Observation #3: Classroom Management

                The World Geography class I observed was orderly. Almost all the students entered the room well before the bell, the teacher informed me this was a benefit of it being a 9^th grade class fairly new to the school. A couple students came in late during the morning announcements, but nothing was made of these slightly late arrivals, possibly due to it being the first class of the day. The announcements consisted of the Pledge, a moment of silence, and some school-related news.

                The class began, in earnest, when the teacher began speaking and reminding his students of what they had covered in previous lessons. He then introduced the new unit with four questions related to immigration, knowing the students would have to guess at them. This was how he got his students to focus on academics. While the students worked on the four questions, he sat down and took attendance. He knew all the students names and faces and was able to quickly identify anyone who was missing.

                Once the students were done with the questions, he asked students to give answers they had. For the question asking why people would immigrate to a new country, he wrote student suggestions on the whiteboard--brainstorming style. When the students gave their answers, the teacher would generally avoid giving positive or negative confirmation and simply wrote the answer on the board unless the answer was wrong outright or would mislead other students. When a wrong answer occurred, he tried to mitigate the impact by saying it was a good guess (all the answers were technically guesses).

                When papers were distributed, the teacher walked around the two row semi-circle desk configuration handing them to students two at a time for the front row to pass to the back. Once all the students had their papers, they worked on the vocabulary assignment in groups. During this time, one student approached the teacher to discuss work she was going to miss due to taking a trip. I could not clearly hear the discussion, but I think the teacher told her not to worry about some things that could be taken care of later.

                As the class was coming to a close, the teacher made the students aware of the homework assignment which was posted on a small whiteboard attached to the bulletin board. I had seen this practice done in other classrooms in the school and it may have been a school-wide or department-wide policy. The teacher allowed the students to get up and take pictures with their phones of what was written on the homework whiteboard. Since the class was nearly over, the students continued to move about the room and talk to each other. When the bell rang and they left, the teacher told them to have a good day.

                There were only two instances where the teacher slightly raised his voice to get the students’ attention and quiet. Both instances were to bring an end to the classwork the students were working on and discussing, not as a way to correct behavior. After the class, I asked the teacher if all his classes were as well-behaved and cooperative as this one. He said the other 9^th grade World Geography class was completely different. The students in that class are much less cooperative and eager to get out of school (it is the last class of the day). He often needs to use proximity to keep the students on task in the later class, but in the class I observed he was able to work on a PowerPoint for another lesson while the students worked. He also explained that he tries to break every class into twenty minute segments of activity to try to keep students focused.

                The students in this class benefited from near-optimal conditions in the classroom. The students were seemingly all engaged in the lesson and needed no behavioral management from the teacher. Perhaps his use of activity blocks was particularly effective, but I am leaning toward him having a particularly cooperative group of students in the class I observed. He had clearly established procedure in the classroom and set standards for acceptable behavior, and the students all were comfortable with procedure and did not test the limits for behavior.

Professional Organization Reflection

                The Promising Practices conference was a useful experience. Between the two workshops I attended and the keynote speaker I was able to get ideas ranging from very practical and concrete to fairly abstract. I think I could certainly take those ideas and implement them into my classroom.

                The first workshop I attended was very concrete. It involved creating an interactive map using Google Maps/Google Earth. The map idea could be in a few ways in my classroom. The simplest application would be to use an interactive map of my creation to conduct a lesson. Another would be to teach my students how to use Google Maps to create their own interactive maps. Students would then be able to create their own map of a historical event like the Battle of Gettysburg or the 1963 March on Washington. Students creating their own GIS maps is one of the better uses for technology in a classroom I have come across while using the higher level thinking of synthesis.

                The Teach Like a Designer workshop showed how useful the design process could be in a classroom. It teaches students go through the processes of exploration, brainstorming, iteration, and construction to solve problems. This idea has a lot in common with indirect instructional methods and I would like to incorporate it in my classroom; however, there are some problems with using the design process to teach. Social studies may not lend itself to the design process as well as other subjects, but I still think it can be used if I were to get creative. The main concern I have is how time consuming the process can be. With how limited time can be in a school year, the design-style projects must be used judiciously.

                Dr. Emdin’s keynote speech was great. His ability to stray from what he had prepared while still being on-topic was impressive. I also liked a lot of what he had to say. He went after standards and traditional school structure in a way which makes me question the status quo. I don’t know if I will be getting rid of all the desks and chairs in my classroom, but I now have to think about what purpose they serve.

Observation Assignment #4: Assessment

Objective: Students will be able to explain how Peter and Catherine the Great changed Russia politically, socially, and culturally.

Bloom's: Comprehension

Assessment:

Quiz: Russia in the Age of Absolutism (10 Points)

Name: ­ _____________________________

Part 1: Multiple Choice (1 Point Each)

Circle the entire statement which best answers the question.

1. What did Peter and Catherine the Great do to change Russian culture?

            A. They forced Roman Catholicism on the Russian people.

            B. They made the Russian people adopt aspects of Western European culture.

            C. They instituted policies which improved the lives of serfs and worsened the lives of                              nobility.

            D. They provided education for all Russians.

2. What was the primary reason why Peter I and Catherine II were considered “Great”?

            A. They allowed anyone to serve in the military.

            B. Russian territory was greatly expanded during their reigns.

            C. Economic conditions improved for all Russians during their rules.

            D. Russia enjoyed an age of peace during their rules.

3. Primarily, why did Peter the Great capture port cities and raise taxes?

            A. To create a navy and fund his military.

            B. To expand Russia and punish the nobility.

            C. To launch colonization expeditions and fund them.

            D. To expand overseas trade and fund industry.

4. What did Catherine the Great do when she was concerned with the rise of democratic governments in Western Europe?

            A. She started a war with neighboring Poland before democracy could take hold and                               split the territory with Austria and Prussia.

            B. Strengthened political ties with the remaining monarchies in Western Europe.

            C. Refused to recognize the new government of France after the French Revolution of                             1789.

            D. Ended war with the kingdom of Sweden out of concern of a populist uprising at                                    home.

Part 2: Short Answer (3 Points Each)

Read the following excerpt and respond to the questions in one or two complete sentences.

            …Peter’s military reform would have remained an isolated incident in Russian military history had it not left a distinct and deep impression on the social and intellectual composition of all Russian society, and even influenced future political developments. The military reform itself made necessary other innovations, first to maintain the reorganized and expensive military forces, and then to ensure their permanency. The new recruiting methods, by spreading military obligations to classes hitherto [up to this time] exempt, and thus affecting all social classes, gave the new army a more varied composition and completely altered existing social relationships. From the time that noblemens’ serfs and servants joined the new army as ordinary recruits instead of only as menials or valets [servants], the position of the nobility, which had been preponderant [dominant] in the old army, was completely changed…

-Source: Vasili Klyuchevsky, translated by Liliana Archibald, Peter the Great, St. Martin’s Press

5. According to Klyuchevsky, what was one way Peter the Great attempted to control the Russian people?

6. According to Klyuchevsky, what was one effect Peter the Great’s reform had on the Russian nobles?

Answers:

1. B      2. B      3. D      4. A

5 and 6: (I did not think these were worthy of a full rubric)

1 Point: Student attempts answer.

2 Points: Student attempts answer using complete sentences and proper grammar/spelling.

3 Points: Student gives a correct answer using complete sentences and proper grammar/spelling.