LETTER TO THE FIELD STUDY STUDENT

To our Dear students,

Welcome to the world of field study!

This manual is your tool. This will be your companion for the next six (6) Field Study

subjects that you are going to have as a pre-service teacher. So it is really having 6 workbooks in

1 manual! Each field study subjects has episodes for you to venture on. Think of it like you are on

reality TV show called Teacher Factor (not Fear Factor), and the field study episodes are your

guide on how get closer to your destination, i.e., becoming an effective teacher.

An important aim of this manual is to link theory with practice. Always remember to

make connections with what was taken up in your theory classes and what you see in actual

settings.

Consider this manual as your OAR, (you know… that long wooden thing shaped like a

board blade at the end that boatmen use to propel or row boat). Like on oar, this workbook will be

of help to you only when you exert effort to learn. The OAR without the boatman’s effort is of no

use. The boatman without an also has a big problem; much like a field student who goes to the

field without any or purpose.

OAR is also an acronym that represents the general pattern of the tasks you might expect

to do in the different episodes, you will basically.

Observe in actual settings or Orchestrate a plan, or Organize your output.

 Analyze the experience, and then

Reflect on the experience.

Observation makes you more keenly aware of and sensitive to the learner and the

learning environment. Orchestrating plans that lead you to create out puts uniquely your own,

taps your problem solving skills and creativity.

Analyzing what you observe and do, trains you to become a critical thinker.

Reflecting on your experiences makes you a lifelong learner.

Just imagine your possibilities. You can truly become a teacher who is sensitive to the
needs of the learner, a good problem solver, becoming with creativity, a critical thinker and a
lifelong learner! What more could the future ask for?

Read the orientation notes on the pages that follow so you’ll have more information and

be more ready to begin.

Make your field study courses a great journey of discovery and learning!

Bon Voyage!

The Authors

LETTER TO THE FIELD STUDY TEACHER

Dear Field Study Teacher,

Yours the awesome job of facilitating the field experiences of pre-service teachers. Think

of this workbook as your partner in guiding them as they go through the six (6) field study

subjects. Each subject is presented here with the syllabus and the different learning episodes. The

Learning Episodes are meant to develop competencies reflected in the National Competency-

Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) and CHED Memo no. 30.

We are fully aware that different schools/colleges/universities have varying

conditions/scenarios that form a unique backdrop against which the field study will be

implemented. This is why we designed the workbook in such a manner, that it offers the greatest

flexibility. It allows wider latitude for the school administrators, field study teachers, cooperating

teachers and pre-service teacher to work on. This flexibility is articulated in the following:

 Flexibility in the theory course. The school has a choice on which professional subject to

align or anchor the FS subject.

 Flexibility in the choice of learning episodes. The syllabus for each FS subject is

presented before the episodes. This will help you decide with your students which

episodes are do-able or feasible for them. You may or may not do all the learning

episodes suggested.

 Flexibility in grouping. The learning episodes maybe done by the pre-service teachers

individually or in groups.
  Flexibility in time allotment. The FS teacher and the students can agree on the time

allotment for each activity to sufficient cover the 17-hour requirement of the course.

As you might have thought and planned already, an orientation is truly necessary to

ensure better success of the field study students. We have prepared a brief collection of

Orientation notes found on pages 4 to 7. We hope this will be helpful to you.

Let’s work together in providing the best training and education to our pre-service

teachers.

ORIENTATION NOTES FOR FIELD STUDY

AND THIS WORKBOOK

The Authors

These orientation notes include:

 Legal Foundations of Field Study

 Theoretical Foundations

 The OAR Approach to Field Study

 Field Study Subjects Matrix

 Suggested Guidelines

LEGAL FOUNDATIONS
 CHED Memorandum Order no. 30 (CMO 30) was promulgated on September 13, 2004

for the purpose of rationalizing the undergraduate teacher education in the country to keep pace

with the demands of global competitiveness. It is in accordance with the pertinent provisions of

Republic Act no. 7722, the higher Education Act of 004. CMO 30 embodies the policies and

standards for the undergraduate teacher education curriculum.

