All week I had been looking forward to my first classroom visit at the local middle school. Not knowing exactly what to expect, I’ll admit I was a little nervous. Often wondering “How many kids would there be?” and “How would they act?” Questions such as this ran through my mind all morning as I prepared to leave for the school. To my delight, I was warmly welcomed into both the middle school and the classroom. While the teacher was excited to introduce me to her eighth grade classroom, the students seemed to be lost in a gaze. For now I’ll chalk this up to being the first class of the morning on a rainy day! I quickly introduced myself to her young students, who suddenly, seemed to appear so much younger than I imagined. I later told them a bit about myself and how I ended up attending VMI. While college and life after high school is nearly four short years away, to her young students I’m sure it sounded like forever. Even still, I’m glad that their teacher reminds them of what soon lies ahead. Setting goals, both long and short term, in my brief observations seems to be a theme in this classroom. Designed as a remediation group, these children work together to complete work in subjects that they are struggling in. The remediation title of this classroom comes across harsh in my opinion, because I have seen that each child is bright in their own way. Sitting in the back of this classroom, I was able to observe each child as they quietly worked on assignments. Always busily running around the classroom to offer help, I’m sure this is a view that their teacher does not often get to enjoy. While I’m not sure how the principles of project based learning will be applied to this classroom yet, I’m sure that in coming weeks we will find a way to incorporate it. For now though, I’m pleased with this group of kids and very excited for my next visit!

Tuesday February 11th, I had the first opportunity of observing the classroom I will be working in during the semester. Mrs. Dowless Class is a 6th grade science class Earth and environmental. From the time my partner and I arrived we were very engaged in the classroom. We started out by introducing ourselves and letting the students get to understand us a little bit. I believe that the students really enjoyed us there. Some kids asked a lot of questions while others wanted to tell us a little about their own life. The first signs of PBL was when the teacher had the students break off in groups to get ready to present their projects in the following week. The students were working in pairs of two and working on a PowerPoint of the bacterial kingdom. The kids were very engaged in their respected works. Most of the children stayed on task although one student was bothering another student. I asked him what was wrong and he kind of ignored me and then proceeded to work. As I walked around the room, I noticed artwork on the walls of the students. This is key in PBL it provides confidence for the students and promotes a positive learning environment for them. I also noticed slogans or motto’s for the kids to think to prompt a positive learning space. With all this being said I am eager to get back to the classroom soon I look forward to seeing the children.

My trip to visit Maury River Middle School was best described by surprise in the best possible way. From the onset of our visit, we were taken aback by the building itself. The newness, the design, and most surprisingly the teacher’s pride of the facilities. The first comment made while we signed in was for us to admire the aquatic inspiration and details embedded into the school itself to pay homage to the Maury River itself. Once we got to our class, in which the students where purposefully rearranging the desks into a round table, we took our seats. The teacher had brought breakfast for all of her students and insisted that the students eat, something that showed a level of care for her students that I had not expected. There is a project-based learning poster hanging in the back of the class, displaying student’s quality work as what I can assume to be for inspiration for whatever the students choose as their project to tackle. The teacher went on to explain how all of the students had applied to be there and went around asking what all the students wanted out of the future project in their class charter. Their collective responses can be summed by one student’s answer, “serious yet fun”. They enumerated what makes something fun to them. This could be summed up by confidence in a project and working together. I was surprised by the affluence of their answers to what would make a school project fun. The teacher kept encouraging them to speak up in their answers, something that I felt would serve to boost their confidences. Through all of this, I had assumed that this group of students where the best the middle school had to offer. I had thought that they had applied and stood out academically among their peers. It was not until the end in which the teacher confided in us that these students where actually students who all were struggling readers and had a host of other academic challenges. Students who did not volunteer information in other classes willingly who felt like they could contribute within this environment. This environment demonstrated many of the key EL education design principles, specifically the responsibility for learning. To them, the work they were doing in this class went beyond just schoolwork to them. It was learning in their own personal and collective learning together. They were truly unexpected scholars.

