The cerebrum -- which is just Latin for "brain" -- is the newest (evolutionarily) and largest part of the brain as a whole. It is here that things like perception, imagination, thought, judgment, and decision occur. I hope you are thoughtful as you leave your comments on this blog.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Field Observations for Inclusive Environments Spring '11 (0801- 560)
Use this space to post your five (or more) log entries. Don't forget to reference the assignment page and the "additional look-fors" to help guide you. Remember... post early and often.
Observation Blog #1: I observed for the first time on Tuesday, February 1st in three math inclusive classrooms. My experience observing was very informative and fun. I enjoyed all the classes that I observed and since I have to observe for two of my classes at Adelphi, this gave me the opportunity to observe regular classes and inclusive classes. Seeing the differences in the classrooms was really interesting to see. In the inclusive classroom, there were teacher assistants whose main focus was on the students who needed the extra help. Also, in the inclusive classrooms, the teacher assistants made sure the students stayed focused and copied the notes that the teacher was giving. I observed the same regular teacher for three periods but the teacher assistant was different for each class. Each assistant knew the students and knew what type of help each student needed. On this day, the main thing that I noticed was that the classroom was very teacher-centered, but the students had their own time to be involved. All the students in all three classes were very eager to go to the board and put up their work to certain problems. The students’ desks were in straight rows and most of the class work was done individually and then explained on the board either by the teacher or the students. When the students were working quietly the teachers would walk around to help the students. There was no student to student interaction. This method of teaching seemed to work for the students. The teacher had good control over the class and I could tell she had a good relationship with them. She did not accept any bad behavior and handled it with ease. The students respected her to the point that when she said to stop, they did. She also had a way of having fun with her students. One thing that she did during one of her classes was that she made all her students stand up. Then she read the answers to the homework problems. She told her students to sit down as soon as they got a homework problem wrong. She also told them it was based on the honor system. In the end, she congratulated the students still standing. I thought this activity was great because it got the students up, it made the students who were standing in the end feel good about themselves, it was a way to express her trust in her students and it was an informal assessment. My first day observing was lots of fun; it was also interesting to be back in a high school, walking through the halls in between classes.
Observation Blog #2: On my second and third time observing, on Thursday, February 3rd and Tuesday, February 8th, I observed the same classes again. What I noticed this time was that even though the teacher and students were the same, the classroom environment was different from day to day. On Thursday, February 3rd, while in the Math 8 classroom, I noticed that the lesson was filled with many real-life examples. While studying measurements, the teacher made the topic interesting because she brought in many real-life examples into the lesson. Asking students what products in their house contain measurements on them or making estimations of the length of certain objects in the students’ lives, were ways the students connected learning measurements to their own life. The part of the class that I found very interesting was when the class was having a discussion on estimations and on what unit of measure to use on certain objects. The teacher asked a boy to estimate the length of his room and asked what unit he would use. The class broke out into a discussion of whether to use feet or yards and then the student who was asked the question did not know how big his room was. So then she asked him how long the length of the classroom was. Another student just got up without permission, went over to the yard sticks and started measuring the room. Then the teacher walked the length of the room (for the measurement in feet) to see how the two measurements compared. The class loved it. I love how the student just took the initiative and started to measure the room. On the third day of observing I noticed the technology used and the materials used. The teacher uses the smart board to show the PowerPoint of her lesson. The smart board is good because it gives the teacher the opportunity to write on her slides if need be. The next thing I noticed about technology was the school’s policy on cell phone usage. Cell phones are prohibited in the classroom. In one class, a girl’s cell phone went off, the teacher got really upset. The girl said that her mom was texting her. So the teacher told the student to text her mom back to say that her cell phone is in the main office. I agree with this. If the mother needed the student she should have called the school. In these classes, the teacher would give out calculators and rulers. What I found interesting and good was that the teacher would ask one or two students to collect the calculators and rulers. This gave them a responsibility that makes them feel important. On this third day, one student came over to me and asked me for a pencil. I gladly gave him one because I think it is the little things that a teacher does for students that help them succeed.
Observation Blog #3: My fourth day observing was an interesting one. It was on Thursday, February 10th. I observed the same three inclusion classes as well as another inclusion class. The new inclusion class was the math chairperson’s class and this class had a student teacher so I was very glad to see the class. The class is small and this class had two periods of math because the students need the extra help. I was excited to see the class because the teacher said that they were going to go to the gym to calculate the arc (parabola) of a thrown basketball. I thought this lesson was a great idea because it would allow the students to move around, have fun with math and do something different in class. Unfortunately the power went out so the gym was to dark to go into. I was sad that I didn’t see the lesson but I was also happy to see how the teacher handled the power outage situation. When the lights went out, there was lots of confusion and chaos but the teachers handled it well and the students had many questions. "Will the bell ring? Will we have to stay here?" Etc. The teacher responded by saying not to worry and that she will figure out what will happen. Instead of going to the gym, the students worked in groups on problems in their review book. They formed 3 groups and I joined a group. Working in one of the groups allowed me to see how the students learned and how they worked together. Most of the students just did the questions and then they talked about other things, they could not stay on topic. When the lights were still out, I went to the other inclusion class. What I noticed here was that the teacher had to explain to her students that she is still going to teach even though the lights are out. I also noticed that the teacher had to change her lesson and instead of using the smart board, she used the regular board and the students used their review books. It is very important for a teacher to be able to handle change. Even on a day when the electricity is working, the computer might stop working so it is up to the teacher to handle the situation and switch the plans around.
Observation Blog #4: The week of February 14, I observed on February 15th and 17th, and on these two days I observed the same inclusive classes that I have been observing. I like observing the same classes because I get to know the students and how they act, how they learn and how they change from day to day. I notice which students like to volunteer and which students are the quiet listeners. I notice the trouble makers and I notice the students who are intelligent. In all the inclusive classes that I observe, I notice that the students are more likely to volunteer and be excited to volunteer more than the students that I observe in the regular classes. I am not sure if this is because the students are 7th and 8th graders compared to the 9th and 10th graders in the regular classes or if it is because the teacher creates a more open atmosphere. I observe an Algebra/lab class which is two periods and the second period is for extra help and half the class stays switching every other day. I like observing the extra help class because it is a smaller class and you can see how the teachers are really helping each student and what help each student needs. I thought it was great to see that the teacher, at the start of the class, went straight over to a student because she saw that the student was upset. The teacher stopped what she was doing and comforted the student. She allowed the student and her friend to walk to the bathroom so that the student could calm down. I thought this was great because the teacher noticed something was wrong and did not ignore it so that she could get to teaching. Instead she helped that student and I know it was greatly appreciated by the student. Teachers are a big part of the students lives so I think it is very important for the teachers to know their students, know when something is wrong, and know how to help their students with school and life problems. In my schooling experiences I had many teachers that helped me just like this teacher helped her student and I know how much it helped me and I know I will never forget those teachers because they definitely impacted and influenced me. I hope I influence and impact some of my students some day. Another thing that I noticed was that the activity that the students did in the extra help class was very good. The class made “foldables”. This activity allowed students to have a hands-on experience with paper and with the process of folding and the end product was a review sheet. This creative way of having students create a review sheet was very interesting. It is hard to explain how to make it but the main point that I want to say is that the students created something on their own and will use it to help them with math. Instead of just writing all the formulas on index cards, they created a “foldable” instead. This activity was great because it helped the students who needed to make review sheets to learn the formulas, it helped the students who are tactile learners and it helped the students who are creative. All these different types of students were helped out with this activity. I think an activity is helpful if it can help all different types of learners.
I observed for the first time on Thursday February 3rd. From the second I walked into Hicksville Middle school everyone was really warm and helpful. Mrs. Dibello (English Teacher) and Ms. Sweeny (Special Ed Teacher) teacher the Inclusive English class that I’m observing in. There is also a teacher’s assistant in the back of the room who pretty much just stays in the back of the room and smiles as the students find their seats. The class is made up of 3 teachers and 28 students which Mrs. Dibello tells me is a lot for what the district usually allows in one classroom. The walls are covered with decorated masks and drawings, but it’s all work from the honors classes, nothing from the inclusive or regular English classes. The class is reading the book of poetry Out of the Dust and working on sensory images and similes as well as other literary elements. Both Mrs. DiBello and Ms. Sweeny teach the class by standing in the front of the room. Both voices are heard, not one more than the other. It works pretty well for the class and everyone seems to be paying attention and understanding the material. The students don’t have their own books to take home so they spend half the class reading the poems out loud and then the rest of it discussing them and picking out the similes and sensory images they found in the poems. The class is pretty well behaved expect with the fact that everyone raises their hand for the bathroom. I can tell the teacher is getting annoyed with them but still never says no. At the end of the class the teacher warned me that tomorrow they won’t be nearly as well behaved because it’s Friday. Overall I felt like it was a good experience and I honestly left excited to go back the next day. The next day however wasn’t nearly like the first. I walked in with Mrs. Dibello and I could automatically tell something was wrong by her tone of voice. Once Ms. Sweeny got to the class I could tell that there was tension between the two teachers and the students could feel it as well by the way they quickly got their books and started doing the do now. Mrs. Dibello told Ms. Sweeny that the test for the end of the book was going to be on Tuesday; Ms. Sweeny said she needed more time to modify the test for the children that needed modifications. In front of class the two bickered about how Ms. Sweeny never modifies anything why is she going to start now and that there wasn’t much more Mrs. DiBello could do with the book. At the end of the period Mrs. Dibello apologized to me even though they both should have really apologized to the students that had to see their teachers fighting and Ms. Sweeny stormed out of the room without saying goodbye to anyone. Students got up and left very quietly like they felt they had done something wrong even though they did nothing at all.
Observation Blog #6: My last observation was on March 8th. On this day I got a lot of students asking me what happened to my hand. I told them that I was a cheerleader at Adelphi and I broke my hand in practice. Then some students started to ask me about cheerleading. From this I noticed that children are very curious especially about the lives of teachers. Students want to know everything about teachers. I believe that, as a teacher, it is important to keep your personal life private from your students but some things are important to tell your students. Telling students about yourself will make yourself more relatable and more down to earth which will make students feel comfortable in your classroom. On this last day of observing inclusive classrooms, I noticed all the same things that I have noticed the past few weeks. I noticed how the general education teacher and the teacher’s assistant work together and communicate about the students in the class. They support each other and they both support the students in the class. The teachers relate the lessons to the students’ lives and make the lessons interesting for the students. I also noticed that the teachers used the smart board most of the time, allowed students to present their work on the board and most activities in the classrooms were independent work.
Observation Blog #5: My 4th observation occurred on March 1st and 3rd. I observe first period so I usually get there early and see the teacher helping the students. Some students come on their own while other students come because the teacher told them to. The teacher is available for the students to review the topics discussed in class, to make-up tests, to finish tests, to do their homework or just to talk. One student came early and just talked to the teacher about how her experience at this school is so much better than at her old school. She said that in her old school, she would be laughed at if she got a question wrong, but not at this school. I believe that if the teacher makes him/her available to the students then the students know the teacher cares and wants all his/her students to succeed. Every student might need some extra help some time so it is important for the teacher to be there. To me it seems like the classes that need extra help the most are math classes because a lot of students have difficulty with math. So when I am a teacher, I am going to make sure that I am available to my students outside the forty minutes in the classroom. In the classes that I observed, the teacher gave out the MATH-A-THON contest. This contest was not mandatory but I would say a lot of the students wanted to participate. I do not know if they wanted to do the math problems to get the extra credit that the teacher offered or to raise the most money so that they could win a prize. It is funny that to get students to do extra math problems or to get them to raise money for a good cause, an incentive has to be given. I know I am the same way. I would have probably done it to get extra credit. What I like about the teachers that I observe is that they have a good handle over their classes. They deal with behavior issues by quickly explaining to the student what the student is doing wrong and then tells the student to stop. I like how the teachers are strict but have a great relationship with the students. The teachers form this relationship by knowing their students and where they come from. To teach dilations, rotations and reflections, the teacher uses characters from TV shows and movies to dilate and rotate. The teacher knows that the transformations might be confusing so she uses characters that are of interest to the students so that they can understand. It also helps the students who are not paying attention because when they see Bart Simpson on the smart board, the will probably wake up. In one class we went to the computer room to play math games on the computer. This was an interesting experience because I was able to see the students in a different atmosphere. I was able to walk around and see what games the students picked to play. Some picked easy games and started to memorize the answers so that they could start over and get all the questions right. Some students really did the math but others just played for fun.
My first day of observing at Forest Hills High School was stressful. Ten long years ago, I walked through the very same halls and sat in some of the identical classrooms I was viewing as a graduate student. I still got lost and found it equally hard now as it was then to maneuver my way through the masses of students traveling from room to room. The assistant principal of social studies, Ms. Sanchez, created a full-day schedule (with 5 periods) for me to observe. Period 8 which begins at 1 and ends at 2 was my last class of the day and the one vital to the Managing Inclusive Environments course. I did not know what to expect. Because of this, I was more observant in comparison to periods 4-7 where I was naturally inclined to assume the role of student. I immediately noticed the presence of two teachers – one that floated throughout the rows of seats randomly checking the notebooks of students and their progress while the other teacher lectured. At the back of the large class (there exist 30 students in the Global I Inclusive Environments class) I noted two adults that were neither administration nor observing graduates students. After pulling the drifting secondary teacher to the side I asked in a very soft voice who was who and what was what. Ms. Snow said “I am the special education co-teacher” and the lecturer, Ms. Glass, is “the general education instruction.” The two adults flanking me were “paras” or aides. “Ah. Thank you”, I said a bit overwhelmed by the attendance of five adults in the classroom, four of which whom were not doing the actual teaching. I wondered if it was distracting for students. Now of course I know that every individual present including myself is imperative for the prosperity of children with cognitive disabilities.
I observed for the second time a Global I Inclusive Environment class. The weather was brilliant and warm and rays of sun streamed through the blinds of the classroom antagonistically playing with students who within forty-five minutes time would be embracing the start of a deceptively early spring. To keep students focused and on task the special education co-teacher (Ms. Snow) prompted children to get out all notebooks, handouts, and other materials related to work that was previously covered the week before. Students that lagged were asked again to quickly retrieve their folder and or notebook with the handouts. The handout referred to consisted of a chart on diverse religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam Buddhism, Taoism etc.) that students filled out slowly as the weeks and lesson plans progressed. Individual lesson plans explored one of these religions; as students received information on the subject they committed facts to the chart as a tool of study. I recognize that this is a brilliant way to teach students (any student - despite the inclusive environment configuration of the classroom) to create effective study methods. It also keeps knowledge organized and efficiently underscores the most important or significant information to retain. The charts represent something more for the students with cognitive disabilities as I see it as a way of instilling independent study practices but also something to be responsible for week to week. Later in the class, indications were made about test dates and consequences of missing work.
Observation #2 : Today was a review for their test on Thursday. Mrs. Dibello and Ms. Sweeney are still not getting along but it seems as if Ms. Sweeney got her because the test is now on Thursday instead of Wednesday however, the tension is still very strong in the air. Every answer is written on the board and explanations seem extremely drawn out compared to the other class I’m observing in. She is giving them tricks to remember what each literary element is like alliteration has double lls which can help them remember it mean repetition. Ms. Sweeney is just standing off to the side not contributing. Review lasts for two days and Mrs. Dibello told me that it would be beneficial to go with Ms. Sweeney the day of the test to see the testing modifications she does. On the day of the test I walk in ready to go with Ms. Sweeney and she told me not to come to stay with Mrs. Dibello. When Mrs. Dibello asks why I didn’t go with her I explain that she told me not too which causes Mrs. Dibello to start ranting and raving about the teacher in the back of the classroom. It made me feel very uncomfortable and I was actually a little annoyed that their problems were being taken out on me. I had done nothing wrong yet I was being penalized and not able to see something that would probably help me in the future. Many of them didn’t finish the test and were told to come by on their lunch period or after school to finish it up. This is the first time I’ve ever seen something like that, in my high school if we didn’t finish that was it we handed it in and got out grade based on what we did. It seems like either they’re being too lenient with them or maybe they should shorten to test to make sure everyone finishes within the period.
Observation #3: I’ve been here for about a week now and a lot of the students are comfortable asking me questions or just talking to me before the class starts. Today were in the computer room so they can work on a project based around the book they had just read. They are only in the computer room for two days and then it is up to them to finish the project. They have a week to finish the entire project. They all are extremely good with computers and using PowerPoint. IT was really nice to see how creative they all were and how excited they were to be doing something else then just reading and writing. The assignment gave four options from the students to choose from but many of them are choosing the picture book with little captions that tells the main points of the book. Even with three teachers and myself in the room there are some students who think they can play games without being caught which is kind of comical. On the second day in the computer lab Mrs. Dibello let me grade the tests from the other day. It was nice that she trusts me enough to grade the tests and put the grades in her grade book. Ms. Sweeney seems pissed that Mrs. Dibello was having me do it but I’ve learned to just block out her negative energy. Some students have actually already finished their project and handed them in early. Even though a lot of them have grammatical and many spelling errors, many of them are great and you can tell they put a lot of though and effort into their picture books. One girl drew all her pictures and it was really some of the best illustrations I’ve ever seen. If they are done they have log onto castle learning and answer questions on the dust bowl. Some students even finished the castle learning questions and were told they could do whatever they pleased. Mrs. Dibello says that there’s no point in punishing them with more work just because they finished early which I completely agree with.
Observation Blog #1: My first day observing was Wednesday, February 16th. I'm observing a sixth grade ELA class with about 5 special needs students. The classroom uses co-teaching. A TA serves as a content area floater that walks around the room assisting the special needs students with directions they don't know how to follow or keeping them on point when they lose focus. The students are taking a literary elements quiz because they're starting similes, metaphors, and alliteration. While the students take the quiz, the 5 special needs students take the test with the TA in the hallway. All of the students use folders to cover their work. When they complete the quiz, the students let Miss Hartman know they are checking. Miss Hartman says she makes them do this because then she knows they really are checking their work. The special needs students come back into the classroom once everyone has completed the quiz. Next the students present their story maps for the class. I like that she does not seclude the special needs students and she has them present theirs too. All of the students clap after one of the special needs students presents his. He is very hyper, noticeably different. Miss Hartman encourages the special needs students. The TA walks around to each after they present to say god job.
Observation Blog #2: Friday, February 18th. The students are extra hyper today which causes the special needs students to be twice as hyper. Today Miss Hartman rearranged the desks into groups of six instead of the rows they used to be lined up in. Each table has one special needs student sitting at it. The students are excited for the change. Today, I learn that one of the special needs students suffers from short term memory loss, so to accommodate her, the TA puts a dry erase board in her binder to record her daily assignments. This prevents the jumble and confusion of a normal planner. One of the boys with special needs stands out to me. He is undoubtedly very bright, but he is so disruptive when the TA is assisting another student. I can tell he confides in the TA. Scary, but today he brought three plastic knives to class. Although they were plastic, this made me nervous. It made me even more nervous that Miss Hartman and the TA laughed about it. When the TA asked the boy what he had the knives for, he replied "Just in case, just in case". All of the students participate together in a fun simile and metaphor activity that Miss Hartman presents on the smartboard. The special needs students often shout out loud but Miss Hartman ignores them unless they raise their hands.
Observation Blog #3: Wednesday, March 3rd. Miss Hartman seems to be stressed today. Apparently the students are preparing for their benchmark that is on Friday. Miss Hartman gives the students, including the special needs students, examples of old benchmark exams. Prepping them for what to expect on Friday, she explains that the procedure for testing is tedious and she cannot answer questions for them. She reads them the directions and sends them to work. I can tell the specials needs students are slightly overwhelmed but the TA cannot help them. One of the special needs students asks to use the bathroom and the TA watches him leave the classroom and walk right passed the bathroom. Apparently, testing makes him nervous. After they complete the questions, Miss Hartman goes over the answers in detail. To motivate the students to try their best on friday, she tells them at the end of the quarter they will have a party.
Observation Blog #4: Monday, March 21st. The original TA was replaced by the TA who was on maternity leave. One of the special needs students is out of control. I'm getting frustrated because the new TA is just observing the students and making notes for herself. I can tell Miss Hartman is getting frustrated because the student keep interrupting her lesson. He's distracting the other students at his desk and when the TA taps him he ignores her. I decide to sit next to him in hopes that I might scare him into focusing. I tap his desk when he lays his head down and point to follow along with Miss Hartman on the smartboard. Miss Hartman is not pleased with the TA and in the middle of class she says "can you control him please" about another special needs student that is calling out answers. Miss Hartman stops her lesson and takes away the party they were supposed to be rewarded with at the end of the quarter. For the rest of the class the students sit quietly. I feel bad that the students in the class have to suffer because the special needs students are acting out. I think it is interesting that the behavior change was so abrupt. Almost as if it was their way of expressing their frustration that the old TA will no longer be working with them.
Observation Blog #5: Wednesday, March 23rd. I haven't seen in an improvement in the special needs students behavior. Miss Hartman puts the assignments on the smartboard for the students to copy and I notice the girl with the short term memory loss looks confused. Her binder is jumbled and she can't remember where she put last nights homework. I tell the TA but she just documents it in her notes. I organized the girls binder, we found her homework. The boy that's always shouting out that I tend to sit next to has not copied any of the work on the board so when Miss Hartman turns it off he shouts at her. Finally, the TA takes him into the hallway and explains that he needs to respect Miss Hartman. When he comes back into class he puts his head on his desk and Miss Hartman tells him hes losing 10 points from his quarterly grade. For the rest of the class the TA sat next to him and made sure his focus was on the lesson. I sat next to a boy that noticeably struggled with staying focused. I helped him write an essay. He was very sweet and thanked me a million times. It was as if he hadn't received any help from the TA in ages.
Observation 4: Today the students are preparing for their ELA’s and MAP testing. The MAP tests are in about 3 weeks and the ELA’s are at the end of the school year. The MAP testing tests the student’s ability to read passages and answer questions as well as word understanding. Mrs. Dibello hands out dittos showing in what percentiles each student fell in last time they took the test. She tells the class that the average 8th grader is in the 211-219 percentile while makes a few of the students depressed because they were way below that. One student started bragging that she was above the 254 percentile and the teacher announced to the class that no matter how well you do there’s always room for improvement. The students are then asked to pick two goals and write them down next to the section they did the weakest on. None of them are taking it seriously and just writing anything down to please the teacher. Mrs. Sweeney is talking about Jersey Shore with some of the students and instead of keeping them on task like she’s supposed to she just serves as more of a distraction for them. The class then starts going over homework which was a list of incorrect sentences that they had to fix. Most of the class has trouble with semi colons, commas, and past and present tense. These two girls in the back keep passing notes and not doing any of their work yet there are three teachers in the class and not one of them notice.
