Numeracy Classroom Observation

As a preservice teacher in my first year of my degree, I have already been given many opportunities to observe and experience the diverse ways in which students interact with each their teachers and their peers. Whilst taking comprehensive notes throughout my observational placements, I also took the chance on many occasions to speak with my mentor teacher in regards to their teaching practices and pedagogy, and with students regarding their perceptions of their learning and classes. I have chosen a numeracy class as the class from which I will draw my interaction from, as I found throughout my observations that these classes drew the most interesting interactions, as I discovered most students struggled with numeracy in the class I was observing

More specifically, the year six class I was most involved with, I felt, epitomised the school values of being “caring”, showing “respect” and to “trust” (Camp Hill Primary School [CHPS], 2014). This feeling suggested to me that the school instils these values on the students from the beginning of their schooling career, and fosters them, and by the time the reach the end of their primary schooling, they come to embody these values. Students were always courteous when interacting with their peers, and all students appeared to get along and have some form of friendship with each other. My mentor teacher shared a similar view of his class, always speaking highly of every student and their ability to work together. Students demonstrated these values mostly in their considerate interactions with each other, wherein I found that they really nurtured the strengths of each other in order to achieve a common

I found this to be a fair time to use ability grouping, as this class’ students either needed a lot of guidance, or not a lot at all, with no in-between. I observed Student A grappling with a long multiplication equation, and noticed that she had now attempted the question three times and was becoming visibly frustrated with her inability to get the correct answer. Upon getting the equation wrong for the third time, Student A raised her hand and said, “Mr X, I can’t get this question right!”(observation notes). Mr X simply replied to Student A, “Keep trying, you’ll get there. What resources do you have to help you other than me?”(observation notes). Student A turned immediately to Student B, a student that she had a clear friendship with. Student A asked Student B for assistance, to which Student B replied “I’m having trouble with that one too, so I can’t help”(observation notes). This prompted both students to become restless and disengaged with the worksheet, essentially giving up on the task. When noticing this after a few minutes, Mr X approached the students and said, “Girls, you are becoming very loud and distracting to others. If you are both having trouble, work in a pair to find the answer”(observation notes). This prompted the students to cease their distracted chatter, and reassess the question at hand.