Field Experience!

I had the pleasure of observing at Hazelgreen Elementary School which is a part of District 126 in Alsip.  This is a public school in the south suburbs of Chicago.  Normally this school follows the traditional public education model, however, because it was summer time I got to observe in a unique setting.  This district offers summer school for students who need more enrichment and assistance before moving up to the next grade level, and this happens in July.  There are 4 schools in the district, three of them being elementary schools.  The elementary schools rotate yearly who hosts the summer school program and this year it was Hazelgreen.  For the first time ever though, the district held a program in June that was completely optional and open to all students, not just struggling learners.  This program offered many different fun and educational options that students got to choose from.   They included a math class, photography, conversational Spanish, a makers class, physical education program, and a Harry Potter-themed program.  I'm sure there were more that I am missing but these were the blocks that I had sat in for.  This program ran from 8:15 am until 11:30 am and included 3 program blocks and a 20-minute "movement break" (which was recess).  Not only did all the programs seem fun, but the students were all so enthusiastic and involved since they had a choice in what they were learning! Some of the programs involved co-teaching classrooms, which was also a great thing to observe as I have never experienced a co-teaching classroom before.

For the purpose of the write-up, I am going to focus on the math program block that I observed. 

About the Students in this Class [Give a brief or one word response]

1.    Estimated percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch:  85%

2.    Grade level(s): Mixed, 3rd-5th grade

3.    Number of students in the class:  8

a.    males:  6

b.    females: 2

c.    English language learners: 2

d.    students identified as gifted and talented: 0

e.    students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans: 1

4.    Complete the chart below to summarize required accommodations or modifications for students receiving special education services and/or students who are gifted and talented as they will affect instruction. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete the chart. The first row has been completed in italics as an example. Use as many rows as you need.

Special Education Category	Number of Students	Accommodations, Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP Goals
Example: Learning Disability	Example: 4	Example: Close monitoring, follow up, and Resource Room
Physical Disability	1	Assistance with carrying materials, special seating arrangement, doing large motor activities at a slower pace, extra time between passing periods or transitions.

About the Class You Observed

1.    How much time is devoted each day to instruction in the classroom? Describe the class periods (if applicable)? Choose a content area of your specialty or major. How much time is devoted to teaching that subject?  

Like I said, this program was different since it was an optional summer program.  All the learning blocks were 45 minutes long.  I sat in during the math block, and it was interesting because there were students of multiple grade levels in it.  This particular day they were doing a multiplication scavenger hunt, but students worked with partners and it was nice to see them helping each other out!

2.    Is there any ability grouping or tracking? If so, please describe how it affects your class.

There was not any. 

3.    Identify any textbook or instructional program you primarily use for instruction. If a textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of publication.

During the school year, they use the Everyday Math program.  Since classrooms were packed up for summer and teachers from all 3 schools were utilizing just this one school, there weren't any available or on hand.  Teachers created fun daily activities.  

4.    List other resources (e.g., SMARTBoard, manipulatives, online resources) used for instruction in this class.

This is a 1:1 district so students have Chromebooks that they use.  They also used a QR scanner and codes, have an overhead projector that teachers can airdrop resources on through their Apple MacBook and the students played Kahoot!.

5. What do you know about what your students know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do? What do you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests?

This math program has students of different grades and ability groups.  There are also two bilingual/ELL students in the class.  The students were doing a multiplication scavenger hunt and had to solve multiplication problems as a part of it.  At first when one of the cooperating teachers was telling me all this information I was concerned about how it could work out.  Obviously, a third grader is on a different level than a fifth grader.  Once I started observing though, I noticed some students were paired up and some worked solo.  The pairs were helping each other solve the math problem and I noticed them using different math strategies to get their answers when they both struggled.  I noticed also that the two ELL students worked together and their dialect was a mix of Spanish and English.  Because they were using their Chromebooks and scanning QR codes as part of a game they seemed very interested and invested in this learning activity!  All 8 students were on task and while they were socializing during it, it was very minimal.  

  

6. Describe one teaching event. What best practices in teaching were used?

This was a co-taught classroom.  Although this activity was very learner-centered, the teachers both walked around checking on student's progress and asking how they were doing.  At one point one of the teacher's stepped out and the other was on her MacBook preparing the Kahoot game there were to do at the end of the class.  Even though she was engaged with her own work, when a pair of students approached her for help she stopped what she was doing and talked to them in a calm and caring manner.  She didn't flat out give them the answer but asked what they thought the answer was and then showed them the error in their thinking and calculations.  It was great to see a teacher who showed them compassion and the students felt confident and comfortable going to her for help!