Reflective​ ​Report

Catie​ ​Lemley

Bowling​ ​Green​ ​State​ ​University

 Narrate
For​ ​my​ ​practicum​ ​experiences,​ ​I​ ​was​ ​in​ ​two​ ​different​ ​classrooms​ ​and​ ​interviewed​ ​another
teacher.​ ​The​ ​first​ ​experience​ ​was​ ​with​ ​a​ ​white​ ​female​ ​teacher​ ​who​ ​has​ ​taught​ ​in​ ​the​ ​same​ ​rural
district​ ​for​ ​29​ ​years.​ ​She​ ​teaches​ ​8th​ ​grade​ ​math​ ​and​ ​a​ ​small​ ​math​ ​group​ ​of​ ​7th​ ​grade​ ​advanced
students.​ ​Within​ ​this​ ​experience,​ ​I​ ​was​ ​able​ ​to​ ​see​ ​a​ ​beautiful​ ​school​ ​that​ ​was​ ​only​ ​about​ ​10​ ​years
old.​ ​Each​ ​classroom​ ​was​ ​supplied​ ​with​ ​a​ ​SMARTboard​ ​and​ ​had​ ​enough​ ​space​ ​to​ ​hold​ ​a
maximum​ ​of​ ​30​ ​students.​ ​Three​ ​years​ ​ago,​ ​the​ ​building​ ​was​ ​able​ ​to​ ​go​ ​1:1​ ​with​ ​chromebooks.
Some​ ​of​ ​the​ ​chromebooks​ ​were​ ​a​ ​little​ ​beat​ ​up​ ​at​ ​this​ ​point,​ ​but​ ​all​ ​were​ ​working​ ​as​ ​the​ ​students
had​ ​them​ ​out​ ​to​ ​use​ ​the​ ​calculator.​ ​The​ ​particular​ ​class​ ​period​ ​that​ ​I​ ​sat​ ​in​ ​on​ ​was​ ​made​ ​up​ ​of
eight​ ​girls​ ​and​ ​fourteen​ ​boys.​ ​Of​ ​this​ ​group,​ ​six​ ​students​ ​were​ ​Hispanic,​ ​one​ ​was​ ​African
American,​ ​one​ ​Asian​ ​and​ ​the​ ​other​ ​fourteen​ ​Caucasian.​ ​During​ ​the​ ​three​ ​consecutive​ ​days​ ​that​ ​I
was​ ​observing​ ​this​ ​class,​ ​the​ ​students​ ​were​ ​learning​ ​about​ ​mean​ ​absolute​ ​deviation​ ​and​ ​analyzing
data​ ​distribution.​ ​The​ ​second​ ​class​ ​that​ ​I​ ​observed​ ​in​ ​was​ ​a​ ​pull-out​ ​math​ ​class​ ​that​ ​consisted​ ​of
five​ ​students.​ ​These​ ​students​ ​are​ ​all​ ​on​ ​IEP’s​ ​and​ ​are​ ​in​ ​inclusion​ ​classes​ ​for​ ​science​ ​and​ ​social
studies​ ​only​ ​where​ ​they​ ​are​ ​accompanied​ ​by​ ​an​ ​aide.​ ​There​ ​are​ ​three​ ​girls​ ​and​ ​two​ ​boys​ ​that
make​ ​up​ ​this​ ​pull-out​ ​math​ ​class.​ ​Three​ ​of​ ​these​ ​students​ ​were​ ​Caucasian,​ ​one​ ​was​ ​Hispanic​ ​and
the​ ​last​ ​student​ ​seemed​ ​to​ ​be​ ​multi-racial​ ​and​ ​I​ ​could​ ​not​ ​determine​ ​her​ ​particular​ ​heritage.​ ​These
students​ ​were​ ​all​ ​8th​ ​graders​ ​working​ ​at​ ​a​ ​6th​ ​grade​ ​math​ ​level.​ ​The​ ​first​ ​day​ ​that​ ​I​ ​observed
them,​ ​they​ ​were​ ​reviewing​ ​mean,​ ​median​ ​and​ ​mode.​ ​The​ ​following​ ​day​ ​they​ ​did​ ​an​ ​end​ ​of​ ​the
year​ ​scavenger​ ​hunt​ ​review.​ ​The​ ​last​ ​experience​ ​that​ ​I​ ​had​ ​was​ ​an​ ​interview​ ​with​ ​the​ ​district’s
English​ ​language​ ​learner​ ​teacher.​ ​She​ ​is​ ​the​ ​only​ ​teacher​ ​that​ ​the​ ​district​ ​has​ ​for​ ​these​ ​students.
