School Experience

Reflection Journal
EDUC 250-Educational Psychology
NAME: _Katy Espich________________________
4/27/15________________
SCHOOL: _Aurora______________________
GRADE LEVEL: ________________

DATE
TEACHER: __________________

GENERAL EDUCATION: _____

SPECIAL EDUCATION:_______
(Check one)

Once placement is established, you will participate weekly in a 20 hour school experience at an
assigned cooperating school. This journal is a way of keeping track of your experiences for
purposes of developing into a professional teacher.
To fulfill the 20 hour school experience requirement of this course, you will write answers to the
chapter prompt provided. In addition to responding to the topic, please also write a brief
reflection of something that impressed you about your experience of the particular week.
Use this Word document to type your responses and reflection to each prompt. Please use your
discretion and answer the questions when you think you have observed something relevant to the
question. You need to answer half of the questions for each of the two times that the journal is
submitted for grading.
This school experience journal will be handed in two times on dates listed in the calendar of the
syllabus. There 50 possible points for handing in each of the two journal assignments by the
due date. That is a total of 100 points for the entire school experience.
Text: Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis with Brent Jones. Essentials of Educational Psychology: Big
Ideas to Guide Effective Teaching, 4e, with eText. Boston: Pearson, 2015.
Chapter 2-Learning, Cognition, and Memory
In Chapter 2 of the text, reread sections on how to encourage storage of information in long-term
memory, especially p. 29-33.
Design a way to enhance long term memory for students with whom you are working or tutoring.
Explain what information you are trying to get them to retain in long term memory. Then
describe the specific steps you are taking to achieve that goal.
Response:

A way that you can enhance long term memory would be repeating what you are learning over
and over again. I had to work with the children on finding out what picture goes with the
category. It was mostly like a matching game. I had the students say everything they picked up.
For example when they picked up a tent picture they had to say tent out loud then match the tent
up to the category. Once they match the tent to the right category they had to say that aloud to.

Reflection:
In the future, I will use this technique with my own classroom. I will want the repeating trick to
be fun for the students. They will always want to repeat what they may be learning. I feel like it
will stick in he/she heads better than just saying it one time.
Chapter 3-Learning in Context
In Chapter 3, we discussed the differences among positive reinforcement, negative
reinforcement, presentation punishment, and removal punishment. Each of these types is briefly
described on p. 63 of the text.
During your work with the student(s) in tutoring or Response to Intervention (RTI) settings,
think of a time when you needed to apply some form of positive or negative reinforcement or
punishment. From the ones described in Chapter 3, explain two different examples when you
used some type of reinforcement or punishment. Be specific by naming the type you employed
as well as in your description of it.
Response:
During my tutoring I felt like I had to use positive reinforcement to get the kids wanting to learn
what I was teaching them. When the students heard me tell them good job, keep up the good
work they were willing to do more work. While we were working on a subtraction paper, I sat
right next to a student and told her good job. She finished that paper quickly and wanting to
show me all the hard work she did on it.
Reflection:
I will definitely give out positive or negative reinforcement or punishment with my students in
my classroom. I feel like every student should have positive reinforcement so they know when
they are doing a good job. Then when the student is not choosing good choices I will need to let
that child know through negative reinforcement or punishment.

Chapter 4-Complex Cognitive Processes

Self-regulation is the process of taking control of and evaluating ones own learning and
behavior. It is an important skill for learners to internalize. Reread some sections of Chapter 4,
especially p. 111-115.
Explain two teaching strategies that you used while tutoring or working with the student(s)
which would promote self-regulated behavior in the student(s).
Response:
During my tutoring I was helping a child work on his shapes. While I was helping that student he
kept waiting for me to tell him what shape picture I am holding up. I had to keep telling him he
can do it on his own. You got it. Another time was when I was helping a child count the sides on
a triangle. The child wanted me to start counting out loud the sides of the triangles. I told him
you can do it! Start with number 1 and then that child was on their way.

Reflection:
In the future, I will promote self-regulated behavior in my classroom. I feel like every student
needs to be independent in their own way. He/she cant not rely on another person to tell them
what to do in their lifetime.
Chapter 5- Cognitive Development
Chapter 5 examines cognitive development and intelligence. Think about your interactions with
the student(s) in the grade level of your placement. Think about the teaching strategies you used
during tutoring or working with the student(s).
Explain whether or not the teaching strategies that you employed encouraged development of
logical thinking abilities. You may want to reread p. 153-157 in your textbook.
Identify types of activities that are enhancing intellectual development. What activities did you
use that exemplify ways of addressing multiple intelligences? You may want to revisit multiple
intelligences on p. 162 in your text.
Response:
During my tutoring I wanted to use positive teaching strategies. I wanted the students know I am
there to help them out with tutoring but they cannot miss-behave for me. When a student was
stuck on a problem I had that student try to ask one of their peers for help. If that didnt work
then I tried to work the problem out with that child.
Reflection:
I like to have the students rely on their classmates for help. The students need to learn that they
can get help from anybody when they ask for help. Children actually learn a lot from each other.