Amy Bjornson

Classroom Observation Reflection

Monday, December 1, 2009
Mrs. Loschy
1st Grade

1. What did I learn about young children today?

I didn’t necessarily learn about young children today, but I learned more about the
differences between 1st graders and students at higher grade-levels. With a mother as a
childcare provider, I am used to working with young children. So I am learning more about
the classroom environment and how to teach this age group. I think this age group is more
comfortable for me than the higher grades, because I love young children (as I do older
children), I am accustomed to being around them, and I think the grading would be less
rigorous and the curriculum more flexible, etc. The 1st graders are very sweet, and they still
have that innocence. When Mrs. Loschy was going through the directions for a math sheet
with the students, one student asked “What if you know how to read?” This question was
kind of caught in the shuffle and ignored, but a parent and I got a kick out of it. The student
wasn’t being rude, but he just wanted to get started and was probably wondering if he needed
to wait for the other students.

2. What did I learn about developmentally appropriate practices today?

One of the first things I noticed this morning was the height of the desks. They are
probably about as tall as my knees, and that is just right for the students. For this class, they
don’t really have a schedule written up on a board or anything. Instead, the teacher prompts
them when they need to do something else (this is good for making the students more
accountable for staying on task and paying attention). Some of the good things Mrs. Loschy
did were:
• She made connections from old experiences to new experiences (i.e. she asked about
what the students had started to make in Science, a week or so ago. – They made clay
beads) and today they were painting them to continue their science work (I guess).
• For math, Mrs. Loschy gave the students dot paper that was double-sided. She
informed them that making drawing shapes on the dot paper is like working with
geometry tiles. She used the overhead to project a dot paper transparency onto the
whiteboard. On the white board she drew the shapes by connecting some dots
together. After the students made all the shapes and were allowed to color them in,
they were allowed 10 minutes to draw whatever they wanted, using the shapes, on the
other side of their paper.

Judging by how Mrs. Loschy worked with the children, I think that it is safe to say a few
things about students at this age:
• I think they work well with connections from old material to new material. For
example, Mrs. Loschy made a lot of connections to things students worked with in
the past, to what they were learning today.
• The students work well with things that appear or sound like games. For example,
Mrs. Loschy had a way of giving them clear instructions, and even though I don’t
think the “show me five” method works very well for quieting students and calling
attention to the teacher, she used it after using a different method. She would make a
“dut” sound in the rhythm and sound of “Shave and a hair cut” while clapping. She
 did the first part, and then the students responded with the last part. Once she did this,
she said “show me five” and she could hold their attention pretty well.
• Students in 1st grade tend to enjoy being artistic, and learning is engaging when the
teacher integrates art into the other learning areas (like making clay beads like rocks
in science).

3. How can I implement this information when I am a lead teacher in the classroom?
I can implement this information when I am a lead teacher in the classroom by
using some of the same methods of working with children. For example, allowing
students to be creative in many areas without needing to be in “art class” to do it, giving
them clear instructions, and setting up a good way to get their attention, etc. With this age
group, I would have to establish respect in a non-scary way, but emphasize the
importance of it.
The students worked with preparing for the Christmas show today, and the
director was very strict with the children, but her tone made the children focus more. To
me, it didn’t really seem age appropriate, but to get the students focused in a short period
of time, it worked well. It makes me think about the first week of school. I think
sometimes it is necessary to be strict for the beginning to establish respect right away.
You can always ease up later, but if you switch that order, there can be chaos.