FEP

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

FEP reflection
Day 1 -It was a great first day. Walking into this elementary school felt so right. It felt comfortable walking into the office and meeting all the teachers and staff. The classroom felt like home. As soon as the students walked in with their curious eyes, I knew that I was on the right path to my calling.I watched Ms. A with her 3rd grade class. She is an experienced teacher who knew her contents and different instructional strategies. She taught all the curriculum with ease. I loved watching the students struggle with learning and celebrate their small achievements. I thought, I can do this. I can't wait to get know these students throughout the week.Ms. A used technology (ELMO) such as powerpoint, internet, CD readings, CD songs, and ELMO to reach different learners. She likes to keep her students in their seats doing independent work. She is very strict. Her class management strategies are mostly negative (verbal warning, names on the board, keeping students in for recess) with some positive strategies (verbal compliments and "good bee" stickers). She struggles to keep her students "disciplined". She has high expectations for her students.

Day 2 -I am impressed with the integration of technology of this school. Ms. A can effectively utilize the powerpoint, internet, and ELMO (newest transparency tool) to reach different learners. She uses the CD player to reach auditory learners (story on CD, music), visual learners (online pictures), etc. It can help teachers organize better - saves time and saves space.Another classroom instructional resource I found useful is the teacher's manual. The textbook manual for teachers list the relevant standards for each lesson and different instructional strategies (ELL, accelerated, visual) to reach all learners. Ms. A has taught 3rd grade for almost 10 years, and her experience shows in her lesson plans. She understands the learning standards well and what 3rd grade curriculum should look like. I think her knowledge and experience are helpful in her lesson planning.

Day 3 -Today, I want to reflect on class management and student behavior. The third graders in Ms. A's class were very active. Ms. A used the good bee incentives to try to promote positive behavior, but they did not work with everyone.Students spend too much time sharpening pencils, going to the bathroom and drinking fountain, and opening their desks.If given a class of Ms. A's students, how could I manage their behavior and affect productive work? Children are active in nature, but they are contained in such unnatural academic setting. How can I motivate the children to behave and perform?These kids are so adorable. Individually, I want to hug and cuddle them. As a class, I want contain them. They want to spend time socializing and not on task. Ms. A has many lessons in one day, so much to accomplish with such active students. How can I do this every day? I am as active as the kids.

Day 4 -TIU supervisor came to observe me and my lesson at the school. I was really nervous because I didn't know how I'd be evaluated and how the lesson would go with the students. This would be my first formal lesson this week. Due to my anxiety, I couldn't sleep well the night before.Fortunately, everything went well! The supervisor came early so we had an opportunity to talk about what she expected and how my FEP was going so far. Then, I began the math lesson on Dividing by Using the Multiplication Table. The students were engaged and receptive to the lesson. I used ELMO in the beginning activity. Then, I used the board to introduce the lesson. Finally, we worked on the lesson problems. The mentoring teacher and my supervisor complimented on my job which made me feel really good. I thank the students for cooperating well and making the lesson meaningful for all of us.

Day 5 -Per Ms. A's request, I taught a lesson in Korean. We talked about the difference between Korean schools and American schools. I taught them to count from 1-10 and different body parts. Finally, I left a small gift for each of them - a name card with their names in Korean. They absolutely loved it. Ms. A and the students were engaged and involved throughout the lesson. I was impressed how quickly everyone learned the new foreign words (over 20 terms) in a 30-minute lesson. This was an example where self-insterest leads to self-motivation which affects learning.However, it was a sad day. I couldn't believe that today would be my last day with the class, Ms. A, and the school. I got to know all the students individually, and I became acquainted with other teachers and staff. The students came up to me throughout the day for hugs and say that they'll miss me. I know I will miss them greatly. So, I promised to stop by either in April or May with cupcakes and they promised to be good.General Reflection -Initially, I dreaded this week. My developmental e-portfolio was due on Wednesday, we had a class on Thursday with a ton of homework, and my FEP placement required me to drive almost 3 hours everyday for commute. I had issues at home because of FEP, too. So, I couldn't see a positive end to this week when it started on Monday.Being in the school with practicing teachers and real students, I forgot about all the problems. Everything felt right. I loved seeing all the wonderful students socializing enthusiastically, all the books and helpful technologies ready to be utilized for the learning environment, and all the teachers and staff busily working to provide for the students. The direct interactions with the teachers, students, and the school itself seemed real and meaningful. It validated my purpose for this educational journey that I'm on. I couldn't wait to have my own school, classroom, and students to help making a difference.The small group interactions and the two formal lessons I taught gave me confidence about the future. I genuinely love working with people - especially children. Even though I am not the most knowledgeable teacher, I know I can become an effective teacher. I have the passion and the dedication. My organizational skills and hard-working ethics are my strengths. I used to think that I wanted to teach either K-2 or 6-8, but I'm wrong. I love 3rd graders! They have the reading and math foundations for me to engage them in higher ordered thinking. We could explore interdisciplinary topics such as world geography and scientific experiments.