Episode 1 – School as a learning environment Episode 2 – Learners’ characteristics and needs Episode 3 – Classroom management and learning Episode 4 – Individual differences and learner’s interaction (Focusing on differences in gender, racial, religious backgrounds) Episode 5 - Individual differences and learner’s interaction (Focusing on different levels of abilities) Episode 6 – Home-school link Dr. Orlando Ornedo Professor Menchie Maghirang FS Student BEED-II 1 THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT FS 1 FIELD STUDY 1 EPISODE 1 SCHOOL AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Name of FS Student:Menchie Maghirang Course: BEED-II Cooperating School: Pagbilao East Elementary School Your Target At the end of this activity, you will be competent in determining a school environment that provides social, psychological, and physical environment supportive of learning. Your Map A general observation of the campus and the classroom is an exciting way to start your observation. Your mission is to do the following tasks: 1. Visit a school. Look into facilities and support learning areas in the campus, then in the classroom. 2. Accomplish the checklist as you move around the school premises. 4. Make a reflection on the characteristics of a school environment that promotes learning. 3. Based on your gathered data in the checklist, describe the school environment. 5. Present your idea of a good school environment through any of these: a. Descriptive paragraph b. Photo Essay c. Sketch or drawing d. Poem, song or rap 2 Your Tools As you move around the school campus, activity forms are provided for you to document your observations. It is advised that you read the entire worksheet before proceeding to the school site. A good understanding of the activities and tasks to be accomplished in the activity sheets will yield better learning results. SCHOOL FACILITIES CHECKLIST Familiarize yourself with the different areas and facilities of the school. Check the column to indicate their availability. Give a brief description of those that are available on the last column. FACILITIES AVAILABLE NOT AVAILABLE DESCRIPTION Office of the principal a The principal office is fully equipped with airconditioned. Principal documents were arranged and stored in proper places. Library a It is well ventilated, free free from noise, centrally located and accessible. Can accommodate for at least 20 students. There is an adequate number of reference such as books and magazines. Counseling room Canteen/ Cafeteria n/a a There are two canteen in the school, the first one have a variety of foods to sell. They have nutritious food and also junk foods. And they follow proper sanitation to the food being served to the students and teachers. Thet abl es andc hai r sar eal s opr es ent pr ovi ded f or t he s t udent s . Ref r i ger at orand f auc etar e al s oav ai l abl ei nc ant een. Medical Clinic A Thecl i ni ci swel l or gani z ed. Themedi c i nesar eav ai l abl e, pr ovi ded andr eadyf ort he s t udent s i ndi spens abl y and 3 i nc as eofemer genc y . Audio Visual/ Media Center n/a Reading Center a good condition Speech Laboratory a good condition Science Laboratory a good condition Gymnasium a good condition Auditorium Home Economics Room n/a a clean and orderly Industrial Workshop Area n/a PTA Office n/a Comfort Room for Boys a Clean Comfort Room for Girls a Clean Others (Please Specify) 4 AN OBSERVATION GUIDE FOR THE CLASSROOM VISIT Read the following statements carefully. Then write your observation report on the provided space. 1. Describe the community or neighborhood where the school is found. 2. Describe the school campus. What colors do you see? What is the condition of the buildings? 3. Pass by the offices. What impression do you have of these offices? 4. Walk through the school halls, the library, the cafeteria. Look around and find out the other facilities that the school has. Name of the School Observed: Pagbilao East Elementary School School Address: Brgy. Del Carmen Pagbilao, Quezon Date of Visit: June 26, 2013 The school of Pagbilao East Elementary School is located at Brgy. Del Carmen Pagbilao, Quezon in the town proper. I saw very colorful buildings and surroundings of the school campus, for example; green, orange, blue, etc. Most of the buildings were in good condition while some of them are having their renovations, and I also noticed that some new classrooms were constructed to accommodate the school population for the coming years. I can say that the school is friendly and it is safe and promotes a good learning environment for the pupils. The principal’s office is situated near the heart of the school premises a few steps away actually from my observed pre-school class. The office of the principal is very clean and things were arranged properly from desks, bulletins, shelves and the principal’s table was neat and clean. Classrooms are well ventilated but I think some of them might need renovations because some of their wall paints are beginning to peel as well as some damaged chairs needs repairs. The library was clean by in my opinion it still lacks books to accommodate the needs of the school. The cafeteria is well enough to support the entire school population; I just hope that during recess time, cleanliness and food safety standards should be carefully observed. 5 AN OBSERVATION GUIDE FOR THE CLASSROOM VISIT 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Be guided by these tasks as you do your observation. Then accomplish the matrix to record your data. Look at the walls of the classroom. What are posted on the walls? What heroes, religious figures, lessons, visual aids, announcements, do you see posted? Examine how the furniture is arranged. Where is the teacher’s table located? How are the tables and chairs/desks arranged? What learning materials/equipment are present? Observe the students. How many are occupying one room? Is the room well-lighted and well-ventilated? CLASSROOM FACILITIES MATRIX CLASSROOM FACILITIES DESCRIPTION (location, number, arrangement, condition) 1. Wall Displays Many visual aids were posted on the walls 2. Teacher’s Table Located at the right side in back of the class 3. Learner’s Desk Arranged in three groups; left, center and right 4. Blackboard Located in front 5. Learning Materials/Visual Aids Located on the left side of the classroom 6. Comfort Room Located in front on the left side 7. Shelves Located on the left side of the classroom 8. Lights Fluorescent lights were not busted 9. Ventilation Ceiling fans and a stand fan is present 10. Side Tables Well arranged on the right side of the school “I entered the classroom with the conviction that it was crucial for me and every other student to be an active participant, not as a passive consumer….. Learning is a place where paradise can be created.” Bell Hooks Teaching to Transgress NY: Routledge, 1994. 6 The breaking down of informational materials into their component parts, examining (and trying to understand the organizational structure of) such information to develop divergent conclusions by identifying motives or causes, making inferences and/or finding evidence to support generalizations. It involves: Seeing patterns Organization of parts Recognition of hidden meanings Identification of components Question cues: analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare, select, explain, infer (Bloom’s Taxonomy) WRITE YOUR OBSERVATION REPORT HERE Name of the School Observed: Pagbilao East Elementary School Location of the School: Brgy. Del Carmen Pagbilao, Quezon Date of Visit: July 3, 2013 The pre-school classroom held by Ms.Liza Orinday has many visual aids on the walls, like alphabets, colors, shapes, pictures of heroes and presidents, tourist spots, etc. The desks were formed in a u-shaped arrangement to have a spacious center for activities. The teacher’s table is situated in the right side of the class in back. Bookshelves and other learning materials are on the classroom sides. The blackboard in front is low and just in the reach of pre-school children. Learning materials present were textbooks, reference books, big books and other reading materials as well as charts made by the teacher herself. The number of learners in the classroom: Boys - and Girls - the total of learners and one teacher. The classroom’s ventilation and lighting is in very good condition and can properly support a healthy learning environment for pre-school learners. Your Analysis How do the school campus and the classroom in particular impact on the learning of the students going to school? What are your conclusions? Well coordinated classroom arrangement with complete facilities and other resources needed to support learning situations will have a great impact in the learning capacity of the children. It will maximize or boost the children’s interest in learning and it would be very comfortable for them to go to school. It will give the motivation that they need and become more competent in their future studies and the teachers are the key players in making this happen for every child. How does this relate to your knowledge of child and adolescent development/How does this relate to your knowledge of facilitating learning? It relates in my knowledge about child and adolescent development that made me aware of the uniqueness and differences of every learner that we have to consider as a future teacher. I always have to keep in mind that children do not learn in the same rate. In facilitating learning I have to understand each child’s behavior and personality and chose what strategies suit them most and use it appropriately. 