Important Things To Learn In The Classroom

During the month of November, I became our school’s acting testing coordinator. Our testing coordinator was in an accident and went out on medical leave. She was suddenly out for an undetermined amount of time and with a severe concussion was unable to remember what she completed and what she did not. During her absence, there were two assessments and a survey that needed to me completed. These assessments included SAT 10, FFT (Teacher Survey) and MAP-R. This was a very demanding experience.

Overall, I was very satisfied with the way the lesson went. The students were understanding the instruction I delivered and were giving the answers I had hoped for. The students were on task and engaged for the entire lesson and when they weren’t engaged, I could draw or mention sticks and I would get more active participation. Before I asked students to work independently or with a partner, I modeled exactly what they should be doing and how they should do it. This made a huge difference from my first lesson because there was no confusion. When I had one students come up to the board and share their answer, everyone in the class had the same answer. While I was formatively checking their understanding, this told me that the way I was teaching was working because they all understood the problem. I really can not think of anything that did not go as I had planned or that I was not happy with. Although, there was one point where my math was wrong because I was not thinking logically. I need to make sure I slow down while I am teaching to check my own work so I am not teaching the students incorrect information!

Overall my students did very well during this lesson. I was able to maintain their attention for a majority of the class time. Although, there were times during my lesson where I did not have complete control over the class. This was an issue that I had during my other lessons this semester. I have worked out different techniques to begin the lesson to prevent the students from talking to each other during my lesson. My first strategy is to give the students specific instructions beforehand that prevents the students from becoming distracted. I also tried to keep the students actively participating as much as possible. This not only kept the students engaged, but it also prevented them from talking to each other and becoming distracted. In this lesson I included an interactive bulletin board that, “encourages students to intellectually and physically manipulate the information displayed” (Obenchain and Morris, page 95, 2003). In future lessons I will continue to try new classroom management strategies.

We can all image the same things when we think of learning; a group of students that are sitting in a classroom, being taught by a teacher or professor. This is true for most instances of learning, but when we take a closer look, we can see many different things taking places in the various classrooms across the education system. Three pictures have been presented, showcasing visual learning, kinesthetic learning (hands on learning), and auditory learning. They each have the same general setting, but as we zoom in on the specifics, a lot is revealed that we may not realize is a factor in learning. The similarities of the pictures, the differences of the pictures, and the norms that the pictures showcase all affect the knowledge that the students gain from the styles of learning shown.

A student who walks into a new classroom for the first time is undoubtedly filled with many emotions. Some of those emotions include nervousness, excitement, and intimidation. Reflecting back on the many “first days” of school, I can remember feeling extremely uncomfortable. But I had it easy. I lived in the same town from pre-school to high school, spoke English as my first language, and had the same group of friends who attended the same school as me. In retrospect, I realize how fragile I was entering a new classroom for the first time, even with all of those factors going my way. It is difficult to imagine the pressure from a student who’s learning English as a second language, meeting their peers for the first time, or coming from a different culture than the majority of students. As a teacher, these factors are just a sample of why it is so important to maintain a culturally competent classroom from day one.

The classroom I am doing my demonstration teaching in is a second-grade classroom. The teacher teaches the English Language Arts and Math review for two classes of 25 students in each class. The students are seven and eight years old male and females of Caucasian or Hispanic backgrounds. There is 90 minutes of teaching 4 days a week and 60 minutes of teaching day a week. The students are in a Spanish Immersion Program and learn Math in Spanish with the Spanish teacher.

As I have assessed various theories and ideas pertaining to education and human development, I have made a sincere effort to reflect on my own experiences as an education professional. Our readings about student development and our analyses and discussions surrounding the challenges that current education systems pose have not only opened my eyes to deep-rooted, systemic flaws in ideology and practice, but they have also allowed me to seek out deeper meaning with regard to my current role as a professional of higher education. For my reflective essay I would like to highlight some of my experiences in the field working in continuing education, or non-credit programming for adult learners, and how postmodernist ideology has become a tool through which we seek solutions for those who have been disserviced by our current education system. Specifically, I will reflect on why students are often underserved as a result of traditional educational models, and how continuing education programs offer viable, postmodernist solutions to a broken system.

