Teaching as a Profession: Classroom Observation Insights
This reflection paper documents a student teacher's eight-week observation of preschool and kindergarten classrooms in both regular and special education settings. The author examines how firsthand classroom observation challenged and refined previously held assumptions about teaching, student ability, and classroom management. Key themes include cultural diversity instruction, inclusive education practices, differentiated learning, and the flexibility required of effective teachers. The paper concludes that successful teaching depends less on directing students and more on providing engaging, adaptable learning experiences that honor each child's individual development.
- Introduction: Classroom observation as student teacher preparation tool
- Diversity in the Classroom: How teachers actively incorporate cultural diversity
- Student Abilities and Flexible Expectations: Challenging assumptions about early childhood learning levels
- Inclusion and Special Education Observations: Lessons learned from inclusion and special needs settings
- Conclusion: Observation reshapes author's approach to teaching
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What makes this paper effective
- The author grounds abstract reflections in concrete, specific anecdotes — such as the index-card system used with an autistic student — making the argument vivid and credible.
- The paper maintains a consistent reflective voice throughout, honestly contrasting prior assumptions with observed realities rather than simply describing events.
- Each thematic section connects the observation experience directly to the author's future teaching practice, giving the paper a clear sense of purpose and forward momentum.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses structured self-reflection as an academic method: the author explicitly identifies a prior belief, describes an observed event that challenged it, and draws a pedagogical lesson. This before-and-after reflective framework is a hallmark of teacher education writing and demonstrates metacognitive awareness of one's own professional development.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction that contextualizes classroom observation as an essential tool for student teachers. It then moves through two main thematic sections — diversity instruction and student ability/flexibility — each anchored by specific classroom examples. A brief section on inclusion elaborates the special education context. The conclusion synthesizes the lessons learned and frames them as foundational commitments for the author's future classroom. The structure follows a clear claim–evidence–reflection pattern throughout.
Introduction
The teaching profession is one that many young boys and girls dream about while they are still in school. They conjure up images of putting lessons on a blackboard, helping students learn to read, and playing with their charges on the playground. Those who actually go to college to enter the profession are often excited, nervous, and committed to becoming the best teachers they can be. However, until they step into an actual classroom, they can only imagine what their lives as teachers will truly be like.
One of the most important experiences a student teacher can have is to observe a classroom over a period of time. Classroom observation is probably the most effective tool a student teacher can use to compare and contrast what he or she thought teaching would be like with what it is actually like in an everyday setting. It helps prepare the student teacher for success by eliminating misconceptions and by providing a solid understanding of the realities of teaching before he or she is in charge of a classroom.
When I spent eight weeks observing preschool and kindergarten classes in both a regular education setting and a special education setting, I was given many opportunities to reflect on and evaluate how my preconceived ideas about the classroom and teaching measured up against the reality of the job.
I found that many of my previously held ideas seemed to stem from assumptions I had formed as a child and apparently still carried with me. It was also interesting to discover that some of what I believed was true and could be applied to actual teaching practice (Grieshabaer, 2001).
References
Grieshabaer, Susan and Cannella, Gaile S. (Eds.) (2001). Embracing identities in early childhood education: Diversity and possibilities. Midwood; LB1139.23.E58.
Safer, Steffen (2003). Practical solutions to practically every problem: The early childhood teacher's manual. Redleaf Press.
Wong, Harry K., & Wong, Rosemary T. (2004). First days of school: How to be an effective teacher. Harry K. Wong Publications.
Pelletier, Carol Marra (2003). Strategies for successful student teaching. Redleaf Press.
Cooter, Robert B. Jr. (Ed.) (2004). Perspectives on rescuing urban literacy education: Spies, saboteurs and saints. [Electronic resource] E-Books; LC5128.P47.
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