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

I think the most important thing i've learned is that there are many different types of teachers and ways to teach. I think I felt before that there was a cookie cutter type of personality that would be the only kind to be make a good teacher. As i've been able to observe in 4 different classrooms (2 main) I have seen that each teacher is unique with their personality, teaching style and emphases. That has helped me a lot, especially when I felt unsure if my personality would fit well as a teacher. I have been able to see (in my opinion) what works and what doesn't - with some types of kids, some types of lessons, etc. Its been great to see the variety, and i'm really glad we were placed in two different classes.

I have also found that it is so important to listen to the kids. It seems simple to make a lesson plan and stick with it, but some teachers are good about going with the flow and teaching the way and style that specific kids will respond to the best. There is so much more variety and flexibility than I thought, and I have found that it is a very good thing.

What are the school rules/classroom rules and how are they enforced? What are the procedures the teacher uses to make everything run smoothly in the class?

I feel like the two questions posed go hand in hand. The classroom rules are written vary largely on the back wall in the classroom. Each rule was agreed upon by the entire class. I think that is a novel way to create rules for the class. Not only do the kids create and agree on the rules before the school year starts, but they are held accountable by their classmates as well. Its like a contract, the kids all sign the bottom, stating that they will follow the above rules. I can't remember them all right now, but some of them are: Raise your hand when speaking, be respectful of others, stay in seat, etc. 

To make the class run smoothly, the teacher enforces the rules of the classroom. I have also noticed that he is very good at being patient, looking at the ground and waiting for the class to be quiet before he continues teaching. The students know him and his teaching style, so they have caught on pretty fast on the way things are run. They don't fight the system, which is so great. He also chooses different children each day to be the line leader, or the kid to take the library books to the library, etc. That way each kid gets a chance to be the leader for the day. Most of all though, he is a friend to the students and a person they can trust. 

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

I saw several examples, just today, on how the teacher engages the students.
-Today they had a sort of extended recess/field day for about an hour with a few different classes. I noticed right away, that the teacher started playing with the kids. He played 4-square, basketball, soccer, jumprope, scooters, etc with them. I thought that was really admirable, because he could have just sat and watched, but he wanted the kids to be active, so he joined in. I found it to be very effective, and the kids LOVED playing with him.
-The teacher is also very good at validating the children. As we walked to the library, he commended several of the children on being quiet and respectful. I saw that this was not just effective on the behaving students, but the more rowdy ones saw his praise and started to follow suit.
-The teacher also has been reading a chapter book to the kids. I've noticed that he is very good at changing his tone for different parts of the story, and also asking questions as they go along. He doesn't just read straight through, he will read a paragraph or so, and then ask, "why do you think the character is doing that?" or "what do you think will happen next?" He even had each table discuss two different characters and why one did what was right, and the other didn't. This helps the students have better comprehension to what they are reading, and become more interested in the story.

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

Every role a teacher plays is important, and some children specifically benefit from one over another. I don't know if it is the most important, but one role I have found that helps each child at the same time, is being a classroom manager. Some students have a particularly difficult time learning with distractions around them. A good teacher is very aware of the entire situation of the classroom, and manages it in such a way that is conducive for all the children to be able to learn and to be safe. I have started observing in a new classroom (4th grade) and one thing I noticed today is that the teacher was very good and disciplining in a way that wasn't shaming to the children. He would instruct and discipline one child on an individual level, instead of in front of the whole class. I think this is a good way of managing the classroom, because even though there is a large group of students, there is still one-on-one attention where it needs to be. It also makes the children feel safe, like they aren't going to be made an example to the class. Another thing he was very good at, was validating students for positive behavior. There was so much focus on the positive, that there was significantly less negative behavior than what I've seen in the other classes I've been too. I love being able to see the different teaching styles each teacher brings to the classroom.

How does this teacher manage assessment?

