Reflection Journal #4-Domain #4: Teaching and Instruction

Different strategies

The teacher has a variety of ways that she introduces new strategies and materials to the class; I think this is important because it helps the students feel like things are not repetitive. Sometimes the teacher presents materials and different lessons in a transition to the past assignment and sometimes she talks with the students about their prior knowledge of the certain subject. I find that the students don’t always have that much prior knowledge of a certain subject which sometimes makes it difficult to introduce a subject. When I taught my lesson, I wasn’t sure how to introduce the concept of centimeters because it isn’t something used very often in the United States and it may come off as something not important. So I made a connection to myself as being a Canadian and how this is a type of measurement we use in Canada. To conclude, I learned that when teaching younger students it might not always helps to consider prior knowledge to introduce a subject or concept, and that it’s important to make it interesting to the students.

Student Grouping

The teacher has the students seated in small groups (6-7). She will change groups if students misbehave with one another and also monthly she will move around the students to different groups, so students can get to know one another. When they have carpet time they have a whole class discussion, this usually takes place 3-4 times a day. Another occasion is when the teacher assigns reading/math groups, which contains 3 groups of 6-7 students, one group is one on one reading with the teacher, the second group is partner reading and the third group is individual math experiments. I found Ms. Marron didn’t do that much one on one or partner or small group, her lessons usually were individual assignments. That’s why when I taught my lesson I made it small group oriented, because I feel its often more fun to learn in a group or with a partner.

Techniques to asses and evaluate learning

Sometimes when the students are working on reading assignments the teacher will walk around and observe and make notes in her notebook. Also, when they finish their reading assignment she will walk around and look over each students work and make a check or circle questions that are incorrect. When I collected my worksheets from my lesson I did a similar assessment, I checked each question that was right and circled questions that were incorrect, on the exit slip I made a checklist of each question and noted the students performance, another form of assessment was the completion of the worksheet from each group, which I made a checklist for and as well as brief notes.

What I have learned about the age group

I have learned a lot about these 1^st graders I observed in Ms. Marron’s class. One thing I have learned about these 6 and 7 year olds was they love to help out with different task and just help the teacher; such as passing out papers, erasing the board, taking the attendance, and ringing the bell. When I was in Elementary school I remember being the same way, I don’t know why but its funny how times don’t change. The second thing I’ve noticed is that the students like to tell on one another when someone doesn’t follow directions, doesn’t complete a task correctly, looks at their paper and or misbehaves. A couple of the times when I was observing the students would come back from lunch telling on a certain student because he or she hurt someone physically or emotionally and was in the principle office, but it was funny listening to their interpretations of what happened, and then the teacher would look at me like “do you understand what happened?, because she wouldn’t”. As a result, I have learned a lot, and also remembered a lot from when I was that age. I have learned that the kids come to school with a lot of problems from home and they know how to leave their problems at home while they are at school. I find these 6-7 year olds are great participants in school and try their very best most of the time. Although, sometimes the students misbehave and or forget the way they are suppose to act in the classroom or in the school; this lack of control some of the students have is due to the lack of structure or discipline they have in their home lives.

Likes and Dislikes

Students enjoy going to their special, which consist of music, gym, and computers; the specials are once daily and are 45 minutes long. The students also enjoy hands-on activities rather than seat work, going to the carpet for group discussions, and group games at the white board. I find the students don’t dislike that much; they usually are excited for any activity or lesson. Which I think is something that needs to be enforced throughout the grades, and that is fun and things that interest the students. I say this because in the community most students will be influenced by gangs, drugs etc… and it is important as teachers to show the students the importance of school and how it plays a role in their lives. As an observer I noticed that students dislike seat work because their expressions on their face tell you. When they work on their morning work, I find some of the students rush through the questions so they can join their friends playing on the carpet; which is despites the purpose of the morning work. Also, when the students are listening to lesson or instructions, they often begin to stare off into space, talk to one another, play with something in their desks; which ends up getting them in trouble, I think if there was more interaction during the lessons this would help.

Technology in the Classroom

I see technology being used once maybe twice each week. The teacher sets up a program on the computer that practices their spelling words, math and reading. The students are able to listen to stories, type words and print off their completed work once they are finished.