7 Your Reflections 1. Would you like to teach in the school environment you just observed? Why? Why not? Yes, because it is not far from home. And I can say that the school has a good approach to their learners. 2. What kind of school campus is conducive to learning? A school free from destruction like loud noises, and also have minimal pollution and clean campus premises are likely to be very conducive to learning. “To learn and not to think over what you have learned is perfectly useless. To think without having learned is dangerous.” -Gore Vidal 3. What kind of classroom is conducive to learning? Classroom should be clean, ventilated and lighted well enough, also have to be spacious for activities to allow free movements by the students. 4. In the future, how can you accomplish your answer in number 3? I must be very careful in arranging things and classroom resources and must be prepared in every classroom situation. I must keep in mind that learners attention span is short and I should be aware of how to handle different kinds of behavior. 5. Write your additional learning’s and insights here. It is very important to know and understand that there is no class with every individual that learns in the same level or speed. Every child completely differs from one another and their multiple intelligences greatly vary unlike robots that only do what only we programmed them to do. Children tend to act on their own because they are not machines that always follow whatever is given to them. 8 My Personal Illustration of an Effective School Environment the opposite box, Present an illustration Showing your idea of an Effective school Environment through any of these: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ A Descriptive Paragraph A Photo Essay A Sketch or Drawing A Poem, Song or Rap “To be a teacher, in the right sense, is to be a teacher. Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner. Put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and in the way he understands it.” Effectiveness of school environment relies on its safe learning environment that is free from hazardous places. And it should have a clean environment to make the learners comfortable in their studies. Facilities and resources should be present and ready to give support whenever it is needed like the library, audio visuals, etc. Learners should know how to respect their classmates and teachers must be able to adjust smoothly in certain situations. The school is a center of learning, therefore, its safety standards should be tight to avoid accidents inside the classroom and the campus itself. Every learner should be develop and given equal attention during classes and they are expected to follow instructions from their teachers. A school should be well organized to attract learners to focus more on studies. 9 THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT FS 1 FIELD STUDY 1 EPISODE 2 LEARNERS’ CHARACTERISTICS AND NEEDS Your Target At the end of this activity, you will gain competence in differentiating the characteristics and needs of learners from different developmental tasks. Your Map To reach your target, do the following tasks: Step 1 Step 3 Observe 3 groups of learners from different levels, (preschool, elem., and high school). Validate your observation by interviewing the learners. Step 2 Step 4 Describe each of the learners based on your observations. Compare them in terms of their interests and needs. 10 An Observation Guide for the Learners’ Characteristics Read the following statements carefully. Then write your observation report on the provided space. Your teacher may also recommend another observation checklist if a more detailed observation is preferred. Physical 1. Observe their gross motor skills. How they carry themselves. How they move, walk, run, go up the stairs, etc. 2. Are gross movements clumsy or deliberate/smooth? 3. How about their fine motor skills? Writing, drawing, etc. Social 1. Describe how they interact with teachers and other adults. 2. Note how they also interact with peers. What do they talk about? What are their concerns? Emotional 1. Describe the emotional disposition or temperament of the learners. (happy, sad, easily cries, mood-shifts) 2. How do they express their wants/needs? Can they wait? 3. How do they handle frustrations? 4. Describe their level of confidence as shown in their behavior. Are they self-conscious? Cognitive 1. Describe their ability to use words to communicate their ideas. Note their language proficiency. 2. Describe how they figure out things. Do they comprehend easily? Look for evidence of their thinking skills. 3. Were there opportunities for problem solving? Describe how did they show problem solving abilities. Your Tools Use the activity form provided for you to document your observations. LEARNERS’ DEVELOPMENT MATRIX Record the data you gathered about the learners’ characteristics and needs in this matrix. This will allow you to compare the characteristics and needs of learners at different levels. The items under each domain are by no means exhaustive. These are just sample indicators. You may add other aspects which you may have observed. Development Domain Preschooler Indicate age range of children observed: 5-6 Physical Gross-motor skills Walking runs without tripping jump in and maintain balance Fine-motor skills can hold the crayon and pencil Elementary Indicate age range of children observed: 6 -7 runs fast jumps with both feet can move body parts properly High School Indicate age range of children observed: 7–8 walks by himself runs faster jumps higher can draw simple lines and figures 11 Self-help skills Others Social Interaction with teachers answers simple questions able to play cooperatively with his/her peers able to speak if asked communicate with others teacher to student conversation can initiate own conversation with his/her friends or classmates Emotional Moods and temperament, expression of feelings Cheerful loves jokes impatient short span of attention energetic impatient easily distracted always filled with curiosity with new things and always want to discover Emotional independence cries easily able to understand what others tell them able to understand clearly to what someone said to him. Interaction with classmates/friends Interests Others Others Cognitive Communication skills Listens able to speak words Thinking skills Problem-solving Others Name of the child: Clarenz Jaranilla Date: Time: 8:00 – 9:00 am Venue: Classroom (Pre-school in Pagbilao East Elementary School) Pre-school Teacher: Mrs. Derilo The name of the child that I observed is Clarenz, a 6 year old learner. He can walk and run without getting himself tripped, his gross motor skills were very good for his age. In writing, he can easily hold his pencil and write his name on a piece of paper. He likes to draw animals; he told me that he likes farm animals because his families have them. He is very active and talkative even when is speaking with people older than him. He loves jokes very much that sometimes his classmates 12 gets uncomfortable in his pranks. He is not moody and I think that was just his nature as a child. The salient characteristic that I am able to identify through him is that he takes things for granted and disregards the effects of his actions. He has a strong character and he is confident of doing things by himself. He is very expressive about his ideas or thoughts and when he have done something not wrong he listens to the teacher silently and sits on his chair to behave. 