EPISODE I: Experiencing Learning Environments in the New Normal

Topics included in Episode 1:

A. Physical Environment Learning

1. Virtual Learning Environment/ e-learning environment

2. Home Learning Environment

B. Psychological Learning Environment

C. Social Learning Environment

D. Appropriate Learning Environment for Young Children.

E. Teacher’s Classroom Management, Routines, and Strategies

MY OBSERVATION

Classroom Observation Report

1. Describe the physical characteristics of the physical classroom of the Resource Teacher and the learning environment of the learners.

The physical classroom setting of the Resource Teacher is a safe learning environment for the students. I perceived that there were noise backgrounds, interruptions, and interference since it is beside on a busy street and road, wherein noises motorcycles, other industry noises, and people noises are being some of the factors apparently affecting the physical characteristics and conduciveness of teaching and learning. Nevertheless, these fundamental factors are and was not considered as a hindrance for the Resource Teacher and the students since the discussion was smooth and no occurrences of any intermittent connection since the teacher are absolutely trying and apparently showing a very skillful, knowledgeably, and very equipped mastery, tactics, and practice in handling her students. Overall, it was a good learning environment as the discourse was smooth flowing.

2. Describe how the learners have learned (knowledge, competency, emotion, motivation) in the classroom and learning environment.

Learners are well-equipped with the teacher’s lesson from the start of the class till the very end of the class proper. Wherein the following are being observed:

Knowledge- The Resource Teacher recalled their past lessons, which is one way to get the students' attention.

Competency- The students presented their task/activity that showed their competitiveness and inventiveness.

Emotion- The Resource Teacher had established an interactive learning environment that could uplift students' persistence to understand their topic.

Motivation- The Resource Teacher gave a pre-test that could test the students' knowledge regarding the topic they are about to discuss.

3. Describe how the Resource Teacher encouraged interaction with his/her learners during the scheduled class.

The teacher is enthusiastically and devotedly considerate, thoughtful, and selfless with her students. Apparently, I love the way she intermingles with her learners—like, for instance, I love the way she interacts with her learners every time they ask something, both related to their topics and other addendum topics, because subsequently she always says "Welcome", "That’s a nice question, so in connection with our topic", and I am absolutely fascinated with the way she gives some further lesson, tips, and techniques every time one of her learners is inquisitively curious about their lesson, thanking her, etc.

4. Describe the characteristics and behaviors of learners during the class.

Almost all of the learners are actively participating and demonstrating their enthusiasm in the class. They actively raise their hands, offer themselves when the teacher is asking for some volunteers, keenly and articulately defend their answers when the teacher is asking some questions, asking them to perform something, and asking them to defend and justify their answers with some facts. I also observed that honesty was also being practiced by the learners; as a matter of fact, they passionately and honestly say what they are capable of and not, rationalize and justify what they are capable of and not. In addition to that, the learners are very proactive in the sense that they follow what the teacher says as soon as possible and as they can. For instance, in the defending of their stance, I observed that one learner was very energetic in rationalizing her stance with the question given to her in the sense that she was shouting and had a big voice, but at the end, she explained that she is used to being that kind of energetic when she is presenting and rationalizing—like a debater.

5. Describe the classroom management, routines, and strategies employed by your Resource Teacher.

The classroom management used and performed by the teacher was keenly well-planned and organized. She used a Q&A portion with a justification system for learning interactions and critical thinking during her lesson proper. The strategies given by the teacher are giving a 1-to-3 measure of points to every learner who is going to recite and justify their answer. She created an online quiz on Quizizz, and the students enjoyed it. In addition, during the latter part of the discussion, she divided her class for some presentations, and the class actively presented their planned outputs.

MY ANALYSIS

Based on your observations, answer the given questions clearly and concisely below. Relate your knowledge in the “Child and Adolescent Development” and “Facilitating Learning” in giving your arguments.

1. What physical characteristics of a classroom and home learning environment should be present? Does learning possible with these physical characteristics? How?