Article V. sec. 13 of CHED Memorandum Order no.30 states that, “Field Study courses

are intended to provide students with practical learning experiences in which they observe, verify,

and reflect on, in actual school settings. The experiences will begin with field observation and

gradually intensify until students undertake practice teaching”.

The field Study courses are composed of six field study subjects and practice teaching.

This workbook addresses the six field study courses.

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS

This workbook adheres to the Vygotskian principle of social construction of knowledge,

i. e., meaningful learning and construction of knowledge will occur if learners work hands-on in

relevant settings and with the proper guidance. Complementary to Vygotsky’s theory is Albert

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. Bandura asserted that learning takes place not only through

imitation but also observation. Recently, the situated Learning Theory reiterated Vygotsky’s and

Bandura’s views. It emphasized that knowledge needs to be presented in a authentic context, I. e.,
settings and applications that would normally involve that knowledge; and that, learning requires

social interactions and collaboration. The field study experience is geared towards exactly this, to

give pre-service teachers the opportunity to learn through meaningful and systematic exposure in

actual settings.

Another important theoretical basis of this field study experience is reflective education.

John Dewey stressed the vital role that reflection played in the growth and development of

teachers. Reflection allows the learner explore his/her experience in order to arrive at new

understanding or insights. It may be done individually or through sharing and discussion with

others.

Ramasamy (2002), in his review of literature on reflective practice highlighted the

following: “Kohb (1984) in his model of the experimental learning cycle regards the process of

reflecting upon experience as a crucial stage. Experience without the reflection does not lead to

learning. According to Baud et al (1997) “just having an experience does not necessarily mean

that learning has occurred. The important factor which can turn raw experience into learning is

the process of reflection”. (p. 129). Brown and McCartney (1999) point out that reflection on

both the content and the process of learning help learners move towards and stay within a deep

approach to learning. Throughout the workbook, reflection is an integral component and is used

to conclude each learning episode.

APPROACH TO FIELD STUDY

 The approach taken in this workbook is of course derived from its theoretical

underpinnings. We use the acronym OAR to represent the general cyclical pattern of the task that

pre-service teachers are expected to do in the different learning episodes. After the goal/target and

the map are given per episode, hey will basically. Observe in actual settings or Orchestrate a plan,

or Organize an output. They will the Analyze/synthesize the experience, and Reflect on the

experience.

Observation in actual setting is meant for the FS Student to train their senses to really

focus on important details of the learning situation and perceive them with clarity and objectivity.

It entails that students learn to differentiate making an observation and interpreting the

observation.

Analysis involves the use of critical thinking to break down the components of what was

observed, orchestrated or organized. Further on it will also involve the ability to synthesis, i.e., to

organize into a coherent pattern the salient points of what one has analyzed and learned.

Reflection involves the past, the present and the future of the field study student. In light

of each field study experience episode, the field study students reflect on relevant past

experiences that might have affected their beliefs, values and attitudes about learning. The

students also reflect on how each episode is affecting their present thinking and finally, how their

learning will impact on their future as teachers. This allows for integration of the future teacher as

first and foremost a person with beliefs, values and attitudes.

 The fruits or reflection is affect subsequent observations and analysis, thus making the

model cyclical.

This approach answers in part to the challenge of “developing mechanisms for the

experiential learning component of pre-service teacher education”. It moves away from the old

view that, “Teacher development is simply informational; that it only involves providing new and

updated technical knowledge as these facilitate students learning in actual contexts”.

Through the six field study courses, the students will have repeated exposure and practice

in reflecting teaching. The end goal is for them to imbide reflective teaching that it becomes

second nature to them.

