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EDUC 280 - Timecard and Journal Entries

Task 1. Timecard
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Task 2. Journal 1 & 2 Combined Journal Assignment
EDUC 280 Journal 1 & 2 Combined

Task 1. Classroom Management

Question 1 – Do you think your teacher has successfully created a productive learning environment? Why or
why not?
I have been able to observe in two different classrooms, both with drastically different environments. Truthfully,
I do not think that either teacher has an entirely productive learning environment. There are many instances in
which the students have a “free for all”. It’s very rare that the students spend time actively engaging in lessons.
It has caused me to wonder if maybe the behavior reflected in the classroom is due to the students' ages or
perhaps that it is nearing the end of the school year. Another possibility that I have considered is that the
student’s behavior may be a result of the pandemic, however I am not entirely sure. I do think that the teachers
attempt to create a positive learning environment for their students.
Question 2 – What techniques does the teacher use to keep students actively involved in academic activities?
It seems like it is difficult to keep the students actively involved in academic activities as in most instances, the
students are playing on their devices/being disruptive rather than completing their assignments. Of course, each
teacher has attempted to implement techniques to keep students engaged in activities. Often, games to
encourage student participation, like “Jeopardy” or “The Price is Right”, are played in the classroom.
Additionally, the use of websites like “Kahoot” and “Blooket” is also popular in the classroom. Another way that I
have seen the teachers attempt to keep students actively involved in their academics is by offering multiple
choices. For example, in one classroom, the teacher created a project where the students choose 3 different
smaller assignments to complete based on their interest. Group projects are surprisingly one of the teacher’s
main choices, as a large majority of her assignments include collaborating as a group. One assignment that really
seemed to engage most of her classroom was a “Cupcake Wars” assignment, where students had to find their
own cupcake recipe and bake them as a group. Unfortunately, the teachers have also resorted to only
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instructing those who are expressing interest in their academics and ignoring the students who “don’t care
about their grade”. While there are several things that I can learn from these teachers about academic
engagement techniques, I feel like my observations gave me more of an idea of “what not to do”.
Question 3 – How is your teachers “withitness?” In other words, do they have command of the classroom? Do
they have great systems of classroom management in place?
I have been able to observe a classroom in which the teacher does have a “withitness” and one where
the teacher absolutely has no control during my observations. In one classroom, I feel like the teacher
does not have any say. I truthfully believe that the students in this classroom act like animals in a zoo.
The fact that this class is after students’ lunch may be a factor to this, however, I feel as though there
are no classroom management strategies being used by the teacher herself. In the other classroom,
however, which is surprisingly a special education classroom, the teacher has more structure. There
are several incentives for good behavior that are used in her class. For example, when the students
demonstrate good behavior, they are given points on “Class Dojo”. Once the entire class reaches 200
points, the students are rewarded with a class party. In addition, the special education teacher is able to
effectively manage the students when they are demonstrating inappropriate behavior. Generally
speaking, the students in this classroom understand that their teacher is the one in charge of the
classroom. In the other classroom, it is evident that the teacher doesn’t care as much and allows the
students to do what they please.

Question 4 – What types of “punishments” are used in your classroom?

I think that there are different types of punishments that are used in both classrooms. In one classroom, the
teacher frequently threatens “write-ups” however, I am not sure if she has gone through with the write-up
process. She frequently mentions being sent to the vice principal, but I have yet to see any action being taken in
her classroom. In the other classroom, there are several different punishments that are used. It appears that the
punishments are catered to the individual student depending on “what works”. Since this is a special education
classroom, I think that this is very beneficial for the students. An example includes one student in the classroom
who frequently has behavior issues and has had to have his phone taken away and someone escort him to and
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from each class. Another student who often refuses to participate in assignments because she has a difficult time
with transitions will have a timer started for her. This is time that she will need to “owe” back, whether it be
time at lunch or when she has free time, the time is generally made up in one way or another. While I am sure
that there are other punishments utilized in the classroom, these are the ones that I have observed the most.
Question 5 – How or where are the rules posted in your classroom? How were they created? By the students
or the teacher?
In one classroom, the rules and or expectations are not posted in the classroom whatsoever. I have noticed,
however, that she will reiterate rules and expectations verbally, “no food” and “no phones” are often repeated
several times to students in the classroom. In the other classroom, however, the expectations are a little more
clearly set for the students. There are signs throughout the classroom that indicate whether phones are allowed,
however this is not enforced. I am not sure as to whether the rules are made by the teacher or the student. I do
believe that the “no phone policy” is implemented by the school as a whole.

