Azul, Jericho C.

BSED IV-A5

My Reflection My reflections on my observations of my Resource Teacher’s observance of these

principles. Did my Resource Teachers adhere to these principles? Based on what I had observed, the
Resource teacher really adheres to the different learning principles. Even though some principles are not
clearly shown on the way she teach, still I can see that her teaching is effective because of the principles
of learning that she applied together with the strategies and methods she used. She grouped the
students, she let her students do tasks individually and after that present it to the class, she let the
students answer her questions based on theirprior knowledge, experiences and theirown
meaning/words and also she just not teach the students intellectually but also emotionally. Seeing how
these things are applied, I can say that the Resource teacher definitely shown to me what a real and true
teacher is and with that I can see that the learners are learning effectively and productively in the class.
5. Lessons I have learned from my observations on the classroom application of the principles of
learning. I have learned that applying these principles of learning is really important in making the
classroom or the teaching-learning process to be effective and productive. I learned that students
learned when they are engaged in a collaborative task, if they answered based on their past experiences
and also if they are taught not just intellectually but emotionally. All of these learning principles are
really a great help to improve and increase the learning of the students.

8. My Portfolio Principles of Learning in My Own Words 1. Learning is gradual.It is a step-by-step

process. 2. No two individuals learn in the same way. 3. Learning is not only thinking but also feeling. 4.
Learning is a lifelong process. 5. Learning is sometimes a complicated process. 6. Learning involves
interactions. 7. Learning is a product of a good teaching. 8. Learning involvesrewards and punishments.
9. Learning has different styles.
2

Reflection 1Field Experience Reflection PaperMatthew MorrisJanuary 25, 2009Introduction to Teaching

Reflection 2When I first entered Shawnee Middle School I was unsure of how I would fit into world of
education as a teacher. After my observation was done I changed my view of this and knew that I would
make a great teacher. I was able to learn many different things that will be helpful to me when I get
hired as an educator someday. Although I will have to face many challenges in the classroom, I possess
many of the strengths it takes to be a good teacher. There were many times during the week that gave
me a great idea of how the everyday life of a teacher would go. Also I got a great feel for how the
classroom environment will be for most secondary educators. Overall it was a great experience for me
and I learned a lot about myself, and the classroom.During my time in the classroom I felt very
comfortable being around the students and helping them out when they asked me questions. As a
teacher it is very important to feel comfortable in your work environment because if you don’t it will be
nearly impossible for you to do your job in a successful manner. It was a great experience being around
the students and being able to help them, which is one of the main reasonfor why I want to become
involved in the profession. The classroom environment was a very inconsistent one and usually
depended on how the students acted. If the students were well behaved it was very positive and
constructive, but if the students were acting up it was exactly the opposite. The desks were lined up in
straight rows to prevent students from interacting and talking too much during lectures. Also the room
was decorated with colorful walls from posters to help create a positive classroom environment. Overall
the classroom environment was set up to give each student the best possible chance they had to
succeed. From my observation I believe the teacher involved the students a good amount during
lectures and assignments. For example, during lectures on chapters the teacher included a guided
reading. This was a sheet the students were required to fill out while the chapter was being lectured to
them. After each time the lecture got to a point where a question could be answered the teacher would
call on a student to answer. I find this to be a very effective method because it is both informational and
fun for the student by keeping them involved. Another way that the teacher would involve the students
in