13 My Reflection Upon my observations, the three learners, namely; Marc Clarenz, Risha Mae and Alexander have common similarities in their developments in physical and social aspects. But it appears that it is the opposite in intellectual and emotional aspects. Each learner is different and it is the effect of their environment and the people they are related and also about how they manage and feel about themselves. The teaching profession requires lots of patience and each day of teaching is a pain-staking process by which every teacher has to pay great attention even up to the smallest details in every learner that he/she is entrusted to nurture. The biggest challenge that I see is how a teacher must develop ways to deal with undesirable behaviors in each child and how to use the positive attitudes of the learner to put more emphasis that negative attitudes won’t do something good for them. 14 Your Analysis Write the most salient developmental characteristics of the learners you observed. Based on these characteristics, think of implications for the teacher. Example: Level Preschool Age range of Learners observed 3-4 Salient Characteristics Observed Preschoolers like to move around a lot. Implications to the Teaching-Learning Process Level Salient Characteristics Observed Therefore, the teacher should remember to use music and movement activities not just in P.E. but in all subject areas. Therefore, teachers should not expect preschoolers to stay seated for a long period of time. Implications to the Teaching-Learning Process Preschool Age range of learners observed 5-6 Pre-schoolers spent most of their time in play. The teacher should keep in mind that in every learning aspect, the teacher should be involved to plays because the child learns more easily in that way. Elementary Age range of learners observed 6-7 In this age they tend to develop their interests in art works such as drawing and coloring. A teacher should emphasize the importance of writing skills to the learners. Writing is a form of communication that is essential in our everyday life and is necessary for every learner to learn and master this skill. Elementary Age range of learners observed 7-8 The learner is doing a lot of talking and listening. They are improving their communication skills Teachers should be able to provide many group interaction activities as much as possible to enable the students train their 15 communication skills in speaking and listening. 16 Your Reflections 1. While you were observing the learners, did you recall your own experiences when you were their age? What similarities or differences do you have with the learners you observed? I do remember just a pint of it, in particular in my preschool age. As do I recall how the first day of school was and it was a time where I am afraid to be alone and meet other people other than my family and playmates. As time passes by we do learn many things in Day Care Center together with my teacher. We recited poem, sang many songs, played games, wrote letters and many more. But the difference is that they don’t have a para-teacher to assists the teacher in the classroom while the class is on-going. And they do have a sound system to use if they want to sing, dance and make some exercise. 2. Think of a teacher you cannot forget for positive or negative reasons. How did she/he help you with your needs (physical, emotional, social, cognitive)? How did it affect you? I wouldn’t forget Mrs. Saguros, a teacher who isn’t just focus on the cognitive domain of her students but also the needs of her students in terms of emotion is concern. She taught me things that put great emphasis on my behavior and distinguishing good from bad. She constantly reminded me what it means to be a good child in our community, although I have been very naive back then because I was just little. It was only later when I came to realize what she told me and what she meant. It served as my guideline up until now and it was a lesson that I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. 3. Which is your favorite theory of development? How can this guide you as a future teacher? The theory of cognitive development by Jean Piaget: Intellectual and Developmental. It helped me understand the vast differences of every learner in every aspect in learning. Like what my professors always tells us that no children is alike. They learn at their own level, speed and motivation. It also depends on his personal experiences and the environment which he is exposed. 4. Share your other insights here. Every individual goes in the stages of development in the same pattern but not at the same time and rate. 17 THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT FS 1 FIELD STUDY 1 EPISODE 3 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND LEARNING Name of FS Student: Giovan R. Sevillla Course: BEED - 1 Cooperating School: Pagbilao East Elementary School Your Target At the end of this activity, you will gain competence in managing time, space and resources to provide an environment which is appropriate to the learners and conducive to learning. Your Map To reach your target, do the following tasks: Observe a class. Using a checklist, find out the evident classroom components. Describe how the classroom is structured/designed to allow everyone to participate in the learning activities. Relate the data in your checklist to the learners’ behavior. Reflect on how classroom management affects learning. 18 Your Tools Use the activity form provided for you to document your observations. An Observation Guide for the Learners’ Characteristics Read the following statements carefully. Then write your observation report on the provided space. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. As you observe the class, look into the characteristics of the learners. Note their ages. How many boys are there? How many girls? Focus on their behavior. Are they already able to manage their own behavior? Can the learners already work independently? Describe their span of attention. Look into their listening skills and ability to concentrate. Pagbilao East Elementary School Brgy. Del Carmen Pagbilao, Quezon July 23, 2012 During my observation, I encountered different characters of learners in pre-school under Mrs. Salve D. Porte. Learners at the age of 5 to 6 years old are divided into four major characteristics of development; Physical (body), social (interaction with peers and adults around him), emotional (feelings) and intellectual (thinking skills) development. Physical Development concentrates in muscle control. They run, walk and jump. They begin to make strides in plays like higher jumping and longer jumping and they were very active and aggressive in their play time activities. Social and Emotional Development They were very imaginative, they tend to be aggressive when they were playing with their friends. They act like the boss, they pretend in make-believe plays and often brag about that. They learn to give and take or share their things. They are very appreciative with their achievements especially when being praised. Many pre-school learners like getting much attention and use that opportunity to show-off with everybody. Most of all, they like the feeling that they are loved and they are very important. Intellectual Development They talk almost all the time, asking so many questions and very curious of many things. Their language are not yet fully developed as some of them are still having difficulties in speaking although the majority showed good signs of language use by talking. They are developing interests in academics although they are still focused on plays. The number of the learners that I observed is 15 girls and 13 boys and totaled 28 learners. Some learners showed that they are still not adjusted in socializing with their peers because they were not that much active in activities. Most of the learners were the opposite; they would talk with everybody like they have known them for a long time. Their attention shifts quickly, regardless with their gender or age. As they grow, eventually they can focus longer on things. There is one student in the class whose attention was very short, he would just move and talk around the whole class. I think of him as a hyper-active child who maybe were having excessive sugar intake. In listening, pre-school learners showed that they like when the teacher reads them stories. They love music and enjoy dancing in their tunes. But, in conversations, they showed signs of boredom as you longer 19 An Observation Guide for the CLASSROOM VISIT Be guided by these questions as you do your observation of the classroom management. It is also good to ask the teacher for additional information so you can verify your observation. Write your notes below; and then organize your data in the table that follows. 