Internship Final Reflection by Sonya Charlene Peters

Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Student Teaching Internship University Supervisor: Pamela Patrick University of Alabama in Huntsville

Internship Final Reflection

Monrovia Elementary School was the location of my student teaching internship. Both of my placements were completed at this school located within Madison County. The principal is Dr. Cheryl Davis. My mentors were Mrs. Thesa Davidson for my kindergarten placement and Ms. Carolyn Simpson for my fourth grade placement. It was interesting to experience the learning environment of students entering school for the first time, as well as older students who have learned much in their earlier primary grades. There were twenty-one students in my kindergarten classroom and twenty-three in fourth grade. The challenges were very different between my two placement classrooms. The needs and demands of students in kindergarten are constant as they are new to the elementary school environment. Fourth graders at this school are eager to learn and enjoy being engaged and involved in the learning process. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from both of my placements that will serve me well in my future classroom.

General Reflection Meaningful Experiences in Kindergarten

I thoroughly enjoyed my kindergarten placement. It was a challenging experience, but I learned from my mentor and she supportively guided me through. Mrs. Davidson has a wonderful sense of humor and we worked well together. This placement was challenging because students were entering school for the first time and trying to learn everything! Many of them just had their fifth birthday and some had a difficult time adjusting to being away from their family members. They needed to be taught everything from staying seated during instruction, to rules of the school and classroom. Consistency is crucial for establishment of a positive learning environment for kindergarten students. There were several special experiences I noted regarding student learning as time passed from the first day of school. I taught the majority of beginning of school concept lessons such as making friends and the importance of not becoming a bully. I helped reinforce rules of the school and classroom by creating a game that students played. Students drew a slip of paper from a decorated bag. The paper had a question written upon it as to a school or classroom rule. Students were eager to participate and answer the questions. As time passed, I enjoyed teaching math, language arts, and science. I was excited as students gradually learned the differences between math concepts. One lesson I taught, focused on concepts such as fewer, greater, least, most, smaller, and larger. Program related videos were utilized as they catered to the visual learner. I specifically remember how I helped students with the various terms and concepts. We used manipulatives consistently. I had students look at various amounts of counters or cubes. It was exciting as students began to understand concepts as they learned to count small amounts of items in sets. As students worked, I observed them and was able to learn about their abilities. I also focused on studying their completed paper exercises so I could plan instruction that was best suited for their learning levels at any given time. When students began to take math exams, I was thrilled at how much they had learned. I reviewed the results of their Star tests and was glad to see the vast majority of students progressing academically. Of the more exciting experiences with kindergarten, was the science unit I taught focused on water. Students loved the activities associated with this unit. I felt it was an important study because students will advance to more concepts of water in upper grade levels. They will study the importance of water for plants and the water cycle.

My kindergarten water unit focused on basic concepts such as the fact that water does not have a shape, but will take the form of its container. In an effort to best demonstrate this fact, I was granted permission to use the school courtyard and I took the students outside. We conducted experiments using food coloring, water, and a variety of different shaped containers. Students each had their own containers and they poured water into each of them and observed the result. We also talked about water temperature. A couple of experiments were conducted in an effort to help students learn about the three states of water. As a formative assessment, students were required to create a thermometer and indicate by drawing, where the three states of water would register on the thermometer. This assessment was extremely important in relation to student learning. It proved to be a positive assessment as the vast majority of students were able to both complete their thermometers and explain their recorded data. It is important to consistently assess learning by observation and monitoring. I feel that my ability to gauge student learning has been enhanced through the observation and monitoring processes. Throughout the course of the unit, I learned the very valuable lesson of the importance of modeling. My instruction methods changed as I learned the importance of modeling every single step associated with activities and experiments. Many times I had to physically help students with their work, but most of the time I could stand before the class and model an example of the planned activity. My rationale about teaching and teacher led instruction changed as I learned that students at this age seem to learn best by being actively involved in the learning process. If I were to teach kindergarten in the future, I would make sure that the majority of instruction included opportunities for students to be actively involved in activities. It became clear that kindergarten students can sit and focus on teacher led instruction for a short time. However, they will become restless if they are required to sit and listen for long lengths of time. I will incorporate items that students can touch and art activities that require students to be individually engaged in what they are doing. It was my observation that students in this class seemed to learn best while being engaged in these types of activities. Catering to the various learning styles by including a variety of strategies and exercises was one of my primary goals. Students enjoyed transitioning to various activities frequently during instruction. I began to focus on keeping them engaged on a task. This helped the day flow and decreased the amount of interruptions and behavioral management issues.

