Field Experience Reflection

This year I observed a first, third, and seventh grade class at Gibbs Elementary School and Pulaski Heights Middle School. The teachers all applied various different methods, theories and philosophies of teaching in their classrooms, some of which we have learned in my Excel class. The teachers’ classes I observed focused on classroom culture, learner’s engagement and the different types of learners in their classes. 

On October 8, 2019 I observed Mrs. Lacy’s 3rd grade class at Gibbs Elementary School. Though I’m sure I do not want to work with elementary aged kids in my future career, it was a great opportunity to learn different strategies and skills that enhance student learning in the classroom. When I walked into her classroom for the first time, I immediately took note of the seating arrangement. I knew that the seating charts were an important part of the teacher’s classroom. Mrs. Lacy’s desks were grouped into tables of four and moved the kids around a lot, this way the students would be able to interact with most and if not all their peers. She enforced lots of group work and collaborative assignments, which gets the kids to think at a higher level on the Blooms chart and arranges her desks so the class can achieve this goal. When seating her students, Mrs. Lacy bases who she puts in certain groups by the ability of the child. She will usually place kids who are performing well in class with kids who might be struggling, aiming to encourage them to help each other out. This is a common strategy used by teachers to help their students strengthen their social and academic skills that they need later in life. Seating arrangements shape the classroom’s culture. Providing a space that allows students to interact and learn about their peers, creates a positive and productive environment for kids to learn in. Classroom culture can determine how well the students learn. Who they sit next to and interact with can either motivate or discourage them when it comes to working and learning efficiently. 

The next class I visited was Mrs. Ganz’s 1st grade class on October 22, 2019 at Gibbs Elementary School. I noticed that she made reading a priority and accessible to her students. She had two “libraries” her students could visit at almost anytime. There was one she had under a loft she had in a corner of her room, and another one in the back of her room. The shelf in the back of the room was organized on by two shelves, the top was sorted by the reading level of the books and the bottom was sorted by their genres. Most of the books under the loft were not sorted out and were donations from parents and other teachers, while the books in the back of the classroom were provided by the school. Mrs. Ganz made time for her students to read the books they pick out independently almost everyday. Providing students with access to quality books everyday in the classroom helps keep the learners engaged. When the students are provided with opportunities to increase their reading level, often times they take it, and this helps them stay actively involved and excited about reading. Stressing the importance of reading in an elementary school classroom is imperative. Pushing kids to read at an early age teaches them to comprehend and analyze what they read and helps them to become more well-rounded students. If the learners are not actively engaged in improving their reading skills it will affect their performance in other classes. 

On November 12, 2019 I visited Mrs. Flemming’s class at Pulaski Heights Middle School. She teaches 7th grade English and does a final project with her students at the end of each year. This year, the students can choose whatever kind of project they want to do, this could be an interpretative dance, painting/ drawing, skit, a powerpoint, etc. but, the project has to relate the book they are reading. Students are allowed a lot of freedom and room for creativity to share what they learned from the book. Different level classes were reading different books at the time so a student in a Pre-Ap class would have a different book than a student in regular. This project caters to all the different types of learners in the class because they can reinforce the information they learned in class in a way that works best for them. By allowing the learners to choose their project, it encouraged them to learn in their own way, which usually appeals more to younger students. If Mrs. Flemming only allowed one type of project say for example, a skit, the assignment would only benefit students who are kinesthetic learners and students who are auditory or visual learners might not have done so well. This way the students can explore the subject on their own and most, if not all of the class will do well on the project. Often times, teachers do not go out of their way to make sure all the different learner’s needs are being met in the classroom. This is usually where you see a select group of students succeed in a class because only their style of learning is being used to teach a lesson. But if a teacher creates assignments and projects the way Mrs. Flemming did, students tend to learn and retain information that they can use to advance to higher placement classes. 

I learned a lot at my time at Gibbs and PH. Being able to see what we learned in class in an actual classroom and from a teacher’s perspective helped me to see how they help students learn. Seeing how different classes operate showed me that teachers have to be creative when they teach but also have to apply some methods to ensure that their students are learning.