The movie viewed was Creating an Environment for Learning.
Observation and Description
Group characteristic
The group under consideration consists of ten students comprising; six girls and four boys. While in the group discussion session, the emphasized group has one girl and three boys. Considering the ethnicity of the class; it consists of all blacks inclusive of the teacher. This clearly shows that the class consists of one racial group, which seems necessarily of African-American ethnicity.
It can be made out that the students are in their sixteen to nineteen years, and this constitutes a remarkably focused and attentive group. This is evidenced by the conduct of the learners in the classroom. The group can also be termed as cooperative and respectful, orchestrated by the friendly nature of the teacher. Through the vibrancy of Madam Smith, the group opens up during the course of learning and contributes progressively towards the topic under consideration. The approximate grade levels to be considered are grades seven and eight ascertained by the mode of learning upheld in the course of learning.
Delivery of Instructions
Various instances can be pointed out where Madam Smith instructs her class towards achieving set objectives. Initially, the teacher directs her students on what to do as part of the classwork regarding the topic, like “give reasons why…” then she interacts with the students during the discussion session. Madam Smith seeks more emphasis on issues like… “form of protest,” this eventually outlines clearly the instructional channel she uses to expound on the topic and level of thinking.
The advantage of including instructions in the process of learning is that it initiates a guided channel to follow and evaluate the intended achievements (Slavin, 2006). Thereby, the result is the achievement of the set goals in the course of teaching.
Analysis, Exploration, and Listening
Student-Teacher Interactions
Madam Smith demonstrates passionately how the interaction between the teacher and the student should fare. She also takes time to listen to the students’ ideas and views, identifying their weaknesses for guidance. Madam Smith sits with the students and discusses from the same context. This helps the students adjust well with the topic of study and familiarize themselves with the directives and requirements in the coursework.
The Tone of Student-Teacher Interactions
The teacher-student interaction is critical in ascertaining the dedication a teacher has in ensuring the students get the content. Madam Smith goes to the extent of engaging students in their group discussions and helping them present their views perfectly. A clear example is when she tells Natalie, “…I will stand with you… we can read together.” The interaction ensures confidence in the class-leading to the free sharing of individual ideas with the whole class. An outstanding example is the use of her body language; she ascertains that body language is particularly crucial during the teaching process. She states that “my body language is very welcoming.”
Student Engagement with Lesson
The students’ engagement is high and results in greater achievements for the whole group. Madam Smith engages students in an interactive learning process. The students express their views also seek clarification where necessary. Therefore, the students uphold the concepts positively and comprehend them with regard to what they perceive in their surroundings.
Setting Expectations
Madam Smith sets highly effective expectations for the students’ performance by involving them in giving ideas concerning the topic of study. The teacher effectively sets her teaching concepts in line with what the students will understand. For example, when she introduces the topic of protests, she gives students time to express their views on it.
The teacher sets a comfortable mood in the class to attract attention in class. For example, “my body language is very welcoming,” through the establishment of a friendly nature, the interaction is promoted. By involving them in giving ideas concerning the topic of study, the teacher’s expectations help in improving the student’s performance.
Connections to Other Effective Teaching Practices
Instructional Purpose
Class management is not a complete process without the inclusion of assessment practices. Through the instructions set, Madam Smith achieves a guided learning approach and positively influences the achievements of the students that are realized in their academic achievements. Madam Smith indulges the student into a consultative approach of delivery, and they get to give their ideas concerning the topic of study.
Madam Smith clearly outlines the guidelines in the learning process; for example, outlining how the topic under consideration would be elaborated. “Give reasons why? Tell me why you would say so?” Instructions in the course of teaching ascertain how effective the delivery of concepts is. For example, Madam Smith instructs students to come up with personal presentations concerning the topic under study. This helps the teacher ascertain how well the concepts are upheld by the students.
Evaluation
Effectiveness of Teaching Style
The teaching style employed in the video is highly effective in the sense that Madam Smith assesses the understanding of the student. Further, the students feel part of the teaching and learning process, thus own it. Further, the eventual results of the teaching style are perfect and realizable when applied elsewhere. The setup of the movie presents an unusually close teacher to students with a class consisting of vibrant and respectful students. According to Jones and Jones (2004), classroom management incorporates effective plans resulting in proper and viable teaching styles. On critical analysis of Madam Smith’s class, it is imperative to note that through the guided learning process, the students are able to uphold the context of the topic and contribute towards the same.
