I have been working in a 4th grade classroom of 30 children. This class has a wide range of learning levels ranging from a child who is on the lower end of the autism spectrum to children who are soon to be testing into an accelerated learning class for the 5th and 6th grades. Although the academic range consists of a wide variety of levels, the teacher has been able to captivate the children in different aspects of learning styles.
On my first day of observing, the teacher was just beginning the process of introducing Geometry to the students. She wrote out and explained the geometric terms they would need to know, writing the terms down for the students to copy in their "math vocabulary" journals. After explaining and making sure that all the students understood each vocabulary term, she insisted on 30 seconds of silence (per term) for everyone to have the chance to copy down the notes provided. Some of the children finished promptly and began being silly, but were immediately reminded of the 30 seconds of silence. Other's were a bit frustrated that this was not enough time, however were reminded that they had plenty of time later to catch up as needed. As the note taking came to an end, the teacher explained their classwork assignment then drew names out of a can for pairing up on the assignment.
I was able to work with two boys who are on the autism spectrum, but are able to function in the normal classroom setting. One of the boys was excited about geometry and understood the concepts well, while the other giggled a lot, attempting to get all three of us off track. We were able to bring his attention back to the homework by using visual aids in the classroom while figuring out which triangles were obtuse, acute, and right. As I had a moment to roam the classroom, some of the "smarter" children were patiently describing different angles, using drawings, books, and other items in the classroom as examples for their partners who were struggling a little bit with the concepts. The teacher walked around and helped as needed, however the children were paired up fairly evenly and seemed to work well together.
As the time came to an end, students returned to their desks while the teacher called them one by one to answer and show their work on the board. When they were wrong, she didn't embarrass them nor put them down. Instead they worked it out together while she complimented them on their hard work and great attempt, letting them know that this was a new concept which they would understand quickly. I really appreciated the methods the teacher used to help the students understand angles and measurements. She showed them by using pictures, associated the words with something familiar to help them remember the correct angle and term, the class wrote the different styles down, compared the angles with things in the classroom while working with a partner, and then they took turns writing these on the board. It was a very fun and positive atmosphere to begin my observation in.
On my first day of observing, the teacher was just beginning the process of introducing Geometry to the students. She wrote out and explained the geometric terms they would need to know, writing the terms down for the students to copy in their "math vocabulary" journals. After explaining and making sure that all the students understood each vocabulary term, she insisted on 30 seconds of silence (per term) for everyone to have the chance to copy down the notes provided. Some of the children finished promptly and began being silly, but were immediately reminded of the 30 seconds of silence. Other's were a bit frustrated that this was not enough time, however were reminded that they had plenty of time later to catch up as needed. As the note taking came to an end, the teacher explained their classwork assignment then drew names out of a can for pairing up on the assignment.
I was able to work with two boys who are on the autism spectrum, but are able to function in the normal classroom setting. One of the boys was excited about geometry and understood the concepts well, while the other giggled a lot, attempting to get all three of us off track. We were able to bring his attention back to the homework by using visual aids in the classroom while figuring out which triangles were obtuse, acute, and right. As I had a moment to roam the classroom, some of the "smarter" children were patiently describing different angles, using drawings, books, and other items in the classroom as examples for their partners who were struggling a little bit with the concepts. The teacher walked around and helped as needed, however the children were paired up fairly evenly and seemed to work well together.
As the time came to an end, students returned to their desks while the teacher called them one by one to answer and show their work on the board. When they were wrong, she didn't embarrass them nor put them down. Instead they worked it out together while she complimented them on their hard work and great attempt, letting them know that this was a new concept which they would understand quickly. I really appreciated the methods the teacher used to help the students understand angles and measurements. She showed them by using pictures, associated the words with something familiar to help them remember the correct angle and term, the class wrote the different styles down, compared the angles with things in the classroom while working with a partner, and then they took turns writing these on the board. It was a very fun and positive atmosphere to begin my observation in.
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