Clinical Field Experience B: Supporting a positive student-centered culture

Douglas Burrage
Grand Canyon University
EAD-513
Professor Beverly Deis
SAUK'S MISSION STATEMENT
Sauk Elementary School is committed to educating and preparing ALL students toward
excellence.

SAUK'S VISION STATEMENT

The Sauk Eagles believe excellence is attainable and is the product of risk , diligence, and
perseverance

Mrs.Caldaway-Taking time to lesson plan

Teacher is always late to work every morning and it causes her students to stand in the hall unattended.
Mrs.Caldaway comes in with a breakfast sandwich from chick-fil-a and coffee from dunkin donuts each
morning. Mrs.Caldaway claims that she has done her best in managing getting to school on time but she
feels that administration should be grateful she showed up to work. Due to her showing up late to wake it
causes her to never have any materials prepared for the students.After arriving late, the next hour is
spent on gathering materials and finding a lesson to teach for the day. This causes her to have a lack of
engaging activities planned for the students. Students are not able to excel academically with last minute
lesson planning.My suggestion to Mrs.Caldaway is to manage her time better and rearrange her agenda
for the morning. Maybe get up earlier to make the extra two stops and then she will be able to arrive at
school on time. Scrambling to find teaching materials and lesson planning on the spot is going to always
be hectic. I believe that the biggest issue she is having is managing her time throughout the day and there
is too much time dedicated to specific areas. I suggest that she gets a planner and set timers to help her
transition from one task to the next task. In research it stated that, “Time management is about planning
and controlling the amount of time you spend on specific tasks.” The article discussed that with time
management it will help you set a goal, figure out how much you can accomplish in a time frame, become
organized, and she will be able to manage her stress levels. Moreover this will align with the school's
mission and vision because it will show the diligence, and perseverance of the teacher gradually getting
better with becoming organized and prompt with being on time for work. This will allow the teacher to gain
a more positive student-centered classroom because the lesson planning will be more engaging for the
students and they will excel academically.

Mr.Jeffrey- Incorporating small group instruction

Mr.Jefferey has a problem with allowing students to work in small groups. While observing the teacher the
lesson was about adding and subtracting three digit numbers. He taught the lesson, did a few problems
with the students. Then allowed them to work on the assignment independently. This lesson would have
benefitted with a small group activity with math manipulatives. The students were engaged in the
beginning of the lesson but because there was not enough student centered learning their attention was
elsewhere during the guided practice and independent work. My recommendation would be to split the
lesson up and incorporate small group activity for engagement for the students. In an article I read it
stated, “The nature of a small group lends itself to a smaller student-teacher ratio allowing for students to
share responses more frequently than in large-group settings. Teachers can use this time to gauge
understanding, provide timely feedback, take anecdotal notes, and build stronger relationships with
students (Ferlazzo,2022).” This will be an easier way for the teacher to collect data but keep students
engaged with the lesson. Moreover, this will align with the mission and vision of the school by taking risk
in a lesson to keep students engaged, differentiating instruction, and excelling for excellence in
academics.
Reflection:

While observing in the classroom the teachers both carried positive energy. They had different areas that
could be improved to strengthen their student centered classroom. The teachers were used to their
behavior and it worked for them but students seemed to be a bit all over the place in certain areas of their
lesson. The things that were lacking from both teachers were minor things that can be worked towards
fixing right away. I would say that both teachers exemplified the school culture in a positive light. After
observing the teachers I would request a meeting with each teacher and share what I observed. Next, I
would deliver my observations with a strategic plan of how they can accomplish the goal of getting on
track to upholding a better student centered classroom. After our conversation I would hold a follow up
meeting with the teachers to ensure that everything is going well, and figure out what areas they may still
need support. Moreover, In the standard PSEL it states, “Reflect on personal professional practices
related to creating and promoting student-centered classroom environments.” This is something that all
teachers do in order to move forward in their classrooms for the perfecting of a student centered
classroom. I remember a time when I was just beginning in the field I had trouble with collaboration. I
never wanted students to work together because I was nervous that things would get out of control. When
I was observed by my mentor teacher, she mentioned that I should use collaboration in order to engage
students with the lesson. I remember that I was focused on getting all the information out to the students
that I did not incorporate at the center of the actual lesson. Students can make new connections or build
new concepts from other peers. From this experience I learned that as a leader it is important to look for
areas that each teacher can grow but use research. The research is there to support the strategy and
explain to the teacher how it worked effectively. Teachers will be able to attend to the recommendation
better if they hear factual evidence and success stories.
Reference:

Acc. (2023, February 7). Time Management Skills that improve student learning. ACC
Blog. https://www.acc.edu.au/blog/time-management-skills-student-learning/

Ferlazzo, L. (2022, April 14). What are the best strategies for small-group instruction?
(opinion). Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-what-are-
the-best-strategies-for-small-group-instruction/2021/11