Observation Blog #1 THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT One of the first things I could not help but observe was the enormity of the Mineola Middle School campus. Its well maintained grounds are larger than many of Long Island’s high schools. While the building is over eighty years old, it is apparent a great effort has been made to keep it in phenomenal condition. The hallways are bright and well lit, and the floors are free of debris. There are examples of student’s work to be seen all over, as even the stair wells are decorated colorfully. Each classroom is its own unique setting, with desks in some and tables and chairs in others. One thing I have found in common between the rooms is the cut tennis balls on the legs of chairs and desks. This allows for furniture to be arranged and rearranged with little noise and minimal disturbance to the class below. One of the many things I found to be unique, or different from my educational experience dealt with the arrival and dismissal of the middle school students. The children are to arrive no earlier than 7:30am and report to the Auditorium unless they are part of the breakfast program or morning club or activity. When the school day is completed, students who are not a part of extra-curricular activities are required to leave campus immediately at 2:41pm. I believe this policy is in place to promote accountability. Students should not be wandering the hallways unsupervised either prior to or following the school day. While I believe there are a great many benefits to this rule, I can’t help but feel it is part of a new reality our students are faced with growing up in a post 9/11 world. Each of the classrooms of the middle school is equipped with a desktop computer which is tied in to an overhead digital projector and promethean board. It amazed me on my first day of observing just how adept both the teachers and students were in using all of the technology made available to them. I need to take a course on how to properly use a smart board. One aspect of the technology I found unique was the common power point slides and smart board exercises scene in classrooms instructed by different teachers. It was obvious to me that there was a good amount of collaboration taking place among the many different teachers I was observing. I though it was brilliant when I learned that this accomplishment was aided through the use of an intra-net file sharing system. I believe this to be an invaluable tool for the faculty members, and would love to see it implemented on a larger scale, island wide.
Observation Blog #3 A.I.S. & SUPPORT SETTING I am observing two classes which are considered to be Academic Intervention Services, one for Math 7 and the other for Math 8. These classes are designed to provide additional support to students who are struggling with mathematics, but have not been “classified” with an I.E.P. These classes meet every other day, with the students attending either a reading class or an additional enrichment program on days where their A.I.S. math class does not meet. These classes are conducted in smaller groups with there being one teacher and fourteen students in one class, thirteen in the other. The purpose of this class is to reinforce skills that were previously taught and provide additional assistance with some of the bigger mathematical concepts. There aren’t any teacher’s aids assisting in either class. Of the two teachers I am observing in the A.I.S. setting, one of the many qualities they both have is patience. The students present in these classes are easily distracted from remaining on task. While there have been instances in which I believed that certain student behaviors need be addressed these teachers remained focus on the material and the goals of the lesson. They were not distracted by a student’s lack of participation or cutting up, which I believe provided an excellent example to the rest of the students present. In each instance, eventually the student who was “cutting-up” made there way back to being on-task without prompt from the teacher, an aid, or a fellow classmate. I believe that is one of the greatest achievements I have observed. A student who is off-task, recognizes it, and brings themselves back into the class fold is more ready to learn than the student who is prompted by a teacher or adult to return to being on-task. I lack the patience that these teachers I have observed possess, but I aspire to one day be their equal. The support setting class I am observing is taught by a special ed. teacher. There are twelve students present, all with I.E.P.s. The class is designed to provide additional instruction in every subject matter as needed. This is where a special educator must truly be the jack of all trades. The teacher of this class put me to work immediately upon my arrival, allowing me to work with one of the three stations she had established. The focus for two of the last three classes was review for the science quarterly exam, a subject which my physical education background allowed me to contribute. The class concluded Friday with a video dedication to one of the students, something the class population was anticipating and eager to see. The support setting class is another excellent example of an educator who cares deeply for her students well being, both academically and emotionally!
My first day observing an inclusive classroom was an interesting one. I was excited to see how this classroom would be different from the general education classes I had been observing. When I first walked into this mathematics classroom, the teacher introduced herself to me and told me that I could take seat in the back. Then another teacher walked in. I assumed this was the special education teacher and that these two teachers would be co-teaching in this classroom. The second teacher walked and introduced himself to me. He told me that he was actually a teacher’s assistant and not a special education teacher. I asked how many students in this classroom were special education and how many were general education and he told me that all of these students were special education students. He also told me that he is actually an English teacher and that he has no special degree in special education. That surprised me because I thought that it was necessary to have some sort of background in special education in order to work in a classroom such as this. As the class went on, I realized that the primary role off the TA was to encourage the students to get started on their work, remind them to keep quiet and how to behave in class while the main teacher taught the lesson. The two teachers seemed to get along quite well but while class was in session, it didn’t seem like the TA was an active contributor to the lesson. I realized that in the back of the class, two of the students kept falling asleep and had to be woken up every five minutes either by the teacher or TA. The main teacher was constantly yelling which was somewhat painful to sit through. If yelling wasn’t working and keeping these kids awake, then that’s a sign that maybe we should try to find another way to keep our kids awake in class. This reminded me about how important it is to engage students in the lesson. Instead of yelling, and pausing the lecture every five minutes in order to wake up a student in class, teachers need to find a way to keep the lesson exciting so that we can create some sort of flow in the classroom that will help us effectively teach our students.
The second day, I observed another classroom. I was hoping to find a classroom in which I can observe two teachers co-teaching. This time I walked in, there were only about 6 students in the classroom. The teacher started the class and then, a few minutes later I saw the TA entering the room. The class went on as normal. The students were going over homework and the class wasn’t noisy or constantly getting distracted like the previous class I visited. The TA didn’t do anything with the class. She sat in a desk, away from the students, and ate her lunch. A couple of minutes later, she stated she needed to run some errands and disappeared for a while. Soon, the main teacher gave the class some problems to do. While they were working on the problems she came over to talk to me about what was going on in the class. She told me how this class contained 11th and 12th graders and that she was preparing them to take placement exams for Nassau Community College. I asked her about inclusive classrooms at the school and she told me that school didn’t have any. She also went on to tell me that the rule is that if more than 20% of the class has special education students, then a TA was required. I liked observing this teacher a lot. I noticed that she tries to connect with the students a lot by trying to make them laugh and telling them a little about her day or her life. It’s nice to see a teacher make connections with their students. It shows how even though it might have been a long, difficult day, they still want to be there and enjoy working with their students. Part of the reason I wanted to become a teacher was because I enjoy making a connection with students. I think making a connection with them is a very important part of their learning process and this teacher reminded me of that.
This day, I observed a Pre-algebra class. This was the was a class for 7th graders. There was also a TA in this classroom. She was very attentive and she went around and made sure each of the students were doing their work. She was also the one who went around and made sure each of the students did their homework. You could tell that she was doing her work in the classroom and taking care of her responsibilities but she seemed cranky through out the class. I know that a lot of teachers can’t always be in a good mood but she was like this in all of her other classes as well. I feel that the mood of the classroom is definitely determined by the teacher. I know it’s difficult when a teacher has a bad day, but I think teachers should try their best to keep the learning environment a happy place. The mood of the teacher and the environment has a great impact on the students learning experience so we should try our best to keep it positive. One student that stood out to me was a student named Aeres. He always had his head down and sometimes didn’t even have a paper out. So I would say that he was motivated to not do his work. The teacher and the TA attempted to motivate him by telling him that if he didn’t start his work, he will be sent to the office. This does work and he begins to do his work. They began working on the topic of range, and Aeres asks questions and starts getting more involved in the classroom. After a while he asks if he can go to the bathroom. Some time passes and Aeres isn’t back yet so the teacher decided to go look for him. He brings Aeres back into the classroom and tells the TA to bring him to the nurse’s office. So, I don’t know if Aeres was really sick or the teacher was just getting him out of the classroom because he was being disruptive. Either way, we know that something is wrong. Either Aeres was not feeling well and the teachers assumed he was lazy and disruptive or he wasn’t motivated to do his work and the teachers have yet to find a way to motivate him to be engaged in the class. This is an extremely difficult task. Also, many of the times, the teachers get discouraged after a while, and they feel like giving up. I feel like that was the case in this class. The teachers seemed to be very tired and discouraged from working with this student. I understand how hard it is for a teacher stay hopeful and positive but I think teachers should always try their best keep trying new things. For example, if something isn’t working, and the student isn’t motivated to do their work, then the teacher should try new ways of getting the student motivated.
On this day I decided to observe a different classroom. I wanted to see a classroom other than a mathematics classroom so I visited an Earth Science classroom. There was about five students in the classroom and once again, a teacher and a TA since it was a special education classroom. The TA in this classroom did not take any part in the classroom. He sat in the back and was on phone throughout the entire lesson. The teacher, on the other hand, did an excellent job for the most part. The topic in the class was local climate and temperature. So, he talked about how different channels give us different temperatures and how the temperature in long island is different from the temperature in the city. The students were interested because he was bringing in things about the real world into the lesson. One student even said how she can figure out the weather using her phone and the teacher encouraged her to take out her phone and tell the class the different temperature of the different surrounding areas. I thought this was interesting because most of the time, students would be penalized for taking out their phones. I really enjoyed how the teacher used their interests to teach the class. Another thing I found interesting was while they were having a discussion, one student asked “How are tornadoes formed?” At first the teacher told this student that they will cover this in a later chapter but then the teacher decided to answer his question and explained to the student how tornadoes formed. I thought this was interesting because this was a “teachable moment” and the teacher made a great decision in using the students curiosity in order to teach the student. As time went by, I realized that the teacher mostly used discussions to teach his students. Also, he gave a lot of stories in his own life that related to the topic he was teaching. It kept the class interested and I know a lot of the information will stay in their mind. One thing I didn’t like was that there was one student that didn’t talk at all in the class. Since it was a small class, it was easy to notice that she wasn’t participating or involved in the class. She wasn’t even acknowledged in the classroom. No matter how quiet a child, I feel that they should still be acknowledged. It would a little difficult because you don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable if they don’t want to participate but there are ways in which they can still be acknowledged so that they feel that they are a necessary part of the classroom.
This day I went back to the first special education classroom I had observed. The topic they were covering in this lesson was graphing. The teacher decided to give each student a different graph that would turn out to be a picture. The students were really interested in this and they were very excited to see what their graphs would turn out to look like. The teacher even told them that she would hang up the different graphs on the wall. I think the this was good idea and good way to motivate the students but these students didn’t really seem interested in hanging it on the wall. The activity itself had motivated them to do their work. There was a certain outburst in the class which I found to be very interesting. The TA was walking around helping the students in the classroom and he approached one student named Aiden. He stood next to his desk and started talking to him. All of a sudden you hear the student say “I hate it when teachers do that, baby me. I’m about ready to shoot out of this chair and go through the roof.” You can definitely tell in this student’s voice that he was very upset and annoyed with the TA. The TA was left speechless and the rest of the classroom was silent. That’s when the main teacher took Aiden outside and had a talk with him. I don’t know what was said but Aiden came back in and did the rest of his work. The TA, stayed away from Aiden and I heard the teacher tell the TA to scribe some of this. I am not sure what went on but I think the TA was supposed to scribe this incident or he was just told to do this so the teacher could know what went on. Later on, I was surprised to see this, but I saw Aiden get up and help another student with her graph. I looked back at the TA and saw that he looked a little worried and surprised at this, but Aiden seemed like he was doing an excellent job at helping the other student. I don’t know what exactly happened between the TA and Aiden or maybe it was how the TA approached Aiden that might of caused this outburst, but I understand that students don’t like to feel “babied”. In this situation, Aiden felt that he might of not needed extra help and he could do it on his own. The TA must of felt that he needed assistance and tried his best to help him but it turned out to be a bad idea. Teachers must find ways to help students without making them feel like they need their help. Instead of hovering over the student and making sure everything they’re doing is correct, teachers could try having a discussion with student on how it should be done. It would be better to discuss the problem with the student instead making sure they have the correct answer for each step in a problem. This would also help them become more independent in their learning process.
Blog 1: During my student teaching experience in Living Environment (10th grade), my cooperating teacher allowed me to spend off periods observing and assisting in various special education settings. I mainly worked with two special educators, both with very different personalities and approaches. In addition, there were several students with IEPs in my cooperating teacher’s Living Environment and Sports Science classes as well. Most received some test accommodations and perhaps resource room or a self contained class in another subject. One of these students was a young man with Asperger’s disorder I will call John.
I know John had Asperger’s because he frequently told me. As is common in Asperger’s cases, John was socially awkward, especially with peers. However, he frequently stayed after class to share the latest book he was reading with my cooperating teacher and I; reciting in great detail the intricacies of the fantasy or science fiction novel he was consuming. He avoided eye contact, and often moved about the room, pacing quickly, when he spoke. John needed some extra time on tasks and often asked for clarification regarding instructions for labs, tests and other class work, but was squeaking by with a passing grade in Living Environment. I would also observe John in another class, a self-contained math class, during my observations for this course.
Blog 2: I began my special education observations on February 9th with Mr. F. in a resource room. Mr. F. is a very tall, somewhat intimidating looking figure. He has a clean shaved head and face and looks a bit like Lex Luther. However, his demeanor is extremely calm and soothing. As soon as I saw Mr F. stoop down to quietly talk to a student who had her head down instead of working on her math, I knew he was a caring and empathetic teacher. He quietly asked if she was feeling ok and was able to coax her to work on her math some more.
The resource room I observed is a double-sized classroom with 5 tables, a bank of computers along the wall of windows, three teacher desks (for the 3 teachers who share the space), and numerous bookshelves and file cabinets. The walls are adorned with posters (some subject-specific, some inspirational – “101 reasons to smile”, etc) but no student work that I noticed. The room is cluttered, but warm and inviting. Part of the chalkboard had a chart with another special education teacher’s students’ assignments, homework, projects, etc. for the week on it, which I thought was a great idea. The first day there were about eight students in the resource room, three of which were Mr. F’s students. They consisted of two male students and one female student. The female student, “Liz”, was working on an algebra worksheet while one male student, “Tony”, was working on a Living Environment assignment about evolution. The other male, “Paul”, was watching videos on one of the computers in the room, which I thought odd. I sat with Tony and we worked on his biology assignment together. Tony and I developed an easy rapport pretty quickly. He confided in me that he had lots of trouble in math but did not think he needed resource room anymore. Meanwhile, Liz had put her head down after a couple of math problems and had “checked out”. Mr. F. coaxed her to focus on her task for the remainder of the period. Paul, who was watching videos on the computer, was actually working on an assignment as well. He was picking a news video and summarizing the information for his ELA class. He had to complete three of these assignments a week. Looking back I wish I had asked him if this was a modified assignment or if the whole class did the same.
The rest of the week (2/10-2/11) in resource room was much of the same. Liz had to be pushed and pulled through all her assignments, Paul worked on his videos, and Mr. F. helped Tony with his algebra. Mr. F. showed me where he kept the student’s files and told me a little about his day, which was a mix of co-taught classes, self-contained classes and resource rooms. During this time I floated and helped wherever I could. On Friday, 2/11, Mr. F. began academic testing for Tony’s IEP review. He began with the Stanford Achievement test. Tony finished before the period end, the time was marked on the test and Tony was able to work on his other homework until the bell rang.
My first day of observation was at a high school. I attended a classroom with the content teacher and cooperative teacher for the first time. I found it to be very odd to be honest since I have never seen it before. As a observer's point of view, I found it to be quite interesting but I was also trying to put myself in the student's shoes as well. I could see it being as a distraction since there are multiple teachers in the classroom dictating and checking if every student is up to par. I also found it quite a challenge for the teachers to stay calm at all time since these kids were quite energetic and calling out frequently.
I like the fact that students were given opportunities to work independently among themselves. At the same time, there were two teachers walking down the rows checking on their progress. Afterwards, each problem was to be shown on the board and explained thoroughly to the whole class. One problem was assigned to one student. I find this a way for the students to grasp the understanding of the math almost instantly and gives them more confidence in doing it again later on.
My second day observing at my high school was even more interesting than my first day. First, this was a Honors course. It seemed quite like my point of interest since I like upper level high school math. It also seemed a little too 'typical' of a classroom since it seemed like everybody was raising their hands and volunteering to go up to the board to show their work.
The moment I met Daniel, I thought he was a math genius! He noticed patterns almost instantly! He was usually the first one to have his hand raised to answer questions or to give out answers to the teacher's questions. At times, he did get a little impatient and he just began calling out answers. It wasn't until after class that the teacher told Daniel to wait until he was called to give his answer. Daniel is diagnosed with a slight case of Asperger syndrome.
According to Wikipedia, Asperger syndrome or Asperger Disorder is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.
I needed to recall exactly what Asperger syndrome was. While I was reading its traits, I was practically reading about Daniel. He was very outspoken and frigid. I find it hard to believe that he is not made fun of by his peers in his class.
I wanted to know more about Daniel's status. I kept on observing more of Daniel rather than the class. I did want to see on some of his classmate's reactions to Daniel's outburst in class when he calls out. I have noticed some eyes staring at Daniel.
I spoke to the his teacher during her off period during her break. She has told me everything I wanted to know about Daniel as long as it was school related. He's usually the first one to finish the exam which means there is at least 10-15 minutes left of class time for him to check his work again. There were times when he went back to her desk requesting to change his answers after the class period was over. The teacher felt troubled since she knew that he's a very bright student, but she still doesn't feel the need to curve his grade because of his continuous mistakes. She has advised to spend more time on checking his work so this can happen less frequent. I asked the teacher is it will be alright if I could watch Daniel and the class take her exam one day. I'm looking forward to that.
This time around I was back in my other class where there were multiple students calling out. They were not getting as many answers correct as Daniel. The classroom setting shows that this type of environment of students were not as mature as the other Honor's class with Daniel. Today, there was one student repeating almost every phrase from the MTV show, The Jersey Shore. He was encouraging others to repeat his words. This shows me the type of shows that these kids are watching and how it's influencing them to be become distracted in the classrooms. There was a lot of side talk occurring today. Another topic was the NBA. There was a disagreement in the best NBA team currently playing. This was another distraction that kept the students from continuing with their independent classwork. During all this chattering, the teachers just walked around to make sure everybody was doing their work. For any student that was talking, they were told to stop the chatting.
I noticed these two girls always being quiet among themselves. They were doing their classwork within their small group while the others were inconsistent with their progress of their work.
There was too much chatting from across the room. I also found it difficulty having three teachers walking around the room. One teacher was only assisting one particular student while the other two were assisting the rest of the class during the lesson. I still find it to be off to have multiple teachers in a classroom. Of course it may seem that the teachers can seek help faster but it worried me as a observer and future teacher that this may not be helping the students in terms of always having these number of teachers willing to help them out. Is this another short of distraction?
Today was the Quarterly Exam for the Honors class for the Trigonometry students. I'm very interested in seeing how Daniel will be in his approach in taking his exam. He walked into the classroom just like any other day. He walks in quickly and sits straight in his seat while he's looking around to see what was happening. The teacher was handing out the exams while Daniel was anxious to get his. Once he got his, he began to begin the exam while he forgot to pass along the other exams to the rest of the students in his row. He seemed anxious, rocky on his chair, and playing with his hair with his knee up to the chair. It seemed that he was not having trouble in taking the exam. He was going by it one by one. He was keeping in changing his body position to sit in a more comfortable manner. Daniel was the first was to finish the exam. He immediately walked over to his teacher's desk to hand it in. He went back to this desk to grab his pen and notebook to write down the homework for the night, which is located in the back of the room. He was consistently looking up to copy the homework problems. He had difficulty in seeing it so he walked all the way to the back of the classroom with his pen and notebook. He eventually copied it down to his liking. He walked back to his seat while he was also looking back to see if he wrote down everything that was needed. I enjoy Daniel. He is a very bright student and I noticed it when I first met him a few weeks ago. I wonder what his mind goes through during a math class. He grasps things quickly but tends to make easy errors, which he eventually corrects. I did notice that he did not interact with many students if not any students. This class is definitely much more mature than my other class. I'm actually hearing more math in this course rather than listening to the events that happened in The Jersey Shore.
Observation Blog #1 When I entered the special education department of Elmont Memorial High School, I was excited to find out which teachers I will observe for the rest of the semester. The secretary gave me two names on a post-it, "Brown period 5" and "Smith period 6" with the room numbers. After thanking her for the schedule, I immediately asked, "What is the quickest way to get to Brown's classroom", because the late bell for period 5 rang and I already got lost trying to find the special education department. It was a large school and I didn't want to get lost again. I quickly went up the stairs to room 317. I peered through the window of the door and noticed four students in the class and I thought to myself, "Is this the right room"? I entered and noticed one male adult standing and one female adult sitting down. I looked down at my post-it and just noticed "Brown period 5, room 317". I had no idea who "Brown" was, and so I just smiled and introduced myself to both. Then the woman sitting down quickly jumped up and said, "Oh great, Ms.'OConnor (Chairperson of the Special Education Department) told me about you". Instantly I knew she was Ms. Brown before she introduced herself to me. One of the students then shouted, "Is she a new student". Everyone laughed and I thought to myself, "Do I really look that young"? Another student said to me, "Hey do you remember me"? I said "No" and he repeatedly told Ms. Brown that I am his friend. I began to realize all of these students had disabilities that I was soon going to learn more about.
Observation Blog #2: When I entered Ms. Browen's class the next day, the four students were sitting down with a handout in front of them. Mr. Maresco, the TA, read the handout out loud, which consisted of five regents questions. He read the question, then paused and read the multiple choice answers out loud. Students would then circle an answer. He then moved on to the next question. After they finished answering the questions, he collected the handout. Ms. Brown, the biology and special education teacher, told the whole class to copy the aim into their notebooks. She then portrayed a small skit about how proteins are synthesized using genetic coding. She did this by telling students that she was going to be DNA and she is holding a genetic code. She tells them that each station consists of a different job. One student's job was to interpret the message, another is to send out the message, third is to transfer the message to the ribosome and the last is to make the proteins (which were just really starburts). Each student got the opportunity to go to each station. I thought this was a great biology lesson in a special education class because they were able to get up off their seats for this activity, interact and learn from one another, and at the end they were positively reinforced. After the activity, Ms. Brown explains translation, coding, and messaging several times by using different examples. This is helpful because there are so many different learning styles within the classroom. At the end of the class every student was able to reiterate what they learned.
