Classroom Observation Essay Example

Classroom Observation Essay 6th of December 2010 – in the recent classroom observation on the ZC11, a block section for first year Information Technology students taking up Study and Thinking Skills class of Dr. Florece. Evelyn E. Florece, PhD is a faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences under the Literature and Language Studies Department. She was the former IELTS Director of Ateneo and has been teaching English and Language since the high school department paved it way to its new home at Pacol, Naga City. Dr. Florece’s afternoon class was composed of 33 Information Technology (IT) majors from the College of Computer studies, most of them were on their first year at Ateneo de Naga University. The observation starts at exactly 1:15 in the afternoon, covering the student’s behavior before class. ZC11 was dismissed earlier by their Theology class teacher. Since they were a blocked section, they waited for their next class in the same room. Student’s behavior were the typical like waiting for the teacher outside the classroom, some were chatting with their friends, some were doing their assignments and some were just doing nothing. We will write a custom essay sample on Classroom Observation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Classroom Observation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Classroom Observation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Minutes passed and the same student behavior was observed. I overheard some students saying, â€Å"sana mayo si ma’am, yaon daw si ma’am? † but another student uttered, â€Å"iyo, yaon si ma’am nahiling ko subago† a typical conversation for a student who is waiting for his teacher. But to my analysis, is there something with a teacher that made students say and think as such. I waited for the teacher to arrive and continue observing the student’s behavior. Dr. Florece arrived at exactly 1:25 in the afternoon, five minutes before the bell rings. She enters with confidence and greeted the class with a good afternoon. She placed the white board at the middle of the board and calls for the prayer leader assigned during that day. In every class that she handles, she always assigns a prayer leader who will in turn be the one in-charge of erasing the writings of the board after each class. She is systematic when it comes to prayers, checking of attendance, and in sitting arrangements. She starts the classroom discussion with a reminder about the upcoming preliminary examination before the Christmas break. Dr. Florece consumes almost the first thirty minutes of the academic hour discussing reminders and the likes. The classroom is situated in a not so conducive place; I had observed that the room is first, near the water motor pump of the Phelan Building; second, the room is near with the comfort rooms and third, when other students were passing by, the tendency is for them to be disturbed by their noise and loud chatting. These make my impression that the room itself is not a conducive place for learning. Students’ behavior seems to change as soon as the classroom discussion starts. They attentively listen to the final instructions for the preliminary examinations, the types of test to be expected and as the teacher gave the feedback of the past lessons activity. The teacher talks loud enough to be heard by the last person at the back, she shows concern with the students’ classroom performance and their positive outlook towards learning. In the classroom discussion it was more of a teacher dominated, Dr. Florece dominates the classroom discussion by laying down the topics from general-specific. Before she starts with the new topic, she gave first the feedback of the previous classroom discussion and activity about skimming and scanning. Students were asked if they can remember what does skimming and scanning means thus connecting it to the previous activity done in class. Dr Florece is more of into using cognitive and constructivist approach depending on the composition of the students. Cognitive approach was used in her Basic English classes and constructivist on her major subjects like Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Cognitivist approach is concerned with how sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered and used (Glenn Snelbecker). In the classroom discussion, she uses a deductive-inductive method of teaching; she gave in first the topic then defines. She is more likely to use the word â€Å"I† in her discussion. Seen in her art of questioning, she uttered some questions that are of deductive method e. g. could YOU give ME. Also in her discussion, she sees to it that student’s still participates with shared knowledge. She ask questions and questions for the students to be motivated. Students answers questions based on how they perceive the present topic thus relating and giving examples based on students experiences and understanding. Past lessons help the students more think and give examples in class. On the part of the students, though some of the time they answers in chorus but Dr. Florece sees to it that they must raise their hand and stand up before and when answering specific questions. Follow up questions made students motivated to think and participate in the classroom discussion. Though most of the time, it is the teacher who talks and talks. In my classroom observation with the behavior of the students and the teacher, somehow there are loops holes been identified and observed. Before proceeding, Dr. Florece’s method of teaching more likely use the deep approach, she sees to it that the intention of learning is present and the students understand for themselves what they are learning. Questions allows them to related ideas from the previous knowledge and experiences, it allows them to look for patterns and underlying principles and becomes actively interested in the course content. Though it could be possible for the classroom discussion to be dualistic in manner where students regard knowledge and learning as something external and objective, in the classroom discussion, since this is teaching English, she is more onto the usage and use of the rules of the English language where if a certain student answers and see overheard a wrong grammar she utters the correct form or the student to repeat such. Correction is one of the best ways to learn properly the usage of the language. Present also in the classroom discussion is the andradogy where students sees themselves as responsible for their own learning and understanding with the guide of the teacher. In the class of Dr. Florece, students seem to be knowledgeable enough with the classroom discussion. What they needs best is the guidance of the teacher as an adult, as an epitome of learning. Going back to the identified loopholes, I had observed that in a classroom not all students participate, not all students were called and not all student stands out. In my observation in the class of Dr. Florece, she only calls students who are always reciting, same students who stands out in class. There are students that have not been called though the way she address the question is for all the students. Another would be that there are some students who do not pay attention to class, some were busy chatting with their seat mates, some were texting, and one student goes out of the classroom and never came back. Dr. Florece never notices the student who came out and the behavior of the students at the back of the classroom. At the end of the discussion, Dr. Florece gave an activity for the students to participate. Since the topic is more on paraphrasing, she divided the class into two and gave them a reading material. The activity is actually a continuation of the previous lesson and the present topic, skimming, scanning and paraphrasing. First activity is a group work, where all students are given the chance to partake to allow their group win, students look for certain words being described and defines by the teacher – skimming and scanning were used in this first activity. It is more on the performance based assessment of the students learning and the second part of the activity is more on a formal writing activity where student paraphrase the last paragraph in the reading material. The classroom discussion ends up with this activity, a performance and forma writing activity to test the acquired knowledge of the students for those particular topics. Synthesis will be given next meeting before the preliminary examination of the class. The teacher gave another reminder to bring the reading material next meeting for further classroom discussion and review in preparation for the preliminary examination of the class prior to Christmas vacation. The observation ends at 2:45pm