Reflection

Throughout the text it explains many different aspects of Teaching and the Instruction, such as assessment, applying skills, teaching lessons appropriate to students and various instructional strategies. In the text, I liked the idea of allowing time for interaction and collaboration (76) among students because it has many benefits, such as students carrying out work independently, and a critical aspect of a learning process. In the text they discuss how small groups become noisy due to questions, teasing, joking, and other comments that are usually considered “off task” (76). I feel like it’s important that students get the opportunity to converse with one another in an appropriate way because it’s often when students can see where they are comparison to their classmates. In my lesson I split the class into three groups and each group went around to the 3 centers and participated as a whole. I think this was important because it allowed the students explore as a group rather than individually. I remember when I was in elementary school and I always looked forward to group time because it allowed me to step out of my shell and also voice my opinion.

In the text I liked Kathy Rosebrock’s concept “uses but confuses” (93) because it is a great example of assessment, data collection and teacher intervention. I thought the way she gathered information and assessed their work was a perfect way to assess a student’s progress or struggle. I feel like every beginner teacher worries about parent-teacher meetings and this would be a great example to show parents and also the student(s); to show their progress and what actions will be taken to improve or take the child’s work to the next level. In Ms. Marron’s class I felt that there needs to be more assistance when students are falling behind, not just when they are beyond no return. This struggle that students feel is very important to identify because if the student feels unconnected to the rest of the class they’re more likely to act out and just give up. That’s why I think it’s important to address the problem when it occurs.

Context of the Classroom and School Community

The school I analyzed was Greenbay Elementary School, which is located in North Chicago, Illinois. The district is North Chicago SD 187, grades: K through 5. I choose this school because I plan to work at this school once I have obtained my teaching certificate, or in this district.

At this school the majority of the students are Hispanic with 47.4 %, followed by Black with 45.3%, White 4.3%, Asian/Pacific Islander 2.1% and Multi racial/ethnic 0.9%. It was interesting to compared these racial statistics to the state, the majority of the racial background was white 53.3%, next is Hispanic 20.8% and then Black 19.1%. Considering the ethnic make up of the school, the English proficient rate is 16.7% compared to the 8.0% state rate. The average class size (as of the first school day in May) Kindergarten: 18.0, Grade 1: 15.3, Grade 2: 18.5, Grade 3: 15.3, Grade 4: 19.5, and Grade 5: 18.7. On the school report card there was no information regarding a special education program. But, while I was observing in the school I was able to experience a 3-4 grade self contained special education class. There were only three other special education classrooms at the school, most of the special ed. students are included in the mainstream classroom. The one rate that caught my eye was the Attendance rate 94.3%, which is high considering the state of Illinois only requires 93.7% for non high school. The mobility rate is 22.1% which indicates the number of times students enroll in or leave a school during the school year. The low income rate is very high at this school with 84.8% compared to the state which is 42.9%. Low income means students that come from a family receiving public aid, or eligible to receive free/ or reduced price lunch. The second rate that caught my eye, and I felt was the most important was Parental Contact, which is 100 percent compared to the state which is 96.7%.

In this district the teachers consist of 67.0% White, 22.6% Black, 8.1% Hispanic, and 1.4% Asian/ Pacific Islander. The teacher’s population is 71.6% female, and 28.4% male. The average teacher salary in the district is $57,999 compared to the states $61,402. The average teacher experience is 12.7 years. The percent of teachers with Bachelor’s Degree is 51.9% with in the district. One shocking percent was the number of classes not taught by highly qualified teachers was 14.3 compared to the states 1.2%.

The Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) is a test administered to students in grades 3 through 8. The grade I was interested in was grade 3, because I plan to teach grade 1 or 2 and I would be responsible for teaching my students the necessities for the ISAT. The reading score for 2008-2009 was 38.5% which has decreased from the previous years which was 46.6%, these scores show the percentage of the students who met and exceeded the standards of the test. The mathematic scores for 2008-2009 were 57.7% and had gone down from the previous year of 58.6%. The gender comparison for reading and mathematics was similar because the statistics showed more males failed to meet the standards in both then females, where more females passed both subjects then males. Both of these scores for Reading and Mathematics were extremely low compared to the state scores.

