Catherine Shea

EDUC 203
Professor Suk
April 2018

I. Observation #5 - Domains of a Child

II. Junior Honors English

III. Setting
This is a honors level English class for the 11th grade in a rural high school. There is one
instructor, and there are 21 students in this classroom.

IV. Pre observation

After watching Johnny in my previous observation, I had concerns for how he would
finish out his junior year of highschool. I am hoping that his instructor has noticed his disinterest
in schooling. Also, I am hoping that his teacher has come up with a way to engage and relate to
him. In my previous observations, I had not been able to observe large and distinct changes in
the students over the course of the semester, but I am attributing that to the fact that I was unable
to observe them in a sequential and back to back manner.

V. Data
Today, like many other days in this unit, there is another quiz in the classroom on another
chapter of their novel. The students are aware of this prior to coming to class. When the students
shuffle in, Johnny takes his usual seat in the back of the class and is again very quiet, but friendly
with his peers. As soon as he gets settled, he takes out his copy of the book and dives right in. He
is trying to review as much as possible before the quiz is administered. When the whole class is
present, the teacher instructs the students to only have out a pen and paper. He complies, and
smiles at a friend and says, “How do you think you’ll do?”. His friend says well, and Johnny
replies, “Yeah...I actually read this time! It was super boring but I took notes. Gotta do better on
this one.” He takes the quiz, and when he is all done, he leans back in his chair and glances
around the room. He finished rather quickly compared to the rest of his classmates.
As the quizzes are being collected, he turns to talk with his friends. The instructor walks
up and down the rows, taking the finished quizzes. As he walks, he asks the students how they
feel they performed. He asks the group Johnny is sitting with, and his classmate says, “this one
was a little more tough, but I think I got the quote one!” Johnny quickly said, “Yeah me too. That
was said by Nick, right?” and the teacher smiled at him and congratulated him for the correct
answer. Johnny beamed and turned to a friend and said, “told you!I got it!” He seemed very
proud of himself.
 The remainder of the class was spent discussing the chapters they recently read. The
teacher leads the discussion, asking open ended questions and elaborating on student’s responses.
None of the responses are from Johnny, but he does sit attentively and is actively listening. His
posture is upright, and he has actually turned his back to the wall and has his knees facing
towards the center of the room. He has positioned his body in a way that makes him more
receptive to discussion. He does make side comments to his friends during the remarks, but he
does not speak up at all voluntarily. The teacher finally calls on him, and says, “Johnny, what is
your take on the Buchanans?” Johnny takes several pauses before answering, and in a reserved
voice, he says, “They’re not very good people...and they’re really materialistic.” The instructor
agrees with him, and tells him that his answer is very insightful. “Money motivates them, doesn’t
it?” he responds. “Yes...they don’t really care about other people’s feelings. Daisy acts like she
loves Gatsby but I think she just is chasing bigger and better as far as husbands go.” His
classmates nod in agreement. Johnny smiles and looks down at his desk and the teacher
elaborates and provides examples of what Johnny has explained to the class.
The bell rings shortly thereafter and the students shuffle out to their next class. Johnny
packs up and leaves with his friends, still in the same pack. They are among the last to leave the
classroom, as they have allowed their peers to walk out ahead of them. He says goodbye to the
teacher as they exit.

VI. Analysis
Johnny clearly prepared for this class, and took pride in his work. He cared deeply about
the grade, and realized and made connections that his performance on this test would affect his
grade in the future. Johnny also made real life connections based off the reading and applied
them to real life. He is understanding the content on a deeper and more mature level.
Based off of his posture, he seemed more confident and attentive during the quiz and
during the lesson. Although he still was quiet and reserved, he managed to speak up when called
upon. He was incredibly respectful to his teacher, and did not seem intimidated or unable to
speak to him personally.

VII. Recommendations
I believe that Johnny is making great strides in his ability to connect with his peers as
well as adults. He is taking the initiative to prepare for class, which in turn is helping his
confidence level. With his improved confidence level, he is able to speak up more in class and
also speak to his instructor, even if it is a prompted response. The teacher is noticing that Johnny
is more active in class, and I think the teacher should try to foster this new found maturity in his
development. Perhaps the teacher could find an interest of Johnny’s and try to sway the lesson
towards that interest. It is important that teachers understand that “Helping students to link new
information with their own prior knowledge and experience is a central function of a productive
discussion. This practice helps teachers avoid the domination trap - that is, the unfortunate habit
of dispensing information as if we are the final authority for all that is correct and true in our
classrooms” (Barton, 347). By finding a topic that Johnny could relate to, the teacher would be
“Helping students make meaning through personal connections also boosts motivation for
learning, since we all tend to be more interested in things that have meaning for our personal
lives” (Barton, 348). This could help Johnny feel more confident and at ease with speaking out
if it were a topic he was familiar and passionate about.

VIII. Post Observation

The progress that Johnny is making is astounding. He has truly taken an initiative in his
learning and his grades. More importantly, he has noticed the connection between studying and
preparing and how that can affect his future. Johnny knows that he is at a pivotal moment in his
education, and is making proactive decisions to try to make this a positive experience. He has
also shown that he is capable of analyzing and deciphering literature and can apply it to a real
life scenario. I believe that Johnny is on a great path and can truly advance throughout the rest of
this school year.

IX. Citations
Barton, James. “Conducting Effective Classroom Discussions.” ​Journal of Reading​, vol. 38, no. 5,
1995, pp. 346–350. ​JSTOR​, JSTOR, ​www.jstor.org/stable/40033250​.

X. Appendix