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.