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For this field assignment, I chose to observe a seventh grade self-contained math class at William A Morris I.S 61 on Staten Island. I am currently a substitute teacher at the school and has worked at this school for approximately two years. For the purpose of this observations, I worked with Mr. Karl Knutsen, a 6th and 7th grade math, special education and technology supervisor at the school. Mr. Knutsen has been a teacher for seven years and has worked in I.S 61 for five. He currently teaches all self-contained math classes and is the "tech guy" for the building, meaning he is the go-to guy for all SmartBoard or computer based questions and emergencies. I am currently observing and working with Mr. Knutsens first and second period 7th grade class, 717. This class has 12 students, 11 boys and 1 girl, ranging in ages 13-14. Each student has an IEP for varying …show more content…
disabilities, including but not limited to, LD, ED, autism spectrum and OHI. This double period class also contains one classroom para and one, one-on-one crisis para. On my first observation, Mr. Knnutsen began a benchmark assessment, the Scantron, to see what the students learned up to this point and to provide data on each student in the class. The Scantron Assessment is a online performance series assessment the entire school adopted this year used in both their math and literacy classes, to see if each student is above or below grade level. For this specific class, Mr. Knutsen has the students for a double period block and often teaches the first class in his room and the second in the computer lab. On this particular day, Mr. Knutsen used period one as a review and teaching period to review concepts taught last year and to review the Scantron program iteself. First, using SmartBoard technology, he presented the Learning Target and the Do Now and asked the students to copy them both down and answer the question. He set a timer on the SmartBoard and gave the students seven minutes to copy and answer the Do Now. While they were working, Mr. Knutsen took attendance and made sure the students were on task. When the timer went off, the students shared their answers. After the Do Now, Mr.
Knutsen informed the students that they would be moving to the lab for the second period to begin their Scantron Assessment. He explained to them that the Scantron was an online test that allows you to answers questions based on math concepts you learned up to this point in your educational career. He informed them that every student in the building is taking the Math and Literacy tests and that you will use the computers in the lab to answer the questions. Next, Mr. Knutsen presented a few math topics on the SmartBoard in the form of review questions and asked the students to track the speaker and answer the question in their notebook. He set the timer for ten minutes and allowed the students to answer. When the timer rang, he asked students to go up to the SmartBoard, one by one, to answer the problems. The concepts reviewed in these problems were dividing fractions by fractions, creating a number line and solving equations. After the students wrote the answers on the board and Mr. Knutsen went through the problems, he moved on to the introduction of the Scantron
Assessment. Mr. Knutsen informed the students that each child already has their own personal log-in and password for the Scantron assessment website. He handed out a printout of their password and told them they will have to log on when they got to the computer lab. Using a SmartBoard presentation, Mr. Knutsen showed them a step by step instruction on how to log on and to click Math Assessment when the correct window pops up. Once on that window, the students will begin the assessment right away. At the conclusion of this small presentation, he told the students to pack up and get ready to move to the computer lab. Once the students entered the lab, they were instructed to log on and begin the assessment right away. The majority of the exam is in multiple choice form. Some questions include animations the students will have to watch and answer questions and some questions also ask you to read a small passage or word problem, then hit next and answer questions based on the memory of the problem. The varying questions allows the students to test their various modes of learning and keep them interested throughout the exam. Although this was not told to the students, Mr. Knutsen informed me that the Scantron generates the number of questions based on how many you answered right. This lesson and use of the Scantron system displays the Genre Principle of using technology because it fulfills the classroom goals of using a technology based assessment to test the students prior and current knowledge on math subjects. This technology also teaches high-order thinking because it challenges students to answer questions using memory, solving problems and equations, apply a rule to a problem, and elaborate and describe their answers. I believe this principle was matched in this lesson and displayed well through Mr. Knutsens modeling of the technology and allows the students to work at their own pace to asses and answer math questions. On my third observation of Mr. Knutsen's class, the students were discussing and learning adding and subtracting using negative and positive integers. On this particular day, Mr. Knutsen only had the students for one period and spent the majority of the time reviewing the number line, teaching rules on how to subtract and add negative numbers and using a scientific calculator to generate answers. For the Do Now and mini-lesson, Mr. Knutsen reviews how to use the number line and asked the students to answer a problem using the number line. After the students are given seven minutes to answer the question and go over the number line, Mr. Knutsen reviews the rules of adding and subtracting numbers. He teaches the change it change rule and the rules that two like signs become positive and two unlike signs become negative. After completing a few problems together as a class on paper by hand, Mr. Knutsen hands out a worksheet with ten addition and subtraction problems and tells the students the word independently to answer the questions. He then tells them that after they are given ten-twelve minutes to answer the problems, he will hand out scientific calculator that the students can use to check their answers and see if they are correct. The use of calculators in this lesson matches both the Purpose Principle and the Fluent Tools Principle. In this lesson, the students are learning about adding and subtracting and is solely using the calculator to review and check their answers. This matches the Purpose Principle because the use of the calculator does not obstruct the procedure and is used as the purpose of checking their answers. Assigning the worksheet before handing out the calculators, allows the students to answer the questions based on the rules learned in class and then quickly check for understanding and their answers using the calculator. The technology is not a distraction during the activity and does the labor for the student. This also matches the Fluent Tools Principle because the student understands the use of the calculator and uses the calculator to solve the problem. Because the students learned how to use the calculator in the sixth grade, they can now use the technology with ease and confidence and can easily enter the numbers and formulate the answers. Although Mr. Knutsen does not use technology in every lesson or activity, I believe he displays a proper use of the limited resources he is given in his classroom. Unfortunately I.S 61 is not a technology driven school and the only main resource of technology for the students are the calculators and two computers labs in the building. The use of the labs also becomes limited because the teacher has to meet with the AP to schedule a desired lab period and date, so the labs are not easily accessible. Mr. Knutsen did showcase his knowledge on certain technology he would like to use in the classroom and I just wish he was more proactive in using sites like Donors Choose to provide IPads or more hands on programs for his kids. If I could improve the technology on site, I would recommend purchasing a class set of laptops for the kids to use online resources and assessments like Scantron on a daily basis. Because Mr. Knutsen's self-contained classes are so small, I think it would be easier and more accessible for the students to always have the laptops within reach. He could even use the laptops instead of written notebooks so the students can copy their notes and answer Do Now or lesson questions on the computer.
