ASSESSMENT OF THE FIELD EXPERIENCE

BY THE HBU STUDENT

INDC 4360: Essential Elements of Math
Name_______________________________
Veronica Herrero-Velarde

School/District_______________________________
Etoile Academy Charter School

Mentor Teacher_______________________________
Rachel Moore

Grade/Subject____________________________________
5th Grade Math

Hours Completed__________________
30

Rank each of the following on a five-point scale with 5 being high and 1 being low.

LOW HIGH
1. How much you learned through this experience 1 2 3 4 5
2. How much you think you will use what you learned 1 2 3 4 5
3. Your overall evaluation of the experience 1 2 3 4 5

Check each activity you were involved in during this experience.

X
❑ Observing ❑ Assisting students with X
❑ Answering students’
assignments questions (during small group)
❑ Individual tutoring ❑ Diagnosis/testing ❑ Grading

❑ Small group tutoring ❑ Creating materials ❑ Recording grades

X
❑ Small group lesson
❑ Whole class lesson
❑ Creating bulletin boards ❑ Talking with students about
college
X
❑ Creating learning activities X
❑ Talking with the teacher

❑ Working with ❑ Observing parent conference X

centers/stations
❑ Reading to class
❑ Other (please list)
-Instructional Planning
X
❑ Participating in professional
-Virtual Learning
development
-Assisting Mentor Teacher

INDC 4360: Essential Elements of Math Syllabus, Spring 2021 Page 28 of 39

 Briefly answer each of the following.
1. What were the benefits of this experience to you?
The benefits of this experience were that I got to see what a charter school is like and the
school-wide classroom management system that they have in place while also learning
strategies and techniques for teaching math. I learned so much about creating routines for my
students and how to make math lessons very student-centered to get maximal learning. I also
learned about differentiating for English Learners, as most of the students at this school did not
speak English as their first language. Overall, I just gained a ton of very practical and relevant
advice and knowledge that will really help me as a first year teacher!

2. What were the “good parts” of the experience that you would suggest be continued?

The “good parts” of this experience were definitely getting to observe and getting to teach a
small group lesson. I learned so much just from watching my mentor teacher run her classes
and by watching the way that the students interact with each other and their teacher. I also
highly suggest that future students in this course try to do a small group lesson to get feedback
from their mentor teacher, because I am walking away with so much valuable help in that
regard. It was amazing to have such a well-rounded, professional, effective teacher observe my
lesson and point out my strengths and weaknesses.

3. What suggestions do you have for improving this experience?

To improve this experience, I would say that maybe some of the “behind the scenes” parts of
fieldwork could be more organized. I know that the effects of COVID are still with us in terms of
getting into schools, but it was a bit stressful balancing fieldwork in both this course and our
early childhood course since it has been a rush to get all of our hours in the last month or so of
the semester. If we could have had more of an emphasis on the fieldwork in this class and
started that earlier, I think we would be able to focus on learning a lot from our observations and
maybe we could have been able to get more involved at our schools.

4. Would you recommend this placement to others? Why or why not?

I would absolutely recommend Etoile Academy to others. It is an excellent school with an
excellent staff. I have never felt so welcomed by the other teachers and staff as a preservice
teacher as I have at this school. All of the other teachers were so willing to give us advice and
help as we start our teaching journeys, and that was very meaningful to me. It felt like a very
personal experience in the sense that we got to interact with the principal, other teachers, and
staff on a daily basis.

I was extremely impressed with this school from an academic standpoint, as well. This was my
first experience with a charter school, and I am amazed at the learning that is going on here. The
discipline and classroom management here is like nothing I have ever seen at a school. While to
some it seems overly rigid and may rub them the wrong way, to me, it is not only effective, but it
allows each student to get the best learning experience possible. The expectations are high, but
clear and consistent, and it is very obvious that the students and teachers are all very well-
trained. The students are engaged in their learning, and the lessons here are very student-
centered. I would especially recommend my mentor teacher, Mrs. Moore, as she was
outstanding and an incredible asset to us as future teachers.

INDC 4360: Essential Elements of Math Syllabus, Spring 2021 Page 29 of 39