Jaclyn+Mathison

This wikispace logs Jaclyn Mathison's experiences in the classroom during the spring 2010 SEED 296 **Paraprofessional Experience **

This is the first field experience of the teacher education program. Its purpose is to provide insight into the real world of teaching in the K-8 and 7-12 setting. It provides a “hands-on” experience in which students may ask questions and share concerns they may have regarding the teaching profession. The experience will provide an opportunity to observe, record, and assess student behavior, effective teaching practices, and characteristics of different learning environments appropriate for children. This course will provide structure and guidance for the students as they observe, gather information, and reflect on teaching as a career. John Dewey, one of the most famous American educators, wrote extensively about reflective teaching. He defined reflective teaching as avoiding the “routine” and “impulsive” behaviors in favor of taking the time to “give serious consideration” to our actions. According to Dewey, the intelligent person thinks before he or she acts, and action becomes deliberate and intentional. In order for students to secure knowledge and insight from the field experience, their observations and participation have to be made with careful, analytical, and deliberate planning. Paraprofessional students develop their leadership skills while contributing to, learning from and influencing the learning of others

Jaclyn's **Spring 2010 Paraprofessional Pla****cement** Back to Syllabus and Contents List
 * School: || Gayville-Volin ||
 * Field-based supervisor: || Mr. Royce Miller ||
 * Content area or grade level: || High School Spanish ||
 * FBS e-mail address: || royce.miller@k12.sd.us ||
 * FBS phone: || 605-267-4476 ||
 * USD instructor || Mary Collins, Phone: 605-677-5155, e-mail: mary.collins@usd.edu ||

**Course List**

==

Back to Syllabus and Contents List

= **Contextual Factors** = = = = ** TASK ** Write a description of your paraprofessional placement. In your description, include the following: = The rubric is on the Contents and Materials page. Link your paper to the title of this section.
 * **Community, district, and school factors:** Address geographic location, community and school population, socio-economic profile and race/ethnicity. You might also address such things as stability of community, political climate, community support for education, and other environmental factors.
 * **Classroom factors:** Address physical features, availability of technology equipment and resources and the extent of parental involvement. You might also discuss other relevant factors such as classroom rules and routines, grouping patterns, scheduling and classroom arrangements.
 * **Student characteristics:** Address student characteristics you must consider as you design instruction and assess learning. Include factors such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, special needs, achievement/developmental levels, culture, language, interests, learning styles/modalities or students/skill levels.
 * **Instructional implications.** Address how contextual characteristics of the community, classroom and students have implications for instruction.

Back to Syllabus and Contents List

= Professional Interview of FBS = a. Format: word processed b. Recommended length: 1-2 pages c. Include:
 * 1) 5 professional questions
 * 2) Field-based supervisor’s responses to the 5 professional questions
 * 3) Description of how the responses relate to the corresponding SOE standards.

Link your paper to the title of this section.

Back to Syllabus and Contents List

**Observation of Effective Teaching**

Record your observation of the following ten categories. Use this wiki throughout your placement; remember that these situations will not occur in one day. Record the date(s) of the observation and a paragraph description of the methods/strategies observed.
 * Criteria for Observation of Effective Teaching **
 * Time Effectiveness **
 * 1. Focus **
 * Date of observation: March 8 **
 * On my first day of** **observation, Mr. Miller used a focus activity to keep his students engaged while he checked assignments.** He needed to **walk around the room and check assignments. Instead of allowing students to simply talk amongst themselves, he assigned each student a paragraph to read. After he completed his homework check, Mr. Miller asked each individual student to summarize the paragraph they read. By using this activity,** **Mr. Miller kept students focused and effectively managed time by starting the lesson while he was busy checking the assignments.**


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. Objective/Purpose **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 8 **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">At the beginning of Mr. Miller's American Literature class, he announced the assingment for the day. He asked each student to write two letters about the book ****<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Of Mice and Men. Both letters consisted of three paragraphs and a proper heading. The first letter was to be addressed to a friend, and thus would be written using an informal letter format. The second letter would be addressed to the superintendent of Gayville-Volin, and thus would be written using a formal letter format. Mr. Miller explained that this activity would help students learn to write different types of letters, which they could someday use when writing to a friend or possible employer. **

