module 5 - Motivation and Differentiation

This week our assigned reading was on chapters 12, 14, and 15; Motivation in Learning and Teaching, Teaching Every Student, and Classroom Assessment, Grading, and Standardized Testing.  There were many topics that stuck out to me while reading these chapters.  Three topics that really stuck out to me were intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (p. 463), technology and differentiation (p. 579), and reaching every student: helping students with disabilities prepare for high-stake tests (p. 627).  

While reading chapter twelve, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation stuck out to me.  Intrinsic motivation is one's ability to be motivated by self-determination.  Being self-determined, a person does an activity/task because they enjoy doing that particular thing.  Extrinsic motivation is one being motivated by an external motivator.  These people need an external reward, whether it be something physical or verbal praise, to complete an activity/task.  I feel that extrinsic motivation is more for students who are special education or who struggle with learning.  As for the students who struggle with learning, they should be slowly transitioned to internally motivated.  As for being an educator, I feel that it is important to help guide my students in becoming intrinsic motivators.  As Woolfolk (2019) states, "Teachers must encourage and nurture intrinsic motivation, while making sure that extrinsic motivation supports learning (Anderman & Anderman, 2014; Brophy 2013)."  I want to learn my students and help them to all become intrinsically motivated.  I feel that intrinsic motivation a great thing for general education because it will help students as they grow older and become adults in completing tasks.  

In chapter fourteen, technology and differentiation stuck out to me while reading.  As Woolfolk (2019) states, "For students who require small steps and many repetitions to learn a new concept, computers are the perfect patient tutors, repeating steps and lessons as many times as necessary."  By using computers for these students it allows them to get the repetitive instruction they may need and also allows the teacher to have the time to work with the other students.  A positive for using technology is that it has the capability to record data and the progress of the students.  It also is a great tool for differentiation.  Some websites and programs allow for differentiation for students, especially when you have a classroom that is on different levels.  Another way technology is great is for special education students who are nonverbal, it allows them to communicate with other people.  As Woolfolk (2019) expresses in her text, "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that all students eligible for special education services be considered for assistive technology."  This allows students who are nonverbal the capability to communicate with other people.  Over summer I work with special education students, some of which are nonverbal who use communication devices.  It is amazing to see how well students, who are nonverbal, be able to communicate using their communication device.  The way technology has progressed over the years is absolutely amazing!

Chapter fifteen explains teaching every student: helping students with disabilities prepare for high-stakes tests.  The classrooms that I work in, contain students with learning disabilities.  We are always prepping them for the standardized tests they must take.  We prep them to the best that we can because once it comes to the tests themselves, we are not allowed to assist the students.  As Woolfolk (2019) explains, "The good news is that after completing the preparation program, students improved their scores significantly on the tests.  But the bad news is that the increases were not large enough to bring most of the students to the passing level."  From the beginning of the year, we are teaching students required material, which some will be covered on the tests.  As the testing time gets closer, we will have the students do practice tests, which they will have the allotted time specified for the test.  Even with all the practice that we do with our students, as Woolfolk explained, practice helps increase their scores but not enough to progress them to the "passing" level.  

There was a lot of information that will benefit me as a teacher in the future.  I hope to be able to help my students become intrinsically motivated and want to do things because they are interested in them.  I would also like to become more familiar and be able to understand technology and assistive technology better to benefit my students' education and their progress.  

Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 14th ed., Pearson, 2019.

Teacher Interview

Teacher Interview

1. What inspired you to become a teacher? How long have you been a teacher?

     - My inspiration to become a teacher was actually a teacher I had in high school. It seemed like at the time all my friends going into Junior year had their lives planned out. I had no clue what I wanted to do or what college I wanted to go to. However, my first day of American History with Mr.Thompson my Junior year of high school changed my life. I quickly decided I wanted to be the type of teacher he was. He inspired, believed and taught me so many things I wanted to be that person to students myself, so Senior year I decided the path I would take in life would be education.  I haven't looked back since, and I am so glad I had a Mr.Thompson in my life! I have been teaching for 7 years now and I love every second of it! 

2. How do you build a positive rapport with your students every year?

     - Building a positive rapport with my students is one of the first things I focus on the moment I meet my students each year. Something as simple as a smile, and good morning could make a difference in the type of relationship you have with your students. I always make sure they know I am there for them, listen to them and help them with everything and anything, be approachable, students will not succeed if they are scared of you. 