1. Are there areas in the classroom for specific purposes (storage of teaching aids, books, students’ belongings, supplies, etc.? 2. Are there rules and procedures posted in the room? 3. Did the students participate in making the classroom rules? 4. What are the daily routines done by the teacher? (prayer, attendance, assignment of monitors, warm-up activities, etc.) How are they done? 5. Is there a seating arrangement? What is the basis of this arrangement? 6. Observe the noise level in the classroom. How is this managed? 7. If a learner is not following instructions or is off-task, what does the teacher do? (behavior strategies) 8. What does the teacher do to reinforce positive behaviors? (behavior strategies) Observation notes: 20 There are areas in the classroom for specific purposes such as storage of teaching aids and books which is located in the left side of the classroom. The rules are not posted and only the teacher is imposing it verbally and the learners follow it accordingly. The rules are the sole responsibilities of the students as they are expected to follow these regulations in order for them to learn respect and obedience. Daily routines include a prayer before and after class, exercises to warm them up and start their day with energy, recess, activity time, play, and reading stories. The learners follow the routine and it seems that they like doing it every day. The characteristics of the learners in my observed class are that they were very active in play activities. The teacher always reminds them to follow the rules before they play, it serves as a guideline and a good disciplinary routine without threatening or making the child feel scared as they behave so that they can play already. The teacher criticizes the bad behavior and not the child; she would talk with the child nicely and tell her if he/she have done something wrong. It makes the child feel that doing bad things is not a good behavior and it is to be avoided. To reinforce positive behaviors, the teacher uses praise to encourage the pleasant behavior that a child shows. She also gives awards in the form of stars. If a student is obedient and participates in every activity, the learner’s receives a star mark in his/her hand. The seating arrangement grouped in the learner’s learning level and behaviors, the teacher explained that she grouped it this way to avoid quarrels and distractions by a talkative student to a student who makes activities. This way all children who always participates in activities can do their work without or minimal interferences and the students who spend most of their time talking, plying while doing activities and even having snacks can’t bother the others because they are grouped systematically. Well organized classrooms offers the learners better learning acquisition and faster progress for mental growth and development. Good classroom management enables favorable working conditions in learning and makes school an effective and enjoyable place to be with. 21 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT MATRIX Aspect of Classroom Management 1. Specific Areas in the Classroom Description Effect on the Learners (to be filled up after you answer the analysis questions) well organized Conducive to learning and supports the development of learners 2. Classroom Rules The rules are enforced verbally and students follows it obediently The learners are able to develop their personal discipline 3.Classroom Procedures Instructional materials and other supplies are prepared for better support in learning The learners are able to follow the procedures well 4. Daily Routines The learners have maintained a good routine It promotes attention and keeps the learners interested in class activities 5. Seating Arrangement Very spacious and comfortable The learners are kept comfortable and being focused in class 6. Handling misbehavior/ offtask behavior The teacher is calm, composed and very patient in her class The learners are made aware of misbehaviors and their bad effects on them 7.Reinforcement of Positive Behavior Praises were used by the teacher which helps keep the learner motivated Through proper motivation and praise, the learners are apt to continue doing their good behaviors 8. Taking up measures in dealing with undesirable behaviors Helps maintain classroom stability and camaraderie of students Misconducts and malpractices of learners are minimized and held in control 9. Others 10. Others Think about these practices…. 1. Teachers ensure that the learners function as a caring community. 2. Teachers bring each one’s home culture and language into the shared culture of the school. 3. Teachers use strategies to build a cohesive community. 4. Teachers let learners accomplish meaningful tasks and to participate in learning experiences in which they can succeed. 5. Teachers emphasize more cooperation, less competition. 22 You may choose to write a reflection paper on this and include it in your portfolio. Your Analysis 1. How did the classroom organization and routines affect the learners’ behavior? The more organized that a classroom is, the more effective the learners gain knowledge. The classroom structure is designed to be beneficial for the children. It has to be well coordinated and does not promote stagnant atmosphere. It is fun to watch the children as they learn in this kind of classroom setting. 2. What should the teacher have in mind when he/she designs the classroom organization and routines? What theories and principles should you have in mind? The teacher should always remember the basic principles in classroom management. It is to be aware of every actions made by the child in activities in the classroom. Always stay alert in every situation and be able to adjust or respond positively within the class. 3. Which behavior strategies were effective in managing the behavior of the learners? In motivating students? Why were they effective? Reinforcing positive behaviors and minimizing undesirable traits of the learners. Motivation is a good strategy in supporting the child’s existing abilities and interests of the learners. The teacher will find it easier to handle and use a wider variety of teaching methods in this technique. If an approach doesn’t give the desired outcome, the teacher can always try another until it becomes effective or suitable for the learner. 23 Your Reflections 1. Imagine yourself organizing your classroom in the future. In what grade/year level do you see yourself? What routines and procedures would you consider for this level? Why? I think it would be in grade 6. This grade level is more suitable in me rather than in the lower grades as this can reflect my personality and overall look as a teacher. It is easier to deal with students at this stage because they have more experience in learning rather than in earlier grade levels. There were many different routines that I can try and explore to handle the class. They can be disciplined verbally and it is easier to get their attention. I observed this kind of class in my mother’s class. Though I still also want to try in pre-school because it is my major. It poses a big challenge for me. I want to consider the routines that emphasize the child’s behavior and build their character in group works and socialization plays and activities. I believe this kind of approach can help in promoting good working relations in children as well as proper manners inside the class which can result for better learning. 