Observation Blog # 3 I also observed Ms. Smith's 7th and 8th grade general science classroom. The middle school at Elmont Memorial High School was located on the first floor, which was separate from the High School on the 2nd and 3rd floor. The size of Ms. Smith's classroom was very small compared to the other classrooms I observed. Even though there was a maximum of 20 students in the class, I felt like everyone was clustered together. One student was sitting at the teacher's desk and another student was sitting at the computer desk, and Ms. Smith didn't mind at all. Ms. Smith started teaching a lesson on simple machines. She introduced this topic by asking students to name several machines. She answered "yes" or "no" to their responses. Students were supposed follow the guidelines of what a simple machine consists of. Students just started to call out answerers and get carried away. I feel like there was no defined structure in this classroom and the TA, Ms. Murphy who walked around the rows, didn't enjoy it too much either. Ms. Smith has great interactions with the students. She is very humorous and sarcastic, but I hear more jokes being said in the classroom than actual learning material. Ms. Smith pulls up the definitions of different types of simple machines on the projector screen. These definitions seem copied from a textbook and no real creativity was used in defining them. The students seem confused because they couldn't interpret the definition. Ms. Smith tell the students to just copy it down because the definition is really complex. I am not quite sure if the students are learning anything, if they are simply just copying down the definitions. I think students would really have benefited from an authentic definition or example. She does show pictures of some simple machines. She does this by holding up the textbook so everyone can somewhat try to see an example. Not every student was paying attention though. I feel like students would be more engaged if Ms. Smith brought in simple machines and they could work in groups/stations to manipulate them. By understanding it's features, the students can build on their own definition of what a simple machine truly is. I feel like Ms. Smith's whole class instruction is not helpful for every learning style in the classroom. I think this special education classroom with mostly learning delayed and emotionally delayed students could really benefit if they were positioned in groups so they could engage with one another. Ms. Smith ended the class 8 minutes early. She just walked around the classroom and talked to the students. Ms. Murphy didn't seem too thrill they were done early. I wasn't thrilled either. I feel like they could of accomplished more today.
Observation Blog #4 When I entered Ms. Smith's class the next day, I sat in the back next to one student who had trouble verbally communicating due to this stuttering. He sat closer to the window and to me seemed separated from the whole class. He was always prepared. He had his notebook out and his homework out even before Ms. Smith asked everyone to take it out. Ms. Smith started to go over the homework. She called on students to answer the questions. The student sitting next to me raised his hand. He was having trouble verbally expressing what he wrote in his homework. Ms. Smith didn't go to his desk and help him, rather while he was trying to read she went outside to talk to another teacher who passed by the door. She was talking to him outside the door. I feel like she was disrupting the class as well disrespecting the student who was trying to answer the question she asked. Ms. Murphy went to accompany this student while he was expressing what he wrote. She help him communicate what he wrote and finally he was able to explain what he wrote out loud. After a minute or two, Ms. Smith re-entered the classroom and told the student to repeat what he had to say. I feel like this was rude because he had so much trouble trying to read his homework in the first place and now he has to read it again because she was out of the classroom. After they went over the homework, she told the students they were going to watch a movie about global warming. She played the movie, "An inconvenient truth" without any real introduction or any handout so they can take notes. There was some trouble trying to play this video so while Ms. Smith was trying to figure out the problem, there was no instruction on what the students should do in the meantime. So while the students were waiting they just got out of their seats and walked around and talked amongst each other. I thought this wasn't good. I felt like she should of had a plan B if there were any technical difficulties. Also she should of given students something to do in the meantime so the class time would not of been lost and students would be doing something productive. Ms. Smith finally got the movie to work and the students went back to their seats. After ten minutes I started to see some students talking to other students and other students falling asleep. I felt like this movie was not entertaining for their age group. I am not sure how much they gained from it but they sure weren't interested in it. I feel like another productive day was just lost today.
Observation Blog # 5 I observed Ms. Brown's class today. I noticed a new face in the classroom today. So now there are 5 students in the class. I personally felt these students should go into mainstream but I was wrong about that when Ms. Brown told me about their learning and emotional disabilities. She told me this class used to be larger but a few of the students were dropped from the class and placed in a BOCES program.She told me about one student who had to be sent to this program due to his drug abuse. He would often disrupt the class. Ms. Brown also told me about student in her class who got pregnant and also had to leave the class. She told me this class used to be as large as 15 students but now there are only 5 students, all with I.E.Ps. The students are mainstream students who function in small class settings. Today in class students followed the same format for the do now. They were handed a handout with four or five regents questions. The TA or Ms. Brown would read the question out loud and then they would answer it. This time Ms. Brown went over the answers instead of collecting it after they were done. She gives students techniques to remember the concepts and how to answer the regents questions, since the multiple choice questions are all about eliminating the wrong answer to find the right answer. The TA walks around the class to see if the students are writing the answers down. Sometimes the students ask the TA a question while Ms. Brown is talking. This often allows a clash since they are talking at the same time and seems disruptive to the students. After the Do Now, Ms. Brown allows students to color a drawing for twelve minutes (too long!). After students finish coloring, she hangs the pictures on the board. She explains to students that they all colored differently and relates it to how genes are expressed differently. Ms. Brown starts to teach the lesson with a PowerPoint presentation. Mr. Maresco shut off the light. I feel like this wasn't good because it gave the students the opportunity or desire to rest or sleep in the classroom. Also one student continued to color while Ms. Brown was teaching her lesson. I thought this was unfair since every other student had twelve minutes to color and he had more time. Plus he wasn't paying attention to the lesson. During her lesson, Ms. Brown gave good analogies to help students understand genetic expression. She then allowed group work so students can explain to each other what they learned. While they were doing group work, Mr. Maresco and Ms. Brown were talking about their own personal business. I feel like this was disrupting the students and deterring their attention to what the teachers were talking about. Ms. Brown and Mr.Maresco eventually walked around to see what the students were doing, which is vital in group work.
Observation Blog #1 My first day of observing was interesting. I observed back to back 8th grade inclusion Algebra. There is one general teacher and a TA. There seems to be a routine: take out homework, work on do now, review homework and do now, quickly learn new lesson, and give out homework. The students seem bored and many are barely paying attention. Some of them get up to get tissues non-stop. I think they need more opportunity to move around and talk. There is no group work and I feel as if the teachers do not have great control nor patience. The second period class was more relaxed and was much more focused. The teacher constantly brings them back to the lesson but in a very boring way. The classroom is also very cold which I can tell bothers the students. The TA checks homework and tries to help with class work, but the teacher and her do not get along. It was very obvious. They made no eye contact and communication was poor. There seemed to be an edge between them.
Observation Blog #2 Today I observed two different inclusion classes. The first class was the same as last week. The students were bored, the teacher was yelling, and the TA was walking around more. The lesson was a little boring, in general, and the students had not really done the homework. The teacher chastised them for this but the students seemed to ignore her. The TA would call out randomly after the teacher to remind them how important the homework grades are but the students had already moved on. Many of the students come unprepared and need to go back to their lockers to get books, have to ask neighbors for pencils. The funny thing is, one student asked for a pencil and rather than just give it to him and move on, the teacher made a big deal of it and spent about 5 minutes lecturing. The second class I observed was a total change. This teacher, at first, appeared to have absolutely no control over the students. The students were sitting in his seat, walking around, eating, joking, and playing on the classroom computer. Then the teacher walked in and I was expecting a lecture. He surprised me. All he said was, “Come on guys. Let’s get started.” And they listened! The students picked themselves up and placed themselves in their correct seats. They complained a little bit about the lesson, but for the most part they did their work, asked questions, and participated. Some of the kids seemed to have behavior problems but they did the work they needed to. In return, the teacher ended class early and put on a youtube video: “Teach Me How to Factor”. The students LOVED it. They couldn’t get enough of it. Granted, it was a little lame and they made fun of it, but they loved listening to it and talking about where they used it during the assignment. He really motivated them without yelling. He even told me that the worst thing is yelling at a child. It gets you nowhere. You have to figure out what they are motivated by and work from there.
Observation Blog #3 The first class I observed today was much better than I have ever seen them. They were learning about measurement (liquid volume) and they were really getting into it. At first they were hesitant and seemed bored with the powerpoint (which she uses for every single class) but then they learned about the “Gallon Man” and “Gallon Butterfly” and it was suddenly interesting. She showed them an image of how the liquid units build off of one another. This created a butterfly looking thing. The students at first made fun of it but then they wanted to draw it in their binders and they seemed to have a good time using it to help them solve problems. The TA was very quiet today, moving from student to student, helping with individual questions. The teacher had put animations into her powerpoint and it seemed she enjoyed teaching more as well. The second class was the same as last time. A little loud at first but they settled down nicely. Today, after they did a few Regents review questions, the teacher took them to the computer room to do Castle Learning. This is an online program used by teachers to create practice questions and quizzes for the students to complete for extra credit or test review. Many of the students were goofing off now, though. They weren’t doing any of the work and were merely guessing. I stood behind a few and tried to work through problems with them. This really helped. It surprised me that the teacher didn’t do the same. He sat at the teacher computer and continued to look for more problems. The students appeared to have done this before and were used to having the freedom to play games whenever they wanted. Now and then the teacher would walk around and push students to do better. When prompted, the students did do the work and did it beautifully. I could tell that they understand the work provided and knew how to solve problems and which methods to use. I do not think they are being motivated properly.
Observation Blog #4 The first class I observed went into the computer room today. The majority of their class was absent (either a school field trip or a religious obligation). The teacher told them the website to go to. It was blocked. Only two or three of the students could access the necessary page. It was funny because the teacher did not have a plan B. The students were very technology savvy and found a different web page to use. Some of the games weren’t math oriented, but this didn’t seem to bother the teacher. One game was very important in understanding profit margins, however, the students didn’t seem to care. They were busy pressing different buttons and seeing what happened.
I also observed a new inclusion class today. This teacher also had a daily routine but he interacted with the students much better. He was able to crack jokes with them and prompt them to being their work. The students, for the most part, participated, did their work, and left. Some students talked quite a bit. There was a TA and she was wonderful. She would walk around during the entire lesson helping whenever needed. She would stand next to students who were not doing their work and made sure that they did. The respect for the teacher in this class was very evident. The students at no time looked bored. The material was a little difficult but the teacher made sure to go over everything and every question until all students understood.
The last class I observed went into the computer lab again. Once again, many of the students went to a games website, keeping the Castle Learning open on the side in case the teacher walked by. I helped a number of students with some of the questions. One girl in particular seemed to really care about what she was learning. She was trying to help all her friends complete the work. It is funny how the kids really like being in this class and working with this teacher and yet will not do the work when the computer is introduced. They did the do now in the regular classroom with no problems but the minute the computer came into the picture, it was a different story.
Observation Blog #5 This was my last day observing. I only observed two inclusion classes. The first one went back to the way they were when I first started. The teacher was pushing a lesson on an exam they had to take in a few days. The students weren’t really paying attention until they heard that their teacher wouldn’t be in class for a few days. They started to ask all sorts of questions. The TA reminded them that the student teacher that would be covering would be quick to tell the teacher if they misbehave. The teacher tried to bribe them into behaving by promising to push the test back by a day if they were good. I don’t know if the students will actually listen but hopefully they will.
The second class I observed was still in the computer room. Today was a little different. Most of them were putting effort into the activity. I later learned that their third period grades were being entered and they were afraid of not getting extra credit and failing. It was such a difference. Watching them under pressure made me realize that they were capable of so much more. They just need the right motivation. I don’t know if having respect and being liked is as important as motivating the students. This teacher gets along so well with the students but he cannot get them to work. They made him birthday cards for his past birthday, which is sweet, but they won’t do the work he assigns.
The students seemed genuinely sad that they wouldn’t see me again. It may be because I lent them numerous amounts of pens and pencils or if it is because I tried to help them. These students were great to observe.
Blog #1 My first day observing was Monday, March 7th. The inclusive classroom is 8P5 Mrs.Padilla/ Mrs. Siegel room #266. I was excited to see how this classroom would be different from the general education classes I had been observing. As soon as I entered in the classroom, the teacher warmly melcomed to me. Her name is Mrs. Padilla, and she mentioned that for this day she will be teaching alone because the other teacher Mrs. Siegel was absent. I felt a little dissapointed, but her friendly attitude changed my thought and I was motivate to see how she will conducted the class by herself. I noticed that the lesson and activities were written on a chart next to the board. Also, the agenda, the purpose and the warm up activities was wrritten on the board as well. I asked how many students in this classroom were special education and how many were general education. She smiled and told me "My students are 14 girls and 12 boys and I do not see them different. All are the same, they all are my students". This response intimidated me a liitle bit, and I apologized myself, but she responded " do not be sorry, it is okey, there is nothing wrong with your question. You will see the students and find out the differences by your observation." Our conversation was abruptally interrupted for a sound that announced the beginning of the first period. I accommodated myself in the assigned place made by the teacher. Mrs. Padilla stood up in front of the door welcoming her students . I was surprise seeing students smiling and entering respectfully to their seats. As soon they sat down, they started working in the warm- up activity, while Mrs. Padilla was walking around the students group. The lesson on finding multi-unit pricing by using proportions was conducted using the Power point presentation plus the already chart prepared by the teacher. The teacher related the lesson to the students'lives and make the lesson interesting for the students. After the lesson, Mrs. Padilla alowed students to present their work in the board and most activities in the classrooms were independent work. I was motivated to continue observing this class. Mrs. Padilla's teaching was inspirational. She reminded me my excellent and caring middle school math teacher, Ms. Silva. She masterfully conveyed those complicated ideas into lucid explanations for a twelve year old. I still can vividly recall sitting behind my desk attentively listening to her describe her intrinsic role mathematics plays in everyday life. She is the reason why I love math to this very day. Her math lesson left a deep impression in me and infused within me a drive to become a teacher.
Blog #2 My second observation ocurred on March 10.I went to the same inclusive class Mrs. padilla/ Mrs. Siegel. I was curious to meet Mrs. Siegel after her last absence. I had high expectations to see teacher- team work in action. I was happy to see Mrs. Padilla again. She introduced me to Mrs. Siegel, who asked me several questions about my teaching experience. Mrs. Padilla saved me from Mrs. Siegel's questioning, and provide me a lot of information of the math curriculum. Being early in the classroom I had the opportunity to see the teachers discussing and revising the different activities for the lesson. I noticed how the two teachers were connected and having the same passion to reach each one of her students. The lesson was posted on the chart as the first time, everything was ready for students. I sat down observing students walking in to their respective seats. Mrs. Siegel was in the middle of the classroom closed to the projector, while Mrs. Padilla started the lesson on converting money between different currencies with the use of exchange. The introduction questions were effectively to motivate students interest.For example, What else you need to know if you are going to different country ? What is currency? What does it means? I observed a parallel teaching. Mrs. Siegel showed the currency exchange of different country with the monetary unit and rate. I noticed that during the classwork activity, students asked for help to Mrs.Padilla instead of Mrs. Siegel. Mrs.Padilla was willing to help them with a nice smile on her face. Students grassped their concept without difficult because the lesson was well development. I was happy to see students learning math with enthusiasm and interest.
Observation Blog #3 My third day observing was an interesting one. It was on Thursday, March 17th. I observed the same inclusion classroom teachers but different students. I noticed that the students' behavior dispair from the other class. I saw Mrs. Siegel with unfriendly face looking students talking while were reaching their seat. On the other hand, Mrs. Padilla called student's attention with a nice question. "Samuel, are you smiling and talking, this is a good thing because you will help me with the warm -up activity." Inmediatelly, the whole class quieted down and started working nicely. I was surprise how Mrs. Padilla;s techniques was more effectively than a serious face to make students focused with the math lesson. I like to be in this class because the teachers' strategies and esperiences provided me a lot insigths to pursue my teaching career.
Observation#4 My fourth observation occurred on March 24th. I had difficult to follow the weekly class observation because students pre- test evaluation was implemmented during the math period. I like observing the same class Mrs. Padilla/ Mrs. Siegel, because I get to know the students and how they learn, and witnes the positive influence that a teacher can make in students.The lesson was on"Transformational Geometry." Mrs. Padilla introduced the lesson in a very interesting way. The teacher knew that teaching the lynes of symmetry might be confusing so she uses the ellaboration of a snowflakes as a prior activity to recall students'prior knowledge. After that, she used the Geo- Mirror, as a device that helps students to find the symmetry of any draw figure.Students were able to find all lines of symmetry and usind dashed lines, sketching polygons with the geometer sketch and design a logo as a final activity. This leson showed me two important things. Firstly, the important role in teaching students to use diagrams, manipulatives and visual representations to learn mathematical concepts. Secondly, the imporance in planning activities in which students get connected.I was amazed how the use of the diagrams, and the visual representations opened the students understanding to explore and visualize the different types of symmetry used in the pictures.
Observation Blog #2 THE CO-TAUGHT CLASSROOM I consider myself fortunate to be observing a MATH 7 class which is co-taught by two highly motivated and truly dedicated individuals. On my first day of observation I asked if its was normal to have two content teachers working together in one class only to discover that one of the two teachers was special ed. certified, not math. Interestingly I could not tell who was who throughout the lesson. The classroom was furnished with desks that were arranged as tables in groups of four and five. There was a teacher’s aid present that was responsible for two of the twenty-four students present. I feel that there is a tremendous advantage to having a large adult presence in any educational environment. Additionally any opportunity a school has to decrease the student to teacher ratio the greater opportunity there will be for individualized assistance should there be a need. I am unaware of the specific ratio of general ed. students to inclusive ones; it is tough to tell through observation alone. The class is extremely well behaved and operates with little to no student initiated distraction at all. I observed an excellent example of how the class functions during my last two observations when the “content” teacher was away at a conference. The special education teacher continued from where the previous day’s lesson concluded and class proceeded as what I believed was as normal. Of all of the classes I am observing, this is the one with the greatest percentage of students remaining on-task for the greatest percentage of class time. The one lesson I observed where both teachers were present was conducted in a tag-team fashion, with each teacher leading the instruction as well as floating and offering individualized instruction. It was obvious, to me, even on my first day of observing, how passionate and dedicated each of the teachers was. Their focus was on meeting the day’s objectives, and their egos were never part of the equation. They had an excellent rapport with both the students and each other, something I imagine required a great deal of effort on their part. The behavior of the students reinforced a belief that I have always had, which Lavoie gave credit to the medical profession. “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I feel confident in saying that the teachers involved in this co-taught class care tremendously, their students are aware of how much they care and are interested in hearing what it is they have to offer!
Observation Blog#4 TEACHER ASSISTANTS While observing I had the opportunity to meet four different teacher assistants. Each of them played an integral part of the inclusive environment. Three of the aids I observed were assigned to specific students, yet they did not limit their time or efforts to their assigned child. They were literally teacher’s assistants; assisting the teacher with anything and everything they could in order to facilitate the lesson’s goals. These tasks included aiding with the distribution of materials, helping with classroom set-up, and managing the multiple varied personalities that made up the class’s population. The fourth of the teacher’s assistant I had the chance to observe was assigned specifically to the E.L.L. students in the seventh grade. Her motivation for education was difficult to not notice, given her constant movement. She reminded me of a professional hockey goalie as she bounced from one side of the room to the other not allowing a single instance of academia to pass by her students. Through conversation I learned that she would alternate between 2 classes given the cycle day, which meant she was only able to provide her students with assistance on those days. She was responsible for multiple students with a variety of backgrounds. Under her supervision were students of Haitian, Pakistani, Korean, El Salvadoran, Portuguese, and Columbian backgrounds. I was amazed to learn that she did not speak any of these languages, yet her efforts were met with incredible success. What I found to be equally impressive was the attitude that her assigned students showed towards her. I felt there was a genuine appreciation of the E.L.L. aide’s efforts from her students, evident by their consistent effort and on-task behavior. I am a believer that attitude can overcome certain circumstances. The mutual care that I observed shared by the assigned students and their aides would lead me to believe that the academic difficulties these students endure will one day be a part of their past. Motivation is key, and these aides have mastered the art of cultivating an intrinsic desire for academic success with the assistance of just the right amount of extrinsic motivation.
Observation Blog#5 INCLUDE OR NOT INCLUDE In my final blog I would like to discuss a few of the opinions I have on inclusive environments, their “management” as well as the future of inclusive education. My opinion on inclusion has changed drastically over time. I used to believe the needs of the few would take away from fulfilling the needs of the many. I used to believe that the presence of challenged students would act as an academic anchor for all others in pursuit of intellectual excellence. How wrong I was! The paradigm shift in educational responsibility has justifiably increased the burden on us educators, as it should have. For if we as teachers are not who are held responsible for the academic well being of our students, than who is? Our students? Their parents? They both play a role and have an sizable effect on the outcome, but we are the professionals. If a doctor looked to pass off difficult surgeries to someone other than a qualified surgeon they would be in violation of their oath. We as aspiring educators must look at our profession with the same sense of self-reliance. Each instance of inclusion must be handled on a case to case basis. On the whole, I feel it would be better to included one hundred students who should not be, rather than send one away who should. We never stand so tall as when we stoop to help a child. I found Mineola Middle School’s policy of not allowing students to be moved from one class section to the next to be quite intriguing. There is no running from a potential problem here. Eliminating the option of removing a problem creates a unique perspective in which all difficulties are to be resolved. DEAL WITH IT! There is a tremendous support system in place which can help resolving certain issues, but in the end, it is a mindset. A student with difficulties is a challenge, not a burden. We must see this as so. We cannot internalize our problems, nor can we hold a teenager responsible for something he or she has not had prior to meeting us. Our most difficult students today will be some of our favorite students tomorrow if we are able to create an environment of mutual respect, and show a genuine belief in an individuals ability to achieve.
