January 28, 2013 1. Contextual Factors (LO 1.

3) (APS 1) TWS Standard

Courtney Boggs

The teacher uses information about the learning-teaching context and student individual differences to set learning goals, lesson objectives, plan instruction and assessment(s). Task Discuss relevant factors and how they may affect the teaching-learning process. Include any supports and challenges that affect instruction and student learning. Classroom Factors Physical Features: I am in the kindergarten class with Mrs. Angie Simpson in room 609. The overall theme of their room is jungle animals. On the door as you walk in is a hot air balloon with monkeys inside of it and, one hanging over the edge. There are seven tables in the room and they all have a picture of a jungle animal on them and a number, this is how the students identify what table number they sit at. They are able to correspond the animal with the number. Mrs. Simpson also keeps colored pockets on the wall that has the same picture on the cover of it as is on the table, and they have the names of each kid at that table in them. That way the students are able to go look inside the pocket if they forget who sits at the table with them. There are five different centers in the room that the students may go to during small group time, the reading, writing, science, math, and computer centers. The central part of the room is the carpet where most all of their whole group instruction is done. At the front of the classroom is the Smartboard and Mrs. Simpsons table where she does her small group lessons. At the back left corner is the assistance table, Mrs. Evans, and that is where she does her small group lessons. Along the right side wall is where the computers are set up, there are four of them, but usually only two or three are being used at a time during centers.

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Courtney Boggs

Availability to technology: The four computers are only allowed to be played on during centers. Unless given different instructions. They must only do activities in a website called Odyssey. They also have the Smartboard. They use the Smartboard occasionally but not as much as I would if I was the teacher. They also have a computer lab that they go to during special area, but they are only allowed on Odyssey there too. Learning Environment: The learning environment in the classroom is very comfortable, but serious. I believe that the teacher does a very good job of making her students feel confident in their selves when answering or asking a question. She also makes sure that everything is kept serious and that they always stay on task during lessons. She builds the students up by telling them that they are smart and that she believes that they can do anything. She always tells them stories about how much she wanted to play the piano, but she never would practice so she never learned how. She uses that story to encourage them that if they want to be super readers that they have to practice and never give up. Resources: There are many resources that are available to both the teacher and the students all around the school. The teachers have the computers where they can go to at any time and get any information that they need. The principal Mrs. Green sees to it that they have all the resources that they need in order to teach their lessons. Parent Involvement: In the time that I have been their there has not been any parental involvement. On the school web site, she has a place where the parents can go and look at their childs schedule and see what they will be doing that day. There are two students in the classroom that have parents that work at Merrywood, so she has daily contact with them about their child. One of the parents drop in often to check up on her daughter.

January 28, 2013

Courtney Boggs

Classroom rules and routines: I believe that the classroom management system that she uses is very effective with the students. They have five rules and if one of the rules are broken, the student gets a card in their pocket that has what rule that they broke, and a note gets sent home to their parents. Most of the children get upset about getting notes home so their behavior is very good for the most part. When they are on the carpet she tells them to give her five, which means, crisscross apple sauce, hands in lap, ears turned up, eyes on her, and mouths zipped. All of the students respond immediately to her when she says give me five. She also uses freeze when they are doing transitions or activities, and all of the students immediately stop what they are doing and listen. She has rules and she always expects them to be followed, and if they do not she always follows through with the punishment. Grouping patterns: There is a chart when you walk in the class that tells the children what group that they are in, and what centers they will be going to that day. There are five children in four groups and six in one group. They all have their picture up behind a color and thats their groups. Then beside their picture they have three different pictures that tell them if they go Mrs. Simpson or Mrs. Evans for small group or if they go to a center, and what center it is. They are also grouped by table during guided reading time, and they have a talk partner that they have to do choral or partner reading. Scheduling: They start their mornings off with breakfast and bathrooms. When they are finished with that they are to go to their tables and they table helper gets a box of manipulative and they play with those until the whole class has finished with breakfast. They then go to the carpet where they begin their reader work shop. After readers work shop they go to small groups for guided reading. Then at 10:40 they go to lunch. When they return from lunch they have recess.

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Courtney Boggs

Then after recess they go to related arts. When they return from related arts they have science and then math. After math they pack up to go home. Classroom Arrangement: Like stated above the class has seven table for the students that is spread all around the class. Then there are two teacher tables, one at the front of the room the other at the back. Then along the wall beside the door are the computers. Then the centers are spread all around the room also. And then the rug is in the front center of the room in front of the Smartboard. Student Characteristics: There are 26 students in the class, fourteen of them are girls and twelve of them are boys. Of the boys, eight of them are Caucasian, one is mixed and three of them are African American. Of the girls, eight of them are Caucasian, one is mixed, four of them are African American, and one of them is Korean. Most all of the students have already turned six, but there are a few of them that are still five. One of the Caucasian boys has a hearing impairment and wears hearing aids at all times. Because he does have hearing impairments, when Mrs. Simpson is giving a whole group lesson she must wear a microphone around her neck that has a small portable speaker hooked up to it so that he will be able to hear. The girl that is Korean has grew up here her whole life so she speaks English very well, but her parents also speak Korean to her so that she is able to stay connected to her heritage. She is one of the top students in the class. There are two boys, one Caucasian one African American, that are taken out for a short time everyday and meet with a reading recovery teacher so that they can receive extra help with their reading. The Caucasian boy also has a speech therapist that comes in everyday to work with him.

January 28, 2013 Race/Ethnicity Chart: Kindergarten Class Merrywood Elementary

Courtney Boggs

Description

Female

Male

Total

Age

Five Six

7 7

5 7

12 14

Race/Ethnicity

African American Korean White Mixed

1 7 1 4

0 8 1 3

1 15 2 7

RTI

Instructional Implications: The student with the hearing impairment will be one of the biggest accommodations that I will have to make when implementing my lessons. I will have to wear the microphone so that he will be able to hear me, and I have never had to wear one teaching and I think it will take time getting used to hearing myself talk on it. Also whenever they are in small groups I will need to make sure that I take the time to explain what is expected of him personally so there will be no chance of him not hearing something. One of the two boys that are taken out for reading recovery will also be a factor to add in when planning my lessons because of behavior issues. He never wants

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Courtney Boggs

to do his work and will never pay attention during a lesson, so I will need to make sure that the activities are engaging and that I keep him close to me and feeling like he is part of the lesson so that I can keep his focus on his work. I believe that each of the students brings something different to the classroom and how they learn as a whole. It is important to know your students and what their interest are so that you can better yourself as a teacher, to help better your students as learners. Its important to know that Vance cannot sit beside Ethan because they are best friends and are not able to pay attention to whats going on in the class because they are too busy playing with each other. Each of the students will bring something to each lesson that will impact not only how they learn but how their peers learn also. There are many factors that to consider when planning a lesson, but the best way to be successful is by knowing your students.