My 1st Field Report at Hehnly Elementary

Field Report 1
School: Hehnly Elementary School
Grade: 4
Teacher: “Miss Lopez”
Time: 8:00am-3:00pm (6.5 hours)
Date of visit: September 28, 2007 (Friday)

My first field experience started at 8:30am as the students rushed into the classroom to prepare the appropriate materials to start their day. I was quietly sitting in the back of the classroom as I observed the chaos that was happening. Miss Lopez then had control of the students and started her morning by writing the date and the activities that were going to take place throughout the day. The day was full of excitement and anticipation because I had no idea what to expect considering I have not been in an elementary classroom since I was a younger girl.
The classroom consisted of twenty-four energized students and one amazing teacher. Her teaching techniques were definitely out of the ordinary. Friday’s math lesson was about subtraction of long numbers and the students showed an enormous amount of interest! Her students were absolutely in tune with her when she began the lesson. When Miss Lopez saw that the students were experiencing minor difficulties with a few problems she had the students pick up a 9x12 dry erase board and a marker. I was certainly surprised to see this particular teaching material because it was something I was not familiar with. I was always accustomed to teachers using the dry erase board as a teaching method and not have each student have one of their own. I believe it was a great way to engage the students visually and gave Miss Lopez the opportunity to see where they might be making mistakes.
All of the students were equally participating in the lesson and then soon asked Miss Lopez for more challenging problems. The students were then given a problem to figure out on their boards and asked to raise their board when completed. Miss Lopez walked around the classroom and was able to make out the students that needed more of her assistance. What I liked about her teaching method was that she gave the students a chance to figure out their mistakes on their own. Miss Lopez did not just write out the problem on the board and then solve it. Miss Lopez asked questions to guide the students to the right answer and help them better understand where they might be making common mistakes.
The dry erase boards gave the students the chance to feel like a teacher and visually show Miss Lopez the strategies they used to solve a specific problem. I definitely felt the energy in the room when she asked the students to get the boards. I think slightly changing the common way of learning engages the students in a positive way. Students do tend to get uninterested when they are given the same routine everyday. Miss Lopez integrated her everyday teaching tool with the students and it changed attitudes of the students drastically.
During reading time Miss Lopez put on a tape so the students can read along with no trouble. A student asked, “Can we sit on the tables?” and I was surprised to hear such a question. Miss Lopez then agreed to the inquiry and everyone jumped for joy. They sat on their desks and followed along with the tape attentively. Again, I never saw such a thing, but it was a great idea to keep the students awake and attentive. She probably lets the students sit on their desk during reading time to better grab their attention and not have the students put their heads down and possibly fall asleep.
In conclusion, my first field experience was great and I was able to gain many different teaching techniques that I can perhaps use for my future classroom. Simple, yet effective techniques such as white erase boards and sitting on desks while reading are great ways to engage the students physically and mentally.