Clinical Field Experience A: Instruction Across Grade Levels
Number of sources: 3
Paper instructions:
Understanding what students need to know is as important as knowing where they came from in the previous grade and where they are headed in the next grade. This allows for meaningful scaffolding of instruction. Discussing techniques for scaffolding instruction with other teachers is a great way to continue to improve in your teaching practices.
Allocate at least 5 hours in the field to support this field experience.
For this assignment, interview two teachers in consecutive K-3 grades at the same school. In your interviews, include the following questions:
How do you scaffold instruction for your students?
How do you create instruction that incorporates concepts from previous grades and prepares students for the next grade?
Do you collaborate with teachers in other grade levels? If so, in what capacity?
Spend any remaining field experience hours observing or Helping the teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.
Using the information from the interviews and your observations, write a 250-500 word summary addressing the following:
After your interviews, spend at least one hour observing each of these teachers, particularly noting how they scaffold math instruction.
Describe how scaffolding could be the basis of instruction.
Explain the purposes and benefits to students when teachers collaborate between grade levels.
Describe how you can apply what you learned about designing and implementing standards-based math instruction to your future teaching practice.
After conducting the interviews with two teachers in consecutive K-3 grades at the same school, I observed how they scaffold math instruction for their students. The first teacher, Mrs. Smith, used a variety of techniques to scaffold her instruction. She provided hands-on activities and manipulatives for students to work with, and used visual aids such as graphs, charts, and videos to help students understand mathematical concepts. She also provided step-by-step instructions for each activity and allowed students to work in small groups to reinforce their learning.
The second teacher, Mrs. Johnson, also used scaffolding in her instruction. She used real-life examples to help students understand mathematical concepts, and provided opportunities for students to apply what they learned through problem-solving activities. She also used questioning strategies to encourage students to think critically and reflect on their own learning.
Scaffolding could be the basis of instruction because it provides students with the support they need to successfully learn and retain new information. By breaking down complex concepts into smaller, more manageable pieces, students are able to make connections and understand the material more effectively. Additionally, scaffolding can help build students’ confidence and independence, as they are able to take ownership of their own learning and feel a sense of accomplishment as they progress through the material.
The purposes and benefits to students when teachers collaborate between grade levels are numerous. Collaboration allows teachers to share their experiences and strategies for teaching a particular subject, and to receive feedback on their own teaching practices. This leads to improved instruction and a more consistent curriculum for students. Additionally, collaboration between grade levels helps ensure that students are well-prepared for the next grade level, as teachers can work together to ensure that the concepts covered in one grade build upon those covered in previous grades.
In my future teaching practice, I plan to incorporate what I learned about scaffolding and collaboration into my lessons. I will use hands-on activities and real-life examples to engage my students and help them understand mathematical concepts. I will also work with other teachers to ensure a consistent and effective curriculum across all grade levels. By doing so, I hope to create a supportive learning environment that allows my students to achieve their full potential.
