Engaged Learning

It isn't hard to see that Mrs. Saunders tries very hard to engage her students. Her entire classroom is set up to encourage group work. While working in groups, the children earn points towards group rewards. They are encouraged as well to help their group mates. I feel like this practice helps students develop a sense of community. It also helps to ensure that they do not feel lost and helpless.

On top of that, she will do impromptu games with the children. This past Thursday, the children finished their work early before lunch. Instead of assigning more individual or silent work, Mrs. Saunders connected her laptop to the classroom TV and had all of the children participate in the educational game, Carmen San Diego. The students helped to solve a crime by answering math questions. Even though the children we doing math, they were all having fun.

Although I haven't had a chance to participate or witness this, I have seen evidence of it as I come to help in the mornings. Mrs. Saunders has her children complete various art projects that relate to social studies topics. The art is displayed in the classroom and the students are able to enjoy their own art.

I really admire how engaged all of the students are in their learning. Of course there are students who struggle still, but despite struggling they enjoy being at school. I feel like as long as the students can hold on to that desire to be in school, they will be able to overcome their individual learning obstacles.

Learning Environment

In focusing on how Mrs. Saunders manages her class and what sort of environment she creates for her students, a few things have stood out to me:

How does Mrs. Saunders encourage a positive classroom community?
I have seen firsthand how excited Mrs. Saunders's students are to be in class. Of course there are students that would rather be at recess, but I think that applies to any class in any grade. Mrs. Saunders is very big on respecting others, especially classmates. If students begin to show disrespect for a classmate, she will take time out of her lesson to remind the students the importance of being kind to one another.

What clear routines does Mrs. Saunders have that promote a productive learning environment?
Mrs. Saunders starts each day the same way. When I arrive at around 9am, the students are writing in their journals. In their journals, students will respond to writing prompts from the teacher, or just reflect on what they are learning. If there is something the students would like Mrs. Saunders to know about, they can bring their journals to her desk and she will read the journal entry to learn what the student would like her to know. She also has classroom jobs that rotate periodically. The students know that they are expected to help in the classroom and understand what each job requires of them. Because the students know what to expect each day, they are able to focus on learning the content of the lessons instead of worrying about when an activity will be done.

How does Mrs. Saunders make each student feel loved and safe?
Mrs. Saunders takes the time to chat with students from time to time and she will joke with them. She will listen to them when they have something to share. She will give praises when something is done well. She trusts the students to know the answers to questions and so she will allow the classroom to have discussions rather than having the students listen to her lectures.