Reflection 3instruction was by breaking them up in to smaller group to complete worksheets. After a
chapter was read he would divide the groups up equally between the smarter kids and the students that
didn’t perform as well. They would be given assignments that ranged from chapter review to group
discussions about what was just learned. This was a way for the students to reflect on what they had
just learned and give them another view of the content besides the teacher lecture. All the lessons that I
viewed taught in the classroom were very similar to one another because it was the way the teacher
thought would be most effective. Most lessons started out with a lecture of all the information that
could be found throughout the entire chapter. During the lecture each student would fill out a guided
reading paper that would be used to review for the upcoming quiz or test. After this was done the
teacher might split the students up into small groups for review and completion of the guided reading.
Each lesson was then completed with the showing of an informational movie clip over the topic that was
just discussed. This gave each student three different views of the content to maximize learning. I found
each lesson to be taught very effectively and in a way for the students to learn best. Throughout my
observation there were many interactions between the student and teacher, either being very positive,
or negative. During a lesson when all the students were able to stay engaged the interactions would be
very positive. The teacher would ask questions during the lecturesand as the students were able to
answer the questions correctly, or at least try, the relationship remained positive. I would have to say
though that there were many more negative interactions than positive ones during the observation.
Most days the teacher would continuously have to remind the students to spit out their gum, which was
the main rule for his class. Also he would have to keep telling the students to quit talking and to pay
attention. This can be very stressful and take a great deal of time away from teaching, and learning.
However, there were some situations between the students and teacher that escaladed to much more
than a simple reminder. On one particular occasion a young girl refused to take an open book quiz
because she was new to the school. The teacher repeatedly asked her to start the quiz very kindly and
calmly, but the girl failed to comply. As the situation continued on, both the

Reflection 4teacher and the girl became angry. Frustrated with how disrespectful and unresponsive the
teacher was forced to take more drastic measures. He threw the girl out of class and sent her down to
the principal for a nice little chat. The girl,however, would not go quiet as she threw a fit all the way out
of class and down the hallway. A simple task turned intoa big problem and this is a major challenge for
many teachers today. Another negative interaction between a student and the teacher that I was able to
observe didn’t turn out much better than the one beforehaving a similar end. A boy was chewing gum
and the teacher asked him nicely to go spit it out in the trash. The boy got a disgusted look on his face
and walked slowly up to the trash, only acting like he spit out his gum. A few minutes later the teacher
asked him if he was still chewing gum, but he denied it. Everyone in the class knew the boy was still
chewing gum, but he wanted to show off and give the teacher crap. In the end the student lost like in
most situations and was sent down to the principal’s office, getting a referral. By seeing some of these
interactions I did not know what to think about the student-teacher relationship because they can be
very bittersweet. I believe that I will face many challenges as I enter into the profession of teaching, but
who wouldn’t with a job that requires working with others. The main problem I see myself having is
keeping my calm with students when they are acting up. It is very easy for me to flip my lid when
someone does something I do not like or do not approve of. In teaching this will happen a lot because
you will always have those certain students that want to rebel in the classroom. A way for me to face
this challenge is to remember how I have seen teachers handle similar situations and not get mad too
fast. I do believe there is a point when it is required to get angry and scold a student though, but not
before trying to work the problem out in a civil mannerand not in front of their peers. Another challenge
I see myself having is keeping all of my students engaged in lectures. Of course you will havethose
students who are always very respectful and will pay attention to all of the things you say in class. On
the other side of this you will have the students who could care less about school and will not pay much
attention to you. I will face this challenge by finding a way to make each lecture both fun and
informational, so

Reflection 5that I am able to target both crowds, and have a successful classroom. Although I will face
many challenges I feel that I have many strengths that will make me a successful teacher.One of my key
strengths would have to be my ability

to connect with the students. I was able to really connect and interact successfully with the students
when I worked with a small group. They really listened to me and enjoyed the way I taught them. AlsoI
feel that I am a very flexible person so I will be able to go with the flow and make changes when I find
the necessary. Another strength of mine would be me being a great leader, and able to direct his or
herstudents in the right direction. Being a good speaker will also help in my teaching because most of
my job will consist of me communicating with my students. Lastly my creativity will be a good strength
to have as a teacher making everyday different for my students. There is one professional
developmental goal that I would want to incorporate with my teaching someday, which is being able to
find different ways to teach students so that the information sticks. During my observation there were
many times when the student was just not able to grasp the material no matter how hard they tried
because they could not follow the teacher’s style. This is the main reason why I feel it is important for
me to get to know my students better and find out the best way to teach them. If I am able to find the
best and most effective way to help my students learn then they will reach their highest potential as a
student. I know this won’t be an easy process or happen over night, but after a few years in the career I
hope to develop into this type of teacher. Another way I will be able to grow is by attending as many
teaching workshops and going beyond the required amount so I can reach my full potential as a teacher.
By doing this I would be doing everything I could to help myself and my students to succeed.I have
learned many different key teaching components throughout my observation. Whether it be how to run
a classroom, or setting up a positive classroom environment I now know a lot more than I did. Someday
when I do reach my goal of becoming a teacher I hope to apply some of the things I have learned from
this experience to create a successful classroom and environment.

