Journal Entry For Weebly - Week 6

By Marjorie Rothman
As I am teaching, I realize what a strong impact I am having on the students'
learning. As I call on students throughout the math lesson to answer questions, I am so
happy to see that many times students know more than what I could have imagined they
have learned.
When 'D' came up to me and started telling me about the complicated addition
problems he had figured out one day, I realized that he had really picked up the
strategies we were talking about in class and using them to think about adding on his
own.
When student 'C' who had started recently moved to the area from the Congo,
showed he understood the math, I was so happy. 'C' started school only a couple weeks
in to my student teaching, knowing only the ABC's in English and knowing no other
English words. I thought 'C' was understanding what we were learning. I make a point of
calling on 'C' in the morning class, and calling on the Spanish speaking student in the
afternoon. I always want the students to feel included, and I have noticed that the classes
are very thoughtful, patient and supportive when either of these students answers a
question.
Typically, there are math problems where students look at cube trains, which are
cubes connected together by students, to solve addition and subtraction problems. I
often have two students hold up the cubes. For example: one student will hold three red
cubes and one student will hold two blue cubes. Then I write 3 + 2 on the white board. I
will ask the students to figure out how many they have altogether. We usually count up
the cubes to get the answer. Then I write 3 + 2 = 5.
I hear student 'C' saying his numbers in English, when I help him with his
worksheets at his seat. I thought I would give him the opportunity to read the math
sentence on the board. I always have a student read the math sentence after we figure
out the problem. Then I have the student lead the class, sometimes along with me, in
saying the sentence. They point to each part of the sentence as they say it.
Student 'C' is very outgoing and often raises his hand to answer questions even
through his English is very limited. I thought, I would let him come up to read the math
sentence. The worst case scenario was that he would say the words with me or after me.
Student 'C' came up to the board and clearly said, "Three plus two equals five." The look
on the classmates faces was the look of shock. A few children said, "he can speak
English." They were so happy and excited to hear their friend speak.
At that moment, I knew I had made the right choice in calling on 'C' to read the
math sentence.

Thoughts about the Domains using the Drexel University Student Teaching Observation
Rubric (DOC) to analyze any themes that you see in this journal entry
For the 'Planning and Preparation Domain,' for the entire lesson, I believe that I followed
the guidelines for presenting a lesson that was at the distinguished level. I always start
each lesson with an opening routine of talking about what day of the week it is and
looking at the calendar with students. Then we count the days that have gone by in the
school year. Then I engage students in a learning activity to review what we have
previously learned. The activity usually involves building with cubes to figure out an
addition or subtraction problem, or students will act out an addition or subtraction
problem in front of the class. Then we go through the math lesson that is outlined in the
Journeys teacher manual. I will go through a problem on the rug, and then students will
complete the same problem on the worksheet at their seats. Some days there are two
pages of the manual to go through. Other days there are four or five pages of worksheets
to go through. The entire lesson is not supposed to exceed 35 minutes, so I pick the
problems to go through that best teach the concept the students are trying to learn for
the day.
I think of the students individual needs as I am teaching, and I try to use scaffolding
techniques as I first go through the problems with the students on the rug. As students
solve the problem at their seats, I go around and help students who need help. I also
started having stronger students sitting next to students who need help. The students
who I have paired up seem to really enjoy working together. The student that needs help,
likes that a friend is helping them answer the problem. The friend who is the helper takes
pride in helping their classmate.
In the domain of the 'Classroom Environment,' I have created an environment of respect
and rapport. The students are always proud of their classmates when they answer a
question.
I also interact in a positive, cheerful way with the students, and I believe this contributes
to students acting nicely towards each other. One student was having so many problems
with calling out, hitting, poking children with pencils, keeping his hands to himself,
destroying materials in the classroom and walking around violently messing up items in

