Moving towards field work

WEEK 6

Class: Monday, 9/30/13

In class today, we did a treasure hunt! For the treasure hunt, Dr. Smirnova printed out barcodes for us. We had to download the “QR-reader” app on our iPhones. We got together in our field work groups in order to complete this assignment. Each group was versing each other. When the barcodes were scanned, questions would come on the screen. Everyone in the group had a job, which included: manager, time-keeper, note-taker, typer, and researcher. I was the manager in the group, Rachel was the time-keeper, Laura was the note-taker, Caitlyn was the typer, and Anne was the researcher. Whichever group answered all the questions and posted them first to the forum would win a prize.

The questions and answers we came up with include:

Group: Revolutionists: Caitlyn Yackeren, Brianna Croce, Rachel Springer, Anne Eisner

Date: September 30, 2013

Treasure Hunt

Question 1: Learning Centered Approach

Question 2: True

Question 3: No

Question 4: D- Competition among teachers and students.

Question 5: John Dewey- Came up with empirical evidence.

Question 6: C- The primary responsibility was to engage students in inquiry into important social and interpersonal problems.

Question 7:  Group Investigation: The class is divided into teams, which then select topics to investigate, gather information, prepare reports, and present their findings to the entire class.

Example: Treasure hunt

Question 8: Structural Approach: An approach based on the teaching of the different areas of 'grammar' in a language; eg present simple tense, conditionals, adverbs and adjectives etc. A structural syllabus will view the language in terms of linguistic structures,of which there will be grading and sequencing; of a functional approach.

Example: Think-Share-Pair, 6 thinking hats

Question 9: Think-Share-Pair: This is a structured approach to classroom discourse that aims to get all students actively involved in a discussion. An example is: You can use it in small groups before reading. Decide upon the text to be read and develop the set of questions or prompts that target key content concepts. Describe the purpose of the strategy and provide guidelines for discussions. Model the procedure to ensure that students understand how to use the strategy. Monitor and support students as they work through the following:

T : (Think) Teachers begin by asking a specific question about the text. Students "think" about what they know or have learned about the topic.

P : (Pair) Each student should be paired with another student or a small group.

S : (Share) Students share their thinking with their partner. Teachers expand the "share" into a whole-class discussion.

Question 10:

Role of the Teacher

Make decisions

Specify academic/collaborative objectives  

Decide on a group size

Assign students to groups

Arrange the room

Plan materials

Assign roles

Set the lesson

Explain the academic task

Structure positive interdependence

Structure Individual accountability

Structure intergroup cooperation

Explain criteria for success

Specify expected behaviors  

Teach collaborative skills

Monitor and intervene

Arrange face to face Interaction

Monitor student behavior

Provide task assistance

Intervene to teach collaborative skills

Evaluate and process

Evaluate student learning

Process Group Functioning

Provide closure

Question 11: 5 Characteristics: 1. Positive Interdependence

   2. Individual Accountability

   3. Social Skills

   4.  Group Processing

   5. Lesson Planning  

   I really enjoyed doing the treasure hunt activity. It was fun and it got my mind working. I think students would highly enjoy this. This is a fun activity that can be geared towards any grade or subject. I like how technology is incorporated into trying to find questions and answers. It was also great for a cooperative learning lesson. Group work was really needed in order to do this project. As a group, we processed the answers, and as individuals we all had different roles and responsibilities. I would definitely use the QR-reader in my classroom, and I plan to use it for my fieldwork lessons.

Class: Wed, 10/2/13

Today in class we focused on creating/designing our lessons for field work. We also watched an instructional video called "Teaching Methods in the Classroom." There are several things that I learned from this video.

Direct instruction is when the teacher is demonstrating a lesson to students. This demonstration includes using visual and coral responses. Students practice what they have learned. Lesson plan activities include: guided practice, checking for understanding, introducing new skills, and others. Independent practice is when students do activities such as seat work or homework. The development of a lesson includes: getting the student's attention by pre-assessing their prior knowledge. The development phrase allows the teacher to check for students understanding.Cooperative learning is successful in diverse setting. The classroom mirrors a democratic society. The phases of cooperative learning: Clarifying aims, providing materials, organizing study teams, assisting teams, sharing/evaluating/recognizing work.

The video was very helpful because it related to the practices that will be used during field work. It also gave me more insight on how to create lessons pertaining to field work. I am glad that Dr. Smirnova showed us this video. I hope to apply the tips that I learned in the video to my field work and other teaching experiences.


Class: Fri, 10/4/13

Today was our first day of fieldwork! As a class, we headed over to Bishop Dunn Memorial School. Our goal was to get to know the 4th grade class. The teacher in fourth grade is Mrs.Benfer. Each group had a few minutes to get to know each group of students. The students were sitting in desks in groups. We all introduced ourselves to the class. When we met with the students, we started off by asking their names. As a pre-assessment to our topic,"The Declaration of Independence", we asked students to give us some ideas that they might include if they wrote their own Declaration.
These are pictures of the paper where I wrote down each groups ideas for a Declaration:

We asked the students what rights we do have in America. We then asked them to add some of their ideas of rights they do not have now but wish they did. From my observation, most of the groups agreed that we have the freedom of: speech, voting, choosing, religion, freedom, and education. It seems that students have a general understanding and understanding of our rights as American Citizens. In our cooperative lesson plan, we will be doing a similar project. We will let students collaborate as groups and create a class Declaration.