After teaching the first-year Spanish students how to speak in the past tense, Mr. Miller asked each student a question that they had to answer in the past ****<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> tense. Because a few students had trouble answering their questions, he also displayed an activity on the smart board. The activity required students to listen to each sentence in Spanish and then explain the phrase. By using two activities, Mr. Mille ** **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">r ensured that every student in the classroom understood how to speak Spanish in the past tense. **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. Monitoring/Adjusting **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 8 **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. Guided Practice **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 8 **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Mr. Miller taught one class of Spanish students how to use possessive pronouns. In Spanish, the possessive pronouns are used frequently, but they can be difficult to understand. After presenting the material to his students, Mr. Miller asked questions to individual students. He called on random students to answer his questions in Spnaish. He used this technique to ensure that every student grasped the concept of possessive pronouns before he moved on to the next lesson for the day. **

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">Student Motivation
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. Independent Practice **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 9 **

**Mr. Miller assigned two exercises from the book for his Spanish class. He allowed students to work on the homework in class. All** **the students utilized this time to complete their homework, and Mr. Miller did not need to assist them. Each student was independently motivated to work on their assignments, and they all had the adequate skills to finish the homework**.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. Student Inter ** **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">est/Motivation **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 9 **

7. Student Involvement **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In Mr. Miller's advanced composition class, students are learning how to write papers that persuade readers to change their point of view on a topic. To introduce the assignment, Mr. Miller presented numerous controversial topics that related to the students at Gayville-Volin. The students were very engaged in this activity, and almost every student contributed to the discussion. There were no discipline problems, and every student appeared to be enjoying the lesson. **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 9 **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Mr. Miller provides opportunities for student involvement in all of his classes. I observed a prime example of this during my second day of observation, when Mr. Miller was teaching his Amreican Literature class. He assigned each student a portion of a poem to interpret, and then called on the students to explain the lesson to the class. He also allowed other students to assist their classmates if they could offer a different interpreation. **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. Classroom Climate **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 8-10 **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Mr. Miller's classroom is a very good learning environment. He has decorated the walls of his class with posters of maps, famous literary characters, and student artwork. The desks are arranged in to two rows, which ensures that every student will have a partner. He has the blind ** **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">s on his windows open, and by allowing the sunlight to stream in, he makes his classroom much more welcoming. **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. Constructive Criticism **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 8 **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I observed an example of constructive criticism after school on March 8. A student came in to visit with Mr. Miller about a paper he had just been graded on. The student received a poor grade on his paper and wanted to know the reasons behind the low percentage. Mr. Miller agreed to sit down with the student and help him rewrite his paper. Mr. Miller explained that the overall grade was low because the student forgot to attach a works cited page and had numerous grammatical errors. He countered this by complimenting the student on the interesting points in the paper and the intriguing introduction. **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. Prompts **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Date of observation: March 9 **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In Mr. Miller's American literature class, he gave each student a poem to read. The poem contains many unfamiliar words, and the students needed to use context clues to determine what the poem is about. After giving the students ten minutes to work, Mr. Miller began calling on individual students to explain portions of the poem to the class. When the students interpret the poem incorrectly, he guided them to the correct answer. Mr. Miller used phrases such as "That's a very good guess" and "You're heading in the right direction" to encourage students to continue trying to find the correct answer. **

Back to Syllabus and Contents List

= Lesson Plan and Analysis = = = ==

== Back to Syllabus and Contents List

= Resume = <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;">Link your resume to the title of this section. == = = Back to Syllabus and Contents List

= Working Journal: Four Journal Entries =

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Framework for Writing - Use this format of **Description**, **Analysis**, and **Reflection** for __each__ of the four entries. One entry should describe your work with an individual or group of students; one entry should describe your creation of a bulletin board or PowerPoint, or your use of the internet for researching material for a lesson; one entry should describe the lesson you cooperatively teach with the Field Based Supervisor; and one entry can be an observation/interaction of your choice.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Work with an individual or group of students **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Description: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> During my first day of observation, I was allowed to interact with a group of five Spanish students. After my field based supervisor introduced me, I spoke basic Spanish with the students. Each student asked me a question in Spanish, and after I answered them, I asked them different questions to which they had to respond. Because the students have only had one and a half years of Spanish, the questions were relatively simple, such as "How old are you?" and "What do you like to do?"

