Field Work Observation

Field Work Observation

Vineyard Elementary 

Wow! This semester has flown by. I remember thinking how I wasn't going to be able to keep up with an online course, but here I am completing one of my last assignments. It's crazy to pinpoint what assignment or lesson has helped me the most in this course. We've learned about learning theories, the history of education, assessments, roles of teachers, active engagement, and classroom management. I've been able to make connections from everything we've learned in class to my field work observations in the elementary school. If there is one thing I would have to say was the most important from both this class and my field observation it would be the roles of a teacher.

Looking back on my elementary school teachers I don't remember what I learned in each class, but I remember my experience with each teacher. In first grade my teacher always made us stay in from recess. His disciplinary actions didn't make me like him all that much. I remember my last day in second grade my teacher wasn't able to make it to class and I was heart broken because I liked her so much. I remember my third teacher not being anywhere near as fun. My fourth grade teacher had diabetes like me and always made me feel like her little buddy. And my fifth grade teacher was so excited about every subject. I actually stayed in from recess quite a few times just to spend more time with her. Teachers are one of the greatest role models next to parents while kids are growing up.

Throughout my field work observation I noticed many roles of Mrs. Riley. Mrs. Riley knows how to have fun with the kids and sing along to songs about adverbs, verbs, and adjectives. She knows how to discipline the kids--not to make them feel bad, but to help them get back on task. She's their friend when she asks the students about their interests and how their weekends went. Mrs. Riley knows how to be a comforter when students are upset about personal issues. She helps be a mediator when students aren't getting along. She's planner and makes sure the class runs smoothly. Mrs. Riley is also a multi-tasker when timing kids as they read and helping other kids with their assignment. She is an active member of the community, and a mom to her own kids. There are many roles of a teacher! I look forward to being a teacher and fulfilling many of these same roles.

Cheers to teaching and being a life-long learner!

Classroom Rules

Classroom Rules

Vineyard Elementary

Each school and classroom has their own set of rules. Classroom rules are usually more individualized than school rules. The rules you would have in a regular ed. classroom might even be different than the rules you would see in a special ed. classroom. One of the videos from the module helped me relate to my own experience I had in high school. The video wasn't necessarily about rules, rather it was about about reinforcing a productive learning environment. My science teacher wouldn't let us in the classroom until we answered a question from the previous or current chapter we were studying. This same method or strategy is what one of the teachers from the video was displaying. Another example from one of my own experiences was from back in middle school. For each assignment we would complete we got paid in Monopoly money. Every Friday our class had an auction where we could spend our money on different appealing objects (soda pop, a set of pencils, notebooks, or popcorn). These systems were motivating to us as students, and were effective to the teachers as well. Looking back on my own experiences and this last module, I've realized there are so many ways to help reinforce a productive learning environment in the classroom.

The teacher I worked with at Vineyard Elementary had two uses of classroom rules that stood out to me. The first set of rules I noticed were the class rules created by the students. Mrs. Riley told me that this is something she does within the first week of school. The class decides on class rules they plan on following the rest of the year. The rules were written down and hung on the wall where everyone could see. Along with the written down classroom rules, Mrs. Riley used a system where if kids weren't following the rules or if they were off task they had to put their name down. If kids were on task they could move their name up. This magnetic name system used by Mrs. Riley also helped me relate to the safety-pin system and the stop light system (red, yellow, green) we learned about in the module. There are so many fun ways to help keep the class running smoothly.

Engaging Students

Engaging Students

Vineyard Elementary

I believe one of the hardest parts about being a teacher is keeping your students engaged during learning. Kids have wandering minds, so keeping them on track is a difficult task to do. In this module we've learned about multiple ways how teachers can help their students be active learners. Playing games, singing, doing projects, being physically active are all examples of how to keep students interested and engaged. There are many other strategies to use as well. For one of the class prompts we needed to discuss a listed activity and how we would change it to make it more active. The one I chose to talk about was an activity where students write the words and definitions out of dictionaries. How boring is that? My suggestion for this activity was to replace it with the Content Cognitive Dictionary. This is a more fun and interesting way of learning that the kids can actually enjoy!

In my fieldwork experience at Vineyard Elementary I've seen multiple ways the cooperating teacher has helped her students stay active while learning. Some days they sing songs about different language phrases, words, and rules (the kids get so in to it). Other days they use hand gestures to remember "different parts of a whole" to help them remember fractions. Simple phrases and physical movement help trigger memory and make learning fun. The cooperating teacher also has the students direct the morning routines; such as reading the date and time, along with big numbers and their place values. I've seen the students make flash cards to memorize book names and their authors. Each of the students each have a plant they keep in the class next to the window and monitor its growth every day. There are many ways to engage students. Finding out what their interested in and taking action so they can learn in a fun manner will make all the difference.

Important Roles of a Teacher

Important Roles of a Teacher

Vineyard Elementary

Throughout the whole semester we've been learning about education and the roles of teachers. It wasn't until this last module that we really began to focus on what a teacher does all day. I didn't really realize all of the responsibilities teachers have, and I don't believe I'll realize all of them until I begin teaching. After reading the assigned article for our class, I started to brainstorm of all the different roles a teacher plays throughout the day. They have the role of being a co-learning, a co-worker, a mentor, a learning director, an example, a researcher, and so much more. There are many roles a teacher plays throughout the day that the list could go on for quite some time. Between preparing the material, reaching through to students, and carrying on other school and classroom responsibilities it's amazing how they get it all done! Teachers are no longer care takers who have a daily lesson planned. They are reinventing their roles, responsibilities, and relationships.

