High School Observation Review Paper
Reflection Paper: High School Observation Review
Angela Lewis
EDUC 1301
For my observation of the high school environment I went to McCallum High School, located in North West Austin off of North Lamar and West Koening streets. It gets its name after the first superintendent in the school district and is known for its Fine Arts Academy. The population of students for this four year high school is 1,617. In that population, the student body consists of 43% White, 5% Hispanic, 15% African American, and 7% Other. About 47% of the student body is economically disadvantaged and there is 12% in Special Education Programs. McCaullum High School was established in 1953 and definitely shows it. Walking through the hallways, I …show more content…
noticed the wear and tear over the years. There are some nice murals that look like the students created, which does give it a sense of community. Accodring to the High School Profile (2014) McCallum’s mission statement is, “Mastery, Accountability, Creativity”(p. 1). I observed two different classrooms, Mr. Kemp’ class and Mr. Underwood’s class. Each classroom had a similar set up with windows on one side, teacher desk near the front, and shelves on the opposite side. However, because of the way each teacher taught, the desks were set up differently. On my first day, I was in Mr. Kemp’s classroom. This room had desks all in straight rows and all had assigned seats. Mr. Kemp would sit at the front of the room and lecture for his lesson on World History. Mr. Kemp has been teaching for about forty years and has his Masters Degree in Education. He went to Sam Houston State for his undergrad and then University of Texas at San Antonio for his Masters Degree. He originally wanted to be part of the administration but felt teaching was his passion. Mr. Underwood, however, had his desks split in half and all facing the middle of the classroom so that when he taught his lesson on AP United States History, he could pace through the middle of the classroom and be closer to each student and keep their focus. He received his Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, his Bachelors in a double major of History and American Literature, his first Masters in American History and his second Masters in Educational Leadership. He originally was a criminal justice major, but one teacher told him stories that convinced him he wanted to be a teacher. A classroom learning climate is the combination of variables within a classroom that work together to promote learning in a comfortable environment. There are many different variables that influence a classroom 's climate, which is why every classroom is unique. According to Saphier and Gower (1997), There are certain elements, however, that are required to establish a successful learning environment, community and mutual support, confidence and risk taking, influence and control (p. 1). A sense of community and mutual support is needed in a classroom.
This fosters inclusion, affiliation, and mutual support students feel with one another. Mr. Underwood was great at this. During my observation, at the beginning of class he always greeted each student as they walked in. One girl in particular pulled him aside not to talk to him about the class subject, but about the Galactic Empire, a Start Wars reference, and he acknowledged, listened, and responded nicely. Understanding a sense of community and mutual support in a classroom means trying to build that relationship with each and every student. By doing that each student will feel welcome, accepted, and comfortable in the classroom. Also, the way Mr. Underwood set up his classroom allowed his students to help each other through each lesson. It built their social skills and cooperation with each …show more content…
other. Confidence and risk taking promotes a student’s confidence and a safe environment. In Mr. Kemp’s classroom, he was teaching about the Magna Carta and taxing during that time period. One student asked him, without raising a hand, “ I do not understand what the Magna Carta did. Did it help lower tax or did it limit the kings powers?” Mr. Kemp responded, “I am glad you asked that because I know it is a little hard to understand. It was in place to limit the power of the king and help protect their rights.” The student felt comfortable enough with the teacher to ask a question about something he did not understand. By the way this question was asked, by raising his hand and awaiting the teachers helpful response, Mr. Kemp made the student know that you are not supposed to understand everything the first time around and it is good to ask questions to ensure your quality of work. He let the students know that mistakes are not a sign of weakness but a sign of perseverance towards their education and taking the risk of asking questions will benefit them in the long run. Lastly, influence and control encourages ownership and influence over the flow of events and the intellectual life of the classroom. Mr. Underwood definitely negotiated the rules of the classroom to let the students take control in their own education. He allowed students to keep phones out and bring snacks and drinks to class. When this is allowed, some students will use that as a distraction and not pay attention to what is going on. He, however, made it clear to the students it is up to them how much they want to pay attention because that will reflect their grade. With this rule in place during my observation, I noticed at the beginning of class a lot of students did have phones and food out on their desks. But as class began, slowly they started to disappear or really were not being used at all. The students made a choice about their learning by not distracting themselves from the lecture. For the two classrooms I observed, the teacher warmth and control were complete opposites of each other.
