Observation Report 1/Draft

Respect, engagement, knowledge, and positive expectations promote intellectual growth.

Observation purpose:

To gain an understanding of what youth from different cultures do, how they interact, what their interests are, and what appears to be important to them.  In attempting to understand these factors, we can better relate to and understand them, find commonalities to share, celebrate differences, and incorporate things that are of interest to them into lesson plans that will not only engage them, but offer real world experiences and tools that they can relate to, thus hopefully diminish a cultural learning barrier that we may be unaware of. Awareness:  I realize that I have to be open to watching for biases within myself.  Effective teachers enable effective learning.

Group plan: use Prezi to share what we have learned about the culture of adolescents from our combined observations (Tammy, Ellyssa, Anne, and Ana).

What do I know from the observations at Rivertown Crossings Mall?

1.      Adolescents like to hang out at the mall as couples, threesomes, groups, and with family (especially with Moms and often with Grandmas as well).  The central meeting area is the food court and most of them eat together.

2.      Most have cell phones or smart phones.

3.      Younger (middle schoolers) are more active, louder, and playful.  The boys tend to wear hats.  When the group separates to explore the mall or stay behind, they separate by genders (males together, females together), then come back together as a mixed group.

4.      High school students hang out as couples; not so much with middle school;

5.      Even at the mall students may be bored as evidenced by a few middle school girls while the boys were away.

6.      It seemed to me that the groups or trios were primarily comprised of the same race.

7.      High school girls like shopping at Charlotte Ruse.

8.      High school and middle school boys shop at Pac Sun and Abercrombie and Fitch.

9.      Most purchases were made by students in high school.

10.  Group of 3 Latino high school boys wearing non-name brand clothing.

11.  All ages and sexes like going to movies.

12.  African Americans primarily in larger groups, may be mixed in age bringing along younger siblings.

13.  All ethnicities appear to favor Monster energy drinks.

14.  Some families are mixed races.

15.  Adolescents were with families more during the early part of the afternoon; late afternoon and early evening, they were without parents much more

16.  Several teens worked at clothing stores or restaurants; girls mostly at clothing stores.