Final Reflections

Final Reflections on Whole Experience

            It is daunting to try to begin writing a reflection on my entire experience in Mrs. L’s class.  It was only five weeks, and part of me feels like it flew by, while another part of me feels as if I’ve always been there.  I have learned a lot in these few weeks, and have had a wonderful experience being a part of the community at this school.

            The attention I paid to individual students taught me so much about the differences in each of them, and how their learning is affected by their unique selves.  This started with my case study students.  As I worked with each of them one-on-one and made sure to observe them throughout the days, I realized just how fascinating each of them was.  I am certain that no matter what student I’d randomly chosen at the beginning of my experience, I’d have been just as fascinated with them.  Students are complex, and unraveling them just a little can take their education to a whole new level.  It is daunting to think of this as a teacher, but there are many strategies to achieve this with each and every student.   This relates to some of the Annenberg videos I watched, especially the most recent about assessing students individually and concentrating on five or so at a time, as well as the video about beginning the year.  Getting to know students early on is crucial, and having time set aside to do so at the beginning of the year will make the task less daunting.  Personalizing each relationship also strongly relates to management.  Mr. T, one of the fourth grade teachers I observed made a strong point with this.  He spoke of classroom management as being based primarily on the relationship between teacher and student, and between student and the classroom as a whole.  He made very strong points that align with my own beliefs.  Knowing a student impacts their whole experience in school in a positive way, making them feel safe and comfortable, and enhancing their learning and school experience significantly.

            I also learned the impact of individual attention during my last week in the classroom.  The students have a bucket filler system in the room where they write the name of a student on a slip of paper and add it to that student’s bucket.  They take their slips home once a week.  On Friday, my last day, we took home bucket filler slips as usual.  I had written one for every student, and had added a personal note to each.  As I sat down to do so, I was a little concerned that my comments would be repetitive for some students and boring.  I had no trouble thinking of something for each individual.  When we passed these out, quite a few of the students made a point of coming up to me and commenting on what I’d written.  Some of my comments were silly, some sincere, some appreciative and some encouraging.  The students were sharing what I’d written and why I’d written it with each other.  It was wonderful to hear their responses and to just see how excited they got from a few simple sentences on my part.  They were even more excited when I followed up my notes with crayon rings. 

Bucket filler slips were given out right after we addressed student math homework.  I had been correcting piles of math homework throughout my five weeks there, and nothing had been done with it yet.  Instead of writing the simple +correct at the top of the page, I had written individual comments on many papers.  On student papers where comments weren’t as in-depth, I often added pictures or doodles along with a small comment.  Finally, on the last day in the room, we had a massive homework give-back party.  The students all got their assignments back.  The students with the most homework pages got to choose a prize.  This was a big deal to them, of course, because stuffed animals and playing cards are a big deal.  Only four students were able to receive a prize though.  While passing out homework, I had so many students comment on what I’d written or on the silly drawings I’d added.  I was most glad to see students who had struggled on the homework reading my comments.  Even though the lesson will not be retaught and they are still probably confused, they have some idea what they did wrong, and many students may remember those comments in the future. 

            This brings me to the assessment I had planned for the class.  I briefly discussed this in previous posts or updates on my classroom experience.  I had planned to have each student make a booklet using compound sentences.  I shared this idea with Mrs. L, and she adapted it into an activity rather than an assessment without much discussion with me.  Although my plans for this assessment were not carried out as I’d hoped, I came up with a plan for my ideal anyway, and hope to use it or something similar in the future. 

            I was going to have students use a four page booklet made out of one sheet of paper (something I learned in Lit lab-the pocket poetry book we did with our case studies).  In this booklet, they would write down the steps to changing two simple sentences into one compound sentence.  These would be given to them by Mrs. L or myself.  Each page would contain one step.  In addition, they would need to show a sentence of their own going through the steps on each page.  The last page (back cover) would be saved for examples of sentences.  I created a rubric to supplement this assessment. 

