Observe and analyze classroom teachingThis signature assignment involves observing and analyzing classroom teaching in at least 2 classrooms. The two classes I chose to observe are special education and general education. In this assignment, I will provide a summary of my observation, how teaching has differentiated to meet identified student needs, identify strengths and needs based on research-based practice, and I will suggest what next steps teachers can take to improve their lesson. The first class I observed was Ms. Black's class of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in a special day class. The lesson was observed from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The content was English language arts on root words. The standard on the board was a fourth grade standard 1.3: use knowledge of word roots to determine the meaning of unknown words in a passage. There were two groups evolving simultaneously. One group with the teacher and the other group with the help. Three students were at the listening center. The room is designed so that all students can see the board clearly. Small group arrangements are held at the front, back and sides of the room. There is a classroom library with sufficient space to accommodate several children. Three computers are available for use at the same time. Ms. Black also has many resources and student work covering the walls that students can use. The walls were covered in vocabulary words, timetables, rules and consequences, rewards, alphabets, writing processes, and lots of student work. The students present in the room were very respectful of the rest of the class, the teacher and the assistants present in the room. The lesson focused on root words...... middle of paper ...... amazed by the teacher at the good behavior of the students, especially in a class of twenty-six students to one teacher. These two classroom observations gave me the experience of knowing what to look for during a classroom observation. It was also beneficial to have two different administrators on different occasions accompany me during the observations. I learned a lot from both administrators. They provided me with suggestions and feedback on what I observed in class. It was a great experience. Works Cited Marzano, RJ, Waters, T., Mcnulty, BA, (2005). School leadership that moves from research to results. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Marzano, RJ, (2003), What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.