Reflection Report: Observations from Practicum (Day 3) – October 22, 2015

It was great to finally settle into Ms. S’s class today. When I first arrived, I had the opportunity to chat with her and the EA, Ms. G. We went over the class name sheet and spoke about the allergies that students have. We also discussed the daily agendas which I thought was very helpful so I could get a sense of the routine. It was also great to learn more about the classroom and where the locations of reading books, puzzles, calendars and other daily activities were situated. By the end of the day, I had a better understanding of where everything was and the flow of the classroom. When the bell rang, the children got settled into their seats swiftly and they began the class with planners open on their desks. While they listened to the morning music, they worked on some drawing for the first 15 minutes of the day (this is the typical outline for every morning) and I can appreciate the idea of routine. After this quiet work time, they moved onto the carpet and worked on their daily calendar exercise which is directed by that day’s VIP. Every day they have a new VIP who takes on the role of helping the class. Ms. S also tied in some math exercises with the calendar time- asking the children to count the number of days they had been in school for, and what day of the week it was. They then transitioned into “Simon Says.”

The first lesson of the day was math, and we brought out the 10-frame kits with blue and red coins. Ms. S led the children through a series of adding and subtracting questions and they were able to show their work as a visual representation on the 10-frame. Ms. S was consistently monitoring the children’s ability to regulate and had to repeatedly ask some of the students if they were in “the growth mindset” for learning. For the most part, the students were very well-behaved, and I was able to sit with them on the carpet and discover their strengths. I was also able to take some time with another student who has some learning difficulties, and we worked on some problems together. Another aspect of Ms. S’s teaching that I found very powerful was that she reflects on those that make mistakes, and positively reinforces that it’s okay to make them- otherwise we wouldn’t be able to become better learners. She continually praised excellence and encouraged those that were struggling. If she called on someone to answer a question and there was a long pause in their answer, she would move on to the next student to see how they might be able to help answer the question. I thought it was important that she didn’t wait too long for the answer, as we have come to understand that the child may feel anxious or fearful of being put on the spot- we don’t want the child to feel negatively about not having the answer right away.

After recess, the students went over to the gym and had class with another teacher. This gave Ms. S and I had some time to plan for the following day’s class activities. I helped her organize some writing books for a spelling lesson, and we spoke about the parent teacher conferences that were happening during the afternoon hours. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with Ms. S and listen in on some of the parent-teacher conferences. I was amazed at how she articulated to the parents and the great things that she had to say about her students. For one student who was having some self-regulation difficulties, she explained to the parent her concerns, and brought over the boy to include him in the conversation. I thought it was a wonderful idea to bring in the student as well as the parent- it allowed for a more open conversation and was not “secretive” by any means. This brought me back to my school days and I realized that I never had the opportunity to meet with my parents and teacher collectively during interviews. I really enjoyed listening to their conversations and it gave me a great insight to what future interview will hold. Today was a success, and I am really looking forward to my 2 week practicum!