Observation #1: Majority of the classes I observe are inclusive classrooms. Each teacher and co-teacher(s) have different ways of managing and teaching their class. I was lucky enough to see all styles of teaching, things that worked and many that didn’t work. One class in particular that made me slightly frustrated every Monday and Wednesday was my 4th period class. During the first week of March in particular, Mr.Villanti, who is the main teacher has 2 co-teachers that specifically site with certain students and help them with their ELA class work. In terms of management, instruction, walking around the classroom, and teaching the class, Mr. Villanti does it all. The two co-teachers, simply laugh at students remarks or write down everything Mr. Villanti teaches. It is as if, they are students too. At one point, the other students that I observe with, ended up walking around the classroom helping students and it felt as if we did more for them than their co-teachers or even their main teacher. It was disappointing to sit back and watch students who have the capability of understanding lessons be let down because their main teacher wanted to do everything and their co-teachers do nothing. I think if I were Mr.Villanti, I would not be so tough in my class and utilize the co-teachers to differentiate my lessons for the whole class. ~Felicia Singh
Observation #2: Mr. Tlasek’s class is one of the 3 classes that I can’t wait to observe in. Not only is he a funny teacher, his students actually listen to what he says. He teaches both honors ELA and an inclusive classroom. Both are different in many unique ways but one thing that sticks out to me in terms of his inclusive classroom is that both teachers in the room are heard. If Mr. T is teaching, then his co-teacher is walking around the room, helping students. If his co-teacher is teaching, Mr. T is walking around the room doing class room management. I’m not sure if they spend time after or before class going over lesson plans but while they teach, they differentiate what they say or explain compared to how he teaches in his honors class. His classes are where I take most of my notes because his classes respect him and I feel that even students outside his classroom feel the same. There was one time, however there was one student who Mr.T allowed to use a laptop in the classroom because his writing wasn’t very good but the student ended up playing games on it. As a future teacher, this is a testy subject because when you give a student a computer, it silently gives the student freedom to not do their work. Then again, when you’re busy teaching, it’s hard to monitor all students at the same time. ~Felicia Singh
Observation #3: Mrs. Dowis class is interesting because there are two co-teachers. One is a co-teacher for children with IEP’s and then there is a ESL teacher for students whose first language is Spanish. The co-teacher walks around the classroom, helps some-what with classroom management, and helps students with their class work. The ESL teacher, however speaks to her students in Spanish which is okay because I don’t believe in trying to “rid” of students native languages but she does not reinforce them to use English majority of the time in the classroom. A lot of the time, the students are cursing one another or Mrs. Dowis in Spanish. I think this is where the ESL teacher should step in and say, “Listen, although I think it’s important to still speak in Spanish, in school it’s not proper to speak Spanish in the wrong way”…or something along those lines. This way, students are not put down for being who they are but encouraged that it is okay to be who you are in this classroom but you must also respect everyone else. I think out of all the classes I’ve observed, this is the one that made me nervous to watch because not only does Mrs. Dowis have a children with IEP’s but also ESL students. Some, are both special ed. and ESL. This would require Mrs.Dowis to meet with both co-teachers to help facilitate a more accepting, encouraging classroom. ~Felicia Singh
Observation #4: Mrs. Leriche’s classroom is during 1st period where her students are tried and so it’s sort of hard to get to them to participate in class. Observing this class teaches me that it takes a lot of energy to teach in the morning. I have to give a lot of credit to Mrs. Leriche and Mrs. Heller ( he co-teacher) who are always full of energy and ready to teach lessons. I think out of all the co-teachers I’ve observed, Mrs. Heller is the nicest and most approachable. Observing her and later interviewing her for my interview project, I can tell she loves her students and genuinely cares about their well being. In this classroom, both teachers are heard constantly although, Mrs. Leriche is still the main teacher. Sometimes I think that both teachers should work together to plan lessons a little more so that Mrs. Heller doesn’t always have to be stuck doing classroom management. There was one time that Mrs. Leriche taught a lesson wrong or did something to cause her students to misunderstand her and Mrs. Heller raised her voice at her in front of everyone in the class. It surprised me because I thought they had a more professional relationship than that but I’m also glad that at the time, Mrs. Leriche took it lightly. This taught me to really make sure I work on my relationship with co-teachers in my classroom to make sure my students don’t see an imbalance of teacher instruction. ~Felicia Singh
Observation #5: Mrs. Freiman’s classroom is motivational to observe in because you can tell she has a lot of passion for teaching ELA but not all of her students have the passion to learn it. This does not mean that she gives up on certain students, she tries with all of them. I like watching her read aloud to her class in different accents to bring complicated texts like Romeo and Juliet to life. I know her students find her odd and annoying but as a future teacher, I rather be odd and annoying than many of the other things students label their teachers to be. On the first day she introduced Romeo and Juliet she showed snippets of a “modern” movie version. It woke students up because of the way the modern version portrayed the classic. Another day, when introducing poetry, she played a well-known rap song to show that rap is poetry. I think her efforts to differentiate lessons and engage her students ( some with IEP’s and others without) is commendable and encouraging. ~Felicia Singh
Observation # 5 My last observation was on April fifth.The lesson was a unit review on Geometry,to prepare students for the comming Math's test. I felt very comfortable observing Mrs. Padilla and Mrs.Siegel's clasroom. They always were open for my questions and provided me useful insights for my future teacher carreer. Everyday, the math lessons were atractive and well developmented. It is amazing to see two different individuals working with one mind setting. I am happy for the students because they have excellent teachers that cares for them. The engaging and welcoming environment in the class were awesome. It remainded me the book "The Freedom Writers" that I had been reading for the class. Math was not a hated subject for the students. Instead math was fun and interesting for them to learn. Education, love, respect, mission, and passion were part of the teacher strategies everyday. I was fortunate to see all these qualities during my observation in this inclusive classroom. At the end I understood why in this classroom had only one teacher desk. They are two persons and only one head and heart to teach. I also see that in this inclusive classroom all students are treat equally. I deeply admired these teachers.
Observation # 5 My last observation was on April fifth.The lesson was a unit review on Geometry,to prepare students for the comming Math's test. I felt very comfortable observing Mrs. Padilla and Mrs.Siegel's clasroom. They always were open for my questions and provided me useful insights for my future teacher carreer. Everyday, the math lessons were atractive and well developmented. It is amazing to see two different individuals working with one mind setting. I am happy for the students because they have excellent teachers that cares for them. The engaging and welcoming environment in the class were awesome. It remainded me the book "The Freedom Writers" that I had been reading for the class. Math was not a hated subject for the students. Instead math was fun and interesting for them to learn. Education, love, respect, mission, and passion were part of the teacher strategies everyday. I was fortunate to see all these qualities during my observation in this inclusive classroom. At the end I understood why in this classroom had only one teacher desk. They are two persons and only one head and heart to teach. I also see that in this inclusive classroom all students are treat equally. I deeply admired these teachers.
After a few days observing the resource room I wanted to observe a different setting. I spoke to another special education teacher, Mrs. D, about observing her class and she happily accepted the help.
Mrs. D. is a veteran Special Education teacher who teaches two back-to-back self-contained math classes during the time I could observe her. The room is set up with rows of desks facing a smart board. There were also posters and student work (which did not appear current) on the interior walls and large cabinets with supplies. On the outside wall, beneath a row of small windows, were two teacher desks side by side. Mrs. D. and another education teacher, Ms. F., sat at these desks.
The second special education teacher, Ms. F, was always in the room as well, but she was usually working on paperwork (IEPs, gradings, etc) at her desk. I was unsure of her role in the classroom. Thinking back, I definitely should have asked. My impression was that she took her prep period at her desk, which happened to be in this classroom. She did help Mrs. D out once in a while but that appeared to be in an informal capacity because the two teachers got along very well.
There were about a dozen students in each of the two classes, eight to ten in attendance on any given day. Some were pulled out for services (such as OT) and others simply had a high absentee rate. It was about two thirds male students. The class was mostly Caucasian, as is the school, but at least three students were Hispanic and one young man was African American.
The first lesson I saw dealt with radicals. Students had to reduce radicals, add and subtract radicals, etc. As an accommodation, Mrs. D gave students a multiplication table with the square roots highlighted. After students worked independently on their worksheet, they took turns coming up to the smartboard and answering the questions in front of the class. Mrs. D guided the students through the process when they got stuck, or called on other students to “help John out”. The classes went quickly, but the mood was fairly sedate. Even with the students interacting with the smartboard, I got he feeling this was standard operating procedure for the class and they were pretty bored with it.
Log #4 The rest of the week ( 2/15, 2/17, 2/18) proved to be much of the same in format and topic. Students always worked independently. Sometimes the answers were gone over on the smartboard with the students coming up one by one to solve the problems, or by picking volunteers at their seats. Although the students seem to be comfortable in Mrs. D’s class, seemed to like Mrs. D (who is very personable), and were relatively on task, I am not sure if many of them were being challenged, and certainly not engaged.
In fact, after a few conversations with Mrs. D I learned she did not really expect much from her students. She expressed that most would not pass the Integrated Algebra Regents and really had little use for the knowledge contained in it. She seemed to feel that many of the students in her class would be better served with more practical classes instead of algebra: a trade and/or life skills. While I honestly feel her heart was in the right place, I also felt it was not really her decision to make. A committee, likely including herself, decided on what setting, modifications and goals these students should receive. If a self-contained math class, and regents algebra curriculum was decided upon as the best course of action, it should be taught in the most enthusiastic, differentiated and diligent manner possible. The periods dragged on, progress was slow and whatever teaching strategies I saw were basic and bare bones.
Firstly, I would like to introduce the Spanish classes that I observed at the Waldorf School of Garden City. I observed with Sra. Yanovitch who is currently the only Spanish teacher there, although they are in the process of hiring another teacher. Sra. Yanovitch has a dual certification in Spanish language instruction as well as in Special education. Of the classes in which I observed all of them were small with 6-10 students. I observed one class of ninth graders and another of class of tenth and eleventh graders. These inclusion classrooms, not only include students with IEPs but also had a mix degree of students academic-wise. Due to the academic tradition of the school in general the students were accustomed to not using textbook, writing down facts using pencils. Thus the methods in which Sra. Yanovitch wanted/ did use in her classroom fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the school. Sra. Yanovitch was the only language teacher who decided to teach inclusion-style. Meaning, she only spoke in Spanish, in the class and outside of the class. The instructions to class work assignments, test, as well as announcements were all given in Spanish. Sra. Yanovitch rarely gave homework, except to tell the student to study and review for an upcoming test. I chose to include the following observations because they outline typical days in her classroom. I greatly enjoyed observing her. I do feel that it was possible to understand which students had IEPs and those who didn’t. Sra. Yanovitch spoke to them in English at times in soft voices, and always made sure to give them hints when she was going to call on them. In general she allowed her students to see where ever they choose. However, when she divided the class into groups it seemed that she did it on academic ability. Furthermore, she always kept one student with her best friend; I believe she did this to calm the student with the IEP. I didn’t really like this technique because I don’t think it allow for the students to reach their full potential. Prof. Smith has taught us that when peers help peers, they both benefit in various ways. In conclusion, I feel that Sra. Yanovitch made sure it was a welcoming environment for all. She may have allowed students with IEPs to take the test in other classes or at different times but she challenged all her students equally. When grading she was lenient for students with IEPs and did her best to prepare them for the upcoming class. I LOVED Sra. Yanovitch and her classes!
Observation Blog #5: Today the class was in the computer lab which I thought was going to be a mess like last time we were in here but it was actually very nice. Today the class was going to listen to clips on the comptuer from survivors of the Holocaust. They were able to listen and then explore the website and look at the pictures of concentration camps and hiding spots. All the students were really interested in doing this which made them eager to work rather than talk to each other.
Observation #6: Today the class is going to start to read Anne Frank. HOwever, they are not allowed to read the actual diary which I think is really dumb; instead they have to read the play. As the class choose parts and started reading though I realized that the play wasn't a bad idea after all because it allows multiple students to be engaged at the same time. They all enjoyed reading parts and going back and forth reading. It was good because it allowed for at least seven students to read today. At the end of the class Mrs. Dibello reads the quote "Despite everything I still beilieve people are really good at heart," from Anne Frank and asked the class if they agree. It was interesting to see that almost the entire class agreed because they reasoned that if people are cruel that there is usually a reason behind it, like they had a bad childhood or mental illness. It was interesting to see them reason that way.
Observation#7: Today the class started to really ask about Hitler and who he was. I was surprised that they didnt know alot about him already but, I liked that they were asking their english teacher and still expected a good answer. The class kept calling Hitler smart and I could tell both teachers were becoming uneasy. Instead Mrs. Dibello explained the difference between being powerful and being smart. To further show the class how horrible and evil Hitle was she told the entire class to stand in the front of the room. She told everyone will blonde hair and blue eyes to remain standing and everyone sit down. Now she tells all the people that are not Christian to still down. THere was only 4 remaining students at the front, she then told the class that they would be the only ones HItler would have kept alive. The class was shocked. After a really good class though, the Special Ed teacher and Mrs. Dibello start to bicker about something again in the back of the room. The Special Ed teacher is extreamly immature and instead of talking to gets all flustered and rushes out of the class room.
The first observation I would like to share was on 3/247/11. A main prop that Sra. Yanovitch uses in her classroom is flashcards. Because she believes that students should understand and speak a language first before they began writing it, she focuses on conversation techniques. Today Sra. Yanovitch the lesson was a review using the flash cards. The class separated into two teams. Today was one of the days that she requires the students write in their notebooks. So she stood in the middle of the class and shows the word, the students then copied the Word into their books. When they were done, two students from each Group went to the board and wrote the word. The purpose of this game was to help the student remember how to spell the vocabulary. The teams help their teammates by correcting them if it was wrong. This was one lesson where the students with IEPs blended in because everyone made spelling areas, and needed help. Also, because it was structured that everyone in the group goes one after another, there wasn’t a focus on the smart kids. This game is an example of competition that fosters team cooperation and encouragement. Based on the book we read about motivating students, I feel that Rick Lavoie would approve of this system.
The second observation that I will share took place on 4/4/11: So, today was a test. And no body wanted to take it. Before the exam, all the students were begging Sra. Yanovitch to postpone the test. Usually, she listens to their requests concerning the lesson structure (as far as whether they want to watch a video or play a game). However, today Sra. Yanovitch insisted that they take the test. It was interesting to note that one of the students with an IEP's was not among those who were begging to have the test postpone. I like to think it was because they were the only ones who believed Sra. Yanovitch when she said it would not be difficult, and that the students were prepared for it. Another reason could be that Sra. Yanovitch meets with the students who have IEPs the most outside of class. After the class, I went graded the test with Sra. Yanovitch. All the students passed the exam. The lowest grade was by one of the students with an IEP; however this test was just a trial test for her since she had been absent the two days before. Sra. Yanovitch said that she will allow her take it again. Other than that the average grade was an 87. Sra. Yanovitch told me that she gave the exam only because she knew that they had the ability to pass the test.
the third observation took place 4/7/11 at 1:45: Today Sra. Yanovitch, play the equivalent of “fill in the blank” orally with the class for the first 10-15 minutes of class. She gave examples such as: Samuel and Gabriela are America and are in class. Following this the classed watched a movie. Before she watched the movie, she reviewed what had already happened. Then she gave out elegant envelopes that she said were a surprised. They looked like birthday cards, and inside they held vocabulary cards. She has done this exercise before, and the students were very excited at playing. Then everyone had to take turns describing their vocabulary word to the class. If they needed help, Sra. Yanovitch and I whispered clues to them. I notice that majority of the time Samuel and Gabriela (the only two students with IEPs required help.) However most times, this was because Gabriela tried to construct complex sentences or wanted use words that she had not learned yet. Gabriela and Samuel were not as lively in this exercise. Nonetheless, I still feel that all the students enjoyed this activity. *Samuel and Gabriela names were changed.
Today, Sra. Yanovitch introduced for the second time, the story of Don Quixote. First, I wrote the opening paragraph on the board from the story that described Don Quixote and Sancho’s appearance. Meanwhile, Sra. Yanovitch lead the class in a discussion on the facial features of various people, based on the characteristics that I was writing down on the board. The students had previously learned vocabulary about various characteristics. She also took this time to introduce them to more vocabulary as well as synonymies. For example she asked: who did they know that was bald, had a moustache or was blond. Afterwards, the class read the paragraph, repeating after Sra. Yanovitch in a loud voice. Sra. Yanovitch, split the class into two groups of four. Sra. Yanovitch supervised one group and I the other. We played a memory game in which the students took turns trying to form pairs. One had a drawing on it and the other had a physical description. We each had a set number of cards. All the students enjoyed this game. When I noticed that the students were having difficulties with the vocabulary I acted it out for them. I really liked this lesson, because on the cards were physical description of the characters. I thought this was an awesome way of introducing vocabulary, which they will need to read the story. I hope one day to incorporate this into one of my classes. Throughout the class, Sra. Yanovitch also talked about the prestige of Don Quixote and its academic importance. Also today was a very interesting day, because Prof. Mack came to observe me, so it was a little intimidating, but I felt overall the class went good.
The las observation I will share is how Sra. Yanovitch made her class interdisciplinary. It took place on 4/13/11 at 1:45: Today the ninth grade class was introduced again to Don Quixote. Sra. Yanovitch has begun teaching this play so when they see the 12th grade act they will be able to follow. Sra. Yanovitch asked the class a series of questions about Don Quixote. Pretty soon, they realized she wanted to know all the facts they knew about the play. Then they began to tell her details on their own, without her prompting them. Next, she gave each student a script and as a class they read it out loud. Next the class broke up into small groups and I lead one small group (in another room) and she remained in the class and led the other group. We both asked questions about the story to understand how much the students had grasped. I had Gabriela in my group and once we were outside the class she felt comfortable in telling me that she didn’t understand everything that was going on in the story. In my group, the students and I acted out the script as a way for them to demonstrate that they understood the script. I also translated some phrases when Gabriela still did not understand. Sra. Yanovitch had previously told me to translate after the second time just to be sure not to frustrate Gabriela. Gabriela name was changed.*
Routines I observe: Instructor waits outside the classroom, usually ushering students in, while greeting and chatting. It is personal, it is exciting, or looming for whichever student you are. It takes about a minute or two for all the kids to get situated, to actually glue their behind in the seat and focus on the “Do Now” scribbled on the dry erase board. Once they are done chatting about so and so, they are instructed to answer the posed question. Sometimes, the teacher perpetuates the mindless chatter by engaging in it themselves, sometimes the instructor wants to chat with the students about their own happenings. Once the “Do Now” is related to content, lecturing begins and doesn’t stop until the bell rings. Naturally there are interruptions, lots of “hall passes” for bathroom breaks, student jokes, and some teachers make a habit of posing questions to reiterate material learned or make a point. To make an effective point, teacher will try to do it normally within the lecture by using rhetoric questions, or to keep on task: “stop talking, shhh, shhh” in large noisy classrooms, in inclusive environments, it more like “Daniel, stop talking…put away your phone.” In honor/AP classes the teacher doesn’t need to manage as much as the inclusive environments. Students actively participate and do their work on their own. For the most part, Forest Hills High School supports students who aim high academically, students hail from middle class homes where parents emphasize strong grades, and one should not discount the presence of intimidating deans and security that circulate the halls for misfits.
The one instance I saw a student get reprimanded for delinquencies was a young girl that was continually late. Her excuse: “miss I tried.” Miss Seider, the young instructor mentioned on Day 1 usually overlooks the girl’s tardiness, but to a point – obviously an attention seeker the girl was put in her place. Everyone else is on time; she should also be on time. It was merited and her self-indulgent behavior needed to be corrected. She was one of many students in the classroom; her antics took away from valuable learning time. Some classrooms are arranged desk behind desk like in a factory; others face each other for facilitated discussion. In the rows situation I find there is more snickering, goofing off, and maybe even bullying. You cannot face your neighbor’s face so you can say/do what you please, the instructor also doesn’t have clear sight of you, which enables for deficiencies in work.
Observation Blog #1 My first experience observing a collaborative English class took place in the computer lab at Mepham high school. Both teachers were taking turns talking and wailking around helping students that didn’t understand the assignment. The topic was Shakespeare’s life and history. There were using a WebQuest to fill in the blanks in the packet they were given. The packet included fill in the blanks and questions. The web quest included videos, short articles, pictures, and other visual aid in understanding the topic. I thought it was a great and fun alternative for taking notes and learning about a not very interesting subject. The students seemed to agree, they enjoyed using the computer to take notes. The special ed teacher walked around reinforcing that work was being completed, her voice was constantly heard to that the students knew that she was there for assistance. Although there was a minimal amount of tensions between the teachers because there was confusions on directions. But other than that, the teachers worked very well together.
Observation Blog #2 The teacher I observed after the collaborative class, I was really inspired by. He was teaching a senior class that period and the topic was Much Ado About Nothing. Obviously Shakespeare is not a high school student’s favorite writer to cover, but the way this particular teacher approached teaching this play, the students really seemed to enjoy. He related the events in the play to their own lives and media that were interested in to allow them to better understand. The students really seemed to respect this teacher and enjoy his class. The found him funny and easy to approach.
Observation Blog #3 One teacher I observe is exactly the teacher you never want to be. She’s young and nice and really cares about her students but she has no control over her classroom. The students constantly talk back telling her to “stop talking and hand out the quiz already!” her students obviously do not have any respect for her and they walk all over her. They sit where ever they want and pay no attention to their assigned seats and do work from other classes. I see a lot of the students in this class during the Homework Support Program after school and some students from her other classes. They all ask me I could be their teacher because they hate her and that they don’t learn anything. She seems very weak and timid while teaching. She changed the date of a quiz and after asked the class if they were mad at her.
Blog #3 cont This teacher seemed unsure of what she wanted, told her student they were having a quiz but forgot to include it in her lesson plan and then announced to the class her mistake.
Observation Blog #4 After observing that class, seeing the next period was like watching night and day. I thought I was in for another entertaining rude classroom by the way they were acting before the period started. They were acting up and yelling and running around the classroom. But as soon as the teacher walked in, they instantly stopped. At Mepham the freshman classes have a double period of English, the second period acts as a seminar class. Their only assignment was to read quietly and catch up on any work they may need to catch up on and they didn’t exactly that. I was amazed. The only thing I disagreed with was the fact that she took away a students cell phone that the girl was using as a calculator. The teacher allowed them to do other work and math counts as other work but the student wasn’t able to do that work because the teacher took her phone.
Observation Blog # 5 After the first observation of the collaborative class went really well, I noticed while I was observing that it wasn’t the proper inclusive classroom. The special ed teacher seemed to have all the control in the class room and the gen ed teacher just sat back and relaxed and took the period off. I though it was maybe for the one day, maybe he wasn’t feeling well or had work to finish, but it continued for the rest of my observations. He would chime in every once in a while but for the most part that was it. When he did chime in, the special ed teacher didn’t like that much and disagreed with him and argued with him in front of the class.
