Field Work Reflections
For field work I chose to work with a second grade
teacher. For the purpose of my fieldwork
report, I shall refer to her as Mrs. A
Interview
with a teacher:
1. What
effective teaching principles do you follow to reach every child in your
classroom?
The teacher that I worked with for
fieldwork uses the responsive classroom model in her classroom. Together, the students and her build a
community in which learning can take place in a safe and comfortable environment. They start each morning with a morning
meeting, where there is a sharing of experiences, classroom discussions on
important topics and songs. The teacher
indicated that getting to know her students first as individuals helps her to
reach all of their needs academically, socially, and emotionally.
2. What
latest research are you referring to in your teaching design?
Mrs. A indicated that she follows the
NYS Common Core Standards in her classroom.
She has read about and attended many workshops about ELA and math to
ensure that the standards are being maintained in her class. Additionally, she uses a reader’s workshop
and writer’s workshop model in her class to engage her students in supplemental
reading and writing activities. She also
still uses the Harcourt reading series.
In the reading and writing workshops the students are able to practice
their reading and writing skills in a practical and enjoyable way.
3. In
what way does research on effective teaching empower your continued learning
process?
Mrs. A indicated that she continually
looks for workshops to attend to continue her learning process as a teacher
through the mid Hudson teacher’s center or BOCES. She also reads articles about new practices,
especially responsive classroom ideas, discipline, and common core information. She notes that it is important for teachers
to receive continuing education on effect teaching methods in order to help all
students.
Observe
a classroom and discuss with the teacher how he or she is using the child
development characteristics in his or her lesson planning and teaching.
In Mrs. A’s classroom she is a strong believe in allowing
children to learn through plan and to work in small groups. She has centers in which the children can
work together to learn from one another and develop socially through
interactions with their peers. She also
follows differentiated instruction as she bases her reading groups according to
the student’s needs so she can better reach each student in her classroom. Mrs. A also models to her students what is
expected of them and provides examples so each student has a chance to see what
is expected and ask questions for clarification.
Interview three to five people asking them to name three characteristics of intelligent people.
Check out my powerpoint presentation to see the four different people's thoughts on intelligence!
Observe
the classroom paying attention to the individual needs of the students.
Mrs. A pays attention to the individual needs of her
students. There is a child in her class
who has ADHD and he gets a one-to-one during test taking to help him stay
focused and on task. She also has some
students in her classroom who attend resource room for additional help in
math. Mrs. A also checks the in class
work for some student who struggle. She helps
them to see their mistakes in the work and how to correct it and come to the
right answer. In this way, she is able
to see who needs more help to master a topic.
Observe
a classroom paying attention to the diverse learners in the classroom and how
the teacher accommodates their learning during the lesson.
Mrs. A uses differentiated instruction to make sure she
reaches each one of her students. The
reading groups are composed on students who are at the same need. This way, she can work more with the groups
that need additional help, but can also challenge the groups who are more
advanced. She also has different
expectations for the work that is completed.
During mathematics, there is a push in TA who works with some of the
lower students to help them grasp the concepts.
She also provides programs on the computer, such as IXcel, as enrichment
activities for those students who are more advanced in their learning.
Observe
a classroom and not each time an incident of learning occurs.
I observed an incident of learning in Mrs. A’s
class. This incident was not one of
academics, but of personal development.
Mrs. A uses a type of token economy system in which children are
rewarded for good behavior and for completed extra homework assignments. One little girl would take two coupons each
time she was instructed to get one coupon.
When it came time to hand in her sheet with the coupons attached, she
had the most out of the whole class.
Mrs. A spoke with the little girl and asked her how this could be. She explained that if you are honest with
yourself it will make you feel better.
The little girl eventually confessed that she had been taking two tokens
each time she was instructed to take one.
This was an incident in learning about stealing and honesty. Mrs. A discussed with the little girl why
this behavior was wrong.
Observe
a classroom and note if and how a teacher uses reinforcement
(positive/negative) and if he or she uses punishment.
Mrs. A gives a lot of praise in her classroom for good
behavior. She also has a few behavioral techniques
that she utilizes. First, the class as a
whole has a marble jar. They can get a
marble for having good behavior as a class.
If they get 25 marbles, they can vote on a party to have or a movie to
watch.
Mrs. A also uses Lee Canters Assertive Discipline system. This is a system for good behavior. There is calendar for each month and a child
is able to add a coupon to their calendar for good behavior and doing extra homework. At the end of the month, Mrs. A averages out
the number of coupons and those students with that amount or more are able to
pick prize from the toy box.
Mrs. A also has a system for negative behavior. She as a card system in which the first card
is a warning, the second is a warning, the third is a letter home, and the
fourth is a trip to the principal’s office.
The card system gets reset each day so at the end of teach day the child
starts with a clean slate.
