Field Experience Observation

1. Give a short overview describing your field experience.

My field experience observations took place at Discovery Middle School in Mr. Spellerberg’s sixth grade science classroom. I completed my field experience hours in three hour sections on three different days. During each of these days, I was given the opportunity to simply observe Mr. Spellerberg’s classroom. I was able to observe his teaching, the learning of his students, and interactions between him and his students. I felt that the time I spent in my field experience was informative, and I was grateful for being given this opportunity.

2. Does the teacher you are observing belong to any educational associations? If so, which ones and why? Which ones interest you and why?

The teacher I observed did belong to an educational association. He mentioned that he belongs to the North Dakota United teacher’s union. Although he did not mention why he is a member of this specific teacher’s union, I assume he is a member due to the benefits and security it brings him as a teacher. After looking at various educational associations and the benefits of each of them, I found that one educational association that interested me was the National Science Teachers Association. I was interested in this specific association due

to its values and the support it provides to educators, which I feel could help me to grow and develop as a teacher.
3. What types of professional development (i.e. on-going training) has this teacher participated in? In addition to attending professional development workshops, how can a teacher continue improving his/her teaching?
The teacher whose classroom I observed mentioned that over the past couple of years he has participated in various professional development opportunities focused on STEM training and project-based learning opportunities for students.

The types of professional development opportunities that he participated in have allowed him to grow as a teacher. In addition to professional development workshops, teachers can continue to improve their teaching by simply listening to and observing their students. Based on the feedback they get from students and the observations they make, they can adjust their teaching methods accordingly. Implementing this system in their classroom can benefit them and their

students.
4. Is this teacher part of one or multiple Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s)? Explain the organization and purpose of a PLC to which this teacher belongs. Give an example of a time when you worked collaboratively with others, and explain how this might help prepare you for collaborative work as a teacher in a PLC in the future.
The teacher I observed mentioned a list of PLCs he is a part of which included a Science PLC, MTSS, Course Captains, and SIP. The purpose of the Science PLC this teacher belongs to is to analyze the learning of students in performance tasks and develop a plan to address the areas that the majority of students were unsuccessful in. Throughout my time in high school, I worked collaboratively with others on a variety of group projects. A specific example of this is a Spanish video project I worked on with a group during my senior year of high school. The process of developing this project required organization, communication, and reliability, which are all skills that will be helpful when I work in PLCs in the future.
5. What kinds of school duties has this teacher taken on beyond classroom teaching? (e.g. extra-curricular activities such as coaching or student organizations, school or district committees, etc.) What are some that interest you and why?
In addition to classroom teaching, Mr. Spellerberg has taken on various other school duties. He coaches football, basketball, and track. Some of the PLCs he is a member of also include aspects that fall under this category. After hearing about some of the opportunities available to teachers outside of the classroom, I feel that I am interested in taking on school duties concerning student organizations. I am unsure of what types of student organizations I am interested in yet: however, I feel that student organizations are an important part of schools that I would like to be a part of.