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Observation Blog #1:
I observed for the first time on Tuesday, February 1st in three math inclusive classrooms. My experience observing was very informative and fun. I enjoyed all the classes that I observed and since I have to observe for two of my classes at Adelphi, this gave me the opportunity to observe regular classes and inclusive classes. Seeing the differences in the classrooms was really interesting to see. In the inclusive classroom, there were teacher assistants whose main focus was on the students who needed the extra help. Also, in the inclusive classrooms, the teacher assistants made sure the students stayed focused and copied the notes that the teacher was giving. I observed the same regular teacher for three periods but the teacher assistant was different for each class. Each assistant knew the students and knew what type of help each student needed.
On this day, the main thing that I noticed was that the classroom was very teacher-centered, but the students had their own time to be involved. All the students in all three classes were very eager to go to the board and put up their work to certain problems. The students’ desks were in straight rows and most of the class work was done individually and then explained on the board either by the teacher or the students. When the students were working quietly the teachers would walk around to help the students. There was no student to student interaction. This method of teaching seemed to work for the students. The teacher had good control over the class and I could tell she had a good relationship with them. She did not accept any bad behavior and handled it with ease. The students respected her to the point that when she said to stop, they did. She also had a way of having fun with her students. One thing that she did during one of her classes was that she made all her students stand up. Then she read the answers to the homework problems. She told her students to sit down as soon as they got a homework problem wrong. She also told them it was based on the honor system. In the end, she congratulated the students still standing. I thought this activity was great because it got the students up, it made the students who were standing in the end feel good about themselves, it was a way to express her trust in her students and it was an informal assessment.
My first day observing was lots of fun; it was also interesting to be back in a high school, walking through the halls in between classes.
Observation Blog #2:
On my second and third time observing, on Thursday, February 3rd and Tuesday, February 8th, I observed the same classes again. What I noticed this time was that even though the teacher and students were the same, the classroom environment was different from day to day. On Thursday, February 3rd, while in the Math 8 classroom, I noticed that the lesson was filled with many real-life examples. While studying measurements, the teacher made the topic interesting because she brought in many real-life examples into the lesson. Asking students what products in their house contain measurements on them or making estimations of the length of certain objects in the students’ lives, were ways the students connected learning measurements to their own life. The part of the class that I found very interesting was when the class was having a discussion on estimations and on what unit of measure to use on certain objects. The teacher asked a boy to estimate the length of his room and asked what unit he would use. The class broke out into a discussion of whether to use feet or yards and then the student who was asked the question did not know how big his room was. So then she asked him how long the length of the classroom was. Another student just got up without permission, went over to the yard sticks and started measuring the room. Then the teacher walked the length of the room (for the measurement in feet) to see how the two measurements compared. The class loved it. I love how the student just took the initiative and started to measure the room.
On the third day of observing I noticed the technology used and the materials used. The teacher uses the smart board to show the PowerPoint of her lesson. The smart board is good because it gives the teacher the opportunity to write on her slides if need be. The next thing I noticed about technology was the school’s policy on cell phone usage. Cell phones are prohibited in the classroom. In one class, a girl’s cell phone went off, the teacher got really upset. The girl said that her mom was texting her. So the teacher told the student to text her mom back to say that her cell phone is in the main office. I agree with this. If the mother needed the student she should have called the school. In these classes, the teacher would give out calculators and rulers. What I found interesting and good was that the teacher would ask one or two students to collect the calculators and rulers. This gave them a responsibility that makes them feel important.
On this third day, one student came over to me and asked me for a pencil. I gladly gave him one because I think it is the little things that a teacher does for students that help them succeed.
Observation Blog #3:
My fourth day observing was an interesting one. It was on Thursday, February 10th. I observed the same three inclusion classes as well as another inclusion class. The new inclusion class was the math chairperson’s class and this class had a student teacher so I was very glad to see the class. The class is small and this class had two periods of math because the students need the extra help.
I was excited to see the class because the teacher said that they were going to go to the gym to calculate the arc (parabola) of a thrown basketball. I thought this lesson was a great idea because it would allow the students to move around, have fun with math and do something different in class. Unfortunately the power went out so the gym was to dark to go into. I was sad that I didn’t see the lesson but I was also happy to see how the teacher handled the power outage situation. When the lights went out, there was lots of confusion and chaos but the teachers handled it well and the students had many questions. "Will the bell ring? Will we have to stay here?" Etc. The teacher responded by saying not to worry and that she will figure out what will happen. Instead of going to the gym, the students worked in groups on problems in their review book. They formed 3 groups and I joined a group. Working in one of the groups allowed me to see how the students learned and how they worked together. Most of the students just did the questions and then they talked about other things, they could not stay on topic.
When the lights were still out, I went to the other inclusion class. What I noticed here was that the teacher had to explain to her students that she is still going to teach even though the lights are out. I also noticed that the teacher had to change her lesson and instead of using the smart board, she used the regular board and the students used their review books. It is very important for a teacher to be able to handle change. Even on a day when the electricity is working, the computer might stop working so it is up to the teacher to handle the situation and switch the plans around.
Observation Blog #4:
The week of February 14, I observed on February 15th and 17th, and on these two days I observed the same inclusive classes that I have been observing. I like observing the same classes because I get to know the students and how they act, how they learn and how they change from day to day. I notice which students like to volunteer and which students are the quiet listeners. I notice the trouble makers and I notice the students who are intelligent. In all the inclusive classes that I observe, I notice that the students are more likely to volunteer and be excited to volunteer more than the students that I observe in the regular classes. I am not sure if this is because the students are 7th and 8th graders compared to the 9th and 10th graders in the regular classes or if it is because the teacher creates a more open atmosphere.
I observe an Algebra/lab class which is two periods and the second period is for extra help and half the class stays switching every other day. I like observing the extra help class because it is a smaller class and you can see how the teachers are really helping each student and what help each student needs. I thought it was great to see that the teacher, at the start of the class, went straight over to a student because she saw that the student was upset. The teacher stopped what she was doing and comforted the student. She allowed the student and her friend to walk to the bathroom so that the student could calm down. I thought this was great because the teacher noticed something was wrong and did not ignore it so that she could get to teaching. Instead she helped that student and I know it was greatly appreciated by the student. Teachers are a big part of the students lives so I think it is very important for the teachers to know their students, know when something is wrong, and know how to help their students with school and life problems. In my schooling experiences I had many teachers that helped me just like this teacher helped her student and I know how much it helped me and I know I will never forget those teachers because they definitely impacted and influenced me. I hope I influence and impact some of my students some day.
Another thing that I noticed was that the activity that the students did in the extra help class was very good. The class made “foldables”. This activity allowed students to have a hands-on experience with paper and with the process of folding and the end product was a review sheet. This creative way of having students create a review sheet was very interesting. It is hard to explain how to make it but the main point that I want to say is that the students created something on their own and will use it to help them with math. Instead of just writing all the formulas on index cards, they created a “foldable” instead. This activity was great because it helped the students who needed to make review sheets to learn the formulas, it helped the students who are tactile learners and it helped the students who are creative. All these different types of students were helped out with this activity. I think an activity is helpful if it can help all different types of learners.
I observed for the first time on Thursday February 3rd. From the second I walked into Hicksville Middle school everyone was really warm and helpful. Mrs. Dibello (English Teacher) and Ms. Sweeny (Special Ed Teacher) teacher the Inclusive English class that I’m observing in. There is also a teacher’s assistant in the back of the room who pretty much just stays in the back of the room and smiles as the students find their seats. The class is made up of 3 teachers and 28 students which Mrs. Dibello tells me is a lot for what the district usually allows in one classroom. The walls are covered with decorated masks and drawings, but it’s all work from the honors classes, nothing from the inclusive or regular English classes. The class is reading the book of poetry Out of the Dust and working on sensory images and similes as well as other literary elements. Both Mrs. DiBello and Ms. Sweeny teach the class by standing in the front of the room. Both voices are heard, not one more than the other. It works pretty well for the class and everyone seems to be paying attention and understanding the material. The students don’t have their own books to take home so they spend half the class reading the poems out loud and then the rest of it discussing them and picking out the similes and sensory images they found in the poems. The class is pretty well behaved expect with the fact that everyone raises their hand for the bathroom. I can tell the teacher is getting annoyed with them but still never says no. At the end of the class the teacher warned me that tomorrow they won’t be nearly as well behaved because it’s Friday. Overall I felt like it was a good experience and I honestly left excited to go back the next day.
The next day however wasn’t nearly like the first. I walked in with Mrs. Dibello and I could automatically tell something was wrong by her tone of voice. Once Ms. Sweeny got to the class I could tell that there was tension between the two teachers and the students could feel it as well by the way they quickly got their books and started doing the do now. Mrs. Dibello told Ms. Sweeny that the test for the end of the book was going to be on Tuesday; Ms. Sweeny said she needed more time to modify the test for the children that needed modifications. In front of class the two bickered about how Ms. Sweeny never modifies anything why is she going to start now and that there wasn’t much more Mrs. DiBello could do with the book. At the end of the period Mrs. Dibello apologized to me even though they both should have really apologized to the students that had to see their teachers fighting and Ms. Sweeny stormed out of the room without saying goodbye to anyone. Students got up and left very quietly like they felt they had done something wrong even though they did nothing at all.
Observation Blog #6:
My last observation was on March 8th. On this day I got a lot of students asking me what happened to my hand. I told them that I was a cheerleader at Adelphi and I broke my hand in practice. Then some students started to ask me about cheerleading. From this I noticed that children are very curious especially about the lives of teachers. Students want to know everything about teachers. I believe that, as a teacher, it is important to keep your personal life private from your students but some things are important to tell your students. Telling students about yourself will make yourself more relatable and more down to earth which will make students feel comfortable in your classroom.
On this last day of observing inclusive classrooms, I noticed all the same things that I have noticed the past few weeks. I noticed how the general education teacher and the teacher’s assistant work together and communicate about the students in the class. They support each other and they both support the students in the class. The teachers relate the lessons to the students’ lives and make the lessons interesting for the students. I also noticed that the teachers used the smart board most of the time, allowed students to present their work on the board and most activities in the classrooms were independent work.
Observation Blog #5:
My 4th observation occurred on March 1st and 3rd. I observe first period so I usually get there early and see the teacher helping the students. Some students come on their own while other students come because the teacher told them to. The teacher is available for the students to review the topics discussed in class, to make-up tests, to finish tests, to do their homework or just to talk. One student came early and just talked to the teacher about how her experience at this school is so much better than at her old school. She said that in her old school, she would be laughed at if she got a question wrong, but not at this school. I believe that if the teacher makes him/her available to the students then the students know the teacher cares and wants all his/her students to succeed. Every student might need some extra help some time so it is important for the teacher to be there. To me it seems like the classes that need extra help the most are math classes because a lot of students have difficulty with math. So when I am a teacher, I am going to make sure that I am available to my students outside the forty minutes in the classroom.
In the classes that I observed, the teacher gave out the MATH-A-THON contest. This contest was not mandatory but I would say a lot of the students wanted to participate. I do not know if they wanted to do the math problems to get the extra credit that the teacher offered or to raise the most money so that they could win a prize. It is funny that to get students to do extra math problems or to get them to raise money for a good cause, an incentive has to be given. I know I am the same way. I would have probably done it to get extra credit.
What I like about the teachers that I observe is that they have a good handle over their classes. They deal with behavior issues by quickly explaining to the student what the student is doing wrong and then tells the student to stop. I like how the teachers are strict but have a great relationship with the students. The teachers form this relationship by knowing their students and where they come from. To teach dilations, rotations and reflections, the teacher uses characters from TV shows and movies to dilate and rotate. The teacher knows that the transformations might be confusing so she uses characters that are of interest to the students so that they can understand. It also helps the students who are not paying attention because when they see Bart Simpson on the smart board, the will probably wake up.
In one class we went to the computer room to play math games on the computer. This was an interesting experience because I was able to see the students in a different atmosphere. I was able to walk around and see what games the students picked to play. Some picked easy games and started to memorize the answers so that they could start over and get all the questions right. Some students really did the math but others just played for fun.
Observation Blog #1: Feb 7, 2011
My first day of observing at Forest Hills High School was stressful. Ten long years ago, I walked through the very same halls and sat in some of the identical classrooms I was viewing as a graduate student. I still got lost and found it equally hard now as it was then to maneuver my way through the masses of students traveling from room to room. The assistant principal of social studies, Ms. Sanchez, created a full-day schedule (with 5 periods) for me to observe. Period 8 which begins at 1 and ends at 2 was my last class of the day and the one vital to the Managing Inclusive Environments course. I did not know what to expect. Because of this, I was more observant in comparison to periods 4-7 where I was naturally inclined to assume the role of student. I immediately noticed the presence of two teachers – one that floated throughout the rows of seats randomly checking the notebooks of students and their progress while the other teacher lectured. At the back of the large class (there exist 30 students in the Global I Inclusive Environments class) I noted two adults that were neither administration nor observing graduates students. After pulling the drifting secondary teacher to the side I asked in a very soft voice who was who and what was what. Ms. Snow said “I am the special education co-teacher” and the lecturer, Ms. Glass, is “the general education instruction.” The two adults flanking me were “paras” or aides. “Ah. Thank you”, I said a bit overwhelmed by the attendance of five adults in the classroom, four of which whom were not doing the actual teaching. I wondered if it was distracting for students. Now of course I know that every individual present including myself is imperative for the prosperity of children with cognitive disabilities.
Observation Blog #2: February 14th, 2011
I observed for the second time a Global I Inclusive Environment class. The weather was brilliant and warm and rays of sun streamed through the blinds of the classroom antagonistically playing with students who within forty-five minutes time would be embracing the start of a deceptively early spring. To keep students focused and on task the special education co-teacher (Ms. Snow) prompted children to get out all notebooks, handouts, and other materials related to work that was previously covered the week before. Students that lagged were asked again to quickly retrieve their folder and or notebook with the handouts. The handout referred to consisted of a chart on diverse religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam Buddhism, Taoism etc.) that students filled out slowly as the weeks and lesson plans progressed. Individual lesson plans explored one of these religions; as students received information on the subject they committed facts to the chart as a tool of study. I recognize that this is a brilliant way to teach students (any student - despite the inclusive environment configuration of the classroom) to create effective study methods. It also keeps knowledge organized and efficiently underscores the most important or significant information to retain. The charts represent something more for the students with cognitive disabilities as I see it as a way of instilling independent study practices but also something to be responsible for week to week. Later in the class, indications were made about test dates and consequences of missing work.
Observation #2 : Today was a review for their test on Thursday. Mrs. Dibello and Ms. Sweeney are still not getting along but it seems as if Ms. Sweeney got her because the test is now on Thursday instead of Wednesday however, the tension is still very strong in the air. Every answer is written on the board and explanations seem extremely drawn out compared to the other class I’m observing in. She is giving them tricks to remember what each literary element is like alliteration has double lls which can help them remember it mean repetition. Ms. Sweeney is just standing off to the side not contributing. Review lasts for two days and Mrs. Dibello told me that it would be beneficial to go with Ms. Sweeney the day of the test to see the testing modifications she does. On the day of the test I walk in ready to go with Ms. Sweeney and she told me not to come to stay with Mrs. Dibello. When Mrs. Dibello asks why I didn’t go with her I explain that she told me not too which causes Mrs. Dibello to start ranting and raving about the teacher in the back of the classroom. It made me feel very uncomfortable and I was actually a little annoyed that their problems were being taken out on me. I had done nothing wrong yet I was being penalized and not able to see something that would probably help me in the future. Many of them didn’t finish the test and were told to come by on their lunch period or after school to finish it up. This is the first time I’ve ever seen something like that, in my high school if we didn’t finish that was it we handed it in and got out grade based on what we did. It seems like either they’re being too lenient with them or maybe they should shorten to test to make sure everyone finishes within the period.
Observation #3: I’ve been here for about a week now and a lot of the students are comfortable asking me questions or just talking to me before the class starts. Today were in the computer room so they can work on a project based around the book they had just read. They are only in the computer room for two days and then it is up to them to finish the project. They have a week to finish the entire project. They all are extremely good with computers and using PowerPoint. IT was really nice to see how creative they all were and how excited they were to be doing something else then just reading and writing. The assignment gave four options from the students to choose from but many of them are choosing the picture book with little captions that tells the main points of the book. Even with three teachers and myself in the room there are some students who think they can play games without being caught which is kind of comical. On the second day in the computer lab Mrs. Dibello let me grade the tests from the other day. It was nice that she trusts me enough to grade the tests and put the grades in her grade book. Ms. Sweeney seems pissed that Mrs. Dibello was having me do it but I’ve learned to just block out her negative energy. Some students have actually already finished their project and handed them in early. Even though a lot of them have grammatical and many spelling errors, many of them are great and you can tell they put a lot of though and effort into their picture books. One girl drew all her pictures and it was really some of the best illustrations I’ve ever seen. If they are done they have log onto castle learning and answer questions on the dust bowl. Some students even finished the castle learning questions and were told they could do whatever they pleased. Mrs. Dibello says that there’s no point in punishing them with more work just because they finished early which I completely agree with.
Observation Blog #1:
My first day observing was Wednesday, February 16th. I'm observing a sixth grade ELA class with about 5 special needs students. The classroom uses co-teaching. A TA serves as a content area floater that walks around the room assisting the special needs students with directions they don't know how to follow or keeping them on point when they lose focus.
The students are taking a literary elements quiz because they're starting similes, metaphors, and alliteration. While the students take the quiz, the 5 special needs students take the test with the TA in the hallway. All of the students use folders to cover their work. When they complete the quiz, the students let Miss Hartman know they are checking. Miss Hartman says she makes them do this because then she knows they really are checking their work. The special needs students come back into the classroom once everyone has completed the quiz. Next the students present their story maps for the class. I like that she does not seclude the special needs students and she has them present theirs too. All of the students clap after one of the special needs students presents his. He is very hyper, noticeably different. Miss Hartman encourages the special needs students. The TA walks around to each after they present to say god job.
Observation Blog #2:
Friday, February 18th. The students are extra hyper today which causes the special needs students to be twice as hyper. Today Miss Hartman rearranged the desks into groups of six instead of the rows they used to be lined up in. Each table has one special needs student sitting at it. The students are excited for the change. Today, I learn that one of the special needs students suffers from short term memory loss, so to accommodate her, the TA puts a dry erase board in her binder to record her daily assignments. This prevents the jumble and confusion of a normal planner. One of the boys with special needs stands out to me. He is undoubtedly very bright, but he is so disruptive when the TA is assisting another student. I can tell he confides in the TA. Scary, but today he brought three plastic knives to class. Although they were plastic, this made me nervous. It made me even more nervous that Miss Hartman and the TA laughed about it. When the TA asked the boy what he had the knives for, he replied "Just in case, just in case". All of the students participate together in a fun simile and metaphor activity that Miss Hartman presents on the smartboard. The special needs students often shout out loud but Miss Hartman ignores them unless they raise their hands.
Observation Blog #3:
Wednesday, March 3rd. Miss Hartman seems to be stressed today. Apparently the students are preparing for their benchmark that is on Friday. Miss Hartman gives the students, including the special needs students, examples of old benchmark exams. Prepping them for what to expect on Friday, she explains that the procedure for testing is tedious and she cannot answer questions for them. She reads them the directions and sends them to work. I can tell the specials needs students are slightly overwhelmed but the TA cannot help them. One of the special needs students asks to use the bathroom and the TA watches him leave the classroom and walk right passed the bathroom. Apparently, testing makes him nervous. After they complete the questions, Miss Hartman goes over the answers in detail. To motivate the students to try their best on friday, she tells them at the end of the quarter they will have a party.
Observation Blog #4:
Monday, March 21st. The original TA was replaced by the TA who was on maternity leave. One of the special needs students is out of control. I'm getting frustrated because the new TA is just observing the students and making notes for herself. I can tell Miss Hartman is getting frustrated because the student keep interrupting her lesson. He's distracting the other students at his desk and when the TA taps him he ignores her. I decide to sit next to him in hopes that I might scare him into focusing. I tap his desk when he lays his head down and point to follow along with Miss Hartman on the smartboard. Miss Hartman is not pleased with the TA and in the middle of class she says "can you control him please" about another special needs student that is calling out answers. Miss Hartman stops her lesson and takes away the party they were supposed to be rewarded with at the end of the quarter. For the rest of the class the students sit quietly. I feel bad that the students in the class have to suffer because the special needs students are acting out. I think it is interesting that the behavior change was so abrupt. Almost as if it was their way of expressing their frustration that the old TA will no longer be working with them.
Observation Blog #5:
Wednesday, March 23rd. I haven't seen in an improvement in the special needs students behavior. Miss Hartman puts the assignments on the smartboard for the students to copy and I notice the girl with the short term memory loss looks confused. Her binder is jumbled and she can't remember where she put last nights homework. I tell the TA but she just documents it in her notes. I organized the girls binder, we found her homework. The boy that's always shouting out that I tend to sit next to has not copied any of the work on the board so when Miss Hartman turns it off he shouts at her. Finally, the TA takes him into the hallway and explains that he needs to respect Miss Hartman. When he comes back into class he puts his head on his desk and Miss Hartman tells him hes losing 10 points from his quarterly grade. For the rest of the class the TA sat next to him and made sure his focus was on the lesson. I sat next to a boy that noticeably struggled with staying focused. I helped him write an essay. He was very sweet and thanked me a million times. It was as if he hadn't received any help from the TA in ages.
Observation 4: Today the students are preparing for their ELA’s and MAP testing. The MAP tests are in about 3 weeks and the ELA’s are at the end of the school year. The MAP testing tests the student’s ability to read passages and answer questions as well as word understanding. Mrs. Dibello hands out dittos showing in what percentiles each student fell in last time they took the test. She tells the class that the average 8th grader is in the 211-219 percentile while makes a few of the students depressed because they were way below that. One student started bragging that she was above the 254 percentile and the teacher announced to the class that no matter how well you do there’s always room for improvement. The students are then asked to pick two goals and write them down next to the section they did the weakest on. None of them are taking it seriously and just writing anything down to please the teacher. Mrs. Sweeney is talking about Jersey Shore with some of the students and instead of keeping them on task like she’s supposed to she just serves as more of a distraction for them. The class then starts going over homework which was a list of incorrect sentences that they had to fix. Most of the class has trouble with semi colons, commas, and past and present tense. These two girls in the back keep passing notes and not doing any of their work yet there are three teachers in the class and not one of them notice.