The classroom I observes in is 75% African American and 25% Hispanic (Mexican), the class is almost evenly split between boys and girls. The students in the class all differ in their strengths and weaknesses, but the majority of the class is on the same track. There are two boys who are going through testing for a learning disability. One students was going through the process while I observed in October, but when I started observing in January his parents were going through conferences to discuss where the best placement would be appropriate for him. The other boy is still going through testing because he was held behind once before, and now he is still struggling so the teacher has become worried and he is being monitored by specialists. There are 8 Hispanic children in the class, their first language is Spanish and it is reinforced at home because most of their parents speak little to no English. Most of the students do well with English, but one girl struggles with speaking English. She is taken out of class daily where she practices reading out loud to a teachers assistant, the teacher give her a lot of praise when she ask question or gets involved with discussions. Ms. Marron, has communicated with her parents to remind her to speak English and watch English cartoons; to help her practice English.

I believe all of the students have strengths and talents, but there are a few students who succeed in many different ways in the classroom. I think this is due to the support and reinforcement the students have at home, because you can learn a lot at school, but if you have no support at home to help you practice, then you will see the difference between the students that have support and student who do not.

The culture of the classroom and school is low in social economic status, and this is due to the community the school is in; which is not a safe area. In this area most kids do not get past high school and if they do, they are superior to the rest. The community is half African American and half Hispanic. Most teachers would look past this district due to the community that surrounds the school, but I believe this is where the most help is needed, and this is the school I would like to teach at once I obtain my Bachelor’s degree. Even though the community isn’t the best, to the most part the family support is good, but there are some families that do not help with their child’s school work. Ms. Marron discussed with me how she spoke with a student’s mother because the homework that was being handed was unsatisfactory, and it was clear the student wasn’t receiving any kind of guidance, but the mother continued to say “I help him”. When Ms. Marron told me this, it made me think how important it is to get across to the parents and how vital they are to the success of their child’s academics. As I was observing I began to notice most of the students guardians were single mothers, grandparents and or mother and father. I thought this was good to know because then you consider how much assistance the students were receiving at home, some students are looked after by an older brother or sister because their parents work nights.

The behavior of the classroom is alright, but sometimes the students get out of control. Most students come to school because it is the most structured environment they know. Some families have no structure or discipline and usually those are the students that act out or the students who follow directions, it all depends on the child. Since I have been observing at the school, I would say this is one thing they need to consider fixing. When I ate with the students in the lunch room, it was a total disaster, teachers were yelling at the top of their lungs to control the kids, it was pretty sad to see. I believe that teachers can only threaten to call the parents so much, and then it is in the hands of the parents.

Therefore, I felt that some teachers may look past this school due to the results on the ISAT, also the diversity in the school and community. I personally would like to be involved in helping the students improve their scores, and I don’t think people should look past a school because of the low income rate or diversity of the students. In conclusion, the school needs to make certain changes to meet the standards of the state and to make sure there is support for the children because of the community that surrounds them.

Reflection Journal #3-Domain #3: Teaching and the Curriculum

Daily plan/schedule

In the morning:

-students get out homework from the night before and also their planner.

-start on morning work which is on the board, it consists of language and math work they have learned previously.

-bathroom break/water break

-next they go to the carpet and discuss the days of the week, counting the days and weather; the teacher picks a random student to do these tasks, as the other students support them.

-while they’re at the carpet they go over their spelling words, they use them in a sentences, and spell out loud. The spelling words they practice are for their spelling test on Friday.

-then they go back to their desks and open their reading books, which they read individually, then the teacher goes over the text with them as a group, and then she plays a tape which reads the book to them. After this they do some activities regarding the story and color.

-next they line up at the door, grab their lunch ticket and proceed to the lunch room.

After Lunch:

-they start with independent reading; they read books that they have picked from the library.

-next they start math, and complete activities and worksheets that relate to the math they have just been taught.

-bathroom break/water break

-they prepare to go to a special (music, gym, library, computers, art)

- make up time and extra time to complete past assignments.

-prepare for home time.

The teacher has a daily routine such as the one I just explained, and it changes day to day but it is usually the same. I think she does a good job relating to the age level because she always gets their attention and knows what her students enjoy doing. This is visible in the class environment and the student’s attitudes.

Classroom time

Mrs. Marron, handles the free time well she always has some activity they can do, or an activity that students haven’t finished yet. In the morning if the students finish their morning work before the others they are aloud to play games on the carpet, these games incorporate past lessons, spelling words etc…

Preparation (introduction-conclusion)

Mrs. Marron is always prepared with assignments, activities and lessons. Usually she keeps her lesson plan book around to keep her on task and make sure she is organized. When she starts a lesson, she has a short introduction depending on the lesson, but generally they end an activity by coloring a picture that is on the assignment/activity.