Meaningful Experiences in Fourth Grade

My fourth grade placement was surprisingly different from what I had expected. I felt initially that I was better suited to work with younger students. After spending some time with my fourth graders, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the students at this grade level and could see myself working with them if an opportunity ever presented itself. They are capable of participating in a number of academic exercises of a wide variety. They welcomed me into their classroom and I shared an abundance of fun learning activities with them. They were able to complete a number of creative writing activities. These activities included the genres of writing for advertising, persuasion, and the writing of expository text. We created time lines, pie charts, and maps. My science unit focused on the study of rocks. There was an incredible amount of preparation required prior to instruction. I was able to acquire a rocks and minerals kit from AMSTI. I also obtained enough small magnifying glasses for students. We focused on the formation of the three main groups of rocks. I included a number of artistic activities as well as experiments, and students seemed to thoroughly enjoy each phase of the unit. I learned something about myself through the teaching of lessons in both placements.

I seem to write initial lesson plans, but as time passes and I think about the plans and the associated learning activities, I make a lot of changes. Sometimes, these are last minute changes. I have learned to be reflective and contemplate the outcome of instruction prior to the presentation of lessons. This was apparent throughout the teaching of my science unit. I submitted a set of lesson plans, but I added several additional activities and experiments as time passed. For example, I added an illustration exercise to the lesson plan introducing students to igneous rocks. I thought that it might help students to better understand the formation process if we all drew a volcano and discussed it together. So, I started to draw and label a volcano and students drew along with me. We worked through the whole process. Students loved this activity! They were incredibly creative with their volcanoes. This one simple activity taught me an unforgettable and valuable lesson. Anytime I have the opportunity to have students actually work along with me during an activity, I will. This experience emphasized the belief that doing, or actively participating in the learning process, is almost always better that listening. Students didnt just listen to what I had to say, they worked with me and asked questions as we moved through the learning process. Since this unit was long, I added a formative assessment quiz at the mid-point of the unit. I also felt that I should check student learning as we moved through the phases of the unit. I began to question them often. This served to remind students of the content being taught and help me to understand how best to build upon what they were retaining from instruction. My previous belief system has changed the most with regard to behavioral management in the classroom. During both placements, I learned so much about the importance of this skill. If there are too many disruptions during instruction, students simply will not learn. I have come to the conclusion that the best and most effective way to insure that there are as few distractions as possible, is to make sure that students are engaged in some sort of academic activity at all times. I tried something new during my fourth grade placement. I wrote lessons such that there were continuous activities students were required to complete. For example, I began the science unit and there were charts, foldables, illustrations, and writing assignments, required. I also initiated a short survey of Alabamas Native Americans that included several activity requirements. If students finished an assignment early, they always had something to work on that was not yet complete. I hope to perfect this revolving method of assignments such that there is never any down time. I did not have the opportunity to try this system with kindergarten students, but it proved very successful in my fourth grade placement classroom.

Reflection on Candidate Competencies

I feel my abilities are strongest in the areas of pedagogy and professionalism. My student teaching experience has allowed me the opportunity to grow and develop in all of the competency areas, but I think that my teaching associated with pedagogy, and ability to collaborate, as well as be a reflective practitioner, are the stronger of my skills.

Pedagogy
I have grown in my teaching ability as it relates to pedagogy in a number of ways. In both of my placements, I purposefully used a variety of engaging strategies and activities that not only met state and local curricular goals, but also offered unique learning opportunities for all students and catered to each of the individual learning styles. I made it my personal goal to include activities in each lesson that would meet the needs of all learners.

I was required to use the programs that were in place for the various subjects. However, I was given a lot of freedom with respect as to how the various concepts could be presented. I always included the requirements and exercises that were within the programs, then added information and activities that would enrich and support subject material. During math instruction, I followed the required format for introduction of lessons. Once this initial information had been presented, I added use of manipulatives, games, visual aids, and fun activities. Students in fourth grade, had the opportunity to explore the relationships between multiplication and division using a variety of manipulatives. Students worked individually, in groups, and often times with a partner, to complete tasks. Also, I would frequently create my own activities. For example, one day after introducing information on division using repeated subtraction, I provided students with a sheet of oversized graph paper. I created the template for this paper at home and printed enough for each student. Students found it helpful to use the graph paper. They were able to better visualize their subtraction and correct errors. I feel that my ability to be creative has made a very positive impact on my instruction. As I observed students during various phases of lessons, I was glad to see them involved in creative activities of my design. I enjoy meeting the challenge of finding creative ways for students to learn. I focused on observation and monitoring of students as they worked on exercises in class. I also created a number of formative assessments in an effort to help me understand the level of student learning. I tried to create unique ways to assess. Utilizing numerous creative activities aided my ability to assess. I created quizzes, charts, graphs, tests, and project related activities. This made learning fun and exciting for the students.

