Learning Log Reflection

There are three things that I notice about my learning log and how it has changed throughout the first month of observations. First thought, I must describe my learning log. I decided on the first day to use my computer to take notes. It would be easier to keep organized and much less likely to go missing in my bag or room. I set it up in several columns. The first is the date. The second column is the time that each note, or groups of notes are being taken. The third is the name of the class and the teacher. At the Center School we travel to several different classes and observe many different teachers. This column helps me keep track of what class I was in when something specific happened as well as allows me to compare teaching styles of different teachers. The fourth column is What I See. This is full of simply observations. What I notice about the class, how the students react and what the teacher/student says. The fifth column in What I Think. This has my assumptions and questions I have about what I just witnessed. Each class is an individual row with many points within each. It is very well organized and I am very impressed with myself for creating this. I like to have my notes organized and pretty, and this definitely fits my needs. Now, to what I have noticed...

I have noticed that in the beginning of my observations I was taking notes on the rules of the classroom and the rules of the school. It seems as if I was trying to figure out the school by observing what occurred in the classroom. On Sep. 13th, I noticed that the students rarely spoke out of turn and asked the question "Is this because they already know the school rules?" A few days later I made the observation that cellphones is NEVER a problem at this school and again asked the question "Is this a school rule that all the students seem to be obeying?" I seemed very curious about the rules of the school; that does not seem to be the case anymore. Perhaps this is because I know the rules now.

In the first few days I was so nervous about the ways the kids interacted with one another and the teachers that I took notes on their reactions and what they said. I did more observing of the students on the first day that I did the teacher. During a game in math class I tried to write down a lot of the group work between the students. In one class I spent most of the time trying to learn the students names and figuring out why they were divided into specific groups. Many of my notes in the beginning of the semester are about the students, now they are on what the teacher is doing and how the students react.

The third and last thing I noticed in my Learning Log is that I have started taking less notes, or taking notes after the fact. In the beginning I would have almost a page for each class, if not more, not I am lucky if I have a little over a page a day. I think that this is because I am becoming much more hands on. I no longer only sit in the back of the class and take notes. I walk around and help students. I talk with the teachers and I help them with their lessons. I am beginning to get more teaching experience than I was in the beginning. I have formed solid relationships with my teachers and it seems as if they are beginning to trust me more to take more charge in the class. I have stopped taking as many notes, but I think that this is a good thing.

My one question that I have is, with only a month into observations my amount of notes has depleted. What will I be taking notes on come November or December?