Claxton Elementary Curriculum : Post 3

As I have observed Mrs. Rountree, I have seen that her practices and teaching strategies are developmentally appropriate for her third grade class. The students are learning at an appropriate pace and level. Mrs. Rountree uses cooperative groups and individual work, but for the most part her students are always working together. I believe this builds strong social skills in students. Her students get along well and work together well. She also gives her students plenty of time to complete assignments, and works with any students who may need extra help. Mrs. Rountree incorporates a variety of learning experiences including technology. This variety will allow all the types of learners in her class to learn on their own individual basis.
Mrs. Rountree’s teaching strategies line up with the NAEYC established principles. As mentioned earlier, Mrs. Rountree provides a variety of learning experiences. She uses a smart board, cooperative groups, and individual work. She allows her students to not just interact with her, but with each other. One principle of Developmentally Appropriate Practice is “Domains of children’s development-physical, social, emotional, and cognitive-are closely related. Development in one domain influences and is influenced by development in other domains” (p.5). By having her students interact with one another, she is contributing to other domains of their development. Mrs. Rountree also lets her students play educational games on the smart board in groups. The students see this as a game, but in reality it is another Developmentally Appropriate Principle in action. This principle states “Play is an important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as a reflection of their development” (p.8). I think this is a great way to teach the students new skills, instead of always having them do busy work. These strategies are going to help Mrs. Rountree’s class learn and develop properly.

Claxton Elementary Curriculum Placement: Post 2

Impact of Demographics on Instruction:

According to the demographic data collected, Mrs. Rountree has an average diverse class. The amount of boys and girls are quite equal. It has the appearance of an appropriate diverse classroom. Her students were very attentive to the lesson, and each child worked very hard. I observed the students quietly completing their assignments. The majority of her class participated in the discussion. According to Lemlech (2006), “An individual who has difficulty with distracting factors is considered a field-dependent learner” (p.36). I believe the majority of her class falls into this category of learners. The students did well with social interaction and discussions.
Mrs. Rountree’s class is a gifted class. These students are high-achievement learners. Upon observing, I could tell these students were very gifted. They performed on a very high level of learning. Lemlech (2006) defines gifted and talented students as “children capable of high performance with demonstrated and /or potential ability...” (pp. 20-21). These students demonstrated a high performance level in their work. I observed how they didn’t really need their teachers help, and did not ask questions about the assignments. The students got right to work and completed all assignments in a timely manner. Mrs. Rountree may have to make sure to keep her students constantly motivated to prevent boredom in her class. Gifted students can become easily bored with repetitive curriculum.
The group dynamics of the class varied slightly, but for the most part the students displayed similar behaviors. All of the students, with the exception of one, had high levels of independence. They knew exactly what to do and when to do it. This may be due to Mrs. Rountree’s teaching strategies. The students did a lot of individual work, and it seemed they enjoyed this. Some students participated more than others, but overall they were all on task. I could tell the students were motivated and wanted to succeed. According to Lemlech (2006) these students have an internal locus of control and “…credit themselves with working to be successful” (p.39). I believe this high level of independence will result in the students realizing they must work hard to be successful, and not blame others if they fail. Mrs. Rountree may want to make sure to keep praising her students and motivating them to be successful on their own. From what I have observed so far, Mrs. Rountree does a good job of motivating her students.

My educational profile :) ITEC Post 1

Hello! My name is Jennifer Eason and I am a junior at Georgia Southern University in the Early Childhood Education program. I did my PPB at Mattie Lively Elementary here in Statesboro, GA. I have been recently placed at Claxton Elementary in a gifted classroom with second and fifth graders. I have been a three, two, and infant teacher in the past. Right now I am substitute teaching at the Child Develpment Center on campus. Since I have worked a great deal with very young chilren, I would love to teach grades pre-k through third grade. I love working with children and can't wait to be a Georgia Educator!!!!