- During my observation, I apparently observed that somehow, they performed all the characteristics of an online classroom and home learning environment that a face-to-face class must possess – except for the part wherein learners did not display good behavior during their active participation, volunteering and answering questions, and justifying their answers with their teacher, for instance. Therefore, it results in misbehavior, where most of them are shouting and being aggressive that they are no longer being nice to their seatmates or classmates, which results in a messy room. For me, it is indeed a very idealistic picture of a classroom set-up since your learners are very active and participative. However, it is way better when learners are disciplined and the teacher must use a more tremendous intervention so that a good, proper, and orderly classroom will be maintained while the discussion, the participation of the learners, and teaching-learning is still on-going. The teacher asked the participative and volunteer learners, by group and individually, for a task wherein they needed to give their answers and justify them with supporting facts, examples, and others to train their critical thinking skills, and at the end, the learners successfully justified their answers and delivered their ideas, thoughts, and expressed their justification for every individual and group question. Relating to the Child and Adolescent Development, ostensibly the learners' intellectual ability in the concept of their product was focused on two particular things—(a) on their experiences as they relate what they must need and what is best, like stainless steel to plastic to a particular tool or equipment which they are made of, and, (b) on their belief, stance, or knowledge in justifying their key points about the subject matter given to them, like why there are various types of kitchen knives and why we can’t use them for other slicing tasks, for instance, why we can’t use the serrated knife as a chef’s knife. Concerning facilitating learning, the teacher is the facilitator of the class who provides resources as she decides what product must be conceived and perceived. With this, the learners are encouraged to take more control of their learning process because they are grouped, and he/she is going to justify his/her stance in a particular manner.

2. How do the classroom and the learning environment, in particular, affect the learning? Does the communication inside the class affect the learner? Why or why not?

- In my observation, internet connectivity, lack of gadgets, and noises around the learner were some of the face-to-face classroom and home learning environment problems that merely affected the learning of the learner (from their courtesy attention, keen focus, and passion for learning). As the teacher began her class, she did some roll call for attendance, and while she was doing the attendance, she was also telling them to stay quiet, properly be seated, and arrange themselves before the lesson proper. One of her students replied that they could not hear them clearly since the noises around them (motor vehicles, other learners' noises outside the classroom, murmurs of the other students inside the classroom, the noise from other classroom, and music upstairs), loss of internet connectivity since the presentation was not properly presented; some students lacked gadgets; some said "I don't have this, that is why I need to do this"; when some of the learners recited and justified their concept, noises of motor vehicles, other learners' noises outside the classroom, murmurs of the other students inside the classroom, the noise from other classroom, and music upstairs were heard. I believed that these problems or barriers in an actual classroom set-up were apparently and really affecting the learner, and at some point, their attention and focus were also snipped away, because perhaps the learner would miss some information and lessons about their class. In relation to the Child and Adolescent Development, these barriers could be a trait to the learners because at their age, as in grade seven, it is a traumatic stage for them that can affect their psychological aspect based on the Stages of Human Development. Regarding to Facilitating Learning, the teacher provided opportunities for the learners to be educated about the lesson.

3. Describe how the Resource Teacher encouraged interaction with his/her learners during the scheduled class. Does the interaction between and among learners affect their learning? How?

- During our class observation, I observed that the teacher stimulated interactions and connections with her students by using paramount techniques in her class. For instance, she used and did oral pre-tests for the learners to become familiar with their lesson; she made an online quiz recitation using "SlideGo," as well as an online quiz for her assessment using "Quizizz," and the learners enjoyed participating because it was like a game-challenge for them. She used and gave extra points to the learners who keenly justified their answers with facts, examples, and others. The teacher was very humble, considerate, and enthusiastic with her students. With this kind of interaction between a teacher and her learners, it is evident that learners will enjoy the class and at the same time fill their minds with the lesson passionately. Nevertheless, if you yourself are not a nice person and you are an inconsiderate teacher, especially in this kind of classroom set up, no doubt your learners will become arrogant towards you. In regards to Child and Adolescent Development, at their age as Grade 7 learners, they are involved in a period of rapid and significant change with respect to physical, emotional, social, intellectual, psychological, physiological, spiritual, and moral development. In connection with Facilitating Learning, she facilitated class and grouped discussions for better classroom interactions and engagement.

4. What are the learners’ characteristics and behaviors that can help and affect the delivery of instruction?

- As per my observations, the behaviors and characteristics that can support and influence the delivery of instruction must include these three: active engagement and active participation of students; the initiative of every student in a task that was given; and honesty and respect for the class. In regards to Child and Adolescent Development, these learners favor active over passive learning experiences. In relation to Facilitating Learning, the teacher awarded points to those who recited, which motivated pupils to participate.

