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EDUC 350 Practicum Reflection: Lesher IB World Middle School

My experience at Lesher IB Middle School can only be described as the most
privileged opportunity I have ever had, when working with students and young people. In
years past, my field experiences with students ranging from ages 12-14 have almost gotten
me to reconsider my career as a teacher, but then I went to Lesher.
The Lesher community welcomed me with open arms and warm smiles, and
teachers invited me into their classrooms as if I were one of them. My field experience was
very diverse which is what made it so enjoyable. In Ms. Pearses seventh grade Language
Arts class I was able to experience a variety of classes, which included: a class of Gifted and
Talented, (G.T.) students, a section general IB based instruction, and a literacy support
class, followed by an upper level Inquiry elective course. Being apart of so many different
classes, I was able to gain new perspectives and insights with every visit. I observed and
worked with various learning styles and needs, an assortment of instructional techniques,
and was immersed in a culturally diverse setting. Lesher was a very well rounded
experience, and because I got to be apart of so many different classes, I was able to get to
know majority of the seventh grade team! Inclusivity is what separated this field
experience apart from my previous experiences because even as a student teacher the
more you feel like you belong, even if its just for a short amount of time, the more you
thrive! I know that I truly did blossom as a teacher at Lesher, and fulfilled my goal in
coming out of my shell more, while still earning the respect from my students.
While I may feel like I cleared leaps and bounds in my teaching career this semester,
there are still some areas that need improvement in my interactions with students. My
strengths are that I can easily relate to most of them, I possess the ability to command a

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room, and I am very clear and concise in the ways I break down new material. Its a
valuable tool to be able to relate to your students because, you customize lectures and class
activities to fit their lives, so they can in turn, relate to the content. It can be beneficial to be
able to relate to your students since you are in contact with them several hours a week. I
also pride myself on the ability to command a room. It used to be a little nerve racking
because of the lack of influence I felt I had over the class, but it became more comfortable
as I got to know my classes. A strength I recently found out I had is that I clearly and
concisely can put together a visual lesson, and present the information in a way kids will
understand it. This is a good strategy to have because it helps all students, especially ELLs
who need clear and concise directions.
One of my weaknesses is actually one of my strengths as well; some times I can
relate too well to the students, making it so there is only a small disconnect between them
and me. This is a weakness of mine because I feel like it discredits my authority, and Im not
actually taken seriously. Another weakness of mine is the ability to fluently articulate my
lectures as I give them. Some times, there are certain concepts that are difficult to teach,
and I find myself standing in front of the class fumbling for words trying to make my point.
I hope this will come with practice, for other teachers move and speak so gracefully in front
of their classes. My other weak area is differentiating lessons and in a general way, while
still catering to individual student learning needs. I want to make sure that my lessons,
activities and assignments are engaging, relatable, differentiated for students who have
different learning styles, mental disabilities, or are ESL students, all while keeping students
on the same page and not creating several different lessons. I am hoping that most of my
weaknesses will dissipate with time, as I will become more experienced in these areas.

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My use of instructional techniques goes hand-in-hand with some of my strengths
and weaknesses. I am really good at creating lessons that connect to the state standards,
while making sure they fulfill the time restraints. Recently, I learned some instructional
techniques that allow for Brain Breaks which are short periods of time that help break up
long lectures so students dont zone out.
Another instructional technique that I feel is extremely important is making sure
you give students enough class time to get a good start on assignments or in class readings.
This is because its a way to insure students understand what theyre doing before they go
home, get stuck and then not complete the assignment. From my field experience I learned
how important it is to try and do assigned reading in class, so you can have guided
discussions, and students are actively participating with the text, rather than not reading it
on their own time.
I really do like the instructional technique of having a flipped classroom/lecture
occasionally. I feel like this would only be good in a Language Arts setting when working
on larger, time-consuming concepts, because students can preview the lesson at home the
night before, and are able to start, stop, and repeat the lecture, which they cannot do in
class. Then they will come in the next day, we will recap, and then begin planning or
drafting in class where they have guided instruction and opportunities for peer
collaboration.
I feel like I have pretty solid instructional techniques when it comes to delivering
lessons, because I am clear and concise, and try and relate all of my examples to real world
situations, or to something the students can relate to. I would like to get better at including

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instructional techniques for more visual and kinesthetic learners as well as for ELL
students and incorporating more cultural aspects.
Classroom management techniques were one of the things I wanted to work on
going into my practicum, because I have had a difficult time presenting myself as an
authoritative figure, especially to student whom are not but a few years younger than me. I
have really had to work on commanding the room when necessary, and addressing
inappropriate behavior when it happens.
I received the most valuable classroom management technique from my experience
at Lesher! They use the Discovery Program, an approved teaching tool to help students to
learn positive and cooperative behaviors. At any given time during your class, students
should: Be in the Moment, actively engaged (focused and listening), have Appropriate Body
Language, have Appropriate Eye Contact, respond with Appropriate Feedback, and ask
Questions to Clarify or Validate. If students are consistently not doing one of these things,
the teacher may redirect the student with a Redirect, four levels of disciplinary actions
for not having appropriate attending skills. The 1st and 2nd redirects call the students
attention to their lack of attending skills. The 3rd redirect is a hallway conference, and the
4th redirect is problem solving with the administration. I really like this model not only
because I have seen its effectiveness, but also because it specifically addresses the teachers
expectations, and provides students with opportunities to know what theyre doing wrong
and what they need to do to fix their behavior. Being at Lesher also presented me with
opportunities to try it out and I found that it usually worked! The kids all were aware of
the program and respected it because every teacher they had implemented it. It was like a
universal language for classroom management!

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There are several ways in which I hope to become a culturally responsive teacher,
because I feel like most teachers are not, and as personal as teachers are suppose to be, not
recognizing different cultures is impersonal. One way I hope to become a more culturally
responsive in my teaching is through the examples of literature we look at. I want to
incorporate more text that pertain to different cultural issues, and assigned novels that are
written by culturally diverse authors. I also wish to incorporate some type of cultural
study in which the students would have to research another peers cultural identity. I want
to make it my goal to have an aspect of cultural identity in every large assignment or
activity, because I think its really important that students of the middle school age have an
understanding of their culture as the begin trying to find themselves. Another thing I really
want to strive to do is to make my classroom culturally appealing by displaying culture
specific art, or unity themed quotes that symbolize inclusiveness. I would also like to
display some type of art in which my students create that represents them, and I wouldnt
confine them to one specific way of expression, I would want them to create anything that
represents them. Your class of students does not consist of one specific theme, why should
your classroom?
While I am excited for my next phase in the education program, I have a few
reservations about working with high school students. Since I will be working with older
students, I still really want to work on my classroom management skills as well as the
rapport I build with them. I want to come off as professional yet relatable, and yet still gain
the students respect. I would also really like to improve the presentation of my lessons as
well as my lesson development and develop some more instructional techniques. With
that, I would also like to learn how to make my lessons more meaningful and engaging. I

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know that at the high school age, it can be a challenge to get students attention and keep it
so they actually continue attending your class. I would also like to learn more about college
readiness and ways you can incorporate assignments that are meaningful to both students
who are going off to college and those entering a trade job. Differentiation is another
aspect of teaching I want to work on and see how it is implemented. I want to get the most I
can out of this experience because I know it will be my last before I being student teaching!
This semesters field experience was unlike any other! I acquired many useful skills,
got to work with incredible students, and have had some very rewarding experiences. I
grew as a teacher and as a student and I feel more prepared going into my third phase of
the education program. Even though I still have a lot to learn and many new skills and
techniques to develop, I look forward to the road ahead!