THE OAR APPROACH

It involves training of the senses that makes FS’s more keenly aware and sensitive to

learner and the Learning Environment. It provides integration of FS’s past, present and future.
 Observe/
Reflect organize/Orchestrate
(Dewey) (Bandura and Vygotsky)

Reflective

Teaching

Practice

Analyze/Synthesize
(Bruner)

Trains FS’s to become a

Critical thinker

FOCUS SPECIFIC LEARNING DOMAIN COMPETENCIES

TASK EVIDENCE
EPISODE 1

School as Visit a school. an illustration  Learning  Determine an

learning Look into its of a school that Environment environment that

Environment facilities and is supportive of provides social

areas that learning or a psychological and

support “child-friendly physical

 learning (i.e., school” through environment of

classroom, any of the learning

library, following:

playground, a descriptive

canteen paragraph

a photo essay

Peace Concept  Describe the

Curriculum
in focus school

environment

”Building Prepare an

Friendship” observation log.

EPISODE 2

Learner’s YOU AND I ARE

Characteristics DIFFERENT

and needs Observe 3 Narrative Diversity of Differentiate

groups of description of the learners Learners of varied

 learners from diversity among characteristics and

different levels children. needs.

(preschool,

elementary, and

high school)

Describe each

group of

learners based

on your

Peace Concept in observations.

focus “valuing

Diversity” Describe each

group of

learners based

on your

observations.

Validate your

observation by

interviewing the
 learners.

Compare

them in terms of

their interest

and needs.

EPISODE 3

Classroom “IN AND OUT” Checklist on Learning Manage time,

management Observe a classroom Environment space, and resource

and learning class. management to provide an

Using a components. environment

checklist, find appropriate to the

out the evident learner and

classroom conducive to

components learning.

Describe how

the classroom is

structured

designed to
 allow everyone

to participate in

the learning

activities.

Relate the

data in your

checklist to the

learners Diversity of

behavior. Learners

Reflect on

how classroom

management

affects learning.

EPISODE 4

Learners TRAITS CHECK

characterized  Observe a Collection of Learning  Recognize

and learning class on a classroom Environment multicultural

activities regular day activities written backgrounds of

  Take note of on card boats of learners when

characteristic of rainbow colors providing

the learners in S reflection opportunities.

the class paper on the

 Enumerate consequence or

and describe the match of

activities that learning

took place in activities to the

the class learners

 Analyze how characteristics

the activities Reflection on

facilitated the interaction

learning of the learners

considering the despite

learners differences.

characteristics.

EPISODE 5

Individual  Observation Learners Diversity of Determines

Differences and learners of Profile Learners teaching

the Learning different learning approaches and

Process abilities he same techniques

grade/year appropriate to the

 Interview learners.

them to gather Determines,

their background understand and

information. accepts the

 Observe them learners; diverse

as they background

participate in a Relates the

classroom learners

activity. background to their

 Write a performance in the

narrative report. classroom

EPISODE 6

Place concepts in
focus:  Observe a  Narrative Diversity of  Recognizes

“sameness in class on a regular description of Learners cultural backgrounds

differences day Diversity among of learners when

Individual  Take note of children providing learning

Differences and characteristics of opportunities.

the learning the learners in

process the class

focusing on

gender and

cultural diversity

 Interview our

resource teacher

about principles

and practices

that he/she uses

in dealing with

diversity in the

classroom.
 FS 3 THE LEARNERS DEVELOPMENT AND
ENVIRONMENT
SYLLABUS
COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to help the Field Study Students verify the behavior of the child

in the actual learning environment.

Field Study can be anchored on that Professional Education

 Child and Adolescent Development

 Facilitating Learning
  Social Dimensions of Education

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

1. Identify the stage of the physical, motor, linguistic, literacy, cognitive, social and

emotional development of the children or adolescents as manifested in the actual

classroom setting.

2. Observe and reflect on the different approaches employed by the teacher in dealing with

the learners in the different stages of the development.

3. Analyze the teaching and learning process should be conducted considering the

differences phases of the development.