Supervisor Observation #1 Reflection

Lining up students may seem like an easy task, but it is very important to classroom management. My CT has specific expectations for her students when lining them up. When lining up the students from outside, she claps her hands until all students follow her lead and get in line. She taught them to get into alphabetical order when she lines them up. After lunch, they are free to stand anywhere they want in line as long as they do not cause any problems with other students. She told me to always count the students to make sure all students are present. If one student is missing from the line and left on the playground, she has them get in mailbox number order to account for who is missing. My CT also told me that she allows her students to talk a little and wind down from playing outside when she first lines them up, but her expectation for her class is to walk single file and in silence once they get to the stopping point at the wall right before they walk into the building.

I originally had planned to use the hang clapping attention getter that my CT uses to get the students’ attention and call for them to line up. Then I was going to count them all once they were lined up, remind them to grab their belongings, tell the line leader to go to the next stopping point, and then remind them to remain quiet before entering the school and walking through the classroom right next to my CT’s classroom.

Overall, I feel like the routine went smoothly because I gave clear oral directions to the students (FEAP 2e.). I did not have to manage behaviors because the students were all on task (FEAP 2b.). I conveyed high expectations for the students with my directions (FEAP 2c.). The students were on task, they lined up when I called, they walked when I told them to go to the stopping point, they were quiet when they entered the school, and they cleared their desks when I asked them to after coming inside.

Part of the success of completing this routine with my CT’s class was based on the expectations and standards she has set for her class. She talked with me about how she taught her students they need to set the example in line and show good behavior because they are a representation of her. They understand that work together as a group and if one student acts up then that looks bad on the class and the teacher. This kind of standard my CT sets for her students is similar to a standard Mrs. Perez sets for her students (Rothstein-Fisch & Trumbull, 2008). “The power of the group comes through in students’ harmonious and supportive peer relationships, their respect for each other and for adults, and their striving for group success.” (Rothstein-Fisch & Trumbull, 2008). I want to apply this standard to my future students to promote the importance of collaboration as a whole class.

The task met the developmental needs of my students because it had a simple attention getter and I gave them clear directions about what to do when they move from the stopping point into the classroom. The most important thing that I can take away from completing this routine is that I should always be thinking two steps ahead. From my observation video at 0:16, I noticed that as I was calling up my students to line up, a few were still working with chalk on the pavement. The children were distracted and worried about finishing their work. This caused a few to ignore my direction right away and finish what they were doing with the chalk. Next time to improve, I can tell those who are working with chalk they have a few more mins to finish up because we are lining up. After giving them the warning, and then calling students to line up, if they choose to continue they will receive consequences.

I also noticed in my observation video at 0:42, I told the students to get their belongings when they were already in line ready to go. Another way I can improve is to remind the students as they are lining up or beforehand that they need to grab their belongings instead of waiting until they were all in line. This will help me better manage my time (FEAP 2a.). By cutting the time of having students going back for their belongings, this will allow more learning time in the classroom.

Other than that, the rest of the students quickly lined up because I was counting down. The students knew they should be in line before I get to the number one. At 1:30 in my video, the students quieted down because they knew the line was moving and they were headed for the stopping point at the wall. When I gave them directions at the wall, they all turned and had their attention to me. The transition from walking outside to inside went smoothly. At 2:38 in my video, the students silently walked through the other teacher’s classroom to get to ours, and they went to their desks to complete the task I asked them to complete.

This was a great learning opportunity for me to better my classroom management skills. Classroom management is key to a successful learning environment for the students. Without clear expectations and repetition, students will not be able to successfully complete routines and procedures.