Observing a Classroom

 

 

 

Observing the Classroom for the Benefit of your Tutoring Student

There are times as a tutor that you may be asked or should consider visiting the classroom to see how your student does each day at school.  A parent may have concerns about what their child is complaining about each day them come home, but want the tutor to visit the classroom to see what their child needs to do. 

You may decide that you want to visit the classroom because maybe the work you've been doing with the student isn't showing up in the students grades.  This is when it would be greatly beneficial to see what the student is up against in the classroom.

I've been several times and learned a few things along the way.  Some teachers are very relaxed and more than happy to have the tutor visit...others-not so much.  Here are the steps you need to take before visiting the school.

1. Talk with the parent about visiting the school and make sure they are okay with it.
2. Contact the teacher via email or phone and ask for permission to come observe in the classroom.
3. One more phone call, make sure to contact the school and let them know you are coming.  Some schools have a strict policy about you coming in to view the school classroom.  (I've been denied access before)

Now that you've got permission to go inside the school.  You need to make a plan for what you are going to observe.  Decide if you are going to tell your student that you are coming.  You know them well and if they can handle a surprise visit or not.

In the Classroom

Sit in the back of the room with a notebook in hand.  Make notes about where your student is located in the classroom.  Is it in the back?  Right up front?  Next to chatty students? In a group? 

Watch the student when their teacher is speaking, do they make notes?  Do they look at their face or are they fiddling with objects around them or chatting with their neighbor?

After observing for twenty minutes to an hour, finish making notes and write down any thoughts you've had to help the student do better in the class.  Make sure to thank the teacher for letting you come in and let them know you'll be contacting them soon.

After the Observation

Review your notes and think about what may help the student.  Maybe they need to take the test in the library or in the hallway where they can't see who is finishing first?  Could it be that they need to sit on the other side of the room?  What is close to them that is distracting?

Email or call the teacher.  Ask what they have found is helpful in the classroom with your student and then offer your ideas.  Start to implement their suggestions in your tutoring sessions and consider starting a motivation chart for good behavior at school or better grades. 

My Experiences

I had a student that was a true mystery.  During tutoring, he flew through the content and remembered so many things I taught him.  When he got to school, he didn't thrive or do any better.  I observed him at school and he was sitting near the teacher.  He would look at her when she was talking.  I noticed though that he often would sneak a book out and read that instead of doing his work.  We worked on that and then he hit middle school.

A whole new set of problems showed up in middle school.  He had several classes which was good, he liked the change of pace and not being with the same teacher.  It became that he would race through a test because he couldn't stand to be last to turn in that test. 

Observing in the classroom and getting teachers on the same wavelength helps so much.  After a long year in middle school, we figured it out.  He enjoyed coming to tutoring too much.  We cut him coming to me out so that he had to stand on his own two feet at school and work.  He knew that if he did well, that would mean no more tutoring. 

Another School Observation let me see how another student wasn't succeeding in the class.  The teachers tests were really lengthy and didn't give much time for students to complete the tests.  Most of this teachers students were doing poorly.  Our focus then became how to get through a test quicker and use some backwards problem solving with multiple choice tests.  This helped tremendously.  My student got it figured out.

I hope you'll consider visiting the school and get a whole picture of your students learning environments.