	1	2	3
FANBOYS	Doesn’t use FANBOYS or does not use as conjunction	Uses incorrect FANBOYS as conjunction (i.e. ‘but’ instead of ‘and’)	Uses FANBOYS correctly and as conjunction
Comma Use	No commas are used	Commas are present, but not before the conjunction when joining two simple sentences	Commas are used before the conjunction when joining two simple sentences
Simple Sentences	No complete simple sentences (complete=subject and predicate)	One complete simple sentence	Two complete simple sentences
Writing Mechanics	Inconsistent or random spelling, capitals, and punctuation	Some correct capitals and end punctuation; third grade spelling with some consistency	Correct capitals and end punctuation; consistent third grade spelling

            Assessment and checking for understanding have truly shown their importance to me through this placement.  In the past, writing and executing the lesson, especially the instruction plan, was my main focus.  This placement made me see how integral assessment is in everyday instruction.  As I gain more experience, I see how interrelated they are during every moment of a lesson.  I’ve learned that checking for understanding is crucial; if students aren’t understanding what I’ve taught them, there’s no way to move on and hope for desirable results or for students to meet the objectives of the whole lesson.  In addition, I’ve learned that it is far better to check for understanding and take time to readdress information rather than moving on for the sake of getting through the lesson.

            In terms of management, I’ve gathered countless tactics and pieces of information.  The point that impacted me the greatest was made by Mr. T, the fourth grade teacher.  The teacher student relationship is the most important thing in behavior management.  I’ve also learned many ways to work with students.  Focusing on motivation is something I will do in my future classroom.  Making a lesson engaging by switching instructional strategies often goes a long way, and trying to stay away from extended direct instruction is vital.  I’ve also learned from a few specific students that it is okay and appropriate to go to other officials in the school if a student needs help.  This is not a failure to management; it is contacting a resource the student needs to enhance their learning and educational experience.  In addition, incentives can go a long way for some students.  For the students it works with, it is always wise to do it.  However, I also learned that students are unique, and making goals or keeping track of charts is not how every student is motivated.  It takes an individual relationship to decide on the best way to keep students engaged, motivated, and essential to the classroom.  With these things, behavior management is far less daunting.  The final aspect of behavior management I’d like to comment on is consistency.  Students need to understand their expectations, and need to be held to them.  I think concrete consequences should be communicated to students beforehand, and those cannot be waivered based on individual circumstances.  Consistency is crucial, and students who are aware of how they should act and why are far less likely to misbehave for attention.

            I have greatly enjoyed being in Mrs. L’s room.  I will be going back a few times before they begin summer to help Mrs. L with testing and to help out around the room.  I already miss the students, and I am grateful for all they have given me over the past five weeks.  Mrs. L has been a joy to work with, and has shown me a lot in our time together.  I have learned quite a bit, and have added much to my existing repertoire for the classroom.  I feel more prepared, and I am excited to start my next chapter in my journey to becoming a teacher.

Friday, May 24

Annenberg Video 6

http://learner.org/resources/series204.html?pop=yes&pid=2195#

Workshop 8.  Assessment and Accountability

            This video was very helpful for me to watch, especially in linking the observations I’ve been doing on checking for understanding with assessment as a whole.

            The first section of the video was the most intriguing for me.  The video host was talking about where to start.  She said that the first things she thinks about is where specifically she wants her students to be at the end of the year.  Next, she thinks about what specific evidence will show this.  Her final step is to look at the students when they come into her class.  Pre-assessing them is as crucial as these first steps, and is thus the starting point of her instruction.

            This section held great points, and I am familiar with the process on a smaller level.  This is the same plan within each unit, and even within each lesson.  Seeing it on a grander scale makes sense.  While I’ve done this on the smaller scale, my previous notions have been corrected.  It does not start with a lesson or a unit; it starts with a year plan that is broken down into units, then lessons.  This seems like a simple concept, but having only been in a classroom for parts of the year, I haven’t experienced the full scope of the entire year.  It was good to put these thoughts in the perspective of the full year.

