Sonja Kelly

Supervisor Formal Observation Inquiry Reflection

Part 1
My routine for my supervisor's formal observation was lining up the kids for the specials
line. Usually, when they go to specials, they go from recess. On Wednesday, they go to music for
specials, and the music classroom is next to the playground. This causes the lineup to go quickly.
My CT performs this routine very precisely due to this particular instance. She lets them play
until about 5 minutes before specials. When it is 5 minutes till 1:15 pm, my CT yells to the kids
at the playground, “Mrs. Williams’ class, it’s time to line up!” Usually, this will cause all the
kids to stop what they’re doing and go towards the sidewalk next to the playground. Anyone
with toys will put them back in the toy bin. She will repeat, “Mrs. Williams’ class, it is time to
line up” once more if not all the students heard or listened. By the second time, they are already
in front of her in a makeshift line. At this time, my teacher will ensure they have all their lunch
boxes, water bottles, and sweatshirts. After this, she will tell them to straighten their line and that
they are about to move towards the music building. They usually peacefully walk the two feet to
the door of the music building. There is a straight line that fits about eight kids, and then a corner
where one kid stands on the corner, and the other 12 kids are standing around the corner. They
already know this setup for their line. At this point, my teacher will reinforce what is expected of
them. She will say things such as “Make sure your feet are behind feet,” “We are at a zero,” “We
are using our inside voices,” and “Is this a straight line?” My CT has done this routine like this:
as long as she takes the kids to music, it does differ when they are going to specials that are
located outdoors. There seems to be a significant impact on students; they all seem to understand
the expectations initially, and only a few need to be reinforced. All students know what a line is
and how to act in the line. Sometimes, they need a little more reinforcement. This routine seems
only to take around thirty seconds to one minute. Students' developmental levels will impact my
CT's performance of this routine if she needs to reinforce the rules a little more for students who
struggle with standing in a straight line and standing still.

My notes from watching my CT perform this routine, for indoor and outdoor .recess.
 Part 2
When I performed the routine, I did it about 5 minutes until they needed to be at specials
to ensure they arrived on time and gave them a few minutes to cool down after running around at
recess. To grab the students' attention, I said, “Mrs.Willams, class, it is time to line up for
specials.” This ensured that only my class heard me and knew they were lining up for specials.
This transition from the playground to the specials line was a little rough, so I had to retell the
students that it was time to line up. Many of them were distracted at the end of the line, so I went
back there and ensured they knew what they were expected to do: lineup. The students did it
perfectly when they understood it was time to line up. Then I told them it was time to move
towards the music door and guided them towards that. This went pretty smoothly, with all the
students staying primarily in line and behind who they were supposed to be. Then there was the
time between being in the bar and when specials start. This was a decent amount of time, but
most students stood still and in their spots. I did have to go up to some kids and reinforce the
idea that the line needed to be straight and they should not be sticking out onto the sidewalk. For
this, I said things like, “The line should be straight,” and “Make sure we are not sticking out on
the sidewalk, we want others to be able to pass us.” I did get my desired results. I think for the
amount of time they had to stand there before specials, they did really great. In the beginning, it
was rough, but they recovered swiftly. What led to my success was getting their attention pretty
quickly and reinforcing the expectations. There was some lack of success because I felt I should
have talked to the whole class rather than some individuals. While there is time for individual
reinforcement, there could have been more overall reinforcement, where I address the whole
class. The developmental levels of my students affected who I talked to individually versus who
I didn’t speak to. Some students struggle more with understanding all the expectations of the
line. When students were not performing the routine correctly, I would go up to them and tell
them to ensure they were in line, or I would make a general announcement to ensure we were
still in line.

Performing the specials line. In the left photo I am reinforcing students to ensure they are
in a straight line. In the photo to the right I am making sure they are in a straight line.
 Part 3
One of the most important things I learned by engaging in this routine was how to adapt.
Sometimes routines or lessons don’t go exactly how you plan them to. During this routine, I did
not expect much time after lining up and before specials. So when this happened, I was worried
students would act out; in turn, I would make sure I was reinforcing them more. The book
Principles of Classroom Management says that “merely reminding students of the rules may curb
misbehavior” (Levin & Nolan, pg. 261). This shows that even when rules may have been
forgotten or there is a change in the usual routine, with reinforcement of the rules, students will
remember this and behave accordingly. What went well was the initial lining up. Students
performed this well, remembering their line-up order, staying somewhat straight, and speaking at
an average volume level. What didn’t go well was more on me. After they lined up and fidgeting,
I wish I told them they could sit down and cool off. I forgot that my CT does this to help them
relax before their class. I think this would have helped them a little more regarding their
fidgeting. But similar to what I learned in this routine, this is my biggest takeaway. I should have
known when there was more time at the end and allowed them to sit down. It did meet the
developmental needs of my students because they are learning how to stand still and understand
routines like lining up.

Part 4
I will continue to do many different things when I enact this routine. I will continue my
use of constant reinforcement. With this reinforcement, the next few times I do it, they will be
able to do it without all the reminders. For the next time, I would like to implement more of
saying, make sure feet are behind feet. Many of our readings remind us to ensure that students
know their expectations. This will give them a visual of what they need to be doing and can help
them understand precisely what is expected of them since it is visual. I will also use my
improvision skills even more. I feel like I need to be able to adjust when things are not going
exactly as planned, and I shouldn’t be afraid to say what I want them to do. I knew the kids could
sit while waiting for music, but one part of me was hesitating. I need to overcome this hesitation
and remember that when I am in charge of them, I don’t need to hesitate to tell them what they
should do.

Part 5
The first FEAP I accomplished through this routine would be FEAP 2a. Organizes,
allocates, and manages the resources of time, space, and attention. I demonstrated this FEAP due
to my time management of ensuring the students made it to music on time and my constant
reminder to ensure all the students were in the suitable space for line up. As I moved them from
the playground to the music building, I ensured they were aware of their space by reinforcing
that they should not be sticking out on the sidewalk. The next FEAP I demonstrate is 2 c.
Conveys high expectations to all students. While doing the lineup, I expected all students to
listen and follow the rules. I ensured they understood that they were all responsible for their
actions by addressing all the students and telling them the same thing. The last FEAP I
demonstrated was 2 e. Models explicit, acceptable oral communication skills. I will set all the
expectations to the students to reinforce their procedures and ensure they know what is expected
of them. I demonstrated this FEAP by communicating the expectations to them clearly and
loudly. They could all hear me tell them it was time to line up and the expectations. The students
knew it was time to line up, and they could do that for the most part.

References:
Levin, J., & Nolan, J. F. (2022). Principles of classroom management (8th ed.). Prentice Hall.