Rationale For The Model Chosen

Research has provided many strategies for effective classroom instruction and lesson organization. Throughout my lesson, I used direct/ explicit instruction model that I have learned from different education courses and readings to serve as a model for my instruction. Rosenshine

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

At 1:00 p.m. I entered into Evoline C. West Elementary school on Thursday, July 12 2012 for an interview with Mrs. Yolanda Lawrence. As I entered the classroom, I was greeted by Mrs. Lawrence, the head teacher in this classroom. Mrs. Lawrence has no assistant at this present because of it being in the summer. After I entered into the classroom, the entire class welcomed me with “hello Ms. Flournoy”. It made my day to see all of those smiley faces greeting me. This was a 2nd grade classroom which consisted of 17 students of which 8 were girls and 9 were boys. This interview and observation was a total of 2

At Arts-Based School I did my observation in Leni Fragakis’s third grade class. This was the first observation I had done since learning about instructional design. Since learning it, I now have a new way of observing, I pay more attention to the teacher; how she implemented the lessons, what strategies she uses, and the types of assessments she uses. This gives me a better experience because before I was just paying attention to what the students were doing and their part in the classroom and now I am paying attention to so much more. Even though it is important to watch the kids, I now also know how important it is to observe the teacher, too. I was also able to observe what I am learning in class be used in the classroom.

These can be carried out formally and informally.   Information from observations on a pupil’s progress is passed onto the teacher who will then report it to the parent/carer.

The major emphasis in education for the 21st century is on data driven accountability measured by student performance on standardized testing. National and state expectations require students to demonstrate mastery of curriculum objectives. Instructional objectives are the focus of the building principals to show measurable student progress. The improvements are evaluated based on data and monitoring of the curriculum.

A newly licensed teacher walks into her empty classroom on the first day of school. She has her curriculum guide, her pacing calendar, her unit instructional plan, and her lesson plans for the first week. She has her copies made and in her mind she has stored the countless hours’ worth of instruction she received for four years. The bell rings, and it is time for her first class. With a somewhat nervous breath, she watches as students begin pouring in.

Taking what happened in the interactions and decided what category of class management was being utilized out of our possibilities. Also, how Junie B. reacted to each style of teaching whether is was a positive or negative interactions and whether it had a positive or negative reaction correlating with it. After deciding what our topic was going to deal with we decided to pull examples from real life that also illustrated our main ideas, so, the group also pulled examples of classroom management from bulletin boards seen in classrooms at the schools Raymond F Brandes and Creston that included clip system of disciplinary action, expectations of reading comprehension in grade levels, and a smiley to frown face disciplinary system.

This independent reading report focuses on Tools For Teachers by Fred Jones. This book is excellent at describing the nuts and bolts of teaching. It is a refreshing balance to the theoretical works of Vygotsky and Piaget, and it is a solid start for people who are focused on the tangible, practical aspects of what to do at 8am on their first day of classes, when the “Zone of Proximal Development” just doesn’t seem helpful enough. Dr. Jones, a psychologist from UCLA, based his methods off of countless hours of observing natural teachers. When he’d interview these naturals and asked them why they were successful, he found they weren’t able to articulate the tangible things they were doing. This book is Dr. Jones’ best shot at this articulation. It’s a practitioner’s manual; backed up by evidence, but not overloaded with jargon. It is the best educational book I have ever read. In this report, I will describe how Dr. Jones defines classroom management, detail the primary tenants of his system, discuss the differences and similarities of Dr. Jones’ system to the research and ideas we’ve learned about in class, and present how the ideas from Tools For Teaching have practical application in my own future classroom.

Education theory can either be descriptive like the sciences or normative like in philosophy. Education theory postulates what education processes are supposed to consist of; it sets the standards, norms, and goals in carrying out an education process. The scientific education theory gives a set of hypotheses, which have to be experimented and verified. The two approaches have produced two broad categories of education theories, which are the functionalist’s theory of education

As instructional leaders, we are responsible for the academic growth of our students. It is my duty to foster a culture of learning. This is best accomplished by being a lifelong learner. Rather than focusing on the instruction of the teacher to the student, an instructional leader within a culture for learning focuses on the students by asking questions such as, “What was learned? What is the evidence that my students learned?” (DuFour, Richard and Robert J. Marzano. “High-Leverage Strategies for Principal Leadership.” How Teachers Learn 66.5. (2009): 62-68) Rather than the principal observing a teacher on instructional style, within a culture of learning, that school leader is directing her observations on ascertaining what the students learned, how they learned it and how they know what to do if they have not yet learned it. In looking at the traditional method of teacher observation, if a principal finds the instruction of a teacher is lacking and helps him improve this instruction, this does not guarantee that the learning will also improve. (DuFour, Richard and Robert J. Marzano. “High-Leverage Strategies for Principal Leadership.” How Teachers Learn 66.5. (2009): 62-68) Rather, the instructional leader of the school should be asking such questions as, “What are the students doing? Are they engaged in their learning

Section II. Teaching Practice Question 1: The Washington County School District organizational strategies in place for teachers has increased academic student growth in my classes. Throughout the year, I participate in professional development activities that enhance my teaching skills and increase student learning. I collaborate with data analysis and colleagues to disaggregate student data, correctly identify the lowest benchmarks that students scored based on FSA performance and Washington County School District Progress Monitoring Program (three assessments from the previous year). For this reason, we develop an "Order of Instruction" for content areas based on data from various student measures that have been assimilated throughout the school year. In like manner, I meet with vertical/grade level teams during preplanning to gather resources and organize materials by units, critique online resources to incorporate new technology into daily lesson objectives. Prior to students entering my classroom on the first day, I locate my class roster in FOCUS, print out all student IEP 's and 504 's and incorporate that information into my data notebook. As a team, we meet weekly to design lesson plans, create informal/formal assessments, and collaborate with another to ensure that standards-based instruction is being implemented in our classroom. After students start the new school year and complete their baseline assessments, I meet with colleagues, data analysis and Washington

A teacher in the classroom setting is considered a professional in that environment because they have the training and skills necessary by which to create a setting which is conducive to learning. To aide in the establishment of a setting which is conducive to learning the teacher must create guidelines which help to provide structure for expected behavior as well as for the dissemination of information between teacher and student. Organization and careful planning are two elements which help to

The clinical supervision model for conducting observations has been used in the education field for decades. Clinical supervision involves a teacher receiving information from an administrator, colleague, peer coach, or mentor, who has observed the teacher's performance and who serves as both a mirror and a sounding board to aid the teacher in critical examination of a specific aspect of their instruction and possibly alter his or her own professional practice. Clinical supervision is an instruction improving tool in which a high degree of mutual trust and commitment to growth is required on the part of the teacher and observer. The structure of a clinical observation cycle includes

Conducting classroom observations are very important to the prospective teacher. Observing helps show how experienced teachers manage their classroom. For this observation it was important to notice how the classroom was arranged, how the teacher interacted with the students, the teacher’s management style, and interview the teacher.