FieldBlogPost: Shaker Heights High School

This morning our ED100 class traveled to Shaker Heights High School to do our second round of full class teaching observations. Each student was given a two period itinerary, consisting of two different classes in which to observe. I was able to it in on a Psychology class, and a Physics course. As I quietly sat in the back of the room, I made an attempt to relate the teaching I saw in the classroom to the qualities of a good teacher as outlined by Robert DiGiulio in the reading for class. The query that focused my observations asked which of the qualities each teacher showed. Lucky for me, I was able to find a number of connections.

Mrs. Sheppard, the psychology teacher, was the first person I observed today. The lesson was centered on the cognitive abilities of children, and how they affect behavior and mental processes. In what could have been pinned as a boring lecture, Mrs. Sheppard remained very enthusiastic. She continually maintained a positive tone and attitude when talking through examples and new ideas. Also, her distinctive character emanated from the way she presented herself in the classroom. She sat on a physio-ball chair when talking with the students, and continued to move around the room in a comfortable manner. The tone she took with her students relayed to me that she genuinely cared about their learning, and put their needs first. One thing that Mrs. Sheppard has done is created a classroom atmosphere where students feel comfortable asking critical questions. This has ultimately resulted in a mood of productivity in the room that better engages students in their learning.

At the sound of the announcements I walked immediately next door to room 259 for Mr. Schmidt's physics class. I was instantly greeted with his enthusiastic personality. He was working on the conclusion of a review session with a class as I sat down in a seat. The next class was doing more of the same review. He would pose a question that was on the worksheet they were working on, and ask for students to answer. What I noticed about the characteristics he showed was that he was very knowledgeable on his discipline, held students accountable for their learning, and believed that all students could succeed. Many times a student would offer a wrong answer, and rather than say "wrong" and move on, he would work though the problem to identify what the student did incorrectly. Also, at one point one student referred to another as "dumb." Mr. Schmidt addressed this by simply asking the name called student to work with him through the problem. Afterwards, every student was on the same page, ready to move forward.

All in all the trip to Shaker Heights High was very educational. Not in the manner that we observed educators, but in that I learned a little about myself, and good teaching at the school. By identifying the characteristics of good teaching, as discussed in class, I grew in my own understanding of great teaching.