Contextual Factors Provo High School
Community
The city of Provo is the third-largest city in the
state of Utah with a population of 115,919,
according to the 2012 census. Geographically,
the city measures 41.67 square miles with
approximately 2,699 persons per square mile.
The majority of Provo citizens (91%) ages
25+ have received a high school diploma while
39% of the same population have gone on to
receive a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
Forbes Magazine listed Provo, Utah as number two on a list of Best Places for Business
and Careers. With large and fast-growing businesses such as NuSkin and Vivent, as well
as the third-largest private university in the country (Brigham Young University), Provo
provides its citizens with thousands of possible careers and opportunities for professional
development. In this city alone, there are over 8,500 firms, 27.1% of which are owned by
women. Because of the many job and career opportunities provided by these firms, the
average amount of time it takes to get to work is 16.7 minutes.
The most recent census found that 84.8% of Provo
residents are White, 15.2% are Hispanic or Latino, 2.5%
are Asian, 1.1% are Pacific Islander, 0.8% are American
Indian, and 0.7% are Black or African American, while
3.4% of the population claimed two or more races. It
would seem that a large number of these minorities live
within the boundaries of Provo High School because of
the high percentage of minority students that make up the
student body, compared to the other high school in the
city.
The Provo Recreation Center provides many fitnessbased amenities such as racquetball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, skate parks,
rock walls, and a fitness mezzanine. Furthermore, the city has invested a lot of money to
provide state-of-the-art facilities for the senior citizens. Some of these include a seniorwellness room, senior library, computer lab, and other multi-purpose rooms. Another
amenity in this city is the high school itself. Because of its prime location so close to
downtown Provo, as well as its large facilities, the school frequently hosts dozens of
events for the community, one of the most popular is the biannual ballroom dance
competition held in the high school’s gymnasiums. Provo High has a good relationship
with Brigham Young University (BYU), frequently allowing many BYU students to
participate in coaching internships and student teaching opportunities. Additionally, the
high school is often used during the summers for many youth participating in BYU’s
sports, dance, and cheerleading camps.
School
Located directly across the street from
Brigham Young University on University
Avenue, Provo High School is home to
roughly 1,940 students. For every 24
students there is one teacher, making the
student-to-teacher ratio higher than both
the Utah and the national average. More
than half of the teachers at Provo High
School have received education high than
a Bachelor’s degree, approximately 60%.
Faculty members are supported in their
efforts to pursue higher education and are
frequently encouraged to continue to learn.
The school itself is comprised of four main buildings: the central building, the “D wing,”
the science building, and the technology building. Even though it is not owned by Provo
High School, there is a seminary building on campus where students go to pursue
religious education. The large majority of Provo’s students, specifically 89%, belong to
the LDS (Mormon) faith; Catholics form 1.5%, while Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists,
and Lutherans all form less than 1%. The remaining students do not claim a specific
religion.
This 9th-12th high school is unique in that the 9th graders (Freshman) attend the high
school instead of junior high like most of the other schools around the area. Of the 1,940
students enrolled here 532 are in 9th grade, 491 are in 10th
grade, 451 are in 11th grade, and 466 are in 12th grade. Provo
High is the school for a large percentage of minority students,
approximately 42%. Hispanics form 29%; Asians, 6%; Pacific
Islanders, 3%; Native American, 1%; Black or African
American, 1%; with 3% declared two or more races. About half
of the students (49%) qualify for free or reduced lunch. The
graduation rate is 76.5%.
Classroom
The classes at Provo High School are on a “Block Schedule,” meaning that students
attend only four, 80-minute classes each school day. I will be helping with four Spanish I
classes and one Spanish II class. The classroom in which I will be teaching is a
rectangular room with 38 individual chairs with desks. Two whiteboards span the length
of both the east and west walls. In the southeast corner of the classroom there is a walk-in
closet where teacher can store materials. The class comes equipped with a projector,
laptop computer, speakers, and television set. Three mobile computer labs are available
for reservation from the school library. Each mobile lab contains 20 laptop computers and
can be used in the classroom.
In our classroom we have 6 rules:
1) Respect others
2) No food, drinks, or gum in class
3) Stay in your assigned seat
4) Bring your materials each day
5) Be in your seat on time when the bell rings
6) No cellphones, iPods, or video games in class
Student Characteristics
The student’s ages range from 13-17 years old. At this age, many of them are becoming
interested in the opposite sex, particularly the males. They much rather enjoy talking
about weekend plans than preterit vs. imperfect. In our classroom we use the student’s
interest as the subject matter for instruction. This provides us with many topics to discuss
due, in part, to the diversity that exists among the students. In each class there are at least
six heritage speakers (someone who grew up with exposure to the target language at
home) who contribute greatly to our class discussions. In four of the Spanish classes there
is at least one student with special needs.
Instructional Implications
 The first implication that will affect my teaching is the block schedule that Provo
High School practices. Block scheduling means more time for instruction, which
requires teachers to plan lessons thoroughly. In a normal class schedule, teachers
tend to “run out of time” and not be able to get to everything that they had
planned for that specific class period. On a block schedule, the opposite problem
can happen: teachers finish their lesson with 15 minutes left in the class period. I
will really have to plan my lessons well and eliminate inefficiencies in my time
management. As a student teacher, I will have to work extra hard to add to my
repertoire of educational activities that I can use at a moments notice.
Additionally, longer classes results in restless students and behavioral issues.
Teaching in a block schedule requires frequent changes of pace and interactive
activities.
The following table identifies a few of the pros and cons of block scheduling:
Pros
Cons
Teachers see fewer students during the day, providing
more time for individualized instruction.
Students only see the teacher two or
three times during the week.
Students have more time in class to recall information
and activate prior knowledge.
If a student is absent from one class
period, they miss a lot of
information.
Teachers have more time between lessons to plan and
prepare.
Students can become restless sitting
in their seats for more than 60
minutes.
More time in class often results in time for students to
get a head-start on homework with the help of teacher
or classmates.
Teachers really have to master their
time-management skills.

The second instructional implication is the physical features of the classroom. The
classroom is not very large and the desks take up most of the space. In order to
teach the way that I want to, I will have to move the chairs almost every day. I
understand that this will probably be physically demanding and no matter how
much I insist that the students help me, I will still have to do a lot of the moving
myself. I will have to be creative about how I use the space that I do have because
I want students out of their chairs and moving as much as possible, especially
because they are here for 80 minutes.

The final implication deals with the high number of students on free and reduced
lunch. Many of these student’s families are in tough economic situations and a lot
of them can’t go directly home after school because they have to work in order to
help support their family. The implication that this has on my teaching is that
students really don’t have a lot of time at home to do homework outside of school.
It will be important for me to limit the amount of homework that I assign to my
students, understanding that they receive large amounts of work from their other
teachers as well.