Identifying purpose or objective

Most lessons I can identify what the objective or purpose is, but sometimes it’s unclear. For example, when the students do reading she allows them to get familiar with the story and explore/ask questions, then she goes over the story, next she plays a tape that reads the story to them, after the story they discuss the characters, moral of the story, their perspective; they also do a work sheet that focuses on their reading comprehension. Therefore, I can definitely see a purpose for each of her lessons.

Cultural differences

The classroom is pretty evenly divided, such as half of the classroom is African American and the other half is Hispanic. One thing I have noticed is that the school focuses a lot on black history month and Hispanic heritage month. When I spoke with the teacher she said that the school is trying to focus more on these two cultures because that is the majority of the school and community. She just feels as if teaching so much about the history of these cultures is neglecting the curriculum which is something the students need most.

Reflection

I think one thing to incorporate when teaching and setting up an appropriate lesson plan is to know the students and how to connect with them. I thought in the text they discussed an essential aspect in connecting with students and that is asserting personal authority, when dealing with culture rather than race (64). I thought the example regarding the polite way of asking a student to do something compared to a direct demand was great. “Would you like to sit down now?” compared to “Sit down now”. “Isn’t it time to put the scissors away?” compared to “Put the scissors away”. I feel like the students I observe never experience any polite forms of speech and I’m not saying they never do but they’re use to a direct demand allowing them no choice. For example, the one boy I help, if I said “would you like to sit down now?” he would probably say to me “no I don’t”, I guess I have fallen into the way the teacher talks to her students and that is being direct and not leaving the students with much decision when they are legging behind or misbehaving. And, I believe that goes back to the students home life and how important it is to have an understanding of their lives. This also makes me think about differentiated instruction because all students are different, such as their attitudes, home life, cognition, and learning abilities. I think the teacher has a good handle on the students and their abilities and weaknesses. I personally think she needs to assess them one on one, to make sure everything is okay and see if things are improving or worsening. When we were in class we discussed different ways teachers can assess students without the typical grading and it can be as simple as sitting down and allowing students to read to you, debrief an activity, and or having an exit slip. Therefore, I feel like I have learned a lot of great tools and different ways of looking at teaching and setting up an appropriate lesson for my students.

Reflection Journal #2-Domain #2 and #5: Teaching ad Students/Teaching and the Profession

Student diversity in the school

The student body diversity is African American, Hispanic and white. The school is very centered around the Hispanic and African American culture due to the majority of the students are of this decent. For example, the students are learning about black history and this whole month they discuss the history of African Americans by reading books, and also on the daily announcements a student reads an essay on a famous African American.

Student involvement in the classroom

The students are involved in the classroom by completing work on the front board, through discussion, activities, bulletin boards, holiday decorations, classroom announcements and the daily routines. The class is very students oriented and the teacher is extremely focused on reaching each child’s needs. The students are nice to one another, they have groups (1,2 and 3) in which they sit at their desks. So when there us group work they work well with others to complete the task, sometimes they’re arguments or students who do not pay attention therefore, the whole group gets punished. The entire class works together well. All the students know one another by name, and I’ve noticed some students are closer than others; some students are separated as the teacher has noticed that they often get each other in trouble and become instigators. But, for the most part the students are hard workers, helpful, involved, good communicators and enjoy succeeding.

Exceptionalities in the classroom/school

I completed 15 hours of observation for a special education class at Greenbay Elementary school last semester so I was privileged to observe a 3^rd grade special education classroom, as well as observing a student in Mrs. Marrons 1^st grade class, this student was going through testing as a mainstream student. While I was in the 3^rd grade class, I noticed the class had 10 students, 2 teachers and 2 teacher aides. The class was very organized it had a structured schedule and also was at a slower pace. Most of the students had a learning disability and two students were autistic and each had a teachers aide. When I observed the 1^st grade students that was going through testing I noticed the pace was so much faster and the student was regularly pushed to the side because he was the only student who was struggling to the degree he was. The teacher usually had me work with him, doing other activities as the class continued on with their lesson. Mrs. Marron, would ask me to work on the alphabet, sounds, and words, for example I would use alphabet magnets and I would put “a” and “t” together and ask him to place a letter in front of “at”, and then sound out the word or tell me what it says. I felt like the tasks the teacher had me complete with him were not that structured or planned and seemed all over the place. But, I definitely enjoyed helping the little amount that I did because he usually was pushed to the side during class because he was unable to keep up with the class. It made me think of the times that I wasn’t helping him, how he was just being swept along. The teacher discussed with me that it was difficult for her to see him suffer, and especially made her upset when talking with his mother because she was in denial that her son needed to be put into a special ed. classroom or needed extra help; the mother would say that she helped him with homework/or activities, but it was obvious that he received no help at all. To conclude, I felt like this was an eye opener to me because it allowed me to see a difficulties that teaching brings and also ways to handle these different experiences. Therefore, I felt like the school is attentive to the students and their needs. I thought the teachers did a good job and it definitely made me think about when I have my own classroom and how I could easily have a student that struggle or has a learning disability that needs to be identified.

