Assignment One

1. The classroom environment was friendly and inviting. The teacher would come into the

classroom a few minutes earlier to have all the assignment work and class set up ready

for the students. Once the students stepped inside the classroom Ms. Rohle would

welcome each one of them. She would start a conversation and ask if they were ready to

learn. In the classroom, there were a lot of different posters, word wall, student work, and

pictures that decorated the walls. All the things inside the classroom made the

environment of a sense of teamwork and community.

2. The physical environment of the classroom consisted of a lot of student work, books,

tables, word walls, and white boards. Once I walked inside the classroom the tables were

spread out throughout the classroom floor. Around the tables there were different

learning stations such as, math, science, writing word wall, and book shelves for reading.

3. The student make-up of the classroom had some diversity. There were a few more girls

than boys in comparison. One of the days that I spent in Ms. Rohle’s classroom there was

nine girls and seven boys. The ethnicity in the classroom varied from Hispanic, white,

and African American. Another day of observation there was one young boy who was

considered ELL. Ms. Rohle appeared to have some communication problems because she

did not speak Spanish. Even though there was a communication barrier, Ms. Rohle

managed to engage the student into learning the material. I observed that she tried to

incorporate different techniques such as hand signals and showing him how to do

something that seemed to work.

4. The posted classroom rules were not posted inside Ms. Rohle’s class. I asked her about

them and she said that the students know what is expected of them. She did have a copy
 of some general rules in a folder outside her classroom. However, she did not further

explain the exact content of the folder.

5. The teacher does not have an exact list of rules posted inside her classroom, but she does

enforce the rules. She said that at the beginning of her teaching year she used to enforce

the rules and good behavior with the color system. The color system gave the students a

color based on their behavior throughout the day. Green being good behavior and red was

bad behavior. Then Ms. Rohle said that she no longer uses the color system because it is

better to have excellent communication and build relationships. The students understand

the routine and know exactly what they required to do.

Assignment Two

1. The posted daily schedule for the different subjects is displayed in the following table.
7:55-9:05 Math

9:05-11:05 Reading

11:05-11:35 Recess/Lunch

11:35-12:05 I/E

12:05-12:15 Science

12:15-1:05 Specials

1:05-2:00 Writing

2:00-2:06 Closing

2. The instructions were delivered to the whole class, small groups, and individually. When

Ms. Rohle gave instruction to the whole class she makes sure that all the students are

focused. Focusing the student’s attention to the teacher gave them the opportunity to hear

and she was able to demonstrate the material or the activity they were going to be doing.
 When Ms. Rohle gave instructions to a small group she would directly assign the work

and explain what had to be done. When delivering instruction to individuals, Ms. Rohle

made sure to be very helpful. She took her time explaining the activity and made sure

before leaving the student that they understood and started their work.

3. The cooperating teacher’s teaching style was mainly auditory but she tried to include

visual as much as possible. Ms. Rohle said she spends a lot of the time speaking and

explaining the material being taught. She also said that repeating instruction is done very

frequently.

4. The teacher incorporated different sensory modalities. Visually she would use a lot of

hand gestures. When she would cover some math material, the teacher would use the

white board and counting cubes to keep the students engaged in the lesson. Once the

students received instructions on the activity they were to conduct, the teacher used the

kinesthetic modality. She let the students work hands on with the counting cubes.

5. The students do seem to be engaged in the lessons presented. The teacher asks different

question throughout the lesson and the students are fast to answer. When a student talks

or answers a question the teacher makes it very clear for all the other students to look at

the person speaking. This helps the students to stay focused and learn to be respectful to

each other. When everyone had an answer and it was right, Ms. Rohle would say “easy

peasy,” as the students repeated out loud. The students stayed engaged in a lesson

because the teacher would have fun ways to get the students to learn. One example was

“get your arms ready for counting.” Then the students would count the objects in the

math problem. When students were not engaged in the lesson the teacher is quick to
 notice and fix the problem. If there are students not paying attention after few warnings,

she will move them closer to her side and get them to be engaged.

6. There are a few different techniques that the teacher used to transition from activity to

activity. One type of technique Ms. Rohle used to transition was a quick stretching

activity. She would have all the students stand up, take a big breath, and say “I am

excited to learn with you today.” Then the students would start a new subject or activity.

Another type of transition was, “Stand, wiggle head, and wiggle arms.” This helped to get

the students awake and ready to learn something new. The transitions were effective

because there are times when young kids need a little bit of movement and get a fresh

start to refocus and learn.

7. Some attention getters the used were to count down from ten. The teacher also had a bell

that she would ding. Another way she got the student’s attention was by having them clap

their hands like she did.

8. Some specific behavior issues the teacher had to deal with were students not paying

attention. There were some students who would keep talking and making distractions.