2. Make a list of the rules you are likely to implement in this level. Why would you choose these rules? Be kind to your fellow classmates, Maintain the surroundings clean, Listen to the teacher, Do not quarrel with each other and say “I am sorry” if you have done something wrong. I chose these rules to make each child aware of the basic do’s and don’ts common in a class. They have to understand that it is for their own well-being and it must serve as a guiding principle that cleanliness, respect and acceptance is a major component for an effective and friendly school environment. It is essential to promote good manners to the children because most of them have the potential that they will carry this kind of behavior for the rest of their lives. It will nurture them as a good citizen of the school and community if they will continue this as they grow which I hope they will. 3. Should learners be involved in making the class rules? Why? Yes, the learners should get involved in making class rules because they will feel that they really have to obey and follow it. They will develop the feeling that they should act upon their own words because they are the ones who approved and helped make the rules. They will realize that they are not cooperative students if they are the ones who would disobey the rule. 24 Name of the child: Marc Clarenz Jaranilla Date: July 25, 2012 Venue: Pagbilao East Elementary School Time: 9:00 – 10:30 am Observational Checklist BEHAVIOR FREQUENCY Fidgeting in seat IIII Getting out of their seat IIII – I Walking around during class II Interrupting others work IIII Physical aggressiveness towards his/her peers II Talking with seatmate IIII - III Screaming loud III Participation in activities I Not participating in activities II Not paying attention IIII Noted by: (Cooperating Teacher) Date noted: Name of the Observer: Giovan R. Sevilla 25 Name of the child: Cheska Jovine Decena Date: July 30, 2012 Time: 9:00 – 10:30 Venue: Pagbilao East Elementary School Observational Checklist Situation Antecedent Behavior Consequence Reading words written in the blackboard (9:30 am) Teacher Porte told the students “eyes front and read the words on the board He didn’t read because she was nervous and bothered Teacher Porte told him to read after her five times Teacher Porte told a group of students to read the words on the blackboard He didn’t participate with her classmates and just stood Teacher Porte told him to stay stood and read again after her Teacher Porte said “get your activity notebooks” He talked to her seatmate before getting her activity notebook He and his seatmate didn’t finish the activity and they don’t got a star mark 10:15 am none is observed not doing the activity The teacher ignored the situation 10:30 am none is observed interrupting seatmate during activity The teacher ignored the situation talking to her seatmate loudly The teacher reminded him to keep his voice down and to do his activity. 9:45 am Writing in activity notebook 10:00 am 26 THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT FS 1 FIELD STUDY 1 EPISODE 4 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND LEARNER’S INTERACTION (focusing on differences in gender, racial, religious backgrounds) Name of FS Student: Giovan R. Sevillla Course: BEED - 1 Cooperating School: Pagbilao East Elementary School Your Target At the end of this activity, you will gain competence in determining teaching approaches and techniques considering the individual differences on the learners. Your Map The learners’ individual differences and the type of interaction they bring surely affect the quality of teaching and learning. This episode is about observing and gathering data to find out how student diversity affects learning. To reach your target, do the following tasks: Step 1. Observe a class in different parts of the school day. (beginning of the day, class time, recess, etc). Step 2. Describe the characteristics of the learners in terms of age, gender, and social and cultural diversity. Step 3. Describe the interaction that transpires inside and outside the classroom. Step 4. Interview your resource teacher about the principles and practices that she uses in dealing with diversity in the Step 5. Analyze the impact of individual differences on learners’ interaction Your Tools 27 Use the activity form provided for you to document your observations. An Observation Guide for the Learners’ Characteristics Read the following carefully before you begin to observe. Then write your observation report on the space provided on the next page. 1. Find out the number of students. Gather data as to their ages, gender, racial groups, religious and ethnic backgrounds. During class: 1. How much interaction is there in the classroom? Describe how the students interact with one another and with the teacher. Are there groups that interact more with the teacher than others. 2. Observe the learners seated at the back and the front part of the room. Do they behave and interact differently? 3. Describe the relationship among the learners. Do the learners cooperate with or compete against each other? 4. Which students participate actively? Which students ask for most help? 5. When a student is called and cannot answer the teacher’s question, do the classmates try to help him? Or do they raise their hands so that the teacher will call them instead? Outside class: 1. How do the students group themselves outside the class? Homogenously, by age? by gender? by racial or ethnic groups? Or are the students in mixed social groupings? If so, describe the groupings. 2. Describe how the learners interact with each other? What do they talk about? 28 Observation Report Name of the School Observed: Pagbilao East Elementary School School Address: Brgy. Del Carmen Pagbilao, Quezon Date of Visit: July 25, 2012 Pre-school learners under Mrs. Porte have 27 students, 14 boys and 13 girls. All learners are Filipino (Tagalog). Their religion is Roman Catholic. During the class there were much interaction inside the classroom between the learners and the teacher as well as the learner to another learner. The students interact by playing with each other and talking to one another. The students interact with the teacher by answering the questions asked by the teacher or other responses of the learners to the teacher like body gestures. I observed that if the teacher is in front of the class, the learners at the back kept talking to themselves and having their own conversations. Some of them listen more and do what the teacher says but most of them doesn’t pay much attention. The learners cooperate well with each other, I noticed some students try to assist their fellow classmates if they have finished their own work, I think that there isn’t much competition between them, or if there is any, it is in an absolute minimum. The boys are very active in activities, they are quite energetic more than girls. When a teacher’s question isn’t answered by a particular student, others quickly raises their hands and makes a loud noise to get the teachers attention. They are not allowed to go outside the classroom for safety measures so they don’t get much interaction from there except when it’s time for lunch where their respective guardians came to fetch them. They talk much about their favorite cartoon shows during their free time. Your Analysis 1. Identify the persons who play key roles in the relationships and interactions in the classrooms. What roles do they play? Is there somebody who appears to be the leader, a mascot/joker, an attention seeker, a little teacher, a doubter/pessimist? 29 I observed, Marc Clarenz Jaranilla, he was like the little boy leader of the class, he is good in jokes and he always have some of that during class hours. He is quite noisy but the good thing about him is that he learns fast than the others. When he is finished of his work he walks around the class like a teacher, from there I noticed that he tries to help some of his classmates who’s having difficulties. He is a good role player in that class. 2. Are students coming from the minority group accepted or rejected by the others? How is this shown? Every learner in this class is purely Tagalog, and if there would be any in case, anyone coming from a minority group, he is well-accepted. The class is friendly and it is good to see that there isn’t much fight among them not like when I was at their ages. 3. How does the teacher influence the class interaction considering the individual differences of the students? The teacher makes her influence in the class interaction by giving good consideration in every individual difference of the learners. She keeps in mind the behaviors of every student and uses it in a way that she can utilize it for a good classroom atmosphere. 