Summative

Summative Field Blog

 

This semester of Education 100 has been a real interesting experience for me and has really helped guide me in the right direction for what I really what I want to do in the field. Through all the field experiences with and without my classmates has shown to be a great. I have found myself in this group and where I belong. I now have better understanding on what it means to be a teacher, why do teacher teach, and what motivates them. I've always asked on what makes a good teacher, and I have figured out that it is passion. Without passion you cannot teach. If a teacher doesn't have a passion to want to teach kids and have a big interest to be a mentor and provide insightful information to the kids of the future than why teach?

 

We talked about in class about the banking method and how it has been a part of classrooms and now it has been changing. Teachers are going are going outside this concept and have found different methods of teaching, not only based on the students learning style, but on what proves to be successful for the students and the teachers all together. Technology has also had a very big impact on how students learn and do things in the classroom. There are smartboards, laptops, social media, online databases, etc. All having a beneficial purposes with also distracting consequences to the students learning. Cell phones I have come to know are very useful, but pose a big problem in high school because of how much of a distraction it had become with all the social media.

 

Finally, I would to talk about the student-teacher relationship in high school. It has become a helpful give and take kind of relationship. The teachers provide them with all the resources needed to be successful in class and even if the student is struggling the teacher is most willing to help meet with them before or after class for the benefit of the student so he or she can improve in-class. More so the teacher is looked at as a mentor and a friend that the student can talk with the m about anything in and outside life of school. Teacher's and education of our kids is this nation's backbone and without it I do not think that society could function properly and that is why schools today are doing there very best to provide each and every kids with the most adequate or best education they can receive.

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Beachwood High School (Day 3&4)

 

                             

 

My third and fourth day were relatively short days, but also very informative in my final days in making my observations. During my third day I observed Mrs. Ogilvy's classes to see what the other history teacher there and what her students were like.

 

Observations: Mrs. Ogilvy's 10th grade U.S. History class

• a big class of 23+ students
• very funny teacher, which helps her students be more relaxed knowing she can be open to them and laugh
• the day I observed this class, her students got their tests back from last week. they go over the answers and she shows her how the students should of approach the questions
• she is very interactive with her students and hardly sits down
• she also shows a great passion for teaching and for history
• Weebly, which is widely used in Beachwood, a place where teachers can websites for students can do homework, write blogs, take tests, etc.
• both Mrs. Buddenhagen and Mrs. Ogilvy utilize this tool very well.
• since it was towards the end of the year, the students got to pick each other's names out of a bucket and each would pick from a list a variety of movies that were about historical events for their final project and write a paper and make a presentation about the movie
• the students table are side by side, which means the students sit side by side next to each other and can help discuss about assignments and encourages talking and distraction to an extent.

Observations: Mrs. Ogilvy's 11th/12th grade Government class

• small class of like 11 students
• that class the students had to turn in a hand made book about different famous U.S. politicians or presidents in history.
• all the students took a test together with the teacher on where they fell on the political affiliation spectrum like if they were left or right and see how accurate it was to them
• the teacher would go through each question and tell the students what each one meant
• I remember back when I was high school I took that same political affiliation test, it was somewhat accurate when it said I fell more to the left side.
• the class seemed to be a very laid back class, but whatever was assigned for the class to do any day they would get done early because they had such a small class, and more things could get done faster.

Observations (Day 4): Mrs. Buddenhagen's 11th/12th grade Sociology class

• still finishing the video "Generation Like"
• they discuss the empowerment factor and the fact of getting noticed and notoriety people get on social media.
• the students were asked to input their opinion about their take on social media and how it had impacted their lives and how it has changed over the course of their adolescent lives.

Overall, the last was a good day and just helped me reassure that this is why I want to be a History teacher in high school. I believe I can relate to the kids at that age and be more supportive as they make the jump from high school to college and be a mentor and friend for them in the future.

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Beachwood High School (Day 2)

 

                                      

 

 

In my second day of observations for Mrs. Buddenhagen's classes it was a simple day of school for students. So far, observations have prove to show me that I have chosen the right major that fitted me and that I knew I would be happy doing.