Warmth and control, to me, meant how the teacher controlled his classroom with rules and guidelines and also the way he praised his students after a deed. In Mr. Kemp’s room, I felt he was a high control and low warmth kind of a teacher. I believe this because it was a very high task orientated class with a warm up at the beginning of class, notes to be filled out during class, and a quiz coming every week. Whenever he needed to discipline any student, it was in front of the whole class and there was some sort of extra homework or needing to stay after class. He did not praise the students very much at all. Lastly, a majority of the class was Mr. Kemp lecturing the students about the topic with little student-to-student
interaction. However, in Mr. Underwood’s class, he had a very low control and high warmth atmosphere. With frequent praise used after each student answered a question, whether it was right or wrong, and very informal classroom rules, like the phones allowed in class rule, students felt comfortable in their environment. Students were allowed to have a say in establishing limits on their own behavior because what they decided ultimately lead to their grade. Students having that freedom lead to more students taking risks and being more spontaneous with any questions or their learning habits. Mr. Underwood also acted more as a friend and a moderator instead of being above them. This helped build the relationship throughout the classroom and made it a more cooperative learning environment. My general impressions of the classrooms I was in were positive because I was excited to just even be there. Some things might have affected my perception like the classroom characteristics and my own level of experience. Immediately walking into each class, I could tell whether it was a high control low warmth classroom or if it was the opposite by what was in the classrooms. Mr. Underwood had a lot of personal items decorating his room and, the way his desks were arranged, I could assume how my day was going to be. In Mr. Kemp’s room, there were very little things decorating the room, like only maps according to the curriculum and the desks were all in single rows. In my own experience, as a Montessori teacher for ages one to three, I learned a very high control and high warmth environment benefited my kids greatly. With this in the back of my mind, I might have picked on a few more things in Mr. Kemp’s room because I do not believe in a low warmth atmosphere. As a future teacher, I realize I might be more open to teaching at the high school level. At first, I was intimidated thinking it would be hard and the kids would just take advantage of me. But after watching those two teachers, seeing that you can control them and actually have a little fun while learning, my perspective on high school kids has changed. A classroom learning climate is the combination of variables within a classroom that work together to promote learning in a comfortable environment. There are many different variables that influence a classroom 's climate, which is why every classroom is unique. There are certain elements, however, that are required to establish a successful learning environment, community and mutual support, confidence and risk taking, influence and control. With these elements, I have a new understanding as to how they all are a necessity for a successful classroom. I connected especially with Mr. Underwood’s class because of his low control and high warmth. It showed me that with low control and high warmth in a highschool environment, the class could flow and still be kept under control. Mr. Underwood also instilling a sense of community and support helped the class feel relaxed in their learning environment. I never thought something as simple as good community, support, and low control would make the students cooperate. I wonder, still, about the higher controlled environment. As Mr. Kemp showed, having higher control like more rules and a strict seating chart, it does lead to getting all goals accomplished in a class. But with that type of control, I noticed students zoning out more and loosing focus. That makes me still wonder if that type of control is the right choice in a classroom. Especially if it is not efficiently working, then I wonder as to why not make a change as the teacher to find some other way that would work more efficiently.
Works Cited
"High School Profile." McCallum High School. Austin Independent School District, 03 Feb 2014. Web. 5 Mar 2014..
Kemp, Allen. Personal Interview. 18 Feb 2014.
Saphier, Jon, Gower, Robert (1997). Climate for High Achievement for All Students. Research for Better Teaching.
Pearson (2011). Observation Skills for Effective Teaching and Becoming a Teacher (Custom Edition for Austin Community College). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Underwood, Joe. Personal Interview. 20 Feb 2014.