4. What factors influence the grouping of learners outside the classroom? I think that the factors that influence the grouping of learners outside the classroom have similarities with their groupings inside. The close friends inside the class also is the same groupings to be found outside, I think this is what they call “the gang age” I recently encountered in psychology. A certain group would stick together inside/outside the class it is there where they first have the taste of what we call “barkada.” Your Reflections 1. How did you feel being in that classroom? Did you feel a sense of oneness or unity among the learners and between the teacher and the learners? I felt their acceptance and respect for me, they became very friendly and always smiles back at me. Yes, the entire class gives the feeling of oneness and it is felt in the classroom atmosphere. The learners unity is seen together with their teacher as they know how to trust and respect each other. 2. In the future, how would you want the learners in your classroom to interact? How will you make this happen? 30 There are a lot of possible scenarios in the future if I would be teaching in my own class and I don’t presume to know them all. But, if I would have that opportunity, I can explore many strategies considering their abilities and interests. As a teacher, I must be sensitive to every classroom situation and I must act accordingly to that. I want my learners to be cooperative and friendly, I’m idealistic and I promote friendliness among teaching situations to make students participate and I believe I can have their respect and attention that way. 3. How will you encourage all learners, regardless of religious, ethnic or racial background, to interact and participate? I would never try to force them if they can’t do an activity or work, if they can’t do a task I’ve given them, I should be the one to adjust to help them learn. Consideration is essential, as a teacher I have to be very patient and meticulous about my approaches to learners. Every learner learns through different strategies. They are unique; there is no class that learns the same exact way with each other. Some learn better by doing, some by listening, some by playing, etc. THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT FS 1 FIELD STUDY 1 EPISODE 5 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND LEARNER’S INTERACTION (focusing on different levels of abilities) Name of FS Student: Giovan R. Sevillla Course: BEED – 1 Resource Teacher: Mrs. Porte Cooperating School: Pagbilao East Elementary School Your Target At the end of this activity, you will gain competence in determining, understanding and accepting the learners’ diverse backgrounds; and in relating the learners’ background to their performance in the classroom. 31 Your Map To reach your target, do the following tasks: 4. Write a narrative report and a brief reflection on your experience. 3. Observe them as they participate in a classroom activity. 1. Observe two or more learners of different abilities but from the same grade or year level. 2. Find out some information about their background. Your Tools Use the activity form provided for you to document your observations. An Observation Guide for Individual Differences Read the following carefully before you begin to observe. Then write your observation report on the space provided. 1. Observe the class to see the differences in abilities of the learners. 2. Try to identify the students who seem to be performing well and those that seem to be behind. 3. Validate your observations by asking the teacher about the background (family, socio-economic, presence of some learning disability, etc.) of these children. 4. Observe the behavior of both the high achieving and low-achieving learners. Note their dispositions, pace in accomplishing tasks, interaction with teacher, and interaction with others. 5. Observe the teacher’s method in addressing the individual learning needs of the students in his/ her class. 32 OBSERVATION REPORT Name of the School Observed: Pagbilao East Elementary School School Address: Brgy. Del Carmen Pagbilao Quezon Date of Visit: July 30, 2012 I noticed most learners learn quickly with the help of visual aids, they love pictures and they have good imagination. They prefer to learn that way than other teaching approaches. Although, some of them learn better by hearing and others through kinesthetic which is rare in the class. The learners that performs well in class is grouped in row 3 or the left side of the class, the average is in the middle and those with a slower rate of learning is on the right side which I notice is near the teacher. I asked Mrs. Porte about learners which might have a learning disability. According to her, some students have very short attention span and can’t follow simple tasks and directions. I observed that the fast learners are the ones who actively participates in activities and shows much interest than others. The slower learners are those who spent most of their time and playing and have showed signs of short attention span. The teacher knew this very well, every learner learns at their own rate. She told me that it is normal for a class to have vast differences in learning rates in different subjects because of the learner’s common interests in particular. Different teaching methods were used to achieve a good learning rate among the students. The teacher continuously devised ways to cope up with this situation to give the learners and the teacher itself to adjust and make learning effective in the best possible way. 33 Your Analysis 1. Did your observation match the information given by the teacher? Were you able to correctly identify who among the students performed well and who did not? What behavior helped you identify them? (volunteering to answer, responding to teacher’s directions, etc) Yes, the teacher gave me the information. Yes I was able to identify who among the learners performs well and who are not. The behaviors or traits that helped me identify them are by their volunteering to answer the teacher’s questions and they respond to the teacher’s given instructions. They listen carefully and this students is in the 3rd row or group. 2. Describe the differences in ability levels of the students in the class. Is there a wide gap between the students who are performing well and those that are not? The different ability of levels of the learners in this class is in their ability to interpret and follow instructions, attention span, and lack of interest in subjects because they focus in plays. The gap is wide between the learners who can perform well than those who are not. 3. Describe the methods used by the teacher in handling the students’ differences in abilities. How did the students respond to the teacher? The teacher used playful approaches in learning to get the learners attention. She made good use of visual aids to make fun games about letters, colors, shapes, etc. It was an effective method as it caught the learner’s attention and they participated with interest. She grouped them while considering their differences in abilities; she made her best efforts to make balance in the groupings. It promoted a good learning situation and the students responded well to the teacher. 34 Your Reflections 1. Recall the time when you were in the elementary or high school. Recall the high and low achievers in your class. How did your teacher deal with differences in abilities? Was your teacher effective? In my elementary days, I remember that we are paired in two’s. One is a fast learner and the other is slower, it was a strategy to balance and help the slow learner learn from his seatmate. This way the fast learner can influence and help the slow learner focus on studies and minimize distractions if the fast learners will be grouped together so as the slow learners because learning would be one-sided. The teacher continuously makes efforts to promote this strategy to us and reminded us daily to study and focus. Eventually, the slow learners are able to grasp the method and began showing signs of improvements. Its effectiveness was seen in the middle parts of the school year and it was evident in the closing months as the slow learners have made vast advances in their abilities. 