Volunteer/Observation Part 2

My final observation was as eventful as my first; in the few hours I was in the classroom I was already getting attached to the students. They were as curious about me as I was about them and seem so eager to learn. I took my place at the back of the classroom, trying not to interrupt their routine too much. I noticed two students identified with ASD (autism spectrum disorders), having what the teacher described later as having an off day. As the teacher tried to keep these students calm, while maintaining order and routine for the other students, I saw one of the students went over to the computer, as he sat down, he pressed his face very close to the monitor. The teacher informed me later, that even though he wears glasses, he still has to press his face close to the screen. She is waiting for a larger monitor; wish would help accommodate his needs. She gave another student a drinking straw to chew on and this seems to calm her down. As I reflect on this classroom, with all its students with varying needs, I came to the realization that in all my discussions about our urban communities and students, I never really consider those students in the urban communities who have special needs. I am glad I had the opportunity to meet these students and their teacher; I believe she meets most of the criteria of a star teacher. She has a passion for her students, she cared about each of them and she was ready and willing to share all that she knows with me. Only our time together was not long enough, but I believe we have will continue collaborating via email or phone. If most of the teachers are like this teacher, then I can see why this school continues to be successful. Resources she shared with me: www.fcrr.org a free online reading readiness resource Book: The Well Managed Classroom 2nd Edition Authors: Michel Henley, M.S. Walker Powell, Susanne Lake, Scott Hartman, M.S http://www.kaganonline.com/index.php

Volunteer/Observation 1

In preparation for my volunteer hours, I decided to visit a school in my neighborhood, that may not fit the criteria of an Urban school, however, it is a Title 1 school with about a 52% poverty rate. It is not the type of school that would be expected to be an A school, but this is a 5 Star rating school, and has consistently made “A” based on the FCAT results. I was curious to see, what the teachers are doing that could probably be duplicated in another school. The teacher I was assigned to is a Board Certified Teacher, who has been teaching for over 35 years, this is her 9th year at the school, they have had one principal for 8 years, however for the 2013-2014 school year the Principal retired, a new Principal was hired, she decided not to stay at the school, so they had to find a replacement quickly. It seems as if everything worked out. Prior to my visit to the classroom, the teacher and I had a phone orientation, at which time she told me about her students, this is a 3rd grade class of 18 students, it is a inclusion classroom, so she has 3 students varying levels of ASD, and 2 ESE students. When I arrived in the classroom, the students were engaged, participating in activities on a Mimio Board. One of the 3rd Grade teachers wrote a grant for Mimio Boards, all 3rd -4th grade classes received a mimio board. This activity lasted about 10 minutes, then the lights came on and the students were given instruction for another activity, students were told that this activity was only going to be 5 minutes, I worked with a small group of students, but then the 5 minutes were up, and the teacher was again telling the students about their next activity, she started singing the students responded in song, and moved to their location, some on computers, some were working in pairs, and she called a group of 4 to her bean shaped table. The students were always moving, talking listening, some had a few reminders, but I believe that is normal, she had her class, in control. She was in charge of her Class. I am looking forward to visiting again.

Urban Teacher Use of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Strategies

This article addresses classroom management in the Urban Classroom, it list strategies the teacher could use to make connection with her/his students. Strategies like; caring for her students, effective communication, and acting with authority. Even though, these strategies were focused on what the urban teacher should know, I believe that all classroom management plans should incorporate these strategies. Our Classroom population is changing and even if we are not in an urban school, our classroom will have a diverse student population. This week was especially challenging for me, my team leader suggested that we adjust our classroom management in favor of a group of students, I disagreed with her recommendation and named many reasons, it was not best practice. I believe effective classroom management is essential to the teaching and learning process in any classroom, but it must be consistent and the teacher must act with authority. Bibliography Brown, D. F. (2010). Urban Teachers' Use of Culturally Responsive Management Stragegies. Theory Into Practice , 44 (2), 277-282.