Maria Trevizo

Spring Semester 2022

EDUC 1301 – Field Experience #2 Guidelines

The Site: (for each site)

Effective Teaching
Description: For each teacher, describe as many of the following elements as apply:
 Room arrangement/description:

 Beginning of class/lesson: Class is to start at 7:15, while students were coming in, Mrs.
Cano informed them to complete their daily warmup. Once the bell rings, the teacher
closes door and students that are late are to get a tardy pass from the front office.
 When class begins, Mrs. Cano grabs her iPad and begins going over the warmup with
the students. For each step on each equation, the teacher called on a student to help
her know what answer came next. If their answer was wrong, she simply explained how
to get the right answer. After the warmup, she explained what was needed to be
completed for the remainder of the class period.
 Activities observed: the purpose of the lesson was to go over and review the curriculum
that needed to be comprehended for the STAAR test. Activities that took place in the
classroom included a mini lecture and a mini cheat sheet that was given to them to help
them on their review. Mrs. Cano then informed students to begin their assignment on
their iPad and were offered to use dry erase boards to help show their work or work
withing their partners at their table if they would like. Or could as well raise their hand
and ask for help from the teacher.
 Time management: When teacher was lecturing on the board student would follow along
and take notes. Students would participate when teacher would call on them to give an
answer. While students worked on their assignment, Mrs. Cano turned off the lights and
played some low relaxing music to help students concentrate. Teacher was walking
around most of the class period checking in on each student to see where they were at
and if they needed help. Students were completing their assignment and working
amongst their classmates at their table to solve their problems.
 Questioning strategies: Mrs. Cano would randomly call on a variety of students before she
asked a question to let her know what the next step was of completing an equation was.
She waited about 30 seconds and if she noticed they were having trouble producing a
response, she would patiently and respectfully talk them through the steps to help them get
an understanding. The feedback she would present to students would be remediation.

 Classroom management strategies: The classroom did appear to have a familiar routine.
When the students walked into classroom, they had a white cubicle with bins for each
class and they contained their daily folder the class. As soon as they grabbed them, they
would head to their assigned desks and begin their warmup before the tardy bell rang.
Mrs. Cano’s students were impressively well behaved and respectful, so she had no
misbehavior issues while I sat in and supervised her classroom. The teacher was very
hands on throughout the class period and aware of all students and their work. She
walked around and encouraged students that they were doing very well.
 Technology: Technology that was used during class were iPads to complete assignments.
The students sat in their individual desks in the classroom while they used their iPads.
There were few activities as students were reviewing and prepping for their STAAR test.
 End of class or end of lesson: Towards the end of the class period, teacher reminded
students to go over what they learned in class. As well as informed them, whatever they
did not complete in class would become homework and due next class period.
Reflection:

While I had the privilege of observing Mrs. Cano’s class, I got to see and learn many
effective strategies to become an effective teacher. When observing, both teachers were in the
process of going over a review for their important exams they had coming up. Although I did
notice differences between both classroom settings. After Ms. Thielem had gone over her review
with the students, she allowed them to work independently or with a partner to finish their work.
If they had questions, they could raise their hand or head to her desk and ask for help. As to in
Mrs. Cano’s class, after reviewing she dimmed the lights and turned on some light relaxing
music to help students focus and walked around to make sure everyone was doing their work and
seeing if anyone needed help. They both seemed like great teachers, just had different teaching
styles.
I believe I would like to be more hands on with my students and want to provide and calm
and supportive atmosphere. So, I really enjoyed observing Mrs. Cano’s class and would probably
add things she did in her classroom to mine. Such as music to generate a pleasant mood in my
students and help them focus and motivate them. As well as on my free time during individual
work, just walk around to check up on students incase some just might be too shy to come up and
ask for help.
A comparison I noticed both teachers incorporated in their classroom lessons was the direct
teaching model. As well as Mary Budd Rowes’s research on wait time. While going over their
lesson, they would call on a student and then ask the question and wait a couple of seconds for
the student’s response. If they could not get a response, they would proceed to a different student
to see if they could help them out and if not, she would answer the question and help them
comprehend how to achieve the right answer.
Come other effective teaching keys I noticed in Mrs. Cano’s class were pedagogical cycle
and engaged time. The teacher included four steps in her lesson. She would provide students
with instructions of what they were about to work on. Then the teacher would ask a question
about the problem and wait until the student provided an answer. And lastly, she would provide
feedback/react to students answer. Students were involved during the lecture and were asking
questions when they did not understand the question. They would as well solve the math steps
that were needed when they were called upon by the teacher.
Teacher Interview:

1.What factors made you decide to teach this subject and grade level?
- struggled in middle school with this subject(math) and in high school I got good at it. And it
made me want to pursue this career to help students succeed.

2.What do you enjoy the most about this curriculum? What is most challenging?
-what I enjoy most would be connecting math to real life problems. The least would be abstracts
concepts and students not understanding.
3.How do you go about selecting what content and skills to teach?
-we collect data from assessments and see what students are struggling with and that determines
what we need to focus on and reteach.

4.Are there areas that are controversial?

5.How do you accommodate multiple intelligences in your classroom?

7.How do you access learning and record grades? Does your school or district require a
certain format? Do you use grading software?
-we track and record grades through skyward. 50% daily grades and homework and 50% tests.

8.When do you do your planning?

9.How does the textbook shape your decision when it comes to teaching?
- we do not really go based off the textbook.

10.Can you make your own decisions as to what topics to teach or are you confined to
school’s curriculum?
-we usually follow a pacing calendar, as well as depending on students and their understanding.

11. Do parents or students in participate in deciding what is taught?