2. With the principle of individual differences in mind, what methods and strategies will you remember in the future to ensure that you will be able to meet the needs of both the high and low achievers in your class? I will always keep in mind the variety of ways that an individual think, involving their learning styles and multiple intelligences which they learn or prefer most. Use varied instructional approaches to help students learn in the best way possible for them. 35 THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT FS 1 FIELD STUDY 1 EPISODE 6 HOME-SCHOOL LINK Name of FS Student: Giovan R. Sevillla Course: BEED – 1 Resource Teacher: Mrs. Porte Cooperating School: Pagbilao East Elementary School Your Target At the end of this activity, you will gain competence in reflecting on the impact of home and family life to learning. Your Map To reach your target, do the following tasks: Home and School Link ❖ Select a learner from the class whom you have observed. ❖ Conduct a home visit to your selected learner. ❖ Describe the family in terms of Number of siblings Number of siblings in school ❖ Reflect on how the feelings of belongingness and acceptance and cooperation are emphasized in the play. ❖ Interview the parents about The rules they implement at home concerning their child’s schooling. The learner’s activities and behavior while at home. 36 Your Tools Use the activity form provided for you to document your observations An Observation/Interview Guide for Home-School Link Read the following carefully before you begin to observe/interview. Then write your observation report on the provided space. The Learner 1. Make a general observation of the learner. Describe him in each of the domains of development: Physical-body built and height (thin, chubby, underweight, overweight), level of physical activity (fast, slow, lethargic, active, etc.) social-interaction, with teachers and classmates (loner, shy, sociable, friendly, gets into fights, liked by others, etc) emotional moods, temperament, cries easily, loses temper, happy, shows enthusiasm, excited, indifferent, etc.) cognitive (appears to understand lessons, copes with the lessons, excels, lags behind, shows reasoning skills, turns in assignments and requirements, etc.) Interview the Teacher 1. What are the most noticeable characteristics of the learner? (emotional disposition, behavior and discipline, sense of responsibility, study habits, academic performance, relationship with peers, peers, relationship with adults, social adjustment) 2. How does the teacher communicate with the parents? How often? What do they discuss? Agree on? Interview with Parents 1. Conduct a home visit. Once there, observe the home set-up. (Home is orderly, family pictures in the living room) 2. Use the interview questions on the next page. Just ask the questions with which you feel comfortable. 37 Suggested Parent Interview Guide Your teacher may ask you to use a more detailed interview guide. Be free to translate the questions, if necessary. Name of Learner: Marc Clarenz Jaranilla Date of Birth: March 18, 2007 Grade/Year Level: Pre-school Number of Siblings: 2 Birth Order: 1st Age: 5 years old and 7 months Gender:Male Parents: Mother: Joy Jaranilla Age: 27 Occupation: Small Scale business woman Father: Sonny Jaranilla Occupation: OFW Educational Attainment: Vocational Educational Attainment: Vocational Learner’s Physical Aspect: Health: Mother’s Health During Pregnancy with the learner: I am physically fit during my pregnancy with Marc Clarenz. Ailments or health problems of the learner as a child: The health problems that I remember with Marc Clarenz as a child is cough, cold and flu. Age of the learner when he started to walk/talk: It was about a year when he started to walk and a few months later he had his first words. Food preferences of the learner as a child and at present: He likes hotdogs very much, like most children that I know. Fried chicken and sandwiches are also his favorite. Who took care of him/her as a child? I personally took care of him as a child. 38 Learner’s Social Aspect: Describe your child’s sociability (friendly, outgoing or shy, loner) He is very outgoing and friendly. He is never shy or la loner because he talks all the time and he approaches peers like he have known them for so long. Who were the learner’s playmates? Kids of our neighbors and his classmates. As a child then was he/she allowed to play outside? Its only when he entered preschool that I allowed him to play outside. Is he/she allowed to go out with friends? Do you have rules for him/her to follow regarding going out? What are these rules? He is still not allowed to go out with his friends, he is too young and reckless. Yes there are rules, 1st: He should come home if I called him and 2nd is do not play outside where I cant see him or too far from our home. Emotional-Moral What are your expectations of your child? He learns fast, I’m expecting him to keep it up as he grows. How do you provide a nurturing environment for your child? I always remind Clarenz to be nice and I make sure that his needs are met as much as possible. I want the best for my child. Does your child go to you when she/he feels down or has a problem? What do you do to meet his/her emotional needs/ Clarenz is a sweet child even if he is noisy and doing so many messy stuff, but when he have a problem, you can see him just sitting somewhere in the house. He stays silent unless someone approaches him, it’s only there that he would share what he feels. When he is sick he comes to me and places his head in my arm and hugs me softly. What do you do when she/he is not successful in something? I told him that it’s not every time that we can be successful in everything. He is still young, he has a lot to learn, and he will learn from every failure that he experiences. 39 How do you discipline your children? I discipline him verbally as much as possible, my husband and I promised to ourselves that physical punishment is not good for our children. Do you have rules in the house? What are they? Yes, we always eat together during dinner, it is a family tradition. How do you impose the rules? I just call them, and they know what they should do. What are the consequences of breaking the rules? No TV, and no playing outside the house would be enough to discipline my children. Learner’s Cognitive Aspect: What are the child’s interests? He likes to watch fantasy movies, when he plays he imitates them. He likes to play ball games. At an early age he shows signs of interest in basketball. What is he/she good at in school? He is good in numbers and reading. In what subject/s does he/she have difficulty? He is having a hard time in drawing. How do you monitor his/her performance in school? How do you motivate him/her? When I fetch him in school, I try to ask his teacher about his progress and back at home if there is any free time we spend a few time together and study. Do you have rules at home to help him develop good study habits? What are these rules? How are they implemented? Yes. It is only one rule. Study when I call him or sleep early without TV if you defy me. 40 THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT PROFILE Name of the Learner: Marc Clarenz Jaranilla School: Pagbilao East Elementary School Date of Home Visit: September 24, 2012 Date of Birth: March 18, 2007 Grade/Year Level: Preschool Age: 5 years old Gender: Male Family Profile Number of Siblings: 2 Birth Order: 1st Parent: Mother: Joy Jaranilla Age: Occupation: Small scale business Educational Attainment: Vocational Father: Sonny Jaranilla Occupation: OFW Educational Attainment: Vocational Physical Development In paragraph form, describe the physical development of the learner. Combine the teacher’s, parents’ responses and your own observations. Social Development In paragraph form, describe the social development of the learner. Combine the teacher’s, parents’ responses and your own observations. Emotional-Moral Development 41 In paragraph form, describe the emotional-moral development of the learner. Combine the teacher’s, parents’ responses and your own observations. Cognitive Development In paragraph form, describe the cognitive development of the learner. Combine the teacher’s, parents’ responses and your own observations. Findings