History and Geography of the Florida Keys

History and Geography of the Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a series of islands extending from the southeastern tip of Florida. They begin about 15 miles (24 km) south of Miami and extend out toward the southwest and then west toward the Gulf of Mexico and the uninhabited Dry Tortugas islands. Most of the islands making up the Florida Keys are within the Florida Straits, a body of water located between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The most populated city in the Florida Keys is Key West; many other areas are sparsely populated. Early Days of the Florida Keys The first inhabitants of the Florida Keys were Native American tribes: the Calusa and Tequesta. Juan Ponce de Leon, who arrived in Florida in about 1513, was one of the first Europeans to find and explore the islands. His attempts to colonize the region for Spain was soundly defeated by the Native people. Over time, Key West began to grow into Floridas largest town due to its proximity to Cuba and the Bahamas and a trade route to New Orleans. In their early days, Key West and the Florida Keys were a major part of the areas wrecking industry- an industry associated with the frequent shipwrecks in the area. In 1822, the Keys (along with the rest of Florida) became an official part of the United States. By the early 1900s, however, Key Wests prosperity began to decline as better navigational techniques reduced area shipwrecks. In 1935 the Florida Keys were struck by one of the worst hurricanes to ever hit the United States. On September 2nd of that year, the hurricane winds of over 200 miles per hour (320 km/hr) hit the islands and a storm surge of over 17.5 feet (5.3 m) quickly flooded them. The hurricane killed over 500 people and the Overseas Railway (constructed in the 1910s to connect the islands) was damaged and service stopped. A highway, called the Overseas Highway later replaced the railway as the main form of transportation in the area. The Conch Republic Throughout much of their modern history, the Florida Keys have been a convenient  area for drug smugglers and illegal immigration. As a result, the U.S. Border Patrol began a series of roadblocks on the bridge from the Keys to the mainland to search cars returning to Floridas mainland in 1982. This roadblock later began to hurt the economy of the Florida Keys as it delayed tourists going to and from the islands. Because of the resultant economic struggles the mayor of Key West, Dennis Wardlow, declared the city as independent and renamed it the Conch Republic on April 23, 1982. The citys secession lasted only a short time however and Wardlow eventually surrendered. Key West also still remains a part of the U.S. Islands of the Keys Today the total land area of the Florida Keys is 137.3 square miles (356 sq km) and in total there are over 1700 islands in the archipelago. However, very few of these are populated and most are very small. Only 43 of the islands are connected via bridges. In total there are 42 bridges connecting the islands but the Seven Mile Bridge is the longest. Because there are so many islands within the Florida Keys they are often divided into several different groups. These groups are the Upper Keys, the Middle Keys, the Lower Keys,  and the Outlying Islands. The Upper Keys are those located the farthest north and closest to Floridas mainland and the groups extend out from there. The city of Key West is located in the Lower Keys. The Outer Keys consist of islands that are accessible only by boat. Hurricanes and Flooding The climate of the Florida Keys is tropical, as is the southern part of the state of Florida. However, because of the islands location between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, they are very prone to hurricanes. Because the islands have low elevations, are surrounded by water, and flooding from the storms surges can easily affect large areas of the Keys, hurricanes can be especially problematic. Evacuation orders are regularly put into place due to flood threats. Coral Reefs and Biodiversity Geologically, the Florida Keys are made up of the  main exposed parts of  coral reefs. Some of the islands have been exposed for so long that sand has built up around them, creating barrier islands while other smaller islands remain as coral atolls. Additionally, there is also still a large coral reef offshore of the Florida Keys in the Florida Straits. This reef is called the Florida Reef and it is the third largest barrier reef in the world.   The Florida Keys are a highly biodiverse area because of the presence of coral reefs as well as undeveloped forested areas. Dry Tortugas National Park is located about 70 miles (110 km) from Key West and, since those islands are uninhabited, they are some of the most well preserved and protected areas in the world. The waters around the islands are home to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Because of its biodiversity, ecotourism is becoming a large part of the Florida Keys economy. Other forms of tourism and fishing are the major industries of the islands.

Eastern Massasauga Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eastern Massasauga - Essay Example Eastern Massasauga is a rattlesnake, tail tipped by grey-yellow horny rattles and with several dark brown rings. An adult Massasauga is 18 to 30 inches in length (US fish and wildlife service web). Eastern Massasaugas inhabit wet areas. During spring, Massasauga use open shallow wetlands or shrub swamps. During summer, they move upward to drier areas where they can be found the sunning in open fields. In the northern part of the US, Eastern Massasauga live in Canada, Ontario, around Georgia bay, Northern Indiana, and Northern and Central Ohio. In addition, they live in Lower Peninsula of Michigan although they are declining due to human activities. Its protection in Michigan as an endangered species is due to destruction of its habitats. Eastern Massasauga is classified in the Eukarya domain, Animalia kingdom, Chordata Phylum, and reptilian class. The botanical name of Eastern Massasauga is Sistrurus Catenatus. The word â€Å"Massasauga† translates to â€Å"great river mouth,† in the Chippewa language describing wet areas surrounding a river where snakes can be found. Other names given to Eastern Massasauga are black Massasauga rattlers, Massasauga rattlers, Michigan rattlers and swamp rattlers (Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake web). An Eastern Massasauga is a slow moving snake that often strikes if disturbed. In New York, it is the smallest of the three venomous snakes. They employ camouflage where they hide in areas that bear the same colour as themselves. Massasaugas take advantage of their different adaptations to survive in the wet areas. For instance they have to detect prey from a distance through its organs. It uses Vomero-nasal organ also known as Jacobson’s organ that is located at the roof of the mouth with nerve endings in to the brain to detect prey. They take their tongue out to pick some air and place it on to the surface of Vomero for detection. In addition, this organ detects mates, geographical regions, and predators (John

