Student Practice - CLASSROOM ROUTINES

 CLASSROOM ROUTINES

Observation date: 17/01/2022

In today's observation, I mainly focused on the classroom routines. Two lessons, including Chinese and Native English, were observed. From the Chinese lesson, I saw the close connection between teachers because the Chinses teacher knew what they were learning in Math subject was multiplication. Then, the topic of that class was combined with numbers and quantifiers. And, the topic of the Native English class was "land migrations". The aim of it was to learn about the different ways and reasons land animals migrate and to practice reading comprehension. 

It seemed that there was something wrong with the bell in the school, which could be problematic for students as well as teachers to stick to the schedule to start a class normally because some students were still missing when it was the time for class. Also, Ss did not need to follow a certain procedure to enter the classroom. However, when the teacher enters the classroom, T and Ss greeted each other with Ss going back to their seats. Sometimes, in order to start the class immediately since the time for the class has gone for a little while, T used "count down" and the bell on the teacher's desk to enable Ss to return to their desks quickly. What is more, T used the gesture "shush" and clapped hands to get students' attention as well. If students were late for the class, they would say "May I come in?" or just got in naturally. And except T was telling Ss some significant information, they could leave the classroom during the lesson (toilet, nurse, etc.) with the teacher's permission even more than once, but usually, they go out of the classroom one by one in class. Occasionally, they should finish their present tasks and could go to the toilet. Once they finished their work, they could get extra activities, but they talked with other pupils from time to time. Interestingly, they might raise their hands, walk to the teacher's desk, ask for the teacher directly, or go out directly without asking though most of the time they asked for the teacher. All in all, I think it is very flexible, but Ss need to undertake the consequences of unfinished work, which is to shorten the break time to finish it. In addition, T usually finish the lesson by using music or recapping the whole lesson swiftly.

Homework Policy

I felt it is a fantastic idea to not set homework for students because they may like to pursue something they are into after class, but normally they have a big project after a unit of UOI. However, they have enough time for that, so it is acceptable from my point of view. And they have a calendar and agenda to note down their homework though they have their own ways of marking it. Then, their homework will be checked but not in class. From my perspective, it is better to check the homework after class because the time is quite limited in class. Also, checking homework after class can allow the teacher to give time in making feedback by heart, and it may motivate Ss to finish their homework willingly. If they do not finish their homework, they may get a minus on the teacher's list, and their parents will get notes from the teacher, too. I also believe it is of vital importance to get parents notified as for the homework, particularly in the situation of unfinished homework. Ss' parents are obliged to know how their children are doing at school and help T to educate the children. Only in the way that parents and teachers cooperate well with each other, can Ss learn better.

I am getting used to the environment. Having not been with kids in person for ages, I still felt the same enjoyment when being with them a long time ago. Although they are 4th graders, they have learnt a lot, even something I did not know. Instead of saying teaching them, I would rather say learning with them. I insist it will be more efficient for Ss to learn when they have a friendly and easy environment, but an authoritative image can be presented when T is faced with some tough situations, especially someone is naughty in the class. However, teachers should try to switch their emotions, which is a complex task from my side. Hence, it will be one of my tasks to work on when I have the chance to teach them.