Fieldwork Observation

     The most important thing I've learned from my fieldwork observation is that teaching is not just a job, it's an investment.  The teachers I've observed are invested in what they do.  They don't just show up at a certain time, put their time in and clock out at a certain time.  Teachers are willing to stay late to get a project finished, or take assignments home to be graded.  A teacher doesn't leave their job when they go home for the day.

     A teacher needs to be willing to put forth extra effort to help out each individual student if possible.  The rules of the classroom aren't always one size fits all.  Special accommodations need to be made in some instances.  A teacher is constantly learning and growing to keep up with the students and their needs.  Teaching is a very demanding, but rewarding experience when you see  students progress and learn.  I look forward to the day when I am able to help these young minds grow!

Procedures in the Classroom

     Teachers need to have procedures set in place in order to help the class run smoothly.  As I've been observing I've noticed several things that have helped the classroom run smoothly.  From day one Mrs. N has let her students know what she expects from them. 
     For example, when students move from one center to another she expects them to do so quietly.  When the students move quietly she praises them.  When they don't, she asks them to go back and try it again.  This helps immensely with the noise level and with students getting to where they need to be quickly and efficiently. 
     Mrs. N also tells them to give her "Five".  They are to have their eyes on her, be ready and be quiet.  She puts her back to the room and gives them a chance to get ready.  They never know when she will turn around but they know to be ready when she does!  Each student has a chart on their desk and can earn stamps for good behavior.  When the chart is filled up the students can get a prize from the treasure chest.  This helps greatly with classroom management and getting the students ready to learn.

Actively Engaging Students

     As I've been observing and helping out in different classroom I've really enjoyed seeing how teachers engage their students.  I've especially been impressed with the first grade teacher I've been observing.  Every morning she has students sit on the rug and together they read a message she has put on the white board.  The message has spelling and punctuation errors which she asks students to help her fix.  The kids love this activity and are always eager to help out.

     After the morning message, she asks for good news.  She calls on 3-4 students to share any good news.  It can be anything from what they ate for dinner the night before, to a vacation they just returned from.  After those few students have shared with the class their good news, she asks the rest of the students to turn to a neighbor and they have to take turns telling each other their good news.  I have been so impressed with this tactic.  All the students are able to participate and they know that their teacher cares enough for them to allow them this time to talk about what's happening in their lives.  I would like to implement this activity when I become a teacher!

The most challenging role a teacher plays

     I think the most challenging role a teacher plays is that of disciplinarian.  A teacher has to keep order in the classroom.  This is challenging to do with 20+ students in a class.  A teacher needs a set of rules and consequences for the class to follow in order to keep control of the classroom and stay in charge. 
     This can be difficult to do especially with students who come from homes without rules and structure.  Most students learn quickly and are eager to obey and do the right thing.  There are a few students who are unwilling to conform to the rules of the classroom.  This can be a huge challenge for the teacher.  One student can disrupt an entire class and prevent learning from taking place. 
     From my observations sometimes a teacher needs to have a set of more specific and individualized rules for certain students.  This is hard because sometimes this detracts from the learning of other students.  I have seen this happen and think that would be the most challenging and frustrating thing for me to face if I were the teacher.

Clerical Work

     In my fieldwork I've had the opportunity to participate in clerical work as well as help the teachers with preparation and grading of assignments.  I have had the opportunity to grade spelling words in 4th grade as well as making copies.  I have also picked up copies for multiple 4th grade classes and collated the documents for each of the teachers.

     In Mrs. L's class this week she had me grade spelling tests and look over guided reading summaries.  She asked me to grade the summaries and gave me guidelines on how to do so.  I really enjoyed reading the comments of the students about the various books they are reading.  Not only did they have to write a summary they also had to write a response to what they read.  Many expressed feelings, some asked questions and many made predictions about what would happen next.   I always look forward to helping out in the classroom.  It is a very rewarding experience and there are never any dull moments!

Modifications for Exceptional Students

     In one class I've observed there is a student with Spina Bifida.  This student is confined to a wheelchair.  He is part of the regular classroom setting and has many friends among his peers.  His teacher has mentioned that at the beginning of the year he wouldn't write, but now he is doing very well and doing his assignments along with the other children.

     One modification I've noticed for this student is his desk.  He is in first grade, and the desks there are small.  This student has a tall desk to accommodate his wheelchair.  His teacher has also kept his desk near the door so he doesn't have to maneuver around to many obstacles. 

     Another modification I noticed was on the K-2 playground.  About 2 weeks ago it was shut down for several days so a ramp could be added.  This ramp has benefited the student in First Grade so he is able to go to the playground on his own without assistance.  I've been very impressed to see the accommodations for him, yet he has not been singled out.  He is treated like the other students and doesn't seem to feel that he is different.

Working one on one with students

      In my fieldwork I've had the opportunity to work one on one with students several times.  As I've helped out in Mrs. "A's" fourth grade class I've been able to circle the room and help students individually.  This week when I helped, the students were working on spelling.  They were given a list of their spelling words with a worksheet.  The worksheet had questions such as "Soup is to lunch as _____ is to breakfast".  The response needed was one of the spelling words which happened to be Oatmeal.    Several students struggled with knowing which words went with the questions.

 

     One student was really struggling so I stayed to help as much as I could without giving him the answers.  I would ask him what the words in the sentence/question meant and then asked him if he was looking for a word that had the same meaning or the opposite meaning.  Then I directed him to look at his spelling words to see which one fit the best. 

     He struggled with the spelling word Boast.  He didn't understand what it meant.  I could see how the constructivism learning theory came into play.  I tried to get him to figure out what word he was looking for based on his prior knowledge.  He was to match the word brag to his spelling word boast.  I asked him what brag meant and then directed him to find the best answer.  I could see that some students had a better understanding of some words than others.  It's interesting to see the differences in their learning styles and levels of understanding.