Essay Sample on Pedagogy: Classroom Strategies

Classroom Activities

Activities for today Monday are greeting, breakfast, morning circle, coloring, tracing letters, music, reading, bathroom, lunch, rest/nap/sleep, wash hands, snack, circle time, free play and good bye.

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Observations

Today is the first day of class after the Thanksgiving holiday and a long weekend of no school/classes. The children seemed to be lazy today to do work in the morning. After breakfast, everyone got ready for the morning circle. The head teacher read a book and asked students questions about the book. After reading book stories the children, one by one got up in front of the class to recite poems for the upcoming show for the parents. Teacher's aide Victoria helped the children by reciting the poems with them. Also, the head teacher Michelle recited the poems with the children. I was amazed at how the kids memorized such beautiful poems.

The teacher also narrated the students a story and asked them questions from it. In the end, the teacher requested some students to volunteer and narrate some stories they had. It was a fun and highly fulfilling experience which can be used in later classes.

Critical Analysis of the Observations

The day's activities involved reading, reciting poems, and answering questions. When it comes to reading and reciting, students usually show different skills, and it was the same in our case. However, knowing that the teacher is at the center of the instruction as Glanz (2015) argues, the teacher provided everything the students required to have a good experience that day. The part of answering questions seemed the most exciting since children can engage each other confidently. Stories seemed to boost the student's confidence. Since there wasn't any interruption, it is right deducing that the teacher succeeded in classroom management. Glasgow and Hicks (2015) assert that successful instruction starts with classroom management.

Theories

Theories of learning vary, and some are applicable in this scenario. As it can be manifested, there are many instructional strategies including reading, reciting, storytelling as well as question-answer sessions. This strategy coincides with Gagne's theory of conditions of learning. It calls for a mix of strategies as situations change (Tomei, 2008). Also, with marking homework and helping the students to address their difficulties, the teacher reinforces the required behavior. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning assumes that behavior is reinforced to augment learning.

References

Glanz, J. (2015). Teaching 101: Classroom strategies for the beginning teacher. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Glasgow, N. A., & Hicks, C. D. (2015). What Successful Teachers Do: 101 Research-Based Classroom Strategies for New and Veteran Teachers. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Tomei, L. A. (2008). Encyclopedia of information technology curriculum integration. Hershey, Pa: IGI Global.