Brian Lyda EDUC 329 TWS 1 Contextual Factors

Upon entering this second grade classroom, there is a small table against the front wall of the room. This serves as the teachers desk and is positioned under a bulletin board containing cutouts as well as a monthly calendar. Next to this is a recycling bin. Continuing along the front wall, there is a smartboard and then a dry-erase/white board. Morning work, consisting of math problems, is displayed on the white board. Students work on these problems during and after they eat breakfast each morning. In the far, front corner of the room is a semi-circular table that is used for guided reading instruction. Directly behind this table stands a tall, double bookshelf. This shelf contains relevant reading items including running record assessments, guided reading lesson plans, reading assessment materials, books, and notebooks. Moving to the back of the room, there is a row of four computers to which students have access during reading group time. The students use a program called Odyssey that provides educational games aligned with individual students skill levels and needs. Above these computers there are shelves containing materials and supplies. These include counting blocks, flashcards, notebooks, workbooks, and reference materials such as dictionaries and thesauruses. In the back corner, there is a bathroom and a sink with a water fountain. Returning to the wall nearest the door, there are cubbies for each student to store textbooks and supplies. To avoid distraction, students are not allowed to keep supplies such as crayons in their desks. Under the cubbies there are coat hooks on which students can hang their book bags and coats. There are twenty-two desks arranged in a rectangular pattern in the center of the room. The students names are posted on the front of their desks. Three desks are empty and are placed between certain students to decrease the likelihood of discipline problems. Each row of desks is numbered one through four. These row numbers are used to line students up in a controlled manner. The class and school have only a few simple, general rules. They are to Be Ready! Be Respectful! Be Responsible!. There is a school-wide reward policy known as Pawsitive Paws. This is part of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system used by the school. The emphasis is placed on recognizing and encouraging positive behavior as opposed to pointing out negative behavior. If students are seen engaging in positive behavior, they are given a Pawsitive Paw. The goal is to have seven positive to every one negative experience in the class each day. Consequences in this class include silent lunch or walking at recess. Next it moves to a minor infraction form with which a written notice is sent home. Finally there is a major infraction which involves either face-to-face or phone contact with the parents/guardians by the principal. The class has a daily schedule and routine that it follows. It begins with breakfast each morning that leads into morning work, typically math problems, posted on the white board. The teacher then reviews the morning work and moves into writing time. Students choose a topic important to them to write about and spend approximately thirty minutes quietly writing. The students then break into guided reading groups. These groups are divided based on reading level of the students. There are four stations to which the groups rotate during this time. These include guided reading, math (on the board), computers (Odyssey program), and seat work (followed by

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independent reading). After reading groups, students move into a math lesson, and they then break for lunch. The teacher has explained that there is not much parental involvement in the classroom. This is not due to a downplay of its importance. Parents are welcome to be more involved but many are not for various reasons. Some reasons mentioned include that they work or they have no vehicle/transportation. Student Characteristics: There are a total of nineteen second graders in this class. 53% of the students are male, and 47% are female. 53% of students are African American, 26% are Caucasian, and 21% are Hispanic. Six of the students are identified as being in Tier 2 of RTI (Response to Intervention); furthermore, three of those six are considered Tier 2B which is a step closer to Tier 3. There is one ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) student in the class. This student is periodically pulled out of class to receive personalized help. There is a wide range of skill levels within the class, especially in Reading and Math abilities. The MAP Reading scores for the class ranged from 140 (K5 reading level) to 204 (4th grade reading level). Guided reading levels within the class range from 14-28. Math is similar in the disparity of skill level. The MAP Math scores for the class ranged from 150 to 198. Through discussion and observation, it is apparent that many of the boys in the class enjoy sports. Some like basketball while others really enjoy soccer. A few of the girls express interest in art and drawing as well as in writing stories. It seems that many of the students were very hands-on and outspoken during class discussion while some students are very quiet and keep to themselves. Students use and are encouraged to use several different methods/strategies to solve the same problem. For example, one student used the numbers on the calendar in the room to help himself subtract. Instructional Implications: Contextual factors in the classroom and of the students directly impact instruction. Access, or lack there of, to resources will certainly affect planning and instruction. Access to a smartboard could allow hands-on interaction to be included in instruction whereas without a smartboard, that aspect of the lesson would be more difficult. More importantly than access to resources is understanding who the students are within the classroom. While access to resources is nice, knowing the students will allow for instruction to have the greatest impact. For example, knowing that several of the boys like sports while some of the girls like art and writing, the teacher cold use literature involving these subjects for a read aloud lesson in class. This would more likely draw the interest of the students than an irrelevant book. Being aware of the range of skill levels within class can also affect instruction. For example, being aware of the large range of math competency within the class, the teacher may plan to use groups or pairs during math instruction. The teacher could then pair students of varying skill levels together to help facilitate learning among peers. Being aware of ESOL students may affect

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instruction as well as assessment. The teacher must use strategies to remove the language barrier to ensure comprehension of the concept being taught. When teaching the class as a whole, modification can and should be made for those with special needs. If some students are extremely low-level readers or ESOL students, they may benefit from visual aids to accompany the text or speech being presented. This can help with language development as well as help with getting a more accurate assessment of understanding. With math, using manipulatives to help picture the problems may help those with low-level skills to be more successful. The hands-on approach may allow students to better visualize the problem. Contextual factors should always be considered greatly in planning and instruction. Instruction has shown to be more affective and long lasting when it is culturally relevant.