Reflection: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> When I finished the group interaction, I reflected back on the success of the activity. I think the members of the group respected me more after I spoke Spanish with them. I also feel that the students improved their conversational skills by speaking with me. Overall, I believe that my work with the group of Spanish students was successful, because after the activity, the students respected me more and knew the could come to me with questions if needed.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Analysis: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> The purpose of this interaction was to introduce myself to the students while they practiced speaking Spanish. Each student in the group had time to answer and ask multiple questions. After completing this activity, the students knew basic facts about me and I got to know them. Mr. Miller also had time to observe me and determine my skill level in Spanish, which he could then use to determine whether or not I could teach an independent lesson entirely in Spanish.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Your creation of a bulletin board or PowerPoint or your use of the internet for researching material for a lesson **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Description: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> During the planning period, I researched Spanish activities that would be appropriate for Mr. Miller's students. Because Mr. Miller teaches high school, he does not have a bulletin board in his classroom, and thus he felt the research project would be most beneficial. I initially looked for vocabulary activities, but eventually switched to grammar exercises, which Mr. Miller feels will be more effective. I found four exercises that Mr. Miller will be able to use in his classroom.


 * Analysis:** Each of the four exercises deals with a different grammatical concept. Because learning a second language can be tedious, it is important that teachers utilize a variety of teaching techniques. The internet activities will provide students with the opportunity to practice their grammar individually, which will benefit them overall.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Reflection: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> I believe my activities will benefit the students in Mr. Miller's classroom. Each activity relates to a topic that the students will be learning during this semester. I practiced my own Spanish with each of the activities, and I really enjoyed how I could change the level of difficulty based on my understanding of each topic. These internet activities will provide students with a fun alternative to traditional aural practice.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The lesson you cooperatively teach with the Field Based Supervisor **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Description: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> I cooperatively taught a lesson with my field based supervisor on my very first day at the Gayville-Volin School District. I helped Mr. Miller teach his first year Spanish students how to speak in the imperfect tense, which is used to say that someone "was" doing or "used to" do something. Mr. Miller had already briefly introduced the concept, but when I arrived in this classroom, the students were still relatively confused by the process. I assisted Mr. Miller in reviewing with them by reading a story to them, speaking in the imperfect with Mr. Miller, and asking each student a question that they had to answer using the imperfect tense.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Analysis: ** The purpose of this lesson was quite obvious--to encourage students to practice speaking in the new tense. It was very clear that the students did not have a clear understanding of the imperfect tense, and thus Mr. Miller felt it was necessary to review it with them. We both spoke to the students in Spanish. By listening to me speak in the imperfect tense, students realized that the concept was actually far less difficult than they initially thought.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Reflection: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> In my classroom, I realize that teaching the imperfect tense will be difficult. Because it is generally one of the first tenses taught in Spanish, students generally do not understand the concept of verb conjugation yet. I will be sure to plan various activites to review the imperfect tense and make sure to schedule adequate time for the lesson, which will help me to ensure that every student has grasped the content.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">An observation/interaction of your choice **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Description: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> I observed Mr. Miller discuss the issue of racism with one of his students. The student had made inappropriate comments in the past about people of different races, and Mr. Miller felt it was necessary to address the issue. The student claimed that African American people all thought they were superior to Caucasian people and simply stated that he was indeed racist. Mr. Miller disciplined the student by asking him to be more sensitive to other cultures.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Analysis: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> It was obvious that Mr. Miller needed to do something in this situation. Students, especially in this time period, should not be saying negative comments about people of other races. Though I applaud Mr. Miller for addressing the issue, I feel that he should have disciplined the student more.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Reflection: **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Though i hope I never have to deal with a student making racist comments in my classroom, it is likely that I will someday be in the same situation as Mr. Miller. I believe more action should be taken in this situation and thus I would probably assign some detension time for the student. In my opinion, racism should not be taken lightly.

Back to Syllabus and Contents List

= 30 hours of field-based classroom participation =
 * **Date** || **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Hours ** || **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Description of my activities/participation in the classroom.... ** ||
 * 2/25 || 1 || Met with FBS, completed interview ||
 * 3/8 || 7.5 || Observed in the classroom and taught an assisted lesson ||
 * 3/9 || 7.25 || Observed in the classroom and taught an independent lesson ||
 * 3/10 || 7.5 || Observed in the classroom and taught an assisted lesson ||
 * 5/3 || 4 || Observed in the classroom ||
 * 5/5 || 3 || Observed in the classroom ||

Back to Syllabus and Contents List