I have been asked to reflect on what the world may be like in 2020 and how will those changes affect education. In addition, I have been asked to share how the innovations in the classroom affect others and how being a teacher will be different in 2020 versus today. Let me reflect on these inquiries for you and share my predictions based off of topics we have discussed in this course as well as current world happenings.

One of the most important things teachers should do is try their best to get along with the parents of their students. This weeks readings were related to the importance of healthy and positive relationships in order for a child to feel a sense of belonging and to feel secure. The textbook stated, “A child’s family is the first and most important place where a feeling of identity and belonging start.” (Bilmes J, 2004). Once a child finds their sense of belonging in their family, not only do they start to understand their cultural identity, like the textbook mentioned, but they also learn about trust. From a very early age, children establish their trust in the grown ups around them, (aka their parents), and from forming trust first, it is easier to then feel a sense of belonging. This is also how teacher student relationships form. When a child knows they can trust the teacher, it is easier for them to find their place in the classroom. The easiest way for a teacher to help a child establish their trust in you is to get their parents to trust you first. In a way it is like that quote “monkey see monkey do”. If a child can see that their parents trust a teacher and see that they have a healthy and good relationship, then the child will be more open to having a relationship with their teacher.

Thinking about how education is taught in schools and all the different pedagogical practices makes me wonder what these practices are actually fulfilling. There are many different ways to approach a classroom environment. An individual can look at things from the student’s perspective, the teacher’s perspectives, or just the way the classroom functions altogether. I reflect on when I was in high school and, after learning in detail about all of these pedagogies, I can easily say that the classrooms I was taught in were combinations of multiple pedagogies. I believe as someone becoming a teacher we need to refine how the classroom should be run, and what the student and teacher’s role should be. I think we need to shift our focus to an open-minded and open environment pedagogy. I mean this in the sense that the environment should be an open place, a safe haven, the students can speak their minds and beliefs freely. I myself too many times have been in a classroom where I have felt restricted, bounded and unable to voice what I believe in because of the way the classroom was run. Along with this, we need to be open-minded in the sense of viewing things from multiple perspectives and allowing the student to soar beyond the topic that is presented to them. I feel as though too many teachers close the door to exploring and thinking out of the box in fear of what it might bring and that I way I believe in an open classroom pedagogy.

My objectives in practicum this fall semester was to use developmentally appreciate practices, recognize and use effective classroom management strategies and develop and implement appropriate activities. This school year was my first time working in an infant and toddler classroom. During my time working in the classroom, I accomplish a lot beyond my goals I created.

Roger’s responses to the lesson were very positive; he was interested and engaged at all times. Throughout all class, he was constantly involved by being asked to provide examples and participation in discussion. One of the lesson’s activities was brainstorming when students needed to resolve a conflict with someone. Roger was, at the beginning, a little exalted on his comments, but as the class activities progressed, his interactions improved. He was then given the task of resolving a hypothetical conflict between him and a classmate; students would exchange roles. The scenario: A classmate has asked Roger for the twentieth time to borrow a pen. Every time Roger lends him one, he does not get it back, so this time Roger would say no. The other student gets angry and starts to yell at Roger.

I have been part of the education system since the age of four. From Preschool to twelfth grade, a lot has changed throughout my education. I can assert that education has altered my of way of thinking, especially from elementary to now. Because of education my life has improved in all aspects.

For the past six weeks, I learned how philosophy has influenced the world globally. Learning that when human beings voice their thoughts with others, they receive a chance to change the world, especially if one person speaks one on one, one personage can change the world of one body. My belief in the power of language is strengthened by philosophy. This philosophy course has encouraged me to share my opinions that are not influenced by other peers or older adults, but to deeply reflect and research my beliefs and opinions. Looking at how philosophy has shaped the United States, I grant my thankfulness towards the Constitution, and the democracy and freedom we now have, compared to other countries.

On 10/23/2017, Ms. Velasquez 7th period class, and the first thing I noticed was that the student had a new seating arrangement. At the beginning of class, the teacher told her students that she was not having a good day and that they had to be in good behavior because they had to go over two topics that day. The first topic of notes was over rate of change; they took notes on a foldable that they were going to tape in their interactive notebook. She did have to discipline at the beginning of lesson because a couple of boys were talking when she was trying to teach. The boys seemed a little embarrassed and focused back to the lesson. The students were able to use highlighters as a technique she that value correspond to the rate of change