When I first got into the school I felt a wave of flashbacks go through my mind. It felt like just yesterday I was a student in my own middle school. Nothing much had changed since I was in their shoes. Once getting to the classroom, the first thing that happened was the morning announcements. We did a moment of silence followed by the pledge and then the lunch menu. The class then went in a circle introducing themselves and something we enjoy doing. A lot of them enjoyed various sports, video games, and being with their friends. Something that I didn’t know was that the first class period in the morning was their homeroom, I don’t recall having a homeroom until high school. Another thing I was unaware of was these sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in the Eagle Academy class are the struggling readers of their grades.

This was only their second time meeting so they decided to make a charter that will outline how they want to accomplish any tasks for their project. They decided that they wanted their workplace to be fun but serious and working in a group atmosphere. So we asked them each to tell us what fun meant to them. All of them generally had the same answer: confidence, trust, everyone being involved, and working together. We then asked them to define serious this one varied a little more: focusing, being courteous, respect, getting along with one another, and welcoming all ideas. I was very surprised by these kids answers because even though they are the struggling readers of their grades they put a lot of thought into their answers. The kids were then split into three groups called the “three w’s: waste, wildlife, and water”. Each group had to discuss and write down how their “w” was affected by pollution and how they could help fix the problem.

These kids are really spectacular and I am looking forward to the rest of the visits with them. I am hoping that my group and I can take their desire for confidence and understanding of each other and apply that to the project we create.

While I was observing Mr. Simms’s students, I definitely noticed how EL education principles were present in the classroom. However, those principles didn’t appear to have been harnessed and put into practice through PBL or EL. The atmosphere of the classroom was certainly welcoming, and the students seemed comfortable with one another and Mr. Simms. However, that comfortability was not seen when it came to the classroom discussion that the TA was attempting to facilitate. I wish that the TA would have encouraged this exciting energy that the students entered into the classroom with. I feel as if, by giving them laptops, turning off the lights, and merely lecturing and showing the students videos, the vivacity that they came in with became lackluster. It seemed as if they immediately disconnected from their educational experience as soon as they realized their course content was just being spoken to them as opposed to partaking in an engaging educational experience. Moreover, when the TA allowed the students to choose a story from their packet, she didn’t actually have the students read, she simply read the story to them. I know that if she would have encouraged the students to read aloud by either picking someone, letting them do popcorn, or even by letting them volunteer, it would have shown to the students that the TA believes in their intellectual capabilities; it would have been much more self-empowering.

Yet, even before the TA carried out her lesson plan with the students, I knew that PBL/EL principles were not in the forefront of her mind while she was working with the students. At the start of the class she simply handed the students a packet. There was no explanation as to what the packet was for, why it was important for the lesson, what the driving question, or purpose of the class was, or what it would “mean to know this.” These two insistences in the classroom – the TA’s neglect of outlining the lesson for the day and her lack of inclusion of the students – showed me that PBL is not a part of her teaching experience. Yet, I do think that the atmosphere of the classroom has potential for being a great PBL workspace. The students came in lively and excited, they all seemed comfortable with one another and the teacher, and they all seemed interested in the course content when they did get the chance to actively participate. With the introduction of the four strategies for building PBL culture, which are: focusing deliberately on beliefs and values, creating shared norms, implementing protocols and routines, and ensuring that the physical environment the students find themselves in is conducive to PBL, I really do think that these students would enjoy a tremendously enriching educational experience.

My initial observation of Mrs. Diette’s 8^th graders left me with a lot of questions. The seating structure was peculiar. The majority of the class sat on one row of seats facing out, on the right side of the classroom. However, there were four other students who were staggered across the classroom, which left me thinking that there were no exact seating assignments for the students. This in itself was very interesting because I remember from my time in middle school, that not only was there almost always seating assignments, but we always had to sit next to each other.