Teacher and Staff collaboration

The teacher I observe is Mrs. Marron, she has many teachers aides that come into the class to take out certain students that speak Spanish (their first language) to work on their speech, also they take out a couple of students that struggle with reading. The teachers’ aides come into the class at a scheduled time so students don’t miss lessons, this schedule is discussed week by week, and there is an open line of communication. Sometimes when the student(s) haven’t cooperated or misbehave with the aide, the aide will delivery a note with the student for the teacher to read; I thought it was essential how the teacher disciplined the student(s) as if they were in her own classroom. The teachers and staff seem to have a great environment with one another because there is communication, respect and structure.

Family and community members involved in the school

Family members and other members of the community are accepted into the school with open arms. When I started observing in October 2009, the staff was accepting and happy to see me involved with the school and community. A couple of the parents in the classroom are apart of the PTO, and others are active volunteers within the classroom. I have attended the Halloween, Christmas, 100^th day and Valentine’s Day party and there have always been parents that helped or participated by supplying something for the party. For example, when the school celebrated “Hello to our Heroes” they celebrated a football player of the Chicago Bears, they welcomed him into the school where he discussed his experience as a football player and also help the students write letters to members of the military who have recently returned from overseas. I felt like this was a great opportunity for students to meet a hero/superstar because it made them feel special and fortunate.

Keeping track of students progress

The teacher keeps track of students’ progress by making notes in her lesson plan book, she notes who understands or struggles, also areas that she needed to revise in the lesson to help students learn a concept or idea. She also has a daily homework that goes over what was taught the past day, she collects the work and stamps their planner to indicate it was completed. Mrs. Marron says that she marks student’s progress and also where students are struggling when she collects homework.

Extra duties/tasks

Mrs. Marron has a couple extra duties around the school, such as organizing PTO meetings at school, monitors the lunch room every other week and at the present time she is organizing a play for black history month for her 1^st graders and another class of 1^st graders. Therefore, Mrs. Marron does a good job handling all of her tasks and also her classroom.

Reflection

Since I’ve been observing I have thought about all of the challenges that teachers face on a daily basis. One thing I am excited to do is complete our final project, such as the power point and brochure on a certain critical issue topic because I can definitely see myself using it as a beginner teacher. I feel like this because at any moment you could get a new student or be in a situation that you are uninformed of at any time. I thought of this as I helped the boy with his literature and how the teacher wasn’t prepared to handle the students’ needs, or didn’t know how too. I believe this is important because you need to be prepared for any situation that a student may have. As the book says “Teach our Children Well, Essential Strategies for the Urban Classroom” and I put the emphasize on essential strategies because the book does a great job discussing strategies for communication with parents, students, other teachers and also effective ways to connect with students in the classroom and the school. One important aspect a school should incorporate is pride of place because that sets up an environment that students can excel in. I think the school and teachers do a great job incorporating a well structured environment, but one thing the school has no control of is the students home lives, unfortunately this is something that the school struggles with. I think Mrs. Marron does a good job connecting with the students because it feels like she can separate their home life from school. The students have talked to me regarding their home lives and all the problems (family members in jail, alcohol/drug abuse, and violence between family members) and I am so happy that they don’t allow those experiences at home or in their life affect their performance in the classroom and that is something that makes me proud of these 7 year olds.

Resources: Digitial Images

On my blog I have added a slide show that has two photos that I have modified on piZap. The first picture is an instructor from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago who is touching the nose of a whale. In this picture I have merged my photo (my face) into the original picture, the end product is me touching the whales nose. The second picture is Da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa. I have edited the painting to have my face in the picture rather than Mona Lisa, I have also added text that says "Incorporate yourself into the masterpiece at The Art Institute of Chicago". I choose these two picture to edit because my final project will discuss the Shedd Aquarium and The Art Institute of Chicago.

