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I have been assigned the task of observing a school class and presenting my reflections on the teaching. The purpose of this exercise is to decide whether I would like to teach the subject I observed and the reasons for my decision. For this purpose, I chose the Calloway Count School. I attended a high school geography class. The topic of discussion was “The Big Bang”. I sat through most of the class and present my observations here.
The teacher began the class by greeting the students and then asking them about their views of the Universe. He asked the students to identify their location on a world map and went on to explain about continents, countries, states and cities. Once he began explaining, he asked the students to refrain from questions until he finished explaining. After his explanation and answering some questions from the students, he invited an army veteran to speak to the students. I exited half way through the speech as I had other commitments.
Through my observations of the High School Geography class, I learned a great deal about teaching techniques. The teacher I observed was well organized. His explanation of the big bang and the concepts of continents, countries, states and cities, were clear, logical and well organized. It was apparent that the teacher had prepared well for class. He often asked the students to repeat what he said to ensure that they were paying attention and to keep them involved. He encouraged participation in the form of questions, yet he kept the questions restricted to the end of class. In this way, he ensured that the students listened to his explanations so that they could ask questions later. At the same time, he kept premature questions at bay.
The subject of Geography interests me a great deal. Observing this high school teacher has inspired me to improve my knowledge on the subject and impart it to others. I would like to take up teaching high school Geography. I would like to guide my students through the complexities of nature, topography, and culture and inspire them to delve further into the sea of knowledge that nature has in store for us. For this, I must first equip myself with the right qualifications, gain more knowledge into the subject and learn the techniques to share this knowledge with young students in a simplified and easy to understand manner.
