LEARNING EPISODE 4 – INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND LEARNERS' INTERACTION

(focusing on differences in gender. racial, religious backgrounds)

My Learning Episode Overview

Episode 4 provides an opportunity for me to observe how differences in gender, racial, cultural and
religious backgrounds affect interaction in school, and learn about practices that teachers use in dealing
with diversity in the classroom.

My Intended Learning Outcomes

In this Episode, I will be able to:

 demonstrate understanding and acceptance of the learners' diverse backgrounds

 identify best practices in dealing with diversity in the classroom

My Performance Criteria
I will be rated along the following:

 quality of my observations and documentation

 completeness and depth of analysis
 depth and clarity of classroom observation-based reflection
 completeness, organization, clarity of portfolio
 time of submission of portfolio.

My Learning Essentials
An effective teacher who celebrates student diversity in her classroom:

 uses strategies to build a caring community in the classroom

 models respect and acceptance of different cultures and religions
 brings each of the student's home culture and language into the shared culture of the school
 provides more opportunities for cooperation than competition


FIELD STUDY 1 – THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT

 My Tools

Use the activity form provided for you to document your observations.

An Observation Guide for the Learners' Characteristics

Read the following carefully before you begin to observe. Then write your observation report on
the space provided on the next page.
1. Find out the number of students. Gather data as to their ages, gender, racial groups, religious, and
ethnic backgrounds.
As I am observing the class, I observed that there are 11 pupils. There are 6 girls and 5 boys.
Their ages varied from 7 to 8 years old. Almost from these pupils are Roman Catholic in religion and
there are few who are Born Again Christian.

During class:
1. How much interaction is there in the virtual classroom? Describe how the students interact with one
another and with the teacher.
During my observations, pupils appear to be at ease interacting with classmates of similar ages
and gender. The interactions between the students, as well as the teacher, are visible. Apart from the
lesson discussion with the teacher, the students interact with their classmates when they have activities;
they also interact with each other when they have their own business or during break time.

2. Observe the learners with headset and those who do not wear one. Do they behave and interact
differently?
The learners with headset tend to listen and pay attention very well to their teacher. Unlike
learners without headset and using only speaker on their gadgets are more distracted by all the
background noise they may hear. So based on my observations, both teachers and students must have one.
If a teacher can hear his or her pupils' questions and concerns, he or she can better answer them.
Furthermore, students can better comprehend the lecture if they can clearly hear what the teacher is
saying.

3. Describe the relationship among the learners in a virtual classroom. Do the learners cooperate with or
compete against each other? Give evidences of your observation.
According to my observations, learners had different groups when it comes to interaction. But, I
can still see the cooperation with them especially when their interests are tapped during the discussion.
However, sometimes, I noticed that there are still competition just like when they have checking of
activity and when they have recitations. When one of their classmates answered wrong, they are very
eager to answer it correctly. In my own perspective, sometimes competition is just for the sake of their
grades but the important thing is that most of the time, they are really helping each other especially when
they find the activity or the questions so hard. What really matters is that its a healthy competition.

FIELD STUDY 1 – THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT

4. Who among the students participate actively? Who among them ask for most help?
As I observe, I see that all students are actively engaged in class, but a few kids are unable to
respond to the teacher's question due to their lack of participation/listening.

5. When a pupil is called and cannot answer the teacher's question, do the classmates try to help him? Or
do they use the raise hand icon, so that the teacher will call them instead? Or do they just unmute their
microphones and answer without being called by the teacher?
There is an instance when a teacher asked a student to answer a question and the student is unable
to do so, one of her classmates unmutes the microphone to give the answer in an attempt to assist him in
answering the question, and then someone raises her hand to answer the question.

During break time:

1. Describe how the learners interact with each other. What do they talk about?
During break time, pupils have more opportunity to interact with each other. Teacher always
share computer sound or either display videos for them to have an atleast entertainment and for them to
have no dull moment. They share what’s their snack by just telling it because of online learning set up.
They talk about random kid stuffs like who bought their snack food. They also talk about application
games they play,“Roblox”. Sometimes, they also share stories about themselves, sharing funny
experiences and reacting to each of their stories.