The first site I visited was called Photoshop, at first it seemed like a decent site until after I registered. Once I completed the registration I tried to upload a picture and it advised me that it was unable to find picture, so I tried some more pictures and it still wouldn't work.
Therefore, I felt like this site was a waste of time.

https://www.photoshop.com/

The second site I visited was called Picnik, my first impression of the site was the organization of the program and the bright colors. As I started working on my assignment I found that the options that were available were not sufficient enough for what I wanted to do. The site seemed pretty basic, such as cropping, rotate, colors, exposure, red eye, sharpen and resize.
To conclude, I felt this site was satisfactory.

http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome

The third site I visited was called piZap, my first impression of the site was that it was amusing because of all the different accessories you could add to a picture, such as funny eyes, noses, lips, hair, jewelry etc... Due to the fact that I didn't like any of the other sites that I had already visited I decided to continue, and there was no registration which was definitely a bonus because now I have about 2 or 3 new photoshop accounts hahaha. I enjoyed using this site because it was easy to understand, well organized, clear description of tools and it helped me complete my assignment the way I wanted too. I can definitely see myself revisiting piZap with other assignments and when I have a class of my own because they're a lot of fun and interesting things to do on this site.
Therefore, this is my favorite photo shop site.

http://www.pizap.com/index.php

BLOG, WIKI, NING

A blog is an online diary or log that anyone can create. The information that you post on your blog is unlimited and can relate to any topic. When you create a blog you have the choice to allow advertisements which if you have so many people log on to your blog you could earn money through the advertisements. You can also insert other blogs, music, video, word documents, other websites and pictures. The look of your blog is up to you, you can change the background, colors, fonts, organization of widgets (which is a website that contains space for any separate HTML web page that take on a form of an on-screen tool). Therefore, a blog can be a great way to show your creativity and personality, and you can control the web page.

A wiki is an online website that can be edited and collaborated by anyone. The information that is in-putted can be changed/edited by anyone that visits the site. An example of a wiki is Wikipedia, as a student teachers do not consider Wikipedia as a reliable source because the information that is on the site can be manipulated by anyone that visits the site.

A ning is an online social network, such as My Space, Facebook, which allows people in the network (friends) to communicate and share with one another. As a user of Facebook, I enjoy communicating and looking at my friends pictures because it allows me to keep in touch with the friends that live far away from me and also to just keep in touch with friends.

The blog and ning seem to be very similar, such as they both have an option for free or paid site, and also the choice to allow advertisements on your customized site. The option to allow ads is a way to make money with your blog or ning because the more people that visit your site the more money you will receive. For example, if you go on to YouTube, some people have blogs/nings that have rating in the millions. The difference I found between the blog and wiki was the fact that you can edit and delete entries on the wiki, whereas the blog you personally control what it put on the blog and what is removed. I believe all three (blog, wiki, ning) all share a common purpose and that is to allow people to communicate with one another.

The blog is a great way to communicate with parents of students because parents can comment ot ask questions regarding blogs that the teacher has added or other parents have made. I think the wiki is a great tool for students to use, maybe as a resource for discussing projects or assignments with one another because you could revise their work with them or correct work on their wiki. The ning I thought was a great thing to incorporate with other teachers/staff because it is a social network that can help teachers collaborate with one another at school or while at home.

Therefore, I thought the blog, wiki and ning are all great online tools that can be introduced with students, staff and parents. Since we started blogging as a class, I have learned a lot about blogs and other similar tools. As a result, I cannot wait to incorporate some of these technological tools in my own classroom, because everything is technology and it’s only going to get more advanced.

Reflection Journal #1-Domain 1: Teaching and the Environment

I am completing my 40 preclinical hours in a 1^st grade class at Greenbay Elementary School in North Chicago, Illinois.

Classroom organization

The classroom is organized in four sections, the first section is the student’s desks which are arranged in one group of 8 desks, and two groups of 6 desks, all of the desks are in front of the white board which is located at the front of the class. The second section is the teacher’s desk which is located directly across from the door and next to the windows in the front corner of the room; her desk is in a great position because she is able to monitor the whole room if she ever sat at her desk. I remember when Mrs. Marron said she wished she could assign work and sit at her desk and complete work of her own, but she told me thats what happens when you have 1st graders because they always have questions or need to be supervised. The third section is the computer area, where there are two computers, reading materials, art materials and cubbies for finished work. The fourth section is the gathering area for story time, class activities, class meetings library and other group announcements.

