The Evergreen State College

Master in Teaching Program

Teaching the Child in Front of You

in a Changing World

Winter/Spring 2007 Field Guidelines

OVERVIEW

   Thursdays are devoted to learning in public schools and the community. School placements for Winter will continue through Spring quarter and progress to where you will teach lessons in your assigned classroom(s).

   You are to arrive at your school site at the time teachers are required to be at the school (generally 20-30 minutes prior to the actual start of classes). You should plan to be at your school with your assigned classroom teacher all day each Thursday (see syllabus for schedule). During these weekly classroom visits, you are expected to collaborate with your teacher to determine how you might best be incorporated into the activities of the classroom as a “teacher’s assistant.” The expectation is that you will begin to be directly involved in roles that are connected to the teacher’s teaching responsibilities, particularly working directly with students.

In addition, you are to conduct six interviews (see assignment below).

   You are also expected to attend no later than March 9 (a) a school parent-teacher organization meeting or school site council meeting and (b) a school board meeting (see school office for schedule of meetings). You must include in your field journal the agenda for the meetings you attended and your reflections on the meeting based on what you have been learning in this program.

   NOTE: For these two quarters you will need a separate portfolio (or a large program portfolio) with notebook dividers to separate categories/assignments below. All prompts listed below by week and for interviews must have written responses that are put in your portfolio. To complete these assignments, you will often need to ask various school personnel for information and documents.

Due:

• Friday, February 9: Current field notebook for mid-quarter evaluation
• Friday, March 16 th: Final field notebook for Winter Quarter for end-of-quarter evaluation

ASSIGNMENTS

Week One (Jan. 11):

In order to get a sense of the variety of daily experiences – classes, playground/lunchroom duty, planning period, etc. – that one teacher has, the first week is an opportunity for you to get acquainted with your teacher. In addition to noting the flow of the teacher's daily schedule, you should devote this observation session to following last quarter's first observation assignment on describing the classroom environment (see Fall guidelines). Because the physical environment includes curriculum materials, you must add to this a request to examine textbooks and other resources (including any educational software for the computer) that the teacher uses. Note the names/publishers of these books or software.

Your observations should also take note of something in the school/classroom that relates to at least one of the readings assigned for this week.

As is the case for each assignment, all of this information must be recorded into your field notebook.

The following interview assignment is to be completed no later than Feb. 16 th.

A summary of the responses (omit names), plus the reflection piece, are to be submitted (typed) on that date. It is highly recommended that you do two interviews by Jan. 26, two by Feb 2, two by Feb. 9 in order that they can be done well and you have time for reflection in competition for time with other assignments.

A FIELD INTERVIEW: A PROJECT TO TEST YOUR ASSUMPTIONS

In order to investigate the expectations of our schools’ clients and providers, and to test your own assumptions, complete this interview assignment and submit it to your seminar faculty.

Method:

• Interview two parents with children in school (not the same family), two k-12 students and two k-12 teachers. They need not be at your assigned school; they can be from your own community or elsewhere with a goal of interviewing those who work in / are served by the “system.”
• Tape record the interviews with permission of the interviewees, assuring them that it’s just to help you write your reflections later and that the tape won’t be shared. This is to free you to listen to the speaker; take field notes if you must, but not in a way that intrudes on the interview.

Elicit their opinions on the topics below, taking care not to convey your agreement or disagreement with the response as this could hinder authentic responses – seek only to help the respondent convey her/his feelings / thoughts.

Interview questions:

• Describe what, to you, would be a good classroom environment.
• What to you would “good teaching” look like?
• How do you think student learning/growth should best be evaluated?
• Describe the nature of a good “student – teacher” relationship.
• What, to you, should a teacher’s professional responsibilities be/include?
• Have you ever heard of the “No Child...” law? Do you have any reactions?

Summative (synthesis) reflections:

   Using your recording/field notes for all six interviews:

• What surprised you?
• What commonalities (if any) emerged?
• What assumptions of yours were confirmed or challenged?
• What do you derive from the opinions expressed about teaching/learning/schools.

Please type your reflections and opinions in a summary reflection paper.

Week Three (Jan. 25):

1.   Cultural diversity & education

• How does the school curriculum include a focus on issues of power and privilege through examples in history, art, science, and other disciplines?
• How are structural changes being made in the school to make it a more affirming and just environment for students from different racial, ethnic, cultural, language, and social class groups?
• What changes are being made in teaching strategies to accommodate students from different racial, ethnic, cultural language, and social class groups?
• What community and school resources exist to support cultural diversity and equity?