Professionalism
I have enjoyed the special relationships I have developed with various people at Monrovia. This includes my mentors, various grade level teachers, school personnel, and parents. I have learned so much from each interaction and have reflected upon the value of positive communication and maintaining a professional disposition at all times. I reached out to the art teacher and asked if she would collaborate with me on one of my lessons. We worked together to add an art element to my science unit. The students enjoyed making a paper snowflake while learning about the freezing of water. This was a positive experience and I continued to seek more opportunities to collaborate. One of the first grade teachers agreed to allow me to come to her classroom and work with her on presenting a lesson focused on bats. This was also a positive experience. I thoroughly enjoyed working with both the art teacher and the first grade teacher. I look forward to more collaborative experiences in the future. I also enjoyed meeting and talking with parents and attending the kindergarten meet and greet. I recognized several parents from the community. One of the most memorable experiences I had with a parent at Monrovia, occurred during my kindergarten placement. I was teaching and the mother of one of my students began to volunteer regularly. I bonded with all of my students in this class, but there were several students who became very attached to me while I was there. I enjoyed nurturing my students and tried to help them with the transition into kindergarten. This effort was recognized and noted by both my mentor and parents. While shopping one day, the mother who regularly volunteered, approached me. She said that she just wanted me to know how thankful she was that I was the student teacher in her daughters class at the beginning of her first weeks in kindergarten. She was thankful that I nurtured her daughter and made her feel comfortable at school. Her comments filled my heart with joy and for the first time I felt the value and appreciation of a teacher from a parent. I look forward to all of the wonderful relationships that I will develop in the future.

I found behavioral management to be more challenging at the kindergarten level. However, towards the end of that placement, I began to use creative assignments to keep students engaged. It was during that time, I understood the necessity of keeping students focused on instructional tasks. The more time they spend engaged in meaningful learning activities, the less opportunity for behavioral management issues to occur. Fourth grade students require a steady flow of instruction and activities, as well. I began to strive in this placement to limit the amount of down time during the day. These discoveries have made the most impact on my future lesson planning and instruction. I now know how to create rich and engaging lesson activities that support main concepts being presented, provide for a multitude of assessment opportunities, and aid behavioral management, in the classroom. When I began my internship, I felt my areas of needed improvement related to the competencies were diversity and communication (specifically media). I purposefully made efforts to improve by observing and consulting my mentors. It was challenging for me at the kindergarten level to know exactly how to meet certain needs for some students. At the beginning of kindergarten in my placement classroom, several students were being tested for a number of various impairments and/or disabilities. I understood students performance skill abilities, but I had to collaborate with my mentor in an effort to work with students productively prior to the diagnosis of those students with various exceptionalities. This was extremely challenging because we did not know exactly what the individual needs were, initially. However, as information became available, it became easier to address the various needs. It was easier to address the needs of certain fourth grade students because there were IEPs in place. I was able to follow the specific instructions of the plans with ease. In the future I intend to participate in professional development focused on ways I might improve instruction for students with exceptionalities. I have good communication skills overall, but initially I felt that I could strengthen my use of media in the classroom. I began to increase the incorporation of media in various forms in an effort to present information in a different way. Examples were technology related media, newspapers, and journal clippings. These media examples were used to explain various text genres. I grew in my ability to incorporate a number of types of media throughout the course of lesson planning. My student teaching internship has been a most valuable experience. I have learned so much from observing and consulting my mentors. I have noted all of the successful strategies they have implemented. In my future classroom, I intend to use a number of those strategies as well as several of the systems I created. I could not have asked for a better placement location, or better mentors. I feel I have gained so much from this experience. I have learned about the extreme dedication that is required to become an expert teacher. I look forward to finding my first teaching job and further developing my skills. It will be exciting to discover new ways to present topics and witness student learning. I will cherish the memories of my experiences with the students, parents, and school employees. Also, I will be forever grateful for the consistent support of my university supervisor and mentors.