Bringing It Altogether

Review the course goals you wrote about in your first post at the beginning of the semester. What progress have you made on them? What does this do to inform your practice next semester in student teaching? What goals do you still have moving forward? Include overall reflections on what you have learned in this clinical course and on-site this semester.

My first goal I had in the beginning of the semester was, knowing more about how a student’s culture affects the classroom and how to accommodate for that person. I wanted to know more about how teachers accommodate on a daily basis to help students succeed as leaners. Throughout this semester I have learned from my clinical experience and my classes on how to do this in various ways. I noticed in my clinical setting how my CT accommodates for students on a daily basis. My CT groups and positions the students in ways where they can all be successful during lessons. She also differentiates reading instruction by using small groups and giving the students different books to read when practicing a certain reading skill. I have also learned through my classes this semester how important it is to accommodate and differentiate in each lesson. That is why the workshop model works for classrooms because it gives the teacher more flexibility to do so. I have also learned that we teachers have our own cultures and views on the world and we need to leave that at the door and start fresh with a new class every year. I have also learned through 277 how to bring other students’ cultures into the classroom in a non-discriminatory way. Teachers can use books, videos, and activities to do this. Learning these things this semester will help me plan and implement lessons in my future student teaching semester. I will think about each student individually and the class as a group to figure out how to make each lesson successful.

My second goal for myself was to become better at selecting informal and formal assessments. I have learned a lot this semester about that. I have learned various ways to check students’ understanding throughout a lesson. I have used thumbs up, repeat directions, turn and talks, and student responses during my lessons this semester for informal assessments. These have all worked when determining if the students understand the lesson. I have also learned which summative assessments to use with which objectives. I have used a checklist during each of my lessons during this semester and I saw how it works when determining student understanding at the very end of the lesson. I was able to share my results each time I used one for my CT to keep in mind for her lessons. I know that in the future I will be using all assessments during my lessons, such as a rubric, checklist, or anecdotal. This will help me when planning for future lessons after that.

Another goal I had for myself was to improve on my implementing of lessons in the classroom. This semester I got various opportunities to take over the classroom not only during my three planned lessons, but in other parts of the day as well. My CT was very willing to collaborate with me and give me freedom to take over the classroom during calendar time and during Daily 5. I also was able to implement a social studies, science, and literacy lesson. This gave me the practice I needed to become a better and more confident teacher. I know I will learn even more during my student teaching semester, but this semester taught me a lot on how to improve my teaching. I also felt I was a better role model for the students this semester because I had the opportunity to get to know each and every student better. That was also another goal I had for myself, which I think I achieved. I know in my future student teaching experience I will be able to do this even more being in the classroom every day and taking what I have learned this semester and applying it.

Moving forward I still want to improve on a few things. I want to get to know in depth how to teach each subject in the early childhood classroom. I know I have learned so much through my classes this semester, but I feel until I actually have the opportunity to teach it often I will not fully understand it. I also am looking forward to setting up the classroom with my future CT to meet the needs of all students because that is one goal I had that I am still not confident about. I have learned so much about how to do this, but being able to help my future CT accomplish this, will really give me the knowledge I need to apply in my future classroom. Another goal I have for myself is to really throw everything I have into my student teaching experience. I know I gave everything I had this semester once a week in clinical, so I am looking forward to being able to do this every day in student teaching semester.

Overall, this has been a really rewarding experience in clinical this semester. I have learned so much from my CT and her classroom as well as my classes this semester. I am looking forward in keeping in contact with my CT knowing I have a great relationship with her already. It is sad to say good-bye to such a great semester. 

This quote reminded me to keep what I have learned this semester in mind for future experiences. Hope it does the same for all of you fellow readers! :) “Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” 

― J.M. Barrie 

Science In my Clinical Setting

What have you noticed about science instruction and assessment in your setting? When does it take place? Does it take place? Think critically. What does it encompass? During science instruction, what does your CT do/ say? What do students do/ say? How do they respond? What are your opinions/ feelings about this? How does what you observe about science at this site connect with past clinical experiences/ early childhood theories/ and or science practices you have been learning about at ISU?

How does knowing this inform what you will do when teaching and assessing science (either this semester, next semester in student teaching, and/or next year)? What other additional reflections/ concerns/ questions/ musings do you have after spending these last few weeks on the site? Use your own experiences, especially those from your activity log for the last few weeks.

I haven’t seen any form of science in my clinical setting thus far. They do science on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I am not able to see it on Wednesdays. My CT told me however that she and another second grade class switch classes and one teacher teaches science and one teaches social studies on those days. I’m not exactly sure what lessons are actually done since I haven’t seen it yet. I would like to see science being taught so I have some idea of what to do for my future. Every Wednesday however they do watch some type of video whether it be social studies or science at 2:30 for a half hour. I have seen them watch one on dinosaurs, so that might have been part of their dinosaur unit that week. Last semester in my other clinical setting I didn’t see any science either. It was focused on writing and reading only.

I’m actually surprised the students only see science only once or twice a week. Science can be implemented through other subjects so I feel it should be done at least once a day. We have learned so much in our classes these last few semesters about how to integrate different subjects together. In my own classroom in the future I would have science implemented through various subjects at least once a day. I would plan for science to be put into my schedule so I could map out my day and not run out of time to do it. I feel like that is the problem with a lot of classrooms today that I have seen. The focus is put on reading and literacy skills more than any other subject, so other subjects get pushed aside.

In our TCH 276 science class this semester we get to go to another school every other Tuesday to observe our peers teach a science lesson and we get to participate with the students while the lessons are being taught. I’m glad we get to do this because it gives me a chance to see how it can be implemented in a second grade classroom. It’s nice seeing my peers and our professor teach science in a fun way. I like how I get the chance to do one science lesson at my clinical and then one at Cedar to get the extra experience.

I have a feeling the science is very worksheet based at my clinical setting because that is how the social studies is there, which I don’t see much of either. I’m not saying this is all my CT’s fault by any means, because I do feel it has a lot to do with the district and school itself. I would however like to see it someday in my clinical setting, so if not this semester I hope I see it much more in my student teaching semester. I want to be fully prepared on how to teach various subjects for when I have my own classroom someday.

Last Wednesday however I get to see a science lesson done by someone that came into the classroom. They were going around the school teaching about nutrition. The person that came in read a few books with the students and talked about ways to become healthier. Then they did this science experiment to show how much fat is in milk. The students loved it and I enjoyed watching it also. That same day I got to teach my science lesson on clouds. I posted about that lesson last week on my blog. I had fun with the students while we learned about the types of clouds. To introduce the lesson I made rain in a glass jar. The students in my CT's classroom loved it. I wish I had enough materials for all the students to be able to do it, but it was just to activate their previous knowledge.

This is like the experiment the students did with the woman that came in to teach about nutrition. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nojcOLaZWc0 

Science Lesson

Today I did my science lesson in my clinical setting. It was on the types of clouds and the characteristics of those clouds. It went great and the kids loved it! Here are some pictures I took during the activity portion of my lesson.











I got my ideas from these two blogs:  

·         http://simplysecondgrade.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-water-cycle-clouds.html

·         http://www.thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2011/10/cloudy-and-50th-day.html

TI also did the demonstration of the cloud with shaving cream and the food coloring making rain. It was super fun and the students loved it! Enjoy :)