Creating Productive Learning Environments

Describe a time your cooperative teacher has offered choice to students.
 In the classroom that I observe there is a boy that is different and has a problem where he likes to talk and talk and talk. This student not only likes to talk, but when the teacher says something like about plot and character in a story this student will go on about a toy he has at home, so totally unrelated topics. The teacher I observe has come to use the following method to help this student. The teacher gave this student a container of coins, those coins each allow the student to say a comment when they wish to. So when the student wishes to say something to the teacher and it may be unrelated to the topic or if he is interrupting her while doing something she will ask the student, "So and so, is this worth a token?" then the student will think about it and most of the time they think no it's not, but then other times they use it for things they find important or what they really wanna talk about.

What has your cooperative teacher done to make students feel loved and safe?
There has been cases of bullying going on in the classroom. I have not seen anything nor is anything I've heard been on the level of what harsh and cruelty we see from bullying in the news, but the teacher has in the middle of lesson plans several times and changed the topic to anti-bullying to help students learn to respect one another. The teacher has used lists of positive words and the students would say sentences towards one another using those words. The teacher has used object lessons to show the impact of teasing each other. The teacher has tried to change the perspective of students so that they understand what they are doing is wrong. When the teacher does this side lessons it does help, but these students are 3rd graders and it doesn't seem to stick and they need to be reminded constantly.

How does your cooperative teacher recognize students’ skills?
 The teacher that I am volunteering with shows her love for the students in her class through praising the students on their good work, obedience, and good attitudes. I think she does this for two reasons. 1, to re-enforce the behavior that the student is doing so that they know this is what is expected and that they should continue to do in their studies in the classroom. 2nd I think that the teacher does this so that other students can see that the teacher is approving the action from the student and that other students should try to mimic that behavior in their own routines in the classroom.

How People Learn

Which learning theory does the teacher in your service-learning placement seem to use the most? Provide examples from your observations to support your claim. Also, how does your teacher address the developmental level(s) and the individual learning preferences of her/his students?

Right now I am in a Special Ed classroom trying to do my service hours for my exceptional students class. I love my class that I volunteer with and have very little difficulties with the service assignment. The teacher I am job shadowing uses Behaviorism to re-enforce desire to learn as well as behave properly.  The method the teacher uses in this can be from as small as "Billy (named changed), you need to finish reading your book otherwise you can't go out to recess" to as much as a chart that the students receive stamps for that give them free time when they reach a certain amount.

The teacher I am job shadowing also helps the students by playing to their strengths in their learning preferences. There is a student I am working with closely that is very visual in his learning style.  We are trying to help this student be able to write short stories.  The student has trouble coming up with stories on their own so the teacher allows this student to draw out their own story then take that drawn out story and type it up on the computer.  The student still has difficulty spelling, but they are seeing that they can write and this individual is seeing that they have many ideas that they can put down on paper that they thought they didn't have once before.