Ethnographic Observation

Hannah M. Herrera

EDUC 400

September 29, 2008

Child A Observations   She has her hand raised to answer almost every question in class discussion, but every time she is called upon she doesn’t give the correct answer.  She seems to act shy, yet she talks a great deal.  She is a diligently reading her book and gets straight A’s.  She tends to refer to her personal life a great deal, especially to the baby brother she will have in a few months.  During lunch, she hops around and talks to just about everyone, but I don’t see her hanging around a close friend, as many of the other fifth grade girls do.

Child A Reflection   I wonder if she needs attention now that her mother has just recently gotten remarried and is having a baby soon.  I don’t think she knows her niche in the class yet.  I think she is outgoing, but she is also pretty sensitive.  She covers this fact up by acting cute and like she doesn’t know the answers to the questions once her hand is raised.  I think she is kind of lonely.  It sounds like she is partially raised by her grandmother.  I wonder how comfortable she is with this. She seems fine with it, but she is needing extra attention right now.

Child B Observations   She sits quietly most of the time.  She is in special education, but spends most of her time with the rest of the class.  She takes great pride in being a social leader.  She is very confident and likes to talk.  During lunch she hangs around the same few girls as she talks to in class.  She is doing well this year.  I think being retained a year has helped her a great deal.  She fidgets a great deal with her clothing and tends to enjoy answering questions during class discussion.  She asks a lot of miscellaneous questions throughout the day.  She is very direct when she speaks and tends to be serious most of the time.

Child B Reflection   I think she is very confident now that she is comfortable with her academics.  She tries very hard, and I think she would like to be a part of the class as much as possible.  Because she is older, she tends to feel kind of self conscious with her changing body.  I think she is comfortable in her environment right now and is in a comfort zone.  I think next year will be difficult for her.  She thrives on a more routine schedule and likes to know what will happen next.  She is not afraid to ask questions or interject in discussion.  She would do well with group work or solo work in class.  She seems to prefer working on her own, however.

2. 

            I learned that the living situation of this district is very diverse.  Many of the children walk, and I think overall it is a very child-safe, family area.  The children live in houses or apartments.  From the outside, it seems like most of the community is lower to middle class.  There is not a great deal of wealth in the area.  Children play and ride their bikes outside, and the parents seem comfortable letting them play not chaperoned.  From the outside, one might think that it is an unsafe neighborhood, but there are a great deal of nice families in this area.  It reminds me of the town I great up in because it is very close-knit and trusting.  Many of the children are free to roam because many of the conveniences are nearby.  The socioeconomic status is similar to the town I grew up in.  There is a community feel, regardless of the low economic status.

 The children will go to the library to do their homework after school.  They enjoy the use of computers and the social aspect this offers them.  Knowing that the library is close by, I may assign some homework that will require computer or text research.  The children can go to boys and girls club or to the right start program.  Also, most of the teachers (including Mr. Bro and myself) offer a homework club after school for students who need extra help or a quiet place to do homework. Usually five or six students from each grade stay.  My student B is involved in the homework club and works a great deal on her math or reading.  My student A does not participate in any of these.  She is highly proficient in all subjects.

3.

            I visited student A today at her home for about fifteen minutes.  The mother is new as a stay at home mom and she seemed to be a little out of her element.  I kept it brief and let them lead to how long the discussion would last.  We talked a great deal about student A’s interests in soccer and gymnastics.  The mother shared her desire for her daughter to read more and watch less television.  We talked about the new baby coming and some of the stresses that situation may have on student A. 

4.

            I think the place feels a little like a dungeon.  The students seem more comfortable in the portable classroom or outside.  They seem like they don’t quite understand the expectations of hallway procedures, so I have tried to clarify this with them over the last week.  They are comfortable with the other teachers and the library on a whole.  The atmosphere can be kind of strict.  I have noticed that many of the other teachers don’t take a great deal of time talking with the students, joking around, or even saying hello outside of the classroom.  Most of the students are fidgety in the halls, and tend to be on the watch for teachers at all times.  These give the message that they are under an authoritarian type of rule most of the time. 

            The students know there is no running in the halls and that they are to try to stay quiet (this has proven difficult for them!).  They seem to feel comfortable going to the library or to their specials.  They understand that early is on time and that it is rude to keep their other teachers waiting.  The library lends a great deal of support for the enjoyment of books, and the librarian enjoys reading to the early grade levels daily.  There is a lot of artwork and projects the students have done displayed outside of the classroom.  I think this kind of publishing of work helps the children to feel proud of their accomplishments. 

5.

            The students tend to sneak most of their social engagement when Mr. Bro is in the classroom.  They are most outspoken when it is just me.  They like to work in groups and enjoy activities a great deal.  The friend groups are formed, and most of the students talk solely to those they interact with outside of school.  The students like class discussion a lot, and seem to be disappointed when they are made to write or do independent work.  However, sometimes the social group work can distract them.  The classroom norm is quiet and routine.  The students do not speak unless called upon (for the most part).  They are comfortable with AR time.  The desk pattern is typically boy girl boy girl etc.  The physical arrangement is lined desks that make a horse-shoe shape, focusing on the front of the classroom and the white board.  There is not a lot of extra room in the classroom.  Most subjects are in thirty to forty-five minute segments.  There are two independent reading times each day for twenty minutes or so. 

            The boy sitting next to the fan is responsible for turning the air conditioning on and off during the day.  The other boy is responsible for passing out the books on that side of the classroom.  The kid in the front deals with the lights when the projector is on.  Each student is responsible for turning in their own papers.  Students switch and grade each other’s geography questions for the week.  The biggest goal in the class is to get everyone’s reading up to grade level.  There are not many outside people involved in the classroom.  I have not seen any parent volunteers yet. 