            Even before starting the video, I was concerned about the amount of time needed for assessment.  While formal assessments can take away from class time, the video host reassured my worries.  She spoke about the give and take of instruction and assessment, and how to integrate these seamlessly.  She said that while teaching, she is in the practice of instructing, assessing, and instructing seamlessly.  This seems like a skill that would take some time to accomplish fluidly, but the concept certainly makes sense.  This thought was somewhat overwhelming to me, but her next point was very helpful and I will certainly use the idea in my future classroom.  She said that there are two truths we cannot get around.  The first is that you can’t expect to have good information about each student, and to find it out in a day.  The second is that you can’t keep everything in your brain.  She suggested focusing on five students at a time, either for one day or for one week at a time.  The video showed a teacher doing an example of this.  He was using a chart with a few student names, then room for notes under three or so columns.  As he walked around the room, he made comments only on those specific students under the three categories he’d chosen.  This reminds me of the reading groups I do for Mrs. Lance’s class.  Every day there is a different group of five students or so.  I take notes on each specific student for one or two reading strategies every lesson.  It really gives me a chance to see where each student is at.  I will be continuing this this week, and will further think on how I can use something similar in my room without the guidance of whatever reading curriculum my school uses.  My next steps would be creating my own objectives for each lesson.

            The last part of the video that I want to discuss is the role students play in their own assessment.  In many St. Kate’s classes we’ve discussed the benefits of rubrics, especially sharing the rubrics with students before their assignment is completed.  The video upheld these previous discussions and reinforced my beliefs about them.  The host also mentioned sharing expectations for the year with them.  I am not sure if this directly relates to standardized tests, but I’m not sure if I wholeheartedly agree with this point.  In Mrs. L’s class, she shared each students previous testing score with them, then showed them what they need to score on the next test.  She would do this one or shortly before testing day.  It is good to keep students in the loop on their progress, but for students who were significantly below grade level, I expect it was quite discouraging.  A third grader seeing they were far below the previous goal and are now expected to gain 14 points in a sitting may not be confident in their abilities, especially if they struggle in school on a daily basis.  Testing anxiety is already enough of an issue for many students, and this can hardly help. 

            While I agree that sharing expectations with students is very important, it is crucial to communicate to them that those expectations are reasonable and reachable.  I do not know exactly how to solve the issue of standardized tests and the reality that many students do not reach the desired score.  In terms of classroom work, I think sharing expectations is another great way for students to take control of their own learning and a source of great motivation.  After they know what they must do to succeed, they must know that they can succeed, then they can take their own steps to reaching that success.

Question of the Day: What is the best piece of advice you can give to any new teacher?

BE FLEXIBLE.  Mrs. L spoke of how a lot of teachers aren’t, and it is a huge detriment to their teaching and their classroom environment.  She said that teaching doesn’t go according to plan sometimes, and that is completely normal and not negative.  She went on to say that flexibility is needed not just within the classroom, but in all areas of teaching.  This includes behavior, scheduling, the principal or school/curriculum expectations, and parents, to name a few.  New teachers should anticipate adjusting many aspects of teaching for their greatest success.

Thursday, May 23

Today I taught another math lesson.  There are a number of comments I'd like to make, and I think it will be easiest to go through the lesson chronologically.  My one main concern throughout the lesson was timing, which I continue to work on.  This was only the second time I've used grouping in one of my lessons, and I found that my getting the feel for timing with groups is much different than with the whole group.  

I grouped the students carefully before the lesson, and this helped that transition run smoothly.  They were grouped primarily for behavior management purposes, as that has been my main focus throughout this placement.  I made sure to split up the students by academic level as well, and purposely had an even variety within each group.  In a few of the groups, I was going to place certain students by one another.  This didn't end up mattering much when students were with me, but did at the middle table.  In one specific case, I had a low student sitting next to a high one.  It only took a simple suggestion for them to work together for both to have something meaningful to work on throughout the group rotation.  I would love trying a lot of different grouping.  This was an early experience with is, and I am know there are a lot of great instructional opportunities based on thoughtful grouping in my future.

I spent a little too long on the math message I think, but I thought it was great for the students to come up and write the answers themselves.  To shorten the activity, I think I should have chosen fewer numbers to have them write.  

In the beginning of the lesson, I felt I did well with explaining congruency.  When the one student at the middle table didn't understand and wasn't able to articulate, I think I made the right decision to let the class move on, then work with him individually.  I also thought my decision to have students who finished earlier than others draw another congruent square in a different direction was a good one.  As students finished, I also told some of them to use another shape.  I didn't want them to use their templates because it takes less thought to create a congruent shape (it is already the same size and shape).  On both of these points, I found out in the moment that Mrs. Lance disagreed.  This was a little misstep and I'm not really sure how to have fixed it--I think it was just something that is bound to happen when working with a host or cooperating teacher.  All in all, it was a small glitch and didn't affect students beyond a small confusion.  

