Running Head: REFLECTION OF CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS 1

Reflection of Classroom Observations: What I Learned

Miranda Price

EDUC 1301

December 4, 2021
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Reflection of Classroom Observations: What I Learned

When I sat at the front of Ms. Hazlett’s English 1 class, I frantically jotted down notes on

my computer, trying to write down as much as I could about the miracle I was witnessing. I

previously observed two other English classes before this one, so when I walked into this class, I

thought I knew what to expect. I was very wrong.

The students sat at desks in groups of three or four, and they were engaged in something

the teacher called a “Socratic Seminar.” As I looked around the class, I saw more happy, engaged

students than I had ever seen before in all of my time as both a student and a classroom observer.

The majority of students were interacting with both their desk-mates, the teacher, and students

across the class in a respectful, organized manner.

In this class, every student spoke up at least once and was listened to. They were

respected by both their peers and the teacher, and no thought was deemed too small or

unimportant. Everyone had a place, and every student belonged.

I learned several things that day. One, a good teacher’s efforts go unnoticed by most

because being good is expected. Two, classroom discussions need to be organized to be effective.

Three, a teacher has better classroom management if the majority of their time is spent engaging

with students instead of typing behind their desk.

In my future class, I want to follow Ms. Hazlett’s example with how she organizes

classroom discussions. The students were assigned to write down two questions they wanted to

ask during the “Socratic Seminar.” They were then encouraged to ask both questions during the

discussion. This requirement to write their questions and engage in discussion gave the students

enough structure to keep discussions focused, but students were also given enough freedom to

hear and speak many different thoughts and opinions. I would like to organize my class in the
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same manner as Ms. Hazlett does. Students will be in groups, facing each other, to encourage

more interactions. Also, instructions will be given in both verbal and written form so that every

student understands what is expected of them.

When giving instructions, the teacher appealed to both visual and auditory learners by

telling the students how to do the assignment and displaying a presentation with the instructions.

I didn’t see much for kinesthetic learners, but it’s an English class which may be harder to

involve hands-on activities in.

Ms. Hazlett’s lessons were student-centered which was my favorite part about her class.

Students asked lots of questions, and all of the questions were answered. The teacher remained

alert and engaged in her students’ learning. After the teacher gave an assignment, she walked

around the room and checked on each student’s understanding and progress individually. She did

this every time there was a new assignment. Because her lessons were so student-centered and

encouraged individual thinking, I assume that this teacher follows an existentialist philosophy of

education.

My favorite interaction between her and a student was one that wasn’t education-

oriented. The teacher simply asked a student how their volleyball game had gone. The student

answered, and the teacher moved on to check on another student.

I consider this interaction a positive one. The fact that the teacher could recall something

so easily about that one specific student highlighted that the teacher genuinely cared about them.

Because of one small interaction, I realized that this teacher remembered little details about each

student which, in turn, made her students feel like they were important and memorable.

Although I saw four other teachers run an English classroom, Ms. Hazlett’s class stood

out because of the high student engagement and enthusiasm. Her class encouraged me because it
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proved one of my personal teaching philosophies works, and it works well. Now, I feel optimistic

for my future English classroom because if someone else can do it, so can I.