Introduction

This portfolio is a collection of my experiences, reflections, and learning from Field Study 1: Observing the Teaching-Learning Process and Field Study 2: Participation and Teaching Assistantship. These courses have given me the incredible opportunity to observe, analyze, and even take part in actual classroom settings. 

Through this portfolio, I want to share the key insights I’ve gained, the challenges I’ve faced, and the contributions I’ve made during my time in the cooperating school. This journey has not only helped me grow as an aspiring educator but has also deepened my understanding of the teaching-learning process in a way that I could never fully grasp through textbooks alone.

Student Teacher

Critique Teacher

Certificate of Recognition

Letter to Student

Learning Journals

Learning Journal 1: The School and Learning Environment

When we first entered Quirino High School, we noticed that the school was big enough to accommodate many students of different grade levels. There are assigned buildings to each grade level and each building has its name. It helped other people to find the students because they can easily find them just by asking the building of the grade level they are looking for. There is also a big covered court or what they called “Dome” in the center of the school where different events are happening. I noticed that there are respective cleaning staff for each building designed to maintain its cleanliness. The faculty of TLE Department are not air conditioned but there are electric fans available to each teacher. 

After our orientation with the school principal, the head of the tle department also informed us about school policies and the proper attitude of a pre-service teacher taking field study before he assigned us to our respective coordinating teacher. I was assigned to Mr. Lorenz Acal and he is teaching in the computer lab. I am satisfied that the computer lab is fully air conditioned as it helps the computer to prevent it from overheating. In my first week of field study, I’ve only met one of his classes and I have noticed that the computers available are not enough for all the students but I have seen many laptops available. I asked him about it the following week and he said that the DepEd was the one who provided those laptops.The computer lab is clean so I helped them to maintain its cleanliness. Mr. Acal also told the students after a semester to clean the computer they have used to teach them about cleaning responsibility. When he teaches, he uses the modern way of teaching with the use of a projector. The cool atmosphere of the room helped the students to learn and study without distraction.

Overall, the Quirino High School facilities are decent and the learning environment of the students is better than what I have experienced during my junior high school years. I am glad that the school has the technologies available especially for the students who have courses related to computers. 

Learning Journal 2: Learner Diversity: Developmental Characteristics, Needs and Interests

In this part, I have observed the development of the students characteristics, needs and interests. I was assigned to senior high school students and I’ve noticed that the majority of the students are now well built when it comes to their physical appearance. Their behaviors are different as in my years, the girls are more active when it comes to socializing and the boys are silent people. Nowadays, boys are more sociable than girls. I have seen also students part of lgbtq+ community and I am glad that they are well accepted in the school and their classmates. As I have said, the boys are more expressive and more comfortable in talking to other people but it does not mean that the girls are not sociable. They like to mind their own business but they talk to their classmates sometimes.

When it comes to the needs of the students, most of them have a foundation of knowledge about computers as they are fond of playing computer games. Mr. Acal has a monthly typing test for Grade 11 students and I have noticed that two of the boys excel in the test. It is beneficial to them because typing skill is necessary and one of the most important parts to learn when using the computers. The scores of the girls are also high, leading to my conclusion that the majority of the senior high school students are computer literate and it is an advantage for them when they take their immersion course. I’ve noticed that one of their classmate did not have the enough foundation in using the computer and I confirmed it to Mr. Acal because he came from another strand. On the positive note, other students are helping him when he needs someone to assist him. Another, since the curriculum is now inclusive, I have noticed that there is a blind student included on the Grade 12 students of Mr. Acal. I was amazed that even though she’s blind, she can still do and learn the java program with the help of Mr. Acal and the advanced technology they used to teach her. 

As for the interest, I was used to seeing girls taking the HE program while the boys on the TLE program. In Quirino High School, I was amazed to see boys taking the course of cookery and girls taking computer courses. It means that the curriculum now is more diverse and depends on the interest of the students. Every student, no matter what gender, is capable of taking TLE and HE courses. 

Learning Journal 3: Focus on Gender, Needs, Strengths, Interests, Experience Language, Race, Culture, Religion

As the curriculum today is now inclusive, the type of students inside a classroom are more diverse. On my observation, different genders are treated well and the part of lgbtq+ students are well accepted in the school. Students with disabilities are now accepted to join the normal class and are treated special by their teachers. As I have said to my previous narrative report, there is one class of Mr. Acal with a blind girl student and the way he teaches her is special. After he discusses a topic to the class, he immediately goes to the blind student and teaches her right away. He did not have a problem teaching her due to the advancement of the technology he used to teach her. Since she is blind, she cannot see but can still hear. She always wears earphones connected to the computer and when she navigates the computer, she will hear something that will guide her in using the computer.