3. How do you engage students on different levels; whether it be activities or lessons?

     - Having taught multiple levels of students I quickly learned it can be challenging to make sure everyone is engaged at all times, however, I have learned that changing activities slightly to make them more accommodating for lower students or even higher students can make all the difference. Just giving students something totally different then what everyone else is doing isn't always the best option. As far as lessons go, assessing the students and making sure you are being as present as possible while teaching the lesson you will see and pick up on who are your students that are falling behind or getting it quickly, which could help with maybe pulling small groups, or giving extra practice time. 

4. How do you ensure all students are participating regardless of confidence issues in the classroom?

     - I use multiple things, I have a number system where I will randomly pull the students' number out of a bucket, or I use a random number generator online if you are a more tech-savvy person! Haha 

5. What is your classroom management plan? Has it changed since you started teaching? What has worked? What hasn’t worked?

     - I have had multiple classroom management plans in my short seven years of teaching and I feel like they change every year. You can't just stick with the same thing and expect it to work for every group of kids you teach. Every class is different and you have to find what works best for that specific group of students, not to mention grade level. I have learned in 6th grade that clip up and clip down charts do not work. Big kids do not care about that. I have learned that a reward system of some kind always works. 

6. What would you say is a weakness for you? How have you overcome it or how are you working on making it better? What is your strength? 

     - As teachers, I think we are always hard on ourselves when it comes to everything. Currently, I feel my biggest weakness is technology. Times have changed and integrating tech into my classroom has been a challenge. I have taken a few PD's and talk with my teammates all the time and bounce ideas off of them and learn from them, which I find to be the best!  My strength would be making sure my students know that I'm here to help them succeed and I won't let them fail. 

7. What advice did you wish you received your first year? What would your best advice be to a first-year teacher?

     - I wish I would have known that, while teaching is the most rewarding profession it can also be the most challenging one. You really have to find a balance between your classroom life, home life and everything else going on. Make sure to have that balance.  Things that happen in the classroom as far as students, curriculum, parents and everything else, is not going to be in your book, you learn from your mistakes and grow from them. I guess that would also be my advice. Learn from mistakes and take advice and always be open to criticism, good or bad! I have a poster in my classroom that says pencils have erasers for a reason. We make mistakes so we can learn from them, don't be scared to try new things and fail. You can always erase and start over. That, in my opinion, makes the best kind of teachers!! 

My Response

       For my Educational Psychology class, we had an assignment that required us to interview a teacher that has taught for five or more years.  I had the pleasure of interviewing a 6th grade, General Education teacher, Sarah Zabelka.  Mrs. Zabelka teaches at Frank A. Brodnicki Elementary School in Justice.  She has been teaching there for 7 years. 

       I wanted to base the majority of my questions on creating a positive rapport with the students, how to engage all students, classroom management - what has worked for them and what has not, what a weakness and strength is for them and how they are doing to surpass them, and some advice they wish they received and would give. 

I started off by asking Mrs. Zabelka what inspired her to become a teacher and how long she has been a teacher.  She was so energetic and excited to tell me about her high school experience and her path to education.  We then slid into how she creates a positive rapport with her students every year, that is the first thing she does the moment she meets her students.  She makes her students feel comfortable and shows them that she is there to help them with everything and anything.  As the text states in chapter 13, page 512, “All students should feel emotionally and physically safe in the classroom.”  Mrs. Zabelka does this by being and showing the students she is approachable.  Also, in chapter 13, it states “All efforts directed toward building positive relationships with students and creating a classroom community are steps toward preventing management problems.” 

We then discussed how she engages students on different levels; whether it be during activities or lessons.  Her response was “It can be challenging at times to make sure everyone is engaged at all times, however, I have learned that changing activities slightly to make them more accommodating for lower level students or even higher level students can make all the difference.” She then continued to state, “As far as lessons go assessing the students and making sure you are being present as possible while teaching the lesson you will see and pick up who are your students that are falling behind or getting it quickly, which could help with pulling small groups or giving extra practice time.”  As Woolfolk explains in the text, “as teacher supervision increases, students’ engaged time also increases.  One study found that elementary students working directly with a teacher were on task 97% of the time, but students working on their own were on task only 57% of the time (Frick, 1990).”  By Mrs. Zabelka being present and available, she is showing her students that she is there if and/or when they need help.  This shows that she is caring and willing to do what it takes to help her students succeed. 