Other than the seating structure, the rest of the classroom was very organized. The teacher had goals of the week written on the board, and English devices hung up across the room. As well, the teacher clearly emphasized the important of reading, as there were multiple small libraries scattered throughout the room, with the quote “books are a uniquely portable magic” written in large letters above the library.

Despite the well-organized white boards and classroom, the actual 8^th graders themselves did not seem nearly as organized. Many of them were not caught up with the current assignments, and doing homework for the rest of their classes, or not doing work at all and playing games on their computers. However, what I did witness was Mrs. Diette’s motivation to get them caught up and help them in anyway possible, even if it was with homework for their history classes. I am very excited for future visits and to be able to witness how the class truly functions and the relationship they have with Mrs. Diette.

The learning space of classroom 111 at Rockbridge County High School is small but comfortable. For me, there is a nostalgic feeling upon entering the classroom as if I had been in this place before. Any visitor to room 111 will notice all the basic necessities of a modern classroom. A white board stretches to nearly take up the entire wall near the door. A projector dangles from the ceiling near the whiteboard, evidence of how technology has solidified its place in the classroom as much as textbooks or desks. Bookshelves some shelves with classic literature others with textbooks hide partially lining the back wall of the room. The walls are interesting and essential to the atmosphere within the classroom. The base colors of the walls are a light green contrasted with a dull yellow. Each color claims two walls that oppose each other. In one corner, is the teacher’s desk surrounded by motivational posters. On one wall is a bulletin board with students’ work including drawings. On the opposite wall, is a mural of a tree with outstretched branches that bear students’ writing projects. Next to the tree is another mural that interrupts the monotone green wall. The sky is portrayed with clouds surrounded by an elaborate picture frame as if there was a window to the outdoors.

I’ve visited room 111 twice now. On both visits, I observed and participated in class projects and discussions. The developmental psychology class for juniors and seniors routinely has group projects. Even simple, in-class activities serve to engage each student while seeking to get students to become more comfortable in sharing and learning about each other and working together as well as creating closer personal bonds with peers.

What follows is an example of an in-class activity that served the purpose of replacing the monotony of everyday lectures with a quick project that engaged students creatively and easily promoted verbal communication among students. The teacher passed out a 3×5 card to each student with the task to write 3 truths and 1 lie. This exercise was fun and easy to participate in with the students. Several conversations were held with some of the students sitting near me. With this light game it was easy to get to know some of the students and they learned about each other. It was interesting how long it took some people to write things down. Even the things written down, what people chose to share including what they chose to lie about. Some people had shallow comments, others serious facts about themselves. Some people were creative and wrote difficult choices where the lie was indistinguishable.

Just from this simple activity I learned the concepts for the day about psychology and I was just visiting the class. This simple activity represents characteristics of project based learning where students engage each other in learning not from a lecture but discussion among their peers promoting self-discovery.

Going into my visit, I told myself not to have any expectations and to try not to have any preconceived notions about what I was about to see. I simply told myself to let it happen. I was there simply to observe, after all. Or at least I thought I was there just to observe. I was right to not expect anything.

My initial observations centered around the organization of the classroom. The classroom was set up in a way that the desks formed a semi-circle around the teacher. These desks were more like tables. They could seat two and therefore each student had a partner. I did not see very much partner work during my visit, but maybe in future visits I will.

Next, I saw the students all working on Chromebooks before class started. The teacher told me that the students leave the laptops at school and are not allowed to bring them home.They were doing work for other classes. The content of this work, I am unsure of. It was something that stood out to me nearly immediately because of rare it was to see a computer outside the computer labs in my high school.

