Week Five

Secondary Methods Student Weekly Reflection Sheet

Sam Houston State University

Name: Katy Wood

Date: October 2, 2011

1. The most positive aspect of my field experience (or an area I showed strength) since my last reflection has been:

The most positive aspect of my field experience has been my interaction with other teachers in the school. Up until this point, I have not spoken but to two other teachers in the school. Wednesday, all the teachers were required to fill out this list of students on a certain program in the computer lab, so I went with my mentor teacher to help her input the names. In the process, I ended up talking with other teachers in the school and either helped them out as well, or just talked about the school in general. I enjoyed being able to talk with other teachers.

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

I feel I still need to work on discipline in the classroom. It isn’t to say that I cannot control the classroom, but rather it’s about figuring out the various ways that work and that don’t work. Some procedures that work very well for certain teachers don’t always work as well with others, so I am still trying to figure out what works for me.

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

One thing I have learned about teaching is school districts are using a lot of different technology devices and programs. There’s a different program for all the different things teachers do on a daily basis, like inputting grades and attendance. I also learned that when one major source of misbehavior is absent from a class, it makes a huge difference in the learning environment. There is one particular student that is incredibly obnoxious in my mentor teacher’s 6^th period class, and he was absent on Wednesday. The classroom atmosphere was so much better that it typically is with this student being present.

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.

I demonstrated an awareness and appreciation of varying voices during one of the advanced theatre classes when I asked the class to get into groups and choose different improv games off a list and perform them for the class. It was interesting because each group brought completely different ideas and concepts to the table, and it was fun to watch how the different groups thought. By allowing the students to come up with their own ideas how the games should be played, it was easy to appreciate the different voices and ideas of the different students.

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

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.

During one of the class periods, I told the class to get into groups of about four, and I gave them a list of improvisational games. I told them to choose two games off the list they liked and to present these games to the class. I did not give them much time to practice these games because I wanted them to think on their feet. By having them perform these games shortly after they chose them, it lead them to higher level thinking skills because nothing was scripted and they had to adjust their words to the direction the scene was headed.

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

This was one of the biggest things I discussed with my mentor on Wednesday. The teachers at this district have a program that shows every single student and how well they are currently doing in school, and it also predicts how well they will do in the future. There is a bell curve with different colors and lines to describe each student. For example, one of the students had a red color in the far left section of the bell curve, indicating that they were not doing well and they probably would continue to not do well in school. Knowing that information really helped with catering to the various learning capabilities of the different students. Also, this program gave tips to help with the different levels of students, such as using more encouragement or more group activities…etc.

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