FIELD STUDY 1 – THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT

 OBSERVATION REPORT (Summary of your observation)

Name of School Observed: Woodfield Academy of Bataan

School Address: Lot 9 Santisville3, Abucay, 2114 Bataan
Date: October 25, 2021

As I observed the Grade 2 pupils, I feel good because I can see that the students are really good to
me and they’re respecting me even I’m a student teacher. The learners consists of 5 boys and 6 girls for
the total of 11 students. Almost of them are Christians. Despite of their diversity, the pupils are engaged
in class; they participate in discussions and work cooperatively with their teacher. They respond to their
teacher's questions and offer their thoughts on the lesson. If a student who is not paying attention is called
by the teacher to answer, his classmates will attempt to help him.
The teacher has a good relationship with her students. When her students don't know the answer,
she doesn't judge them; instead, she simply says "thank you for your answer" and then she provides the
answer. Because I can see them always together and joyful interacting with one other, I see a sense of
oneness/unity among the learners and between the teacher and the learners.
With regards to their interaction to each other, students feel at ease interacting with
students/classmates who at their age and gender. They discuss topics that are relevant to their interests
and preferences. They each have their own unique characteristics, demonstrating that the classroom is
truly diverse. Every student comes from a different social and cultural background.
It’s so adorable how they are very close even its just homeschooling and they are very distant to
each other due to pandemic. And the important thing is that their interaction is guided by their teacher.
The teacher always inform and tell learners that they have to be careful on what to share to other
classmates, especially if it is inappropriate or something confidential.

FIELD STUDY 1 – THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT

 My Analysis

1. Identify the persons who play key roles in the relationships and interactions in the virtual classrooms.
What roles do they play? Is there somebody who appears to be the leader, a mascot/joker, an attention
seeker, a little teacher, a doubter/pessimist?
The teacher and the students are two people who play crucial roles in classroom interactions. The
teacher serves as a facilitator, while the students serve as learners. Some students are attention seekers,
attempting to capture the attention of both their teacher and their classmates. There are certain students
who appear to be the class leader and teacher; they are the ones who teach their peers who are less
knowledgeable about the subject. The teacher and the pupils are also jokers in the classroom. To break up
the boredom of the classroom, the teacher cracks jokes.

2. Are there pupils who are accepted or rejected by the others? How is this shown?
I can see that all of the pupils are on an equal terms and appreciate each other. They don't care if
you're from a minority group or have a religious or racial background; as long as you're in the classroom,
you'll be accepted. The students are not picking and selecting who they want to talk to; instead, students
and the teacher are interacting well in class.

3. How does the teacher influence the class interaction considering the individual differences of the
pupils?
By considering the pupils' individual differences, the instructor can influence how they
will interact in class. In this approach, the kids' distinctive differences in the classroom are recognized.
Everyone will be able to accept and understand one another, and as a result, they will connect more
because interacting with one another will allow them to learn more about their classmates. It's natural for
us to have individual differences because we came from various social and cultural backgrounds,
therefore it's natural that everyone has distinctive qualities that encourage others to be interested in and
socialize with them. Interaction occurs when everyone is interested in one another.

4. What factors influence the grouping of learners during break time?

"Birds of the same feather, flocks together”. As a result, it's comparable to how students are
divided during break time. Gender, racial, ethnic, and religious origin were all factors that influenced
learner groups.
As what I have observed, the students grouped themselves according to their common interests.
Because they are at similar stages of development, the students have similar social preferences. But most
of the time, they grouped themselves based on gender especially when they are sharing their own random
stories.

FIELD STUDY 1 – THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT

 My Reflections/Insights

1. How did you feel being in that virtual classroom? Did you feel a sense of oneness or unity among the
learners and between the teacher and the learners?
Observing virtual classes always makes me feel wonderful and welcome. Even though I'm still in
the observation stage, I'm feeling great because students have been really nice to me and respect me.
Whenever I enter the link and my name already appeared on the screen, they will greet happily and say,
"Good morning Teacher Roselle!". I see a sense of oneness/unity among the students, as well as between
the students and the teacher. Learners band together when they're in groups or when they're faced with
difficult questions or problems. When you observe that the classroom atmosphere is nice and favorable
because everyone is participating and active in the class, you can tell that the teacher and the students are
united.

2. In the future, how would you want the learners in your classroom to interact? How will you make this
happen?
 Virtual
Even in a virtual or online learning environment, I want the classroom interaction to be very
engaging and participative, with learners expressing their thoughts in a variety of ways and actively
participating in all classroom activities. As a future teacher, I see myself as a facilitator of the learning
process, giving pupils direction and feedback rather than merely teaching, and I will tailor education to
the learner's needs, preferences, and interests. Also, when it comes to utilizing online platforms that can
enrich and strengthen my learners' connectedness, I will be more flexible and innovative.

 Face to Face
If I ever become a teacher, I plan to implement successful methods or tactics that will help
students develop rapport and interaction in the classroom. In order to achieve a desirable result, I need to
be innovative when developing these methods. To make my plans work, I'll need to employ a variety of
strategies, methods, styles, and approaches. I need to remember that interaction is one of the most crucial
aspects of the classroom, and it should be monitored on a daily basis. This may be accomplished by
encouraging students to participate and be interested in class discussions, grouping them to foster
togetherness and camaraderie, and, of course, making myself approachable to them so that they will not
hesitate to come to me with any difficulties or worries. If all of this is accomplished, the classroom will be
a productive and enjoyable environment.

FIELD STUDY 1 – THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT