Thursday May 8th, 2008
Comparing Classrooms
I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework. ~Lily Tomlin as "Edith Ann"
On Wednesday May 7th, I got the chance to student teach at Parkside Elementary School. My aunt, Jan Holsopple, is a second grade teacher there and let me observe and interact with the students for a few hours in the afternoon. Even though I had been to her classroom other times this year it was exciting to go back after student teaching at Pierre Moran Middle School. I got to compare the behavior and actions of the second graders compared to the seventh and eighth graders. There was obviously a huge difference that comes from age alone, but there were other remarkable differences that were easy to see. The students in the middle school for the most part are pretty quiet and focused on their artwork. They talk quietly to each other at their tables while they work and are hardly affected by my presents. The middle school students are in first period for an hour and besides a little restlessness at the beginning and clean up at the end are very focused on their work. The second graders were very rambunctious and energetic the whole time I was there. The all had something to say and couldn’t help but talk over each other and even Mrs. Holsopple. The second graders do not change classes every hour like the middle school students but they did change activities every fifteen to twenty minuets, but even so many were restless and distracted. I being in the room also distracted the second graders. Even though both classes had students who had questions for me the second graders had more to tell me. The middle school kids like the ask me about my experience with middle/high school as well as my past art classes; the second graders ask questions but normally followed with story or extensive information about themselves.
Since the second graders pose the challenge of stronger class management it was interesting to see the ways Jan used to keep the kids focused and on task. The middle school art students have little trouble staying on task, unlike the elementary kids who needed to be reminded of the present topic and work. When the class got loud or out of control Mrs. Holsopple used techniques to get the kids attention back. One of the techniques she used was clapping a simple pattern of claps and the students would clap back. Another one that I really enjoyed was when she would say the first part of a compound word and the kids would finish. For example she would say, “When I say cow you say boy” and then say “cow” with the kids following with “boy”. After doing a couple of these she asked who could tell her a compound word. I was really excited about this because not only did it get the kids attention it helped them learn compound words.
Another aspect of teaching that I got to experience that I have not dealt with much at the middle school was a child with emotional problems. Even though I know the students at Pierre Moran do not come from the best home lives and also have emotional issues I have not experienced seeing them disrupt a class because of this, I have only heard about it from the teachers. While at Parkside one girl was being disruptive in class and had to be told to sit in her seat. Instead she went to the corner and sat on a pillow, not following the directions. Mrs. Holsopple then told her she lost the privilege of attending the fifteen-minuet assembly that afternoon. Later she explained to me that she came from a bad family life and acts out for attention because she is lacking it at home. She explained that even though sometimes it is important to put consequences with her actions it also helps to give her more attention. An example of this was in a past week when the girl had started to act up, she put her on her lap and kept teaching. The extra attention settled her down right away and allowed her and the rest of the class to keep learning.
Tuesday May 13th, 2008
Elementary ART
A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though awakens your own expectations. Patricia Neal
I walked in the back of the room just in time to hear the last page of the book that the teacher was reading. About three-fourths of the first graders turned around to see who was entering the room, which followed by them announcing to the teacher that there was a visitor in her classroom.
It’s Tuesday May 13th and I’m spending my afternoon in an elementary school art room, what a great place to be! Caitlin Lanctot, a Goshen college graduate, is now an art teacher at Park side Elementary. She was gracious enough to let me sit in on two of her afternoon classes. This was so exciting for me, not only could I compare it to my middle school classes, but I have hardly any experience in an elementary art room.
I think the biggest difference overall from the middle school students to the first grade classes I saw was their shorter attention span. The middle school kids have projects they work on for days or even weeks depending on the project, where the first graders had projects that lasted for only their forty-minuet class period. The first class listened to a book about summer and then got paired up in groups to think of a picture they wanted to draw that described summer. They then got to go outside and draw their pictures with sidewalk chalk. While they all had come up with great ideas of swimming pools and fireflies more chalk ended up on the students than the ground. The second class learned about a tribe in Africa that was famous for their beadwork. They then had a chance to make a bracelet out of an old toilet paper roll and a necklace with plastic string and beads. This class stayed on task very well even though there were many beads that ended up on the floor.
Although they only had the attention span for a one-day project, they had almost four times the enthusiasm as the middle school students. They were so excited to do the activity planned for them. The first class was slightly distracted by being outside but the second class was focused on they jewelry and made some very creative pieces.
I enjoyed watching Mrs.Lanctot’s technique while dealing with the first graders. One thing that really stood out to me was an activity corner she set up for the kids who finished projects early. She called it the art smart corner and it was filled with things from picture books of famous arts to building blocks. When students were finished with their projects they got to go to the corner so they did not distract the other students. Also She had a game called “statue” that the kids played while waiting for their classroom teacher to come get them. To play the game one student called out a noun and the other student made a statue of this item. To play though you had to stand still and not talk, just like a statue. This was such a great experience and I loved watching the kids create!
Wednesday May 14th, 2008
Revisiting
There are few moments in my life that I felt like I did when I went back to visit my aunts classroom on Wednesday May 14th. Two students are assigned in her class to be the class greeters and shake the visitors hand, today though I got more than two second grade hand shakes. When I entered the room one of the girls Christina jumped up and ran to me and hugged me. This was followed by a handful of other students coming over and hanging me and welcoming me using my first name. What a feeling to have theses students not only remember me but want to welcome me with hugs.
I had come back for a second visit at Parkside to Mrs. Holsopple’s second grade room. While the first visit was exciting and educational the second was even more so. Now that the students knew me, I felt like I could offer them help and advice on their work. I found it was easier to interact with the students now that I knew their names and a little about their personalities. The kids were so excited to read stories they had written to me and knowing I was studying to be an art teacher, they all had drawings to either show or give to me.
Along with the great feelings I got from helping students who remembered me and were excited to see me came not so great feelings when one child acted up. In Mrs. Holsopple’s second grade class there is one autistic student. He has moments where he acts out making it difficult for the teacher as well as the students. While I was there on Wednesday he acted up and left the room and the proceeded to cause trouble in the hallway. This distracted the kids in the class as well as other classes, I’m sure. I had a talk with my aunt, Mrs. Holsopple, after class about how difficult this is for her to deal with. It has left with a lot of questions of how to deal with and teach autistic children in a traditional classroom setting.
No comments:
Post a Comment