Impact of Student-Teacher Interactions
The interaction between the student and the teacher plays a critical role in the teaching process. Apart from the reason for ensuring that the students comprehend the concepts, the teacher is interested in ensuring that all students are part of the guided learning process. The teacher plays a critical role in influencing the extent of understanding the concept by the student.
The reaction of the students towards the learning process solely depends on the teacher and how he/she conducts the classroom (Slavin, 2006). Through the interactions, the teacher identifies strong points, as well as weak areas for corrections. On the other hand, the discussions going on in class clearly brings out the perfect interaction between the teacher and the students.
Expectations and Performance
Madam’s Smith expectation of developing a comfortable learning environment and highlighting the students’ work contributed to a large extent in impacting positively, as well as influencing the student performance.
The teacher relates well with the students, and they describe her as calm and welcoming. The positive attitude of the teacher and the interest towards the students enhance the students’ comprehension of the concepts taught. Through the way of structuring the classroom situation and showing interest to the students and mode of communication, a positive relationship is established. This culminates in improving the performance of the students and heightening the expectations.
Explanation of the Thinking Process
The movie Creating an Environment for Learning establishes that effective learning managers establish positive learning relationships with their students. Teachers have the obligation of offering guidance in teaching; this would result in perfect ways of alleviating mistakes in the whole process (Jones and Jones, 2004). The expectation of teachers to maintain their presence in the classroom and monitor their students helps them develop and maintain their leadership roles (Slavin, 2006). This results in a perfect leader molded by an individual who understands and appreciates the young student. Having a developing mind, the students are in a position to embrace every concept presented to them.
The process of understanding the video and completing this evaluation had been a critical one but an inspirational process. With the well versed and enacted scenes of the video creating an Environment for Learning, the critical thinking was not only entailing incorporation of knowledge but also understanding the process of guided learning.
Recommendations for an alternative teaching approach
With a more vibrant and inclusive learning process, students will take part in teaching the rest of the class on concepts they have understood in class or during personal learning. This would improve the level of evaluation and guidance to the students. The result is a student well prepared to tackle both academic and intellectual aspects of life. On the same note, there is a greater need to encourage mentorship among the student from the teachers. This will help the student embrace the learning process knowing what the future holds for them.
There is also a crucial need for proper guidance and noble mentorship from the teachers in order for students to uphold and embrace workable and achievable approaches in their learning processes. This can be seen to culminate in perfect excellence through the effort made by the teacher and student.
Grade Level/Subject Area
Students in their middle and higher grades are well versed in the contents taught in their classrooms. They are expected to comprehend and internalize what they learn even prior to the introduction of the context. With a guided learning process, they are expected to participate and acquire more knowledge. According to Slavin (2006), an effective teacher ought to give maximum attention to the students hence, deliver and realize any set teaching goals.
My expectation is geared towards teaching grades 7 and 8; in the subject of History. The setting of the class entails a discussion with the students; they are to give their views concerning an account of events in the past. This will give rise to a learning process that will entail the participation of the student body with my guidance to achieve the set lesson goals.
It is critical to note that, with a strong desire for a class that will achieve the best, a manageable class is effective. The effectiveness of having a sizeable class comes in with proper assessment and control of the class. As a teacher, one is able to manage and assess the students effectively. According to Jones and Jones (2004), a manageable class is very crucial in assessing the group; in the process of erudition, and at the same time give relevant guidance with the time stipulated for the lesson.
A lesson has given time, and for a teacher to be able to assess every student, he/she must be highly effective and tactical in the management of the class within the lesson time. This occurs through the interactions and interventions made by the teacher in the course of teaching. The above concept clearly gives a perfect consideration of a manageable class and its implications with regard to teaching and achieving the concepts targeted.
