Fieldwork Reflection

Fieldwork Reflective Essay

Spending time in Ms. Gibson’s 1st grade class at Birney Elementary School in the Long Beach Unified School District presented many fascinating learning opportunities. Prior to my experience at this school, review of the STAR report and the School Accountability Report provided interesting background information on the school. While background information set a certain expectation at a school level, it did not offer any insight into my classroom experience. Consequently, I did not have any expectations on what I would learn by working with an experienced educator. Even though I did not have any specific expectations, I did learn a few tips on classroom management and teaching that I plan to take forward. Additionally,

CAASPP scores for 2015 reflect in the area of Language Arts only about 25% of the students reached a level of proficiency in 3rd grade, but by 5th grade, the 37% reached proficiency level. Then when reviewing the subjects of Math and Science, the percentage of proficient students disclosed: for 3rd grade Math, 23% of students tested proficient and for 5th grade students only 21% tested proficient; Science scores showed 36% of students proficient in the 5th grade. From reviewing these statistics, it appears a there is abundant opportunities for standardized test score improvement. Ms. Gibson was not aware of scores or any plans at either the school, or grade level for score improvement. According to Ms. Gibson, the current focus, from the district and school administration, is ensuring complete and full implementation of the California Common Core State Standards for each grade level.

During my fieldwork, I learned the effectiveness of having a standard, predictable routine to the start of each day. This enables the students to arrive and settle into learning mode. Students responded well to having a familiar, consistent routine for starting class, especially when a substitute teacher took over. I also learned students respond well when they the teacher has a specific signal for them to pay attention. One example is when

Learning as a student in a classroom offers learning through your instructors’ experiences, and as valuable as that is it cannot replace your own experience. As important as preparation is, equally important are having your own experiences. In my opinion, LBS300 not only provides preparation for classroom teaching, but also valuable hands on experience. This overall experience begins with preparation through review of the school through objective standardized testing scores, then continues with learning through the experience of the LBS300 instructor as well as, through the reading material for the class and sharing of experiences with classmates. Most importantly, LBS300 provides the culmination of studying various educational theories from multiple perspective, by actually observing and practicing them in a real classroom setting, with actual students and an experienced teacher. Through the LBS 300 fieldwork experience, students have the opportunity to see and judge for themselves what teaching really is, and determine if this career choice is a good fit or not. Through my LBS 300 experience, I learned that I have a lot to offer as an elementary school teacher, because of my current life and educational experiences as well as my openness to learn, creativity, and many fundamental beliefs such as the importance of being fair, not equal in treatment of others, including