Thursday, September 22, 2011
Observation at Cedar Ridge!
I had such a great experience observing at Cedar Ridge today! Ashley and I thought we were going to be late but we were actually early so we got to observe in 2 different classrooms-a 2nd grade class and a bilingual 3rd grade class. Right off the bat I was really impressed by the new school! I have never seen a layout at an Elementary school like this one. I liked how it had a common room for every grade with additional classrooms attached. During the first class, the students were doing group reading, where the teacher would take a group of 4 or 5 students aside and have them read aloud together to work on their reading fluency. At the same time, the rest of the class was to read quietly at their desks. One girl was coloring a picture depicting a book she had just got done reading emphasizing the importance of friendship. I was amazed at all of the opportunity the students had in the classroom from large desks to generous cubby space to a wide range of books in their classroom library. The second class we observed in was a bilingual classroom where all of the students as well as the teacher were Spanish speaking. I haven't had much prior knowledge about the various bilingual programs but Ashley filled me in on what they were and what they entailed, which I was grateful for. It was really interesting to see teaching and learning from a different cultural perspective. It made me really wish that I knew Spanish so I could understand and engage with the students learning. Overall, I had a great time today, I wish we had more time but I am looking forward to the next year observing and tutoring in the classrooms.
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I agree with you I had an awesome time!!! The school is really nice. I thought it was an awesome set up as well. I liked the commons areas in each of the grades. I think that's a great place to have when students need to take a break from the classroom! I really liked the bilingual classroom, although it wasn't the style that I really agree with. I would have liked to see more bilingual interaction because I felt like the use of Spanish was somewhat looked down on. Either way, I thought it was really cool that the students could respond to questions in either English or Spanish and the teacher understood them.I too, am looking forward to more observations.
ReplyDeleteI think what you noticed, Ashley, is a reflection of the district's bilingual program's emphasis on transition to English. Third grade is considered a key transition year for students who have been in the program since K or 1st grade. I agree, though. It is difficult to see a devaluing of children's native language.
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