5. Are there rules/procedures discussed/set before the start of the class? Did the learners participate in discussing/setting these rules/procedures? What is the effect of learners’ participation in rule-making on their behaviors?

- Yes, there were rules and procedures that were discussed before the start of the class, and apparently most of the students actively participated in the discussion with the rules and procedures given by the teacher, and all of the questions, comments, and suggestions of the learners were participated in and keenly discussed with facts, justification, and considerations, not just by the teacher but also the learners too. The effect of learners’ participation in rule-making could make the learner well-equipped with knowledge about rules when he/she becomes a leader to his/her fellow learners. In line with Child and Adolescent Development, according to Mager and Nowak (2012), student participation has moderate positive effects on students' life skills, self-esteem, and social status, democratic skills and citizenship, student-adult relationships, and school ethos. Students are encouraged to take control of their learning process as well as their rule-making on their behaviors from the word itself—facilitating and with the connection to Facilitating and Learning.

MY REFLECTION

What kind of physical classroom and learning environment is conducive to learning? As a future teacher, what will you do to have a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment for your learners?

May you always be reminded of your true purpose as an educator—not just an educator for a specific community or society, but an educator as an instrument of hope and change for all. Being a part of and surrounded by this noble profession and its people since I was a child, it appears to me that every day that I am now in my educational pursuit, my doubts on whether or not the pursuit of education is apt for my standing grow. Every day I don’t know where I go to take my comfort zone breather and how I keenly recollect my thoughts to continue pursuit of the education course. As a matter of fact, I always go back to my "why". And the moment I began my field study courses—both observation and assistantship—I felt deep, connected, and astounded at how much the education courses had astonished me. Because to be honest, I slowly found my purpose—that I am destined for great things beyond my personal agenda. That study and the eventual practice of education are meant to be instruments of hope and change. I am not only doing this for myself, but for my loved ones, my family, and most importantly, for the people who believe that education stands for something grand.

My concept of education will change as a future educator. I believe that the classroom as a learning environment will not revolve anymore into a place where students will learn by setting specific goals in my lesson, relishing their scheduled time with me, or a room where they will become more productive if there is enjoyment like games and activities that are related to the lesson through the use of virtual media, but rather a room for them to find themselves to continue to be great, continue to work hard. A room for them to find themselves to continue to dream big and a room for them to find themselves to continue to persevere. Nonetheless, the engagement between my learners and me as their teacher in finding their true purpose as they enter, learn, communicate, and train will become fascinating and captivating. And altogether, I will become an effective teacher for them to learn something, and they will be supported, safe, and secured with me.

While being in this kind of learning environment, which goes beyond what a classroom can offer (utilization of digital tools and online platforms), there are a lot of experiences I had, both advantages and disadvantages. I was able to enter into a world that built a greater height, opened doors for bigger opportunities, and helped me build the purpose within me. With these experiences, I enthusiastically learned so many strategies that built me up to be a better Food Services, Management, and Technology (FSMT) student. Apparently, I had this productive class, experience, and moment by performing online. For instance, setting up a table, shooting videos while cooking and baking, and many more activities; and for me, it was not that hard because I was enjoying it since I was guided, helped, and purposely taking advantage of what these things could possibly do in order to hit the bottom of the rock on things. Since then, I believe that if you are passionate about something, you will never tire of exploring and discovering your happiness in order to achieve your true purpose.

From what I have observed from our Resource Teacher, she paved the way for how her class became productive, the way she interacts with her students, a keen door opener as she is taking advantage and going beyond the teaching and learning opportunities, and being a considerate teacher. Based on my experiences in face-to-face learning and virtual learning, being a considerate person is one of the best behavioral traits that a teacher must possess, but not in the sense that you are taking advantage of it. On the other hand, I can say that learning online is difficult. However, as long as we are learning, making our way, and taking advantage of what an online platform and digital tools can offer - we are moving, learning, and going beyond for bigger and more doors of learning opportunities, hope, and change.

The traditional set-up of learning was more engaging because you could interact physically and emotionally. However, with a new set-up of learning where technology is rising, this new set-up of learning is giving its best just to provide what the teacher can offer to its learners. You will become a teacher not only for your ambitions but for the good of the people who believe in you. Know your role in upholding the rule of education. You are not only an educator. You are the future of the noblest profession.