Reflection Paper On Field Experience

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

I teach in an eighth grade classroom that is set in a Jr-Sr. High school. It is located in the Jr. High hallway, near the rear of our high school. I have thirty-two student desks situated in rows and two small tables at the front of my room used for paper pick up. I painted my room a turquoise beach blue and it is decorated with various beach themed paraphernalia. I also have many inspirational quote posters up around my room, hoping to engage my students into deeper thinking. The students all have their own Chromebooks and I have a desktop computer as well as a Samsung Tablet. Many computer applications suited for 1:1 schools are used in our building. We begin our day at 7:40am with a zero period for professional development and meetings. The students have seven, forty-five minute periods beginning at 8:20am and continuing until 3:15pm. My classes include four “regular” English classes, one “Honors” class, an Essential Skills class that rotates every week with two other teachers, and a prep period. My duties throughout the year consist of sponsoring the Jr. High Student Council as well as parking lot duty for two weeks during second semester. We adhere closely to the Indiana State Standards and use the ISTEP and NWEA mandated assessments. We, as teachers, are given free rein to teach how we see fit; however, we were asked to submit curriculum mapping outlining the content/topics, key terms, sources/resources, assessments

This is a 1st grade class made up of 12 first grade students. There are 7 Girls and 5 Boys. There is 1 male student with general academic IEP that covers all subjects as well as 1 male and 1 female student that have speech IEPs. The classroom is arranged in table seating with a large carpeted area in the front of the classroom for group learning. This lesson will be taught in a group setting at the carpet.

My field experience took place at School for All Seasons in Isanti, MN. I spent some time in both a kindergarten and first grade classroom. This was an exciting time as I got be part of the kindergarten class on the first two days of school and the second week with the first grade classroom. The kindergarten classroom had approximately 18 students and the first grade classroom had approximately 22 students.

The place where I completed my field assignment was a private program. Inside the classroom, there were 16 6-8 years old with two teachers. KW was the lead teacher and MS was the assistant. The program runs five days a week from 7:45-4:45. A fourth of the students in the class had IFSP/IEPs.

I conducted my field experience through the Forsyth County School System in conjunction with the Forsyth County Parks and Recreational Department. The students or “campers” as we like to call them are comprised of two groups. One group is special needs students ranging from ages six to twelve. The second group ranges from ages thirteen to twenty and are also special needs students. The younger campers attend classes from 8:30-1:00 and the older students attend from 1:30-5:00.

I spent the past six weeks at Kensington Elementary School. The experience has been amazing, but also a huge eye opener. There were many negatives and positives sides to wanting to be a teacher. From the beginning to the end, I learned what it takes to be a teacher.

In assessment, validity and reliability are two major factors. “Validity is the soundness of your interpretations and uses of students’ assessment results” (Brookhart & Nitko, 2015, p. 38). This basically means, does the assessment measure what it was intended to measure? Validity has four principles: interpretations, uses, values, and consequences. An example of a valid assessment is the SAT. The SAT is valid, because it provides the assessor evidence to make appropriate interpretations and uses. The assessor is able to make meaningful judgments and actions based on the scores of the SAT (Brookhart & Nitko, 2015, p. 38-40). The other important factor is reliability. “Reliability is the degree to which students’ results remain consistent over replications of assessment procedure” (Brookhart & Nitko, 2015, p.67). For example, if a test is valid, the student should score consistently with no intervention. However, if a treatment or invention occurs, the score should be altered. An

This field experience was a very interesting project for me. I received many opportunities for learning and to gain experience as an educator and for my future as an administrator. Activities that were included: interviewing administrators, interviewing teachers, researching and reviewing two comprehensive strategic plans, evaluating a comprehensive plan using the supplied rubric, researching past school board agendas and minutes and comparing them to the comprehensive strategic plan. Throughout this field experience I was able to develop a new understanding of the process involved in developing a comprehensive plan at both the principal and the teacher level. The field experience I feel was meaningful for an introductory

My field placement experience means so much to me. The placement started, theoretically with the interview. I was nervous about it, as it was the most important interview I have had to go to. I ensured that I dressed or the occasion, in smart attire and prepared some insight into the agency Acces Employment. The interview went really well, Harpreet Shah, one of the agency staff, gave me a short presentation and the interview was more informal than I expected. My first experience of an interview for a field placement was nerve racking, but from it I learnt a few things such as preparation is key, to talk in a calm, polite but confident manner and to ensure that you absorb all the information that the interviewee is giving thus allowing you to

I am volunteering at Pine Meadow Elementary School. I volunteer from 8:30 – 9:50 in the morning every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I am in Ms. Wurzbergers room and she teaches kindergarten class that consists of children ages 5-6. There are 20 children in the classroom with one teacher. One of the kids has a special teacher he walks around with all the time but they are not usually in the classroom. The classroom is set up with 4 tables spread around the room with 5 chairs at each table. There is a separate table away from the student’s tables where you can do one on one work with the kids. The room has one window, a sink near the door and posters hung up around the room. The posters have thing like the alphabet and numbers on

My child 's name is Jude Alexander and he is a male. As a baby he is cautious around new people and situations, but warms up fairly quickly to friendly people. In kindergarten Jude Alexander seemed to have made one or two friends and usually played cooperatively and was sometimes reluctant to join in new activities with unfamiliar children. He performed below average on tests of vocabulary, and the ability to retell a story. He had a real knack for the art projects, and really got interested in the pre-math activities involving working with blocks and geometric shapes. In first through fifth grade he worked cooperatively in groups, usually respects the rights and property of others, and usually demonstrates appropriate peer social interaction. He demonstrates strength in art, all areas of reading, and in spelling and appropriate for the grade level in writing. He needs additional help in the areas of speaking and listening and in the content knowledge of social studies, science and music. He was average in mathematical problem solving, understanding of data, number concepts, graphical applications, and arithmetic computation. In the seventh grade, he consistently contributes to cooperative group activities and respects the rights and possessions of others, and shows age-appropriate social interaction with peers. He demonstrates strength in art, reading, spelling and writing. He was average in math and science, and needs additional

Honest and Straightforward: Mean what you say and say what you mean. Take things a step at a time to ensure that students are paying attention instead of being distracted by others. Allow them to have enough time to complete work that seems fair.

During the first months of school, I noticed my students spend a great deal of time off task, specifically talking out of turn. Students do not always raise their hands to answer questions, start a conversation with a classmate, or interrupt the lesson to say they do not understand a topic. I often have to spend several minutes a day asking students to stop talking, reminding students to raise their hand and wait to be called on, and spend a great deal of time waiting for my students to quiet down and refocus. I have difficulty redirecting these students back to the current task quickly, to avoid losing large amounts of instructional time and often these small disruptions become increasingly more difficult to handle as

There are many aspects to teaching and as a teacher it is necessary to understand the most important aspects of teaching and how they should be incorporated into the classroom. A teacher’s most important job is not to teach specific material but to build relationships with the students and ensure they feel safe and cared for. Once the teacher is able to ensure this then they should focus on teaching, however teaching is more than listing off facts and sharing information with the students. As teachers it is essential we try to engage our students. There are many ways to engage students and each teacher as a specific way they get their classroom involved in learning. During my field experience I have learned the importance of being able to engage students and I have seen what a classroom looks like when students are not engaged. My field experience has helped to reflect on student engagement and how I would place the experience in my philosophy of education.