One other reason timing was pressed was that I'd thought the students were able to write decimals already.  This was supposed to be a review activity for them, but it seemed like I was teaching something new.  Another strength I thought I had was when I was explaining this concept, especially with checking for understanding.  I almost felt that I took too long with it, but I wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page because they weren't able to work directly with a teacher in that group.  

Another strength I felt I had was giving students directions for transitions.  The first transition from the carpet to their tables went well--getting called by table is a routine they are used to.  I was pretty nervous for the second major one, from their table spots to their group spots.  They did quite well though, and I think part of that was because I had them stand in certain places before sitting down.  I am sure there are more efficient ways to do a transition like this that I will continue to learn, however I felt it went smoothly in this instance.  The second transition when we switched groups was a little less smooth.  I should have given a clearer step-by-step instructions and slowed these down.  Even so, they were able to get to where they needed to go, didn’t get unruly, and did it in a timely manner.

During the first group rotation, I thought I did well having the students go through the activity, especially at the end when we should have switched groups.  I was expecting to switch earlier and ran out of things ‘planned’ by Everyday Math.  I had ideas for extensions though, and gave these to the students, which kept them working right up to the end.  One thing I should have done differently was stopping the whole small group and giving them directions together.  I only ended up saying the directions twice, but in the future I’d like to keep everyone on the same page.  This might have worked better in this instance as I had students finishing at different times.  I think grouping by level of proficiency would help this in the future.  I had discussed moving on with Mrs. Lance a little earlier than we did, although she needed a few more minutes.  Because I wasn't sure of when she wanted to switch, I didn't get in the wrap-up I'd wanted, but I was able to do that better in the following rotations.  Because of timing, our last group was shortened.  The students had a chance to do the activity, but I chose to cut out a few parts of it.  It was much shorter than the rest.  

I also felt that I did well monitoring the middle group during my group work.  This was not at the front of my brain as I started my activity, but once I remembered, I was able to keep track of them while my group worked.  I made sure to check on them consistently throughout the rest of the lesson, knowing no teacher was handy to ask questions to when they arose.  The students did well at this group, and only a few were struggling with the decimals. 

As I mentioned earlier, this is only the second time I've used groups.  It was overall a good experience, especially because I had Mrs. Lance to run another group.  It made it easy to plan knowing I had another teacher to run one of the groups.  

Question of the day: How do you set up routines at the beginning of the year that last throughout the school year?

Mrs. L. and the school follow the responsive classroom model.  The first few weeks of school have time and activities for building these things written into the curriculum.  She also has a classroom handbook that she goes over with students.  She mentioned a few things that she finds really helpful within the responsive classroom activities.  The one she focused most on was creating Y charts.  In these, the students come up with what a certain lesson or type of activity should look, sound, and feel like.  These are posted in the classroom all year long, and Mrs. L. visits them when she feels students are forgetting.

Wednesday, May 22

            Today I chose to observe management.  Instead of sticking to my usual template, I focused on behavior management.  This decision was because I observed a different teacher.  On Friday, I also observed another teacher.  Both are fourth grade males.  The first, Mr. J, is talkative and friendly and is constantly cracking jokes.  The second, Mr. T, has a very calm presence.  He engages in conversation quietly and sincerely.  The two are completely different in how they engage with people, as well as how they manage their classroom.  I found both of their styles very effective, but again, entirely different.

            I walked into Mr. J’s class and sat down.  The first thing I noticed was that he had a ball that he threw to each student who answered.  It was dropped a few times.  The students giggled a bit, but for the most part just handed it to the right student and kept on track.  Throughout the lesson, Mr. J gave a lot of gentle reminders that were often said jokingly.  For example, one student was leaning over and bothering another student who was trying to answer a question.  Mr. J said, “You’re not helping her, sir.”  The student got back on track.  Even though he says these reminders with a light tone, even humorous at times, students often get refocused. 

