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EDUC 280 - MODULE 8 Timecard and Journal Entries

Task 1. Timecard
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Task 2. Journal 1
Classroom Management
Question 1 – Do you think your teacher has successfully created a productive learning environment? Why or
why not?
The classroom teacher I have had the pleasure of observing has done an amazing job in providing a creative and
productive learning environment. So far, my time observing has taken place after students return from lunch.
The students are always informed in the task to be completed and know what must be done during the teacher’s
PowerPoint slides, workbook/math book assignments. They know that once they complete a task and are
waiting for the teacher to pass by and check, that they have a to-do list on the board that has been explained
prior to the assignment to work on. If they can complete the to-do list, then they may take out a book for free
time reading or work in their red desk folders. The teacher allows some quiet whisper conversations if students
want to bounce ideas off each other. She can quickly can their attention when moving on to the next topic or
subject and the transitions are smooth.

Question 2 – What techniques does the teacher use to keep students actively involved in academic activities?
There are a couple of techniques that I have noticed from the classroom teacher. One that I really like is jump
spelling. When the kids are studying vocabulary words on the slides, she has them stand up, say the word, and
then jump to spell it. Another thing that I have seen is what she uses during instruction time to keep them
focused. She uses a reward system of golden coins. The students that actively participate, sit or stand quietly
during instruction, and work quietly either alone or when working together, she gives them a golden coin. They
can be used at the end of the day to either purchase a small candy or they can be saved up to earn a coupon for
a skip homework night or eat lunch with the teacher. These are just a couple items she uses to engage 1 st
graders.
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Question 3 – How is your teachers “withitness?”
I think it’s funny the example the video says about eyes in the back of your head. I think the 1 st grade teacher I
have observed has eyes all around her head. She can help a student, and still know what is going on behind her.
She also laughs and says her hearing is going, but she has no problem identifying a certain student that is talking
when they aren’t supposed to while she is helping another student. All without turning her head. At first, I
thought maybe she just didn’t realize that a student was getting up and walking around to visit with another
student when they weren’t supposed to be up moving freely and she caught him. Pretty impressive!

Question 4 – What types of “punishments” are used in your classroom?

The punishments vary depending on if it’s a first offense or the teacher has been required to address an issue
more than once. The first thing she does is a warning, the next is to take a golden coin away, the third would be
to sit at the back table, and possibly standing in the hallway for a couple minutes. The last resort is a visit to the
principal’s office. There are also times that students cannot keep their hands from fiddling in the desks, so she
will turn their desks backwards so they cannot reach inside easily. Another time, the students were asked to put
their pencils in the dip or on the top of their desks, if they are found doodling or writing ahead of the code word
used to begin their Daily Oral Language, then they will have their pencil taken away for the remaining
instructions or they may have to start the writing assignment on a new piece of paper. After the punishment has
ended, the teacher will calmly talk with the student about what happened and why she gave them the
consequence and the student. She is so calm with the kids. It’s amazing!!!!

Question 5 – How or where are the rules posted in your classroom? How were they created? By the students
or the teacher?
I don’t really see any rules posted around the classroom. From my understanding, students have been taught
what the rules are inside the classroom and reminded if needed. If a student blurts out an answer, the student is
asked if they raised their hand and if blurting is allowed. To use the bathroom or get a drink, students hold up a
specific finger or fingers in order to ask permission from the teacher. There are certain classroom rules that
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come from the creation of the school’s charter, like being silent in the halls and coming into the classroom silent
and sitting down. The teacher did institute some of the classroom rules, like the pencils and bathroom, etc.

Curriculum

Question 1 – Give an example of when the teacher used integrated curriculum across subjects (i.e. combining
science and language arts)
The teacher has shown me her Wonder book and how the curriculum and the book work hand in hand to meet
the standards. The one neat thing that she showed me was how the Wonders book gives teachers the ability to
take the reading lessons and incorporate science or social studies with the lesson. When I was there last week,
the kids were learning about animals and the environment. The students had to brainstorm to write their story
and the teacher was able to use her understanding of science to talk about what the animals eat, if they are
omnivores, herbivores, or carnivores. If the animals hibernate in the winter. Why they might have spots or
stripes on their fur and the importance of camouflage.

Question 2 – Give an example of when the teacher used hidden curriculum.

I think one example and one that is probably in almost any classroom in the elementary age is teaching students
to raise their hands instead of yelling out an answer. I didn’t even know this was considered hidden curriculum
until this lesson. I always associated it with socialization of children. This was an interesting one to think about
because I can see this when kids need a new pencil, they raise their hands, need a Kleenex they raise 2 fingers.
Really very interesting and I will make sure I look for more ways she uses hidden curriculum in the classroom.

Question 3 – Does your teacher used differentiated instruction?

I do believe that the teacher I am observing uses a form of differentiated instruction. One example would be
when the students were developing their web for the animal paper, the teacher placed students into groups, for
the struggling readers, she had them at the back table and helped them read through the animal books looking
for fact that they could write down and use. She also helped them to listen to sounds when they began to write
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their rough drafts. The classroom provides books that corelate with writing assignments that are based of a 1
graders ability to read.

