Jonathan Paul Loomis
December 11, 1998
Field Experience
Professor Chace
Independent Observation:
Dunbar Senior High School, Social Studies Department
On December 2nd I observed three different classes. I have answered the questions for each classroom. The following is a schedule of my first day at Dunbar:
Ms. Kearney's 9th and 10th grade History
The students should be able to fill in important names and information on a worksheet about the First World War after viewing a filmstrip.
I entered part way through the lesson.
There was not a smooth transition between the filmstrip and work on the worksheets. Although the instructor managed to get the projector out of the way in an orderly way, she had to give instructions to pick up the worksheets numerous times in order to get the entire class on task.
I was not there at the beginning of the lesson, but the filmstrip served as the motivation for work on the worksheets.
Film strip, projector, worksheets, and maps.
She gave directions by speaking loudly. I got the impression that she did not think it was possible to quite the class and have everyone's attention. So in order to get everyone on task she would say the instructions in a voice louder than the general hum of the various discussions.
Yes, because they were able to fill in answers on the worksheets that were in the filmstrip. This was rather lower order learning, however. She did not stress any analysis or evaluation of the historical events under study.
She had the worksheets lain out on her desk and the students went to pick them up. She did not collect them.
There was no small group work.
She told them to finish the worksheets. There was no real closure.
Almost 90% for some students, but some wandered off task and probably put no more than 20% of their time toward their work.
She was planning to give a test the following week.
Ms. Martin's 11th and 12th grade Geography
The students would gain as much information about a particular nation or region as possible by doing individual research and then would put it together in the form of a report.
It was hard to tell when the class actually began because of the open space setup. I would gauge that about 10 minutes elapsed between when the instructor began teaching and when the last students wandered in.
There was only one activity.
The instructor announced to those students in the room that the day would be dedicated to the continuation of a project they had already begun. As more students wandered in they saw what others were doing and picked up the project as well. There didn't seem to be any motivation.
This particular teacher utilized a tremendous number of resources and I was impressed by her skill in doing so. She sent students off to search for information on the Internet, in textbooks, other books, newspapers, and even sent one girl off to telephone an embassy.
She gave instructions in a firm but quiet voice. If students didn't hear her instructions she would reprimand them for not listening. Most of her instructions came at the end of one on one students-teacher interactions.
Most of them were. Some were just sitting around, but most were reading and taking notes on their own. Once again, although the students were in charge of their own learning it tended toward lower level thinking skills because the only time they were really questioned was when the instructor came around critiqued their progress.
She did not. She only told students to go use of find various resources.
There was no small group instruction.
I did not observe the end of this lesson.
Most students spent about 75% of their time working. Less productive students did not work at all.
The final product of their research will be a finished report. I assume that this will be graded and will serve as their assessment.
Mr. Foster's 12th grade Government
The students should have been able to identify and describe various government-related terms. Various other subjects entered into the discussion: racism, the balance of power involved between the two poles of individual freedom and collective law enforcement, citizen responsibility, etc.
I entered part way through the lesson.
The discussion was the only activity.
I did not see the beginning of this lesson.
He used the textbook only in that it contained a list of words from which he could develop a discussion.
He gave no instructions. The students participated actively in the lessons based on his questions.
They were in that they were constantly being challenged in regards to their beliefs and prejudices. This led to a continuous circle of analysis and self-evaluation.
He did not.
I did not.
I was unable to view the end of this lesson.
Although a scant few of the students seemed to be sleeping or dozing, almost all of the other students were at least listening to what their classmates were saying.
I have no idea what he intended for an assessment.
On December 9th I observed two different classes. I have answered the questions for each classroom. The following is a schedule of my first day at Dunbar:
Ms. Kearney's 9th and 10th grade History
The students were supposed to be preparing for the test the following day by doing a practice test. This was the final review session.
I entered part way through the lesson.
There was only one activity.
I entered part way through the lesson.
She had prepared a practice test for the students to use. They were also allowed to look in their books.
She wandered among the desks and told those students who weren't working to get back on task. She often told them they were working hard even thought she knew they were not. In this way she gave them the impression that not working would disappoint her and so more students actually worked.
They were engaged in reviewing. If they learned anything it was only information that they had failed to pick up during the course of the unit.
She did not collect the practice tests.
Some students had joined into pseudo-groups of two or so to work out the answers, however the instructor tried to make the students work alone.
She did not. She only told them to study for the test.
About 60% on the average. There were some students who worked the entire time and some that did no work at all.
There was no real lesson, however, there was going to be a major test the following day.
Ms. Schmitz's 9th grade Reading
The students would be able to summarize a newspaper article.
About five.
After finishing her opening lecture-introduction, the instructor told the students to find newspapers and write their own summaries. This transition was rather calm. They managed to get into pairs and acquire newspapers from the corner of the room without too much noise and very little time was lost.
The lesson began slowly because it began with a lecture. However, it picked up again when the instructor passed out copies of an article with a summary she had done attached.
She had an article with a summary she had done photocopied for each student. She used newspapers, the chalkboard, and permanent displays she had made.
She gave clear directions in a slightly louder voice than normal. When talking to problem students, however, she stopped the lesson entirely and went over to talk with them quietly. This caused significant disruptions in the presentation of the lesson.
Yes. Although they could probably not tell you later that the skill they were doing was called summarizing, they knew what a good summary entailed.
She had the students pass out her summaries and had the students pick up their own newspapers. I did not see how she picked them up at the end of the lesson.
All the groups were working on the same project, however, there were some students who were not working at all and the fact that the instructor was working with other groups allowed these students to act out and they were rarely on task.
I did not see the end of the lesson.
During her lecture about 60% of the students were paying attention. During the group work about 80% were working.
I found no sign nor heard mention of any kind of assessment.
General Conclusions
In general, I found Dunbar to be an enjoyable school. Although my responses here don't match up to that impression I though Dunbar was the finest of the high schools we visited for this class. The teachers were using the resources available. The students seemed as if they were either there to learn and were serious, or couldn't care less and didn't pay any attention at all. In rare cases did these students cause a problem in the classroom.
The school was orderly, clean, and felt safe and comfortable. After visiting, the metal detector at the front door seemed out of place. Dunbar challenged my preconceived image of an inner city high school. I found it to be very similar to my high school in almost all regards. Although the open space concept was new to me I did not find any real problem or advantage to it and at the end of my visit felt that Dunbar was no different from the white suburban school I had attended. I would be proud to teach at Dunbar.