Blog 8

The most important thing I learned during my fieldwork observation.

The most important thing I learned while doing my fieldwork was that a teacher's job is one of the hardest, but most needed jobs that there is. I have so much respect for teachers and I have hope that I can be an effective teacher because of some of the things that I've learned in this class. I've seen that teachers need to be prepared to teach their students, but they need to be flexible and able to handle changes that may come up.

I've learned that teachers need to have endless amounts of patience for the students, the staff, the parents, and the job in general. I've been able to witness a great teacher with his students and his staff and I've learned a lot from him. I've learned a lot of useful techniques from this class and I know that this is just the beginning of my learning in my quest to be a teacher. I'm looking forward to many more experiences that I can draw from when I'm a teacher in my own class.

Procedures the teacher uses to make everything run smoothly in the class.

The teacher that I observed used a lot of of good procedures to make his special needs class run smoothly. Some of the procedures he used were to welcome his students when they came in the morning. He and his aides would instruct the students to hang their backpacks, put home lunches on the designated shelf, put their jackets in the bin. The students would then take their seats at the tables where their chairs and folders were already placed. The students knew what was expected of them because they did the same things at the same time everyday. The teacher had laminated strips of card stock displayed in a holder in the front of the room that had the times of each activity and subject. The students didn't need to wonder what was coming next because they had a visual representation of the schedule. After the activity had passed, he would turn the strip around. If he forgot the students were sure to remind him. In addition to the schedule the teacher would tell the students what the schedule was for the day.

The teacher also had the rules of the classroom posted and he would review them everyday. He added gestures for each rule to help the students remember them. He had a designated spot in the classroom where the students could go and sit quietly if they needed to take a break. His students felt supported and loved and it showed in the interactions between the staff and the students. I hope to be able to create a positive environment like the one I observed in my own classroom.

Blog Entry 6

Strategies the teacher uses to actively engage the students and their effectiveness.

The teacher that I observed in my fieldwork experience used several different strategies to engage his students. I observed an autism unit where the teacher had to be very creative with his teaching methods to actively engage all of the students and to keep their attention focused on what he was teaching. He used the Smartboard, memory games, worksheets, scavenger hunts, and free time activities where the students could interact with each other.

Since socializing is often very difficult for people with autism, the teacher would set aside time twice a week for the students to play "social games." The students would be given an activity to do and they would have to complete the task by working together. Some students wanted to take over and others wanted to be left alone, so the teacher and his para educators were vital in helping the students communicate with each other and complete the task they were given.

The only thing that I saw that I felt the teacher could have improved on was that the students spent a lot of time sitting in their chairs facing the Smartboard. Although it is important for the students to learn to sit for long periods of time, especially those with autism, I thought that if the teacher could have shortened the time the students were sitting in their chairs they may have been able to focus better.

Blog Entry 5

The most important role a teacher plays

I believe that the most important role that a teacher plays is as a role model. Children watch and notice and often imitate what they see and hear, so I believe that we, as educators, need to be as positive, as professional, as compassionate, and as fair as we can be. Children are watching us and learning from our behavior even when we don't see it happening.

The children that I've observed in classroom settings and on playgrounds are looking for traits in others that they can emulate, and even try on for size, to see if that trait suits them. Some children seem to have a great sense of who they are from a young age, but often they are just beginning to discover who they are and who they want to become. For these reasons, I think that we need to show the children we teach characteristics that are positive so that they might be able to draw form them as they grow.

Having said that, I also want to state that I believe that it's very important for children to see us as human beings, capable of making mistakes and also admitting to those mistakes. I think that it's okay for children to see us as human beings who don't just live at the school and wait for them to show up so we can teach them. The teacher that I observed in an autism unit was a great example of all of these characteristics. He was fair, professional, compassionate, and also a little crazy and entertaining in order to keep the children's attention while he was teaching them. We are going to be a role model for the children we teach, so I believe that we should be a good one.

Blog Entry 5

The most important role a teacher plays

I believe that the most important role that a teacher plays is as a role model. Children watch and notice and often imitate what they see and hear, so I believe that we, as educators, need to be as positive, as professional, as compassionate, and as fair as we can be. Children are watching us and learning from our behavior even when we don't see it happening.

The children that I've observed in classroom settings and on playgrounds are looking for traits in others that they can emulate, and even try on for size, to see if that trait suits them. Some children seem to have a great sense of who they are from a young age, but often they are just beginning to discover who they are and who they want to become. For these reasons, I think that we need to show the children we teach characteristics that are positive so that they might be able to draw form them as they grow.

Having said that, I also want to state that I believe that it's very important for children to see us as human beings, capable of making mistakes and also admitting to those mistakes. I think that it's okay for children to see us as human beings who don't just live at the school and wait for them to show up so we can teach them. The teacher that I observed in an autism unit was a great example of all of these characteristics. He was fair, professional, compassionate, and also a little crazy and entertaining in order to keep the children's attention while he was teaching them. We are going to be a role model for the children we teach, so I believe that we should be a good one.

