Teaching and Learning Context

The purpose of the Teaching and Learning Context assignment is to help you become
familiar with the school and classroom in which you are teaching during your Senior Practicum
experience. One of the most important aspects of teaching your students is knowing each of
your students and using this knowledge to meet their needs. Knowing your students requires
an understanding of the community, district, school and classroom where the student lives
and learns. The Teaching and Learning Context includes and discusses the following
characteristics of the school and classroom.
Demographic Information:
Number (no names please) of students in your class in each of the following categories:
▪ Class size: 20
▪ Free and Reduced Lunch Percentage for the school (ask at the school office or have your
instructor check if you can’t obtain the information): Everyone in the whole school receives
Free and Reduced Lunch during this time.
▪ Gender of students (how many male and female): 13 boys and 7 girls
▪ Students classified as English Language Learners: 1
▪ Students receiving services through an IEP: 0
▪ Students receiving services through a 504 plan: 1
Support and Services
What is available in your school regarding:
▪ Paraprofessionals in the classrooms: Number and purpose of each paraprofessional: 0
▪ Pull-out services available in the school and those used by students in your class: Speech
therapy- 2 There is also occupational therapy available in the school.
▪ Include a weekly schedule of your classroom: content, specials, intervention, etc.

Daily Schedule
 8:05-8:40 Attendance, lunch count
8:40-9:45 Lexia
9:45-10:15 Math
10:20-10:55 Specials (speech for the two students who
have it)
11:00-11:40 Science (T,TH)/ AR (M,W, F)
11:45-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:00 ELA
1:00-1:20 Recess
1:20-2:00 Read Aloud/Snack/Daily Review
2:00-2:25 Writing
2:30 Dismissal

Specials Rotation Schedule

M T W TH F
Taylor Art PE Computers Library Music
Spencer Art Music PE Computers Library
Counselor
McAlister Art Library Music PE Computers
Counselor

Environment
▪ School environment –
o What is your school’s philosophy and mission statement?
Philosophy: Leaders of innovation—Preparing all learners for a successful feature.
Mission Statement: To provide an alternative instructional environment for the students and
families of the Bonneville School District.
Do they have any initiatives with students, communities, families, etc. to promote learning?
One activity that the school has done to promote learning is that an Idaho Falls
Zookeeper came and brought different animals from the Zoo. They then talked about each
animal. Another activity that they school has done is a school wide book club. It is an activity
where families read a chapter a night together of the book that the whole school is also reading.
A fun activity that the school has is called the Mountain Valley Outdoor Club and they do fun
activities such as bike rides to the park and disc golf.
o Schoolwide Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS):
▪ What levels of interventions are provided by your school and how are
decisions made regarding placement of students in the various
interventions?
There are 3 tiers and right now a majority of Ms. Taylor ‘s class is at Tier 2. The students
take a test at the beginning of the year called Istation. Istation is an adaptive test and measures
reading. Students receive a 1, 2 or 3 score. The 1 scores are at the level they need to be. The 2
scores require 30 hours a week of an intervention called Lexia and the 3’s require 60 hours a
week of Lexia. Lexia is a reading program on the computer that helps students with their reading.
It goes all the way up to 4th grade content and has 18 different levels they must complete. Right
now, Ms. Taylor’s class has a Lexia goal of 150 minutes of Lexia a week.
▪ Schoolwide PBIS (SWPBIS): What are the schoolwide rules and positive
behavioral initiatives?
School wide rules: Be respectful, be responsible and be safe
Positive behavior initiative: Some of the school staff (lunch duties, recess duties, etc.) are given
wooden quarters. The students are given quarters for positive behaviors. This quarter could come
from their teacher but also other teachers/staff in the school. The student then takes the quarter to
the front office and they get a treat. Before COVID, they also had the “Mustang Market” where
they could buy small toys and candy with their quarters. If the student saves 4 quarters, they get
to eat lunch with the principle.
▪ Classroom environment – management plan and procedures already established in the
classroom where you teach
 “Give me 5”- Students stop talking and every puts their hand up in the air
 “One moment please”- Students lay head on the desk/stop talking
 “Quiet Mustang”- Students make the quiet Mustang symbol w/ their hands to remind
their friends to be quiet
 Ms. Taylor Claps and the students clap back
 If the students are being loud and still not listening Ms. Taylor rings the bell
 Students can go to the bathroom as long as they ask, and it is not during when Ms. Taylor
is teaching. In the past, she had them write their name on the whiteboard, so she knew
where they were
 Students line up in number order
 Classroom jobs (not anymore because of COVID)
 Pull Sticks- students who are misbehaving must pull sticks and put it in red, yellow or
green
 Think Sheet- a worksheet that helps the student assess and think about their behavior
 Tickets- Ms. Taylor gives out tickets to students she sees who are following directions,
not talking, getting their work done etc.
▪ Proposed classroom environment - A description of what you’d like to have in your
future classroom including management plan and procedures.
I’d like to have desks set up in pods/groups of 4 children at each desk. I’d like to have my
desk at the front of the room in the corner where I can see the whole class. As far as a
management plan, I like the idea of pulling sticks or cards for misbehavior. Green would be a
warning, yellow would be something like recess time taken away and red is a think
sheet/possibly calling the students parents. At the beginning of the year, I would like to set up
my classroom procedures and go over them with my students. Such as no going to the bathroom
or getting a drink while I am teaching, but it is ok if they ask me and it is not during teaching
time. Line up by number order, if you finish earlier work on homework, read a book or you can
color/draw. Do something quietly that will not distract your neighbors. I would also like to have
a quite signal for my students and classroom jobs. Especially, while doing my senior practicum I
will take notes during this class on procedures that my mentor teacher does. That way I will have
ideas and implement in my future classroom.
Teaching Application
Based on the demographics, 43% of students attending Mountain Valley Elementary
come from low income families (https://idahoschools.org/schools/1250/profile). This means that
as a student teacher, I will plan activities that go along with my unit plan that do not cost any
extra supplies. I have been thinking a lot about my unit plan and the types of activities I want to
include. One activity I have in mind, involves students to work together with their table groups
and come up with a skit of some kind that goes a long with the topic for that day. I think this
would be a great idea because I do not think they have done it before, and they could make it
fun! Based on information that was given to me by my mentor teacher about the students in the
class and their reading levels, this is something else that I am going to have to take into account
while teaching my unit lesson plan. Most of the students in the class are either at a 0 level or a 1st
grade reading level. Something that I would like to do to help with this is writing sentences out
and reading them together as a class. This will help every student to participate while learning
words they may not know.
Based on the demographics, 24% of students attending Mountain Valley Elementary have
disabilities. My mentor teacher mentioned that some students from the Special Ed class will
come into her class and listen in/participate on Science or Social Studies. For my unit plan, I will
have lots of visuals as well as hand on activities that will help all students. I also would like to
have the special education students in groups with the students in Ms. Taylor’s class and have
them work together. For example, maybe they could answer questions as a group and then share
with the class. I will include the 3 elements of differentiated instruction in my teaching. They
are: content which is what the student needs to understand, product-the activities that students
use to understand the topic and process the procedure students use to demonstrate learning. I’ll
include more detail in my curriculum map/unit plan. I would also like to talk to Ms. Taylor about
the positive behavior wooden quarters and see if I can get those for positive behavior I see. I am
really looking forward to this semester and teaching 2nd grade.