No matter what kind of teacher you want to be, you have to start out as nothing more than an observer. Over fall break, I had the chance to shadow some of my past teachers and watch how they taught in their classroom. From High School to Elementary, I observed the same teaching styles presented in different ways. I learned that you can include several styles of teaching in just one class room, and have it carry over to the home as well.
On Monday, I shadowed Mr. Joel Spitzer, History teacher at Olentangy Orange High School and Fiscal Officer for Orange County. He had a wonderfully constructed class period that combined many factors of learning into one class period. Be using a program called History Alive, he made a very kinesthetic classroom setting. He started before the class even started. As the students walked in, they were given instruction where to sit and what to do. This provided for less wasted class time. He had many Transparencies showing pictures that went along with the activity. He also made sure that what was read out loud was understood by everyone, even if it meant reading it several times by different people. I was very impressed with the way he conducted class and made it so different types of students could learn.
On Tuesday, I had the privilege to attend Carlisle Elementary School and shadow Mrs. Becky Ladd and her second graders. As the students came into class and put all of their belongings away. The then had a sort of “opening” activity where they recorded the weather for the day. This showed responsibility given to the student. After this, the day was set into a fast pace. Mrs. Ladd went from subject to subject, leaving anyone who was still on the last topic behind. This to me seemed slightly cruel to me, but eventually made sense. This motivates the kids to get their work done faster and makes sure they finish their work. As a teacher for second graders, one must have a lot of patience and control in the classroom. Throughout the day, one activity lead to another, and they always related to a later lesson. There were many colors and illustrations to help the kids understand what they needed to do. Their daily schedule is normally the same, so the students know what comes next. I greatly enjoyed watching a second grade class, but I don’t think I have the patience to deal with them all day.
During my field experience, I observed many different kinds of teaching methods. There was a lot of kinesthetic movement in the classroom which kept the students alert. The students were asked to review the material before the lesson began, so they knew what was going on. There was also auditory reading as well, which benefited everyone in the classroom. While I observed classes that were almost a decade apart, there were many similarities in teaching, only presented in a different way. I look forward to teaching my own class one day and using these skills I have learned here in College.
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