 

Observations: Mrs B's 10th grade Sociology class

• very small class - about 10 students
• watching a documentary on PBS called "Generation Like", a video about how the latest generations of adolescents have become so attached to the new technology of the 21st century like social media
• they have many discussions about how this generation use of technology and social media has succumbed to having that feeling of being "liked"
• also how advertising has affected the way companies try to get their product out to the consumers
• I noticed the girl in the class for Mrs. B has a hearing impairment and has a personal translator by using sign language to translate what Mrs. B is saying

Observations: Mrs. B's 9th grade World Studies class

• an average sized class of 16 students
• learning of the battle for Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima
• every student has a laptop and uses it to watch short videos and go on an HBO website that takes them into and interactive "play by play" of what went down at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima
• the students were to take notes from the videos and interactive website
• very well behaved class
• the rules for cell phones here at the school seemed to be very relaxed.

This was mostly a day of discussion for the students and a lot of interesting topics that had to do a lot with our lives. That is the thing about history is it always has something to relate to our lives and always has an impact.



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Beachwood High School (Day 1)

 

             

Beachwood High School is the next school I visited and did some observation hours at under two teachers. Mrs. Buddenhagen and Mrs. Ogilvy, the two history teachers at BHS, taught a range of classes: AP Psychology, World Studies, U.S. History, Government, and Sociology.

 

A little background of Beachwood is that it is an average sized suburban public high school with approximately 600 students. Also, BHS is very diverse in terms of culture and socioeconomic status. BHS gets a lot of students in the district that are Jewish. This high school is technologically advanced throughout the school. All the students get to rent out a mini laptop at the beginning of the year for the whole year or they have the option to use their own. There is no dress code or uniform, so the students can wear whatever they want with some exceptions. The library there is very small compared to my high school, Reynoldsburg High School. Most of the students that attend BHS belong to the upper-middle and upper class. Here is my first of many observations I make in Mrs. Buddenahagen's class.

 

Observations: Mrs. Buddenhagen's 11th/12th grade AP Psychology class

• when I first walked into her class I honestly thought it was her freshman or sophomore class, the students looked so young. She told me they were all juniors and seniors and I was surprised to the fullest. I felt old for a second.
• Mrs. B, as the students call her, is a very eccentric teacher. She shows passion in teaching and shows her interest in history.
• students seemed to be very focus for the couple weeks because the AP test is coming soon, so Mrs. B is doing a good job in prepping them.
• she gives them essay prompts and guides her students through them to show them how to properly answer an AP essay.
• looking at the classroom, it looked very bland. there were few posters and it didn't look exciting at all, but that didn't matter because Mrs. B was a fun teacher.
• the students sit at tables with 4 sitting at each, which encouraged discussion and let the students help with each other if they got stuck on a problem.

Observations: Mrs. B's 9th grade World Studies class

• the students watched an interview with Oprah interviewing Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, on his experiences and was part documentary too
• Mrs. B gave the students insight on how life during WWII and Nazi Concentration Camps was like for the Jewish population
• she told them how the genocide of millions of Jews was the most terrifying thing of that time period
• she would constantly ask her students to think about how would you feel and react if you went through this. The students seemed to feel much sorrow and wouldn't know how to feel, they just it knew it would be terrible and frightful.

In conclusion, Mrs. Buddenhagen has a very interesting class full of culturally diverse students. Mrs. B like the other teachers I have observed show no sign of using the banking method and has much discussion in her classroom and incorporates many different kinds of teaching styles.

 

 

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Reynoldsburg High School (Day 2)

 

 

 

In my second day at Reynoldsburg High school during my spring break I went and observed Mr. Fleming's 9th grade American History class. Mr. Fleming is a fairly young teacher, but has a lot experience within the history profession. He is a very eccentric teacher and since he is young, it is easy for him to relate to the kids and he is funny, which helps him keep the student's attention.

 

Observations: Mr. Fleming's 9th grade American History class

 

• a very big class - over 20 students
• in this class, unlike Mr. McDaniels' classes, Mr. Fleming has his students sit in individual desks - for him it creates more individuality in a student and helps them think on their own and be more creative
• the teacher is also very interactive with the students and always asking them to answer questions that relate to the student's life - topics being assimilation and nativism and how it has affected their lives in some shape or form
• the teacher's funniness helps the students relax and feel comfortable to a teacher who can make the students laugh and learn something at the same time
• cell phones are also a big problem in his class- if he sees one, he takes it and keeps until the end of class so it doesn't become a distraction
• he puts a big emphasis on individual work
• the classroom setting: very interesting, lots of pictures and posters, war uniforms, maps, flags, old historical event newspapers
• great use of technology- the students use a website called webquest that they would do their homework on, find worksheets and tests for class - an especially great tool for students who are absent, this would reduce excuses for students reasons on why they were not able to do an assignment because it was online

All in all, Mr. Fleming is good teacher and really tries to help his students in any way at any time because that is how passionate he is about the student's success in the class. Just like Mr. McDaniels he strays away form the banking method and does his own mix of a lecture/interactive discussion with extensive use of the smartboard provided.

