Dialectical Journal for ED 335 Teaching Practicum
Date : 19 January 2017
Observations/ Account
(What Happened?)
Curriculum Specific to Teaching
1. The sixth-grade teachers in SPH now are
teaching human rights and social justice in
their curriculum. They expect the students to
write a reflection on the principles of human
rights and social justice, how government
systems respond to social justice issues, and
finally how personal behaviors affect social
justice.
Classroom Management
2. The 6B class has essentials agreement posted 2. The essential agreement is a helpful tool for
on the wall. Apparently, the teacher had the
students come up with their own agreement in
the beginning of the school year. The
agreements include: be respectful, do the best
in all your work, and treat others the way you
want to be treated.
Unit Overview
3. The new unit, How We Organize Ourselves, 3. I notice that my cooperating teacher
was introduced to the students in the class. To
introduce unit five, the new unit, my
cooperating teacher had a cake to demonstrate
what the unit is about. My cooperating teacher
also showed how unit five is connected with
the previous unit.
What Lessons to Prepare to Teach
4. My cooperating teacher suggested that I
should teach a novel instead of teaching ten
different lessons. I will teach the novel in UOI
(Unit of Inquiry) sessions, so I can choose to
focus either on English or social studies in my
teaching.
Name : Jeremia Alexander
Reflections & Critical Response
(What do I think of it? What went well? What could
be improved? How? What will I do differently? How
does this connect to the theory I have read from
class?)
Curriculum Specific to Teaching
1. I did not know that sixth-grade students could
write a reflection on such grand concepts
(human rights and social justice). I remember
I only had to do worksheets when I was in
school. My work did not require me to do a
higher order thinking like the work that SPH
students are doing.
Classroom Management
the teacher to manage the class. I learned in
Essentials of Instruction that setting
boundaries is crucial before starting a school
year. When the students were being
disruptive, the teacher would just need to
remind them of their essential agreements,
which they themselves had created.
Unit Overview
emphasizes the connectedness of each unit. I
remember many ITC professors always taught
me that I ought to build new knowledge on
the previous knowledge of the students.
Effective teachers help students make
connections with what they have already
learned.
What Lessons to Prepare to Teach
4. I realized that I could bring a mini-unit for
myself once I finish my teaching practicum if
I teach a novel. I learned in Essentials of
Instruction about making a unit plan. Now is
the time where I can plan a unit in which I
should align the objectives, the activities, and
the assessment.