11/9/2014 Blog Entry 8

• What is the most important thing you have learned during fieldwork observation?  Why?

After all my fieldwork there have been many lessons that I have learned.  I have done fieldwork in other classes in other semesters but this semester's fieldwork I really saw a lot of different things that opened my eyes to just how desperate kids are for knowledge.  Thinking back to when I was in school I know that I always didn't think it was fun or I thought we had too much homework.   But looking at it from the teachers perspective it really changed my view.  I saw that teachers really do care and love their students and really want them to succeed and get the most out of their education that they can.  I saw just how much teacher's put into their lessons and classrooms to make it a place that students want to be.  A place where young minds can grow and can really love learning.  

I think that teachers are some of the best people in the world.  They can influence young people in such a powerful way that it makes me proud to have chosen this as my profession.  This semester has been one of the most rewarding in the field.  I have had a more hands on approach instead of just observing which has made it such a wonderful experience.  I look forward to my future where I can have these young people in my care to help shape their minds and teach them that success is not hard to achieve if you just believe you can do it.

11/9/2014 Blog Entry 7

• What are the school rules/classroom rules and how are they enforced?

There a few simple rules in the classroom. 

Raise your hand to speak

No talking while teacher is talking

Keep hands to yourself

Follow directions

Have fun

These are the rules of the classroom.  I like how simple but direct they are.  I really like that there are rules for safety and rules to make learning fun.  I think it is important to make sure and enforce rules that are not just about what not to do but also make the rules about positive things and enforce those just as much.  The way that the rules are enforced are with a name on the board type of system.  There is a warning given and if you are called on again then your name is put on the board.  If you continue to misbehave then a check mark is added.  You can have the check marks removed if your behavior is corrected.  A way that the class is held responsible for their actions is with scoops of popcorn.  At the beginning of everyday the class starts with 10 scoops the worse the behavior the more scoops get taken away.  When the jar is full of popcorn kernels the class can have a popcorn party and watch an education video for the last 20 mins. of class.  This really seems to be effective and all the students work hard to get to the popcorn party.

This is a great reward system because it not only helps each student be held accountable for their actions but also the class as a whole.  I have noticed many times other students saying to their classmates that they need to watch out for their behavior because they want to have a popcorn party. This is a great way to help the students learn that their actions don't only effect them but others around them.  It is a good lesson to teach to our students that they can help themselves and others.

11/9/2014 Blog Entry 6

• What strategies does the teacher use to actively engage the students? How effective are these?

I know there are countless strategies that can be used to engage students.  To me this probably one of the hardest things to do in a classroom.  It is one thing to teach a room full of children but to have them actively participate and to retain that information is something completely different.  I think to even my own education that I am pursuing right now.  I think about the things that keep me engaged in a college setting.  At least in the college setting students know the basics of reading, writing and how to critically think and answer questions.  In the kindergarten class that I observe in it can be much harder.  These students are just learning these concepts and are not able to always stay engaged very easily.

In the classroom I observe in the teacher does a great job of engaging her students.  She noticed after about 3 weeks of school that she needed to change her schedule of the classroom and even the way she presented the material.  She noticed that her students respond so much better to shorter lessons.  Instead of her spending a full 45 mins on math at one time she breaks it up into mini lessons.  She does her math lesson then does a writing lesson and then another math.  She incorporates all lessons into one near the end.  She has the students write the numbers or math problems but also has them write a word problem to do with that math problem.  They work on their story writing and math at the same time.  I loved this idea.  I noticed that the students did transition more easily from one activity to another when they had shorter but more frequent lessons.  

This is a great way for the student's to be engaged and learning instead of growing bored or antsy and not paying attention.  She noticed that once she started this method of teaching that her classroom was much more calm and orderly.  I can really see how this is a benefit to her and her students.

11/7/2014

What do you think is the most challenging role a teacher plays?  Why?

This is a tough one for me.  I can see that teachers step into a lot of roles in a classroom on any given day.  Sometimes teachers are the only ones that kids feel comfortable talking to about things.  I think that the most challenging role a teacher plays is that of disciplinarian.  It is a fine line that can be crossed very easily.  Teachers care so much about their students and about their education that being the bad guy is not always what they want.

In the classroom I have seen teachers struggle with this very thing.  They want to have fun and do fun activities to help students learn but at the same time maintain an orderly and safe classroom.  Sometimes that can't happen if students are being unruly or even violent.  Teachers need to think of the safety and learning environment of all the students not just one.  IT can be hard for a teacher to discipline a student because you don't want to embarrass or hurt the feelings of any student.  Discipline is a big part of the classroom setting.  It can keep the classroom a place of consistency and structure, which for a lot of students is what they need to be successful.

10/24/2014

• How does this teacher manage assessment?

     While observing in the classroom I have seen a few different types of assessment that my teacher has done.  It seemed to me that she assessed different skills in different ways, which I found to be a good tool.  It was a way for the students to not feel as if they were being tested but like they were just playing a game or having some one on one time with the teacher.  She assessed the students reading on one occasion that I was there.  During small group work she would I have a table where she would sit and have the children read to her.  They each would follow along and then read a sentence to her.  Once they had read a sentence they would then read to another person at the table.  I loved this because she could really see how each child was doing with their reading.
   
     On another occasion she was working on math skills and used a similar way of assessment but it was not in a group setting.  She would pull aside a student and work independently with them on their understanding of the math concept they were working on which was adding.  This is a kindergarten class so I can see how doing some one on one time with her students when learning new concepts could really be beneficial.   She mentioned that she usually does this one on one only when new concepts are introduced and tends to more of a group assessments when she is wanting to review certain things.
   
     I really liked that way of assessing.  Using a more personal assessment with new concepts and then when needing to review doing a more general group assessment.  I think that both methods work well in the dynamic of her classroom.

10/10/2014

• What modifications for learners who are exceptional do you see?

This time I was able to work more with the students and noticed a few things.  Some of the students were working on different note books than others when they were working individually with teacher.  I noticed most during the reading time that she had.  Some students were working in more difficult books than others.  I asked her why and she said that some of her students were on different reading levels and when she is working one on one with the students she really likes to push them.  She does that when it is one on one because she does not want the other students to feel like they are not all equal when working in groups.  If they are all working on different books then they might feel like they are not good enough.

I loved that she took the time to work individually with the students on their own level of learning.  It was good to see a teacher that really did take notice of what each student needs and helping to cater to that need.  I liked that she did this individually and it did not make the students that were not on a higher reading level feel as if they were less of a student.

09/15/2014

During this classroom time I was able to work with the students during their small groups.  There were 4 groups reading, writing, math and alphabet.  I worked with the students that were working on the alphabet group.  The teacher had the alphabet written on strips of papers and then had all of the students names printed on small strips of papers that she cut out.  The students would take the names and put them under the letter that the name started with.  So if it was Riley they would put it under the Rr.  Of course the first thing each student wanted to do was find their own name and put it where it was supposed to go.  Once they did that they really got into finding the letter to match.  A few of the students were a little disappointed that they didn't have a name for every letter of the alphabet but soon realized they could figure out other words that would fit.  Once all the names were placed they started to to look at the letters with no names and would try to figure out words that started with those letters.

I really liked this activity.  It not only reinforced the learning of letters and sounds but the kids really did show that they could think outside the box.  Once the names were gone they came up with their own sort of game to continue in their learning.  They would think of words and really sound them out and figure out what letter they were using and how it matched up with the letters in the alphabet.  This was a great learning activity that helped me see that sometimes the students don't even realize they are learning because they are having fun.