Math Blog #2: My Field Placement Experience

    

    

    I was placed in a 4th-grade ELA/Social Studies classroom, and I learned a lot about the behind the scenes of teaching. Something very important I learned, was that teaching is a very fast-paced profession, and you need to be flexible and be prepared to adapt. On the very first day of field, our class went on a field trip. All of the teachers were concerned about their students getting their permission slips signed,  who was going on what bus, which students couldn't sit next to each other on the bus, etc. Sometimes when you plan an activity and the students are very chaotic that day, you might have to scrap it and come up with a whole new idea. If students aren't very engaged during an activity, you might have to find a lesson/activity that does. 

    This week, my field partner and I learned firsthand the importance of being flexible and adaptable. We had to teach a social studies lesson to the morning and afternoon classes. The morning lesson did not go very well. The lesson wasn't very cohesive, and the students struggled during the activity because of it. Before the afternoon lesson, we changed the order of the slides, and added more practice before the activity. We also just felt a lot more comfortable, since we had a little experience under our belts from the morning class. This adaption helped tremendously, and the students loved the activity. Adapting materials and lessons is a huge part of a teacher's job, so that they can best support their students. I'm really glad we got the opportunity to reflect and adjust our lesson. That is another thing that we learned, teachers need to constantly reflect on their lessons, to ensure the students are engaged and comprehend the lesson. 

    One practice I noticed that worked well for the students, was PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports). The school I was placed at uses Class Dojo. This allows the teachers to reward students with Dojo points, which they can cash in for prizes. Students can earn points for being responsible, kind, helping others, completing homework, participating in the lesson, etc. Class Dojo also allows students to create their own avatar, and is a great platform to communicate with parents. I've learned schools that use PBIS "support their students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral success, engage with families to create locally-meaningful and culturally-relevant outcomes, and use data to make informed decisions that improve the way things work for everyone" (Center on PBIS). I will definitely be using Class Dojo in my future classroom to reward my students as PBIS, and to communicate with the parents.

       As I wrap up this blog post, I would just like to say how thankful I am for my host teacher and the rest of the 4th-grade team. The three of them welcomed my field partner and me with open arms, and have included us in everything. They allowed us to attend lesson plan meetings, an IEP meeting, and backward planning meetings. They changed their schedules, just so we could teach a couple lessons. We have learned so much from these teachers, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be in their classrooms. We will definitely miss these teachers and students after our field placement.