There was one ELL student who did not speak English and had a hard time staying

focused, which cause different distractions for the other students.

9. Assignment Four: School Culture

10. During my field observation of the elementary school Jay W. Jeffers, I was able to

carefully evaluate the culture of the school. The culture of a school is exceptionally

important because it can have an effect on the student’s learning. There were three main

focus points that I investigated. These were the physical characteristics of the school,

culture of the school, and the culture of the classroom.

11. First, I will further clarify the physical characteristics of the school and how they helped

to determine atmosphere, comfort, and the educational setting. The atmosphere of Jay W.

Jeffers was very warm and welcoming. When I first arrived at the school, the school

building and surrounding grounds were very clean. There were a few trees and there was

wire fences where you could see clean playground equipment. The school was clean and

inviting. In the front office there were a lot of different signs that welcomed you in. There

were some that displayed the school’s pride. The staff was very friendly and helpful

which, created a pleasant and inviting environment. All of these things made you feel

comfortable to be in the school. The interior of the school was also remarkably clean.

There was a lot of student work that decorated the hallways and other walls with colorful

murals. The hallways were covered with the student’s work and pride. This varied

depending on what side of the school you were at. Some hallways had art work while

others had stories, science experiments, and pictures of the students during school events.

This was an astonishing way to send the students a message that their work and learning

is important. In the middle of the hallways there was a small patio with glass walls that

let a lot of light in. This made the school very bright, happy, and beautiful.

12. Secondly, I will go into detail of the culture of the school. This is the belief, values, and

the way of thinking of Jay W. Jeffers. There were a lot of different things that

demonstrated the culture of the school. Jay W. Jeffers school mission statement was

“based on a school community that provides a safe environment to support the learning of

each student, parent, and staff member. We collaborate in the discovery of paths that each

of us take to be responsible members of society, reach academic excellence, and remain

curious lifelong learners.” Jay W. Jeffers motto was “discovering our path to success,”
 and their mascot is pathfinders. Their school mission statement, motto, and mascot all are

connected. Their mission statement clearly identifies what they believe is most important

for the students to learn. And their motto just reinforces the mission statement.

13. The school is organized by the size of the room. When the room is bigger, the higher

grade classes use them. The students interact with each other in a positive manner. I saw

some students who helped each other on their class work. There was a student that I saw

who was explaining to his classmate how to solve a math problem the teacher had done.

Throughout the school there were a lot of signs of community pride. There were some

school awards that were displayed. One example was dance awards and other awards

were dedicated for appreciation on the support of education.

14. Lastly, I observed the culture in the classroom. The teacher in my observation had a lot of

different learning expectations and success. She told me that every student learns at a

different pace and a different way. She informed me of the color system she used to help

the students at the different levels. When one group was doing stations in reading, math,

or writing, Ms. Rohle would call a small group who she would work with. These were

either the students who needed the most help or the advanced learning. I think the system

worked pretty well because she was able to distribute the same amount of time to all the

students. During the observation, another thing I noticed was the student participation.

There were some students who were very smart who would participate to answer the

question. But there were other times when the kids in the front would participate because

they were close to the teacher. Overall the participation was pretty equally distributed

among the class. Ms. Rohle had said that it was very important for the students to feel

comfortable and not be afraid to participate. She believed that respect creates a positive
 learning environment. It is true because all the students in her class were well behaved

and her class seemed to be a positive learning environment.

15. In conclusion, every school had their own unique school culture that distinguished them

between other schools. The classroom and school culture are very important because they

can have a huge effect on the student’s learning. There were a lot of things that helped to

determine Jay W. Jeffers school culture. The overall physical characteristics of the school

were clean, pleasant and created an inviting and comfortable atmosphere. There was also

a sense of pride and community throughout the school that helps the students realize that

their learning is important.

Assignment Five

1. The primary reason Ms. Rohle became a teacher was because she wanted to do

something where she could help better someone’s life. She wanted to be able to have a

direct impact. Ms. Rohle also enjoyed reading to kids.

2. The main challenge Ms. Rohle faces as a teacher is time. Ms. Rohle said that there is not

enough time to do all that she wants to teach. She wants more time to help kids learn. She

said that summer school classes provided a small amount of time for the students in need

of extra help.

3. Ms. Rohle said that the best part of being a teacher is the excitement the students have for

learning. Once the students understand and learn the “ah moment,” is the best part of

being a teacher. The moment students finally understand something new, it reinforces the

idea that teachers are able to make a difference and help kids learn.

4. Ms. Rohle determines where the students sit based on behavior and academics. Each

table has at least one high academic student, one average student, and one student who

needs a little more help. This type of arrangement helps the students socialize and have a
 balanced based of academic. There are students who are able to help each other whenever

the teacher is not able to.

