Week Eight

Secondary Methods Student Weekly Reflection Sheet

Sam Houston State University

Name: Katy Wood

Date: 10/24/11

1. The most positive aspect of my field experience (or an area I showed strength) since my last reflection has been: Being able to work with the students and getting to know them and how they learn. I had the opportunity this week to observe a middle school classroom and work with junior high level students. I felt like I could teach middle school students better than high school students since I didn’t almost blend into the class looking as young as I do. I feel I could teach middle school students very well using their creative energy.

2. The aspects of my field experience which most need improvement or adjustment include:

Again, with the high school students, I just need to figure out what works best to keep them quiet when I’m trying to speak to them. I don’t always want to yell, but sometimes I feel that I won’t be heard unless I do. Other times, I will get the students quiet and attentive and speak in a softer voice, and that works quite well. Only it doesn’t work for very long, and they get rowdy again.

3. Two important things I have learned about teaching and learning through my field experience since my last reflection include:

Middle school aged students have tons of energy. And I feel that in my future classroom, I could provide an outlet for releasing all of that energy through activities and performances, keeping their creativity blossoming. I have also learned that teachers should never search for internet videos during a class. You never know what type of material may pop up, even if the school’s internet is censored.

Secondary Methods: Reflecting on Emerging Dispositions and Diversity Proficiencies

1. Demonstrates ability to be understanding, respectful and inclusive of diverse populations.

2. Demonstrates an attitude of reflection and thoughtfulness about professional growth and instruction.

3. Demonstrates a commitment to literacy, inquiry, and reflection.

4. Practices ethical behavior and intellectual honesty.

5. Demonstrates thoughtfulness in communication and an awareness and appreciation of varying voices.

During my field experience in a middle school this past week, I was aware of the young voices and what they offered to the class. The students were in groups working on their voices of their readers theatre plays, and I went around asking the students in the different groups about the different voices they were using. I even offered up suggestions for them to try. One group’s play was in monkey land, so we had to practice monkey sounds.

6. Demonstrates a commitment to adapting instruction or programs to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Last week, during an advanced theatre class at the high school, the students were working in groups on their scenes where they had to play two different characters in the same scene. They had to leave and come back with a different prop or outfit to change characters. While working with a group, one of their costume pieces was a tie, and none of the students in that group knew how to tie a tie. I took a couple minutes to demonstrate how to tie one so they would know for the future, as well as for their scene performance.

7. Demonstrates knowledge of second language acquisition and a commitment to adapting instruction or programs to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

8. Leads diverse learners to higher level thinking in cognitive, affective and/or psychomotor domains.

9. Uses assessment as a tool to evaluate learning and improve instruction for all learners.

During the scene performances, I used a rubric to grade the different scenes. The rubric was based on an individual performance, with a total of 20 points each, but since there were five students in a group, I graded each performer individually and calculated up the total score for their group grade. I then took the individual grade and multiplied by five to get the individual grade. I found this rubric to be very effective in evaluating the students’ performances.

10. Demonstrates a commitment to using technology to create an authentic learning environment that promotes problem solving and decision making for diverse learners.