The achievements of the students are greatly influenced by the set expectations by a teacher. The above context clearly outlines the grade level and subject to teach in the future and, at the same time, highlight the importance of having a manageable class. The expectations of a teacher ought to reflect at influencing the achievements of the student. In other words, the expectations should be self-fulfilling and predict probable changes in student achievements. The following section outlines five expectations of the teacher and their influence on the performance of the students.
Expectations
Every teacher has various expectations entrenched in the management process of the class. The student, on the other hand, is expected to entirely take part in the learning process to acquire the concept being taught. These are crucial in setting standards, as well as the level of goals to be achieved and result in influencing the student’s academic achievements.
Planning and Behaviour
The major expectation of a teacher while planning is to realize an effective teaching process. The students are expected to follow the sets rules by the teacher during the learning process. Behaviour is an aspect of life, and educations per se have a vital role in shaping it and culminate in excellent student achievements (Jones and Jones, 2004). By following the set rules, students become accountable for the learning process.
Consequently, the students are expected to grow and develop self emotional attributes regarding their wellbeing not only in academics but also pertaining to their social life (Slavin, 2006). Lastly, through planning and behavior, a positive relationship between teacher and students is established. The student has the right to relate well with the teacher as he/she acts as their role model in school.
Effective teaching and concept delivery
The students are expected to acquire the best pertaining to any particular lesson in class. As a future teacher, expectations are high that the students will comprehend the concepts delivered to them accordingly. This will be made possible by the teacher’s level of commitment to the teaching process and eventual student’s effort in putting to task the concepts towards his or her achievements. The correlation that intertwines the expectations of the teacher and students’ achievement is due to the accuracy of the teaching methods employed by the teacher.
With respect to concept delivery, the teacher comes up with expectations taking into consideration the student’s capability to acquire them and reciprocate by improving the performance. The student expects to obtain the best from the teacher, and this is achieved from the way the teacher presents the learning process. The student is expected to uphold the concept taught and improve on the overall achievement resulting from the effective learning process.
Guidance and responsibility
Through the principle of guidance, the students are expected to be responsible and follow any instructions given out. By initiating the process of learning together, the student gains presentation skills and understand the concepts via the creation of a sense of awareness by the teacher. This is a great achievement for both parties as the results are felt by the outside community through service to the community.
The realization of self emotional attributes establishes a positive student-teacher relationship, which culminates into the application to life outside school as the students get the courage to face the public, having gained confidence through interactions with the teacher (Slavin, 2006).
Assessment and Critical Thinking
Schooling of higher aged levels ought to foster critical thinking skills among the students. Students are made to think critically by the teacher through the principle of sound assessment. This is achieved by structuring a lesson for success through proper classroom management and upholding students’ diversity. Further, through the asking of questions, the students are engaged in critical thinking that results in profound achievements.
The well being of the students is enhanced by initiating a sound classroom management plan; this result in the perfect assessment of the student’s progress, as well as their overall well being. In the creation of high expectations, the assessment process should allow for students to demonstrate an understanding of the concept rather than simply upholding the facts.
Teaching and Individual Student Engagement
The engagement of the teacher with students individually promotes the proper use of concepts taught. The students achieve prevalent positive consequences inherent to their contentment, which results from accomplishment, good grades, social consent, and recognition.
The student is expected to connect classwork and how to improve their examination grades through the guidelines and directions given by the teacher. This is achieved by showing interest and the way the teacher communicates with the students. The students, thereby, acquire a sense of appreciating the teacher’s inclusion in their classwork, which results in a teacher-student relationship that is friendly; thereby, the students can approach the teacher for more conceptual clarification.
Conclusion
Classroom management entails a well-reserved process by the teacher that sees to it that he/she achieves the set goals of imparting knowledge to the student. From the video, Creating an Environment for Learning, Madam Smith clearly expresses the procedure and achievements made during the creation of an environment for learning. Notably, the students get the chance to express themselves, and further, through questions, they are able to extend their thinking. The students are expected to participate and acquire conceptual knowledge from the teacher. The teacher has the first-hand influence to come up with perfect management of the class and eventually to influence the overall performance of students.
REFERENCES
Jones, V., & Jones, L. (2004). Comprehensive Classroom Management. Boston: Pearson Education.
Slavin, R. E. (2006). Educational psychology: Theory and practice, 8th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.