Given the proper skills, the student will become a creative and inspiring teacher following the criteria of Dr. Smirnova. As I reflect back on these last few weeks of class, I am filled with many emotions. I am pleased with what I have produced and can't believe it is such a large document. Each section of the Unit Plan was broken down into manageable parts which made the whole process seem a teeny bit less intimidating. When I look at what I have created I almost can't believe it.
I really enjoyed Dr. Smirnova's PowerPoint on Making Connections. I think this PowerPoint really tied everything together for me. Nothing is random in education. Every model, method and strategy is intertwined and has been carefully designed. I can recognize my growth in learning because when I reread my notes, I wonder why I thought something was so hard. I guess I had a few "Aha" moments!
I am enthusiastic about exploring the technology world and glad that I have had the exposure to so many education programs.
For my fieldwork, I observed in a first grade general education classroom. The classroom was arranged with four groups of six desks each to form a table. The ratio of boys to girls is double. There were 16 boys to 7 girls. Out of the 16 boys, 6 are pulled out for help in the morning session which relieves the teacher quite a bit. She states how hectic it can be, especially when she only has an aide for an hour and a half a day in the afternoon.
Mrs. H keeps a well-organized classroom. Her room is full of light, equipped with plenty of storage, a sink, water fountain and bathroom (which she says is sometimes a big distraction in the class.) She makes her plans for the week on the weekend and uses a template that she recently found online. She said it is a real time saver. She introduces the main concept of the week and they spend the rest of the week reinforcing the concept. On Friday, the students have a spelling test and a vocabulary and comprehensive test to assess their learning.
The assessment books used are from the Harcourt series. The teacher follows the Standards and modifies her Unit Plans from year to year, if need be. Nearly all of her instruction is direct. When reading with the children, Mrs. H will ask many creative questions to make sure that they are comprehending the reading.
The structure of the lessons begin with getting the class ready by reading a story on the rug. She goes over the letters, words and sounds that will be used that day. By this point in the year, the students are well tuned to her attention getting signal, which is merely walking to the front of the room. In the beginning of the year, she states it was more difficult and she would flicker the lights or ring a bell. At this grade level, I notice a lot of repetition. Mrs. H has the children write their work in journals and if students finish early, they can write a story in their journal.
She performs echo reading lessons, word cheers and partner reading with the students which reinforces their skills, and has them developing their knowledge and comprehension on a couple different levels of learning. A few early mastery learners are able to apply the learned material in new situations, like in their journal stories.
Overall, this fieldwork experience has been a learning experience. Throughout the time I was there, I observed Mrs. H using different strategies to get the students to recall the information and assess their understanding. Two of the students are having learning difficulties and Mrs. H is there to give them one to one help. That seems to be just what they need to get them enthusiastic about learning.