            Mr. J introduced a question that is impossible to answer.  He had students find 4/17 as a percent without using their calculators.  He wrote it on the board and said that if anyone got it, they could go home in 30 minutes.  He added that he would drive them there himself, and that he’d buy them Subway on the way home, AND that he would take them to Valley Fair after school.  The students were all excited, and worked at the problem diligently.  He revealed that it was impossible, then let students use their calculators.  This time, he had a prize of a mustache eraser.  When a student got it right, Mr. J talked about the answer and said a small “good work”, but didn’t dwell on the fact that the student had ‘won’.  As I kept watching, he slipped the eraser to the student quietly while still explaining the question.  There were a few students who noticed and made comments, but for the most part it was very quietly handled.  The next question he let students use their calculator for again.  This one was 1/3 as a percent.  The reward was seven seconds of uninterrupted nap time during class.  “I will let you fall asleep and not do any work…for seven seconds.”  The students again got excited, and after the question was answered, he had the students who got it right put their heads down for seven precious seconds.  He used that time to put his projector away and get out some materials for the next set of directions. 

            After giving direction for the next activity, the students were getting a little rowdy and excited.  All Mr. J did was stare at the clock.  After a few seconds, he said, “You’re wasting our time.  That’s ten.”  I didn’t have a chance to ask him about this, but it seemed like he had a system where they have some sort of punishment or reward taken away for time wasted during class.  My best guess is time towards recess.

            Mr. J has a light attitude in front of his class.  He brings a lot of fun to the room, and the students seem to like it a lot.  He keeps things in check, though, with the small things he does.  For example, when the ball would be dropped and a few snickers would bubble up, he kept a straight face.  I loved that he used a seven second nap as a reward.  The students respond to him well.  I do think he’s had to be very consistent and deliberate in his classroom for the whole year for this to work.  It is a balance between being the fun silly teacher and the teacher you need to take seriously.  He does this very well, and his classroom was a joy to be in.

            The next teacher I observed was Mr. T.  He is the complete opposite.  I walked into the room just after he’d started teaching.  The lights were off and students were looking at a projector screen.  The first thing I noticed was how low key and relaxed it was in there.  His calm and even voice adds to the serenity of the room.  The way he most often redirects students is with non-verbals.  He walks around the room constantly as he’s talking, just making a slow path while he lectures.  As he does this, he takes a book out of a student’s hands and closes is, tips a student’s chair forward onto four legs, motions downward with a flat hand for a student to stop rustling, and much more.  It is barely noticeable to the other students.  It seems a very natural part of his actions.  When a student didn’t listen to what he motioned, he would stand by their chair until the other students were talking, sharing, or working.  Then he would usually kneel down and talk to the students.  One student near the end of the lesson was putting glue on her hand (then it dries and you can peel it off in a sheet).   He opened her desk to find her glue stick.  She protested and had a little attitude, and he sent her to the buddy room right away. 

            After the lesson was finished (it was short because of testing), I had a moment to talk to him.  I told him a little about what I’d observed and how I’m looking at different management styles.  He started talking about how he views behavior management versus how my teacher does.  He said he sees it as all about the relationship between the teacher and student.  I really like what I saw in his room.  He is so calm and collected, and never raised his voice.  His room was very relaxed, but students were still engaged and still driven to do well.  The way he talks to students and redirects them is respectful and meaningful. 

            Both teachers I observed have a lot of strengths in their management styles.  Their classes seemed well managed, but the way they established this was very different.  I like the fun that Mr. J brought to the room, especially with his seven minute nap idea and using a ball to answer.  I also loved Mr. T’s philosophy behind management, and its basis on personal relationship.  His room had an atmosphere I would love to someday achieve.  Both observations gave me a lot to think about in developing my style of behavior management, as well as elements I’d like to use in my future classroom.

Question of the Day: As the school year comes to a close, what difficulties begin to arise due to the time of year?

Mrs. L. said her biggest concern is time.  There's a finite number of weeks left, and that number is always on her mind.  With testing as an added time requirement, fitting everything in before school ends is a stressor for her.  In addition, behavior begins to get a little more difficult.  The students are so used to each other at this time of year that they know how to work well together, and also how to irritate each other.  They are antsy, and although rules of the classroom have been established, they forget procedures a lot.  On top of that, they know which procedures they can skip over, and which to stick to.  Trying to remind them of these gets to be difficult.