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Reynoldsburg High School (Day 1)

Reynoldsburg High school for anyone who might not know, it is my alma mater high school. Over spring break I had decided to do three hours of class and student observations under a couple of history teachers.

Some background knowledge of Reynoldsburg High School is that it is very diverse and different in terms of socioeconomic status between students. There are students that range from the lower class to the upper-middle class being the highest. Reynoldsburg High school is funded very well and is up to date on a bunch of things when it comes to technology. In every classroom at Reynoldsburg High School there are smartboards.  Also, an interesting fact is that there is close to 1,500 students that attend Reynoldsburg High School.

Over the course of two days, I observed two classes. First, I examined Mr. McDaniel's 9th and 10th grade American History classes, and last I observed Mr. Fleming's 9th grade American History class. I observed many things when I went in and examined Mr. McDaniel's class.

Observations: Mr. McDaniel's 10th grade American History class

• students sit in tables with groups of 4 - this encouraged talking and discussion between students, so they can help each other with homework and assignments
• the teacher was able to keep the attention of the students the whole class.
• The teacher didn't sit down at his desk once - he was always standing
• the teacher was very interactive with his students when they got stuck on a problem and would help with them work through in many different ways
• able to integrate the smart board very well in class to teach
• the students were extra focused that day because it was the week before OGT week.
• in terms of the classroom setting, it seemed to be boring: not a lot of posters, not so much color, doesn't pop out and make you want so say that this class is interesting
• the teacher provides the students with good hints and tips to help the students succeed when taking the OGT
• cell phones seemed to be a problem. seen more as a distraction than a helpful tool.

Observations: Mr. McDaniel's 9th grade American History class
 

• very big class - upwards of over 20 students
• same classroom setting
• in this class, students were more willing to help each other/they felt comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas on their assignment
• also, the teacher was very in tuned with asking many questions during discussion and most of the students seemed to be very reciprocal.

Overall, for my first time observing a high school class, it felt a little weird. It was a new environment for me. Instead of being a student in high school, I was an individual with tasked to evaluate and observe how a class is ran. Mr. McDaniel is a very comical teacher with a little sarcasm built into him, but the students in both of his classes really like him. He was very relatable. He always could relate a topic of discussion they were talking about to his life and how it could of related to the student's lives too. The biggest thing I saw within these classes was he stayed away from the banking concept/method and did his own thing that seemed to helpful for the students.

This I Believe Essay Proposal

I believe that to be a successful teacher and really make an impact on a student's academic journey through school is that the teacher must have a "passion" for the profession of teaching. Most of the semester I have focused on the different aspects of teaching and always asking the question, "What makes a good teacher?" In this paper I want to attempt to answer this question.

I believe that for students to thrive in school and in the classroom that the teacher must be passionate and unique at the same time. I say unique because all teachers are different and have different teaching styles; having a teacher that can relate, connect, and communicate well with their students will show how far the student is willing to do the same and respond well academically. A good teacher means they can go into any kind of school, regardless of background or socioeconomic status, and help improve the students way of thinking, approaching problems in and outside of school, and create a relationship with the student will prove to the increase in achievement and motivation in school.

Not every teacher is a "good" teacher. Not to say they are good or bad, but more so what do they have to offer the school, the students, and the community besides just having the credentials of a degree. What can you do to change or make an impact on the students life? What best defines you as a teacher? Having learned different learning styles, like the banking method, I see the different ways teachers teach and how they try to go outside from that concept and be unique. Overall, what I want to know is what it takes for teacher to be "good", make an impact on a students life (the teacher-student relationship), and how teachers can overcome the hardships they might face within the school where they teach to be that ideal "passionate" teacher.

The important concepts I might learn while doing research about my topic is how different aspects might affect the way a teacher teaches. The school district is a big factor in terms of how much support they might receive, the political side showing what different rules and regulations might a teacher might have to adapt to fit into their curriculum, and cultural issues. Every student is different and getting to know your student and providing the respect and support you have for them goes a long way for the a student's success in the classroom. Throughout my life and I am sure others that there has been a time when they have had teachers that they did not particularly like because of how they taught or how they were with students. For this reason is why I want to look into what makes a good teacher and how can having a good teacher benefit everyone from all positions like the parents, students, faculty, and community.