5. The teacher selects the members of flexible grouping by the philosophy district flexible.

This gets everyone to work with people of the same average learning level. This type of

grouping is easier because the students have the same level of learning, which gives the

same amount of time and effort to all the students.

6. The teacher often interacts in person with the parents. These interactions happen often at

the drop off the students and a couple of times a week. Another type of interaction

happens when the parents leave notes on the student’s homework. These notes help to

communicate with the teacher. The notes maybe about extra assignments or help on the

homework.

7. Ms. Rohle said that she does not do daily grading but daily checking of the homework or

class work. This helps to see if the students are doing the work correctly. But every three

weeks she grades because the material is tested and put in the grade book.

8. It can take about an hour to prepare a lesson but Ms. Rohle said that she has weekly

meetings with the rest of the same grade teachers to create and prepare lessons. Each

teacher contributes different ideas and ways to teach the students. Lesson planning one

hour, brainstorming one hour, and discussing one hour.

9. The most effective behavior consequences for this age group are the loss of ability to use

props or things like blocks. When the students are no longer able to use the props or

games, they know that they need to fix their behavior in order to get the ability of props.

Another consequence for bad behavior is having the student sit in front with the teacher.

This helps the students stay focused and no longer be able to keep creating a distraction.
10. Ms. Rohle said that they get evaluated with NEPF standards; this tool helps to determine

the performance of each teacher.

11. The amount of testing and lack of time that teachers have. There are a lot of different

opinions on testing but preparing students to pass test is not teaching them to be

independent critical thinkers. There is not enough time to do all that she wants to teach.

She wants more time to help kids learn.

12. Assignment Six

13. During the observation of one student, the student was really focused on the

material being taught. During a particular math lesson, the student was extremely

engaged in the lesson. When the teacher would ask a question she would raise her hand,

ready to answer. The math problem was what 14-6 is=? The teacher used counting cubes

as apples to help the students visualize the math problem. During the lesson, the student

participated frequently. Once the teacher was done giving the instructions the student

immediately started to work. When she was doing her work, she would whisper the

answers to herself. There was a few times when she would get distracted by other

classmates around her table. She did not stay off task for a long time. After, talking to her

classmates she would continue to work. When she finally finished with her work, she was

quick to tell the teacher. When the teacher checked off her work, she seemed excited to

have done great job. Overall, from observing the student I was able to evaluate the

student’s learning style and the involvement in the class. The student seemed to prefer

learning kinesthetic and visually. When the teacher was explaining the lesson, she was

focused but not on the lecture but the work being shown on the white board. When the

teacher let the students go to work at their tables, the student enjoyed working hands on
 with the counting cubes. Visualizing and hands on work was a great way for the student

to learn.

14. Assignment Seven

15. The 10 hour field observation was a great learning opportunity. I have always

enjoyed working with kids. Kids have such energetic and positive attitudes towards

learning. During the 10 hour filed observation, I was able to see first-hand how teachers

work with the students to have the most learning potential. On the first day of the field

observation, I was welcomed by Ms. Rohle. Diane Rohle first asked me a few questions

then, fully opened up when I started to ask her about why she became a teacher. After,

getting to know Ms. Rohle we headed down to welcome the students. There were some

students who came excited for class, while others were not. But Ms. Rohle welcomed

them, started to talk to them, and pretty soon their faces had a smile ready to learn.

Throughout the days that I went for the field observation, there was lot of things to learn.

I was able to learn how to welcome the students. Ms. Rohle taught me some attention

getting techniques. I also realized that teachers have to be fully prepared for class. There

was a time, when Ms. Rohle was not able to find a stack of worksheets for the students to

do. However, she was not only able to come up with a solution but the activity she came

up to replace the worksheets had the students more engaged in the lesson. She turned on

the smart board and had the students play an interactive game. Something else that I

learned that was very important was the school environment. The atmosphere of Jay W.

Jeffers was very warm and welcoming. There was a lot of student work that decorated the

hallways and other walls with colorful murals. The hallways were covered with the

student’s work and pride. This was an astonishing way to send the students a message

that their work and learning is important. The school culture is very important because
they can have a huge effect on the student’s learning. This field observation prepared me

to understand that the teaching profession requires a lot of time and dedication. Teaching

requires you to put a lot of work in order to help the students have the highest learning

potential. There are some parts of the observation that relate to text information and

classroom activities but being in the classroom helps you to realize that all the

information in the textbook is not only words. They do have meanings and do affect your

classroom. In the field observation you get a sense of what you will be expected to do

when teaching the students. One specific idea that I will remember to include in my

classroom is that building strong relationships between the students is extremely

important. In a classroom like Ms. Rohle, the students knew that they had to be respectful

to each other. When the students know what is expected of them, the classroom

management is easier and classroom learning environments are created to help students

learn.