Write here your salient findings about the learner. Conclusions Write your conclusions after you have analyzed the impact of the school and the home on the learner’s development. Recommendations Write your recommendations. From my observations, the physical development of Marc Clarenz is good because he showed good signs of fine motor skills and also according to her teacher. The social development of Clarenz is also in good shape, he is friendly although at times he makes his peers irritated to him because of his too much noise and messing around. Her mother told me that his friendliness is often mistaken as being a bully because he seems to be like a big boss. Clarenz emotional-moral development is built around his moral character, he is not a shy person but when he have problems ne likes to be alone and he doesn’t talk like the usual Marc Clarenz that I know. Mrs. Porte noticed that Clarenz is easily affected by his emotions and his personality depends much on how he feels. If he is sad, he just sits and stays silent and if he is happy, he moves around and talks non-stop with his peers. The salient findings that I observed about him is that he has the ability to learn fast, when he is motivated and interested, he can do things better. The cognitive development was good, he is an all-around learner and he does things well during class except fidgeting in seat and like a talk show host, he talks non-stop. The activeness of a learner like Marc Clarenz demonstrates or shows a child’s capability in school to learn and adapt to his/her environment. It is an important factor for it will chart the future of the child for the coming years of his life. The learner makes more progress when he is socially interactive and mentally active in participating in class activities. They can easily express themselves verbally and clearly and they develop faster the skills needed to cope up with our community and prepare them for the next level of education. I recommend that this kind of leaner have to be given proper attention and every learner needs to be trained or taught how to socialize because it is a general need to our community. A child who tends to be isolated and not encouraged by parents or teachers to express themselves is a big hindrance to his/her progress as a learner. 42 Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Authoritarian. Parents are very firm with their children and expect unwavering and unquestioning obedience. Rules are set by parents and misbehaviors is met with withdrawal of affection, physical punishments or threats. Permissive. Parents are not firm of controlling. They have few expectations. May be warm and caring but appear to be uninvolved and uninterested. Rejecting-Neglecting. Parents are disengaged from children. Neither demanding nor responsive to children. Provide no structure, supervision, support or guidance. Authoritative. Parents achieve a good blend. They are firm yet loving. Have clear and reasonable expectations and limits for their children. Treat children with respect and warmth. Make children understand consequence of their behavior. Your Analysis Your findings and recommendations in the Learner Development Profile will help you answer the questions here. 1. From your home visit and interview, what do you think is the style of parenting experienced by the learner? Explain your answer. Authoritative parenting because the children is respected and given proper care without doing any physical harm if they committed a mistake; they have a good blend in their family even if Mr. Jaranilla is not there because he have to work overseas for the family’s living. The family is strongly bonded with love and affection and does not promote punishment for discipline. 2. Relating your data with what you have learned\ from child development, what family factors do you think contribute to the development and over-all adjustment of the learner in school? It is the good family relationship which affects greatly the child’s performance in school. He is treated nicely and he feels secured that is why he is not bothered and his young mind is at ease having only minimal stresses which can maximize the learning capability of the child. 3. Does the communication between the home-school have an effect on the learner? If yes, what are these effects? Yes, they can easily identify problems within the child and can provide solutions right away. It helps the child intact in learning with continuous exchange of information from school and home. This way the child receives the right amount of attention, enough for the learner to be properly prepared for school. Children of Authoritarian Parents: are often unhappy, fearful, withdrawn, inhibited, hostile and aggressive. They have low self-esteem and difficulty with peers. Permissive Parents: believe that their parents do not care for them. They are often impulsive, aggressive and lack self-control; may they have low levels of independence and responsibility. Rejecting-Neglecting Parents: are found to be the least competent in their over-all functioning and adjustment. Authoritative Parent: are socially competent, self-reliant and have greater ability to show self-control. They have higher self-esteem and are better adjusted. Based on Child Development By: Santrock, 2004 Your Reflections 1. Reflect on your own development as a child. What type of parenting did you experience? How did it affect you? As a child, I can recall that at first I experienced an authoritarian parenting up until middle elementary. It affected me greatly, because honestly I developed the sense of hate and loneliness that built up inside of me. I wanted 43 a bit of freedom that they usually don’t give me. They always made me follow all their rules without complaint and most of my offenses are met with punishment. My sisters also had their share except my youngest brother because many things have changed since then. Now, it was totally different, I can do what I want, when I want, where I want. I only follow my own rule and do what I want without their consent. I’m not rebellious; maybe they have learned that too much authority is a bad thing. I just turned 24, I know what I should do, and I’m not getting any younger. I have all the reasons now to change and do things right. I have a great mother who gives me what I need even if at times I’m doing things the wrong way. My friends who brings up the sun against the stormy days and my teachers who’s guiding me to the right path that I have missed for so long. And the person who saved me from falling to pieces, I never regretted anything. If there is any lesson that I learned from my development as a child up to now. It is “Time is one thing in this world that we cannot recycle, never let the opportunities come and go like the wind,” grab it, its worth. 2. As a future teacher, how would you establish good home-school collaboration? How can you work well with the parents? How can you help them? How can they help you? As a future teacher, I will talk with the parents and stakeholders with respect and approach them nicely for in this way will be in the benefit of all especially the learner. If I can establish a good home-school link, I can be able to work better and help the primary concerns of the parents and learners to the school. I can identify their needs easily and make the right adjustments best suited to help them and provide sufficient information to the parent about their child’s progress in school. Without this kind of link in communication or link in school and home, the child’s improvement can be lessened as well as the effectiveness of my teaching strategies will be held to a minimum. The child can better be understood if the parents and teachers work together with ease and this will be the bridge to a child’s success in their performance in school. 44 1. Make an artistic, colorful, and creative visual expression of your insights or feelings about the influence of the home and school to the learner. Optional Reflection Activities 1. Then write a few statements on the space below about your visual art Stick with Acrostic 2. Make a reflection acrostic about the home and school link. H – Helping O – Organize a M – Meaningful E – Environment for learners S – Shares C – Cares and H – Hopes to O – Open up O – Opportunities to make L – Learning better L – Loving and I – Immensely N – Nurtures the K – Kids for the future 45