In my field work experience I've witnessed several great examples of how the teacher has fulfilled many of these different roles. Teaching a lesson and going through the daily routine wasn't necessarily what caught my attention. There was a moment where one of the students was getting upset and discouraged when he couldn't see the board. The teacher helped the student to the front of the classroom without making him feel out-of-place or put on-the-spot. She had whispered to him that she would be sure they got his eyes looked at. Another instance was when the teacher had carried on a simple conversation between her students. They had joked about exercising and playing Just Dance over the weekend. These little instances didn't have much of a connection to the language lesson, math, or whatever was taking place. It was the personalized care and concern that this teacher had for each one of her students that stood out to me. She genuinely cared not only about their education and learning, but about the student. This is one of the roles of teachers that are unannounced.

Managing Assessment

Managing Assessment

Vineyard Elementary

Assessments take place all the time. The particular kind of assessment we've been talking about in our last class module is the assessment that takes place in a classroom setting. We've talked about how assessment can be beneficial for teachers, and the way they inform and adapt instruction. There was one particular article we read for our Introduction to Education class that talked about No Child Left Behind. This article helps the reader understand just some of the pros and cons of the most recent Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Teachers and students are being pushed to reach a standard that not all of them can reach. Aside from this article, the Treasure Hunt assignment and Strategic Note Taking guide have all helped understand what kind of assessment takes place in the world of teaching.

While at Vineyard Elementary school, I've recently helped the teacher I work with prepare her students for two different kinds of tests. The first test I helped her with and discussed with the class was SAGE testing. Students are given a subject and asked to write 3-5 paragraphs on the given topic with other instructions. The teacher had an outline of an example and we worked with the kids so they understood what was being asked of them before taking the actual test. The other test we were prepping the kids for was one of spelling and writing. This additional test was to help determine what kids needed extra time spent on new laptops that the school had just received because of a grant. Oh the kids were so excited. The teacher explained to them how everyone struggles in certain areas and that getting extra help was good for their classmates. She made sure not to single anyone out from this particular assessment. I can't explain how great the two teachers I've worked with at Vineyard Elementary School are. They are amazing!

Making Modifications

Making Modifications

Vineyard Elementary

While doing my fieldwork at Vineyard Elementary, I've had several opportunities to see how teachers make modifications for exceptional students. There is an activity the students do daily, and I noticed that not everyone was doing the same assignment. I asked the teacher if there was a reason why some students were doing different worksheets and tasks than the others. Her reply suggested how some students needed a little extra help. All the students in the classroom were working on the same lesson, but some of them had the activity catered towards their personal level of learning and understanding. Another great modification that I noticed was a reward system. The teacher said this helps keep students from chattering and interrupting, along with praising them for being on task. They put their name "up" if they're on task and it gets taken "down" if the student is misbehaving or not doing what was asked of them. She said this was a great tool not only for the students with ADHD, but for the whole class.

I thought the teacher's modification for the student with ADHD related perfectly to the PowerPoint/video from this module. Her modifications really showed me that she understood what ADHD was and how she could help the student without making him/her stand out in front of the class. The teacher works very hard to make sure the student stays on tasks and keeps the other students from being distracted. There are so many great adjustments and modifications made, but the reward system really stood out to me. There are many ways teachers can make modifications and cater to each student's needs without making them stand out above the rest.

One on One

One on One

Vineyard Elementary

In Mrs. Partridge's class I've had the opportunity several times to work with students one on one. I have to admit that working with students individually is my favorite way of teaching. I've helped students read, spell, write, add, and subtract. The best experience I've had so far was helping one of the students add and subtract using base ten blocks. It was so cool to me because last semester I learned how to teach using these blocks in my math class, and I finally got to test what I had learned. I helped the student one on one with the blocks on how to add and then subtract. I thought the student was doing great! It wasn't until Mrs. Partridge had asked the student to do it without any help that I started to stress. Can he/she do it without my help? Are they going to remember to regroup from the tenths position? The student I had helped one on one did it! They were able to show Mrs. Partridge what they had learned using the blocks because of my help. It was this moment when I realized just how important it was for me to sink in everything I was learning at college because I know one day it will truly help somebody.

My experience helping students one on one makes me think of our recent module we've been working on in my Intro to Education class. We've been learning about the history of education. Helping students one on one makes me connect to the recent picture I saw and read about regarding Ruby Bridges. Throughout the history of education there have been many bumps we've overcame to get us to where we are today, and it happens that segregation is one of those bumps. Little Ruby Bridges went to school and ended up being the only one in her class for her first year because no one wanted blacks in the same school room. During this time, Ruby received one on one help from her teacher. Ruby had an immense connection to her teacher due to the one on one time they spent together. Their connection was so great that later came in contact with each other and spoke with one another all over the country. Teachers have such a remarkable influence. I love it!