To what extent does Heidi Hartmanns metaphor of an unhappy marriage Essay

To what extent does Heidi Hartmanns metaphor of an unhappy marriage still characterise the relationship between Marxism and feminism - Essay Example She further asserted to the fact that the relationship that existed between feminism and Marxism is one that is similar. According to me, I think That Marxism was predominantly what made up feminism. This is from a line in her work in which she said, ‘Marxism and feminism are one, and that one is Marxism†. In her opinion, Hartman made it clear that a marriage needed to be healthy, failure of which a divorce was inevitable. The relationship that has existed between feminism and Marxism is characterized by tension. This is because the two theories of Marxism and feminism have an analysis that is radical (Yuval-Davi & Nira, 2006). However, in this article, I intend to bring out the aspect of there being an existence of a ‘healthier’ relationship between feminism and Marxism. There is the need to have a connection between the two divergent views. This is primarily because the Marxism analysis has in itself an analysis that presents insights that are essential in the historical developments vis-à  -vis those of capital particularly. Moreover, the arguments and fundamentals of Marxism are blind to sex. There is only a particular feminist analysis that clearly reveals the systematic character that exists between the relationship of man and woman. However, the feminist argument itself has been deemed to be inadequate as it does not consider historical facts and has materials that are inadequate (Brah, Avtar, Phoenix & Ann 2004). Looking at â€Å"The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism†, an article by Heidi Hartmann, many questions went through my mind. One is left wondering the relationship that exists between feminism and Marxism. I wondered where these two concepts agree and where they are in conflict. More interesting is looking at Hartmann’s metaphor of â€Å"unhappy marriage†, and to try to relate it with Marxism and feminism. The review of Hartmann and that of Rosemarie Tong never convinced me hence the urge and curiosity to

