ Oh kindergarten friends” and the students would all reply back, “yes, Mrs. Nichols”, by then she would have all the students' attention. If the students weren't paying attention to Mrs. Nichols as she was talking, she would quietly wait until they were attentive.  Mrs. Nichols was very soft spoken which created a calm and quiet classroom atmosphere. Her expectations and boundaries were clear and students knew the consequences if the rules were not followed. She was fair, consistent and organized so the students knew what to expect and made good choices and took responsibility for their actions. She would celebrate student achievements by rewarding the kids with stickers to put on their sticker charts for a bigger reward at the end of each quarter. In the classroom, there were two desktop computers used for centers and each student also had an Ipad they could use in class for additional learning.

There are many different teaching/learning styles that Mrs. Nichols demonstrated in her classroom so that all students were engaged and learning to their fullest potential. Some students enjoyed working independently and some enjoyed working in small groups. Mrs. Nichols often demonstrated 3 types of learning styles. Students enjoyed the Visual learning style where they were able to see pictures and images to help them understand. Some enjoyed the Auditory learning style where they would sing and hear sounds. Other students benefited from Kinesthetic learning style which is hands on and interactive learning. When the students used the method that was most helpful to their learning, you could see how much more the students participated and were engaged in learning.

            I really enjoyed the interaction between the P.E. and Spanish teachers with the students. Both teachers were very fun, upbeat, positive and would always joke around with the kids, making them laugh and smile. For example, the P.E. teacher would keep the students motivated by running around and doing the exercises alongside them. The Spanish teacher would read a story about animals in spanish and the kids would have to make the animal sound, which made it very interactive and fun. Both teachers were able to achieve fun learning while still enforcing the rules and making it a safe environment.

            I enjoyed my experiences in Mrs. Nichols classroom in so many ways! I felt like I learned a lot from her teaching styles and also the kids in the classroom made it so much fun. Some of my favorite times were when Mrs. Nichols gave me an opportunity to teach a small math lesson to the students. I also read a Dr. Suess book to the class during Dr. Suess week. Even though I was only in Mrs. Nichols classroom for a short time, I felt like I was able to learn a lot from this experience. I miss the class and kids so much, I hope I am able to go back next year!