Arie Kazmierczak

ECUI 521
Professor Reilly
9/16/15
How can teachers use observation to improve their classroom?
When I was 15, I signed-up for the lifeguard exam. In it the instructors
stressed the importance of watching your water and to notice signs of
distress. At the time I blindly listened to them, and observed and the
replicated the procedures needed to be a lifeguard. Seven years later I now
understand what they meant. To observe something is not just notice it, but
to form an understanding of what you are looking at. For example the
difference between a distressed swimmer and a tired swimmer. In the
classroom observation is, in my opinion, a teachers most power tool for
teaching and assessing students as well as classroom management.
One of the first thing you are required to do before you can start a new
job, perform a new task, even start a new video game is observe the basics.
The skills you will need to complete the task asked of you. This is because by
observing the task being performed it is easier to then accomplish the task
on your own. As a teacher, you can use this observation period to perform
more complicated tasks that students may not understand through simple
verbal or written instructions. An excellent example of this is when students
are asked to perform a dissection. Students may not have a mastery of the
various parts of the specimen being dissected, as a result if a verbal or
written instruction is given the student may not perform the proper incisions.

Ruining the specimen and preventing the student from interacting in the
lesson. Now this observation period or demonstration can be used for
teaching any lesson from the alphabet to advanced analytical geometry.
Veteran teachers, who are more likely to have an advanced understanding of
their material can use this to improve students understanding of the material
as well as their ability to apply the material to the world around them.
In school, students are given homework, quizzes, and examinations in
order for the teacher to view the progress of the students. Although these
checkpoints ensure that students have read and/or understand the lessons.
However it does not mean that they have actually learned the material. It is
up to the teacher then to observe how the students are progressing
individually. It is the teachers job to know their students; through observing
their interactions with others and in different settings you can learn to not
only address issues (i.e. a lack of understanding of material) but also adjust
the lesson to include information they would want to learn. Because lets be
honest, when there is little to no interest in a topic it is rather difficult to stay
focused. Take periodic table for instance, may students have cursed the
existence of it for decades. And who would 118+ elements that make up the
world around you in a complex thing to grasp. So a veteran teacher who has
observed class after class show a lack in interest, can gear it towards a
possible interest the students have or by explaining the hilarious side to
some of the elements.

Although every year the students change, similar themes of students

tend to stay. The group of friends, the genius, and the class clown. All
stereotypes that can be seen in almost every school in the world. As a
teacher it is your job to create a welcoming learning environment. Although
students will be more comfortable if allowed to sit by their friends, it may
cause issues with classroom behavior as well as in performance. An example
of this is the group of friends who would rather talk and text in the back of
the class. This could manifest into a big issue not only preventing their own
learning but disrupting the other students around them. By observing the
class, the teacher can possibly prevent these complications before they grow
into bigger problems. With the change in students veteran teacher must
observe these students to ensure that they are providing the ideal classroom
to the students as well as eliminating the majority of distractions.
The goal of education is teaching students. Ensuring that they will
learn and go on to become contributing citizens of the world. An effect tool in
order to do this is through observe the students. Through observation you
yourself learn the strengths and weaknesses of students and then make
accommodations so that the student may advance or understand the
material better. We as educators, new and old, need to observe our
classrooms, our students, and their interactions with other students. This will
not only improve the education we are providing to our students but it will
help us learn what is effective and what is obsolete or needs to be updated.
To ensure that we are providing students with everything they