A Day In The Life Of A Pharisee Religion Essay

A Day In The Life Of A Pharisee Religion Essay To be a good Jew is to have a vision and goal to achieve the ultimate level of holiness in the eyes of God. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew, and during his lifetime there emerged many different groups whose ultimate goal was to follow and put into practice what God expected of his people. Among these, there stood three major groups known as the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes. In attempt to be a conscientious first century Jew, in comparison to the other groups, I feel as though the Pharisees hold the most appealing position in terms of living a genuine and legitimate religious life. During the time of first century Judaism, many groups conformed to his teachings however many made an attempt to challenge his judgment. Stepping into the Hasmonean period, sometime before 135 BCE, in terms of social class, the Pharisees arose as a group more applicable to a common people however it did consist of a few priests (Sanders, 44). Considering my place in society in the 20th Century, I believe it would be accurate to assume that in Jesus lifetime, I could place myself among the commoners rather than part of the elite. This minor detail plays a part in my decision of choosing the Pharisees as an appealing group to be part of. Granted the fact that they are of my social standing, they would be able to relate to my needs best therefore we would share many of the same religious and political views. In a way, during the Hasmonean Dynasty, the Pharisees could be described as religious teachers of the law. Theologically, the Pharisees shared common Jewish orthodoxy (Sanders 44), believing in Israel as the chosen nation, the law in which was given to Moses, and the concept of repentance and forgiveness. As these beliefs were shared among the average Jews of the time, it makes sense as to why a first century Jews, as well as myself, would turn to the Pharisees as religious teachers. The Hebrew word for Pharisees is Perushim, meaning those who have a tendency to withdraw or to separate themselves. One could assume this name could relate to the Pharisaic mode of life which dictated a strict separation from all impurity and unclean foods (Isaacson 24). However it could correlate with the reality that the Pharisees do not share one uniform view on things; thus there were two groups of Pharisees, The Shammai and the Hillel. Inevitably, amongst these two groups there were disagreements. The Shammai stood on the conservative left wing side of the spectrum while The Hillel held a more liberal position. Fundamentally, the Shammai followed a more strict and zealous observance of the law. They were powerful up until 68 BCE and they educated aristocratic, wealthy families over a longer period of time. The Hillel became more widely known after 68 AD. They appealed more to the interest of those in lower classes because they demanded training and did not have such a literal un derstanding of the law. In my opinion it is inevitable for disputes to occur among different classes of society especially regarding similar traditions. Nevertheless the two groups of Pharisees still managed to put their differences aside and allow intermarriage. This is a prime example of something that Jesus would encourage people to do, and because the Pharisees could acknowledge this, is another reason why as a first century Jew I would find them an admirable group to comply with. As well as being religiously linked with the middle class people of society, the Pharisees continued the tradition of scribes and the men of Great Assembly (Isaacson 240). Just as the Scribes did, the Pharisees believed in the authority of oral tradition as well as the Torah. They also maintained the notion of afterlife as well as believing that God would send a Messiah to create peace over the world. In spite of this, it is important to understand that the society of Judea developed over time and the Pharisees helped guide this development by creating new laws as well progressing the synagogue and temple. According to Josephus they practiced the highest ideals both in their way of living and in their discourse (Sanders, 44). The Pharisees did not fail to understand the importance of Laws already formed by their