The environment of the classroom was established exactly at 9 o'clock. Although there are a lot of freedoms allowed, it is very easy to tell that the teacher does not let anyone stray off task.
Throughout the day, there were many different formal and informal assessments made. Formally, homework assignments and direct responses to teacher-prompted questions assessed our overall understanding. Between times, informally, the students were tested on knowledge of their peers and what opinions and facts they were stating as well as just seeing how well a group of 4 or 5 students was functioning.
The class started off with pair interactions as a way to get to know a little background on students' learning styles and experiences up to this point. As the day progressed, the groups that will be used throughout the semester were created. Immediately throwing an assignment at these groups forced them to figure out how to work effectively together very quickly but I believe it was a beneficial way to create this relationship.
Throughout the class, the level of involvement of the teacher with the groups and pairs was very high. There was often no specific question the group had for the instructor but the teacher would wait and listen to the groups' conversations and then jump in when a clarification was needed or to offer a new idea.
Overall, the class flowed incredibly smoothly from one activity to the next and it seemed that all the students were engaged throughout the day. I feel that there was too much going on in the lessons and activities to be bored.
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