Blog Entry 5

How this teacher manages assessments

How does this teacher manage assessments?

The teacher that I observed managed assessments by taking each student out of the classroom, either individually or in a group, and would administer the tests that needed to be completed at the time. The school administration was in charge of administering some of the tests, like the Sage Test, and the teacher was there to offer support to the staff and to the students.

 I asked the teacher how he knew which test he needed to give to which students and he told me that they had inservice meetings at the district level where they would explain how to administer the assessments and when they needed to be given. The teacher also said that some of the testing revolved around each student's IEP meeting since this was a special education classroom. He would give the tests and have the results ready to relay in the IEP meeting.

While the teacher was administering the assessments that needed to be done, his staff was ready to take over in his absence. I saw how important it was to have smart, reliable para educators working with the teacher and the students so that the classroom can run in an efficient manner. The para educators even administered some of the assessments if the tests needed to have more than one person and setting to see if the student was consistent in their answers. It definitely appeared to be a challenge to get everything done. This teacher seemed to have a good system in place.

Blog Entry 3

Modifications for learners who are exceptional

Some of the modifications that the teacher I worked with provided for his exceptional students are getting the student's attention while talking to them, using a laser pointer and a pointer with a long arm and a hand on the end of it to allow the children to focus on what he was teaching. He was very good at being very animated to keep student's attention, and using several different modalities to keep students interested in the subjects that he was teaching.

The teacher that I worked with for my field work experience was very good at teaching to each member of his class in ways that benefitted each student. He has a class with third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade special needs children. He taught his students with worksheets, computer math games, shared reading techniques, and smart board applications. He knew each student and their learning and emotional needs and could address all areas of the student's education as they arose. He also trained his staff with patience and an understanding for the children.

I'm inspired by this teacher and I hope that I will be able to be a good teacher like he is. It's difficult to know each student well enough to help them in a way that they can trust and rely on you. I know that when it's done well, a student can blossom and learn because they feel understood. My desire is to be the kind of teacher that understands and cares about each of my students and that I can teach each one of them in the ways that they learn best.

Blog Entry 2

An opportunity I had working with a small group

In the special needs class that I attended, I had the opportunity to work with a group of 4 students on their math worksheets. I also recorded each students work on their IEP goal sheets in their individual folders. One student was in sixth grade, two students were in fifth grade, and one was in fourth grade. Each of these students had very different intellectual abilities. The sixth grader was very advanced in his abilities and he did worksheets that consisted of multiplying and dividing fractions, multiplying decimals, and multiplying four by four digit multiplication. He did his work independently and didn't make any mistakes.

One of the fifth grade students worked fairly independently, but I had to choose the worksheets that he worked on and he needed some instruction before getting started. He did worksheets that consisted of identifying fractions on number lines, and three by three digit addition and subtraction. He also didn't make any mistakes on his worksheets.

The other fifth grade student was worked on two by two digit addition and subtraction touch math worksheets. He needed consistent direction to work at all. He could do the math problems if I pointed to the dots on the pages, but he sat contently until I helped him with his work. He lacked the confidence to work on his own, but he was a very mild mannered, soft spoken, and adorable child.

The fourth grade student that I worked with demanded constant attention. His worksheets consisted of adding fractions and two by two digit multiplication. He seemed to lack confidence in his abilities and seemed to want reassurance that he was doing the problems correctly. He made several mistakes and resisted making corrections to the problems. He also talked constantly. It was a very eventful hour in this classroom.

Fieldwork #1

What does a teacher do all day?

I'm doing my fieldwork in an autism unit in an elementary school. The children in the class are in third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. There are 13 children in the class consisting of 1 girl and 12 boys. The teacher that I'm working with greets the children first thing in the morning, and he and his two para educators then starts working with the children on their individual IEP goal work. This time is mostly used to teach them math and spelling.

Writing is taught before lunch. During lunch, the teacher and his aides watch the kids and help them to stay calm and under control and they also make sure the kids eat enough of their lunches. While the aides watch over to kids on the playground, the teacher takes a short lunch by himself in the classroom, that is if no children have behavior problems and need to stay inside with him. After lunch the teacher reads to all of the kids, teaches language arts, grammar, art, social games, or science. The aides are busy making sure that all of the kids get to their specialty classes and any other places that they need to go, like speech, occupational therapy, and adaptive p.e.

The teacher in the classroom that I'm working in has to be in charge of, and responsible for, each child's behavior and intervene when necessary, their education and all of the testing that each student needs, and for their social integration and formation. He needs to be a performer that is educating as well as entertaining the children so that they don't get bored while they're learning. Teaching is an incredibly challenging and demanding job, but I can see how it is very rewarding as well.