A 6th grade classroom is never quiet
Saanvi Y -
I work in a classroom. I spend my time observing the 6th graders to measure their participation. I came in with some expectations of general classroom behaviour, but was wildly surprised with how kids actually behaved in the classroom.
As an older sister to a 6th grader, I believed I already knew how 6th graders were to behave. However, after observing the 6th graders for 2 weeks, I’ve learned how unique behaviour is. I’ve observed kids who learn (and don’t learn) in extremely different ways. Specifically, in one class, I have seen two different extremes. One student likes to ask questions for clarification from the instructor. Every slide the student will raise their hand and reiterate what the teacher has said as a form of asking “is this a correct understanding?” On the other side of the same classroom, there is a student who asks questions on expanding the lesson. They will raise their hand every slide and present a situation and ask if the same principles apply. My personal favourite would be when the topic was waves and energy, and the student posed a question on how if they were a surfer on a surfboard, which was on a wave, which was on sand, which was on dirt, which was on the layers of the Earth, which was on the core of the Earth, would them pushing down on the surfboard cause the core of the Earth to be pushed? These 6th graders are very curious, which may make some outside listeners a little irritated, but it makes me wonder where all this curiosity goes when we get older.
For behaviour in the classroom, I came in with the expectation that kids who don’t want to pay attention would try to hide their behaviour from the instructor. I expected that I would have a hard time categorising behaviour. However, many of them are very open with their lack of interest. Some will get up to get a tissue 5 times within 3 minutes to just talk with their friend in the back. Some will draw on the whiteboard during lectures. Some will be turned 180° away from the teacher to have a conversation during lectures. I’ve seen kids get up and dance, walk around randomly, and openly cheat on classwork. It’s easy for me to categorise data, but a little disheartening to see.
The classroom environment is loud, and a little overwhelming with 6th graders, but is also an inside look into the minds and lives of the youth. It’s different from what I expected because I’ve never had to sit in their classroom till now. I’m gaining a more in depth understanding of their participation and behaviour.