My last observation lined up with Steven Levy’s ideas about starting the ideal classroom . The plan for the day was the students to ask us questions about VMI. The day prior, they had discussed as a class the questions that they wanted to ask and the teacher had typed them up. This was a student led discussion and the teacher was simply the moderator of the discussion. This to me was very similar to the beginning of PBL. In a sense the teacher guides the discussion, but allows the classroom to take over. This Q & A session not only had elements of PBL, but also it aligned with some of the skills that were expected to be developed by the VDOE. These skills include: posing and responding to questions, inferring and assimilating new ideas, and curiosity. As shown with the above, it is possible to provide enrichment, while satisfying the VDOE’s requirements.

At about 9:20 am the students trickle in and the teacher stands in the hall to supervise the going to and from of classes throughout the day. This particular Ninth grade Honors English Class is the first one in the morning. Once the students are settled in their seats they chat amongst them selves and get their class materials out to start the days work. The bell rings and attendants is taken, the students become quite and focused.

As the teacher finishes up the accountability and start pulling up the lesson plan I realize that the lights are only half way turned on. The room was clear and the paper in front of me on my desk is still easy to see but the front half of the room is darker with the only light coming from the window behind me and the light which is creeping from the lamp and lights in the back of the class room. I notice this as this is my favorite type of lighting. It is calming and easy to focus with. On the walls I see encouraging messages along the lines of how “I matter” and how “I am capable of success. ” I see books shelves with a good number of books. There where to many to take note of all of them but I recall seeing The Great Gatsby, The Hunger Games series, and other books that one might expect to be on a high school English class’ book shelf. On the other wall farthest away from me I see pamphlets which contain information on how to be a better writer in a technical regard. This is the environment.  

The teacher opens the days lesson with some activities and short lecturing on the prologue of Romeo and Juliet. The first works to understand the text as Shakespearian English is different from modern American English. Once the comprehension/translation is complete they go over the meaning of the prologue, both literally, and figuratively. The activities here are done in groups and partners with the teacher walking around aiding them in understanding of the tasks and materials. The first portion of the class consists of actives like this. By the end of these activates my partner and I where nearing the end of our visit. As we left the students had just finished watching a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet’s prologue found in movie form.  

The class seemed engaged and focused the whole class period, or at least when I was there. The material and lesson flowed well and seemed to have enough application to stay interesting. That being said this is a Ninth Grade Honors English class. Other classes may to respond the same way to this style.  

Aaron Josef Kempf
Blog Post 3
Fieldwork – 411

A Return Back, but Far too Soon – 1st Visit to Mrs. Hotlon’s Class
Within my previous blog post I had the opportunity to detail my fears regarding visit 1 to the Mary Holton’s 9th grade English class. After my visit I can confidently confess that of all the times I’ve been wrong, this ranks in the upper tier. The visit was so enlightening and motivating that for a split second, I envisioned myself as a high school teacher after I graduate VMI. Within Journey’s Through Our Classrooms we had the opportunity to read through the educational journeys of both Laura and Alfredo who each learned very differently from one another. I mention this to say that just as these two students have different ways of being motivated and connected with, the students attending the local high school were the same way! No two students learn the same way, and luckily for my partner Casey Marchant and I, we have the opportunity to work with a teacher who not only recognizes this but makes it a priority. A handful of observations I was able to make brought me back to the ideas of Elise when she spoke on educational standards in Virginia. For the sake of blog size, I will share 2 key observations I made and explain their significance to classroom interaction moving forward. Firstly, was the approach of the teacher. Mrs. Holton makes it a focal point of her teaching to engage all students, so regarding the educational approach she used PowerPoint presentation, group work, and videos. This way, if a student doesn’t enjoy one, they are more likely to learn from one of the other avenues. Luckily through all 3 avenues of teaching, all students were consistently engaged and responsive to her lesson. This element of teaching relates to page 82 of Project Based Teaching which explains the importance of “making the most of teamwork” within a classroom. Lastly, I was fascinated that for the entirety of the class time, not one student left the room for any reason. According to reports I’ve heard, the average attention span for a typical student is50 minutes. That means that generally, students will be engaged in a class for no re than an hour! This was not the case at all, as all students remained attentive to the instruction of Mrs. Holton.