REDG 604: Adolescent Development, Learning and Assessment

Clinical Experience Double Entry Journal

Name: Hannah Hasz

School: ALC

1) Observe: Teacher behavior that reflects understanding of the developmental

characteristics of a focus student.

The math teachers at ALC let the students work. They step away and give the
students opportunities to figure it out on their own. (Less we do, more you
do.) The teachers here use a lot of productive struggle, to help students
develop their own thirst for learning.

Description of student cognitive development and its variations:

Reflect/Apply:

I really like the idea of less we do and more you do. I think sometimes,
students expect that in the end, the teachers will always give them the answer. If
they are forced to figure it out for themselves they will be better off in the real
world when there isnt always someone holding your hand to help you accomplish
something. There is a fine line though between not helping at all and allowing
opportunities for students to find the answer on their own.

2) Observe: Instructional strategies that reflect levels of student cognitive

development.

Teachers at the ALC set objectives every week, give feedback every day, and the
most important thing I have observed is the use of multi-sensory activities and
lessons that are very hands on.

Reflect/Apply:

I love the use of multi-sensory activities and lessons. Every student learns
different and using multi-sensory lessons is a way to teach to every student.

3) Observe: Student developmental characteristics choose one male and one

female
a. Physical
b. Cognitive
c. Social/Emotional
d. Moral

Updated May 2016

 Student A: Female
a. African American, 17 years old, single teen mom of two kids, works at
shopko, lives in Oronoco.
b. Smarter than she thinks. Does well in math when she applies herself.
Does not have an IEP. Struggles with problem solving and making good
decisions.
c. No behavioral issues, social butterfly
d. Knows right from wrong but doesnt always do right thing. Pushes
boundaries and buttons
Student B: Male
a. African American, 19 years old, works at cub foods, lives in Oronoco.
b. Short attention span, might have slight ADHD (undiagnosed)
c. Loves to talk, gets in peoples faces but not aggressively, likes to be the
center of attention. Makes up a lot of stories to make himself seem cool to
his peers
d. Good kid, just makes his own rules

Reflect/Apply:

I thought the characteristics would be different for these two students I picked because
their personalities seemed to be so different. Once I dug deeper into their personalities I
noticed they are actually quite similar. I can tell though they their home life and
socioeconomic status affects their learning. As a teacher I just try to develop good
relationships with them to be able to find out what I can do to help them succeed
academically. I think thats why building relationships with students is so important. It
helps you individualize your teaching techniques and allows you to better cater to their
educational needs.

4) Observe: A diverse student (racially, socioeconomically, culturally, etc.).

Describe classroom engagement, behavior, interest in content, and academic
achievement that may be impacted by language, culture and family.

Aaliyah Moss is an African American student at the ALC. She has a 3 year old
daughter and got pregnant when she was 15. Her home life consists of a drug
addicted mother and when she was young her father was murdered. She has also
dealt with a brother that was shot. She has had to take care of herself and now her
daughter since she was very young. She has bounced around from home to home
trying to make a life for herself and her daughter.

I work with Aaliyah on a regular basis. She has fallen behind with her school
work, especially in math class, because she did not have confidence in herself to
complete the work and thought it was difficult. Now, however, she comes every
day and works really hard to get caught back up so she can graduate this summer.

Updated May 2016

 She is very easily distracted and has a little bit of an attitude issue. She says that
math with me is fun, otherwise there is no interest in the subject. Aaliyah as
talked to me about how difficult she thinks her life will be because she didnt have
any positive adult relationships while growing up.

Reflect/Apply:

When I come across students like Aaliyah in my classroom, I will show her
compassion, be understanding and help her be successful to the best of my ability.
I will encourage students like her to try their best and make them feel safe in my
classroom.

5) Observe: Identifiable artifacts of the classroom management plan.

a. Describe the room arrangement.
b. Identify the classroom routines and procedures.
c. Identify rules and consequences.
d. Identify strategies used that incorporate teaching of social skills, motivate
students, and address misbehavior.

A. When you first walk in the room you see 4 rows of tables with chairs around
them. There are no desks. On the sides of the classroom there are computers with
standing desks for kids to work at. There is a smart board on one side and
cabinets in the back of the room. There are two separate work areas for students
to use. One is an enclosed area and the other is open. There is no one direction
everything is facing.
B. Students come in to class, grab their folders out of the cubby cabinet, pick a table
and start working through their packets. If they need help they ask one of the
three teachers roaming the room. Once they complete a task, the students receive
a stamp on their stamp sheet which is used to judge mastery of content and what
grade should be given.
C. If a student is acting out or having a difficult time with something the most
important thing we do is talk to them. Try to figure out the root of the problem
before things escalate. Warnings are given, change of seating is sometimes an
option, letting them take a lap around the building helps as well. When things are
past the point of no return, Gordy and Scott are brought in to help.
D. Group work is a huge part of class work at ALC. Group work helps students
interact with each other, require less management than 30 individual students, and
allows the use of real world application the students can relate to.

6) Observe: Identifiable classroom management strategies the teacher uses that

illustrate the teachers classroom management philosophy.

