Blog Entry 8 - 8/8

• What is the most important thing you have learned during fieldwork observation?  Why?

The time I was able to spend in a classroom was wonderful. The class, coursework, and observation helped me to notice things about the education process that I had never thought about and has been valuable as I am pursing my own education. There are two things that are the most important to me moving forward. 

The first thing is the importance of being engaged and engaging as an educator. I think it is really easy to feel overwhelmed, tired, and distracted during a long day, week, month, and school year, but I think bringing passion into each day and having an awareness of the needs of each member of the class is necessary in making a difference for each student. 

The second thing that I think is really important is recognizing that there isn't a "one size fits all" solution in education. Each student comes from a different starting place, has different objectives, and learns in a unique way. Bringing as many tools and constantly seeking to better your lessons, approaches, and awareness helps to make you and your students more successful. 

Blog Entry 7 - 8/1

• What are the school rules/classroom rules and how are they enforced?
• What are the procedures the teacher uses to make everything run smoothly in the class?

As I observed in the classroom it was obvious that Ms. Lapossa had control over her classroom and the respect of her students. I have been in classes as well as observed classes where this is not the case. Grade level playing a factor I believe young children are more likely to seek the approval of their teacher, but I know that is not true in every case. One thing that I observed was that the rules of the classroom were clearly displayed, consistently followed, and known by each member of the class. Consequences were also followed consistently and very rarely in my time did I see problems escalate to a higher level or require more than a warning, with the exception of talking out of turn or sitting still which I believe is something that is being taught in the classroom and isn't necessary a lack of respect. The list of classroom rules was handwritten and I was told it was something that they did at the beginning of the year together. The list is as follows.

1. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

2. Do your best.

3. Follow instructions.

4. Listen and share your thoughts. 

5. Learn and have fun! 

These are simple but important rules and they worked well for this group. Ms. Lapossa would raise her hand and wait for the students to raise their hands when it was time to transition activities. She would play a hebrew song each time the classroom or an activity needed to be picked up. When it was time to line up for recess or lunch or various classes she would ring a bell. She also would speak in a whisper when she wanted the class to listen and be quiet. The last procedure for classroom management I saw was a schedule for the day posted where it could be seen. She would go over it as the day began and again as the day finished and occasionally throughout so the students knew what was coming and remembered what they had done when at the end of the day she asked the students what they learned and did that day. 

Blog Entry 6 - 7/18

What strategies does the teacher use to actively engage the students? How effective are these?

As I observe I have noticed that there is definitely a variety of levels of engagement from the students in the class. One of the things that impressed me the most was watching Ms. Lapossa engage her students by paying attention to individual needs and not assuming that what will open up one student will work for the entire body. The questioning frequency in the class seems to be very high. I have also learned a great deal about wait time as she is good to pause and allow all of the students to think about her question. There are a handful of kids in the class that are gifted and tend to raise their hands very quickly. She generally waits to call on anyone until everyone has had some time to think about an answer.

Something else that I have noticed and appreciated is the way that the information being taught receives closure at the end of each day. The students spend 5-10 minutes at the end of the day summarizing the things they learned, their favorite activities, how the information is applicable etc. The majority of the students seem to be very engaged when participating in the recap. 

Lastly, I saw a great deal of withitness. Teaching requires a tremendous amount of multitasking and awareness. You have so many different needs and at times many things going on. To make sure that each student in engaged in the learning process it is so important to know what is happening at each desk or learning environment. At times you are engaging the entire class, at times smaller groups, and also one on one is necessary. During those times being aware of how engaged each student is makes a difference in how successful each lesson is. 

Blog Entry 5 - 7/11

• What do you think is the most challenging role a teacher plays?  Why?

There are many roles played by teachers and they all work together in order to provide students with the best possible education. I believe that each role played by a teacher has unique challenges and in every classroom the role that is the most difficult changes. As I have learned about the different roles of a teacher and with my experience one of the roles that I think can be particularly challenging is working with parents, or the role of "parent advocate". 