This​ ​teacher​ ​works​ ​with​ ​a​ ​total​ ​of​ ​forty-two​ ​students​ ​and​ ​there​ ​is​ ​a​ ​multitude​ ​of​ ​backgrounds​ ​and
languages​ ​including​ ​Spanish,​ ​Arabic​ ​and​ ​a​ ​mixture​ ​of​ ​Hindi​ ​and​ ​Gujarati.​ ​Beyond​ ​these
experiences,​ ​I​ ​also​ ​took​ ​a​ ​close​ ​look​ ​at​ ​the​ ​school's​ ​webpage​ ​and​ ​grade​ ​card.
Analyze
As​ ​I​ ​observed​ ​the​ ​general​ ​8th​ ​grade​ ​math​ ​class,​ ​the​ ​lessons​ ​were​ ​both​ ​direct​ ​instruction.
From​ ​discussion​ ​with​ ​this​ ​teacher,​ ​it​ ​sounds​ ​like​ ​most​ ​of​ ​the​ ​lessons​ ​are​ ​taught​ ​this​ ​way.​ ​This
resembled​ ​the​ ​monolithic​ ​style​ ​that​ ​was​ ​described​ ​within​ ​Clayton​ ​Christianson’s​ ​book.​ ​Teachers
select​ ​the​ ​best​ ​one-size​ ​fits​ ​all​ ​style​ ​and​ ​apply​ ​individualized​ ​help​ ​when​ ​possible​ ​(Page​ ​131).​ ​As
educators​ ​we​ ​know​ ​that​ ​there​ ​are​ ​different​ ​learning​ ​styles​ ​and​ ​multiple​ ​intelligences.​ ​All​ ​of​ ​our
students​ ​have​ ​different​ ​strengths​ ​and​ ​we​ ​need​ ​to​ ​work​ ​towards​ ​gearing​ ​our​ ​lessons​ ​towards​ ​these
individual​ ​strengths​ ​(Page​ ​25).​ ​However​ ​“in​ ​most​ ​U.S.​ ​schools,​ ​especially​ ​at​ ​the​ ​middle​ ​and​ ​high
school​ ​level,​ ​even​ ​a​ ​heroic​ ​effort​ ​by​ ​a​ ​teacher​ ​to​ ​pay​ ​attention​ ​to​ ​multiple​ ​intelligences​ ​patterns
is,​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​way​ ​the​ ​system​ ​is​ ​arranged​ ​around​ ​the​ ​monolithic​ ​architecture,​ ​almost
guaranteed​ ​to​ ​fail”​ ​(Christianson,​ ​2017)​ ​(Page​ ​37).​ ​Within​ ​the​ ​classroom,​ ​the​ ​teacher​ ​led​ ​the
class​ ​by​ ​projecting​ ​the​ ​materials​ ​that​ ​were​ ​written​ ​in​ ​their​ ​workbook.​ ​The​ ​students​ ​went​ ​through
examples​ ​together​ ​and​ ​individually​ ​(in​ ​which​ ​they​ ​checked​ ​the​ ​answers​ ​after)​ ​and​ ​then​ ​were
assigned​ ​homework.​ ​There​ ​was​ ​a​ ​coteacher​ ​(intervention​ ​specialist)​ ​that​ ​would​ ​walk​ ​around​ ​and
answer​ ​any​ ​individual​ ​questions​ ​or​ ​give​ ​added​ ​support​ ​to​ ​students​ ​who​ ​were​ ​not​ ​understanding
(Christianson,​ ​2017).
