Blog 8

Please complete your final blog and respond to the following prompt with a 2-3 paragraph response.

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

PATIENCE

The most important thing I have learned while doing my fieldwork is the amount of patience it takes to be a good teacher.  It's important to be well organized and educated, but in the classroom it takes patience to teach.

I have had the opportunity over the last several months to observe a first grade teacher, fourth grade teacher, resource teacher, and a self contained special education teacher.  Each class presented their own challenges and each teacher presented the characteristics of a person in charge, well informed, confident, and patient with their classroom of students.

There are many things that go into be a good teacher and being able to teach a classroom full of children.  What I have observed and learned from my fieldwork is; it's important to be prepared, to be organized, to be confident, to be understanding, to work hard, to be kind, and most importantly to be patient with my students.  In every aspect in educating, patience would be the most important key to success in my classroom. 

BLOG 7

Now it is time to complete blog number seven. Choose from the topics below. Remember, I am looking for connections between what you see in the field and what you have learned in the course. Please indicate the topic and write two-three paragraphs on the topic. 

• 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 tend to be a well organized and structured person.  For me classrooms where the teachers are well organized, is a place where students can focus on learning.  When children understand and know boundaries, have a work environment free of clutter, and where things run smoothly, will have a greater success in learning.  
I like the use of the microphone in the classroom.  The teachers can be heard and do not have to raise their voice to be understood.  This is a procedure where everyone benefits.  The teacher can speak in a regular voice, calm and slow, and the students are all able to hear the instruction.
In a first grade class, the teacher uses a cute phrase to bring the students focus back to her.  I have heard, "1 2 3, eyes on me" and the use of clapping a rhythm and having the students clap back.  This teacher, I observed, used the phrase, "Hocus Pocus" and the students replied with, "everybody focus".  I thought is was clever and would be fun to change the phrase to go along with the season. 
In this unit many different disciplinary tactics were presented.  I prefer the approach of positive reinforcement. I would like to have a program in place at the beginning of the year, and teach the children what is expected of them and what is acceptable in our classroom.  I know there isn't a perfect plan, but I would like to have a classroom where things run smoothly, most of the time. :O)      

November 8, 2012
First Grade
Field Experiences

When I arrived all of the students were playing games throughout the room.  They seemed to all be enjoying themselves and playing well with one another. 
Today I worked with two students.  I played a phonic game with them one-on-one.  It was a cute game and they both seemed to enjoy playing it.  They had two pictures on one paper.  They were to find another picture with the same first sound as one of the pictures on the other paper.  It was similar to playing domino's with the number of dots, but instead the same first sound of the picture.
After working with the two students, I then went to the teacher work room where I cut laminated materials for another phonic game.  It was a quiet and easy day helping in the first grade classroom.

November 1, 2012

First Grade

Field Experience

I spent an hour with several first graders, working one on one.  I started with letter recognition with two students.  They each had made improvement over the past three months.  In addition to letter recognition, we also worked on phonics.  It was exciting to see their progress, as I had worked with both of them before.

The rest of the time was spent working on creating three letter words with six of the students in the class.  The teacher had sheets with the first and last letter already on the board.  It looked like a game board and most of the kids were excited to try this activity.  I gave them choices of a, e, i, o, or u to place between the two constants.  They then needed to sound out the word and tell me if it was a real word or a make believe word.  I found it interesting to see which vowel they would choose and watch as they worked through the sounds each letter.  At times, one child in particular, became frustrated as he was trying so hard to sound out the word, but I encouraged him to not give up.  He persisted and was pleased when he was able to sound out the word.

Blog 6

 

It is time to complete blog number six. Please respond to the following prompt. Remember, I am looking for connections between what you see in the field and what you have learned in the course. Please indicate the topic and write two-three paragraphs on the topic.

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

BEST TEACHING PRACTICES

PROMPTING

Providing additional cues and questions to help a student who has answered something incorrectly

SCAFFOLDING

Instructional assistance that teachers use to assist learners in a task to produce high rates of success

OVERLAPPING

A teacher's ability to attend to two issues simultaneously

ORGANIZED BODIES OF KNOWLEDGE

Topics that connect facts, concepts, principles

WAIT TIME

The period of silence after a question is asked and after a student is called on to answer

QUESTIONING FREQUENCY

The number of questions a teacher asks during a given period of instructional time

WITHITNESS

A teacher's awareness of what is going on in all parts of the classroom

FEEDBACK

Information about current understanding that can be used to promote new learning

CLOSURE

A form of review occurring at the end of a lesson

EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION

The practice of calling on all students-both volunteers and non volunteers-as equally as possible.

This is a list of tools for "Active Engagement" in the classroom.  Each active can be effective in keeping the class engaged.  However, a teacher needs to evaluate which activity will work best for their students and classrooms, one active may be more effective than another.