This led me to ask her how she ensures all students are participating regardless of confidence issues in the classroom.  The way she can track that all students are participating is by using a number system.  Each student is assigned a number, which is used for multiple things, she will pull sticks out of a bucket with numbers and that is how she does this.  Another way she will randomly select students is by using the computer to randomly generate numbers for students to participate.  As the text states, “These rules defining who can talk, what they can talk about, when and to whom they can talk, and how long they can talk are often called participation structures.” (Woolfolk, p 511).  Mrs. Zabelka represents this structure because when she calls a students number, they know that it is their turn to answer a question and/or participate.  I like the structure of her process to ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate in activities and lessons.

The text states, “The basic management task for teachers is to achieve order and harmony by gaining and maintaining student cooperation in class activities” (Woolfolk, p 510).  I asked Mrs. Zabelka what her classroom management plan was and if it has changed since she started teaching.  Her response was that she has had multiple plans since she started and that she feels like they change every year.  She continues to explain that you cannot stick with the same plan and expect it to work each year with different groups of students.  I feel that her response to this is very accurate based on the fact that your student demographic changes from year to year and so does the cognitive skills of each student.  With that being said, I would devise different ways to create a safe, respectful, and fun environment for my students to learn. 

Everyone struggles with a weakness, which brought me to ask Mrs. Zabelka what her weakness was and how she is learning to overcome it.  Her response was “As teachers, I think we are always hard on ourselves when it comes to everything.  Currently, I feel my biggest weakness is technology.  Times have changed and integrating technology into my classroom has been a challenge.  I have taken a few PD’s and talk with my teammates all the time and bounce ideas off of them and learn from them, which I find to be the best!”  I like how she is very open and her willingness to educate herself on new ideas to bring technology into her classroom.  I also like that she is able to collaborate with her teammates and everyone works together to help one another succeed.  Her strength is that she makes sure her students know that she is there to help them succeed and will not let them fail.  I feel that this is a great strength to have in order for your students to succeed and I plan on making sure I do the same thing. 

My last question for Mrs. Zabelka was what advice she wishes she received her first year and then what advice would she give to a first-year teacher.  She replied, “I wish I would have known that while teaching is the most rewarding profession, it can also be the most challenging one.”  She continued to state that you have to find a balance between school, home, and personal life.  That there are going to be things that happen in your classroom as far as students, the curriculum, parents, and many other things.  As these challenges arise it will encourage you to understand that mistakes will happen but not let them get you down but to learn and grow from those mistakes; this is also her advice.  She expressed, trying new things and failing are learning experiences and that we should accept advice and criticism; whether it is good or bad.  She stated that she has a poster in her classroom for all of her students to view that says, “Pencils have erasers for a reason!  You can always erase and start over!”  Mrs. Zabelka feels that this makes the best kind of teachers!

        After this interview, I was grateful to be able to interview such a young, strong, positive teacher.  I will take every part of this interview and apply it to my future classroom.  She had many great tips and information that everyone can learn from the amazing interview I had with Mrs. Zabelka.  

Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 14th ed., Pearson, 2019.

Module 4 - Styles of Learning

     This week the assigned reading was on chapters nine, ten, and eleven; covering complex cognitive process, constructivism and designing learning environments, and social cognitive views of learning and motivation.  There were topics covered that stuck out to me, three of them were applying learning strategies, cognitive apprenticeships in reading: reciprocal teaching, and technology and self-regulation.

     In chapter nine, Woolfolk (2019) explains applying learning strategies.  She states that one of the most common findings in research on learning strategies involves production deficiencies (2019).  The text states that students do not apply the strategies they have learned when they could or should.  Woolfolk expresses this is especially a problem for students with learning disabilities.  Students need to be taught and understand the reasoning behind the strategies.  For example, in math, we teach the students percentages and algebraic expressions.  As we are teaching the students percentages, we explain to them that this is a life skill they will use as they get older.  We'll make up a scenario that they are at the store and they are having a 30% sale and need to know if they have enough money to buy a shirt they want.  Another scenario that we make up is at a restaurant and trying to figure out how much to leave for a tip.  We explain these real-life situations so they understand they are needed and how to apply them in the future.  I feel that this is vital for all students to understand, so they know how to apply strategies when needed.

