Experiencing More in the Classroom

Experiencing More in the Classroom
(10/9-10/13)
Blog #3


 This week in my practicum classroom was a little more exciting. Before, I was only able to observe the classroom during math time, which has been a great experience, however, I wanted to experience more. I finally was able to do this by switching my schedule around in order to go in the morning a couple days a week and in the afternoon the other days.

That being said, rather than just experiencing math, I also got to be apart of the reading/writing part of the day.

I learned quite a bit about this time with them. This particular week I only observed the writing lessons. The class started with a whole group lesson. The students had a whiteboard one day in which the teacher would write a lower case letter on the big white board and then the students would write the same letter on their white board at their desk. The teacher would teach the students how to write the letters in a certain way. Mrs. D taught the students little tricks to remember how to write the letters correctly in order to count on the standardized tests. The tricks she taught them, seemed to really help them to know what to do. With each letter the students learn, they learn the correct sound for which it makes, and the sign language sign for that letter as well. They also learn a simple word that goes along with that letter so they can better recognize it in books and such.

I have also been able to be apart of some science/art lessons in the classroom lately as well. The students have been learning quite a bit about colors, so on one particular day the students were put into groups and were given a bowl where they were to put skittles around the edge of the bowl and then Mrs. D would come around and pour some water into the bowl. The students then observed as all the colors ran towards the middle. The students really enjoyed this activity. Another activity the students did with colors involved frosting, pretzel sticks, and a fun snack. Mrs. D made frosting into the colors blue, yellow, and red. The students learned that these are the primary colors. After the students received a plate with the three different colors of frosting and the pretzel sticks, they were instructed to mix them together to create other colors. This helped the students learn what two colors can make another color. Once they completed this, they were given permission to snack on their yummy creation.


Which do you view your supervising teacher as having a greater strength in? a) relationship with students, b) subject matter knowledge , or c) effective teaching skills?

Although I believe my supervising teacher has great strength in her knowledge of subject matter and wonderful effective teaching strategies, I think her greatest strength is how amazing her relationship is with her students. I have been amazed from day one how well she knows her students and how well she communicates with a class full of children. Mrs. D knows each and everyone of her students' home life which helps her to know what her students need in the classroom from her. She is aware of who her students live with and what kind of situation they are in. I think this helps her to create a learning environment fit for all her students and for her to know how to deal with situations among her students. She makes her students feel safe in her classroom by creating a fun learning environment and making them feel comfortable enough to talk to her about anything they need to.

Academic Engaged Time

When I think about terms I have learned about in class and how it may connect to my practicum classroom, academic engaged time stands out to me. The students in Mrs. D's class have little to no time to get into trouble and such because they are constantly given something to do. There are of course a couple of students that find a way to test the teachers and lesson plans, but for the most part Mrs. D is able to pull their attention back in fairly quickly by engaging them in the lesson. Mrs. D has a schedule on the wall with pictures. She has a clip that moves along the schedule so students can easily see where they are at in their day, what they have already accomplished, and what is yet to come before going home. She keeps the students on a very tight schedule which I think is very important when having a kindergarten class. Students are given breaks throughout the day called "brain breaks" but this is still something where the students are engaged. Usually a "brain break" consists of the students standing in front of the smart board where Mrs. D will play a video where the students have to do little dances along with the video. This gives the students a chance to get some extra wiggles out and not feel completely bored from sitting at a table all day. It is usually only about five minutes, but that is just enough time for these youngsters before returning to usual lesson plans.

Something extra I thought I would add is the website used during the brain breaks. The website is gonoodle.com and it filled with tons of fun videos that engages the students in order to give their brains a break for a moment and enjoy some fun times with their peers.