- What surprised you this week?
- What routines have you noticed?
- What has the instructor done to set routines?
- What have you noticed about the classroom arrangement that is conducive to learning for children?
- What student characteristics have you noticed about individuals, groups, or the students as a whole?
- What are you going to do next week to get to know the students’ learning?
- Is there anything else you would like to journal about or questions you have?
Monday, September 5, 2011
Week One- Questions
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Lacey Downey
ReplyDeleteWeek One
Blog Response
Routines are a crucial part of daily classroom activity; they create ease for both students and teachers. In this particular class I have noticed a multitude of routines that take place within the single morning hour I am there. The students have been taught the daily routine of entering the room and checking the board for instructions. This instantly cuts down on a majority of the chaos that could potential arise when the students come in for the day. Music lays down the routine for transitions between the early morning jobs and center time. The children really seem to respond to the days of the week song, and I think that in addition to it integrating both Spanish and music it does a wonderful job connecting to the next part of the day.
The most important part of routines is to actually use them. The students go through the same phases of class time on a daily basis. The constant reminders of what is expected, as well as the routines consistent use has really helped to drill in the daily schedule for the students. It is amazing how there has only been 16 days of school and the students have caught on to the daily schedule so well.
As a whole the group of students are amazingly sweet, bright and truly interested in learning. The students work well together, but at the end of the day they are all around the age of four. It’s a completely expected occurrence that they will get off task and need to be reminded frequently of appropriate behavior. Center time can be a noisy mess, as you had mentioned, but the students for the most part do a really great job completing tasks with minimal monitoring. Like all students their age, attention spans are short, and keeping each portion of the daily routine fairly short helps them so much. They are a great group of kids and I am excited to keep working with them!
One of the biggest things that surprised me this week was how easy the students adapted to having me come and jump in with them. They were not shy or hesitant to ask for help or to talk with me. In my level one I worked with 5th graders who were either very outgoing or completely shy. Some never really warmed up enough to have a conversation with me before my level one was over. However, this class seemed to enjoy interacting with me and engaging in any conversation they could. I had many students tell me stories that seemed to just be on their mind; ones that they felt they needed to share.
ReplyDeleteIn order to set routines in the classroom, the instructor has created transition markers that help the student recognize and remember when it is time to switch activities. I have seen clapping of hands to get students attention, lights turned off and also singing a song as music class starts. One of the most used was lining up in a single file, quiet line. With all these “markers,” there are also verbal interactions that take place during transition time. All these help students get in a routine of changing activities and focus to switch gears in order to move on to the next thing in their day.
Within the classroom there are many different areas that are used for many different purposes around the room. The first thing I noticed was all the desks in the center of the room in groups of four. This seems to be a good way to keep students from focusing on other things around the room that are distractions. All the “distractions” have been placed around the outside of the room. But they really aren’t distractions unless students are at their desks and need to be working on what in front of them and not messing around with items in the classroom. When not in this situation I believe these “distractions” are learning enhancers, reading areas, science center, group area, as well as a block area. When engaged in a task, these areas within the room help students learning broaden, rather than limited to paper and a pen. The room’s layout over all seems busy, but that is just what these young students need, some breathing space for creativity, and engaged learning.
The classroom arrangement is conductive to student learning in multiple ways. First, it is a student-centric classroom. Student desks are placed in the center of the room; the room does not focus specifically on the teacher’s desk or white board. The student’s desks are placed in groups of four, which encourages student interaction and collaboration within the classroom. Around the desk area there are many different areas designed for learning specific contexts. There is a science area, a math practice area, a reading area, and a carpet area where the whole class can sit together for instruction, exercises, or to review something.
ReplyDeleteAfter visiting the classroom each day this week, I have begun to notice characteristics and traits particular to each student. At this grade level not every student is completely comfortable, or able to stay on task when working individually. Some are constantly asking for help, when they are actually capable of doing the work themselves. Some are able to work diligently and are then able to help those who may need assistance. Others are highly distractible and need to be watched over consistently. One student that comes to mind is Alex. Alex is a bright student and enjoys one-to-one interaction; based on what I have seen I would say he is also on the spectrum. I particularly enjoy working with Alex because I love to watch his mind work. Sometimes it seems like he doesn’t need any cognitive reinforcement at all; he chooses not to do something because something else is more interesting at the time, and simply needs to be reminded of instructions.
I think the group as a whole is starting to learn how to use their time wisely. During the week I followed the class to the library and observed how they acted during story time. If students were not following directions or failing to be good listeners, the librarian would remind them that once they finished the story they would get to check out time. This seemed to be an incentive because the students really enjoy their books. After the students realized that the more interruptions there were during the story the less time they would have for finding books, they interrupted less.
I am looking forward to learning much more about this class and how they learn. I also hope to learn more about myself, my strengths and weaknesses as a pre-service teacher.
Ms. Downey: I completely agree with what you said about routines. Sometimes I notice that the students respond best to the routines that involve song, but the bottom line is that routines need to be used consistantly! It is surprising that the students are picking up on routines so well, but I think their age helps slightly. From pre-k to first grade students are still getting used to the idea that school is going to be full of routines. Around the second grade area I think students are coming to school with the memories of their previous years and starting to make predictions about how this year will go compared to the past. With these memories at hand, they will be able to prepare themselves to follow direction, obey rules, and apply procedures quickly.
ReplyDeleteMs. Devens: Interacting in this classroom is a little different than my level I too. I think these students are just so used to UNI students coming in all the time! Not only does NU take all the level II students but they get UNI students at all other levels in addition. It seems like having us there is just another part of their daily routine.
I thought the room was busy at first too, but I think the business of the room is not distracting for this age group. Like you said, the students are able to focus on their work when they are asked. These things can enhance learning and provide platforms that interest students. When students are interested, learning happens naturally.
Miss Downey
ReplyDeleteI agree with how important routines are and how much they affect the way the students’ transition from one task to the next. Without all these different routines it is clear to see how easy it makes it for the students and the teachers to move on in their day. I also think you have a great point that routines are great but they aren’t going to do any good unless they are enforced. If students know the routines but feel they don’t have to follow them, this will do nothing to help transitions between activities in their day.
Miss Sarah
I have only been in the classroom twice so far due to my busy schedule, and I feel since you have been in the classroom a little bit each day you have been able to see differences and similarities on a day to day basis. I have slowly been seeing these differences and similarities within the students but now that I have read your blog it has been an eye opener. This week I will now be more aware of each student’s learning habits.
Ms. Devens
ReplyDeleteI agree that these set of students are extremely outgoing. They are constantly the first to say hello and even welcome in a strange, new friend in with open arms. I love the random stories I get to hear every day, and even in hushed tones in the middle of center time students always manage to elaborate on previous conversations we have had. These little conversations are amazing, but also they can be distracting. It's different to hear about the routines throughout the rest of the day since I am only there for the first hour of the morning, but for the most part it all seems to be a great way to settle the children down.
Miss Sarah
Alex is seriously one of the most wonderful parts of my day. All the children bring me joy, but he is the best little worker, and the most outgoing boy I have met. During center time, or morning calendar he is a joy to be around.
Digressing away from Alex, I agree that the desks are a huge factor in the room. The environment is set up for collaborative learning, and students can easily bounce ideas off of one another. The children constantly ask each other for help and for opinions. Its a great tool but it can also be a great distraction. Students in such tight quarters may be a temptation to play, but I feel these students do well.