McDaniel Weebly B March 2, 2014 I spent time this week at a Special Education High School that focuses on vocational

and daily living skills training for students 18-21 years old. I visited the Public Transportation training course (aka City Bus).

1. formal/informal lecture: I spent two days in this classroom and most of the lectures were informal in nature. The class runs in 9 week sessions and was well into its session so the formal training and lecturing had already been done weeks before. The lecture the first day was about the changing weather and how to dress appropriately and be prepared for varied weather in one day. Things like keeping an umbrella, gloves, and hat in your back pack and maybe a light weight jacket or rain poncho. The lecture the second day was about what actions you need to take if bad weather gets you stranded at a location, keeps you away from your job or school, or makes you or potentially makes you late to work or an appointment. Things such as keeping a list of important numbers, calling your supervisor in advance to discuss the situation, and having a backup plan in place where discussed. I really liked how the teacher moderated the lecture. He laid out the main points and then asked for opinions and then they all discussed what was being said and bounced ideas off one another.

2. Demonstration: While waiting for the bus the teacher walked the students really close to the road (while there were no cars around) discussed what could happen if the street gutters happened to be full of rain water or snow and how far back the students should stand from the road in order to not be splattered by water/snow/mud from passing cars or the bus pulling up to the stop.

3. small group discussion/activity: There were 6 male students in the class during my observation times. The teacher partnered them up and gave them each a section of that days bus ride that they would be responsible for navigating. 1st group had to walk them from the school to where the bus picked up. 2nd group had to navigate getting them off the bus and onto connecting bus. 3rd group had to figure out where to stop there bus in order to get them the closest to their destination as possible. It was interesting to see how each group solved their own problems and came to conclusions.

4. large group discussion/activity: as a whole the classroom time and bus ride and van ride from destination would qualify as a large group discussion/activity. Once the students reached their final destination the teacher was waiting for them in a school van and transported them back to the school. During that ride the teacher asked the students a variety of questions to

make sure they understood what they were doing and were comfortable with what they had been doing.

5. discovery/experimental/inquiry: during the class discussion some of the students really had to think and explore the what ifs of public transportation in inclement weather and the impact it could/will have on their daily life. They also had to practice/experience working and being a part of the public transportation process and figure out the social norms, practices, habits, in order to be successful utilizing public transportation.

6. Questioning: The students did a great job asking and answering questions during the class discussion. Some of them really put thought and effort into making sure they knew what could happen and what their best response would be. I also witnessed the students asking the bus driver about where they needed to pull the chord to notify the drive to stop the bus.

7. practice/drill: Practice occurred when they set you to ride the bus and through the entire bus ride. The teacher believes practice, practice, practice the more they do it, the more they become comfortable with it and use public transportation and become more independent and self-reliant. Describe how you will implement each of the 7 methodologies within your classroom when you become a teacher. (4 pts.) I find it difficult to fully answer this question having not had my own classroom and really experiencing lesson planning and classroom management and knowing what works and what doesnt. My hopes is that with time and a lot of experience I will get a feel for what methodologies works for my student population and for my teaching style and I will be able to implement them into my daily lesson plans. I believe all seven of these methodologies are tried and tested practice and will lay a strong foundation for setting up my lesson plans and classroom practices. I enjoy informal lectures more than formal but recognize the need and benefit of the formal. I think demonstrations are very beneficial especially in the area I would like to work in (life skills or functional applied academics). Students need to see how things work and how they come together to truly get an appreciation of the whys, whats and hows of things. Im not a big fan of large group discussions in general and that probably has to do with my personality. Im more closed off and reserved and dont enjoy big groups but I can appreciate their benefits to the learning environment. I am a huge fan of small group discussions and truly enjoy sitting and talking things through with a few people. I could see many of those occurring in my class. Im a strong fan of discovery and experiments. Im a hands on kind of person and want to have a very hands on classroom. Im also a big fan of asking lots of questions much to the dismay of those around me so I think this method will get used a lot in my classroom. Of course Im a strong believer in drill and practice. Practice does make perfect often times and if not perfection then at least a level of comfort and experience that will allow you to expand and grow your learning and horizons so to speak.