       In chapter ten, it explains cognitive apprenticeships in reading: reciprocal teaching.   Woolfolk (2019) explains that students in small groups learn four strategies: summarizing the content, asking a question, clarifying difficult parts, and predict what will come next.  This has been practiced in some of the classrooms I have worked in. The teacher will read aloud a chapter or two of the book of that quarter.  The following day the students will work in assigned small groups on a graphic organizer that helps the students understand the main idea of those specific chapters.  For example, a book the students read is Hatchet, the students will complete a graphic organizer and while doing so will discuss the four strategies.  I believe these are good strategies so the students can get a better understanding of the text they are reading. 

     In chapter eleven, it describes technology and self-regulation.  As Woolfolk (2019) states, students need to evaluate the information they find online.  They also need to be motivated to stay focused on what they are doing while working on the computer.  Some of the classrooms that I have worked in have practiced the strategies they explain in the text.  When the students are working on the computer they are typically looking up information for a research paper.  There are other times the students are working on the computer they are working on educational websites; whether it is Hour of Code, Prodigy, or another site learning and practicing what they already know.  The students enjoy playing these games and are always wanting to play, even during recess they will play these games, which tells us they are engaged and interested in them.  Technology has come such a long way, even since I was in school.  These strategies will always be in the back of my mind to help keep my students engaged and on track while learning on the computer. 

     These topics that I have brought up, are things I will bring into my future classroom to help in teaching my students as best as I can with as many resources I can. 






Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 14th ed., Pearson, 2019.

Module 3 - Behavior and Classroom Management

     This week we were assigned chapters seven and thirteen, which covered Behavioral Views of Learning and Managing Learning Environments.  While reading both of these chapters the topics that stuck out to me were positive behavior support (p. 285) and the goals of classroom management (p. 511).

   In chapter 7, according to Woolfolk (2019), positive behavior supports can help students with disabilities succeed in inclusion classrooms.  Last year when I was working in the second-grade classroom, the student I was working with a binder.  In the binder, there were charts, superhero tokens, tasks, rewards for him to choose from.  This particular student was rewarded superhero tokens based on his behavior and completion of his work.  As the year went on the level of difficulty progressed.  For example with his assignments, he would have to complete 5-10 problems, depending on the subject, instead of one like at the beginning of the year.  He would also have to earn more superhero tokens as the year went on for his reward.  For example, at the beginning of the year, he only needed to receive 3 tokens to receive his reward at first then it progressed to 10 tokens but it took a little more to receive those tokens.  Some of the rewards he was able to choose from was helping make copies, going for a walk/searching for "bears" throughout the school, watch a short youtube video, and a few others.  These were all things that he enjoyed doing, so it encouraged him to complete his work and receive the tokens.  This is not only good for students with special needs but also for general education students.  Woolfolk (2019) states that "research shows that disciplinary referrals decrease when the whole school uses PBS (Positive Behavior Supports) approaches for all students, but the improvement is especially evident for students at the greatest risk for behavior problems (Bradshaw, Waasdorp, & Leaf, 2015)."

   In chapter 13, as Woolfolk (2019), states "The aim of classroom management is to maintain a positive, productive learning environment."  She breaks it down into access to learning, more time for learning, management means relationships, and management for self-management.  Access to learning explains that each activity has its own participation rules in the classroom.  With this as a teacher at the beginning of every year and each activity, you must clearly state the participation rules so the students understand their expectations.  For example, during a math lesson, students are to answer at least one math problem so you, as the teacher, understand that each student is understanding the content that is being taught.  More time for learning will allow you to cover the necessary content that needs to be taught instead of spending it on transition or any other nonlearning situations.  For example, if the lesson you are about to teach requires a handout, pass it out as the students are transitioning into their next subject and getting their required supplies and putting away what is not needed. Instead of waiting for the students to get situated and then passing out the handout.  Management means relationship, as Woolfolk (2019) states, all students should feel emotionally and physically safe in the classroom.  Beyond that, they should experience respect and caring.  You as a teacher need to build a positive rapport with your students right from the get-go, so they can feel and experience all of this.  I agree with Woolfolk when students feel and know they are supported and cared for by their teacher(s) and peers, they will tend to participate more during activities.  Management for self-management is a system to help guide the students to become more independent and manage themselves.  As Woolfolk (2019) explains, "Encouraging self-management requires extra time, but teaching students how to take responsibility is an investment well worth the effort."  She continues to state "if you teach your students to manage their own behavior and learning, you should have fewer management problems, less stress, and more time to teach, which would support your growing sense of teacher efficacy.  With teaching students self-management and responsibility, it helps the students when it comes to them working independently as they get older and continue on in school.  This I feel is a major topic, especially with elementary and Jr. High students.  I will implement this system into my classroom to aid in the success of my students and they continue their education.