Addresses behavior issues right away, very proactive

Updated May 2016

 Shows enthusiasm and concern through positive students relationships
Establishes routines to help minimize distraction

Reflect/Apply:

I really like how Kim manages the classroom. She is very proactive and I think
that is key to minimizing a lot of issues that can potentially arise. She has great
relationships with her students too which also helps minimize problems. I will
definitely being applying the enthusiasm and concern I mentioned about for my
content and students. I think its important to show both sides to your students to
help them trust you and feel like they are in a safe environment that promotes
good learning. I also think it is important to establish routines in the classroom.
That way everyone knows what is expected of them and when it is appropriate to
do them.

7) Observe: Identifiable instructional strategies that address student learning styles,

multiple intelligences, and performance modalities
a. Identify examples of student strengths used as a basis of growth

Students at the ALC are very creative and have out of the box ways of
thinking. The teachers use this to their advantage when they create lesson
plans that require creativity and different ways of thinking.

b. Identify student errors as an opportunity for learning

Positive re-enforcement, encouragement to find another way, create a climate

where you learn from mistakes and that its ok to make mistakes. Sometimes,
when the student is too focused on the right answer, the answer will be given
to them but the student needs to show a way to get the right answer.

c. Describe instructional strategies observed that foster self-esteem.

Create a climate where mistakes are expected and learned from. There is
math gene, all students can learn math at high levels.

d. Describe instructional strategies observed that foster positive interpersonal

relations among students.

Group activities and presentations

Reflect/Apply:

I really like it that the students know that mistakes are going to be made and that its ok.
The teachers do a really good job about keeping positive when giving feedback to
students. Since math is, I think, the hardest subject for students, having and class

Updated May 2016

atmosphere that accepts mistakes and allows students to work through them instead of
just marking it wrong, makes the students more confident in their mathematics ability.
I also really like their use projects and group activities. That is something that I know I
will be doing a lot of in my future math class. I think students learn better through hands
on work.

8) Interview the teacher.

a. What is the role of the subject matter in student learning?

Teaching is teaching is teaching. Kids can learn anything from anyone, it just
so happens that they learn math while learning other things like organization
and responsibility.

b. What is the importance of exhibiting professional and ethical behavior in a

school setting?

Having high standards and high expectations but still showing the human side
of you. Being relatable helps when creating teacher/student relationships and
facilitates a safe learning environment.

Reflect/Apply:

I fully agree with the role the subject matter has in the classroom. I think we, as
teachers are meant to teach more than just the subject matter. We are with the
students for most of their first 12 years. We are the ones that are helping them
become the best person they can be.

I am a very goofy and fun person and even though I have high expectations for
my students in achievement and behavior, I think its important to show a side of
yourself that the students can relate to. This allows for positive relationships to
form as well as a safe classroom environment.

Updated May 2016

Reflection:

My experience at the ALC was definitely different than I expected. I went in to

this clinical excited and ready to finally be practicing and figuring out what my teaching

style will be; ready to learn from an experienced math teacher. I already knew the

students I was going to be working with and have already formed some great

relationships. But things didnt quite go as planned.

Going into the clinical already having formed a friendship with my coach was

ultimately what affected my experience. I would say one of my strengths is being a

people person. I am a very easy person to get along with and to just talk to in general; I

am a great listener. But this didnt help me. As soon as I was made a student teacher

learner, the status of our friendship went out the window and my coach was higher up

than me. I struggled to connect with her and ask her questions because she made it very

clear through her actions that she was certified and I wasnt. It was very hard for me to

come with a good attitude every day knowing that it would be a struggle to learn anything

about how to be a good teacher. But I showed up for the kids because I knew they

enjoyed me in there helping them. Thats what kept me going.

Trying to work through the issue and still learn as much as I could, I started

asking questions to all three teachers in the ALC math classroom. Even though my hours

where put in during night school, I still wanted to learn from everyone about how they

run the class, teaching strategies they use and understand what has worked for them and

what hasnt. I learned so much doing this from all three teachers combined because there

wasnt any tension when we were all able to talk about experiences.

Updated May 2016

 I also talked to Gordy a lot about ideas on how to work through the issue I had. I

really appreciated him taking the time to listen and talk to me and give me great advice

on how to professionally handle problems such as the one I had. He didnt always give

me advice that I wanted to hear but in the end I knew he was right.

This was definitely a learning experience for me. I may not have learned the stuff

I anticipated, but I value what I did learn just as much. I know that I want to run my

math classroom in a very similar, and if possible, the same way the ALC has structure the

curriculum. I think its crucial to allow students to be able to work at their own pace and

make sure they fully understand the material before moving on to the next topic. I have

seen students struggle in math because they dont understand the first lesson, then the

next day the second lesson is started and the student is lost because they never understood

the basis of the chapter or unit. And it just gets worse as the year goes on for that student.

In a self-guided/self-paced class, there is more time for individual, one-on-one time with

the teacher to go over questions and misconceptions they have. The class environment is

a lot less stressful and the stigma that math is the hardest subject to learn decreases.

What I would have liked to see more of is how teachers incorporate small group

activities that end in short presentations of either power point, posters, what have you. I

think it deepens the knowledge the student has when they have to re-teach it to someone

and try to explain it so everyone understands.

All in all, through this experience, though it wasnt the greatest, I have learned a

lot and have started a list of ideas that I got from the ALC teachers on how I want to run

my future math classroom. And I cant wait to start.

Updated May 2016