Site Participation Form

Name: Greylan Heffernan___________________________________________________ Date of Participation: 1/14/2014______________________________________________ Time of Participation: 7:55AM- 8:45AM________________________________________ Participation Site: Valley View Middle School____________________________________ Guiding Question: Types of Instruction

Brief description (3-5 bullets) of activity during participation: Teacher begins with Direct Instruction, reading the novel (or volunteers) and interjecting when information if needed, such as defining a unknown word, or describing a situation in terms that the students would understand. She then asks them a question and they spend a few minutes free writing about the situation and their feelings on it, which would be Guided Discovery. She then lets the groups talk amongst themselves on their feeling surrounding the first chapter, and although she tries for Cooperative Learning, the students really dont cooperate very much, simply state their opinion and shut up. As I observed I felt as if their teacher was really trying to adopt all three types of instruction so that her students had some variety, but without some cooperation from her students, she was only getting so far. As the days went on, and she continued trying I could see her frustration emerge. ____________________________________ Teacher's Signature Date Reflection on Participation Experience: This is my first experience in a classroom since I was the one sitting in the small desks, furiously studying for some test that I forgot. Even though I have only just begun my journey to become a teacher, I can already see what my courses have taught me. I can see how teacher teach, and how it helps their students, if they cooperate. My cooperating teacher had awesome ideas on how to incorporate all the types of instruction into her lessons, and from her frustration I can see that this class refuses to cooperate. So her plans might not work with this class, but I think that they could be very successful. However, I also think that the teacher could do more the draw out her class. She waits for volunteers and gives up easily when none are available. Also, although she incorporated cooperative learning into her lesson, she made no attempt to engage the students. She walked around and observed, instead of asking pointed question that required discussion. Her students filled the requirements, and that was it. Her questions were too vague and easily answered with a yes, no, or quick opinion.

Site Participation Form

Name: Greylan Heffernan___________________________________________________ Date of Participation: 1/21/2014______________________________________________ Time of Participation: 7:55-8:45AM____________________________________________ Participation Site: Valley View Middle School____________________________________ Guiding Question: Types of Learning Styles

Brief description (3-5 bullets) of activity during participation: She mainly focused on auditory and visual learning styles. She uses the novels as a visual learning, because the students have to read along with whoever is reading out loud. She quickly changes who is reading, so that the students dont get bored with listening to only one voice. With most of her worksheets, she requires textual evidence so that there is a visual connection with the main concepts. ____________________________________ Teacher's Signature Date Reflection on Participation Experience: I dont know if this has anything to do with it, but hey its a reflection, Ive always found that English is only an auditory and visual kind of class. Its all about text, in book, novel, poem, and play form. My teacher mainly focused on those too learning styles. She had the students take turns reading out loud while the rest of the class followed along. She stopped sporadically to comment on a certain concept, word or situation. When doing worksheets, she would put up the vocabulary terms on the projector, so the students knew what they were looking for.

Site Participation Form

Name: Greylan Heffernan___________________________________________________ Date of Participation: 1/15/2014_____________________________________________ Time of Participation: 8:49-9:36AM___________________________________________ Participation Site: Valley View Middle School____________________________________ Guiding Question: Classroom Management

Brief description (3-5 bullets) of activity during participation: She was able to get the class under control fairly quickly, and they automatically went into the groups that she assigned only the day before. When she talks, everyone listens. When they were in groups, and refused to cooperate, she started walking around and saying talk to each other, not to me. Her room is organized that there are few interruptions during class, all worksheets are kept in folders at the back of the classroom, as well as extra pencils and sharpener, and any passes that the students may need. She also has a comfy corner, where she has free reading times and the students read any book that she has available. ____________________________________ Teacher's Signature Date Reflection on Participation Experience: This is the most important aspect of teaching, besides knowing the content. AS a teacher, you need to command a room, both figuratively and literally. Classroom management allows you class to function efficiently. It covers how you set up your classroom, to how you group your students. This is my first experience sitting behind the desk, figuratively speaking. I was always the student, now Im going to be the teacher. I think Ill need a lot more observation hours before I can get this concept down pat.

Site Participation Form

Name: Greylan Heffernan_________________________________________________ Date of Participation: 1/29/2014___________________________________________ Time of Participation: 8:45-9:26AM_________________________________________ Participation Site: Valley View Middle School__________________________________ Guiding Question: Dedication

Brief description (3-5 bullets) of activity during participation: Being a teacher take hard work, Ms. King literally worked through her sickness and taught her kids, even though she didnt want to. The teacher told me The kids feed off of your energy; they know when Im not on my game. When talking to my cooperating teacher that morning I could tell that she was still exhausted and not feeling well, but she still pushed it all back and taught her lesson Students need to know that you are there for them, no matter what. She was there even when she didnt want to, and may not have been physically able.

____________________________________ Teacher's Signature Date Reflection on Participation Experience: There may be some things that I dont agree with my cooperating teachers methods. However, I cant deny that she is there for them, and supports them as much as she can. She sets expectations, and just like a parent gets disappointed and frustrated when they dont meet that goal. Teacher need to believe in their students, not just babysit them. Students will only invest in someone who is there for them, someone who will keep their promises.