2.   School-community demographics

• What are the demographics of your school/school district? Note race, class, and immigrant/English language learner populations/percentages.
• How do these school demographic figures compare to what you have been able to gather about the community in which the school district is located?

Week Four (Feb 1):

1.   Arrange to talk to your teacher about his/her lesson plans for the day. Determine what assessment approaches the teacher uses to evaluate students. Compare/contrast these assessment procedures to what you have learned from reading Wiggins & McTighe

2.   As part of your content area observations, consult with the classroom teacher and the EALRs to determine under which EALRs the curriculum is organized.

Weeks Four (Feb 1) & Five (Feb. 8):

1.   In relation to your readings for these two weeks, analyze what you are observing about the students in your classroom.

2.   For elementary school and middle/high school observations, the following notes describe observation differences:

• Elementary:

Observe and describe what approaches the teacher is using for teaching mathematical concepts and reading. Describe what mathematical concepts are being taught and how are they being taught. Describe as closely as you can what the teacher says and the kinds of resources used by the children. When you observe reading, describe what the students are reading and how the teacher organizes the reading/word recognition/comprehension experiences. Note as to whether or not oral language skills are being taught.

• Middle School/High School:

Observe and describe the content focus of the teaching in each class period. That is to say, what specific content is the teacher having the students address? What are the teacher’s learning objectives for that class and how were they met? What was his/her teaching approach? What resources were used? What perspectives were introduced? Questions posed? If tests were given, what kind? What take-home or in‑class assignments were given? What were students’ responses to these activities? What was their level of engagement?

Ask your teacher if you might borrow a copy of the textbook used in the class in order to study the content that is provided.

Week Six (Feb. 15):

In addition to observations related to this week’s readings, also try to ascertain what you can about your teacher’s philosophy of and approach to assessment and grading.

Week Seven (Feb. 22):

  Observe for what connections you can make to our readings/exploration of “class”.

2.   IMPORTANT FOR SPRING QUARTER: Begin determining with your teacher when in late April/early May would be the best time/date for you to teach 3 lessons that you will be designing at the beginning of Spring quarter. You must determine the specific content you will be teaching with your supervising teacher. The guidelines will be distributed to you.

Week eight (March 1):

• In what ways are community members involved in your classroom?
• In what ways do you observe that social & economic class have learning and other effects in your practicum classroom/school?

Your observations should also take note of something in the school/classroom that relates to the readings assigned for this week.

Week Nine (March 8):

Your observations should also take note of something in the school/classroom that relates to the readings assigned for this week.

2.    Reminder: Spring teaching arrangement/plan with cooperating teacher due to your faculty no later than March 7

Week ten (March 15):

1.    What strategies do you observe that are used to promote egalitarianism?

2.   Compare/contrast what you have been learning from your readings, workshops & seminars to what you have been observing & learning in your classroom.

Completed no later than Week 10 (March 15 ):

Attend (a) a school parent-teacher organization meeting or school site council meeting and (b) a school board meeting (see school office for schedule of meetings).

Continuing into Spring Quarter…

   Attached to these guidelines are the performance-based assessment rubricswithwhich you will be assessed for the lessons you design and present. The rubrics are from the Master in Teaching Program Student Teaching Handbook. The lessons are expected to reflect principles of multicultural education that you have gained from course readings. You must also include what community resources exist that can support your lessons.

Additional information/timelines will be provided to you at the beginning of the Spring Quarter. Examples of additional prompts will include:

• Teaching students with special needs within the regular class classroom

How are IEP goals and objectives being met within the classroom?

• Gender & sexual orientation equity

What community and school resources exist to support gender & sexual orientation equity?

• Sex/sexuality education

   What are the school’s/school district’s policies on the teaching of sex and sexuality education?

J Assessment rubrics for “Planning and Preparation,” “Instruction,” and “Reflection on Teaching” in the Appendix of this document. (Evergreem MIT rubric Domain 1,3, & 4a)

           APPENDIX

1. “Minimum Components of the Teacher Candidate’s Lesson Plan”

2. Student Teaching Handbook rubric: Domain 1, 3, & 4a

Note: Student teaching expectations related to classroom environment/management and other professional responsibilities are not included in this assignment.