   I hope to work with the older elementary students, so these topics will help build my classroom and make it successful.  It will also aid in the management of my classroom.

Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 14th ed., Pearson, 2019.

Module 2 - Learning to Work With Your Students

     This week's assigned reading was chapters four, five, and six.  These chapters covered learner differences and learning needs, language development, language diversity, and immigrant education, and culture and diversity.  While reading there were three topics that stuck out to me, either from personal experiences or through working as a paraprofessional for the last six years.  The three topics that stuck out to me were students with hyperactivity and attention disorders (p. 149), when and how does language develop (p. 179), and lessons for teachers: teaching every student(p. 253).

     According to Woolfolk (2019), there were no "hyperactive children" 50 to 60 years ago and now about 11% of children are diagnosed with ADHD in the United States and about 5%-7% around the world.  I know several people who are diagnosed with ADHD, some have been on medications for years to help them cope, function, and handle this diagnosis.  I have also worked with students with ADHD and even ADD, it is a learning experience to work with these type of students and you must have patience, especially if the student/person is not medicated properly.  Last year, I helped work with a student that was not medicated and he was always fidgeting and/or standing and standing around.  With this particular student, I would have to remind him to concentrate on his work and once it was completed we could take a walk so he could expel some of his energy.  This past school year, I was helping with a student with ADHD/ADD but not properly medicated.  This particular student would go through phases, some days he would come in and be super focused and be able to work with no problem.  There were other days he would come in and be all over the place because he could not focus because he was very fidgety and had to be moving constantly.  He also had days that he would come in and he would just stare off into space and I or the teacher would have to be in close proximity to make sure he was on task because he was daydreaming.  Teaching students with ADHD and/or ADD, you have to learn your students and know what works and what does not work for them.  With being in the classroom now for six years it has given me many opportunities to learn different techniques for students with ADHD and/or ADD.

     Another topic that caught my eye was when and how does language develop.  Woolfolk(2019) explains that children between the ages of 2 and 3 can use about 450 words even though they can understand many more.  Then, by the age of 6, children's expressive vocabulary will grow to about 2,600 words, and their receptive vocabulary will be an impressive 20,000-plus words (Otto,2010).   Last year, I had a student who had only been hearing for about a year.  The summer of him going into first grade he had tubes put into his ears which allowed him to hear.  So, last year in 2nd-grade he had only been hearing for a year and he struggled with many things.  This little boy struggled with spelling because he struggled with certain sounds because of this he had a modified spelling list.   When giving his spelling test whoever was reading the words would have to be right next to him so he could clearly hear the word being said.  His reading level was also lower than it should have been.  He was being pulled out of the classroom by a reading specialist to help him with reading.  He also was pulled out for speech because he stuttered when he talked, so they worked on getting him to be more confident with his words.  Another student that I worked with as a one-on-one last year struggled with speech, he would skip the more or less the first letter/consonant.  For example, if he was were to say 'home' it would sound like he's saying "ome".  He understood everything we would say to him so we did not have that barrier, it took some time but we were eventually able to better understand what he was trying to tell us as the year went on.  These are more lessons that I will be able to bring into my classroom when I become a teacher.

