221+-+Field+Placements

Professional Guidelines

 * Remember: You are a guest in the school and in the classroom. Inviting someone into your classroom can feel quite personal and vulnerable -- be respectful of the trust you have been extended.
 * As a guest,
 * Comply with the "house rules." Find out the protocol for entering the school (checking in at the office, ID tags, etc.) and for entering the classroom. Ask where you should sit and what level of interaction you should have with the students. (For example, should you observe needs of students and take the initiative to help without asking the teacher (e.g. in the middle of a lesson) or should you wait until you are asked?)
 * Don't use/touch anything without permission. Leave the space as good or better than you found it.
 * Assume that you don't fully understand what is going on. Be slow to jump to conclusions. Ask non-judgmental questions.
 * Be gracious and communicate gratitude.
 * As a professional,
 * Be on time
 * Dress appropriately and professionally (avoid anything that could be construed as revealing -- too tight, too short, too low, etc.) Learn about and observe the culture in the school to gauge what is appropriate so you're not under- or over-dressed.
 * NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use your cell phone in the classroom. The students WILL notice.
 * Be respectful of the teacher's time. Provide advance notice of any assignments that involve him/her.
 * Notify the teacher in advance by phone and email if you won't be able to attend.
 * Keep appropriate confidences. Assume that anything you say about your experience at the school will get back to the teacher, the principal, and the parents. Don't say anything you wouldn't feel comfortable with them hearing.
 * Take the initiative to contribute and ask questions. Don't be a passive observer. Appear and act interested in what's going on.
 * Maintain professional boundaries with faculty, staff, and students at the school.
 * Be a good ambassador for Gonzaga. This is not the place to air your grievances about GU.
 * Be an active participant
 * You will do some observing, but this should be focused and purposeful. Take notes. Ask questions.
 * Avoid a pattern of "just sitting there." Ask how you can help and propose specific ideas - e.g. "Can I work with John on this assignment?" "Would you like me to prepare an activity to go with next week's lesson?

Assignments

 * Initial Field Experience Information Questionnaire (upload to Blackboard by Monday 10/17)
 * Secondary Lesson Design Plan
 * **Mini-lesson**
 * By the next 221 class following your mini-lesson, upload to Blackboard a 1-2 page reflection that includes the following parts:
 * a) A summary of the activity - objectives & a description of what you did (brief, but including enough detail that I can clearly imagine the activity)
 * b) A reflection that attends to the following items:
 * 1. What went well
 * 2. What you'd do differently if you had the chance to repeat the activity
 * 3. Evidence of student learning
 * 4. What you learned about your students
 * 5. What you learned about yourself as a teacher


 * __Assessment Criteria__
 * 1. Content - includes the necessary components with adequate specificity
 * 2. Analysis - reflection is thoughtful, tied to pedagogical principles, balances negative and positive aspects, doesn't feel cliche or superficial, asks provocative questions
 * 3. Writing - text is the quality expected of a professional teacher; free from grammar and spelling errors; professional language


 * **Full Lesson**
 * A week prior (if at all possible, 3 days minimum), email me a detailed lesson plan of what you plan to teach. Include at least two specific questions you would like me to address. Be sure you include the "conducting the lesson" page, so I can clearly imagine how you are planning to conduct the lesson. (Note: The specific lesson plan form may evolve.)
 * I will send you feedback.
 * Before you teach, respond to my feedback. This may take the form of answering questions in an email or sending a revised lesson plan with the changes highlighted.
 * By the next 221 class after you teach, send me a reflection. (This could be the copy of the reflection you do for your supervisor.)


 * **Focused Journals and Observations**
 * Periodically, I will assign journal entries or focused observations based on issues we're exploring in 221.
 * Journal Entry: Direct Instruction
 * 1. Review pp. 138-139 that summarizes key principles of effective direct instruction
 * 2. Observe a direct instruction lesson. Write these headings on your notes and pay particular attention to these three items: a) how the instruction is organized, b) how students are interacting with the content, c) how students are interacting with each other and the teacher during the lesson, d) evidence of student learning.
 * 3. Write a 2-page (double-spaced) analysis that includes the following:
 * A summary of what you observed. Keep this as descriptive and as objective as possible. This is not the time to evaluate. Write a paragraph that attends to each of the four focal areas you observed (4 paragraphs total)
 * Analyze the lesson in terms of the principles you reviewed on pages 138-139. Answer these questions:
 * What worked well? Why?
 * What questions about direct instruction/lecture emerged for you from this observation? (Tie your questions to specific moments from the lesson.)
 * If you were to teach this lesson, what is one or two things you'd like to try? (Tie your answer to specific moments from the lesson.


 * __Assessment Criteria__
 * 1. Content - includes the necessary components with adequate specificity
 * 2. Analysis - reflection is thoughtful, tied to pedagogical principles, is respectful of the teacher, doesn't feel cliche or superficial, asks provocative question
 * 3. Writing - text is the quality expected of a professional teacher; free from grammar and spelling errors; professional language