Science Classroom Visit @ Mopan Technical

Quality example of teacher effectiveness

I have been struggling for several weeks with discipline in a couple of my students.  So I decided that I would observe another classroom.  I was also supposed to do this as assignment so I am double dipping ;)

I observed my sophomore class of students in their chemistry class.  I was noting both the teaching strategies used within the class but also the students' behaviors.  The class was 40 minutes long.

I noticed that my trouble students were much better behaved in this class.  But I noticed that the teacher knew the students very well.  The teacher knew their backgrounds and their interests.  Fortunately we had a great conversation afterwards about these students which was very helpful in how I handled them in my following classes.

In regards to the teaching strategies, I was a little bummed.  The class was a very typical class that I have seen here at Mopan Technical. The teacher instructed and the students listened and that was about it.  There weren't very many engaging strategies, or methods for getting the students to participate.  Now, at the same token, the teacher did give them a worksheet.  The students did complete the worksheet but it was merely a repetition of balancing equations.  The students discipline started to decrease when it was passed out.  Many of the students just didn't do it.  Ah! It was frustrating to see them acting this way but a relief to know that it wasn't just my classes.