predecessors but they initiated change in the developing Judea society by adding new laws for the people as well as taking a non-literal approach to Biblical Law. They closely followed the doctrine of immortality therefore laws such as an eye for an eye were explained in an approach that could be more comparable to the current circumstances of the people. In their effort to create new laws for more modern day society, they formed a purity rule in regards to the Mosaic Law. This is a law in which one is required to bathe in order to remove impurities before entering the temple. The Pharisees instructed people to wash their hands before the Sabbath and holy meals, and this eventually led Jews to wash their hands before every meal in order to wash away impurities. Because of their dedication to the religiosity of the people, the Pharisees were well liked amongst Jews that populated their communities. It is said that although the Jews made special rules for them to follow, they did not force them on everyone else (Sanders 44). I can appreciate that the Pharisees were overall trying to better the Jewish community however they did not try to enforce their traditions on others. In the second century the Pharisees improved the Jewish Temple with the development of the synagogue as well as the enforcement of oral traditions to those who resided within their communities. The Pharisees greatly appreciated the written law however they held close to them the oral teachings of their fore fathers. As a teacher to the people, the Pharisees did not question that which was passed down to them; they simply interpreted these traditions and passed it down orally to the people. The Pharisees wished to embrace the whole people particularly through education. It was their desire and intention that everyone in Israel achieve holiness through the study of the Torah (The Maccabees 93). The Pharisees cared about the temple developing as a whole in a way that fit the needs of current society. Not only did the Pharisees not impede their ideas on the Jews of the time, they respected that society is always changing. With this, the Pharisees created the temple to be a place that fit into the life of a commoner. As a Jew at the time, I could turn to the Pharisaic movement to help me understand and practice my faith in a way that I could best relate to. Along with the Pharisees, the Sadducees were among the earliest groups to form during the Hasmonean dynasty. For the most part, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were seen as opposition to each other politically and religiously. The word Sadducee is believed to have originated from Zadok, Solomons High Priest. This description seems justifiable given the fact that the Sadducees consisted of members of the aristocratic, conservative, elite standing of society. The Pharisees were more popular as they attracted the commoners of society, the Sadducees were a minority that held great power over Kings and embraced Hellenization, forcing Greek culture upon society. One of the biggest conflicts between these two groups involved the fact that the Sadducees rejected the doctrine of immortality. The Sadducees took a literal approach to the written law, following it word for word where as the Pharisees were open to interpretation of the Torah. The Sadducees did not believe in after life therefore not seeing the importance of the oral law. As a result, they rejected new laws and innovations which the Pharisees introduced in response to historical necessity (Isaacson 240). In regards to the temple, the Sadducees viewed it as untouchable, ultimately denying the Pharisaic attempt to develop and integrate new ideas into the temple. Evidentially the two groups were at constant disagreement with each other and this lead to tension within the second temple era. Eventually, a civil war broke out during the Hasmonean dynasty banishing the Sadducees as a whole leaving only the Pharisees to fully recover. Given these facts I would not have wanted to be a Sadducee due to their unwillingness to accept that society is forever changing and therefore observance of the law needed to change with it. I do not find it appealing that they were only considerate to the needs of those higher up in society and perhaps this is why they were unable to regain power afterwards.