Angela Lewis
EDUC 1301
For my observation of the high school environment I went to McCallum High School, located in North West Austin off of North Lamar and West Koening streets. It gets its name after the first superintendent in the school district and is known for its Fine Arts Academy. The population of students for this four year high school is 1,617. In that population, the student body consists of 43% White, 5% Hispanic, 15% African American, and 7% Other. About 47% of the student body is economically disadvantaged and there is 12% in Special Education Programs. McCaullum High School was established in 1953 and definitely shows it. Walking through the hallways, I …show more content…
noticed the wear and tear over the years. There are some nice murals that look like the students created, which does give it a sense of community. Accodring to the High School Profile (2014) McCallum’s mission statement is, “Mastery, Accountability, Creativity”(p. 1). I observed two different classrooms, Mr. Kemp’ class and Mr. Underwood’s class. Each classroom had a similar set up with windows on one side, teacher desk near the front, and shelves on the opposite side. However, because of the way each teacher taught, the desks were set up differently. On my first day, I was in Mr. Kemp’s classroom. This room had desks all in straight rows and all had assigned seats. Mr. Kemp would sit at the front of the room and lecture for his lesson on World History. Mr. Kemp has been teaching for about forty years and has his Masters Degree in Education. He went to Sam Houston State for his undergrad and then University of Texas at San Antonio for his Masters Degree. He originally wanted to be part of the administration but felt teaching was his passion. Mr. Underwood, however, had his desks split in half and all facing the middle of the classroom so that when he taught his lesson on AP United States History, he could pace through the middle of the classroom and be closer to each student and keep their focus. He received his Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, his Bachelors in a double major of History and American Literature, his first Masters in American History and his second Masters in Educational Leadership. He originally was a criminal justice major, but one teacher told him stories that convinced him he wanted to be a teacher. A classroom learning climate is the combination of variables within a classroom that work together to promote learning in a comfortable environment. There are many different variables that influence a classroom 's climate, which is why every classroom is unique. According to Saphier and Gower (1997), There are certain elements, however, that are required to establish a successful learning environment, community and mutual support, confidence and risk taking, influence and control (p. 1). A sense of community and mutual support is needed in a classroom.
This fosters inclusion, affiliation, and mutual support students feel with one another. Mr. Underwood was great at this. During my observation, at the beginning of class he always greeted each student as they walked in. One girl in particular pulled him aside not to talk to him about the class subject, but about the Galactic Empire, a Start Wars reference, and he acknowledged, listened, and responded nicely. Understanding a sense of community and mutual support in a classroom means trying to build that relationship with each and every student. By doing that each student will feel welcome, accepted, and comfortable in the classroom. Also, the way Mr. Underwood set up his classroom allowed his students to help each other through each lesson. It built their social skills and cooperation with each …show more content…
other. Confidence and risk taking promotes a student’s confidence and a safe environment. In Mr. Kemp’s classroom, he was teaching about the Magna Carta and taxing during that time period. One student asked him, without raising a hand, “ I do not understand what the Magna Carta did. Did it help lower tax or did it limit the kings powers?” Mr. Kemp responded, “I am glad you asked that because I know it is a little hard to understand. It was in place to limit the power of the king and help protect their rights.” The student felt comfortable enough with the teacher to ask a question about something he did not understand. By the way this question was asked, by raising his hand and awaiting the teachers helpful response, Mr. Kemp made the student know that you are not supposed to understand everything the first time around and it is good to ask questions to ensure your quality of work. He let the students know that mistakes are not a sign of weakness but a sign of perseverance towards their education and taking the risk of asking questions will benefit them in the long run. Lastly, influence and control encourages ownership and influence over the flow of events and the intellectual life of the classroom. Mr. Underwood definitely negotiated the rules of the classroom to let the students take control in their own education. He allowed students to keep phones out and bring snacks and drinks to class. When this is allowed, some students will use that as a distraction and not pay attention to what is going on. He, however, made it clear to the students it is up to them how much they want to pay attention because that will reflect their grade. With this rule in place during my observation, I noticed at the beginning of class a lot of students did have phones and food out on their desks. But as class began, slowly they started to disappear or really were not being used at all. The students made a choice about their learning by not distracting themselves from the lecture. For the two classrooms I observed, the teacher warmth and control were complete opposites of each other.
