Classroom Dynamics

Classroom demographics
Teacher and student interactions
Student behaviors
Student and student interactions

English language learners
Teachers used diagrams and pictures to augment the words they are saying in class. ELL students could understand better.
The ELL learners were quite passive unless actively engaged by the teacher using the learning and teaching materials.
Their interaction with each other was above board. Some even asked questions in class.

Special needs
There were two learners with learning disabilities that were being supported by paraprofessionals.
Although they appeared to learn at a slower pace, they portrayed interest in the learning activities in which they were being engaged.
The students interacted with others well. They consult and help others as well.

Gender/Age
The class has both girls and boys (though the majority of learners in class were boys).The average age of learners was 5 to 7 years. Teacher to student interactions was good across all age categories, although boys participated in class more frequently than girls.
Most of the girls were calm and better behaved as compared to boys (some boys were very hyperactive).
The level of cooperation between boys and girls was good. They assisted each other in completing group tasks.

Social-economic status
Some learners from unstable social-economic status could be noticed from gross observation of their health and dressing. Though the teacher tried to engaged them, some could shy off from participating in the learning activities.
These learners appeared more withdrawn and passive.
They interacted well with others, although some had a tendency of isolating themselves from the rests of the learners.

Ethnicity
 The learners are from different ethnic backgrounds. All these learners interacted with the teacher productively
The majority were well behaved, with a few exhibiting a poor attitude towards the teacher.
The learners appeared to get along well with the other students.

Summary of observations

The teacher was able to engage the learners optimally. The strategies used in teaching were inclusive for all the learners e.g. augmenting words with diagrams, using paraprofessionals where necessary among others. Apart from a few cases where the learners appeared to shy off (due to lack of confidence), the engagement with learners was overly productive. The student behaviors ranged from passive to active, with some portraying some levels of hyperactivity. Passive learners were majorly those from relatively low social-economic status and other ethnicities. Student to student interaction was good apart from a few cases where learners could isolate themselves from the other group members.

The effect of classroom dynamics on learning

Classroom dynamics calls for immense effort from the teacher in an attempt to ensure that all the learner differences are adequately catered for in the learning process. Despite the fact that classroom dynamics can be so demanding in terms of facilitating the learning process, a teacher can leverage the same to the advantage of the students (Velliotis, 2008). Ideally, some dynamics can perpetuate discrimination or even create environments that are not very conducive to learning.

The dynamics such as the social-economic status of the students have an impact on the self-confidence of the learners. This is the reason why some learners will have a tendency of shying off or isolating themselves from the learning groups because they are feeling inferior as compared to others. The self-esteem of the female learners is likely to be lower than that of the male students, and this can be evaluated by considering the rate at which they participate in class. Learners with special needs require significant attention from the teacher. As such, there is a need for paraprofessionals to be in place  to offer in class support for these learners. However, those learners that exhibit some level of independence can be allowed to complete the same learning tasks as the mainstream class (Doveston & Keenaghan, 2006).

The English language learners will exhibit some difficulties in learning, although this does not necessarily mean their abilities are below the other students. As such, the teacher is obliged to go an extra mile to modify communication. This will entail such strategies as augmenting the spoken words with pictures (Hadfield, 2013). The teacher will be obliged to clarify some points for the learning to take place repeatedly.

Ethnicity also has an effect on the learning, especially if these ethnicities are stereotyped. For instance, some of the teachers have low expectations from the ethnic minority; this will affect the actual progress of the learner. Ethnicity from both learners and the teachers will affect the learning and academic achievement of these learners because of the stereotyping that is associated with it (Doveston & Keenaghan, 2006). Some learners also portray a poor attitude towards those teachers that appear not to be aligned with their ethnic perceptions. Such poor attitudes will make the learners not to take the teachers seriously, thus impairing the learning process. A teacher is obliged to be responsive enough to the different classroom dynamics and ensure inclusive in the delivery of teaching instructions.

References

Doveston, M., & Keenaghan, M. (2006). Improving classroom dynamics to support students’ learning and social inclusion: A collaborative approach. Support for Learning, 21(1), 5-11.

Hadfield, J. (2013). RBT: Classroom Dynamics. Oxford University Press.

Velliotis, E. P. (2008). Classroom culture and dynamics. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

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