The coursework and field experience this semester made me realize how important it is to know my
students and how to engage them. I experimented with different ways to engage my students over the
course of the semester. The experience taught me that the students were more focused and that I
grabbed their attention when I actively engaged them in the process of learning. During the first couple
of lessons, I read and they answered questions.
After the first two lessons, I started engaging them more by allowing them to read, write, draw pictures,
and pretend to be the characters from the books. I started to realize the more that I gave them; the
more they wanted. I also realized that knowing my students helped me decide what types of activities I
chose. Some activities I chose at first I decided to change because after I thought about my students and
their interests I decided that it would not work for my students. The lessons are more meaningful when
the students’ interests are taken into consideration.

The three goals that I have for myself moving forward in the teacher preparation program are I will get
to know all the students that I interact with in the classroom, my lessons will be student centered, and
my lessons will be very well thought out. These are goals that I will implement in the classroom because
I believe that forming relationships with my students is crucial to me being a successful teacher as well
as being prepared. It will be a chief priority for me to get to know my students.

I believe that establishing a comfortable, safe, and secure environment is vital to a well-functioning
classroom. A benefit of getting to know my students is I will be able to integrate culturally relevant
material in my lesson plans. I plan on teaching ESL; therefore, the cultural relevancy of my lessons is
extremely important to me. Including the interests and lives of students in lesson plans make the lessons
more meaningful to students. Students will be more responsive to the lessons if they can relate to them
and they are relevant to their lives.

That example is only one part of culture that has an impact on the students’ daily lives that I need to
know. My lessons will be student centered is another of my goals. It is hard at first to give up control in
the classroom because when I went to school the classroom was always teacher centered. The teacher
was the dispenser of all information and we were little vessels that needed to be filled up with that
dispensed knowledge. My goal is to almost have the flip of that model of teaching. I want to serve as a
guide for my students.

I want to give them the strategies and tools to be able to think critically and develop an understanding
of the material instead of telling them what I want them to know. Authentic learning by students is
better than them just memorizing a list of facts. When students are at the center of their learning, they
are more engaged and receptive to the material in my experience with students. I learned in Reading
Achievers that the students wanted to do more than just answer questions. They asked to write after
the first week, and I finally gave them more control after the second lesson; therefore, they were more
engaged.

The third goal that I have for myself is to make sure that all my lesson plan are meticulously thought out
and deliberate. Well-designed lesson plans flow and interconnect all of the components of the lesson
plan. If the components do not align, then a lesson plan can miss the mark and the students will not
learn the intended goals. The comments on my lesson plans and talking about the lesson plans in class
made me realize that I was not clearly stating my objectives and that they did not align with the
assessments all of the time.

The three goals that I have established for myself are attainable and critical for my success. I need to
make sure that I am mindful when creating my lesson plans. I need to make sure that the lesson plans
flow and that I am not wasting precious time. Knowing my students and creating positive rapports with
them are extremely important to me. The class, reading, and my time spent at Reading Achievers with
the students and the coaches opened my eyes and made me realize how important it is to have detailed
and cohesive lesson plans as well as establishing relationships with students.

The three goals that I have established for myself are attainable and critical for my success. I need to
make sure that I am mindful when creating my lesson plans. I need to make sure that the lesson plans
flow and that I am not wasting precious time. Knowing my students and creating positive rapports with
them are extremely important to me. The class, reading, and my time spent at Reading Achievers with
the students and the coaches opened my eyes and made me realize how important it is to have detailed
and cohesive lesson plans as well as establishing relationships with students.