Taylor Lockenour

MW 8:00 AM

Observations

Multidimensionality- during the time close to report cards she has to make sure she is
teaching everything that is required while running the classroom, she said that it is the
most stressful time of the year.

Unpredictability- there are certain kids in class that behave most of the time but will
misbehave out of nowhere and sometimes they get hard to control.

Simultaneity- when shes at the front of the room teaching she has to be very alert to
make sure they are not distracting each other and that they are not moving around a lot.
She is constantly getting onto them.

Immediacy- she is always making fast decisions, there is no time to sit around and think
about how she is going to approach different situations.

History- it gets you more aware of how to deal with different situations if you have had to
deal with them before in previous classes.

In my eyes, ideal teachers do not get mad at the students to often, speak to them softly,
and make sure they notice students who are doing better/worse than others.

I dont really know what an ideal school would be like, but I do think that they should
show appreciation for their staff. Also have high security, because you never know what
could happen. Being prepared is way better than not, especially when there are little kids
involved.

I would expect my students to listen to me and follow all the rules I provide them with,
along with having fun and enjoying my class.

Marvin Elementary is a school that is assigned to children based on their home address.

Taylor Lockenour
MW 8:00 AM

She does not have any specific charts to detail each learners progress, she mostly just
knows them each individual in her mind. Report cards every nine weeks show the
definite progress of each learner.

I do not see any examples of businesses or corporations playing a part in the school.

I did not experience any individuals coming from various professions involving in
support activities. There are people that come in to talk to them, such as fire fighters to
talk to the students about fire safety and various activities like that.

The only diversity that stood out to me in the classroom is that the girls outnumbered the
boys by quite a few. It seemed to be pretty evenly distributed when I was in school.
Something that was different from when I was in school is technology. Every time they
sang the alphabet or any song about what they were learning, was on the computer
projected on the white board. I think this has changed simply because of the technology
available now.

The ambiance in the classroom is very uplifting and inviting. Time is consumed very
well, especially since it is kindergarten it is a constant going all the time. They do the
same few songs at the beginning of everyday just for a review, and during this time I see
them learning. It also shows that they have learned these things because most of them
know these songs like the back of their hands, and if you ask them a question regarding
the subject most of the time they know the answer.

If the teacher isnt constantly onto them and making sure they are staying focused, they
get distracted very easily. This makes it difficult on the teacher because she tries to work
with the students individually throughout the day. They do rounds throughout the day
which is like educational centers, and this is where most of their social time happens,

Taylor Lockenour
MW 8:00 AM

along with recess and centers at the end of the day. They have different levels of voices
that they have to maintain during these times.

The subject being taught on the particular day I was there was bats. She read a book
about bat facts, and made them repeat the facts back to her every few pages. Then they
have to each think of a sentence about what they just learned and the teacher writes it on
the board with their name next to it. When they get back to their tables they have to write
three sentences out of all the sentences on the board on their own.

They dont really do testing in Kindergarten, other than TPRI three times a year, and
report cards every nine weeks. The way she tests them to see if they understood each
letter she goes over, is their morning work. She gives them a sheet of paper with nine
different pictures on it, and they have to color the pictures that start with the particular
letter they are working on. That way she can kind of tell if they are really understanding
the letter and the sound it makes or not.

I dont see any aspects compared to the early period of education except for the simple
fact that they went. Other than that I dont really know much about the early periods of
education.

There is nothing in the classroom that caters to individual needs, they are mostly pulled
aside for that.

I do not see any teaching going on in groups as the educational practices in Europe
encouraged.

I dont see any individualized differences being considered in the type of instruction
used, in a way I believe that it makes it unfair towards the children that understood
everything the first time.

Taylor Lockenour
MW 8:00 AM

There is nothing in the classroom to show each students progress. Everything in the
school seemed to be equal as far as socioeconomic status and the ethnicity of the
students.

I didnt really know exactly what to expect going into the classroom for the first time so
everything was pretty much how I expected.

Reconstructionism is what I see mostly in this classroom, I dont see a combination of

philosophies being used. It seems as if she is constructing the kindergarten part of the
school, because it went from being an all kindergarten school to an elementary school.
They are having to minimize a variety of different things.

The basic requirements to become a teacher are getting the degree and taking the skills
tests. There is no corporal punishment in this school, there are rare if any expulsions.
Attendance is mandatory, teacher tenure is enforced but lightly. The teacher gets to select
most of the classroom materials. There is not really anything required by law in the
classroom besides emergency procedures for different occasions.

Ethnicity in the classroom seems pretty equal, as I said before there are more girls than
boys, socioeconomic levels seem average. As for skill, most students get it and make
good grades on everything they do. The learning style is very effective in the classroom I
was observing.

The tables are placed in a way that learning can easily take place, she has them
surrounding two big rugs in the middle of the room, which is where they do their
learning. They mostly only do writing activities and morning work at their tables. Her
classroom is very inviting and positive, the theme is camping, so she has tents and a
pretend bonfire, and lots and different decorations that make the room seem cozy. There

Taylor Lockenour
MW 8:00 AM

are not any computers. Their centers are fun, they also have rounds I mentioned before,
these are the learning stations. For the different rounds she rotates, is the time she works
with each student individually. The groups have 3-4 students in them and one of the
rounds is sitting at the round table with her and go over sight words and short books. I
dont think there is anything I would change about the classroom that would enhance the
learning environment.

The rules she has posted are as followed:

o Follow directions the first time
o Follow all set voice level expectations
o Keep hands, feet, and objects to self
o Be respectful to everyone, no name-calling or teasing

The way she enforces the rules are by badges. They each have five badges attached to
their cubbies, if they break a rule they have to take a badge to the teacher, after this the
student has usually learned their lesson and starts behaving. At the end of the day if they
have lost three or more badges, they get a sad face in their folder home. If they have all of
their badges at the end of the day they get a camp dollar, with five camp dollars they get
to buy a prize.

Transition goes over pretty well from one activity to another, I think it is because they get
to move on and do something else. During transition they all seem to know what they are
doing and where they are going every time. None of the students seem to be lost during
any transition. Most transitions are smooth.

The interaction between the students and the teacher are very inspiring. I see them look
up to her for every little thing they can, she remembers all of their names and I think that

Taylor Lockenour
MW 8:00 AM

makes them feel special and important. Every day there is a different teacher assistant
assigned so if the teacher needs help with something there is someone designated there to
help her. They all seem very comfortable asking her questions, even a little too
comfortable at times.

Observing Mrs. Davaults class has been such a pleasure and I have learned so much
from her, I have really enjoyed my time in the classroom.