Carlos Ayala

LBS 400

11-28-2017

Reflection on Student Learning

My Lesson was on syllables, and I implemented it using science (the digestive system). I taught my

lesson to the entire class, which provided for a very fun and impactful learning experience. Most

students understood the concept of my lesson plan, but for some it was a bit arduous at first. After

further explanation I was able to get them all on the same page. Some students had difficulty with

phonetically saying the words. One of the steps of my lesson plans was for them to place their hand

underneath their chin and slowly pronounce the word. Some students couldnt pronounce the word

properly so I improvised and I modeled it for them, and then I had one of the students volunteer and

model for them as well. Most of the students learned the learning outcome of the lesson plan, because

after the first 2 examples they were able to just tell me without having to ask, and they were able to also

model, and break down the word according to syllables as well. For example; one of the words I used

was esophagus. I had one student volunteer to model to the entire class (he put his hand under his

chin and said the word out loud) how to listen for the syllables when saying it, then he broke down the

word (e/so/pha/gus) on the board for me as well. Once he did it successfully the entire class clapped

and it was a domino affect because all of the other students wanted their turn to go up and model for

the class as well.

Moving Forward I believe another lesson on syllables would be appropriate, as well as a phonics lesson.

Many of the students are still having a problem writing words correctly because they cant hear the

difference in sounds of some of the letters. During the lesson I noticed that some students cant

distinguish the sounds because they dont properly enunciate the sounds of the words. Most of the

students that I saw this problem in were the ELL students and some of the struggling students. I would
teach them another lesson, but this time in a smaller group so I can have a more direct effect on them,

and so I could be able to model, give immediate feedback, and give suggestions on how to better

improve their understanding of syllables as well as how to properly enunciate the letters in a word.

Reflection on Teaching the Lesson

I believe that Culture has a direct correlation with how we seek out Knowledge, and how we look at the

process of attaining said knowledge. As children we are raised a certain way and this had a direct effect

on how we view learning, and thus resulting in how we seek to attain knowledge. As a child I was always

encouraged to seek out higher education, and as a result it pushed me to excel in my studies. Some

children are not provided this type of support, thus resulting in lack of motivation in their studies. I

taught a fifth grade class. The classroom has 28 students, 17 of which are boys. This fifth grade class

is special because it has 14 gifted students, the most in the entire school. The rest are broken down into

ELL and 4 struggling students. The class is very diverse, it persists of white, black, asian, and latinos. It is

a very culturally rich environment that provides a great dynamic for the students to learn from one

another. In assessing and planning my lesson I wanted to create a lesson that was fun, and also allowed

the students to engage with one another. Having the support and input of the teacher made creating

and implementing the lesson fun as well. She allowed me to teach for an hour and fifteen minutes. I

didnt know if I could last that long but when I was teaching the lesson I finished exactly on time. The

biggest take away for me was that time is valuable, and every second does count when you have 28

young eager minds just awaiting your next move. Being prepared is an understatement. Not only must

you be prepared but you must also be very vigilant, and be a master of impromptu to because things

can change at any moment of the day. I believe I was successful in my implementation of the lesson

because I had the students engaged and they were having fun as well. I received positive feedback form

the teacher as well, and had her laughing throughout the lesson. What I would do differently is to allot
myself specific time frames to let students speak, because they can speak forever. Teaching is not about

lesson plans, its about the students you are teaching and how you teach those lessons to them. What I

learned from my teaching experience is that it came natural to me, and it was fun. It wasnt fun because

I was prepared or because I was teaching something that I liked, but because I had the students buy in.

My time building relationships with them enabled me to become a better teacher because they were

more receptive and open to receiving the information that I was giving them. The Dalai Lama said best

when he said when educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.