As​ ​our​ ​classrooms​ ​are​ ​becoming​ ​more​ ​diverse​ ​(Page​ ​62)​ ​and​ ​the​ ​goals​ ​are​ ​to​ ​prepare
students​ ​for​ ​a​ ​vocation​ ​or​ ​college,​ ​educators​ ​are​ ​going​ ​to​ ​need​ ​to​ ​move​ ​away​ ​from​ ​this​ ​style​ ​of
learning​ ​and​ ​more​ ​towards​ ​technology​ ​and​ ​online​ ​learning​ ​as​ ​well​ ​a​ ​student​ ​collaboration.​ ​In​ ​the
pull​ ​out​ ​math​ ​class,​ ​there​ ​was​ ​not​ ​any​ ​more​ ​technology​ ​use,​ ​but​ ​students​ ​were​ ​at​ ​a​ ​table​ ​all
working​ ​together​ ​and​ ​discussing​ ​the​ ​topic​ ​at​ ​hand.​ ​ ​They​ ​also​ ​worked​ ​together​ ​as​ ​they​ ​walked
around​ ​the​ ​room​ ​within​ ​their​ ​scavenger​ ​hunt.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​one​ ​way​ ​to​ ​differentiate​ ​for​ ​learners.
Explaining​ ​and​ ​discussing​ ​the​ ​topic​ ​with​ ​peers​ ​can​ ​allow​ ​students​ ​to​ ​comprehend​ ​the​ ​material​ ​at
a​ ​deeper​ ​level​ ​(Page​ ​140).​ ​This​ ​could​ ​be​ ​done​ ​face​ ​to​ ​face​ ​or​ ​using​ ​an​ ​online​ ​program​ ​such​ ​as
Google​ ​Applications.​ ​Researchers​ ​are​ ​finding​ ​that​ ​there​ ​are​ ​two​ ​main​ ​goals​ ​that​ ​students​ ​are
working​ ​towards​ ​on​ ​a​ ​daily​ ​basis​ ​and​ ​they​ ​are​ ​“[feeling]​ ​successful​ ​and​ ​[making]​ ​progress,​ ​and
[students]​ ​want​ ​to​ ​have​ ​fun​ ​with​ ​friends”​ ​(Page​ ​169).​ ​This​ ​can​ ​be​ ​achieved​ ​through​ ​lessons​ ​that
allow​ ​for​ ​more​ ​student-centered​ ​learning​ ​(Christianson,​ ​2017).​ ​The​ ​North​ ​Central​ ​Regional
Educational​ ​Laboratory​ ​suggests​ ​to​ ​do​ ​this​ ​by​ ​engaging​ ​students​ ​through​ ​technology​ ​use​ ​as
“technology​ ​serves​ ​as​ ​a​ ​bridge​ ​to​ ​more​ ​engaging,​ ​relevant,​ ​meaningful,​ ​and​ ​personalized
learning,​ ​all​ ​of​ ​which​ ​can​ ​lead​ ​to​ ​higher​ ​academic​ ​achievement”​ ​(Smith​ ​&​ ​Throne,​ ​2007).​ ​There
was​ ​not​ ​much​ ​technology​ ​use​ ​throughout​ ​my​ ​observations​ ​and​ ​does​ ​not​ ​seem​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​central​ ​tool
for​ ​the​ ​ELL​ ​teacher​ ​beyond​ ​google​ ​translator.​ ​I​ ​think​ ​with​ ​added​ ​technology​ ​use​ ​teachers​ ​would
be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​appeal​ ​to​ ​a​ ​wider​ ​range​ ​of​ ​students.​ ​By​ ​using​ ​universal​ ​design​ ​to​ ​differentiate​ ​and
technology​ ​together,​ ​teachers​ ​will​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​meet​ ​the​ ​needs​ ​of​ ​a​ ​much​ ​wider​ ​audience​ ​(Smith
and​ ​Throne,​ ​2007).​ ​These​ ​observations​ ​have​ ​shown​ ​me​ ​that​ ​these​ ​teachers​ ​may​ ​need​ ​advice​ ​on
how​ ​to​ ​better​ ​incorporate​ ​technology​ ​into​ ​their​ ​lessons​ ​so​ ​that​ ​they​ ​can​ ​create​ ​an​ ​environment
that​ ​is​ ​collaborative,​ ​fun​ ​and​ ​allows​ ​students​ ​to​ ​be,​ ​and​ ​most​ ​importantly,​ ​feel​ ​successful.
