More Observations

This morning I had the privilege of observing a class before school to see the transition from the interactive time to lesson time.  I also was lucky to see three teachers seamlessly team teaching in the hour I was in the classroom.

My focus was once again on building relationships and behaviour. This was the same new entrants class I observed last week, but in a different setting. The teacher I was watching did several things to make his students feel more comfortable.  As the children came in, he would greet them, ask them how they were, and ask them if they remembered everything they needed to do in the morning. He then sat down at a table and as a child came in, he asked the boy if he wanted to make a picture with him. The boy had wanted to go to the computers (a common thing in my class, I've noticed) but he changed his mind, sat down, and happily made the picture.  The teacher was very encouraging and asked several probing questions, while at the same time offering suggestions as to what could be done. More children joined the table but he continued to greet all the children in the room.

When the bell went, he reminded the children of what they had to do and they quickly got on the mat.  He had a friendly tone but also varied the volume. Being quiet got the children to listen (he did this a few times throughout my observation). I've done this in the past, but I think it's something to be a bit more mindful of in the future. For some reason, if you speak quietly, children tend to listen more.

Throughout all of his interactions he framed everything in a positive way.  If a child was not doing what he was supposed to be doing, he'd say: "Why don't you come over here and sit beside me?" and then give them a smile, both giving them a choice AND making them feel welcome.  Several times I saw him speak with children quietly and he had his hand on their should or back to help build that personal connection and let the children feel safe. He was very active while watching the other teachers teach and was aware of everything that was going on around him.

I think one thing I could be doing in the mornings is to get out an activity (a different one each day, and sit with it and bring the children to me). It's definitely worth trialling this and seeing how it goes.  Generally I tend to roam in the mornings, talking to several children doing different things.

Another thing I saw (and this was tiny, but still, I thought it was neat) is that the teacher used an actual hand for a finger space on the IWB when modeling writing. I need to get that image.  I did a quick search for it now, but couldn't find anything suitable.  I'll get it later, but that probably won't be in time for the lesson I'm being observed in next.