Warmth and control, to me, meant how the teacher controlled his classroom with rules and guidelines and also the way he praised his students after a deed. In Mr. Kemp’s room, I felt he was a high control and low warmth kind of a teacher. I believe this because it was a very high task orientated class with a warm up at the beginning of class, notes to be filled out during class, and a quiz coming every week. Whenever he needed to discipline any student, it was in front of the whole class and there was some sort of extra homework or needing to stay after class. He did not praise the students very much at all. Lastly, a majority of the class was Mr. Kemp lecturing the students about the topic with little student-to-student
interaction. However, in Mr. Underwood’s class, he had a very low control and high warmth atmosphere. With frequent praise used after each student answered a question, whether it was right or wrong, and very informal classroom rules, like the phones allowed in class rule, students felt comfortable in their environment. Students were allowed to have a say in establishing limits on their own behavior because what they decided ultimately lead to their grade. Students having that freedom lead to more students taking risks and being more spontaneous with any questions or their learning habits. Mr. Underwood also acted more as a friend and a moderator instead of being above them. This helped build the relationship throughout the classroom and made it a more cooperative learning environment. My general impressions of the classrooms I was in were positive because I was excited to just even be there. Some things might have affected my perception like the classroom characteristics and my own level of experience. Immediately walking into each class, I could tell whether it was a high control low warmth classroom or if it was the opposite by what was in the classrooms. Mr. Underwood had a lot of personal items decorating his room and, the way his desks were arranged, I could assume how my day was going to be. In Mr. Kemp’s room, there were very little things decorating the room, like only maps according to the curriculum and the desks were all in single rows. In my own experience, as a Montessori teacher for ages one to three, I learned a very high control and high warmth environment benefited my kids greatly. With this in the back of my mind, I might have picked on a few more things in Mr. Kemp’s room because I do not believe in a low warmth atmosphere. As a future teacher, I realize I might be more open to teaching at the high school level. At first, I was intimidated thinking it would be hard and the kids would just take advantage of me. But after watching those two teachers, seeing that you can control them and actually have a little fun while learning, my perspective on high school kids has changed. A classroom learning climate is the combination of variables within a classroom that work together to promote learning in a comfortable environment. There are many different variables that influence a classroom 's climate, which is why every classroom is unique. There are certain elements, however, that are required to establish a successful learning environment, community and mutual support, confidence and risk taking, influence and control. With these elements, I have a new understanding as to how they all are a necessity for a successful classroom. I connected especially with Mr. Underwood’s class because of his low control and high warmth. It showed me that with low control and high warmth in a highschool environment, the class could flow and still be kept under control. Mr. Underwood also instilling a sense of community and support helped the class feel relaxed in their learning environment. I never thought something as simple as good community, support, and low control would make the students cooperate. I wonder, still, about the higher controlled environment. As Mr. Kemp showed, having higher control like more rules and a strict seating chart, it does lead to getting all goals accomplished in a class. But with that type of control, I noticed students zoning out more and loosing focus. That makes me still wonder if that type of control is the right choice in a classroom. Especially if it is not efficiently working, then I wonder as to why not make a change as the teacher to find some other way that would work more efficiently.
Works Cited
"High School Profile." McCallum High School. Austin Independent School District, 03 Feb 2014. Web. 5 Mar 2014..
Kemp, Allen. Personal Interview. 18 Feb 2014.
Saphier, Jon, Gower, Robert (1997). Climate for High Achievement for All Students. Research for Better Teaching.
Pearson (2011). Observation Skills for Effective Teaching and Becoming a Teacher (Custom Edition for Austin Community College). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Underwood, Joe. Personal Interview. 20 Feb 2014.