Education of a child does not start and end when they enter and leave the classroom. The importance of what happens outside of a classroom, and inside of the home is vital. One of the responsibilities of teachers, that I was able to be a part of this year, was parent teacher conference. Teachers use the assessments, their professional opinions, and the relationships built with the children to help parents understand better what is going on with a child while they are at school. Parents can be the biggest help for students and teachers but at times I imagine it is difficult to see children have rough home lives, unsupportive parents, or parents that are critical of your teaching. 

I see three relationship as being the most important for a good education, the relationship between teacher and student, student and parent, and parent and teacher. If any of these roles aren't functioning well than the education of the child is at risk. Parents place an immense amount of responsibility on teachers for the growth of their students, and as an educator you rely heavily on parents to help you achieve your goals. This would be extremely challenging. 

Blog Entry 4 - 7/5

What clerical and preparation responsibilities have you participated in?

As I have observed I have learned about the importance of assessment as I participated in clerical and classroom preparation. Much of the clerical work I have been asked to do has involved grading papers. This is an important time to assess the skills and understanding of each student as you can see how well they are doing. The level of work seen from the students in the classroom ranged from students only writing their names at the top of the paper in a scribbled penmanship, to 100% responses perfectly written. This is an important time to gauge what students could use more one on one assistance, what students could become bored and require more of a challenge, and the students in between. Also, as I have help with making copies and putting together things for future lessons I have seen the adjustments made to the required curriculum to fit the needs of the students. 

Blog Entry 2 - 6/6

• Tell about an opportunity you had to work one on one with a student.

One of the things I enjoyed the most during my time in the classroom was working one on one with students. This took place either situationally or in a more scheduled format. When the students were working quietly at their desks I was given the okay to help them when their hands were raised, indicating that they needed help or had a question. I enjoyed these teaching opportunities and felt like they also gave me a better understanding of how well a lesson had been understood by the members of the class.

The times I was able to help one on one that were more scheduled happened in the morning. The first subject that the class went through was english. Many of the students spoke english as a second language. The students would work together as a class, or have a lesson as a class and then spend time quietly reading, doing worksheets, or whatever was the assignment for the day. The students that needed extra help were able to go in the hallway and read or work on the assignment with a volunteer parent, teachers aide, or with me. I appreciated this time because I saw the students make a lot of progress and also work really hard during this time. Some of the students that would otherwise feel lost or seem distracted would be really focused when they had individual attention. I also feel like it was good bonding time with the students. 

Blog Entry 1 - 5/23

The classroom I observed had a range of individual development. The students were in first grade and therefore still had a large gap from the education they received at home, where they were at developmentally, and the kindergarten classroom they had come from. All of the students could read but as I witnessed either during one on one time or as the class read aloud, some read very comfortably and others slowly and with more difficulty. There was also a difference in maturity. Some students were able to sit still, listen, line up, etc. while others required a lot of prompting and occasional help. I also saw a difference in levels of interest based on the type of information or the way it was being taught. 

I spent mostly mornings in the classroom but was able to observe a few afternoons. During my time I met Ms. Lapossa before the students arrived. She would generally be enjoying a coffee and the last few minutes of the day she had to herself. Depending on the lessons that day she had a few things to prep and I was able to help.  When the students arrived they would take role, pass in homework etc. Any of the to-dos for the day. They would have lessons until recess. Depending on the day Ms. Lapossa would either go with them or would prepare for the next part of her day. Early morning was spent on english and late morning math. I generally left at lunch. The afternoons were spent either in the children's extra curricular classes, such as hebrew, art, and sports club, or in the classroom twice a week doing science and social studies. At the end of the day the students would go over the day, receive homework, cleaning up and discussing the plan for the following day. Ms. Lapossa would spend the after school hours tidying the classroom, grading papers, preparing lessons, and helping with after school activities. A very long and busy day full of lots of energy.