Meredith Duncan
April 9, 2012
Textbook Assignment #6
REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT (DUE 4/15/12)
Student Teaching Cohort for Spring 2012
The Student Teaching and Field Experiences Handbook (7th
edition) will be required to complete this assignment fully.
The assignment needs to be saved as a Word document (.doc or .docx).
No other formats will be accepted. You will upload the document into
the iLearn Dropbox no later than April 15, 2012. No exceptions will be
made.
1. Based upon the unit plan that you taught this semester, what are two or three
things you would have done differently to improve student learning based on
their various needs and characteristics? Consider missed opportunities and
other aspects of planning, instruction and/or assessment.
Although my unit plan went very well, there are always things when reflected upon
that could have been done differently or missed opportunities. In my unit plan I would
have allowed more time for the last lesson in the unit or just left it out altogether. The
last lesson was finding fractions of a given number. An example would be ¼ of 12
crayons are red. I approached this lesson and taught the students how to divide the
given items into x equal groups, and then count how many objects were in each group.
Then for ¼ of a given set to count how many were in one group and that would be their
answer. They did extremely well with this, but when trying to apply the information on
their own they were lost. The students had trouble dividing the groups up and
understanding the concept of division to find the correct answer. These students have
never been introduced to multiplication or division. Division is almost an essential
aspect to understand this lesson.
Another thing I would have changed in my unit plan would have been to implement
more literature into the concept of math. There is so much research the boasts the
positives of including literature in cross-curricular content. I did not include as much
literature as I should have in this unit plan due to time constraints, but in the future I
would make sure to apply literature into math.
The last thing I would have changed in my unit plan would have been to tie in
learning of percents and decimals with the unit concept of fractions. Time and time
again, research has proven the benefits of teaching students fractions, decimals, and
percents together. I used the county’s required curricula and was unable to introduce
this theory into my lessons. In the future, I want to at least introduce the idea of
decimals and percents together with fractions so they are not so intimidating to
students in their future.
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Meredith Duncan
April 9, 2012
Textbook Assignment #6
2. According to Chapter 2, several motivational strategies are identified. In
collaboration with your school-based mentor, discuss any strategies that were
utilized during the semester. Which were the most effective? Why?
In discussion with my mentor we identified several motivational
strategies that I have implemented this semester. One that my mentor
pointed out I use and have continuously is that of enthusiasm. Students feed
off of the energy that the teacher displays. I always tried to display an
enthusiasm for the content I was teaching and my mentor told me she could
sit and watch the kids sit straighter in their chairs and get excited the more I
talked to them about the content. This was extremely effective because it is
a proven fact that when students’ interest level goes up their learning
capabilities go up with that interest level.
I graded several pieces of work that students completed for both me
and my mentor. When grading if there were things students needed to work
on or if they just needed that extra push to give their best work I would
write a little note on their paper. I learned that a lot of times students only
receive ‘bad’ notes on their papers that exclaim their mistakes. I began not
only writing helping notes, but also notes to tell students how great their
work was, or when I had seen them putting hard work into their
assignments. I loved handing back their papers and seeing them smile after
reading notes I had wrote them. Nine times out of ten the student would
come up and tell me thank you for the note and say they would give me their
best work. To me that alone proves the effectiveness of positive remarks
being given to students in writing.
3. Chapter 5 discusses multiple classroom management strategies. In
collaboration with your school-based mentor, what are the strategies used in
your classroom? Which were the most effective? Why? Did you introduce any
“new” strategies in your classroom?
The classroom management strategy that has been established in the
classroom from the beginning of the year is a sign-in based strategy. Students sign a
book for misbehaving, not doing homework, disrupting, etc. The behavior
management program is as follows:
1st Sign-In: Reminder/ Warning
2nd Sign-In: -10 minutes of Recess
3rd Sign-In: -20 minutes of recess
th
4 Sign-In: Sent to office and notify parents
Rewards
Extra recess, special activities, Fantastic Fridays, good grades, and treats
Some other strategies that were used included raising of hand to quiet the
classroom, having a level zero volume in hallway, and if the entire class was out of
hand they had to wait an x amount of time before going to recess and lay with head
on desk and think of ways to make behavior better.
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Meredith Duncan
April 9, 2012
Textbook Assignment #6
I implemented some new strategies. The most effective one was to help with
transition time. The class had an extremely difficult time transitioning from one
activity to the next. I soon realized how much instructional time was being lost due
to transitions in the day. I thought about it and one day tried just simply counting to
ten and having students ready for the next activity within those 20-30 seconds it
took to count to ten. If they were not ready the consequence was signing in the
book. I was impressed at how well the strategy worked and how much more
instruction time was gained by fixing transition times.
