Education 301: Site-Based Observation Two

Brittany Rathway

Site-Based Observation 2

Education 301

24 October 2011

            Over the past few weeks at my PDS, I have become comfortable working with the students and the teacher.  I have been observing many of the theories and terms that we have discussed in Education 301.  These terms and theories haven given me insight into teaching theories and also behavioral management theories that my host teacher uses.  Incorporating these theories into your everyday teaching strategies, has shown to be both beneficial and necessary when teaching a classroom of 26 students. 

            My host teacher has 26 first grade students to educate throughout the day, while also making sure the students are well-behaved and respectful to all.  When she is teaching, she uses direct instruction.  Direct instruction is defined as an approach to teaching in which the teacher transmits information directly to the students; lessons are goal oriented and structured by the teacher (Slavin, 2010, p. 184).  I believe that first grade is a very pivotal time in students’ cognitive development; they are developing basic, concrete theories and content that they will use throughout their lives.  Direct instruction seems to be one of the most beneficial teaching strategies to use with first grades because they have not developed enough responsibility yet to learn completely on their own.  My host teacher also uses differentiated instruction.  An approach to teaching that adapts the content, level, pace, and products of instruction to accommodate different needs of diverse students in regular classes is differentiated instruction (Slavin, 2010, p. 259).  In the first grade class, there are students of all abilities; they learn in different ways and at different paces.  By using differentiated instruction when teaching, my host teacher is able to meet the needs of all of her students no matter how diverse they may be. 

A very interesting aspect of my host teacher’s teaching strategy is her calling order.  Our book defines calling order as the order in which students are called on by the teacher to answer questions during the course of a lesson (Slavin, 2010, p. 197).  When the teacher asks a question, I noticed that all of the students raise their hands, even if they do not know the answer.  The teacher calls on the student that is sitting correctly in their seat without jumping around or making noise; she makes sure they are waiting patiently.  Also, my host teacher does not call on the same student twice or during the same lesson.  She tries to give every student a chance to answer.  If a student is not paying attention or talking during the lesson, the teacher will call on the student to get them engaged in the lesson again.  When the students have extra time during the day or after a lesson, the teacher provides them with seatwork.  Seatwork is defined as work that students are assigned to do independently during class (Slavin, 2010, p. 199).  The seatwork is usually a math or writing assignment.  The students are developing their addition and subtraction skills, and I believe that the independent seatwork gives them the chance to practice their skills. 

Every week when I visit the first grade classroom, they break up into their Literacy Groups.  There are multiple small-groups of students that work together at a different literacy station.  Some of the stations are computer reading activities, listening to a story and a writing worksheet, creative writing, and literacy reading terms.  They are fun activities that engage the students, but they still enhance the students’ literacy skills.  When in the groups, the students use cooperative learning.  Cooperative learning is instructional approaches in which students work in small mixed-ability groups (Slavin, 2010, p. 229).  The students enjoy working together and they help each other throughout the activities.  They are very creative when writing their own sentences or stories.  Learning Together is a cooperative learning model in which students in four- or five-member heterogeneous groups work together on assignments (Slavin, 2010, p. 233).  The teacher uses the Learning Together model during the literacy stations, and I believe it is very beneficial for the students to work in small-groups independently from the teacher.  Also, during the Literacy Stations, one of the groups is a Title 1 group that works with a Title 1 teacher.  Title 1 is defined as compensatory programs reauthorized under Title 1 of the Improving America’s Schools Act (IASA) in 1994; formerly known as Chapter 1 (Slavin, 2010, p.263).  I believe that this is a great time for Title 1.  The students are not pulled out of class; instead, they are in their own group during Literacy Groups.  It does not make them feel different from their peers or lower their self-esteem.   My host teacher does a great job of teaching diverse learners in her classroom and making every student feel comfortable no matter their ability level. 

When students are sitting in a classroom for six to seven hours a day, learning difficult concepts and skills, motivation helps the students to be engaged in the lesson and their own learning.  Motivation is defined as the influence of needs and desires on the intensity and direction of behavior (Slavin, 2010, p. 286).  The motivation can be from a teacher, peers, parents, or even personal.  My host teacher is a great motivator; she does not have a candy jar or a treasure chest.  However, she rewards behavior that is acceptable with a reinforcer.  A reinforcer is a pleasurable consequence that maintains or increases a behavior (Slavin, 2010, 119).  On the board, she has a list of pictures.  The pictures represent acceptable behavior that she expects the students to display during the school day.  The pictures are: lips that represent quiet and not talking during a lesson, eyes that represent paying attention to the lesson and the teacher, ears that represent listening to the lesson and the teacher, a student to represent the “model” student, and a ram to represent Ram Bucks.  When the teacher notices a student representing one of the pictures on the board, she will write their name under the picture.  By doing this, the other students try to model that student’s behavior; it is like she is making an example from the student’s positive behavior.  I believe my host teacher is using operant conditioning with this behavior management strategy.  Operant conditioning is the use of pleasant or unpleasant consequences to control the occurrence of a behavior (Slavin, 2010, p. 118).  The pleasant consequence is when the student gets their name written on the board, and the behavior that the teacher tries to control is the positive behavior the student displayed.  I believe the students strive to get their name on the board because of achievement motivation.  The desire to experience success and to participate in activities in which success depends on personal effort and abilities is achievement motivation (Slavin, 2010, p. 295).  The students know that getting their name on the board and praise from their teacher depends on their own actions and effort put into being prepared for the lesson. 

Earning a good grade on an exam or activity is important to most students; they are trying to gain praise for their hard work from their teacher, their parents, and themselves.  These students can be classified as possessing performance goals.  Performance goals are the goals of students who are motivated primarily by a desire to gain recognition from others and to earn good grades (Slavin, 2010, p. 295).  My host teacher provides an extrinsic incentive for the students that spell every word on their spelling exam correct.  An extrinsic incentive is a reward that is external to the activity, such as recognition or a good grade (Slavin, 2010, p. 301).  If the students correctly spell all of the words correct on their spelling exam for the week, the teacher recognizes them in front of the class and the student receives a Ram Buck.  The Ram Buck can be used in the school for small rewards such as sunglasses, notebooks, or a school bracelet.  My host teacher also gives feedback to the students on their homework or exams.  Feedback is defined as information on the results of one’s efforts (Slavin, 2010, p. 306).  I believe that this is beneficial for the student, because they get one-on-one advice from the teacher on how to improve on a concept.  It also makes the student feel that the teacher truly cares about them and their education.

Throughout my observation, there were no serious discipline situations the teacher had to deal with.  My host teacher seems to have great classroom management with her first grade class.  The students understand what behavior is expected of them throughout the day, and they respect their teacher.  The only time I observed my host teacher using an aversive stimulus is when a student was not paying attention during a lesson or talking while she was teaching.  An aversive stimulus is an unpleasant consequence that a person tires to avoid or escape (Slavin, 2010, p. 124).  The teacher does not yell at the student; however she makes them responsible for their own behavior.  She allows them to acknowledge their own behavior and correct it.  I think this is a more effective behavior management skill than yelling.  It allows the student to account for their own behavior without being embarrassed by being yelled at in front of their peers. 

Observing my host teacher and her teaching strategies along with her students and their different learning methods, I was able to discover how different instructional strategies and behavioral management methods create a positive environment in the classroom for the students to learn and develop in.  Incorporating these teaching strategies and behavioral strategies in my future classroom will provide me with the ability to better teach a classroom of diverse learners while also creating a positive environment to teach and learn in.  My host teacher has also provided me with insight on how to motivate students to succeed and make them responsible for their own behavior.