Chris H. CO2

My second Classroom Observation was an Intermediate-High composition class. I focused on the management layout of the class, as when I came in they were preparing for a quiz. I sat down in the far corner and watched how the instructor, Andrea, conducted the examination from a teacher to student perspective. With the tables attached and the students sitting near to one another, it seemed that there was a fair risk of cheating involved. However, to overcome this, the instructor maintained an aloof position throughout the classroom, circling the tables and observing, handing out the tests, and being clear in her expectations for the students by writing them on the board. For the most part, the class was obedient and silent throughout the test, which allowed me a chance to ask her a few questions about the delivery of exams, the frequency that she preferred in providing them, and whether or not she felt that they were effective in motivating student participation. She told me that she typically preferred to have a quiz once a week, enough to encourage the students to be familiar with classroom environment but not overly intimidated to the feedback process. She also said that peer-review quizzes were a great idea every now and then to allow small group discussion feedback, instead of solely teacher-student. She then collected the papers and the students seemed again to be in good humor. Following this, the class began a lesson on the age of exploration, discussing when it began, and engaging the students with conversation on what they knew about the Hawaiian Islands.