Field Experience Reflection Paper
Stacey Goins
Manchester College
I went to Sharp Creek two times a week to tutor a sixth grade boy named Jared.
This was the most unorganized assignment I have ever done. It took me forever to be
able to figure out what would work with my golf and class schedules. Once I figured out
a time and day that would work for me, it didn’t work too well with my student. I ended
up going every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30. I had to take Jared out of
class each time I went to tutor him. I was tutoring him in math, and sometimes I would
have to take him out of math in order to work with him. I didn’t really feel like that was
very beneficial to him, but that was the only time I had available.
Jared was a sixth grade male, like stated above. He had problems in math. His
basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division were good. He had problems with
dividing by double digit numbers. Jared also had problems getting his homework
finished. That is what we worked on most days. There were a few times where I would
go to the school and he wouldn’t’ have any homework and we would just play different
math games involving dice. One game that we played we would roll two dice, and
multiply them, then we would roll a third die and subtract that from the product of the
first two die.
Piaget’s concrete operational phase of cognitive development has had an effect on
my students. The students used the methods taught in class to do their homework. If
they do not understand the homework, this shows Vygotsky’s idea. Vygotsky’s idea of
teaching the students just above the level of their current level of functioning is evident
with my students. Therefore I have to try different techniques to help them understand
the homework. I can help them with homework if they tell me about it. Kohlberg’s
punishment-obedient stage was never tested with Jared. Erikson’s industry verses
inferiority phase of psychosocial development has an effect on my student. There were
times when he would be really good about working on his homework, and then there
were times when he really wasn’t into it. I would have to keep pulling his attention back
to his math. Gardner’s logical-mathematical and intrapersonal intelligences of eight
intelligences have had an effect on my student. The logical-mathematical intelligence
has had an effect on Jared because we always worked on math homework. The
intrapersonal intelligence has an effect on my student because he knows his own
weaknesses for the most part. This is the part where Jared does not want to study, but we
work on it even more to help him try to catch up with the other students.
It was difficult at first for me to help Jared out with his math. I am not very
strong in math myself, so I was really nervous about helping him. I had to go back and
re-teach myself a lot of the materials Jared was learning. When I was helping Jared with
his homework I had a idea where he was coming from and was able to look at the
problems and material from a little bit different point of view. I tried to explain it in a
way that I understood it, and most of the time that worked. There were a couple of times
where I had to come back to school and ask someone else to give me a couple of different
ways in order to better explain it to him.
I didn’t really set too many goals for myself; I was a little confused during the
whole field experience about what type of goals I should have. All I did every day was
simply to help Jared finish his homework. Basically my main goal each day was to have
Jared finish his homework. Most days this goal was accomplished. The biggest goal I
had for myself was to find a way for Jared to understand the materials I was trying to
teach him. A goal I have made for myself for the future it to actually set goals. By
setting goals along the way I know how much I am accomplishing with my students. I
want to be able to see the progress that they are making.
This semester I have learned that planning a lesson plan isn’t as easy as all of the
other classes make it seem. A regular lesson plan that you will actually use in the
classroom aren’t that difficult, but actually drawing it out and justifying everything you
do is a lot more work. It was pretty interesting seeing on paper what is actually going
through your head while you are making up plans. I didn’t really learn anything about
teaching that I hadn’t already learned in my other education classes. A lot of things that
are covered in most of the education classes seem to be the same. I did however learn
how different learners learn, and how to figure out which ways work best through
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. I find it very fascinating how many different
learning styles you can have in your class. I am, however a little nervous about being
able to meet all of those different needs.