Synthesize/Judge
Even​ ​though​ ​the​ ​teachers​ ​all​ ​worked​ ​to​ ​give​ ​students​ ​knowledge.​ ​The​ ​problem​ ​is​ ​that
they​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​just​ ​give​ ​students​ ​the​ ​knowledge.​ ​I​ ​do​ ​believe​ ​that​ ​direct​ ​instruction​ ​has​ ​its​ ​place
within​ ​the​ ​classroom.​ ​Though,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​not​ ​the​ ​most​ ​exciting​ ​activity​ ​for​ ​students​ ​and​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be
followed​ ​up​ ​with​ ​an​ ​activity​ ​that​ ​is​ ​relevant​ ​to​ ​the​ ​students​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​engage​ ​them​ ​on​ ​a​ ​deeper
level.​ ​The​ ​workbook​ ​seemed​ ​to​ ​give​ ​problems​ ​that​ ​were​ ​attempting​ ​to​ ​create​ ​that​ ​real-life​ ​and
relevant​ ​piece,​ ​but​ ​having​ ​students​ ​work​ ​out​ ​a​ ​problem​ ​with​ ​a​ ​restaurant​ ​because​ ​all​ ​students
know​ ​what​ ​that​ ​is​ ​and​ ​have​ ​been​ ​to​ ​one,​ ​does​ ​not​ ​mean​ ​that​ ​it​ ​will​ ​be​ ​relevant.​ ​ ​Students​ ​should
be​ ​given​ ​just​ ​enough​ ​information​ ​and​ ​then​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​explore​ ​on​ ​their​ ​own.​ ​This​ ​exploration​ ​can
be​ ​guided​ ​so​ ​that​ ​students​ ​do​ ​not​ ​stray​ ​too​ ​far​ ​from​ ​the​ ​task,​ ​but​ ​by​ ​allowing​ ​students​ ​to​ ​have
options,​ ​you​ ​are​ ​letting​ ​them​ ​take​ ​control​ ​of​ ​their​ ​own​ ​learning.​ ​I​ ​explained​ ​to​ ​both​ ​math​ ​teachers
how​ ​students​ ​could​ ​use​ ​the​ ​internet​ ​to​ ​find​ ​data​ ​sets​ ​that​ ​they​ ​are​ ​interested​ ​in​ ​and​ ​then​ ​analyze
those​ ​numbers​ ​for​ ​the​ ​content​ ​they​ ​were​ ​discussing​ ​(mean​ ​in​ ​pull-out​ ​math​ ​and​ ​mean​ ​absolute
deviation​ ​and​ ​standard​ ​deviation​ ​in​ ​general​ ​8th​ ​grade​ ​math).
 Within​ ​the​ ​observation​ ​and​ ​interview,​ ​the​ ​English​ ​language​ ​learner​ ​teacher​ ​seemed​ ​to​ ​use
the​ ​technology​ ​the​ ​most​ ​and​ ​for​ ​needs​ ​that​ ​otherwise​ ​could​ ​not​ ​be​ ​met​ ​(language​ ​barriers).​ ​One
weakness​ ​that​ ​this​ ​teacher​ ​seemed​ ​to​ ​have​ ​was​ ​time​ ​and​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​students​ ​and​ ​work​ ​they​ ​all
needed​ ​to​ ​complete.​ ​While​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​solution​ ​is​ ​out​ ​of​ ​her​ ​control​ ​(needing​ ​another​ ​teacher),
there​ ​are​ ​a​ ​few​ ​things​ ​that​ ​she​ ​could​ ​begin​ ​doing​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​manage​ ​her​ ​workload.​ ​This​ ​teacher
needs​ ​a​ ​better​ ​organizational​ ​system.​ ​Students​ ​in​ ​her​ ​class​ ​are​ ​pass/fail​ ​and​ ​that​ ​means​ ​that​ ​many
times​ ​they​ ​are​ ​towards​ ​the​ ​bottom​ ​of​ ​a​ ​general​ ​education​ ​teachers​ ​list​ ​of​ ​priority.​ ​However,​ ​with
a​ ​better​ ​system​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​track​ ​of​ ​students​ ​work​ ​and​ ​their​ ​progress​ ​within​ ​each​ ​class,​ ​this​ ​teacher
can​ ​better​ ​organize​ ​her​ ​forty-three​ ​minutes​ ​that​ ​she​ ​is​ ​limited​ ​with​ ​them​ ​every​ ​day.​ ​For​ ​this,​ ​I
suggested​ ​using​ ​a​ ​Google​ ​Doc​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​in​ ​contact​ ​with​ ​the​ ​teachers​ ​and​ ​Google​ ​Tasks​ ​to​ ​record
their​ ​school​ ​work​ ​due​ ​dates.