4. Chapter 7 involves the various instructional strategies that are commonly used.
In collaboration with your school-based mentor, identify the strategies you
implemented in your classroom. Also, discuss the most effective strategies and
explain why you think they were most effective.
I implemented several instructional strategies during my student teaching including:
discussion, graphic organizers, demonstration, Brainpop.com, group review, and
questioning. They all proved to be effective and the students benefited from all of the
strategies. I learned that discussion is far more beneficial than lecture. When students are
involved they gain so much more information because they are talking through their
learning and able to be actively involved in gaining new knowledge. I implemented the use
of several graphic organizers to help students sort and organize their thoughts about
learning. I saw their comprehension go up when they wrote and organized the content they
were learning. It also provided great study tools for the students to use other than just
flipping through their book to prepare for tests. I have always found strength in asking
students questions that involve higher-order thinking. When students had to think before
they answered a question and try to apply it to their everyday life they were forced to learn
the material on a higher level helping the material ingrain in their minds. A website that I
found I love is called Brainpop.com and Brainpopjr.com. Students absolutely love the
movies, quizzes, and activities that come from the website. The videos are less than five
minutes and it presents material in extremely kid-friendly terms. These videos allow for
students to hear the material presented in a different way so that all types of learners can
benefit.
5. Chapter 8 discusses various creative thinking activities. In collaboration with
your school-based mentor, what activities did you incorporate in your
classroom? Explain how you applied each activity.
I used two forms of creative thinking activities as defined by chapter eight in the
textbook. One was the use of ‘creative dramatics.’ During a reading unit the students were
learning about cause and effect. We used plays such as Rumplestiltskin and Pushing Up the
Sky. By having students act out the plays and stories they were better able to identify the
cause and effect of both stories. This allowed for the kinesthetic learners to physically act
out and use creativity to grasp a skill.
The other creative thinking activity that was implemented was that of simulation.
When learning fractions I found it very beneficial to use the students as parts of fractions.
The type of sets that could be created with the students was endless. Students absolutely
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Meredith Duncan
April 9, 2012
Textbook Assignment #6
loved being part of the math problems, and when I used the students their learning and
interest beamed.
6. In two to three paragraphs, summarize your clinical experience during this
semester. Consider strengths you will take into your own classrooms and areas
you wish to improve upon. Also discuss the relationship you built with your
school-based mentor, the school administration and other faculty, and (most
importantly) the students with whom you were in contact.
It seems nearly impossible to summarize my student teaching experience in
two to three paragraphs. I have been so blessed with such an awesome experience.
I have an amazing mentor teacher, school, and most importantly wonderful
students. I cry when I think about having to leave them all. Student teaching has
shown me I truly made the right decision when I chose teaching as my career. I
have worked several odd jobs during my college years and have never experienced a
feeling of excitement every time I walked into work. That is until my student
teaching experience, I literally wake up every morning and look forward to being at
the school, and I miss being there over the weekends when I am at my gettingthrough-college job.
I feel that I have a natural and easy connection with students/children. This
is what I will take into my future classroom. Students love to have fun with their
teacher. I have found there is humor in everything you do with students, even
teaching them fractions. I found myself joking with the students and having
conversations with them that I truly enjoyed. Some students have broken my heart
with what they have to deal with at home and the fact that they still come to school
with a smile on their face means so much to me. I want to create a classroom that
students who do not have the best home situations look forward to coming to school
because that is where they find true joy. My mentor teacher has repeatedly told me
that I am a natural teacher. She tells me she has never experienced a student
teacher that she did not have to tell what to do, because I am always on the ball
keeping things going for her. I hope to remain what people consider a natural
teacher in my own classrooms and to always make and form a true connection to
the school, students, and curriculum like I have this semester.
I have experienced such wonderful relationships with the administration,
staff, parents, and students at Norris Elementary that I can’t begin to realize how
blessed I have been. I have laughed with all and enjoyed several memories I will not
forget. The deepest relationships I have experienced are with my students. I have
laughed with them, wanted to cry with them, felt so sick in my heart for some of
them, and jumped up and down for joy with them. They are wonderful children that
will always hold a place in my heart, they are my first class. I thank Norris
Elementary, Mrs. Laurie Templin, and Tennessee Tech for providing me with
memories that will last a lifetime and for an undeniable best education I could have
ever asked for. Thank you!
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