Field Placement Summary

Overall, i thoroughly enjoyed my field placement and the classroom I observed. The teacher taught me that when teaching young children they need diversity and fun activities to keep them thinking and focused. She also taught me that if kids are struggling with concentration that you should not scold them, but assist them in a way that can get them back on track. She also taught me that you can add in life experiences into lessons, which engages the kids along with teaching them the necessary content. I also observed the importance of constantly being enthusiastic with young children because they have a tendency to  get bored and uninterested. I did question if being a private school makes it easier to have all of these important values. The teacher did have an assistant and any resources that she needed. The classrooms were also set up to have an interactive and experiential environment, but I know some schools are not given the resources to have the same interactive and experiential environment. Along with all of this, I observed that teachers are finding new styles and techniques to teach core classes, such as math. In the end, I do believe that having the resources and finances does allow for a more critical thinking environment where the kids can flourish more.

Field Placement 4

For my fourth and last visit, I got to watch the kids perform a science experiment. The experiment consisted of three containers: one with water and soap, one with hand sanitizer, and one with nothing in it. They were all sealed and the students had observed these containers for a week to see which container would grow the most bacteria. I observed on the last day of their observations, so they had to finish a packet on the experiment that consisted of all the scientific steps. The kids hypothesized, observed, and drew a conclusion. The students were very excited to see the mold that grew in each container and to conclude which one had the less mold. Along with writing their observations and conclusions out, the kids were required to also draw pictures. I felt as if drawing pictures was also important to the kids understanding because when some were confused about their conclusion, Mrs. Ferek told them to draw pictures with color which helped the confused students. After they finished this project, they read a poem and drew a picture about how they interpreted the poem. It was interesting to see how drawing pictures helped the students solve ideas that they were confused about. After the poem the kids had recess despite the snow, which again I feel is so crucial because kids lose concentration when they are cooped up all day long.

Field Placement 3

For my third visit, I observed the kids playing their morning game which was “20 questions.” This consisted of one kid thinking of either a person, place, or thing, and the other kids asking 20 questions trying to guess what the one kid was thinking about. I found this game to be very helpful in allowing the kids to think of thoughtful questions and make connections. After this game, the kids worked on and finished their family album project. For this project the kids had to make a title page of their whole family, then each page inside was dedicated to one person in their family. This kids wrote kind sentences about details of their family members and why they love their family members. It was amazing to read why some of the kids loved their family members. I feel as if this project is so crucial to helping the kids realize how important family is and how important it is to make sure your family knows why you appreciate them. This project takes an element of life and makes it educational by teaching the kids how to write complete sentences, or thought. After working on this project I got to watch the kids perform a musical concert. They were rehearsing for their concert that they will be performing next week in front of their families and teachers. The songs consisted of different languages such as spanish, french, english, and more. This was so unique to me because the kids understood what the foreign songs were saying. This type of musical experience was not only fun, but it taught the kids about other cultures and languages.

Field Placement 2

Again when I arrived to the classroom, the students were participating in their annual morning game. After their fun and energizing game the students sat on the carpet for show and tell. Each time one of the students finished presenting their item they asked if there was any "thoughtful questions or comments." This was interesting to watch because the studies truly embodied being thoughtful and respectful to each other. this activity also taught them to have respectful social skills which I believe is so crucial to learn at a young age. After these morning activities the kids moved to the tables to begin their core subject and started with math. They were learning number lines and how to use number lines to assist them in both addition and subtraction problems. This was interesting to me because when I learned subtraction and addition I remember being required to learn it by simply knowing how much to add, or subtract, and taking time tests on it. This showed me how education is constantly changing to find different and unique ways to teach the kids to learn most efficiently. After math was spelling, and for spelling the kids were split up with the other second grade classes based on their level of learning. Mrs. Ferek explained that they took a test in the beginning of the year to test their reading and spelling capacity. This shows how tests create an immediate label on the kids, but I do understand why there is a need for it. The group that was with Mrs. Ferek seemed to be the struggling group because most of the kids were off task and very confused about their spelling words. One kid in particular kept asking for “the ball” which was a small ball that Mrs. Ferek gave to him so he could play with it while working on the spelling words. This showed me how if a kid is struggling with concentration, there needs to be available accommodations for the child in order to help keep the child focused.