Creating And Maintaining An Effective Learning Environment

During the months of September and October this semester I spent time at two different schools in four different classrooms. Being able to observe different classes and teachers at Westside Junior High and South Live Oak Elementary was a very new and exciting experience for me since I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. My experiences at these schools gave me a better insight into the differences between schools, classrooms, and teachers. The purpose of this field experience was to get 10 observation or tutoring hours in an elementary or junior high setting. I chose to observe a

A general population third grade class was observed to further understand the psychological aspect of teaching. The Title I school classroom observed has sixteen students, eight girls and eight boys, and is almost entirely made up of students from a low socioeconomic status (SES). The desks are arranged with one big horseshoe and two rows of desks inside the horseshoe shape. The teacher has made adjustments to seating assignments and layout due to student behavior and feedback. The class is made up with students eight to nine years old with two students repeating the third grade. Snowman and McCown (2012) highlight that students in this class would be in Erikson’s fourth stage of psychosocial development, industry

Eye contact: Teachers who make eye contact open the flow of communication and convey interest, concern, warmth and credibility.

Research by Powers et al (2004) suggests effective teachers reflect on their practice and are mindful of the interaction between the learner, instructional setting, materials, and teaching methods, making adjustments as needed to facilitate learning. The importance of context to learning cannot be overstated; characteristics of the classroom and school can increase the risk for academic and behavioral patterns. Teachers need training in understanding the interaction

* Explain how to establish and maintain a safe and supportive learning environment. 2. 3.1

Student B demonstrates mathematical strengths in the explanation of both solutions of the area and perimeter, although one of the formula used was incorrect. Mathematical strength was also displayed in the actual multiplication 5x2x5x2=100, and addition 5+2+5+2=14 cm, failing to include the units of measurement

On September 30th, 2016, I observed a class at Ramirez Charter School in Lubbock, Texas. I had the opportunity to observe a third grade class led by Mrs. Yu Kim Johnson. She was assisted by a student teacher from Texas Tech, Abby Crutcher. The main focus of this observation was to observe all areas of the school and analyze how each contributes to or distracts from a positive, productive learning environment. Throughout this experience, I was able to get an idea of what could make a classroom negative or positive.

The child I choose to teach was my little sister Itzel Ruvalcaba, she is about to complete 5th grade and I thought it would be perfect to teach her a little math lesson. The novel I selected was “Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter” by Cindy Neuschwander illustrated by Wayne Geehan. The Publisher is Charlesbridge Pub Inc. and copyright date of January 1, 2006. The basic math concept I am teaching her is finding the perimeter of a square, rectangle, and circle as well as finding the circles area.

I chose to focus on measurement for this assignment because I really enjoyed working on the “Chocolongo” math problem with children who attend my summer camp. They ranged in age from five to nine and I found it really interesting to watch the ways in which they approached the problem and their understandings of measuring. I began by tracking the changes in the specific expectations sections the Ontario Math Curriculum under the category for measurement. My work can be found in the chart that I included at the end of the assignment. I found it really interesting to examine when new concepts entered the chart and follow the concepts as they grew in complexity. While my chart is imperfect, it did allow me to organize the information so that you

Dee asked the students how the Pythagorean Theorem related to area. Students caught on to this pretty rapidly by responding that in some situations they may need to find a missing side of the triangle before being able to find area. After completing the warm-up, Dee projected the answers to the homework on the board and asked if there needed to be clarification on any of the problems. For the introduction of the current day’s lesson, Dee projected the powerpoint presentation on the board. This included the lesson essential question. She asked the students to recall what they had learned the previous day and related it to what they were to be learning today. During the lesson Dee stressed to the students that titles, like the Segment Addition Postulate, had high importance. Students took notes on a notes packet while following along with the lesson. Dee walked through examples with the students in using the Segment Addition Postulate. She also stressed that, “part + part = whole.” Students then worked with Dee, “we do,” in order to solve additional examples. After this, students were told to practice the remaining examples in the notes packet either on their own or with a

Spending time in Ms. Gibson’s 1st grade class at Birney Elementary School in the Long Beach Unified School District presented many fascinating learning opportunities. Prior to my experience at this school, review of the STAR report and the School Accountability Report provided interesting background information on the school. While background information set a certain expectation at a school level, it did not offer any insight into my classroom experience. Consequently, I did not have any expectations on what I would learn by working with an experienced educator. Even though I did not have any specific expectations, I did learn a few tips on classroom management and teaching that I plan to take forward. Additionally, my early fieldwork experience assisted in helping me discover my weakest areas in respect to teaching, to focus on in my education.

Each and every student plays a vital part of the classroom as a whole. The classroom acts as a community of learners who respect and care for one another. We are all different, but yet all alike, and that is what makes us very special. As a future teacher I strive to foster a class that will become a family whom trusts and maintains relationships with each and every other person. All will feel acknowledged and heard. This leads to a safe and warm environment that will develop into a fun learning experience. When I think about teaching in grades preschool to third, I greatly look forward to making a significant impact early on in every student’s lives. I hope to instill interest and motivation in the students and have them appreciate the joy of learning. I believe Montclair University’s P-3 MAR program will further enlighten and assist me to better understand all the standards within the portrait of a teacher.

This report will contain the observations and discoveries I made during the four hours I spent observing Mr. Hall’s 12th grade class, Mrs. McBride’s 9th grade class, and Mrs. Casper’s 11th and 12th grade classes of Corrigan-Camden High School. It should cover classroom management, teaching style, classroom organization, interventions, and any other notable findings. I will start off by describing what happened during my observation and then conclude with reflections about my time spent in the class.

Many educators will argue what makes an effective teacher and how that correlates with the function of the classroom. When we talked about how to be an effective teacher we discussed three components, teaching through problem-solving and selecting appropriate tasks, creating appropriate environments and using appropriate interventions. In my field experience, I was able to observe these three effective mathematics teaching components and understand how they apply to the classroom. After leaning about these components, I was then able to use them in my personal experience and see how they

The following data was gathered while fulfilling duties as a principal intern at Theresa Bunker Elementary School. The data was observed during five to seven minutes of classroom observation as part of a walk-through in the spring of the current school year. My cooperating supervisor for my internship was able to go on these walk-throughs with me in order to have a productive reflection meeting afterwards. This elementary school has two of each grade level from Kindergarten to sixth grade. Since it was more feasible in this small school setting, I actually was able to do a walkthrough in eight classes. Here I will report my observations from five of those walk-throughs. As I went in to each room I was looking for four