Observation For EDU221 A

I observed a 1st grade class at Baker Elementary. For this paper's purpose I will to refer to the teacher as Ms. X. Ms. X in my opinion used psychology very well and put it to great use in her classroom.

The physical environment was very inviting. She had posters, pictures, charts and bulletin boards all around the room. Very little of the plain white wall was showing yet it did not look distracting or cluttered. She did not have a lot of the student’s artwork displayed but she had a board that was very intriguing that dealt with student work. The board was for 100% test grades. It was an outdoor scene and each student had a flower they had drawn with their names on it. If they received a 100 on a test they were able to pin their flower to the board. The desks were arranged in a very effective manner for teaching and observing. There were four sets of five desks. All of the desks were facing each other to promote student interaction. The sets of tables were spaced a great deal so that movement was very possible. Ms X taught while standing and moving around the classroom. The students had centers and games they were able to do at the end of the day if their morning work was completed and checked by Ms X. The centers promoted classroom work and gave the students time to learn while they played at the same time. Overall the physical environment was very well put together to promote fun learning.

The social climate of Ms X’s class was much like the room: very happy and inviting. Students entered with smiles on their face and a positive outlook about coming to school. Ms X related very well with the students. She talked in a positive way and got down to their level. She spoke to them in a way they could understand since they were in 1st grade. The classroom was relaxed and students knew how to behave and what behaviors where expectable.

Dealing with reinforcers Ms X uses almost all types and they are used very effectively. Ms. X reinforced with verbal, token, and activity reinforcers. She praised students for their hard effort with sayings like “good job” and “excellent work”. Baker Elementary also has a school wide token reinforcer. They give the teachers fake money to give to students as rewards. This money and be redeemed at the front office for prizes. Each prize at the office has a set money amount which students can see and work for. It is called the Store. Ms X has two computers and activities for students who complete tasks. The reinforcers seem to be effective at this age group and level. Most students are excited about the money and count it to see how much more they need for there desired prize.

Punishment is used in Ms X’s Class but effectively. Normally a verbal reprimand is all that is needed. For the other times the most effective punishment is her card board. Each student at the beginning of the day starts of with a blue card if a student misbehaves a card is drawn. Often for a card to be drawn the student is given plenty of opportunity to behave and reprimands. The cards all have a different color. For each color, after the second card, time at recess is taken away and a note is filled out on the daily take home folder. If necessary a student's parents will be contacted but the folder usually is the way the teacher and parents communicate. The folder has to be signed every day in the box with the date. Some students have visited the principal but hat really is the last resort. The punishment in the class seems to be working because students really tried to behave while I observed.

From what I have learned this semester about educational psychology Ms X really uses it in her classroom. She is a very effective teacher and for the classroom very motivating. I enjoyed watching such a great teacher because it really shows how to put what you have taken from the class and put it to use. There are some things I think Ms X could improve on but it doesn’t evolve psychology. I will take a lot of this to good use when I start teaching.

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