John, a 15 year old male, is an 8th grade student attending a local middle school. John is a transfer student from another state and he been placed into an inclusion classroom because he has been identified as a student with a disability and requires an IEP. Lately, John has been verbally and physically disruptive during math class. Some of the disruptive behaviors John often exhibit in the classroom include making loud noises and jokes during instruction, calling his peers names, physically touching his peers, and grabbing group materials. John’s teacher collected data and learned that his verbal disruptive behavior occurs 4-8 times during each sixty minute class meeting, and his physical group disruptions occur 75% of the time he works with a group. After meeting with John’s other teachers, his math teacher learned that his disruptive behavior is only present during math class. According to John’s math test scores on his IEP, his math instructor also learned that math is a challenging subject for John and he is significantly below grade level. Both John’s math teacher and his IEP team reached an agreement that they would like to decrease the number of times John disrupts instruction and eventually eliminate the disruptive behavior. The replacement behavior for John is to remain focused and on task during math instruction and assigned activities without triggering any disruptions (i.e., distracting loud noises or jokes causing the class to go into a laughing uproar, physical contact with peers, name calling, or grabbing his peers’ materials). Instead of John being punished for his disruptive behavior, the replacement behavior would allow him to remain in math class, and he will also be able to receive posit...
The disabilities identified were Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Emotional Disturbance (ED), and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The special education teacher began to interact with all of the students right as they entered the classroom and also while the teacher provided them with instruction. She was extremely personable and approachable. It was apparent that even though it was a three- week summer school session, she had established a connection with the students and, therefore, developed a learning bond in the process. The boys seemed to have a great bond as well, and they worked together to complete their assignments. There were also obvious interactions among the boys that were unrelated to the lesson but not disturbing or distracting to the class. The special education teacher jokingly came near the boys and began to talk to them and suggested they continue to work together to keep each other engaged. The special education teacher mentioned that there were times when the boys will not respond to encouraging them to stay engaged and will resist her advances. Therefore, she has to make the decision when to press on to get them involved and when to back off and give them some time with the hopes that they will
In order to thoroughly understand the significance of assistive technology in special education, it is important to understand what an IEP is. An IEP is a mandated document for public schools called an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each IEP must be designed for one student and must be a truly individualized document. The IEP creates an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, and related services personnel to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities. It is a legal document specific to each individu...
For my LOTC project, I decided to go to Hope Middle School in Holt, MI to spend half a day in my mom’s classroom and help her students with math. These students that my mom teaches have learning disabilities and come in for an hour each day to get extra math help. Even though I am a management for information systems major, I wanted to come into my mom’s classroom because I wanted to get a little glimpse of what it would be like to teach kids especially if they have learning disabilities. I also wanted to go to my mom’s classroom for this LOTC project because I have the interest of being a teacher or professor one day and wanted to see if I would enjoy the classroom setting or not. For the service aspect of this LOTC project, I was able
Announcements signal the end of time to work on the bell ringer, and after announcements Ms. Schreyer leads the class in checking their work. After morning work is completed, the students begin their science block, then the students had their technology special. During this time, Ms. Schreyer had a planning period. When the students return from technology, a few students leave for a pull out emotional support class, a student from second grade joins the class, and the rest of the students have math class. After math class ends, the students went to lunch as I completed my time in the classroom. On Thursdays, I arrive a few minutes into math class, typically as they finished checking homework from the night before. I observed the remainder of the math lesson until it is time for lunch and recess. During recess most weeks, Ms. Schreyer's classroom was the workroom for students who did not complete their homework or lost recess time for whatever reason. After recess the students have a bathroom break, then switch classes. Ms. Schreyer's homeroom students move on to writing, and a new group of students came to math class. This class has 18 students, and included the students who receive
After observing two consecutive days in Mrs. Flinn’s fourth grade classroom at Boone Central Elementary, it was interesting to compare and contrast the two different checklists. The checklists were very similar. On both days, descriptive praise was given, positive engagement was occurring, schedules and routines were posted/reviewed, transition strategies were utilized, and class rules were posted/reviewed. There were three categories that differed a little bit overall: predicable routines, teaching positive peer-related social skills, and transition warnings.