Observation Blog #1
THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
One of the first things I could not help but observe was the enormity of the Mineola Middle School campus. Its well maintained grounds are larger than many of Long Island’s high schools. While the building is over eighty years old, it is apparent a great effort has been made to keep it in phenomenal condition. The hallways are bright and well lit, and the floors are free of debris. There are examples of student’s work to be seen all over, as even the stair wells are decorated colorfully. Each classroom is its own unique setting, with desks in some and tables and chairs in others. One thing I have found in common between the rooms is the cut tennis balls on the legs of chairs and desks. This allows for furniture to be arranged and rearranged with little noise and minimal disturbance to the class below.
One of the many things I found to be unique, or different from my educational experience dealt with the arrival and dismissal of the middle school students. The children are to arrive no earlier than 7:30am and report to the Auditorium unless they are part of the breakfast program or morning club or activity. When the school day is completed, students who are not a part of extra-curricular activities are required to leave campus immediately at 2:41pm. I believe this policy is in place to promote accountability. Students should not be wandering the hallways unsupervised either prior to or following the school day. While I believe there are a great many benefits to this rule, I can’t help but feel it is part of a new reality our students are faced with growing up in a post 9/11 world.
Each of the classrooms of the middle school is equipped with a desktop computer which is tied in to an overhead digital projector and promethean board. It amazed me on my first day of observing just how adept both the teachers and students were in using all of the technology made available to them. I need to take a course on how to properly use a smart board. One aspect of the technology I found unique was the common power point slides and smart board exercises scene in classrooms instructed by different teachers. It was obvious to me that there was a good amount of collaboration taking place among the many different teachers I was observing. I though it was brilliant when I learned that this accomplishment was aided through the use of an intra-net file sharing system. I believe this to be an invaluable tool for the faculty members, and would love to see it implemented on a larger scale, island wide.
Observation Blog #3
A.I.S. & SUPPORT SETTING
I am observing two classes which are considered to be Academic Intervention Services, one for Math 7 and the other for Math 8. These classes are designed to provide additional support to students who are struggling with mathematics, but have not been “classified” with an I.E.P. These classes meet every other day, with the students attending either a reading class or an additional enrichment program on days where their A.I.S. math class does not meet. These classes are conducted in smaller groups with there being one teacher and fourteen students in one class, thirteen in the other. The purpose of this class is to reinforce skills that were previously taught and provide additional assistance with some of the bigger mathematical concepts. There aren’t any teacher’s aids assisting in either class.
Of the two teachers I am observing in the A.I.S. setting, one of the many qualities they both have is patience. The students present in these classes are easily distracted from remaining on task. While there have been instances in which I believed that certain student behaviors need be addressed these teachers remained focus on the material and the goals of the lesson. They were not distracted by a student’s lack of participation or cutting up, which I believe provided an excellent example to the rest of the students present. In each instance, eventually the student who was “cutting-up” made there way back to being on-task without prompt from the teacher, an aid, or a fellow classmate. I believe that is one of the greatest achievements I have observed. A student who is off-task, recognizes it, and brings themselves back into the class fold is more ready to learn than the student who is prompted by a teacher or adult to return to being on-task. I lack the patience that these teachers I have observed possess, but I aspire to one day be their equal.
The support setting class I am observing is taught by a special ed. teacher. There are twelve students present, all with I.E.P.s. The class is designed to provide additional instruction in every subject matter as needed. This is where a special educator must truly be the jack of all trades. The teacher of this class put me to work immediately upon my arrival, allowing me to work with one of the three stations she had established. The focus for two of the last three classes was review for the science quarterly exam, a subject which my physical education background allowed me to contribute. The class concluded Friday with a video dedication to one of the students, something the class population was anticipating and eager to see. The support setting class is another excellent example of an educator who cares deeply for her students well being, both academically and emotionally!
Observation Blog # 1
My first day observing an inclusive classroom was an interesting one. I was excited to see how this classroom would be different from the general education classes I had been observing. When I first walked into this mathematics classroom, the teacher introduced herself to me and told me that I could take seat in the back. Then another teacher walked in. I assumed this was the special education teacher and that these two teachers would be co-teaching in this classroom. The second teacher walked and introduced himself to me. He told me that he was actually a teacher’s assistant and not a special education teacher. I asked how many students in this classroom were special education and how many were general education and he told me that all of these students were special education students. He also told me that he is actually an English teacher and that he has no special degree in special education. That surprised me because I thought that it was necessary to have some sort of background in special education in order to work in a classroom such as this. As the class went on, I realized that the primary role off the TA was to encourage the students to get started on their work, remind them to keep quiet and how to behave in class while the main teacher taught the lesson. The two teachers seemed to get along quite well but while class was in session, it didn’t seem like the TA was an active contributor to the lesson. I realized that in the back of the class, two of the students kept falling asleep and had to be woken up every five minutes either by the teacher or TA. The main teacher was constantly yelling which was somewhat painful to sit through. If yelling wasn’t working and keeping these kids awake, then that’s a sign that maybe we should try to find another way to keep our kids awake in class. This reminded me about how important it is to engage students in the lesson. Instead of yelling, and pausing the lecture every five minutes in order to wake up a student in class, teachers need to find a way to keep the lesson exciting so that we can create some sort of flow in the classroom that will help us effectively teach our students.
Observation Blog # 2
The second day, I observed another classroom. I was hoping to find a classroom in which I can observe two teachers co-teaching. This time I walked in, there were only about 6 students in the classroom. The teacher started the class and then, a few minutes later I saw the TA entering the room. The class went on as normal. The students were going over homework and the class wasn’t noisy or constantly getting distracted like the previous class I visited. The TA didn’t do anything with the class. She sat in a desk, away from the students, and ate her lunch. A couple of minutes later, she stated she needed to run some errands and disappeared for a while. Soon, the main teacher gave the class some problems to do. While they were working on the problems she came over to talk to me about what was going on in the class. She told me how this class contained 11th and 12th graders and that she was preparing them to take placement exams for Nassau Community College. I asked her about inclusive classrooms at the school and she told me that school didn’t have any. She also went on to tell me that the rule is that if more than 20% of the class has special education students, then a TA was required. I liked observing this teacher a lot. I noticed that she tries to connect with the students a lot by trying to make them laugh and telling them a little about her day or her life. It’s nice to see a teacher make connections with their students. It shows how even though it might have been a long, difficult day, they still want to be there and enjoy working with their students. Part of the reason I wanted to become a teacher was because I enjoy making a connection with students. I think making a connection with them is a very important part of their learning process and this teacher reminded me of that.
Observation Blog # 3
This day, I observed a Pre-algebra class. This was the was a class for 7th graders. There was also a TA in this classroom. She was very attentive and she went around and made sure each of the students were doing their work. She was also the one who went around and made sure each of the students did their homework. You could tell that she was doing her work in the classroom and taking care of her responsibilities but she seemed cranky through out the class. I know that a lot of teachers can’t always be in a good mood but she was like this in all of her other classes as well. I feel that the mood of the classroom is definitely determined by the teacher. I know it’s difficult when a teacher has a bad day, but I think teachers should try their best to keep the learning environment a happy place. The mood of the teacher and the environment has a great impact on the students learning experience so we should try our best to keep it positive. One student that stood out to me was a student named Aeres. He always had his head down and sometimes didn’t even have a paper out. So I would say that he was motivated to not do his work. The teacher and the TA attempted to motivate him by telling him that if he didn’t start his work, he will be sent to the office. This does work and he begins to do his work. They began working on the topic of range, and Aeres asks questions and starts getting more involved in the classroom. After a while he asks if he can go to the bathroom. Some time passes and Aeres isn’t back yet so the teacher decided to go look for him. He brings Aeres back into the classroom and tells the TA to bring him to the nurse’s office. So, I don’t know if Aeres was really sick or the teacher was just getting him out of the classroom because he was being disruptive. Either way, we know that something is wrong. Either Aeres was not feeling well and the teachers assumed he was lazy and disruptive or he wasn’t motivated to do his work and the teachers have yet to find a way to motivate him to be engaged in the class. This is an extremely difficult task. Also, many of the times, the teachers get discouraged after a while, and they feel like giving up. I feel like that was the case in this class. The teachers seemed to be very tired and discouraged from working with this student. I understand how hard it is for a teacher stay hopeful and positive but I think teachers should always try their best keep trying new things. For example, if something isn’t working, and the student isn’t motivated to do their work, then the teacher should try new ways of getting the student motivated.
Observation Blog # 4
On this day I decided to observe a different classroom. I wanted to see a classroom other than a mathematics classroom so I visited an Earth Science classroom. There was about five students in the classroom and once again, a teacher and a TA since it was a special education classroom. The TA in this classroom did not take any part in the classroom. He sat in the back and was on phone throughout the entire lesson. The teacher, on the other hand, did an excellent job for the most part. The topic in the class was local climate and temperature. So, he talked about how different channels give us different temperatures and how the temperature in long island is different from the temperature in the city. The students were interested because he was bringing in things about the real world into the lesson. One student even said how she can figure out the weather using her phone and the teacher encouraged her to take out her phone and tell the class the different temperature of the different surrounding areas. I thought this was interesting because most of the time, students would be penalized for taking out their phones. I really enjoyed how the teacher used their interests to teach the class. Another thing I found interesting was while they were having a discussion, one student asked “How are tornadoes formed?” At first the teacher told this student that they will cover this in a later chapter but then the teacher decided to answer his question and explained to the student how tornadoes formed. I thought this was interesting because this was a “teachable moment” and the teacher made a great decision in using the students curiosity in order to teach the student. As time went by, I realized that the teacher mostly used discussions to teach his students. Also, he gave a lot of stories in his own life that related to the topic he was teaching. It kept the class interested and I know a lot of the information will stay in their mind. One thing I didn’t like was that there was one student that didn’t talk at all in the class. Since it was a small class, it was easy to notice that she wasn’t participating or involved in the class. She wasn’t even acknowledged in the classroom. No matter how quiet a child, I feel that they should still be acknowledged. It would a little difficult because you don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable if they don’t want to participate but there are ways in which they can still be acknowledged so that they feel that they are a necessary part of the classroom.
Observation Blog # 5
This day I went back to the first special education classroom I had observed. The topic they were covering in this lesson was graphing. The teacher decided to give each student a different graph that would turn out to be a picture. The students were really interested in this and they were very excited to see what their graphs would turn out to look like. The teacher even told them that she would hang up the different graphs on the wall. I think the this was good idea and good way to motivate the students but these students didn’t really seem interested in hanging it on the wall. The activity itself had motivated them to do their work. There was a certain outburst in the class which I found to be very interesting. The TA was walking around helping the students in the classroom and he approached one student named Aiden. He stood next to his desk and started talking to him. All of a sudden you hear the student say “I hate it when teachers do that, baby me. I’m about ready to shoot out of this chair and go through the roof.” You can definitely tell in this student’s voice that he was very upset and annoyed with the TA. The TA was left speechless and the rest of the classroom was silent. That’s when the main teacher took Aiden outside and had a talk with him. I don’t know what was said but Aiden came back in and did the rest of his work. The TA, stayed away from Aiden and I heard the teacher tell the TA to scribe some of this. I am not sure what went on but I think the TA was supposed to scribe this incident or he was just told to do this so the teacher could know what went on. Later on, I was surprised to see this, but I saw Aiden get up and help another student with her graph. I looked back at the TA and saw that he looked a little worried and surprised at this, but Aiden seemed like he was doing an excellent job at helping the other student. I don’t know what exactly happened between the TA and Aiden or maybe it was how the TA approached Aiden that might of caused this outburst, but I understand that students don’t like to feel “babied”. In this situation, Aiden felt that he might of not needed extra help and he could do it on his own. The TA must of felt that he needed assistance and tried his best to help him but it turned out to be a bad idea. Teachers must find ways to help students without making them feel like they need their help. Instead of hovering over the student and making sure everything they’re doing is correct, teachers could try having a discussion with student on how it should be done. It would be better to discuss the problem with the student instead making sure they have the correct answer for each step in a problem. This would also help them become more independent in their learning process.
Blog 1:
During my student teaching experience in Living Environment (10th grade), my cooperating teacher allowed me to spend off periods observing and assisting in various special education settings. I mainly worked with two special educators, both with very different personalities and approaches. In addition, there were several students with IEPs in my cooperating teacher’s Living Environment and Sports Science classes as well. Most received some test accommodations and perhaps resource room or a self contained class in another subject. One of these students was a young man with Asperger’s disorder I will call John.
I know John had Asperger’s because he frequently told me. As is common in Asperger’s cases, John was socially awkward, especially with peers. However, he frequently stayed after class to share the latest book he was reading with my cooperating teacher and I; reciting in great detail the intricacies of the fantasy or science fiction novel he was consuming. He avoided eye contact, and often moved about the room, pacing quickly, when he spoke. John needed some extra time on tasks and often asked for clarification regarding instructions for labs, tests and other class work, but was squeaking by with a passing grade in Living Environment. I would also observe John in another class, a self-contained math class, during my observations for this course.
Blog 2:
I began my special education observations on February 9th with Mr. F. in a resource room. Mr. F. is a very tall, somewhat intimidating looking figure. He has a clean shaved head and face and looks a bit like Lex Luther. However, his demeanor is extremely calm and soothing. As soon as I saw Mr F. stoop down to quietly talk to a student who had her head down instead of working on her math, I knew he was a caring and empathetic teacher. He quietly asked if she was feeling ok and was able to coax her to work on her math some more.
The resource room I observed is a double-sized classroom with 5 tables, a bank of computers along the wall of windows, three teacher desks (for the 3 teachers who share the space), and numerous bookshelves and file cabinets. The walls are adorned with posters (some subject-specific, some inspirational – “101 reasons to smile”, etc) but no student work that I noticed. The room is cluttered, but warm and inviting. Part of the chalkboard had a chart with another special education teacher’s students’ assignments, homework, projects, etc. for the week on it, which I thought was a great idea. The first day there were about eight students in the resource room, three of which were Mr. F’s students. They consisted of two male students and one female student. The female student, “Liz”, was working on an algebra worksheet while one male student, “Tony”, was working on a Living Environment assignment about evolution. The other male, “Paul”, was watching videos on one of the computers in the room, which I thought odd. I sat with Tony and we worked on his biology assignment together. Tony and I developed an easy rapport pretty quickly. He confided in me that he had lots of trouble in math but did not think he needed resource room anymore. Meanwhile, Liz had put her head down after a couple of math problems and had “checked out”. Mr. F. coaxed her to focus on her task for the remainder of the period. Paul, who was watching videos on the computer, was actually working on an assignment as well. He was picking a news video and summarizing the information for his ELA class. He had to complete three of these assignments a week. Looking back I wish I had asked him if this was a modified assignment or if the whole class did the same.
The rest of the week (2/10-2/11) in resource room was much of the same. Liz had to be pushed and pulled through all her assignments, Paul worked on his videos, and Mr. F. helped Tony with his algebra. Mr. F. showed me where he kept the student’s files and told me a little about his day, which was a mix of co-taught classes, self-contained classes and resource rooms. During this time I floated and helped wherever I could. On Friday, 2/11, Mr. F. began academic testing for Tony’s IEP review. He began with the Stanford Achievement test. Tony finished before the period end, the time was marked on the test and Tony was able to work on his other homework until the bell rang.
Blog 1
My first day of observation was at a high school. I attended a classroom with the content teacher and cooperative teacher for the first time. I found it to be very odd to be honest since I have never seen it before. As a observer's point of view, I found it to be quite interesting but I was also trying to put myself in the student's shoes as well. I could see it being as a distraction since there are multiple teachers in the classroom dictating and checking if every student is up to par. I also found it quite a challenge for the teachers to stay calm at all time since these kids were quite energetic and calling out frequently.
I like the fact that students were given opportunities to work independently among themselves. At the same time, there were two teachers walking down the rows checking on their progress. Afterwards, each problem was to be shown on the board and explained thoroughly to the whole class. One problem was assigned to one student. I find this a way for the students to grasp the understanding of the math almost instantly and gives them more confidence in doing it again later on.
Blog 2
My second day observing at my high school was even more interesting than my first day. First, this was a Honors course. It seemed quite like my point of interest since I like upper level high school math. It also seemed a little too 'typical' of a classroom since it seemed like everybody was raising their hands and volunteering to go up to the board to show their work.
The moment I met Daniel, I thought he was a math genius! He noticed patterns almost instantly! He was usually the first one to have his hand raised to answer questions or to give out answers to the teacher's questions. At times, he did get a little impatient and he just began calling out answers. It wasn't until after class that the teacher told Daniel to wait until he was called to give his answer. Daniel is diagnosed with a slight case of Asperger syndrome.
According to Wikipedia, Asperger syndrome or Asperger Disorder is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.
I needed to recall exactly what Asperger syndrome was. While I was reading its traits, I was practically reading about Daniel. He was very outspoken and frigid. I find it hard to believe that he is not made fun of by his peers in his class.
Blog 3
I wanted to know more about Daniel's status. I kept on observing more of Daniel rather than the class. I did want to see on some of his classmate's reactions to Daniel's outburst in class when he calls out. I have noticed some eyes staring at Daniel.
I spoke to the his teacher during her off period during her break. She has told me everything I wanted to know about Daniel as long as it was school related. He's usually the first one to finish the exam which means there is at least 10-15 minutes left of class time for him to check his work again. There were times when he went back to her desk requesting to change his answers after the class period was over. The teacher felt troubled since she knew that he's a very bright student, but she still doesn't feel the need to curve his grade because of his continuous mistakes. She has advised to spend more time on checking his work so this can happen less frequent. I asked the teacher is it will be alright if I could watch Daniel and the class take her exam one day. I'm looking forward to that.
Blog 4
This time around I was back in my other class where there were multiple students calling out. They were not getting as many answers correct as Daniel. The classroom setting shows that this type of environment of students were not as mature as the other Honor's class with Daniel. Today, there was one student repeating almost every phrase from the MTV show, The Jersey Shore. He was encouraging others to repeat his words. This shows me the type of shows that these kids are watching and how it's influencing them to be become distracted in the classrooms. There was a lot of side talk occurring today. Another topic was the NBA. There was a disagreement in the best NBA team currently playing. This was another distraction that kept the students from continuing with their independent classwork. During all this chattering, the teachers just walked around to make sure everybody was doing their work. For any student that was talking, they were told to stop the chatting.
I noticed these two girls always being quiet among themselves. They were doing their classwork within their small group while the others were inconsistent with their progress of their work.
There was too much chatting from across the room. I also found it difficulty having three teachers walking around the room. One teacher was only assisting one particular student while the other two were assisting the rest of the class during the lesson. I still find it to be off to have multiple teachers in a classroom. Of course it may seem that the teachers can seek help faster but it worried me as a observer and future teacher that this may not be helping the students in terms of always having these number of teachers willing to help them out. Is this another short of distraction?
Blog 5
Today was the Quarterly Exam for the Honors class for the Trigonometry students. I'm very interested in seeing how Daniel will be in his approach in taking his exam. He walked into the classroom just like any other day. He walks in quickly and sits straight in his seat while he's looking around to see what was happening. The teacher was handing out the exams while Daniel was anxious to get his. Once he got his, he began to begin the exam while he forgot to pass along the other exams to the rest of the students in his row. He seemed anxious, rocky on his chair, and playing with his hair with his knee up to the chair. It seemed that he was not having trouble in taking the exam. He was going by it one by one. He was keeping in changing his body position to sit in a more comfortable manner. Daniel was the first was to finish the exam. He immediately walked over to his teacher's desk to hand it in. He went back to this desk to grab his pen and notebook to write down the homework for the night, which is located in the back of the room. He was consistently looking up to copy the homework problems. He had difficulty in seeing it so he walked all the way to the back of the classroom with his pen and notebook. He eventually copied it down to his liking. He walked back to his seat while he was also looking back to see if he wrote down everything that was needed. I enjoy Daniel. He is a very bright student and I noticed it when I first met him a few weeks ago. I wonder what his mind goes through during a math class. He grasps things quickly but tends to make easy errors, which he eventually corrects. I did notice that he did not interact with many students if not any students. This class is definitely much more mature than my other class. I'm actually hearing more math in this course rather than listening to the events that happened in The Jersey Shore.
Observation Blog #1
When I entered the special education department of Elmont Memorial High School, I was excited to find out which teachers I will observe for the rest of the semester. The secretary gave me two names on a post-it, "Brown period 5" and "Smith period 6" with the room numbers. After thanking her for the schedule, I immediately asked, "What is the quickest way to get to Brown's classroom", because the late bell for period 5 rang and I already got lost trying to find the special education department. It was a large school and I didn't want to get lost again.
I quickly went up the stairs to room 317. I peered through the window of the door and noticed four students in the class and I thought to myself, "Is this the right room"? I entered and noticed one male adult standing and one female adult sitting down. I looked down at my post-it and just noticed "Brown period 5, room 317". I had no idea who "Brown" was, and so I just smiled and introduced myself to both. Then the woman sitting down quickly jumped up and said, "Oh great, Ms.'OConnor (Chairperson of the Special Education Department) told me about you". Instantly I knew she was Ms. Brown before she introduced herself to me.
One of the students then shouted, "Is she a new student". Everyone laughed and I thought to myself, "Do I really look that young"? Another student said to me, "Hey do you remember me"? I said "No" and he repeatedly told Ms. Brown that I am his friend. I began to realize all of these students had disabilities that I was soon going to learn more about.
Observation Blog #2:
When I entered Ms. Browen's class the next day, the four students were sitting down with a handout in front of them. Mr. Maresco, the TA, read the handout out loud, which consisted of five regents questions. He read the question, then paused and read the multiple choice answers out loud. Students would then circle an answer. He then moved on to the next question. After they finished answering the questions, he collected the handout.
Ms. Brown, the biology and special education teacher, told the whole class to copy the aim into their notebooks. She then portrayed a small skit about how proteins are synthesized using genetic coding. She did this by telling students that she was going to be DNA and she is holding a genetic code. She tells them that each station consists of a different job. One student's job was to interpret the message, another is to send out the message, third is to transfer the message to the ribosome and the last is to make the proteins (which were just really starburts). Each student got the opportunity to go to each station.
I thought this was a great biology lesson in a special education class because they were able to get up off their seats for this activity, interact and learn from one another, and at the end they were positively reinforced.
After the activity, Ms. Brown explains translation, coding, and messaging several times by using different examples. This is helpful because there are so many different learning styles within the classroom. At the end of the class every student was able to reiterate what they learned.