     Which brings me to my next topic of lessons for teachers: teaching every student.  In order to properly teach your students, you must know yourself, know your students, and respect your students.  Like the one video we had to watch, the white female teacher said that she learned that to some of her students she would have to tell them to sit down instead of asking them to sit down.  You must know what your student(s) will respond to.  This is something that I have learned about being in the classroom for six years.  This past school year, I was subbing in a classroom half day, and I knew there was a student who could be a little stinker some times.  While the students were having recess indoors she was trying to pull a fast one on me and another student called her out and she did not like that very much and she started calling him names.  I sternly said her name and told her to sit in a chair on the other side of the room.  I let a couple minutes go by to let her cool off and then I called her over to me and had a calm conversation with her.  After having this calm conversation about her actions, we had mutual respect for one another and she never caused trouble for me again.  Knowing and understanding my students will be key once I get my own classroom.

     With working in a diverse public school, you never know what will walk through our classroom door and we always have to be ready for anything.  These three topics will help me in being able to handle many different situations.

Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 14th ed., Pearson, 2019.

Module 1 - Teaching & Student Development

     This week, we were assigned chapter's one, two, and three of the Educational Psychology textbook written by Anita Woolfolk. Within these chapters, we read about learning, teaching and educational psychology, cognitive development, and the self, social, and moral development in chapters one, two, and three.  While reading these chapters, there were a few topics that stuck out to me because I have seen some of them first hand in the six years I have been a paraprofessional.  The top three that stuck out to me were an inclusive class (p. 9), adaption (p. 47)/assisted learning (p. 65), and play, recess, and physical activity (p. 76).  

     In chapter one, Woolfolk describes three different classrooms a bilingual first grade, a suburban fifth grade, and an inclusive class.  Out of the three classes, she described the class that stuck out more to me was the inclusive classroom.  The reason this class stuck out to me more is that I have worked in inclusive classrooms all six years as a paraprofessional.  This past school year I worked in two different classrooms with students with IEP's.  Even though these students had IEPs, the teachers included them and had them doing the same thing as the other students.  She would even have them share responses, answer questions, and have them read aloud.  Because these students had IEP's I would walk around and assist them on the assignments they had.  There were times the students would work in small groups, sometimes the students with IEPs were put into the same group (if the assignment was a little harder) or they were included in the other groups and the teacher and I would walk around assisting all the groups.  Being able to experience this first hand prior to having my own classroom, guides me and shows me how I will do things in my classroom in the future.  

     In chapter two, Woolfolk explains adaption, either assimilation or accommodation.  Accommodations stick out to me the most between those two because the classrooms I have worked in, we were always making accommodations for students.  For example, if students had an IEP and were struggling with spelling we would knock some of the spelling words off, so they had less to study and be able to perfect the ones they had to remember.  Another accommodation that was being made was cutting their assignments down, so they did not have as much work to do as the other students.  This typically was done in math because they would understand the concept but it would take them a little bit longer to do.  So, instead of making them sit for hours trying to work on all of the problems, they would only have to do half of them.  This way it showed us that they understood the concept without making them work longer than they needed to.  Another part that stuck out to me in chapter two was assisted learning.  I feel these two concepts go hand-in-hand.  If the students are getting assisted learning, they're getting accommodations.  While the classroom teacher is at the front of the classroom teaching, I will walk around and checking on the students who struggle or have IEP's.  Once the students break off and start working independently or in small groups is when I will assist them with their work.  If a student is still struggling with a concept, I will show them again but slower or I will even show them another way to look at it, then they usually understand it a lot better.  Assisted teaching and accommodations are constantly being implemented in the classrooms I have worked in the past six years.  I enjoy being able to see this first hand to be able to understand specific students limitations and work with the student individually instead of as a whole group.  

     In chapter three, Woolfolk explains the development of children through play, recess, and physical activity.  Woolfolk (2019) states that preschoolers love make-believe play and use pretending to form symbols, explore language, and interact with others.  This stood out to me because last school year I was working in a 2nd-grade classroom as a one-on-one for a student with down syndrome.  He absolutely loved playing with his friends.  They would pretend they were superheroes or dinosaurs.  I feel this was a good way for him to interact with his classmates because his oral skills were not the greatest but when they were playing, the other students were able to understand what he was doing.  When they would play superheroes, he would fly and his classmates would fly with him.  Other times he would catch them and lock them up because they were "bad guys" and they understood that he was catching them and locking them up and they would play right along with him.  Another way he would play was going on a bear hunt throughout the school.  He would say he saw a bear and once we would get some work done, we would take a break and find the bear.  Some times we would "follow" the bears' footprints and when he would see the bear he would put his finger up to his mouth so we could be quiet, not to scare the bear off.  This was another game that he really enjoyed playing.  It brought much joy to me that he was able to interact with his other classmates even though they wouldn't use words to interact.