I also observed that some of them are actually good at English, even better than mine. I checked some of their reflection works and I noticed that some of them have advanced vocabulary and it's really great to see that development. Furthermore, they are also good at creating amazing crafts like christmas parol made of recyclable materials, some of them are good in design especially when Mr. Acal provided an activity to create book cover design to one of his classes. Most of their designs are actually well done and it looks like a professional design. This leads to the diverse type of students where they excel in different categories of mastery. Additionally, even though I did not directly ask them about their religion, I do think that not all of them are the same religion and they respect each other.

When it comes to the instruction, Mr. Acal combined the traditional and modern way of learning to the students because I noticed that he provided activities that needed to be done on the computer and activities where they needed to use the conventional materials like pen and paper. I also remember that he provided an activity about making internet connection and some of the students were actually good doing it after watching Mr. Acal’s demonstration. Some of them already knew about it because they have an internet connection in their home.

Therefore, I conclude that the students nowadays are diverse and inclusive, no matter what gender or whether they are normal or with disability, they will excel in certain things proving that not all activities are meant for specific gender only but to all.

Learning Journal 4: The Community and Home Enviroment

I've noticed that most students are diligent about attending school. However, there are times when some have to miss classes, usually because they're sick or dealing with the loss of a loved one. A few students also skip school for other reasons, like working side jobs to support their studies. For instance, one Grade 11 Kepler student sometimes misses class because he works in a catering service. When I talked to him, he shared that he does this to help cover his school expenses. While he still receives financial support from his parents, frequent disagreements at home have pushed him to find his own way to sustain his education.

On the other hand, some students do really well in school, especially those whose parents are teachers at the same institution. I believe having a teacher as a parent plays a big role in their academic success, as they get direct guidance and support. However, not all students are as motivated. Some lose interest in school because they don’t like certain subjects. For example, a Grade 12 Kant student sometimes skips class simply because they don’t enjoy the subject for that day. I confirmed this through their classmates and from the student themselves. This highlights how a student's motivation can be affected when subjects don’t align with their interests or chosen strand in senior high school.

Despite these challenges, their teacher, Sir Acal, is understanding and allows students to make up for missed assignments and activities. However, they must submit an excuse letter to be eligible for make-up work.

Learning Journal 5: Classroom Management and Classroom Routines

This is one of the most important parts of my observation because it will help me to know what I should do in my teaching practice. There is actually a simple classroom routine in the case of Mr. Acal. When the students enter the room, first things first is that they should scam their qr code for their attendance. After that, they will go directly to their proper seat and immediately open the computer or the laptop that they are going to use. Then, they will wait until Mr. Acal is ready to start the class. Some of them were playing roblox right after opening the computer. I ask Mr. Acal about that and he told me it’s okay because when he starts to discuss something they will immediately stop the game and listen to him. Moreover, he doesn’t want to entertain questions right after his students enter the room. He wants them to take their seat first. Before he starts the discussion, they will greet each other first and have a little conversation with the class. At that moment, they will talk about how’s their day and if there is something they forgot to do or talk with regards to their subject. 

The way I see the students, they know what to do. However, Mr. Acal got mad at one of his classes. It is because the students forgot to do their class routine and Mr. Acal that time is a very busy person so he just forgot those days where he sees students doing what they want right after entering the room and start to ask questions one by one. He told the class that they are starting to forget their class routine and it disappoints him. The class took the sermon seriously because Mr. Acal is known to be kind and doesn’t want to get mad too and I was shocked too. Mr. Acal doesn’t get mad that way, it's just that he’s too busy recently and doesn't want any other distractions. After that, the students the following day always remember the class routine and Mr. Acal was happy to start the discussion after seeing his class behavior.

I therefore conclude that Mr. Acal is a very responsible teacher who wants his students not only to be educated but also to be responsible for their own actions. After what happened, it gave me the idea on how to handle the class properly.

Learning Journal 6: Close Encounter with the School Curriculum

Regarding the curriculum, I noticed a significant difference because my critique teacher handles both Grade 11 and 12 students, while I was assigned to teach Grade 1 students. I also observed that my critique teacher relied on the W3Schools website as a source for lessons on HTML and CSS. When I asked about it, they explained that there was no specific curriculum guide for Grade 11, which is why they had to refer to an external website for lesson materials. This made me realize the contrast between having a structured curriculum and not having one.

I had the opportunity to teach for the first time, and while it didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped, the experience was invaluable. It was far from perfect, but I see it as a learning opportunity—one that will help me refine my teaching methods and find better ways to keep students engaged. My critique teacher was very supportive and guided me through the process, ensuring that I learned from the experience and could improve moving forward.

The difference between following a curriculum and not having one is quite significant. Without a structured guide, it’s difficult to determine the depth and scope of what students need to learn compared to having a clear roadmap to follow. However, my critique teacher found a way to address this challenge by utilizing online resources and ensuring that the students still received the necessary lessons. Additionally, they provided me with valuable insights and support, which will help me enhance my teaching skills and become more effective in the classroom.

Sample PowerPoint Presentation

FS 1 Performance Assessment Instrument

FS 2 Performance Assessment Instrument

Evaluation Instrument for the Resource Teacher

Field Study Highlights