Observation Blog # 3
I also observed Ms. Smith's 7th and 8th grade general science classroom. The middle school at Elmont Memorial High School was located on the first floor, which was separate from the High School on the 2nd and 3rd floor. The size of Ms. Smith's classroom was very small compared to the other classrooms I observed. Even though there was a maximum of 20 students in the class, I felt like everyone was clustered together. One student was sitting at the teacher's desk and another student was sitting at the computer desk, and Ms. Smith didn't mind at all.
Ms. Smith started teaching a lesson on simple machines. She introduced this topic by asking students to name several machines. She answered "yes" or "no" to their responses. Students were supposed follow the guidelines of what a simple machine consists of. Students just started to call out answerers and get carried away. I feel like there was no defined structure in this classroom and the TA, Ms. Murphy who walked around the rows, didn't enjoy it too much either.
Ms. Smith has great interactions with the students. She is very humorous and sarcastic, but I hear more jokes being said in the classroom than actual learning material.
Ms. Smith pulls up the definitions of different types of simple machines on the projector screen. These definitions seem copied from a textbook and no real creativity was used in defining them. The students seem confused because they couldn't interpret the definition. Ms. Smith tell the students to just copy it down because the definition is really complex. I am not quite sure if the students are learning anything, if they are simply just copying down the definitions. I think students would really have benefited from an authentic definition or example. She does show pictures of some simple machines. She does this by holding up the textbook so everyone can somewhat try to see an example. Not every student was paying attention though. I feel like students would be more engaged if Ms. Smith brought in simple machines and they could work in groups/stations to manipulate them. By understanding it's features, the students can build on their own definition of what a simple machine truly is. I feel like Ms. Smith's whole class instruction is not helpful for every learning style in the classroom. I think this special education classroom with mostly learning delayed and emotionally delayed students could really benefit if they were positioned in groups so they could engage with one another.
Ms. Smith ended the class 8 minutes early. She just walked around the classroom and talked to the students. Ms. Murphy didn't seem too thrill they were done early. I wasn't thrilled either. I feel like they could of accomplished more today.
Observation Blog #4
When I entered Ms. Smith's class the next day, I sat in the back next to one student who had trouble verbally communicating due to this stuttering. He sat closer to the window and to me seemed separated from the whole class. He was always prepared. He had his notebook out and his homework out even before Ms. Smith asked everyone to take it out.
Ms. Smith started to go over the homework. She called on students to answer the questions. The student sitting next to me raised his hand. He was having trouble verbally expressing what he wrote in his homework. Ms. Smith didn't go to his desk and help him, rather while he was trying to read she went outside to talk to another teacher who passed by the door. She was talking to him outside the door. I feel like she was disrupting the class as well disrespecting the student who was trying to answer the question she asked. Ms. Murphy went to accompany this student while he was expressing what he wrote. She help him communicate what he wrote and finally he was able to explain what he wrote out loud. After a minute or two, Ms. Smith re-entered the classroom and told the student to repeat what he had to say. I feel like this was rude because he had so much trouble trying to read his homework in the first place and now he has to read it again because she was out of the classroom. After they went over the homework, she told the students they were going to watch a movie about global warming. She played the movie, "An inconvenient truth" without any real introduction or any handout so they can take notes. There was some trouble trying to play this video so while Ms. Smith was trying to figure out the problem, there was no instruction on what the students should do in the meantime. So while the students were waiting they just got out of their seats and walked around and talked amongst each other. I thought this wasn't good. I felt like she should of had a plan B if there were any technical difficulties. Also she should of given students something to do in the meantime so the class time would not of been lost and students would be doing something productive. Ms. Smith finally got the movie to work and the students went back to their seats. After ten minutes I started to see some students talking to other students and other students falling asleep. I felt like this movie was not entertaining for their age group. I am not sure how much they gained from it but they sure weren't interested in it. I feel like another productive day was just lost today.
Observation Blog # 5
I observed Ms. Brown's class today. I noticed a new face in the classroom today. So now there are 5 students in the class. I personally felt these students should go into mainstream but I was wrong about that when Ms. Brown told me about their learning and emotional disabilities. She told me this class used to be larger but a few of the students were dropped from the class and placed in a BOCES program.She told me about one student who had to be sent to this program due to his drug abuse. He would often disrupt the class. Ms. Brown also told me about student in her class who got pregnant and also had to leave the class. She told me this class used to be as large as 15 students but now there are only 5 students, all with I.E.Ps. The students are mainstream students who function in small class settings.
Today in class students followed the same format for the do now. They were handed a handout with four or five regents questions. The TA or Ms. Brown would read the question out loud and then they would answer it. This time Ms. Brown went over the answers instead of collecting it after they were done. She gives students techniques to remember the concepts and how to answer the regents questions, since the multiple choice questions are all about eliminating the wrong answer to find the right answer.
The TA walks around the class to see if the students are writing the answers down. Sometimes the students ask the TA a question while Ms. Brown is talking. This often allows a clash since they are talking at the same time and seems disruptive to the students.
After the Do Now, Ms. Brown allows students to color a drawing for twelve minutes (too long!). After students finish coloring, she hangs the pictures on the board. She explains to students that they all colored differently and relates it to how genes are expressed differently. Ms. Brown starts to teach the lesson with a PowerPoint presentation. Mr. Maresco shut off the light. I feel like this wasn't good because it gave the students the opportunity or desire to rest or sleep in the classroom. Also one student continued to color while Ms. Brown was teaching her lesson. I thought this was unfair since every other student had twelve minutes to color and he had more time. Plus he wasn't paying attention to the lesson.
During her lesson, Ms. Brown gave good analogies to help students understand genetic expression. She then allowed group work so students can explain to each other what they learned. While they were doing group work, Mr. Maresco and Ms. Brown were talking about their own personal business. I feel like this was disrupting the students and deterring their attention to what the teachers were talking about. Ms. Brown and Mr.Maresco eventually walked around to see what the students were doing, which is vital in group work.
Observation Blog #1
My first day of observing was interesting. I observed back to back 8th grade inclusion Algebra. There is one general teacher and a TA. There seems to be a routine: take out homework, work on do now, review homework and do now, quickly learn new lesson, and give out homework. The students seem bored and many are barely paying attention. Some of them get up to get tissues non-stop. I think they need more opportunity to move around and talk. There is no group work and I feel as if the teachers do not have great control nor patience. The second period class was more relaxed and was much more focused. The teacher constantly brings them back to the lesson but in a very boring way. The classroom is also very cold which I can tell bothers the students. The TA checks homework and tries to help with class work, but the teacher and her do not get along. It was very obvious. They made no eye contact and communication was poor. There seemed to be an edge between them.
Observation Blog #2
Today I observed two different inclusion classes. The first class was the same as last week. The students were bored, the teacher was yelling, and the TA was walking around more. The lesson was a little boring, in general, and the students had not really done the homework. The teacher chastised them for this but the students seemed to ignore her. The TA would call out randomly after the teacher to remind them how important the homework grades are but the students had already moved on. Many of the students come unprepared and need to go back to their lockers to get books, have to ask neighbors for pencils. The funny thing is, one student asked for a pencil and rather than just give it to him and move on, the teacher made a big deal of it and spent about 5 minutes lecturing.
The second class I observed was a total change. This teacher, at first, appeared to have absolutely no control over the students. The students were sitting in his seat, walking around, eating, joking, and playing on the classroom computer. Then the teacher walked in and I was expecting a lecture. He surprised me. All he said was, “Come on guys. Let’s get started.” And they listened! The students picked themselves up and placed themselves in their correct seats. They complained a little bit about the lesson, but for the most part they did their work, asked questions, and participated. Some of the kids seemed to have behavior problems but they did the work they needed to. In return, the teacher ended class early and put on a youtube video: “Teach Me How to Factor”. The students LOVED it. They couldn’t get enough of it. Granted, it was a little lame and they made fun of it, but they loved listening to it and talking about where they used it during the assignment. He really motivated them without yelling. He even told me that the worst thing is yelling at a child. It gets you nowhere. You have to figure out what they are motivated by and work from there.
Observation Blog #3
The first class I observed today was much better than I have ever seen them. They were learning about measurement (liquid volume) and they were really getting into it. At first they were hesitant and seemed bored with the powerpoint (which she uses for every single class) but then they learned about the “Gallon Man” and “Gallon Butterfly” and it was suddenly interesting. She showed them an image of how the liquid units build off of one another. This created a butterfly looking thing. The students at first made fun of it but then they wanted to draw it in their binders and they seemed to have a good time using it to help them solve problems. The TA was very quiet today, moving from student to student, helping with individual questions. The teacher had put animations into her powerpoint and it seemed she enjoyed teaching more as well.
The second class was the same as last time. A little loud at first but they settled down nicely. Today, after they did a few Regents review questions, the teacher took them to the computer room to do Castle Learning. This is an online program used by teachers to create practice questions and quizzes for the students to complete for extra credit or test review. Many of the students were goofing off now, though. They weren’t doing any of the work and were merely guessing. I stood behind a few and tried to work through problems with them. This really helped. It surprised me that the teacher didn’t do the same. He sat at the teacher computer and continued to look for more problems. The students appeared to have done this before and were used to having the freedom to play games whenever they wanted. Now and then the teacher would walk around and push students to do better. When prompted, the students did do the work and did it beautifully. I could tell that they understand the work provided and knew how to solve problems and which methods to use. I do not think they are being motivated properly.
Observation Blog #4
The first class I observed went into the computer room today. The majority of their class was absent (either a school field trip or a religious obligation). The teacher told them the website to go to. It was blocked. Only two or three of the students could access the necessary page. It was funny because the teacher did not have a plan B. The students were very technology savvy and found a different web page to use. Some of the games weren’t math oriented, but this didn’t seem to bother the teacher. One game was very important in understanding profit margins, however, the students didn’t seem to care. They were busy pressing different buttons and seeing what happened.
I also observed a new inclusion class today. This teacher also had a daily routine but he interacted with the students much better. He was able to crack jokes with them and prompt them to being their work. The students, for the most part, participated, did their work, and left. Some students talked quite a bit. There was a TA and she was wonderful. She would walk around during the entire lesson helping whenever needed. She would stand next to students who were not doing their work and made sure that they did. The respect for the teacher in this class was very evident. The students at no time looked bored. The material was a little difficult but the teacher made sure to go over everything and every question until all students understood.
The last class I observed went into the computer lab again. Once again, many of the students went to a games website, keeping the Castle Learning open on the side in case the teacher walked by. I helped a number of students with some of the questions. One girl in particular seemed to really care about what she was learning. She was trying to help all her friends complete the work. It is funny how the kids really like being in this class and working with this teacher and yet will not do the work when the computer is introduced. They did the do now in the regular classroom with no problems but the minute the computer came into the picture, it was a different story.
Observation Blog #5
This was my last day observing. I only observed two inclusion classes. The first one went back to the way they were when I first started. The teacher was pushing a lesson on an exam they had to take in a few days. The students weren’t really paying attention until they heard that their teacher wouldn’t be in class for a few days. They started to ask all sorts of questions. The TA reminded them that the student teacher that would be covering would be quick to tell the teacher if they misbehave. The teacher tried to bribe them into behaving by promising to push the test back by a day if they were good. I don’t know if the students will actually listen but hopefully they will.
The second class I observed was still in the computer room. Today was a little different. Most of them were putting effort into the activity. I later learned that their third period grades were being entered and they were afraid of not getting extra credit and failing. It was such a difference. Watching them under pressure made me realize that they were capable of so much more. They just need the right motivation. I don’t know if having respect and being liked is as important as motivating the students. This teacher gets along so well with the students but he cannot get them to work. They made him birthday cards for his past birthday, which is sweet, but they won’t do the work he assigns.
The students seemed genuinely sad that they wouldn’t see me again. It may be because I lent them numerous amounts of pens and pencils or if it is because I tried to help them. These students were great to observe.
Blog#1
Setting: I.S. 61 Leonardo da Vinci is located in Corona, New York. it is a meagnet school that serves 2146 students in grades 6-9.
Blog #1
My first day observing was Monday, March 7th. The inclusive classroom is 8P5 Mrs.Padilla/ Mrs. Siegel room #266. I was excited to see how this classroom would be different from the general education classes I had been observing. As soon as I entered in the classroom, the teacher warmly melcomed to me. Her name is Mrs. Padilla, and she mentioned that for this day she will be teaching alone because the other teacher Mrs. Siegel was absent. I felt a little dissapointed, but her friendly attitude changed my thought and I was motivate to see how she will conducted the class by herself. I noticed that the lesson and activities were written on a chart next to the board. Also, the agenda, the purpose and the warm up activities was wrritten on the board as well. I asked how many students in this classroom were special education and how many were general education. She smiled and told me "My students are 14 girls and 12 boys and I do not see them different. All are the same, they all are my students". This response intimidated me a liitle bit, and I apologized myself, but she responded " do not be sorry, it is okey, there is nothing wrong with your question. You will see the students and find out the differences by your observation." Our conversation was abruptally interrupted for a sound that announced the beginning of the first period. I accommodated myself in the assigned place made by the teacher. Mrs. Padilla stood up in front of the door welcoming her students . I was surprise seeing students smiling and entering respectfully to their seats. As soon they sat down, they started working in the warm- up activity, while Mrs. Padilla was walking around the students group. The lesson on finding multi-unit pricing by using proportions was conducted using the Power point presentation plus the already chart prepared by the teacher. The teacher related the lesson to the students'lives and make the lesson interesting for the students. After the lesson, Mrs. Padilla alowed students to present their work in the board and most activities in the classrooms were independent work. I was motivated to continue observing this class. Mrs. Padilla's teaching was inspirational. She reminded me my excellent and caring middle school math teacher, Ms. Silva. She masterfully conveyed those complicated ideas into lucid explanations for a twelve year old. I still can vividly recall sitting behind my desk attentively listening to her describe her intrinsic role mathematics plays in everyday life. She is the reason why I love math to this very day. Her math lesson left a deep impression in me and infused within me a drive to become a teacher.
Blog #2
My second observation ocurred on March 10.I went to the same inclusive class Mrs. padilla/ Mrs. Siegel. I was curious to meet Mrs. Siegel after her last absence. I had high expectations to see teacher- team work in action. I was happy to see Mrs. Padilla again. She introduced me to Mrs. Siegel, who asked me several questions about my teaching experience. Mrs. Padilla saved me from Mrs. Siegel's questioning, and provide me a lot of information of the math curriculum. Being early in the classroom I had the opportunity to see the teachers discussing and revising the different activities for the lesson. I noticed how the two teachers were connected and having the same passion to reach each one of her students. The lesson was posted on the chart as the first time, everything was ready for students. I sat down observing students walking in to their respective seats. Mrs. Siegel was in the middle of the classroom closed to the projector, while Mrs. Padilla started the lesson on converting money between different currencies with the use of exchange. The introduction questions were effectively to motivate students interest.For example, What else you need to know if you are going to different country ? What is currency? What does it means? I observed a parallel teaching. Mrs. Siegel showed the currency exchange of different country with the monetary unit and rate. I noticed that during the classwork activity, students asked for help to Mrs.Padilla instead of Mrs. Siegel. Mrs.Padilla was willing to help them with a nice smile on her face. Students grassped their concept without difficult because the lesson was well development. I was happy to see students learning math with enthusiasm and interest.
Observation Blog #3
My third day observing was an interesting one. It was on Thursday, March 17th. I observed the same inclusion classroom teachers but different students. I noticed that the students' behavior dispair from the other class. I saw Mrs. Siegel with unfriendly face looking students talking while were reaching their seat. On the other hand, Mrs. Padilla called student's attention with a nice question. "Samuel, are you smiling and talking, this is a good thing because you will help me with the warm -up activity." Inmediatelly, the whole class quieted down and started working nicely. I was surprise how Mrs. Padilla;s techniques was more effectively than a serious face to make students focused with the math lesson. I like to be in this class because the teachers' strategies and esperiences provided me a lot insigths to pursue my teaching career.
Observation#4
My fourth observation occurred on March 24th. I had difficult to follow the weekly class observation because students pre- test evaluation was implemmented during the math period. I like observing the same class Mrs. Padilla/ Mrs. Siegel, because I get to know the students and how they learn, and witnes the positive influence that a teacher can make in students.The lesson was on"Transformational Geometry." Mrs. Padilla introduced the lesson in a very interesting way. The teacher knew that teaching the lynes of symmetry might be confusing so she uses the ellaboration of a snowflakes as a prior activity to recall students'prior knowledge. After that, she used the Geo- Mirror, as a device that helps students to find the symmetry of any draw figure.Students were able to find all lines of symmetry and usind dashed lines, sketching polygons with the geometer sketch and design a logo as a final activity. This leson showed me two important things. Firstly, the important role in teaching students to use diagrams, manipulatives and visual representations to learn mathematical concepts. Secondly, the imporance in planning activities in which students get connected.I was amazed how the use of the diagrams, and the visual representations opened the students understanding to explore and visualize the different types of symmetry used in the pictures.
Observation Blog #2
THE CO-TAUGHT CLASSROOM
I consider myself fortunate to be observing a MATH 7 class which is co-taught by two highly motivated and truly dedicated individuals. On my first day of observation I asked if its was normal to have two content teachers working together in one class only to discover that one of the two teachers was special ed. certified, not math. Interestingly I could not tell who was who throughout the lesson. The classroom was furnished with desks that were arranged as tables in groups of four and five. There was a teacher’s aid present that was responsible for two of the twenty-four students present. I feel that there is a tremendous advantage to having a large adult presence in any educational environment. Additionally any opportunity a school has to decrease the student to teacher ratio the greater opportunity there will be for individualized assistance should there be a need.
I am unaware of the specific ratio of general ed. students to inclusive ones; it is tough to tell through observation alone. The class is extremely well behaved and operates with little to no student initiated distraction at all. I observed an excellent example of how the class functions during my last two observations when the “content” teacher was away at a conference. The special education teacher continued from where the previous day’s lesson concluded and class proceeded as what I believed was as normal. Of all of the classes I am observing, this is the one with the greatest percentage of students remaining on-task for the greatest percentage of class time.
The one lesson I observed where both teachers were present was conducted in a tag-team fashion, with each teacher leading the instruction as well as floating and offering individualized instruction. It was obvious, to me, even on my first day of observing, how passionate and dedicated each of the teachers was. Their focus was on meeting the day’s objectives, and their egos were never part of the equation. They had an excellent rapport with both the students and each other, something I imagine required a great deal of effort on their part. The behavior of the students reinforced a belief that I have always had, which Lavoie gave credit to the medical profession. “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I feel confident in saying that the teachers involved in this co-taught class care tremendously, their students are aware of how much they care and are interested in hearing what it is they have to offer!
Observation Blog#4
TEACHER ASSISTANTS
While observing I had the opportunity to meet four different teacher assistants. Each of them played an integral part of the inclusive environment. Three of the aids I observed were assigned to specific students, yet they did not limit their time or efforts to their assigned child. They were literally teacher’s assistants; assisting the teacher with anything and everything they could in order to facilitate the lesson’s goals. These tasks included aiding with the distribution of materials, helping with classroom set-up, and managing the multiple varied personalities that made up the class’s population.
The fourth of the teacher’s assistant I had the chance to observe was assigned specifically to the E.L.L. students in the seventh grade. Her motivation for education was difficult to not notice, given her constant movement. She reminded me of a professional hockey goalie as she bounced from one side of the room to the other not allowing a single instance of academia to pass by her students. Through conversation I learned that she would alternate between 2 classes given the cycle day, which meant she was only able to provide her students with assistance on those days. She was responsible for multiple students with a variety of backgrounds. Under her supervision were students of Haitian, Pakistani, Korean, El Salvadoran, Portuguese, and Columbian backgrounds. I was amazed to learn that she did not speak any of these languages, yet her efforts were met with incredible success. What I found to be equally impressive was the attitude that her assigned students showed towards her. I felt there was a genuine appreciation of the E.L.L. aide’s efforts from her students, evident by their consistent effort and on-task behavior.
I am a believer that attitude can overcome certain circumstances. The mutual care that I observed shared by the assigned students and their aides would lead me to believe that the academic difficulties these students endure will one day be a part of their past. Motivation is key, and these aides have mastered the art of cultivating an intrinsic desire for academic success with the assistance of just the right amount of extrinsic motivation.
Observation Blog#5
INCLUDE OR NOT INCLUDE
In my final blog I would like to discuss a few of the opinions I have on inclusive environments, their “management” as well as the future of inclusive education. My opinion on inclusion has changed drastically over time. I used to believe the needs of the few would take away from fulfilling the needs of the many. I used to believe that the presence of challenged students would act as an academic anchor for all others in pursuit of intellectual excellence. How wrong I was! The paradigm shift in educational responsibility has justifiably increased the burden on us educators, as it should have. For if we as teachers are not who are held responsible for the academic well being of our students, than who is? Our students? Their parents? They both play a role and have an sizable effect on the outcome, but we are the professionals. If a doctor looked to pass off difficult surgeries to someone other than a qualified surgeon they would be in violation of their oath. We as aspiring educators must look at our profession with the same sense of self-reliance.
Each instance of inclusion must be handled on a case to case basis. On the whole, I feel it would be better to included one hundred students who should not be, rather than send one away who should. We never stand so tall as when we stoop to help a child. I found Mineola Middle School’s policy of not allowing students to be moved from one class section to the next to be quite intriguing. There is no running from a potential problem here. Eliminating the option of removing a problem creates a unique perspective in which all difficulties are to be resolved. DEAL WITH IT! There is a tremendous support system in place which can help resolving certain issues, but in the end, it is a mindset. A student with difficulties is a challenge, not a burden. We must see this as so. We cannot internalize our problems, nor can we hold a teenager responsible for something he or she has not had prior to meeting us. Our most difficult students today will be some of our favorite students tomorrow if we are able to create an environment of mutual respect, and show a genuine belief in an individuals ability to achieve.
Observation #1:
Majority of the classes I observe are inclusive classrooms. Each teacher and co-teacher(s) have different ways of managing and teaching their class. I was lucky enough to see all styles of teaching, things that worked and many that didn’t work. One class in particular that made me slightly frustrated every Monday and Wednesday was my 4th period class. During the first week of March in particular, Mr.Villanti, who is the main teacher has 2 co-teachers that specifically site with certain students and help them with their ELA class work. In terms of management, instruction, walking around the classroom, and teaching the class, Mr. Villanti does it all. The two co-teachers, simply laugh at students remarks or write down everything Mr. Villanti teaches. It is as if, they are students too. At one point, the other students that I observe with, ended up walking around the classroom helping students and it felt as if we did more for them than their co-teachers or even their main teacher. It was disappointing to sit back and watch students who have the capability of understanding lessons be let down because their main teacher wanted to do everything and their co-teachers do nothing. I think if I were Mr.Villanti, I would not be so tough in my class and utilize the co-teachers to differentiate my lessons for the whole class.
