On Tuesday, September 10, I observed Ms.

Emily Morgan teach a sophomore level

Biology class. This was a very interesting experience, and I was glad to get out of the music

hallway for forty-five minutes. It was definitely a very different dynamic in a science classroom

than in a music classroom, and I was glad I was able to experience that difference. Ms. Morgan

had a very good understanding of the information that she was teaching her students. It was clear

that she was qualifies to be teaching this class. She had a clear and concise answer to any and all

questions that her students may have had. On this particular day, the class was learning about

classifications: genus, species, etc. Ms. Morgan explained this concept to the class in a way that

was easy to understand and in a way that welcomed her students to ask her any questions that

they had. It was really nice to see this from the class; I know from my personal experience

having been in science classes that they are not always easily understood by students. To see a

teacher be able to explain these concepts so well to her students was very refreshing to see.

It is clear that Ms. Morgan’s students really respect her and her classroom. There is a

routine established in her classroom and her students know how that they need to follow it. For

the most part, Ms. Morgan had a good handle on classroom management and behavior. However,

the classroom was set up in way that half of the class was doing independent/group work, and the

other half were in the front of the room with her receiving direct instruction. This caused some of

the students not receiving direct instruction to think that they could act out during class. Some of

them were just walking around and talking to their friends, rather than doing the classwork that

they were assigned. Ms. Morgan did not allow this to go on for long though; she made it very

clear that such behavior is not accepted in her classroom and that those students were expected to

return to their seats. The students listened to her because they do respect her; she is a younger

teacher so she knows how to speak their language, while also being stern and assertive.
 Mr. Morgan was very good at communicating the material clearly and efficiently.

Coming from a third party perspective, as I have not taken a science class since I was in high

school, even I was understanding the information she was presenting to her class. Particularly

with the students she was giving direct instruction to in the front of the classroom, she really

utilized the question and discussion technique in her instruction. She would present information,

ask them a question, and then discuss the question with the students. This gave the students

multiple opportunities to grasp the material and the retention was more successful as well. My

only concern with student engagement was that half of the class was not receiving direct

instruction. Because of this, if any of those students had a question they would either need to

take their best guess or wait for a lull in instruction from the front of the room before they could

receive clarification. Because of this, some of those students were not engaged in their work and

they accomplished less.

Ms. Morgan seemed very familiar with school procedures as well as her own attendance,

behavior, and tardy policies. There were several students who were late to class, and she made it

very clear that this was not acceptable in her class and that next time those students needed to

make sure they were on time for her class. Her communication with her students also reflected

her knowledge of these policies and procedures; along with this, Mr. Morgan conducted herself

in a very professional manner in front of her students. She used professional language, while still

being able to relate to the students on their level. Along with her behavior, Ms. Morgan was

dressed very professionally for the job that she holds. Danville’s dress code for teachers is fairly

relaxed, but despite this it was still clear that she is a teacher and that she is an authority figure in

the school. This adds to respect that her students have for her and her effectiveness in teaching in

an efficient classroom atmosphere.