Contextual Factors: Description of the Students

In my classroom there are a total of 13 students. With a class this small, I will need to be aware of including students in discussions in which they may not feel comfortable with. While I may simply be trying to include the whole class in a discussion, I need to remember that there are some students who are not comfortable speaking or reading in front of the class. This is a major part of setting up a safe environment where students feel comfortable enough to come talk to me about potential issues they face. Being open to my students’ feelings and understanding of their unique personalities is going to be very important for me to remember.

In my class there are 4 boys and 9 girls who are between the ages of 11 and 12. I think there are two really good things to keep in mind when teaching this class. The first is the difference in the ratio of boys to girls. I will need to make sure that I am not simply referring to my class as, “hey guys”. I am also going to need to remember to include examples of women’s activities and not only use masculine examples. I am going to have to also remember that these so called ‘masculine’ examples can also be interests that the girls in my class have. The second thing that I need to remember is the age of my students. Making classroom discussions and work, age appropriate is very important. I can’t be talking to my class about in depth discussion such as the ethical controversies of cloning. My students are going to be more interested in why they are having troubles with their friends or how they can deal with their parents getting a divorce. I also need to remember that these are students who are going through significant physical and emotional changes. Being conscious of this fact will help me to better set up a healthy, safe environment for my students.

In my interactions as their instructor I have noticed a behavioral issue that I will need to be aware of. There is a student who has been moved to the front of the class. He seems to have difficulty staying still and lacks in group work participation. Although he does not seem to distract the others in the class, I feel like he is missing out on some important concepts that are a part of my curriculum. I am going to need to learn how to micro-manage his behavior and talk with him to discuss potential solutions that will help facilitate his learning in my classroom. I think that this also brings to my attention the fact that students may be learning even while an outside observer may think otherwise. I need to remember that just because a student seems to be letting his thoughts wonder elsewhere, they may in fact be actively learning the course content.

From my observations of the students I cannot find any cliques that I will need to be aware of. The students all seem to interact well with one another, and participate in active listening during classroom discussions. I have observed that there are two girls who seem to be treated differently than the rest of their peers. I can only guess that this might be because of the socio-economic differences of the girls and the rest of the class. These two girls seem to be dressed a bit nicer and present themselves a little more confidently. It seems that their peers treat them like the leaders of the class, choosing to defer to their suggestions. However, these are just assumptions that I am making and may be lead by the enthusiasm that the two girls have in answering questions, and regardless, the two girls work well with their peers in class.