Fieldwork Summer Semester

Some of the classroom rules were stay in your assigned seat, come to class ready to learn, work on the assignments that are assigned, and keep the talking at a low volume.  Rules are important for a good learning environment.  It is important for the teacher to enforce the rules.  In the classroom Ms. Cheney's students would always loose their pencils.  Ms. Cheney decided to create a game where each student is given a pencil with their class number on it.  Whoever still had their pencil at the end of the school year would receive a prize.  This shows that a teacher doesn't have to always be "mean" when enforcing rules, they can make it fun. Some procedure the teacher would do to make everything run smoothly, was to keep the student on a schedule.  The students knew what to do, and what the teacher expected.  Also Ms. Cheney would make a list of assignments that needed to be done and instead of micromanaging the classroom, she would be at her des...

While volunteering I saw many different strategies the teacher used to actively engage the students.   One strategy was classroom dollars and group points.  The teacher I helped, Ms. Cheney, is a huge Disney fan so she made Disney Dollars for her class.  When the students were good and actively participating they would receive Disney Dollars.  The students could then spend the Disney Dollars at the classroom "store".  Ms. Cheney also kept track of group points.  When groups worked together and stayed on task they would receive points that they could then use at the classroom "store". Ms. Cheney also had the kids work on an activity that the students actively participated in.  Ms. Cheney had the students separate into pairs.  The pairs would then pick a topic and make a podcast based on it.  The students were all very excited.  The students actively researched their topic.  I sadly did not get to see/hear the finished products, but...

The most important role of a teacher is being open to new ideas.  It is easier for a teacher to just teach lesson the same way every year.  When that happens the teacher becomes more redundant and less enthusiastic about the lesson.  A teacher should always look for new ways to teach.  They should listen to advice given to them by their piers and try to apply it.  When teachers are open to new ideas it improves the way they teach. A challenging role a teacher plays is being a confidant to their students.  Sometimes teachers have to do what is right for their students.  Sometimes that includes being there for their students and getting help for the students that need it.  It can be difficult to see/hear what one's students are going through.  Even though this role is challenging, being there for the students is extremely important.