Goal​ ​Setting
After​ ​the​ ​completion​ ​of​ ​my​ ​observations​ ​and​ ​interview,​ ​I​ ​supplied​ ​the​ ​teachers​ ​with
coaching​ ​of​ ​ways​ ​that​ ​they​ ​could​ ​increase​ ​engagement​ ​and​ ​student​ ​interest​ ​with​ ​technology.​ ​I
gave​ ​them​ ​each​ ​the​ ​goal​ ​of​ ​taking​ ​one​ ​of​ ​my​ ​ideas​ ​and​ ​building​ ​upon​ ​it.​ ​Such​ ​as​ ​if​ ​I​ ​explained
how​ ​the​ ​teachers​ ​could​ ​record​ ​their​ ​lessons​ ​to​ ​give​ ​added​ ​support​ ​outside​ ​of​ ​the​ ​classroom,
maybe​ ​this​ ​could​ ​lead​ ​to​ ​the​ ​teachers​ ​creating​ ​a​ ​project​ ​where​ ​students​ ​record​ ​themselves​ ​or​ ​they
try​ ​a​ ​flipped​ ​classroom​ ​style​ ​for​ ​a​ ​chapter.​ ​Just​ ​like​ ​teachers​ ​do​ ​with​ ​their​ ​students,​ ​I​ ​gave​ ​them
the​ ​tools,​ ​how​ ​much​ ​they​ ​learn​ ​depends​ ​on​ ​what​ ​they​ ​do​ ​with​ ​this​ ​information.
There​ ​are​ ​also​ ​goals​ ​that​ ​I​ ​have​ ​set​ ​for​ ​myself​ ​as​ ​I​ ​continue​ ​to​ ​support​ ​these​ ​teachers.
Throughout​ ​our​ ​coaching​ ​discussion,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​brought​ ​up​ ​that​ ​many​ ​teachers​ ​do​ ​not​ ​know​ ​how​ ​to
use​ ​Google​ ​Applications​ ​beyond​ ​the​ ​similarities​ ​to​ ​Microsoft​ ​Office.​ ​Throughout​ ​the​ ​next​ ​six
months,​ ​I​ ​am​ ​going​ ​to​ ​learn​ ​more​ ​about​ ​what​ ​all​ ​is​ ​offered​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Google​ ​Suite​ ​and​ ​create​ ​a
presentation​ ​for​ ​our​ ​next​ ​district​ ​inservice​ ​conference​ ​day​ ​(in​ ​January).​ ​This​ ​session​ ​will​ ​help
teachers​ ​see​ ​other​ ​ways​ ​to​ ​use​ ​the​ ​google​ ​applications​ ​beside​ ​creating​ ​a​ ​document​ ​or​ ​slide
presentation.​ ​I​ ​will​ ​also​ ​continually​ ​check​ ​in​ ​with​ ​these​ ​teachers​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​year​ ​to​ ​see​ ​if
they​ ​have​ ​tried​ ​any​ ​of​ ​my​ ​suggestions​ ​from​ ​the​ ​coaching​ ​and​ ​supply​ ​them​ ​with​ ​added​ ​support​ ​if
needed.
 References

Christianson,​ ​C.​ ​M.​ ​(n.d.).​Disrupting​ ​Class:​ ​How​ ​Disruptive​ ​Innovation​ ​Will​ ​Change​ ​the​ ​Way​ ​the
World​ ​Learns​(Expanded​ ​ed.).​ ​2017:​ ​McGraw-Hill​ ​Education.

Smith,​ ​G.​ ​E.,​ ​&​ ​Throne,​ ​S.​ ​(2007).​ ​Differentiating​ ​Instruction​ ​with​ ​Technology​ ​in​ ​K-5​ ​Classrooms.
Retrieved​ ​June​ ​23,​ ​2017.