Josh Wells

Final Journal

April 11, 2016

Final Synthesis
For the purpose of this final synthesis journal I am going to focus on four of my writing
assignments, because I see a common thread throughout them that I feel I would benefit from compiling
in an effort to better understand what Ive seen and what I can learn from these experiences. Throughout
the year it has been made clear in several of my classes that as educators if we fail to plan we
essentially plan to fail. Consequently, we need to be very intentional that on every educational front we
present a carefully articulated plan. If we do not, some or perhaps all the students put in our precious care
will fail to engage and we will have lost. Therefore, we MUST strive to build an appropriate learning
environment.
In my journal about Teaching Approaches I observed what could be considered the opposite of
the classroom environment I hope to create. The substitute teacher was trying to review questions she
knew students clearly still did not understand before administering a test she knew they werent ready for.
Whilst direct teaching at the board, the majority of the class was disengaged while playing games and
watching videos on their cell phones. A few students would answer the questions she posed (the same
students over and over) and she would move on. As you can guess, the majority of the students failed
miserably. While a little grace can be given to the substitute, as we know establishing relationship for a
sub is difficult, in my mind the class was nearly a waste. Very little learning was done, and the assessment
was doomed to fail (even though many students were clearly cheating). During teaching time, the sub
needed to use full engagement tactics and clear rule setting if she hoped to teach anything. The use of
manipulatives or video, music or group work would have had a better chance of engaging multiple
intelligences and promoting engagement. I noticed also that there was very little scaffolding being done.
There was no relation of the new information to that of the old, which, when relating to math, seems very
important. Having witnessed these problems, I fully intend to create a classroom environment whereby
students are firmly aware of the rules and that learning is scaffolded appropriately while being engaging
and inquiry centered.

Josh Wells

Final Journal

April 11, 2016

Unfortunately, I was only able to observe my actual practicum teacher 4 times this semester, so I
know my assessment of his teaching style does not paint a complete picture, but there were situation I
observed that made me ponder whether I would approach them the same way. There seems to be a big
push that educators employ Kagan Structures as often as appropriate. In my journal on Curriculum and
Assessment I discussed my teachers love of Think Pair Share. He uses it all the time. I believe perhaps
I would use a few other structures, to keep the kids engaged, like Graffiti, Jigsaw, Mind Mapping,
Placemat or Thumbs up Thumbs down.
Additionally, in my journal Differentiated Instruction, I noted that was not a lot of support for
different ability levels within the classroom environment. During my short time there, I observed a lot of
worksheets and a couple tests. I would have loved to have seen more Formative Feedback, and attention
to different learning styles (Visual, Audio, Reading, Kinesthetic (VARK)). There were some logic videos
at the beginning of a few classes that may have engaged visual learners for a period of time, but I did not
observe any projects or activities that inherently promoted Intrinsic Motivation or Constructivism. That
is not to say that my teacher does not use these tools, simply that I did not get a chance to observe them.
On the last day as I was leaving I saw the teacher pull out a few in-progress mind maps focused on optical
nerves, so again it is possible that more projects are being done, simply not on the days I observed.
Lastly, in my journal about Society and Culture, I observed another element of classroom
environment that I hope to eventually be more educated and prepared for; Inclusivity. If trends stay the
same and I end up teaching in Canada I am going to be confronted with the difficult goal of teaching the
Three Es (how to be Engaged Thinkers, Ethical Citizens and have an Entrepreneurial Sprit) to students
who all have different multiple intelligences and learning styles but may have also have special needs. I
have yet to personally see a classroom with clear special needs function well for both regular students
and those with disabilities. In the instance described in my journal I witnessed the social complexities of a
hearing impaired girl ostracized by her classmates. My hope when I build my classroom environment is to
develop activities where we can focus and highlight the strengths of each individual and promote the

Josh Wells

Final Journal

April 11, 2016

Growth Mindset whereby failure or dissimilarities simply provides us with new experiences to learn
from and grow.
Overall, my journals and practicum have given me a lot to ponder. I keep taking steps toward
understanding what my vision for my classroom should be. Through these journals I have re-affirmed that
I want to develop a flexible use of multiple Kagan Structures. I hope to scaffold appropriately and
promote inquiry learning that intrinsically motivates and constructs upon my students current worldview.
I need to intentionally build VARK and multiple intelligences into my weekly lesson plans. I should give
as much formative feedback as possible before traditional assessment and I should seek out educational
opportunities to learn about the special needs I may encounter within Canadian classroom. To summarize
I must conclude that if my hope is to have a FULLY engaged classroom environment, I still have a lot of
learning to do.