This case study focuses on observing a high school teacher while he is implementing or teaching a lesson. The teacher is an educator that specializes in subjects that are related in Science and Technology. For the purpose of this study, the teacher was observed in a typical science laboratory where there are long tiled tables with sinks, stool chairs, and a portion of the room that houses all the laboratory instruments and chemicals. A wide rectangular white board and the teacher’s table are placed in front of the laboratory. The teacher was observed handling a class of high school freshmen whose age ranges from 14 to 15 years old. Visibly, the class is composed of equal number of boys and girls. Moreover, the lesson that was discussed in this particular class is about astronomy.
How can you say that the teacher prepared or plan for this lesson? What are the indicators?
The teacher obviously prepared for his lesson in this particular class because after briefly greeting his students, he immediately wrote in the board the agenda of the class for that day. This includes the outline of the topic that he would discuss, as well as the activities that would be done. He also brought with him materials and resources that are obviously related to the lesson that he will teach. As such, these clearly show that the teacher is not only prepared for his class but he actually carefully planned for it as well.
Does the teacher make his or her student aware of the objective/s of the lesson? If so, how?
This teacher had a unique and very interesting way of making his students aware of the objective of his lesson. He randomly asked his students about their day and then he would connect the aim of his lesson with that particular experience. For instance, he asked one of his students if she had a good sleep, and if by some incident she happened to notice how lovely the stars were last night before she went to bed. After the student answered his questions, he related the answers to the importance of astronomy and how it affects their daily life.
How does the teacher capture the attention of the students for the lesson?
The teacher already captured the attention of his students by the questions he asked that are often unusual, which would really make the students think. Nevertheless, the materials and resources that he brought further motivate the students to listen to him.
How do the students work with the teacher’s activity? Do they work individually, by pairs, or by groups?
During the middle of his discussion, he asked his students to work with their lab partners in order to collaborate with each other in writing their observations about a short film that they watched. Afterwards, the class engaged in a group discussion about their different observations and insight about the film. Before the end of the class, the teacher engaged his students in another discussion, but this time, he called upon them randomly in order to get their individual opinions about the lesson.
Do the activities and various learning styles implemented by the teacher address the diverse needs of all the students? How?
The teacher was able to address the various needs of his students. Since every student has a particular learning style that they are most comfortable with and which they could learn from easily, the teacher was able to employ various teaching strategies in order to address this need. This is exemplified by the fact that he used a power point presentation to discuss the lesson as well as let his students watch a short film, which is very beneficial for those students who learn more if there are visual aids that are used. Moreover, he also utilized classroom discussions in terms of pair activities and group participation. This would help those students who respond more to a verbal style of teaching.
Did the teacher use any means to support his lesson? If so, what are these tools or resources and how did he employ it?
As mentioned before in the observations above, the teacher used various tools and resources in order to support and motivate his students. In terms of visual aid, he used power point presentation and a short film for the students to fully understand the topic under discussion. The teacher further reinforced this by conducting various activities which enhanced the critical and rational thinking of the students through pair and group discussions.
Does the teacher have classroom management strategies? If so, what indicates it?
During the duration of the class, the teacher showed that he indeed has management strategies. This is proven by the fact that he already organized his students in order to manage them properly. His management strategies include pairing and grouping them in terms of their abilities in order to foster cooperative learning among his students and to easily attend to their needs. This cooperative learning strategy also helps the students because they already know what to do once the teacher ask them to work in an activity.
How do the students respond to the lesson?
Almost all of the students had a positive response to the lesson of the teacher. Most of the students were intently listening to the teacher’s lecture, and they all looked very interested in the movie that they watch. There was also a comprehensive and interactive discussion among the students and the teacher during the activities done by the class.
Does any problem arise during the lesson? How did the teacher dealt with it?
The only observable problem that arose during the lesson was the unruly behavior of some of the students. The teacher dealt with it by calling the attention of the students and reprimanding them in front of the class.
Has the teacher included an assessment activity? If so, describe it.
The teacher included an assessment activity, which he gave as an assignment for his students. The students were assigned to make a reaction paper regarding the lesson. The teacher gave the necessary questions to answer, such as “how would you relate the things you learned from the lesson to your everyday life and apply them?” He also gave the necessary format of the paper such as the number of pages, the font style and size, and especially the deadline of the paper.
What other indications show that the students are learning the concepts of the lesson?
A good indicator that the students learned the concepts of the lesson was the fact that most of the students asked intelligent and sophisticated questions about the topic towards. This clearly shows that they understood the concept of the lesson because they were able to formulate this kind of questions.
Summary
Upon observing this teacher, one could infer that it is highly important for educators to be well-prepared for their every class. This is proven by the situation of this specific class wherein the preparations made by the teacher have been beneficial in making the students grasp the concepts taught. It was also easier for him to handle the class because he planned beforehand. Moreover, utilizing various tools and resources in reinforcing the lesson and employing different teaching strategies are essential in motivating the class and facilitating learning among the students. Nevertheless, there are still some areas which have to be improved and given proper consideration, such as the way this teacher handled the misconduct of some of the students. The teacher should learn how to discipline his students like mature adults. He should not reprimand them in front of the class because this would only embarrass them instead of making them understand their mistake. Observing this particular teacher reinforces the idea that effective educators should not merely excel in their teaching strategies but they should also give due attention to the way they handle their conduct and behavior when it comes to dealing with their students.
