The observation was conducted on June 1, 2017, with an aim to determine the concept of equity within a classroom setting. The observation was done at Sunset primary school and the subject area covered was English in grade 4. Further, focusing on the classroom’s physical setting, the class had 20 seats and two tables. There are three rows, and on the walls, there were work display of drawings. The topic of the lesson observed was verbs and tenses. There were 18 students in the classroom. The ethnic group represented in the class includes Chinese, Japanese, Arabs, Black American and Mexican. Based on student’s gender, there were about ten boys and eight girls.
It is clear that the teacher treated all students equitably, in that, she offered an equal opportunity to every student to participate in answering the questions. Every child actively was involved in reading passages and in responding to questions. She asked the class for specific examples from their background. The teacher actively recognizes diversity with respect, and this could be seen in the manner at which she refrained from the ridicule of students when there was a mistake. It is clear that students often would make mistakes when answering the questions, but the teacher tried as much to approach such an instance with great respect and avoid ridiculing them before other students. The teacher started the lecture by allotting some time to kids to share their birthday or festival on that particular day or for the entire week. The student then had to share some of the rites, rituals, beliefs and customs that are followed by their community. In a situation where the child had nothing to celebrate, they were asked to talk about any superstition or inhumane cultural practice.
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The teacher recognized diverse learning styles where she employed the variety of teaching strategies. It is clear that every student has his or her ideal teaching approach, therefore using a variety of teaching strategies was critical to ensure that she covered diverse learning style. When it came to instructing all the students, the teacher made sure that she communicated to different students in the classroom. Through speaking to various students, the teacher successfully instructed the entire class on what was expected of them. To ensure that the offered an open climate to the students, she first greeted the students in the same manner and accepted the student’s feedback. When they are greeted in the same manner, the students tend to develop a feeling that they are all equal irrespective of their ethnic and racial differences. In addition to this, accepting the feedback of each student also plays a vital role because the students would feel that their ideas and contributions are valued.
During the lesson, the teacher also ensured that she used alternate and diverse materials such as manipulative, computers and even handouts. It was meant to make sure that each student has an opportunity to access ranges of materials that best suit them. In addition to this, project work incorporated diversity as well as established in this classroom. The students were divided into pairs or medium-sized heterogeneous groups to do projects, research and seek answers. To ensure that the teacher accommodates and provides provision for the student’s needs, she provided extra time, repetition of instructions, assistive technology, tutors, and peer groups. It helped when the teacher took the time to know her students' general problem and limitations because it avoided stereotyping and misunderstanding, and it can also sensitize the teacher to the extraneous constraints and uniqueness of the child. Evidently, this was used positively to encourage sharing with the class and for remedial learning. For instance, if the child is a 1st-generation learner, the teacher was more tolerant and patient, or in other cases, she asked another child to help this one out.
Based on the lesson observed, I believe the arrangement of the class was conducive to learning. The availability of the charts on the wall would further facilitate learning. It was important to conduct the observation on English as the subject area because it allowed me to focus on diverse areas related to equitability. The total number of students was about 18 which according to me I believe was a manageable number that could be easily handled by the teacher sufficiently. The class had ranges of ethnic groups which made it suitable for analysing the concept of equity. Lastly, the class was well balanced regarding gender.
The class teacher was very sensitive to the aspect of diversity in the classroom where she tried as much not to portray any particular ethnic group as inferior. In most instances, she often generalized the whole class by greeting them uniformly which according to me created a sense of equality. Further, she asked every child to respond to questions an act that I believe gave each child an opportunity to participate in learning irrespective of their origin actively. She also asked the students for cultural examples from their ethnic background which significantly gave the rest of the students an opportunity to appreciate various ethnic and racial backgrounds. Evidently, this was one of the great ways to ensure that the teacher appreciated all ethnic and racial background and will not only get the interest of the class but also motivate them to participate and interact. It also brought in diverse viewpoints and perspectives that made the lesson enjoyable for every student. The teacher and students interacted closely and intimately creating a conducive environment for learning.