As I have talked about in a previous blog, this teacher assesses students with "Fluency" readings. Each child has a minute to read a short story and I count the words the read and mark the ones they made mistakes on. Then I read the story to the child, and they take it to their desk to read a few times. Then I call them back and they do it again. They are supposed to double their words read. I do this assessment almost every time I go to class, but have yet to see any end results or "check ups" with the kids. I don't know whether she goes through the binder to see how each kid is doing, etc. I have done this in 2 other 1st grade classes, and have seen the same thing. I'm not sure how they manage the assessments. I know they do other things, such as read the class a story, and then give a quiz on the content. Or the obvious weekly homework assignments. I have also mentioned before, that individual homework packets are given to children based upon their level. It will be interesting to see if anything is done with these fluency readings, and how the teacher uses them to assess the children.

What modifications for learners who are exceptional do you see?

This last week at school, I had a great time with the students. I worked for about an hour doing cold and hot reads with the children. One way the teacher makes modifications for the children who are exceptional is by letting them advance in the reading selections, so they are reading stories that are more of a challenge for them. That way they don't get bored, and are able to increase their knowledge at a faster pace then the other children.
Another way is by the homework the teacher sends. I put together packets for the children, and there were three different types: A, B, and C. Each packet was a different level of difficulty. The teacher knows which children are exceptional and gives them the more difficult packet to the kids who can handle it.
I can think of many different modifications made for those who are struggling. I think its great that there isn't a one-size-fits-all curriculum for the children. Each child learns differently, and has various strengths and weaknesses.

One on one time with a student

• Tell about an opportunity you had to work one on one with a student.

I had an excellent time volunteering in my classroom this week. The teacher had me work in two 1st grade classrooms helping children with their fluency. I was able to work one on one with children for almost the whole two hours, while also observing the class and teachers. Basically there is a binder full of stories and records for each child. I would have a child come and sit by me, and read to me a story from the binder. I would time the child for 1 minute and then count how many words they read, and how many mistakes were made. Then I would read the story to them, and give them the story to take back to their desk to read again. Then after doing this with a couple of students, I would pull the first student back and have them read me the story again. I would again have them read me the story again, time them, and count their words and mistakes. Almost consistently, the student would double their word count the second time. The teacher called the first read a "cold read" and the second one a "hot read". I was able to do this with about 20 students total. 

I really enjoyed being able to have this one on one time, and it made me think of the Ruby Bridges story we have been studying about. Ruby's first year at William Frantz school, no teacher would allow her in their class except for Barbara Henry. Ruby was Mrs. Henry's only student that year, and they did everything together. Mrs. Henry sat next to Ruby in a desk instead of stood in front of her. She did jumping jacks with her inside, instead of going to recess and they ate lunch together in the classroom. I think we can learn from Mrs. Henry's compassion toward the individual. A lot of times teacher's don't get to spend a lot of individual time with students when they have a full classroom, but we can try to get to know students and show them we care with one on one time. 

How does knowledge of the way people learn related to the experience of being a teacher?

1/31/14

Today was my first day of volunteer work in the classroom. I was placed with a 1st grade class where the teacher is head of the 1st grade classes. In addition to helping with her class, she asked the other volunteers and myself to help out in the other classes with students who are below their reading level.

It was very interesting to observe the different teaching methods that we have been learning about. I did my research paper on multiple intelligence's, and found many of them were practiced today. Here are some examples of what I saw took place:

Assignments using an IPad - Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence
Reading books to self - Intrapersonal Intelligence
Singing - Musical/Rhythm Intelligence
Using different languages - Linguistic Intelligence
Yoga - Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence
Jumping & Clapping while counting - Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence, Logical/Mathematical Intelligence
Counting letters - Logical/Mathematical Intelligence
Getting in partnerships - Interpersonal Intelligence

I think this is very important to understand as a teacher, so that one can use a large variety of teaching methods to increase the knowledge of students. Not only do 1st graders have a short attention span,  but they need the variety of teaching methods so they feel comfortable learning the ways they already know how and can also improve in ways they are still working on.

Overall, it was a great experience so far, and I am looking forward to next week!