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Morriah Striplin ENGL 1102 Proff. Hinnant 2/24/2014 Green for alterations to paper Blue for small grammar or sentence changes Yellow for Quotes and alterations pertaining to HW assignment

Class Dynamics As a college student, class dynamics are something that exists in all classes but is usually a subtle phenomenon that usually only sociologist would think to observe. The observations of the Organic Chemistry classes 2131 and 2132 have shown two distinct class dynamics, my name for the overall personality of the classroom. Every class has a distinct personality and each personality is different from class to class. Even if the subject and teacher are the same the student group changes from class to class, driven by the key leadership individuals.

Within the limited times both Organic classes were observed there is a discernable difference in the focus and work ethic of the respective student bodies. Even though the teacher and class room is the same the feel of both classes in immensely different. I hypothesize that the change in class dynamics is not maintained primarily by the teacher who teaches with the same consistency in both classes but by the students. While the teacher is partially responsible in creating this dynamic, particularly in the hierarchy, the students are the driving factor of class dynamic creation. The focus of this article is to how senior classes by design of student composition have a more professional and engaged class dynamic than lower level courses. Additionally, this

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article will go into how variables such as class size, subject matter, and regular graded assignments participate in the shaping of overall class dynamics and student education mentality.

Environmental Factors: Before delving into the organic classrooms is necessary to understand what kind of students would make up the class majority, as the common goal of the group is key in the creation of class mindset. CHEM 2131 is course with prerequisites of a C or higher in CHEM 1251-1252 and their corresponding labs. This indicates that all students attending these Organic Chemistry courses have the General Chemistry background. Despite the math requirement by organics predecessor, organic chemistry itself is not math based, only basic algebra is necessary. The bulk of organic chemistry is depicting and understanding the molecular structures and how the geometry of a molecule effects how it reacts to its environment. That being said, Organic Chemistry I and II are required for the UNCC Biology and Chemistry Majors and Minors. The requirements give some depiction on the quality of work ethic within a student that is needed to gain access to the Organic course that I subjected to study. By observing two classes halfway through the semester the dynamics of each class are stabilized. In order to keep consistency both Organic Chemistry I and II that was subjected to observations both were taught by the same teacher: Prof Horger. Observations from both classes showed that Horgers teaching style was largely the same: he lectures using the board to draw pictures of the molecules he is discussing and the concepts he is representing. He seldom wrote out sentences on the board, but when he did they were clear definitions or summaries of

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concepts. When asked a question by a student Horger was concise with his answers, and kept his lectures going at a good pace. Similarly consistent with the observations was the room in which the classes took place. Room 115 is located in the Burson Building on campus as most chemistry classes are. The room is well lighted and arranged in an open auditorium manner. The seating of permanent seats are arranged in seven even rows with twelve seats per row, with the addition of about ten seats located on the back wall. Additionally, several movable desks are in the class lining the walls and back for extra seating. Approximately ninety seats were present in the classroom. During the 12:30 class for Organic I almost every seat was filled making the class roughly eighty students strong.

Organic Chemistry I: My quarry began arriving some fifteen minutes before 12:30 and the start of class. Students, many still carrying their lunches, came filtering into the classroom. The front two rows were filled up almost immediately and by class period almost eighty students inhabited the room. Prof Horger who had been in the room since 12:20 covered with any students who came to him with questions as he set up for the lesson. The student body armed with notepads and pencils or pens talked among themselves, filling the air with the hum of conversation. At 12:29 the class quiets considerable as the time of learning becomes eminent. The last few stragglers enter and take up the empty seats as the teacher begins class. Usually the same students inhabit the front few rows, these rows have some significance as they are the closest to the teacher. This allows greater contact with the teacher and material and decreases the amount of distractions the students are subject to; the proximity also

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discourages distracting behavior as they are easily noticed by the teacher. As a rule the students most serious about learning the material will vie for the front rows. This is shown as most questions pertaining to the material come from the front three rows of students; observed later in the class period. The front row students almost constantly write on their papers, some students listen and watch the lesson as they eat quietly. A student in the front row takes notes with colored pencils, as do some others. When the teacher asks a question and woman in the front row answers, asking one of her own. The teacher responds with a concise answer and continues with the lesson. Midway thought the class period two students both in the fifth row were seen to be on their phones, the anonymity of their seating giving them confidence. Some ten minutes later in the lecture a student in the front row asks a question and the teacher and him discuss the answer briefly before continuing with the lesson. The teacher shows a neat hand trick to distinguish between an S and an R for molecule geometry. The lesson centers on stereochemistry. At 12:48 one fifth row student previously mentioned is still on his phone, he does take occasional notes, though. A student in the front row asks question about molecule naming, and the teacher shows an example. This days class appears to be focused on how to name complex molecules using parts of the molecules structure to identify it. The names give information about the molecular structure with different names giving different information. The teacher calls for a fifteen minute break at 1:08. During the break many of the front row students used the time to converse with the teacher about the material, asking questions about the material. This was congruent with previously done research such that, asking

