As I have mentioned in my previous blog posts, I have been observing the 7th and 8th grade honor's classes. I didn't feel as if that class was giving me enough material to post about the resources used to meet the needs of challenged and gifted students, as all of the students in the class I am observing are gifted. I have been holding off on posting about the classroom instruction, until I had a chance to observe the regular 7th and 8th grade classes. On 3/25/2014 and 4/1/2014 I observed the 7th and 8th grade general education classes and I now feel like I have enough observation to comment on this topic.
There are only two classes per grade level in this school and the two classes are split into one general education class and one honor's class. I have observed both the general and the honor's classes and there are only slight differences in the instruction for the different levels. There are no additional teachers or aides in any classrooms, no students with language difficulties, no students with special needs or who are receiving special services, and all students use the same textbook, handouts, etc.
If there were any students receiving special services, I don't think it would be obvious, however, I have witnessed the teacher comparing her honor's class to her general ed class on several occasions. The teacher has made comments such as; "Are you guys confusing yourselves with the afternoon class, because this is behavior I expect from them, not behavior I expect from you?" I have not witnessed any of these comments in the general ed class. So, from this, I think it's fair to say that the honor's classes know that they are honor's and the other class is not, but I have not seen any indication from the general ed class to say that they know they are at a lower level then the other class.
It is very clear that the teacher expects WAY more from the honor's classes than the general ed classes and she seems to move through concepts at a faster pace with the honor's classes. She tends to give the honor's class more freedom than the general ed class as well, allowing them to go into another area of the school to work on a project or giving them more free time once they finish the planned lesson for the day.
The general ed classes are given a bit more time to complete tests, quizzes, projects and in-class assignments than the honor's classes. I have also noticed that after the teacher explains a concept, she reviews a lot more with the general ed classes than with the honor's classes. She will specifically ask students to explain concepts so that she knows they understand what they have been taught. I often notice that she calls upon the students that she thinks may have a harder time understanding the concepts or may have been daydreaming or not paying attention. The teachers' expectations for the general ed students are still high by all means, but it seems they are given slight accommodations to ensure they are proceeding as well as the honor's classes.
SIDENOTE: The 7th and 8th grade had their annual play production this past weekend and I took my mother and son to see it. I was VERY impressed, the show was VERY good! It was great to see the students out of uniform and out of their normal element. There are a lot of talented children in this school!
There are only two classes per grade level in this school and the two classes are split into one general education class and one honor's class. I have observed both the general and the honor's classes and there are only slight differences in the instruction for the different levels. There are no additional teachers or aides in any classrooms, no students with language difficulties, no students with special needs or who are receiving special services, and all students use the same textbook, handouts, etc.
If there were any students receiving special services, I don't think it would be obvious, however, I have witnessed the teacher comparing her honor's class to her general ed class on several occasions. The teacher has made comments such as; "Are you guys confusing yourselves with the afternoon class, because this is behavior I expect from them, not behavior I expect from you?" I have not witnessed any of these comments in the general ed class. So, from this, I think it's fair to say that the honor's classes know that they are honor's and the other class is not, but I have not seen any indication from the general ed class to say that they know they are at a lower level then the other class.
It is very clear that the teacher expects WAY more from the honor's classes than the general ed classes and she seems to move through concepts at a faster pace with the honor's classes. She tends to give the honor's class more freedom than the general ed class as well, allowing them to go into another area of the school to work on a project or giving them more free time once they finish the planned lesson for the day.
The general ed classes are given a bit more time to complete tests, quizzes, projects and in-class assignments than the honor's classes. I have also noticed that after the teacher explains a concept, she reviews a lot more with the general ed classes than with the honor's classes. She will specifically ask students to explain concepts so that she knows they understand what they have been taught. I often notice that she calls upon the students that she thinks may have a harder time understanding the concepts or may have been daydreaming or not paying attention. The teachers' expectations for the general ed students are still high by all means, but it seems they are given slight accommodations to ensure they are proceeding as well as the honor's classes.
SIDENOTE: The 7th and 8th grade had their annual play production this past weekend and I took my mother and son to see it. I was VERY impressed, the show was VERY good! It was great to see the students out of uniform and out of their normal element. There are a lot of talented children in this school!