I was unprepared, unknowing, and curious about what South County middle school would offer me for my observation. South County is established in a well developed neighborhood with most of the houses costing $329,232 or more. The middle school has over 1,100 students with different ethnic backgrounds including: 59% Caucasian, 29% Hispanic, 6% African American, 4% unknown ethnicity, and 2% Asian (publicschoolreview.com, 2013). As I walked into the middle school the Leander ISD vision is posted on the walls stating, “Every student is encouraged, supported, and challenged to achieve the highest levels of knowledge, skills, and character.” South County tries to uphold this vision by ensuring that each student is provided the best opportunities to learn by having a teacher student ratio of sixteen to one (publicschoolreview.com, 2013). The middle school also upheld this vision when performing in the Performance Index Report. The school surpassed the goals set in student achievement, student progress, and closing performance gaps (. As I walked through the school the hallways were empty; however, there was a sense that those hallways would be filled within minutes. The bell rang above me and soon the halls were filled with students scampering to their designated classrooms. I entered the classroom of Bob Faust and saw that the desks were set in 5 distinct rows with whiteboards on opposite sides of the room. There was a math problem on the board followed by Mr. Faust stating, “Please find your chairs and solve the problem on the board.” As the sixth graders filed into the classroom each of them pulled out their notebooks and began to solve the problem on the board.
My first observation group was at lunch time, ages 2 to 5 years old. I saw a proper health menu as well as a good routine of washing hands, cleaning teeth and good arrangement of cots. But one of the teachers grabbed her hair a couple times while wearing her gloves and feed the kids at the same time. I wish she could had her hair tide up.
I chose College Grove Elementary School in Williamson County for my observation report. The school is situated in a rural setting and provides classes for grades K through 5th. College Grove Elementary is a relatively small school, but I was informed by one of the teachers that the number of students had nearly doubled in the past two years. Although the student population had increased dramatically, it did not appear to me that it was overcrowded in the regular classroom settings. I noticed as I entered the building that many students seemed comfortable approaching teachers and staff and were excited to talk to them. The classes I observed were physical education for grades K through 5th taught by Mr. David Dunn and
These observations were made in three collegiate ESL courses during the semester, a Writing Class, a Grammar Class and a Reading/Discussion Class.
To further the children understanding the properties of matter, the lesson will be a hands on activity to demonstrate the differences between a solid, liquid, and gases. As the instructor, I would introduce the terms matter, solids, liquid, and gases instead of focusing on the terminology I would focus on the shapes of solid, liquid, and gases. I would show the students various objects that would represent solid, liquid, and gas for example, I would show the solid objects and ask them what kind of shape is this or what shape do you see? The properties of liquid I would have a glass of water and various containers, I would poor the water and ask the students what shape is the water and how does the water change when poured into the
All three teachers had established routines for entering and exiting their classrooms. For both teachers, the students would wait outside the door for the teacher to go out and greet them. When they entered the room, they knew to immediately sit in their assigned spots on the floor. Mr. Leonhardt and Mrs. Pollard would then immediately start teaching, so that the students did not have any time to be rowdy. Mrs. Davidson was not as assertive with her routine, so there was slightly more noise in her room at the start of class. Mr. Leonhardt would end each class by asking questions about what they learned that day. When they answered a question correctly they could get in line at the door, and once everyone was in line quietly they could leave. Mrs. Pollard had a similar system to end
The students that I observed in the classroom were of middle to high school. I went to see 8th, freshman, 10th , and seniors classes, they seemed excited and very curious to why I was there. The middle school was more alive and rambunctious while I observed them. The High school kids were more relaxed, more comical. Some were paying attention while others seemed tuned out to the lecture or involved in socialization with friends within the class. By the end of the class Mr. Hasgil had restored the attention of everyone by using tactics such as history jeopardy with candy as the prize with the high school kids. In both he middle school and high school the kids were mostly Caucasian with a mixture of black, Asian , and Hispanic in the classes.
I had been looking forward to this observation all semester I was finally going to experience, a 2nd grade class, the grade I hope to teach one day. As I walked into Erin Arias’ classroom the students were finishing breakfast, a little girl who informed me that she was the “Snack Helper” was walking around with a trash can collecting the leftovers. It seemed every child had their own job for the year, which was shown by a piece of fabric on the wall with a pocket for every job, and depending on the magnitude of the job, had one or two tongue depressor with a student’s name in them. Which seemed to be the driving force behind the class, it kept them busy and under-control, most of the time. The class was broken into three tables of six labeled Earth, Sun and Jupiter.