     Once I get into a classroom myself, I will remember these interactions I had as a paraprofessional.  These three concepts will be in the back of my mind to help me build myself and become the best teacher I can be.  I will remember that not everyone learns the same way and that they may need accommodations and assisted learning.  Also, students need to have fun and play to help grow their minds, not everything needs to be taught strictly in the classroom.

Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 14th ed., Pearson, 2019.

Module 1 - Context for Learning - Description of School & Students

Trinity Christian College Field Experience Form

Context for Learning

Description of School and Students

About the School Where You Are Observing or doing Field Experience

School Name and City: Frank A. Brodnicki in Justice

Type of School: Elementary school, Middle School, High School, or Other:   Elementary School

Setting: Urban, Suburban, or Rural: Suburban

Write your responses to the three questions below in paragraph form.

1.      List any special features of the school or classroom setting (e.g., themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, co-taught with a special education teacher, pull-out program).

a.      Special features of the school and/or classroom include a full-time paraprofessional. Students with an IEP will be pulled by a Special Education teacher.  The class is co-taught with the Special Education teacher. 

2.      Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that affect the planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests.

a.      The districts current expectations of delivery of instruction are based on a required curriculum, that is issued from the curriculum department.  The district also requires a quarterly assessment to record student progress from quarter to quarter.  The standardized test that is completed by the students in grades 3-6 is the IAR.

3.    For special education only: List any educators with specialized expertise in the school/district (e.g., specific disabilities, subject-specific pedagogy, English language development, speech therapists).

About the Students in this Class [Give a brief or one-word response]

1.    Estimated percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch:  40%

2.    Grade level(s): 6th

3.    Number of

a.    students in the class: 19

b.    males: 9

females: 10

c.    English language learners: none

d.    students identified as gifted and talented: none

e.    students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans:  8

4.    Complete the chart below to summarize required accommodations or modifications for students receiving special education services and/or students who are gifted and talented as they will affect instruction. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete the chart. The first row has been completed in italics as an example. Use as many rows as you need.

Special Education Category	Number of Students	Accommodations, Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP Goals
Example: Learning Disability	Example: 4	Example: Close monitoring, follow up, and Resource Room
IEP	4	Close proximity, small group instruction, pull-out instruction
504	4	Asthma, glasses, allergies

About the Class You Observed

1.      How much time is devoted each day to instruction in the classroom? Describe the class periods (if applicable)? Choose a content area of your specialty or major. How much time is devoted to teaching that subject?

a.      Math and literacy have about an hour to an hour and a half devoted instruction time each day. 

2.      Is there any ability grouping or tracking? If so, please describe how it affects your class.

a.      Yes, there is ability tracking in literacy in my classroom.  All instruction is differentiated to assist students to reach their goal.

3.      Identify any textbook or instructional program you primarily use for instruction. If a textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of publication.

a.      The instructional program we primarily use for literacy instruction is, each quarter students are required to read a chapter book provided from the district.  The students are given a comprehension, vocabulary and spelling test each week based according to the required text.

4.      List other resources (e.g., SMARTBoard, manipulatives, online resources) used for instruction in this class.

a.      My classroom uses basal readers, classroom and whole school library, text sets, and Chromebooks for literacy instruction.

5.      What do you know about what your students know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do? What do you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests?

a.      A few of my students have IEP’s that include provided support on classwork and accommodations on tests and homework.  A few other students have 504’s which also include accommodations.  My students are working towards their written goals based on their IEP and/or grade level goals.  My students’ everyday experiences vary, some are low-income and others are middle-class.  The classroom is culturally diverse which includes Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, and Muslims.  The students are interested in video/computer games, music/dancing, sports, and many other things.

  

6.      Describe one teaching event. What best practices in teaching were used?

a.      One teaching event in the classroom that best practices teaching was when the students were being taught a math lesson.  The students learned as a whole group and then broke off into small groups and worked together to work on a worksheet together and the teacher and I (Paraprofessional) walked around the classroom working/helping students.