Do children know where things are?

The students seem to know the routine of things and if they are looking for a certain material they would be able to locate it or ask someone that knows. The students always seem to have a great concept of what they are suppose to do next, what the daily schedule is, and also keeping each other on track.

Learners and Teachers use of the classroom space

I think the learners and teacher use the space they have efficiently because they use every bit of space they have and the students understand and respect the area they share with one another. For example, when the students leave their desks they make sure that all their chairs are pushed in and the desks are all lined up, I thought this demonstrated the respect the students all have for the space and also the desks and chairs they use every day. Also, on shelves they’re posters on the sides with word banks and past spelling lists.

Child-Oriented or Teacher-Oriented

I believe the classroom is both student and teacher oriented because students are involved in all the areas of the room. I believe the classroom is a student oriented room because the teacher has allowed the students to feel at home instead of making them feel like they are invading her space. I think the only teacher oriented area is the teachers desk, some shelving where she keeps certain curriculum information and a closet which holds cleaning/party things/decorations/ and other materials. For example, in the gathering area the students participate as they sit on the rug, or when a student is picked to complete a task such as, the weather board. The class has just started discussing the weather (temperature, precipitation, wind) so when a student is picked they fill in the chart with the proper information, then the teacher asks the student what the weather is like and also ask the other students what they think about the weather. This allows the students to learn from one another and feel like they contribute to the learning process.

Resources

The resources that are in the classroom are: television with a dvd player, 2 class computers, printer, teachers computer, white board, chalk board, projector, books, magazines, newspapers, resource books, cd player, and other educational materials that the students and the teacher uses.

Use of resources

The resources that are available in the class are available to everyone except the cd player, projector and certain educational tools the teacher uses for lessons. But, whenever the teacher allows the students to work on group activities, she always reminds the class to use all the resources in the classroom and to be as creative as possible.

Techniques to get attention and make transitions

The teacher uses a bell to make transitions or when one activity is finished or to stop and look up. For example, in the morning students complete morning work and once the class has taken up the work and the teacher has collected the previous days homework; the teacher asks a student to ring the bell that is on her desk, the sound of the bell means the students should stop what they are doing and make their way to the carpet for their daily class activity. Another transition is when the students finish an activity or subject, the teacher will announce a bathroom break or water break, and the students will line up at the door and wait for the teachers okay.

Examples of technology

The teacher allows students to practice lessons they have learned on the computers, she makes a schedule so all the students get a chance to complete the computer activities. Also, when the students read their class reading textbook, the teacher allows them to read through the book and get familiar with the material and then she plays a cd that reads the story to them as they follow along.

Reflection

The classroom I am observing in demonstrates the importance of having an effective class environment which in return helps the students feel like they belong and that they are apart of the learning experience. I thought the teacher made a great effort to be in touch with all the students, for example if a student didn’t complete their homework from the previous night she would ask the student why, or ask about their home life. I thought when she spoke with the student regarding the homework she brought it to a personal level which is important because it shows the student that she really cares and also allows the teacher to understand their home life a little bit better. The teacher seemed very intuitive to her students and always trying to make sure everyone is on the same page, if some one didn’t understand a concept or idea she would tell the other students to continue working silently and she would assist that student. As I have been reading the book Teach Our Children Well: Essential Strategies for the Urban Classroom, I have learned many things to look for while observing in the classroom, so far I feel that the teacher does a good job with the class environment and students. I thought one thing the teacher does incorporate well is having a good rapport with the students, every morning the teacher goes to the gym to pick up her class and walks them to their lockers, as she walks towards the classroom she talks with many students, once she gets to the classroom she stands at the door and greets every student. Also, the teacher always allows the students to help with bulletin boards and other holiday decorations. In the classroom there are bulletin boards that represent the different cultures in the classroom, a student of the week board, past assignments and also a board that they work on everyday with the weather, days of the week, and counting the days they’ve spent together. Therefore, I feel that the teacher and classroom I am observing is helping me recognize certain strategies and tools that I have learned in class and also in the text book. While I am observing I can recognize different strategies that the teacher is implying and also how the students respond to these different strategies; which is helpful to me as I will teach them a lesson and also for when I have a class of my own.