the room. When I started teaching, and I had problems with this student, I did what I had
seen the teacher do on one occasion, which was call the principal's office. When the
student started calling out and walking around when I was teaching one day, I
immediately said I was going to call the principal's office. The reaction from the teacher
and the aid was that I shouldn't call yet because the student hadn't been disruptive
enough. On other occasions, I called down as soon as this student hit or hurt another
student. I believe my attention to the problems the student was having contributed to his
IEP being reevaluated. What was interesting about this student was at the end of the day,
I waited with him and another girl from the class for their transportation, he seemed to
calm down. When he spoke to me, he told me he wanted to speak to the new student who
only speaks French. I started teaching this boy and the girl who were waiting for their van
some words and phrases in French. Learning words and phrases and hearing songs in
French became a special treat for the end of the day. Soon, after starting this routine,
instead of coming in and hitting other kids and messing up the room, the boy with the
behavior problems was walking over to me to say hello, and ask if I would sing him the
French song or tell him the words at the end of the day that we had talked about the day
before. It was amazing to me to realize, that what this little boy really needed was for
someone to be nice to him. He needed someone to be nice to him and spend an extra
moment of time to teach him something he is interested in and something that he felt
proud to have learned.
How was student learning affected?
I believe student learning was affected in many ways. First, students were following along
with one of the routine strategies we used to solve math problems. They look at the
cubes. They look at and count how many are red and blue. Then the students add them
altogether. That is one level of learning. Then the students saw the new student from the
Congo, whom they haven't been able to communicate with very much, answering a
question I asked. When I asked student 'C' to read the math sentence and he did, I think
the students learned that a new student, who doesn't even speak English, has learned
the concept and can read the math sentence. I think that possibly made them think that if
he can read the math sentence, and he barely knows any English, that they should be
able to read the math sentence.
I think that wanting to learn, being enthusiastic about learning and having a positive
attitude towards learning can be contagious.
I remember when I took Spanish in junior high, I was always the student who was raising
my hand to answer the questions. I just loved learning Spanish. I realize that I probably
helped my teacher teach the class because she knew she could always call on me to try
to say what she was trying to teach first. She knew I didn't care if I stumbled through the

sentence or made a mistake. I usually didn't make mistakes, but if I did, she would tell me
the correct way to say what we were learning, and I would learn.
From the first day of my Spanish class in 7th grade, the class was conducted 99% in
Spanish. By the end of 9th grade, my whole class could speak Spanish very well. I think
my positive attitude toward Spanish triggered a reaction in my classmates. I think there
was also a feeling of, 'if Marjorie can do this, I can do this too.'
The positive attitude of the student from the Congo, when saying the math sentence, I
feel had the same impact on the class as when I would cheerfully answer questions and
speak in my Spanish class.
What have you learned?
Through this teaching experience, I have learned that teachers never truly know what
students are capable of until they see students' work, listen to a student answer
questions or listen to students give a verbal explanation of what they are learning.
Through this experience, I have reinforced my idea that sometimes students know more
than teachers think and sometimes students don't know as much as teachers think they
do. In this case, the student spoke so confidently and clearly. I thought the student would
be able to read the math sentence, but I didn't know for sure. His level of confidence in
speaking to the class, surpassed my expectations, even though I expected good results.
What goal have you set for yourself as a result of this learning?
The goal I have set for myself, as a result of this learning experience, is to continue to
make sure that all students have an opportunity to answer questions aloud in class and
to keep track of students' progress.
When I sat through the meeting with Kindergarten teachers and a staff member from the
district, who helps set learning goals, the staff member from the district mentioned that
she recommended all of the teachers take notes on how the students are progressing
individually.
I think this is an excellent idea.
While I know that student 'D' can figure out addition problems that are beyond the level of
what he's being taught, taking note of that for others to know and for myself to remember
would be helpful. Taking notes that student 'C' answers questions with confidence and
enjoys trying out his new English words would be helpful for staff members to know.

Many of the students have to count the cubes to answer the questions, but I have one
student, who I will call student 'A,' who doesn't have to look at the cubes to count them,
adding the numbers up to 10 is already automatic for her. I think this would be helpful for
future teachers to know. This is information that I have learned only because I have spent
a 35 minutes a day on direct instruction in math for both a morning and afternoon
Kindergarten Class.