Regional Band Competition :: Example Personal Narratives

Regional Band Competition The situation was insane. Not only did I have to make time in the busy schedule of my junior year to take a few days off from school to attend the District One East High School Band Festival, but I actually had to audition to get a decent seat. Don't get me wrong; I was thrilled about attending. I just wasn't looking forward to having to make up two day's worth of schoolwork. For once, I would be attending a festival where the seating arrangement wasn't based on how fast you could sprint to the stage from your seat in the auditorium, but on how talented of a musician you were. And the music for the audition? Amazingly difficult. I knew many of the other students from other competitions and festivals, so I was familiar with their talent and ability. Based on that knowledge, I decided that I had no chance of placing higher in the rankings than, say, a jar of mayonnaise. After diligently practicing - or cramming - the night before the audition, I felt I was as prepared as I'd ever be. Out of all the pieces we were given for the audition, my friends and I had narrowed it down to a few choices that the judges would most likely pick for the try-outs. From the three or four that we picked, we determined that the hardest song was Gustav Holst's "Second Suite in F." Fortunately, this song was one that I was familiar with already from concert band. I felt somewhat confident about the audition, but managed to convince myself that I'd be ecstatic if I placed any higher than last chair. I didn't even dream of placing high enough to be selected for Regional Band. The students with the highest scores at the District festivals were chosen to advance to the Regional competition. The first night of the District Band Festival, held at Yough Senior High School, took place on the evening of January 19, 2000. Cramming seven Hempfield students and one tuba into a mini-yellow bus, which we dubbed "The Sped Sled," we trekked through the blustery winter weather to the school. Surprisingly enough, we were early, giving us all a little more time to relax, warm-up, or practice music.

Negotiation

Negotiating for a particular goal may sometimes provide some more insights as to how situations can be handled positively. In some cases however, it is also possible for a party to forecast that a certain negotiation is diverting towards a losing end. Negotiation is a process of deliberation between two parties to meet a particular agreement of mutual benefits (DFM Unitar, 2004). In this aspect, there are some popular points of views in negotiations which can provide outlooks in a win or lose perspective. One popular view is to consider negotiation to be a bridging platform. If the two or more sides of the agreement will mutually benefit and that the course practice will connect the parties towards respective self development, then most probably the discussion will reinforce a winning perspective for both parties. On the other hand, it is very possible that negotiations can impose a losing perspective to at least one of the parties involved. If the view of one party is to use negotiation to take advantage of the other side, and that the other side has no means to counter an imposed agreement due to other prioritized factors, then the latter will be on the losing streak. Therefore, views about a particular negotiation dramatically predict who will win or lose in an agreement. On a personal note, I had experienced losing in a conflict. This happened when I complained about the higher rates being applied to my credit card bill. I called the company and insisted that I did not deserve such monthly bill rate since I was actually paying a 0% installment plan for an appliance. The agent explained that an additional purchase outside from the installment program can actually increase charges. He pointed that out in the contract which I was never initially aware of. I was outraged by the seemingly unfair situation I had but when I read through the bill statement at the back of the bill page, the terms of agreement written was actually clear. It was actually my fault that I did not read through the note probably because of the excitement of having my own credit card account. In the end, I accepted my losing experience in the conflict. A negotiation is usually initiated whenever there is a looking conflict between individuals or entities (Wertheim). But even though it can resolve problems, there are times in which mutual benefits will not be achieved. To lessen the impact of this dilemma, it is only crucial that negotiating parties deliberate well to meet the needs of individual sides of the agreements. References DFM Unitar. 2004. Negotiations in Debt and Financial Management. Online Resource Center UNITAR. Retrieved February 21, 2008 from http://www.unitar.org/dfm/resource_center/Document_Series/Document4/3Theoretical.htm. Wertheim, E. N.D. Negotiations and Resolving Conflicts: An Overview. College of Business Administration, Northeastern University. Retrieved February 21, 2008 from http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/negot3.htm. Â