6.

            Both students act relatively similar to how they do in the classroom.  They are both more social and outspoken then they are in class. 

Student A:

 Q:  What do you do on the weekends?

A:  I play soccer and do gymnastics

Q: What do you like about those sports?

A: I like the competition of it.  I like to move around.  I like being the goalie in soccer. 

Q:  Do you like class this year?

A: Yeah…sometimes I get board during the worksheets, but I just try to get them done right away.

Q: What would you change about class?

A: It would be nice to go outside sometimes and play more games and stuff.

Q:  Are you excited about your baby brother coming?

A: Yeah.  I’m just glad my brother gets to share a room with him and not me.

Q:  Do you like to learn by reading, listening, or just doing?

A: I think outside of school I am a doer, but in school I like to look and hear things instead.

Student B:

Q: What do you do during the weekends?

A:  I hang out with friends, go to the movies, or help my mom with stuff.

Q: Your mom works at A1 Rentals, right?

A: Yup

Q: Do you have siblings?

A: No, just me and my mom.

Q:  Do you like school this year?

A: Yeah I do.  I get frustrated with the English sometimes, but I like it.  It helps to go to get help with it.  I like the stories we read in class too.

Q: What would you change about class if you could?

A:  I’d like recess.  I pretty much like it.

Q: Are you a visual learner, a listener, or a hands on person?

A: I am a listener I think because it helps me to understand the books when you guys read to me while I following along.

7.

            I noticed that student A has had a few male figures in her life.  She has had some siblings come through the school and they all have different last names.  This could be difficult on her sometimes.  Also, from talking with her mother, student A has not had a steady parent at home regularly for a while because her mother has only recently been able to stay home.  Student B is an only child.  She seems to be very close to her extended family, however, and talks a great deal about her uncles and cousins.

Reflective Narrative

            Student A is outgoing with a sweet personality.  She is the athletic type and enjoy activities a great deal.  She lives in a small community close to school off of 20^th Street with her mother, her brother, and her stepfather.  She spends half of her time at her grandparents’ house and even has a room over there. Student B lives in a similar neighborhood in a house with her mom.  They have both been going to Animas for many years and seem comfortable there.  They talk with their other teachers in the hall frequently.  They are both very outspoken in class, although student A seems to be less focused in discussion while student B is more direct and serious about topics. 

            Student A’s home life seems hectic and in transition period because of so many family changes recently.  Her mother has just started staying home, is having another child, and has recently gotten married again.  I think student A is a little overwhelmed.  Student B seems like she has a pretty laid back home life with her mother,  It is pretty peaceful, and she seems to be used to her mother working frequently.  School is fun and challenging for both of them.  They both participate well, have many friends, and are A-B students.  The classroom is structured, and I think they both excel in that environment due to a little less structured personal life.  However, I think student A would do much better with more activities, and student B is a natural speaker and performer and would enjoy showing her strengths in these areas. 

            I learned that student A has a very competitive spirit, especially with herself.  She has chosen a sport where she competes with herself, and another where she plays a solo position.  She has the potential to be a natural leader both socially and academically.  Student B enjoys being a part of a close group of friends.  She likes to be recognized and to display her academic strengths. 

            Both girls were drawn to me as a young, female teacher.  During recesses and breaks between subjects, I have made it a point to ask about their lives.  I always try to ask how their weekends were each Monday and what they did during their time off.  We talk about what each of us did and what we enjoy and why.  I share some of my personal life with them as well.  We like to talk about clothes, movies, music, sports, and friends a lot.  Visiting their homes has helped me get a better visual and mental grasp on what life is like outside of school for them as well.  I am able to view their environment and the people who are with them when I am not.

            I think both of them see school as a job.  Fun time comes on the weekends and when they are with their friends outside of school.  School is routine.  School is about reading and writing and not about watching television or going to the movies.  They both enjoy the competitive part of school and feeling accomplished in their work, but I think they are ready to be out as soon as its over.  They are watching to clock carefully most of the day.  I think for student A it is about outdoing herself every day.  For student B it is about showing others that she is capable.  Student B is very motivated by the social aspect of school.  Student A wants to be a P.E. teacher when she grows up if she can’t get into the Olympics.  Student B wants to be a teacher or a nurse. 

            “Any game that interests a particular child, teaches strategies and thinking skills can be fun at home or at school (Tilton, 97).  I will help create more games and activities for student A.  She needs to feel accomplished and have a sense of power. “Environment will support or deter the student’s quest for affirmation, contribution, power, purpose, and challenge in the classroom”(Tomlinson, 37).  Student B needs more presentations/performance type assignments.  She needs to chance to present her thoughts and ideas to the class.  Student A needs more kinesthetic activities and audio instruction.  Student B needs more project type work.  I think the most important thing I learned about my two focus students was what truly drives each of them both inside and outside of school.  They are similar in a lot of ways, but when one looks more closely, they are driven by very different things.

            I have learned that even though it seems like it will be uncomfortable, it is vital to make home visits and establish a familiarity with the students’ parents and home life as well as community.  I learned that there are so many things the kids deal with outside of school that is brought into the classroom as well.  I also realized how diverse my students really are.  They are driven by very different things and will be fulfilled in classroom work in different ways.  I see now more than ever the need to offer choice to all students. 

References

Tilton, L.  (1996). Inclusion: A fresh look: Practical strategies to help all students

succeed. Shorewood, MN: Covington Cove Publications.

Tomlinson, C. A.  (2003). Fulfilling the promise of the differentiated classroom.

Alexandria, VA: ASCD.