Classroom Observation in the 8th Grade Math Classroom

Classroom Observation

The students poured into the classroom, and the teacher began the mass lesson immediately, without any small talk. The eighth grade class consisted of twenty students of various genders and ethnicities. The topic of the day was algebraic equations, and the teacher's authoritative attitude conveyed her firm grasp of the subject matter. Her serious tone and attitude created a sense of urgency about her goals, which were obviously to provide the students with a solid foundation in this fundamental branch of mathematics. Moreover, these were honors students, so her pace was adequate for the academic level of her students.

After describing the basic principles of that day's lessons, the teacher posed some questions for the students to work on at their desks in silence. Afterwards, the teacher went over the answers and ascertained whether all the students comprehended the lesson. To do this, she frankly asked if anyone had any questions and thoroughly scanned the room for any shy students with confused looks on their faces. To a few of these students she directly inquired about their comfort level with the material. A few hands also raised, and she addressed their confusions and concerns quickly. To make sure the students not only learned by rote but also developed a deeper understanding of the mathematical principles at work, she used a variety of different equations and examples, asking the individual student to work out the problems on his or her own, rather than simply solve the problems for them.

The teacher was tuned in to each student's needs and appeared to know each of their strengths and weaknesses. For example, she recalled that about half the class had trouble with converting word problems into numerical equations and made an attempt to go over this material without boring the other half of the class. She also recalled individual student predilections and worked hard to address each concern in turn and in a logical, orderly fashion. Rarely did the teacher verge off track; rather, she stuck to her pre-designed lesson plans.

While she did hint at future applications of the day's material, she did not want to unnecessarily confuse the class with more information than they required. Moreover, the teacher frequently reviewed older material and made sure that the students' foundation of knowledge was firm. For example, she would go over basic concepts of integers and variables. When she worked at the blackboard, she would occasionally pause to allow the class to finish her sentences to see how the lesson was sinking in. When the response was less than enthusiastic, she would declare that the class in general had to review those specific points.