Julia Haff
LS 2000/3000
September 30, 2013
Fieldwork Analysis
I have had the privilege to observe a be a part of Lisa Johnson’s first grade
classroom at Short Elementary for my fieldwork about 4 weeks now. Being able to
watch Mrs. Johnson in front of the class helps me understand her way of teaching
and it’s very helpful. I now know different ways to go about teaching and helping
the students that I had never thought of before. She shows great classroom
management because the students listen to her intently, do what they are told
willingly and they all get their work done in a fashionable manner without any
complaints because they all seem eager to learn and expand their knowledge.
The first week that I worked in the classroom I was a little nervous because
working in a first grade classroom is a lot different than working at a preschool, like
I did last year for my fieldwork. In her classroom they use the GLAD strategy way of
teaching which helps the students who don’t speak English as their first language
catch on to learning English quicker. This strategy also helps the students work
together and gives the students a way to learn in a fun and effective way. What I
have noticed when the students first arrive in the classroom Mrs. Johnson gives
them a little guidance and explanation of what they are going to accomplish first and
they immediately get started on the assignment. When they first sit down at their
assigned seats there is a worksheet waiting for them to start. The worksheet is
usually about practicing their numbers or letters. I believe Mrs. Johnson chooses to
do these worksheets at the beginning of class so that the students can get their
thinking process going. This seems like a great way to get the students to calm
down and start focusing on school an I believe that I would use this in my future
classroom. Having the kids focused from the beginning will hopefully last through a
certain period of time.
For the past several weeks the students have been learning about citizenship
and what it means to have rights. They have been reading poems and doing
different activities that promote good citizenship. They are taking what they learn
about citizenship and they apply to different scenarios. For example, last week Mrs.
Johnson told her friend to come, who is a great puppet show artist, to perform a fun
show about citizenship. He brought in all sorts of puppet animals and he told two
wonderful stories complete with different voices for each character. The kids
seemed to love it and they were all so intrigued with the stories and when they were
listening intently. This was an awesome idea to bring in her friend because a little
learning fun can actually be rewarding for the students. I would also use this
technique in the classroom because I believe that having a little fun in the classroom
can help the students learn.
The kids also have floor time with Mrs. Johnson where she teaches them a
lesson. They all sit on the floor in front of her and there are usually a few kids who
misbehave, but mostly all of them listen the first time. In addition to floor time they
also have poetry corner where they read different easy poems all together and then
one brave student volunteers to read the poem out loud and everyone listens and
then claps afterwards. I think the group sessions in the class where everyone is
gathered together and they can collaborate with each other is a great way of
teaching especially at a first grade level. After they have group time with Mrs.
Johnson they go back and they do an assignment in their reading logs. The learning
logs are a way for Mrs. Johnson to observe how each student is processing what they
have learned. I especially love the learning log idea because the students are able to
be creative and show the different ways that each student learns.
Overall, Mrs. Johnson is a great role model for me because I love the way she
teaches so her ideas will spill over to when I start teaching. The students respect
her and I hope my students are the same in my future classroom.