Part 1:
Students feel comfortable and safe in their class and seem to be genuinely happy. The teacher smiled and made eye contact, she took the time to say hello to all her students. Her friendly greetings: "Hi, how are you? Did you have a good day yesterday?" “Are you cold? Hot?” This Let me know she takes the time to show her students that she cares about their well-being. The students aren’t afraid to ask the teacher questions or move around the room. Their body language lets me know that they enjoy being there.
2) 2) What appears to be the relationship between the teacher and the students?
The teacher has a normal relationship but caring with her students. I heard her tell two students that she was so happy and eager to see that they have improved in their Istation Assessment. On another occasion I seen her ask a student if they got good rest since he didn’t sleep the night before.
3) How interested are the students in the content or learning materials? How do you know?
All of her students were engaged in learning, they were having fun yet very focused while staying on task. She even told her students to have fun while they were doing their center activities. Every center consisted of manipulatives, anchor charts, models, poems, visual components, and a rubric guide for them to follow in order to stay on task. Each student gets to talk to each other, draw, and write about their work so I know they enjoy talking to their partners and drawing their examples out by watching their body language and their smiles on their faces while they talk and illustrate their classroom work.
4) How is instruction related to students’ real life experiences, interests, or needs?
This teacher created a real life reality lesson when she had the kids do a home project of creating a Veteran’s Day poster with their family members or friends they know. This project was created at the time it was being studied. After the posters were created they created a make believe “role play” for each part of the military with props using vocabulary words (courageous, honorable, danger, protect, United States, etc.).
5) In what ways does the teacher adapt instruction/materials to address students’ needs and strengths?
The teacher provides each student with additional instruction using centers which consists of various activities that meets their individual needs. The students are grouped with peer guidance. Also organizing her time doing teacher center mini-lesson using manipulatives in a small group teacher table center.
•Establish listening stations with headsets for children who need sound.
•Establish quiet study areas for those who work best in silence.
· temperature, lighting, and noise level.
6) How would you describe the demographics of the students (age range, ethnic groups, gender, new or returning, primary language, etc.?
The classroom includes four students who are struggling, one students in Special Ed., and eight ELL students who are at risk. There are 4 white, 3 Spanish, and 11 Native American kids. The age range is mostly 7 year olds turning 8. There are 10 girls and 8 boys in this classroom.
7) What is the overall management style (organization of time/space/ resources, expectations of students’ responsibility and behavior)? What works well, and why?
Teacher has classroom rules, expectations, consequences, standards posted in student friendly language for parents and students to know what is expected from them. She also has a classroom mission statement that was generated with student involvement and set goals for the year with all students. Agenda’s, classroom newsletters, and contracts are set in place for the parents and students to read and sign for daily expectations and behavior issues.
8) Describe or sketch the physical environment of the classroom below (seating, supplies and equipment, work areas, lighting, etc.)
The teacher has lots of room for the kids to move around and it is clean and kid friendly. She has her room decorated with her own personal touch; plants, art, rugs, posters, pictures, and some cozy pillows for the reading corner. Her bulletin boards consist of student work, poster projects, and poems to help them remember skills. This makes the kids excited to see their own work being displayed. The room materials are organized by center groups, reading centers, math centers, phonics, and vocabulary walls.
Part 2
How would you describe your ELL/ESL/bilingual program model? Dual-Language Program / Two-way Immersion Program:.
What is your philosophy of teaching? Her philosophy of teaching was very traditional.
What is your philosophy of classroom management? Her classroom management style was her kids not having assigned sitting. She tries to attempt optimal learning but is very traditional.
What are issues facing you as a ELL/ESL/Bilingual teacher? Her issues are her kid’s parents and family members not contributing to their students learning of Navajo. She has no fluent kids. She struggles having the family reinforcement.
What are issues facing students in your program? They struggle learning the material because they have no support and limited time.
How could ELL/ESL/Bilingual programs be more effective for your students? Having community and family support to bring the language back.
Share a little background of yourself, please (schooling, teaching experiences, achievements, degrees, etc.) Very well educated with her master and has a lot of awards. She has been teaching for a long time but taught middle school for awhile.