Law 421 Week 2 Weekly Reflective Journal

Weekly Reflective Journal #3 The week was a rollercoaster. We had many aspects go accordingly. However, we also had some issues this week. The week has also been exciting because I was given a new responsibility in the classroom. Intervention was scheduled to start on Monday. Unfortunately, due to the two hour delay we began intervention on Tuesday. I was nervous starting it. The three students in my group need help with letter identification and letter sounds. The students are engaged and interested in coming to our room for a few minutes in the morning. Additionally, in literacy I have noted a spike in engagement. The groups have been focused and I can tell they are retaining the new information. During small group instruction, the largest group of seven needs the most help. This group also tends to be the most unfocused. I change the seating around frequently to accommodate all students and separate some as well. I believe I
have found a seating arrangement that works because the engagement levels are up within the group. In comparison, the student’s interest in writing is decreasing. The majority of the class does not enjoy writing as a task. I have noticed my mentor has to work and push to get the students to write in their draft books. At my table, I have noticed the students stalling or playing with the pencils rather than using them appropriately. My students also tell me that they don’t want to write and that it is too hard. Therefore, I plan to catch their interest and make it fun. A fun and inviting anchor chart was successfully received this week. The chart illustrated how to correctly write the common reversals: b, d, q, and p. The students loved the anchor chart and referred to it often during my small group. In order to keep this success moving, I will be researching similar methods. Students should be willing to write and confident as well. Writing is a necessary skill that students need to master. Without writing, students will be unsuccessful in attaining the learning targets. Moreover, in mathematics, I have found the opposite of literacy taking place. The students have a passion and clear interest in mathematics. The activities and investigations that we teach seems like games for them. I also ask students at the end of the day what was their favorite part of the day. About seventy five percent will say that math was their favorite or recess of course. My goal is to encourage this passion so that students will continue to thrive in mathematics. In contrast with this, the small group management needs adjustment.
The students tend to be wild during the math block. The constant misbehavior is talking instead of working or doing work or others. Seating arrangements will fix the talking out of turn. However, I also plan to have a discussion with students about why we need to work first then talk. The other issue is going to be more difficult to solve. I am going to try redirecting this upcoming week when it occurs. In conclusion, my goals for the upcoming week will be challenging. My students need the changes and accommodations. In literacy, my goal is to make writing fun for the students. It is sad that they view it as a chore. Encouragement is also important in literacy so that their confidence grows. I can see this when students read with me. In mathematics, my goal is to keep students on track. I plan to use some of the methods that I learned about in the Instructional Assistant Training from Thursday. My hope for next week is that the students’ passion for learning
grows.