Question 4 – Can you tell what kind of learner the teacher is from his/her instructional preferences?
I really don’t know what kind of learner she is from her instructional preferences. I know she has talked about
having a master’s in early childhood education and that she knows that younger kids learn several different
ways. I would assume that she probably is someone that is a visual learner, since she seems to ask the kids to
read along with her and tells the students again to read the instructions slowly for reinforcement.

Question 5 – Do you think the teacher adapts the curriculum to the types of learners in the classroom?
I really believe that the teacher adjusts the curriculum for all types of learners. I know that she has adjusted
some of the assignments because she has students that seem to have a form of dyslexia and she spends time
with these students to help them with concepts that were on the board or that they must read to glean
information. It will be a good question the next time I see her. I am curious if there are other ways, she does this.
The teacher also shortens lessons for those that struggle and provides in classroom help from her
paraprofessionals with reading, math, and writing.

Question 6 – Does your teacher like the curriculum he/she is teaching?

She does like the curriculum now. They are using McGraw-Hill. She said there were about 4 years in a row where
the administrator kept changing the curriculum and it was frustrating because they would have to constantly
create new slides for the material the students would be learning.

Question 7 – What would they like to see added in the future?

I think for teachers at the school I am observing at, they would like to see more access to technology inside the
classroom. Right now, they share Chromebooks with several other grades, and I believe if she had access to
either more tablets or Chromebooks, the students would be able to use them for certain lessons and for busy
work in between transition times.
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Task 3. Journal 2
Technology

Question 1 – What kind of technology was used in the class(es) you observed? Was it effective?
The types of technology that I have seen used inside the classroom were the Mimio (white board projector),
YouTube, Go Noodle, Chromebooks, and iPads. All the grades I have observed used the Mimio in class to present
information such as math or reading/writing. I found that it was effective because of the teachers’ delivery of the
information. Each teacher used this technology to engage with students and included them in the learning
process by asking questions and having students come up in front of the classroom to explain how they got to
the right answer. Or to demonstrate more of a concept, by drawing images to help reinforce learning. The
Chromebooks were used to help students in the 3rd grade classroom to follow their mushers on the Iditarod. The
3rd grade teacher had come up with this idea many years ago and the students have enjoyed learning about their
musher and tracking the temperature daily, the distance and calculating the distance the mushers have gone.
The iPads I have seen used in 1st grade is to help with differentiated learning. Students that need extra help from
the teacher or the EA’s will work one on one using MobyMax or Prodigy. I know that the teachers use email to
communicate with parents.
With the pandemic, I have been able to witness the development of teachers to the online learning classroom
through Google Classroom. This has been a huge learning curve for several of the elementary teachers. The
middle school teachers have already used some form of online books and online classroom assignments, so their
transition was easier. I was invited to participate with the first-grade classroom I have observed for Google
Hangout Meets. I found that an interesting aspect in keeping a relationship with the students while everyone is
distance learning right now.

Question 2 – What type of technology might you use when you start your teaching career?
I have enjoyed watching teachers use music during learning, the Mimio to display PowerPoint slides and the use
of YouTube to add additional materials to supplement understanding the concept(s) that are being presented. I
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believe that I will have to utilize some of the technology presented to me in my own classroom. I will most likely
use my laptop as well as any smart board/Mimio displayer. I would like to use music in some fashion, either
during group work/study times, or maybe even to help alleviate the wiggles. I know that YouTube is a valuable
tool for teachers. Google or Office products will be key as well.

Question 3 – Do you think it is harder or easier to incorporate technology into your classroom?
I believe that like anything new, there is a learning curve. I believe developing my PowerPoint slides or Google
Slides will require some learning and will not be as easy as I would like. I do believe that using sources from the
internet and music will be easy to implement. I think it also depends on the curriculum the school uses as well.

Diversity

Question 1 – How diverse was your class(es) you observed?

The classrooms I observed had several students that came from Eastern Europe, Russia, China, and Africa. The
school is a public charter school, so the diversity of students is simply based on how the lottery draws a name.

Question 2 – What did your mentor/teacher do (or not do) to create a diverse classroom? 
Since I observed several grades and a couple of specials classrooms, I am going to stick to just one classroom for
the classroom diversity question. The classroom is set up as a typical first-grade classroom. There is the world
map and the map of the United States. There is a globe, calendar, and parts of speech on the wall. There really
are not objects in the room that incorporates diversity. However, Ms. Thurston has done a great job about
talking with the students about diversity. The Wonders reading materials incorporate folktales from other
cultures and the students and Ms. Thurston will take time to discuss the particular culture. When questions
come up that deal with a current event or a holiday, she will talk about the reason for the event/holiday. She
also has books in the classroom like Chrysanthemum. The book helps student understand that people are
different and sometimes our names come from our cultural background or family lineage. She uses a book on
Mr. Luther King, Jr. to explain the importance of human rights and the reasons behind human rights. She has a
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book on The Mayflower, that discusses in first-grade terms as well, the reasons for Europeans coming to
America. She has told me that she must be very careful when a student asks a question about ethnicity or
religion because you never know how a parent might respond.