Field Experience 4

At Clay Middle School, I had the opportunity to go to 2 different classrooms.
The second
classroom I went to was Mrs. Grace’s 6th grade math class. There, I was able to help various
students with statistics and whisker plots. I also got to see an activity where they all went around
the classroom to solve problems while standing up, moving around, and working together. In the
first classroom, I was with Mrs. Baker’s FAP class. Every Friday, they have “gameday Friday.”
This week, they elected to play Uno Switch, a twist of the original game. This experience stuck
with me and is my critical incident.
When I arrived, they were already in the middle of their game, so I simply watched them
play. Mrs. Baker told us that they played this game in order to practice taking turns, being
patient, and following rules. It also helps their social skills, as they practice talking to other
people and developing skills to play the game, which is common among friends. Most of the
students had a piece of a pool noodle, which they used to hold their cards. When I sat down, one
of the students informed me that I was now “one of the mermaids from Peter Pan.” I went along
with this, assuming it was a game or a classroom joke. Then, she went around the table pointing
to the other students and naming them as different Peter Pan characters. I still didn’t think much
of it until Mrs. Baker reminded her that she wasn’t allowed to refer to people by any name other
than their own without their consent. After that, they continued playing Uno. Every turn where a
student didn’t have a card to play, Mrs. Baker would ask them a series of questions to confirm
that they could not play a card before drawing. She also had to frequently remind the students
when it was and was not their turn to play.

I felt annoyed at first because I didn’t think the student deserved to be reprimanded. I was
then upset that I didn’t see the situation better at first. I was then excited and happy because of
the game. I was also glad they had a place to have fun and be themselves.
I was first thinking that Mrs. Baker was overreacting to the situation. I also thought that
she was underestimating the students ability when she asked them repeatedly if they were sure
they didn’t have anything to play, especially because they were fairly consistent in knowing what
to play. However, after some further thought, I saw the point to these. I assume the correction on
the nicknames was to set a precedent for more serious events (or perhaps to correct an old event).
Talking the students through the questions, while redundant, demonstrates for them how to think
through the process.
I was proud of myself for being able to quickly and effectively insert myself into the
classes. In both classes, I was able to talk to students and engage with the teachers. Next time, I
need to resist from jumping to my own conclusions, especially in classes where I don’t have
much experience.
In some schools, including my old high school, there was a Best Buddies program. This
focused on pairing up students with disabilities so they could socialize more. The idea of the
game day Friday accomplishes a similar goal. They get experience just being kids and
socializing with their peers, which could also prepare them to do similar activities with peers
outside of their classroom.
“HLP #7: Establish a consistent, organized, and respectful learning environment” was
used in the math classroom. Every day, the 90 minute time period is divided up into the same
structure, with the first 30 minutes being work time, then 30 minutes of activity, then 30 minutes
of lecture and work. This helps students know what to expect and keep their attention the entire
class period. “HLP #18: Student Engagement” was also used in the math classroom. During the
second 30 minute chunk, the students did an activity where they divided up into groups and
solved problems on whiteboards around the room. This ensured that all students were working
and engaging with other students. In the FAP classroom, “HLP #17: Use flexible grouping” was
used. Last week when I was in that class, they were divided into one-on-one support. This week,
they were all working together as a group. This shows that they can change the grouping based
on the activity and how many people makes the group most effective. They also take into
account how many teachers should be there to provide support while not being overbearing.
“HLP #16: Use explicit instruction” was also used in the FAP classroom. Mrs. Baker asked the
repeated questions in order to explicitly show the students what they needed to be doing and
looking for. She never left anything up for interpretation to lead to confusion. Finally, “HLP #15:
Use scaffolded support” was used in the math classroom. The textbook that they used have
guided notes for the students to fill out.
List three specific strategies that the teacher/you used to manage the classroom: One
strategy Mrs. Grace used was giving students physical movement. She had one activity set up on
walls around the classroom that forced students to get out of their desks for a moment. This let
them release energy and return better ready to focus. She also structured class in a way that gave
students plenty of structure, down-time, and work time so they could accomplish everything they
needed without being too stressed. She also limits her lecturing time down as far as she can.
Middle schoolers don’t have a very long attention span, so limiting lectures keeps them more
engaged for more time.
Are opportunities provided for practice in: Good health habits, sharing with others,
waiting turns, making rules, emotional control, taking care of their own property, cleaning up
after work, accepting responsibility, overcoming difficulties, being leaders, being helpful,
enjoying books, hearing music, meeting friends, and anything else you wanted to note from your
setting? The FAP class activity provided opportunities for many of these. They practiced waiting
their turn because of the nature of Uno. They had to practice emotional control by not getting
upset when someone else won the game or when they had to draw. They overcame difficulty by
working through obstacles that the game provided, such as having no cards to play. They worked
on talking with friends while playing the game. They also had to take care of their cards and
make sure they were properly organized.
What “nuisance behaviors” did you encounter? One thing that I noticed aggravating
teachers was students forgetting materials. In Mrs. Grace’s classroom, there is a sign hanging in
the doorway that says don’t forget your computer and textbook. Despite this, more than 5 kids
had to go to their lockers and grab their textbooks. After the first few students, this began to
annoy Mrs. Grace and she pointed out the sign. This behavior also delayed the lesson, hurting all
students and Mrs. Grace in the process.

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At Clay Middle School, I had the opportunity to go to 2 different classrooms.

with me and is my critical incident.

when it was and was not their turn to play.

through the process.

outside of their classroom.

guided notes for the students to fill out.

engaged for more time.

make sure they were properly organized.

students and Mrs. Grace in the process.

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