Refining Your Skills for the Not Too Distant Future
Field observation essay
1. 1. What were your observations with reference to the following?
When I was observing Mrs. Doloisio’s kindergarten class, they played a game where the
learning wasn’t necessarily intended as it was naturally developed. This is also called an
invisible curriculum. They played a game where there were two teams, and each team
had a chance to win in a coin toss. Whoever won that round, had the chance to answer a
question and if they got it right, they got a point. Whichever team won the game; each
player got a piece of candy. They played this game on something called Smartboard.
Smartboard is an interactive whiteboard that is constructed for engaging students and
delivering unique presentations. Smartboard includes the whiteboard, a computer, a
projector and white boarding software. There were five student computers and one
computer for the teacher. There was also a program that hooks up to the computer, which
allows them to practice their material. When I was observing Mrs. Doloisio’s
kindergarten class, she was teaching the life cycle of a frog. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy,
Mrs. Doloisio asked simple questions like the five steps of the life cycle. Then she
proceeded to explanations of how exactly the frog changes and the transformations.
2. Was this experience helpful in teaching you the skills to be a successful teacher?
This was the best experience any aspiring teacher could wish to participate in. Before my
observations, I thought I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. Even half way through the
school year, the kindergarteners were having trouble following classroom rules and being
kind to one another. I spoke to Mrs. Doloisio’s and she said teaching kindergarten grade
is extremely time consuming, and it’s exhausting. Through this experience, I realized that
I wanted to be a first grade teacher. The kindergarteners just weren’t as receptive or
involved as the first graders. I was able to identify different multiple intelligences in
2. students in the second grade. Multiple intelligences capture the diverse nature of human
capability. I would say that half the students in Mrs. Tishers second grade were
interpersonal. They seemed to learn better through interaction with the other students.
There were lots of group activities and seminars. I think that the other half of the students
were intrapersonal. Some of the students didn’t speak a word and they would just sit at
their desks doing their work by themselves, or reading a book quietly. I noticed that the
intrapersonal students didn’t get into as much trouble as the interpersonal students. The
interpersonal students spoke out of term when they should have been raising their hands
and waiting for the teacher to call on them. Mrs. Tisher had to find a way to balance each
learner and find ways to teach them effectively and adequately. When I was visiting, she
would split the class into two groups. One group was reading silently and the other was
reading aloud to each other. I think this was an effective way to balance out each set of
learners.
3. What are the two main purpose of school?
There are two main purposes of why you go to school. First and foremost, you go to
school to enhance your mind. This is to prepare you for the real world and to prepare you
for the many challenges you will face. The second purpose of why you attend school is
because it helps you become who you want to be in life. You don’t know who you really
are until you figure out your strengths and your weaknesses. You don’t know who you
really are until you challenge yourself and better yourself. Based on my observations at
Shenandoah Elementary, their students learn that it’s okay to be free with themselves and
to never hide who you truly are as a person. This is a goal that every parent wishes for his
or her child. Second, Shenandoah provides a healthy and dependable school for the
3. hundreds of elementary school students. The last goal that I think Shenandoah
Elementary fulfilled is a happy and safe environment. As a parent, I would feel safe to
send my child to Shenandoah because I feel that the students are protected and are in
great hands. The three school goals that are important to me are safety while at school, a
decent education with devoted teachers, and organization. Its extremely important that
your school and teachers are organized because you want a formulated education.