Summary of classroom observations and reflections

Looking back at my reflections and observations of the 5-6^th grade classroom, I have been able to see the growth that has occurred during this practicum experience. I can remember the first week that I was in the classroom. Both the students and the teacher were very welcoming and friendly to this new 'practicum stranger'. I was able to interact with the students right away and was able to familiarize myself to the classroom atmosphere.

From the beginning, I have observed and learned from my cooperating teacher about classroom management strategies and student-centered curriculum. Although the students understand that they can feel comfortable and laid-back in this classroom, they also realize the high expectations of the teacher. By offering differentiated lessons and structure through routines, the teacher has given her students many opportunities to take ownership of their learning and has also instilled in them a sense of pride to their work. Another example of the student-centered curriculum that I have witnessed is the use of self-evaluations. Throughout many of the projects, the students were required to evaluate their own work and discuss it with the teacher. I can see the value in providing students with the opportunity to self-evaluate their work. I believe this will help them in their learning processes and will help them take a step back to see what they are doing well and what they can improve on.

Observing the classroom on a daily basis has also allowed me to see that as a teacher I need to be flexible and open to making adjustments. There were several times throughout my practicum that the teacher had to readjust her lesson plans due to school assemblies, fire drills, number of students present, and student readiness (or lack of) to move on. I also had to adjust one of my lesson plans because they were ahead of schedule and the teacher needed to move on. This really showed me the importance of "overplanning" to accommodate the times that students are learning far more quickly than planned. This also reinforced my beliefs about taking the opportunity for "teachable moments". Sometimes we may not plan for the lesson to take certain tangents, but they may authenticate the lesson greatly and motivate the students to learn more about the concept being taught.

My cooperating teacher has often said, "If you expect it, they will do it." I have seen this statement come true after the construction of the rainforest. With all the hard work and dedication of each student to contribute to the class rainforest, I have been able to see the importance of high expectations for the students. When we first began working on the rainforest, I was thinking, "How is this ever going to come together?". Through routines and various different assignments, the students were able to work independently and then collaborate in the end. As the rainforest slowly developed, the students got more and more excited about what they were doing. This extrinsic and intrinsic motivation was very crucial to their learning. I can now see the importance of valuing students as competent learners and providing them with goals.

I have learned so much from this experience that has helped me reinforce previous beliefs about the classroom and has also introduced me to new awareness'. One area that I specifically have felt I have grown aware of is my tendency to offer the answers, rather than help the learner(s) develop a strategy that they could use to get to the answer. Through correspondence with my cooperating teacher and information I am learning in my other classes, I have realized that it all depends on the student and how they learn best!

Looking back at my reflections has been very helpful for me as a pre-service teacher to see the importance of documenting/reflecting on how things went in the classroom each day. These reflections have allowed me to see what went well, what needs improvement, and how I need to continually learn alongside my students.