~Felicia Singh
Observation #2:
Mr. Tlasek’s class is one of the 3 classes that I can’t wait to observe in. Not only is he a funny teacher, his students actually listen to what he says. He teaches both honors ELA and an inclusive classroom. Both are different in many unique ways but one thing that sticks out to me in terms of his inclusive classroom is that both teachers in the room are heard. If Mr. T is teaching, then his co-teacher is walking around the room, helping students. If his co-teacher is teaching, Mr. T is walking around the room doing class room management. I’m not sure if they spend time after or before class going over lesson plans but while they teach, they differentiate what they say or explain compared to how he teaches in his honors class. His classes are where I take most of my notes because his classes respect him and I feel that even students outside his classroom feel the same. There was one time, however there was one student who Mr.T allowed to use a laptop in the classroom because his writing wasn’t very good but the student ended up playing games on it. As a future teacher, this is a testy subject because when you give a student a computer, it silently gives the student freedom to not do their work. Then again, when you’re busy teaching, it’s hard to monitor all students at the same time.
~Felicia Singh
Observation #3:
Mrs. Dowis class is interesting because there are two co-teachers. One is a co-teacher for children with IEP’s and then there is a ESL teacher for students whose first language is Spanish. The co-teacher walks around the classroom, helps some-what with classroom management, and helps students with their class work. The ESL teacher, however speaks to her students in Spanish which is okay because I don’t believe in trying to “rid” of students native languages but she does not reinforce them to use English majority of the time in the classroom. A lot of the time, the students are cursing one another or Mrs. Dowis in Spanish. I think this is where the ESL teacher should step in and say, “Listen, although I think it’s important to still speak in Spanish, in school it’s not proper to speak Spanish in the wrong way”…or something along those lines. This way, students are not put down for being who they are but encouraged that it is okay to be who you are in this classroom but you must also respect everyone else. I think out of all the classes I’ve observed, this is the one that made me nervous to watch because not only does Mrs. Dowis have a children with IEP’s but also ESL students. Some, are both special ed. and ESL. This would require Mrs.Dowis to meet with both co-teachers to help facilitate a more accepting, encouraging classroom.
~Felicia Singh
Observation #4:
Mrs. Leriche’s classroom is during 1st period where her students are tried and so it’s sort of hard to get to them to participate in class. Observing this class teaches me that it takes a lot of energy to teach in the morning. I have to give a lot of credit to Mrs. Leriche and Mrs. Heller ( he co-teacher) who are always full of energy and ready to teach lessons. I think out of all the co-teachers I’ve observed, Mrs. Heller is the nicest and most approachable. Observing her and later interviewing her for my interview project, I can tell she loves her students and genuinely cares about their well being. In this classroom, both teachers are heard constantly although, Mrs. Leriche is still the main teacher. Sometimes I think that both teachers should work together to plan lessons a little more so that Mrs. Heller doesn’t always have to be stuck doing classroom management. There was one time that Mrs. Leriche taught a lesson wrong or did something to cause her students to misunderstand her and Mrs. Heller raised her voice at her in front of everyone in the class. It surprised me because I thought they had a more professional relationship than that but I’m also glad that at the time, Mrs. Leriche took it lightly. This taught me to really make sure I work on my relationship with co-teachers in my classroom to make sure my students don’t see an imbalance of teacher instruction.
~Felicia Singh
Observation #5:
Mrs. Freiman’s classroom is motivational to observe in because you can tell she has a lot of passion for teaching ELA but not all of her students have the passion to learn it. This does not mean that she gives up on certain students, she tries with all of them. I like watching her read aloud to her class in different accents to bring complicated texts like Romeo and Juliet to life. I know her students find her odd and annoying but as a future teacher, I rather be odd and annoying than many of the other things students label their teachers to be. On the first day she introduced Romeo and Juliet she showed snippets of a “modern” movie version. It woke students up because of the way the modern version portrayed the classic. Another day, when introducing poetry, she played a well-known rap song to show that rap is poetry. I think her efforts to differentiate lessons and engage her students ( some with IEP’s and others without) is commendable and encouraging.
~Felicia Singh
Observation # 5
My last observation was on April fifth.The lesson was a unit review on Geometry,to prepare students for the comming Math's test. I felt very comfortable observing Mrs. Padilla and Mrs.Siegel's clasroom. They always were open for my questions and provided me useful insights for my future teacher carreer. Everyday, the math lessons were atractive and well developmented. It is amazing to see two different individuals working with one mind setting. I am happy for the students because they have excellent teachers that cares for them. The engaging and welcoming environment in the class were awesome. It remainded me the book "The Freedom Writers" that I had been reading for the class. Math was not a hated subject for the students. Instead math was fun and interesting for them to learn. Education, love, respect, mission, and passion were part of the teacher strategies everyday. I was fortunate to see all these qualities during my observation in this inclusive classroom. At the end I understood why in this classroom had only one teacher desk. They are two persons and only one head and heart to teach. I also see that in this inclusive classroom all students are treat equally. I deeply admired these teachers.
Observation # 5
My last observation was on April fifth.The lesson was a unit review on Geometry,to prepare students for the comming Math's test. I felt very comfortable observing Mrs. Padilla and Mrs.Siegel's clasroom. They always were open for my questions and provided me useful insights for my future teacher carreer. Everyday, the math lessons were atractive and well developmented. It is amazing to see two different individuals working with one mind setting. I am happy for the students because they have excellent teachers that cares for them. The engaging and welcoming environment in the class were awesome. It remainded me the book "The Freedom Writers" that I had been reading for the class. Math was not a hated subject for the students. Instead math was fun and interesting for them to learn. Education, love, respect, mission, and passion were part of the teacher strategies everyday. I was fortunate to see all these qualities during my observation in this inclusive classroom. At the end I understood why in this classroom had only one teacher desk. They are two persons and only one head and heart to teach. I also see that in this inclusive classroom all students are treat equally. I deeply admired these teachers.
After a few days observing the resource room I wanted to observe a different setting. I spoke to another special education teacher, Mrs. D, about observing her class and she happily accepted the help.
Mrs. D. is a veteran Special Education teacher who teaches two back-to-back self-contained math classes during the time I could observe her. The room is set up with rows of desks facing a smart board. There were also posters and student work (which did not appear current) on the interior walls and large cabinets with supplies. On the outside wall, beneath a row of small windows, were two teacher desks side by side. Mrs. D. and another education teacher, Ms. F., sat at these desks.
The second special education teacher, Ms. F, was always in the room as well, but she was usually working on paperwork (IEPs, gradings, etc) at her desk. I was unsure of her role in the classroom. Thinking back, I definitely should have asked. My impression was that she took her prep period at her desk, which happened to be in this classroom. She did help Mrs. D out once in a while but that appeared to be in an informal capacity because the two teachers got along very well.
There were about a dozen students in each of the two classes, eight to ten in attendance on any given day. Some were pulled out for services (such as OT) and others simply had a high absentee rate. It was about two thirds male students. The class was mostly Caucasian, as is the school, but at least three students were Hispanic and one young man was African American.
The first lesson I saw dealt with radicals. Students had to reduce radicals, add and subtract radicals, etc. As an accommodation, Mrs. D gave students a multiplication table with the square roots highlighted. After students worked independently on their worksheet, they took turns coming up to the smartboard and answering the questions in front of the class. Mrs. D guided the students through the process when they got stuck, or called on other students to “help John out”. The classes went quickly, but the mood was fairly sedate. Even with the students interacting with the smartboard, I got he feeling this was standard operating procedure for the class and they were pretty bored with it.
Log #4
The rest of the week ( 2/15, 2/17, 2/18) proved to be much of the same in format and topic. Students always worked independently. Sometimes the answers were gone over on the smartboard with the students coming up one by one to solve the problems, or by picking volunteers at their seats. Although the students seem to be comfortable in Mrs. D’s class, seemed to like Mrs. D (who is very personable), and were relatively on task, I am not sure if many of them were being challenged, and certainly not engaged.
In fact, after a few conversations with Mrs. D I learned she did not really expect much from her students. She expressed that most would not pass the Integrated Algebra Regents and really had little use for the knowledge contained in it. She seemed to feel that many of the students in her class would be better served with more practical classes instead of algebra: a trade and/or life skills. While I honestly feel her heart was in the right place, I also felt it was not really her decision to make. A committee, likely including herself, decided on what setting, modifications and goals these students should receive. If a self-contained math class, and regents algebra curriculum was decided upon as the best course of action, it should be taught in the most enthusiastic, differentiated and diligent manner possible. The periods dragged on, progress was slow and whatever teaching strategies I saw were basic and bare bones.
Firstly, I would like to introduce the Spanish classes that I observed at the Waldorf School of Garden City. I observed with Sra. Yanovitch who is currently the only Spanish teacher there, although they are in the process of hiring another teacher. Sra. Yanovitch has a dual certification in Spanish language instruction as well as in Special education. Of the classes in which I observed all of them were small with 6-10 students. I observed one class of ninth graders and another of class of tenth and eleventh graders. These inclusion classrooms, not only include students with IEPs but also had a mix degree of students academic-wise. Due to the academic tradition of the school in general the students were accustomed to not using textbook, writing down facts using pencils. Thus the methods in which Sra. Yanovitch wanted/ did use in her classroom fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the school. Sra. Yanovitch was the only language teacher who decided to teach inclusion-style. Meaning, she only spoke in Spanish, in the class and outside of the class. The instructions to class work assignments, test, as well as announcements were all given in Spanish. Sra. Yanovitch rarely gave homework, except to tell the student to study and review for an upcoming test.
I chose to include the following observations because they outline typical days in her classroom. I greatly enjoyed observing her. I do feel that it was possible to understand which students had IEPs and those who didn’t. Sra. Yanovitch spoke to them in English at times in soft voices, and always made sure to give them hints when she was going to call on them. In general she allowed her students to see where ever they choose. However, when she divided the class into groups it seemed that she did it on academic ability. Furthermore, she always kept one student with her best friend; I believe she did this to calm the student with the IEP. I didn’t really like this technique because I don’t think it allow for the students to reach their full potential. Prof. Smith has taught us that when peers help peers, they both benefit in various ways. In conclusion, I feel that Sra. Yanovitch made sure it was a welcoming environment for all. She may have allowed students with IEPs to take the test in other classes or at different times but she challenged all her students equally. When grading she was lenient for students with IEPs and did her best to prepare them for the upcoming class. I LOVED Sra. Yanovitch and her classes!
Observation Blog #5: Today the class was in the computer lab which I thought was going to be a mess like last time we were in here but it was actually very nice. Today the class was going to listen to clips on the comptuer from survivors of the Holocaust. They were able to listen and then explore the website and look at the pictures of concentration camps and hiding spots. All the students were really interested in doing this which made them eager to work rather than talk to each other.
Observation #6: Today the class is going to start to read Anne Frank. HOwever, they are not allowed to read the actual diary which I think is really dumb; instead they have to read the play. As the class choose parts and started reading though I realized that the play wasn't a bad idea after all because it allows multiple students to be engaged at the same time. They all enjoyed reading parts and going back and forth reading. It was good because it allowed for at least seven students to read today. At the end of the class Mrs. Dibello reads the quote "Despite everything I still beilieve people are really good at heart," from Anne Frank and asked the class if they agree. It was interesting to see that almost the entire class agreed because they reasoned that if people are cruel that there is usually a reason behind it, like they had a bad childhood or mental illness. It was interesting to see them reason that way.
Observation#7: Today the class started to really ask about Hitler and who he was. I was surprised that they didnt know alot about him already but, I liked that they were asking their english teacher and still expected a good answer. The class kept calling Hitler smart and I could tell both teachers were becoming uneasy. Instead Mrs. Dibello explained the difference between being powerful and being smart. To further show the class how horrible and evil Hitle was she told the entire class to stand in the front of the room. She told everyone will blonde hair and blue eyes to remain standing and everyone sit down. Now she tells all the people that are not Christian to still down. THere was only 4 remaining students at the front, she then told the class that they would be the only ones HItler would have kept alive. The class was shocked. After a really good class though, the Special Ed teacher and Mrs. Dibello start to bicker about something again in the back of the room. The Special Ed teacher is extreamly immature and instead of talking to gets all flustered and rushes out of the class room.
The first observation I would like to share was on 3/247/11.
A main prop that Sra. Yanovitch uses in her classroom is flashcards. Because she believes that students should understand and speak a language first before they began writing it, she focuses on conversation techniques. Today Sra. Yanovitch the lesson was a review using the flash cards.
The class separated into two teams. Today was one of the days that she requires the students write in their notebooks. So she stood in the middle of the class and shows the word, the students then copied the Word into their books. When they were done, two students from each Group went to the board and wrote the word. The purpose of this game was to help the student remember how to spell the vocabulary. The teams help their teammates by correcting them if it was wrong. This was one lesson where the students with IEPs blended in because everyone made spelling areas, and needed help. Also, because it was structured that everyone in the group goes one after another, there wasn’t a focus on the smart kids. This game is an example of competition that fosters team cooperation and encouragement. Based on the book we read about motivating students, I feel that Rick Lavoie would approve of this system.
The second observation that I will share took place on 4/4/11:
So, today was a test. And no body wanted to take it. Before the exam, all the students were begging Sra. Yanovitch to postpone the test. Usually, she listens to their requests concerning the lesson structure (as far as whether they want to watch a video or play a game). However, today Sra. Yanovitch insisted that they take the test. It was interesting to note that one of the students with an IEP's was not among those who were begging to have the test postpone. I like to think it was because they were the only ones who believed Sra. Yanovitch when she said it would not be difficult, and that the students were prepared for it. Another reason could be that Sra. Yanovitch meets with the students who have IEPs the most outside of class. After the class, I went graded the test with Sra. Yanovitch. All the students passed the exam. The lowest grade was by one of the students with an IEP; however this test was just a trial test for her since she had been absent the two days before. Sra. Yanovitch said that she will allow her take it again. Other than that the average grade was an 87. Sra. Yanovitch told me that she gave the exam only because she knew that they had the ability to pass the test.
the third observation took place 4/7/11 at 1:45:
Today Sra. Yanovitch, play the equivalent of “fill in the blank” orally with the class for the first 10-15 minutes of class. She gave examples such as: Samuel and Gabriela are America and are in class. Following this the classed watched a movie. Before she watched the movie, she reviewed what had already happened. Then she gave out elegant envelopes that she said were a surprised. They looked like birthday cards, and inside they held vocabulary cards. She has done this exercise before, and the students were very excited at playing. Then everyone had to take turns describing their vocabulary word to the class. If they needed help, Sra. Yanovitch and I whispered clues to them. I notice that majority of the time Samuel and Gabriela (the only two students with IEPs required help.) However most times, this was because Gabriela tried to construct complex sentences or wanted use words that she had not learned yet. Gabriela and Samuel were not as lively in this exercise. Nonetheless, I still feel that all the students enjoyed this activity. *Samuel and Gabriela names were changed.
The fourth observation:
4/11/11 11:45
Today, Sra. Yanovitch introduced for the second time, the story of Don Quixote. First, I wrote the opening paragraph on the board from the story that described Don Quixote and Sancho’s appearance. Meanwhile, Sra. Yanovitch lead the class in a discussion on the facial features of various people, based on the characteristics that I was writing down on the board. The students had previously learned vocabulary about various characteristics. She also took this time to introduce them to more vocabulary as well as synonymies. For example she asked: who did they know that was bald, had a moustache or was blond. Afterwards, the class read the paragraph, repeating after Sra. Yanovitch in a loud voice. Sra. Yanovitch, split the class into two groups of four. Sra. Yanovitch supervised one group and I the other. We played a memory game in which the students took turns trying to form pairs. One had a drawing on it and the other had a physical description. We each had a set number of cards. All the students enjoyed this game. When I noticed that the students were having difficulties with the vocabulary I acted it out for them.
I really liked this lesson, because on the cards were physical description of the characters. I thought this was an awesome way of introducing vocabulary, which they will need to read the story. I hope one day to incorporate this into one of my classes. Throughout the class, Sra. Yanovitch also talked about the prestige of Don Quixote and its academic importance. Also today was a very interesting day, because Prof. Mack came to observe me, so it was a little intimidating, but I felt overall the class went good.
The las observation I will share is how Sra. Yanovitch made her class interdisciplinary. It took place on 4/13/11 at 1:45:
Today the ninth grade class was introduced again to Don Quixote. Sra. Yanovitch has begun teaching this play so when they see the 12th grade act they will be able to follow. Sra. Yanovitch asked the class a series of questions about Don Quixote. Pretty soon, they realized she wanted to know all the facts they knew about the play. Then they began to tell her details on their own, without her prompting them. Next, she gave each student a script and as a class they read it out loud. Next the class broke up into small groups and I lead one small group (in another room) and she remained in the class and led the other group. We both asked questions about the story to understand how much the students had grasped. I had Gabriela in my group and once we were outside the class she felt comfortable in telling me that she didn’t understand everything that was going on in the story. In my group, the students and I acted out the script as a way for them to demonstrate that they understood the script. I also translated some phrases when Gabriela still did not understand. Sra. Yanovitch had previously told me to translate after the second time just to be sure not to frustrate Gabriela. Gabriela name was changed.*
Routines I observe: Instructor waits outside the classroom, usually ushering students in, while greeting and chatting. It is personal, it is exciting, or looming for whichever student you are. It takes about a minute or two for all the kids to get situated, to actually glue their behind in the seat and focus on the “Do Now” scribbled on the dry erase board. Once they are done chatting about so and so, they are instructed to answer the posed question. Sometimes, the teacher perpetuates the mindless chatter by engaging in it themselves, sometimes the instructor wants to chat with the students about their own happenings. Once the “Do Now” is related to content, lecturing begins and doesn’t stop until the bell rings. Naturally there are interruptions, lots of “hall passes” for bathroom breaks, student jokes, and some teachers make a habit of posing questions to reiterate material learned or make a point.
To make an effective point, teacher will try to do it normally within the lecture by using rhetoric questions, or to keep on task: “stop talking, shhh, shhh” in large noisy classrooms, in inclusive environments, it more like “Daniel, stop talking…put away your phone.” In honor/AP classes the teacher doesn’t need to manage as much as the inclusive environments. Students actively participate and do their work on their own. For the most part, Forest Hills High School supports students who aim high academically, students hail from middle class homes where parents emphasize strong grades, and one should not discount the presence of intimidating deans and security that circulate the halls for misfits.
The one instance I saw a student get reprimanded for delinquencies was a young girl that was continually late. Her excuse: “miss I tried.” Miss Seider, the young instructor mentioned on Day 1 usually overlooks the girl’s tardiness, but to a point – obviously an attention seeker the girl was put in her place. Everyone else is on time; she should also be on time. It was merited and her self-indulgent behavior needed to be corrected. She was one of many students in the classroom; her antics took away from valuable learning time.
Some classrooms are arranged desk behind desk like in a factory; others face each other for facilitated discussion. In the rows situation I find there is more snickering, goofing off, and maybe even bullying. You cannot face your neighbor’s face so you can say/do what you please, the instructor also doesn’t have clear sight of you, which enables for deficiencies in work.
Observation Blog #1
My first experience observing a collaborative English class took place in the computer lab at Mepham high school. Both teachers were taking turns talking and wailking around helping students that didn’t understand the assignment. The topic was Shakespeare’s life and history. There were using a WebQuest to fill in the blanks in the packet they were given. The packet included fill in the blanks and questions. The web quest included videos, short articles, pictures, and other visual aid in understanding the topic. I thought it was a great and fun alternative for taking notes and learning about a not very interesting subject. The students seemed to agree, they enjoyed using the computer to take notes. The special ed teacher walked around reinforcing that work was being completed, her voice was constantly heard to that the students knew that she was there for assistance. Although there was a minimal amount of tensions between the teachers because there was confusions on directions. But other than that, the teachers worked very well together.
Observation Blog #2
The teacher I observed after the collaborative class, I was really inspired by. He was teaching a senior class that period and the topic was Much Ado About Nothing. Obviously Shakespeare is not a high school student’s favorite writer to cover, but the way this particular teacher approached teaching this play, the students really seemed to enjoy. He related the events in the play to their own lives and media that were interested in to allow them to better understand. The students really seemed to respect this teacher and enjoy his class. The found him funny and easy to approach.
Observation Blog #3
One teacher I observe is exactly the teacher you never want to be. She’s young and nice and really cares about her students but she has no control over her classroom. The students constantly talk back telling her to “stop talking and hand out the quiz already!” her students obviously do not have any respect for her and they walk all over her. They sit where ever they want and pay no attention to their assigned seats and do work from other classes. I see a lot of the students in this class during the Homework Support Program after school and some students from her other classes. They all ask me I could be their teacher because they hate her and that they don’t learn anything. She seems very weak and timid while teaching. She changed the date of a quiz and after asked the class if they were mad at her.
Blog #3 cont
This teacher seemed unsure of what she wanted, told her student they were having a quiz but forgot to include it in her lesson plan and then announced to the class her mistake.
Observation Blog #4
After observing that class, seeing the next period was like watching night and day. I thought I was in for another entertaining rude classroom by the way they were acting before the period started. They were acting up and yelling and running around the classroom. But as soon as the teacher walked in, they instantly stopped. At Mepham the freshman classes have a double period of English, the second period acts as a seminar class. Their only assignment was to read quietly and catch up on any work they may need to catch up on and they didn’t exactly that. I was amazed. The only thing I disagreed with was the fact that she took away a students cell phone that the girl was using as a calculator. The teacher allowed them to do other work and math counts as other work but the student wasn’t able to do that work because the teacher took her phone.
Observation Blog # 5
After the first observation of the collaborative class went really well, I noticed while I was observing that it wasn’t the proper inclusive classroom. The special ed teacher seemed to have all the control in the class room and the gen ed teacher just sat back and relaxed and took the period off. I though it was maybe for the one day, maybe he wasn’t feeling well or had work to finish, but it continued for the rest of my observations. He would chime in every once in a while but for the most part that was it. When he did chime in, the special ed teacher didn’t like that much and disagreed with him and argued with him in front of the class.
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