Observation post, obs #1

Our first observation in the classroom (4th grade) took place February 2nd. During the time we were there (science class), the teacher lead a quick review of what needed to be learned for an upcoming assessment on weather and then had students split off into pairs or small groups to quiz each other on the material they had collected in their binders. I joined a group of two girls, Bethany and Teresa (these names have been changed), who insisted on me reading a description of, for example, a cumulo-nimbus cloud, leaving one word out which they had to guess. What I noticed most from this interaction was that both students were banking on success through recognition. The students in the group I was with resisted my suggestion, which was that I supply a concept/object (ex. cumulo-nimbus cloud) and they name some of the characteristics of that concept/object (ex. often involved in thunderstorms, may create flashflooding, large and low). This resistance reminded me of my resistance to the same type of learning--I would've much rather studied a little and been able to recognize a concept than to have to show my own understanding of the concept through writing/speaking/etc. Unfortunately for my past self and these two girls, I now realize that recognition does little for understanding. I might recognize that, in the cloze item "The two boys, who hadn't slept in days, were now ________ and ready for sleep. (excited, nervous, lethargic)," lethargic makes the most sense. But if you were to ask me to use lethargic in a sentence, I would have a much harder time with it (which is why the sentence above is possibly a terrible one). All this to say that I could see that some students, such as these, might need more of a push than others to go beyond recognition (and "getting by" for tests, then forgetting everything) and reach a greater level of understanding. It's more work, sure, but in the end, the students will benefit quite a bit.
After science class (and at some points during the class), my partner and I retrieved some of the materials we would need for our later lesson on the Western Region of the United States.