Journal #5

Four Ways of Looking (Prompt posted to BB) a synthesis of what did you gain from your field work experience?

Looking back at my field work experience this semester I feel that I have gained a tremendous amount of insight into child development and specifically age related differences. Since I only have classroom teaching experience with toddlers, I found it very interesting to complete some observation hours in a 4 year old classroom. Though the students were only a year or two older than my own students, I could really see how much even a year adds to a child's maturity and capabilities.I also enjoyed being able to take a step back and simply observe the students. This is a role I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to do and I found that I was able to glean many interesting findings from the experience.

Looking inward I feel that I have grown from this experience. By taking a step back and taking on the role of the observer I found that I was able to take a closer look at my classroom and our routines and find areas for improvement. One important change I made as a result of my field work observations was to implement a system of creating calm in the classroom. In my observations I noticed that often times, especially during free play, the classroom can get very loud with children shouting and banging toys around. Instead of having the teachers try to yell above all of the noise to create quiet, I decided to try turning off the lights. This immediately quiets the children and then in a soft voice I direct the children to take a deep breath and slow themselves down because the classroom is getting too wild and noisy. I am proud to say that the system really works! Now whenever I shut off the lights the children know without me having to say anything that it's time to take a deep breath and soften their voices and actions. I am proud of myself for being able to look at my classroom critically and admit that there is always room for improvement and growth.

Looking outward I am excited to be a part of the Hunter College community and feel that I have gained a great wealth of knowledge from this semester. I especially enjoyed hearing from my fellow classmates about their individual classrooms and discussing what works and what does not with our students. I also really enjoyed hearing about my professor's personal experiences and being able to get advice from them on techniques to use in my classroom.

Looking forward I am excited to see what the future holds for me. I am currently teaching in a general education classroom, however I am eager to gain some experience in a special education classroom during my student teaching. One major goal I have set for myself is to learn more about the specific modifications that I can make in my classroom to better serve children with disabilities.