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questions can be a proactive learning strategy that signifies student involvement and selfregulation rather than dependency. (Karabenick) The break period does well in refocusing most of the students for the class however by 1:32 most students are showing signs of tire. At least half of the class only takes occasional notes, and many are content to listen. The first row seems to still be focused on the lesson as does most of the second and third row. A student asks how polarized light helps distinguish Enantiomers (the original subject) and the teacher explains. Enantiomers rotate polarized light by the same magnitude but in opposite directions (degrees). Another question is asked by a second rower and the teacher shows and explains. Prof Horger gives a brief history lesson about Lui Pascrell, the man who started the study of chirality and enantiomers. As Horger dismisses class the room bursts into noise as the students pack and filter out. None of the students began packing until the teacher dismissed them. Some students come to the front and began asking about the finer points of the lesson. The overall class dynamics are subtly divided in this class. First there are the students in the front half of the class, which largely focus on the material and ask the bulk of in class questions. The second is the back half of the class, this group has a following dynamic as they follow the lead of the front group in being silent and respectful of the teacher and material, however the level of focus they have is far less. The back of the class consisted of students who were quiet and attentive but not particularly participatory.

Organic Chemistry II: Organic Chemistry II starts fifteen minutes after Organic I ends, because of this at 1:46 there are still some students talking to the teacher and the early students for the 2:00 class begin

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to arrive and be seated. The students convers as the get ready for class, the overall volume steadily increasing as more students arrive. The seating of this class is also peculiar; in Organic II there were around forty students in the class. The majority of the yearly students inhabit the front three rows filling them almost to capacity. There is a group of students than fill up half of the forth row and weirdly the seventh row is almost completely filled. This leaves a gap of almost unused rows five and six. At two minutes from 2:00 the student group sat at between forty to fifty students. It is not surprising that the first few rows would be proffered by the serious students but the fact that the last row was also preferred is somewhat confusing. A few students come to the teacher to ask about homework questions. All students have a paper with an image on the first page; later observations reveal that this is a take home exam. Many students come up asking questions about some problem or other on the exam. Observations from this class at other times shows that the class the day after the exam is an oddity from the normal class dynamics. This class in this session are far more serious than in other sessions. The teacher begins class with the Ednoro Rule. The silence is eminent as the lesson starts. Almost everyone has a notebook and writing utensil handy, many of the students have multicolored pencils or pens. Almost everyone is taking notes on paper as most of the notes are drawings of molecular structures. When the teacher asks a question one of the students in the 7th row answer it. Over the course of the lesson many students ask questions and from everywhere in class. The entire class is engaged in the lesson. The teacher starts discussing the history of Benzene and the first hypotheses on how it was shaped. The class is quiet and attentive. Most of them are taking notes and copying the

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molecular structures the teacher puts on the board. When the teacher writes a law on the board the students are quick to be copying. A question from a student from the second row. Two students from the forth row ask about compound naming. The teacher calls break at 2:48 and continues it a 2:52. As the class continues there is no conversation (even subtle) among the students. Almost all are focused on the material presented. A question to clarify comes from a student in the first row. Teacher moves onto the Polygon Rule for MO diagrams. A student in the second row asks a question about the general rule. At 3:11 the students are starting to relax, some talk very quietly but most are still diligently taking notes. A student from the first row asks a question about the aromatic compounds. Teacher has a last call for questions as he dismisses class a student from the third row asks a question. All the students begin packing up, some students come to the teacher for quick explanations. Students converse as they pack up and leave at 3:15. Several unforeseen variables presented themselves while I was observing that effected the mentality of the student body. While unforeseen, these observations helped to show insight on how the students behavior changes when introduced to stress. The first observations of this class happened the day after an exam and this affected the class dynamics to a degree. There was a lesser amount of students and the fact that they just had an exam changed the intensity of the groups focus on the material. Because of the heightened focus the class dynamics of this observation session are varied from the usual. In the beginning of 2132 the class is almost stoic in its attentiveness however there are many lively questions asked through the lesson and by the end the class is far less tense than when they first arrived. The second observation of this class

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shows that some ten students that were absent from the exam class return. However the students still maintain an attentiveness to the material.

Group Focus: The differences within the class dynamics of these classes are subtle but add up into two very distinct class personalities. Organic I has a larger student body, increasing the overall anonymity of the individuals and the distractions of the class as a whole. It is observable that this class dynamics is a two section class divided into the first half of the class closet to the teacher and the back half of the class. By nature of proximity to the class authority the first half of the class suffers from less distractions and is better able to focus on the subject material. While the second half of the class, while still largely quiet and attentive, the individuals must work harder to participate in the class material. Some in the back of the class stop participating altogether by the end of class. This is congruent with research done by Karabenick stating teachers will likewise be responsive to students who seek help by asking questions appropriately in the classroom. The organic II class has no such division. Due to the lesser amounts of students no matter where the individuals sits the class anonymousness is diminished. The bulk of the class still inhabits the front half of the class however the back half of the class is still a participatory group in the material. The class group as a whole is very unified and participatory. Questions are a key element to class participation and as such the student participation which shapes the class dynamics. Through the session students from the entire class asked questions about the material. The number of questions in the class were also far greater than in organic I: Organic I students asked approximately five questions while students from Organic II asked eleven. Student

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numbers, mindset, seat orientation, and participation through questions all play a role in shaping a classes personality and alter the group dynamics within a class.