Task 2. Curriculum
Question 1 – Give an example of when the teacher used integrated curriculum across subjects (i.e. combining
science and language arts)
I feel like both teachers that I have observed used integrated curriculum frequently, and in the same way. I have
seen both teachers combine “life-skills” (while it isn’t entirely a curriculum itself, South does implement the use
of “occupational prep”) and math. This is the most frequently combined. One assignment that the students
participated in was a budgeting activity. Students selected a career that they were interested in, calculated the
net pay from the gross pay, used mathematical strategies to calculate monthly payments (such as car payment,
insurance, housing, etc.) This assignment is a beneficial life skill as it teaches students how to prepare for life on
their own and evaluate their career choices.
Question 2 – Give an example of when the teacher used hidden curriculum.
As part of a classroom reward, the students in the classroom earned themselves a party for good behavior.
While generally you don’t really learn much from a class party, I think that this party’s theme had evident hidden
curriculum. The students were interested in having a “Korean snack party”. The teacher was able to use this as
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an opportunity to not only allow students to try foods from the Korean culture, which were surprisingly
delicious, but she was able to inform and educate the children on some Korean traditions and facts. Children
were able to learn social skills and etiquette, sharing and cooperation, and of course more about a diverse world.
Question 3 – Does your teacher used differentiated instruction?
In the special education classroom, differentiated instruction is vital for student success. Students are provided
with instruction and assignments that coordinate with their IEP goals. Students are often given simplified
instructions and extended due dates. In the other classroom, the teacher does not use any sort of differentiated
instruction, even for students in the class with a disability. (These students are in both classes, so I have been
able to look at the work they are expected to complete) Oftentimes, the work that they are expected to
complete is too complicated for these students. The teacher also does not spend any additional time explaining
these assignments to the students who need extra help. Instead, the teacher will explain the assignment one
time to the class and the students are expected to go straight to work.
Question 4 – Can you tell what kind of learner the teacher is from his/her instructional preferences?
One teacher that I observe generally assigns only group projects and digital assignments. She very frequently has
her students present their work to the classroom, having the students “teach the class” the material. I feel as
though based on her instructional preferences it is safe to assume that she may be either a social learner, an
auditory learner, or a visual learner. I feel as though her emphasis on group work suggests that she favors social
learning and that she may find that collaborating on ideas helps her to understand concepts deeply. Since she
has students give many presentations which involve spoken content, she may feel as though she learns better
from listening. In addition, the presentations also suggest that she learns best from visual aids.

Question 5 – Do you think the teacher adapts the curriculum to the types of learners in the classroom?
I think that the teacher in the special education room does an excellent job adapting the curriculum to the
different types of learners in her classroom. While this is absolutely an expectation in special ed, it is well
demonstrated in her classroom. She will frequently find assignments for students to complete that meet state
curriculum standards and cater to all of the students in her room. In the other classroom, however, it is very
evident that the teacher does not make any changes to assignments for those in her class who have a difficult
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time with the workload. While she does offer plenty of in class time to complete her assignments, the
assignments are rather lengthy and I feel that having all assignments this way is challenging on many of the
students, jeopardizing their academic success.
Question 6 – Does your teacher like the curriculum he/she is teaching?
This question had very different responses from the teachers that I observed. The special education teacher,
while she loves special education, is not a huge fan of the district wide curriculum that is expected to be used.
She frequently complains about the curriculum that the district provides for math (which is Connecting Math
Concepts); however, they are switching to a new curriculum this week. As for the other teacher, the curriculum
is very straightforward, and she does not have any complaints about the material. She teaches more of a “family
and life-skills” class, consisting of cooking, learning about family relationships, and careers.
Question 7 – What would they like to see added in the future?
In the special education classroom, the teacher really wants to be able to adapt to better and newer curriculum
in the classroom as most of the curriculum used by the district is outdated and does not accurately reflect the
standards in which children should be learning. She thinks that students, especially in special education should
also be learning more skills directly relating to life and their futures. As for the other teacher, she only indicated
that she would like to see more children being able to accurately use technology in the classroom setting.
Task 3. Technology

Question 1 – What kind of technology was used in the class(es) you observed? Was it effective?
Technology is used in so many different ways in the classroom. In the special education classroom, the students
do less assignments on the computer, however they do still use several different websites on occasion. The most
popular websites that are used by the students are websites like “Epic” for reading, “Prodigy” for math, and
“Typing Club” for computer typing skills. The teacher in this classroom often uses “Teachers Pay Teachers” to
find worksheets and escape rooms for the students to do in class. As for the other class, the students are
expected to use their Chromebook for almost everything. Nearly all their assignments are found on “Google
Classroom” and students are expected to do their own research on their computers. Personally, I do not think
that this is an effective way to educate these children considering the students are rarely staying on task. While
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resources such as “Go-Guardian” exist to monitor the students on their devices, it can be difficult to manage that
many students on computers every single class period. As for the resources used by the special education
teacher, I think that is more affective as they are given a mixture of screen time and paper worksheets.

Question 2 – What type of technology might you use when you start your teaching career?
I like the idea of using some technology in the classroom, such as using iPads/computers for independent
reading comprehension, simple assignments, or even educational games. I would likely use “Google Classroom”
in an older grade level to help keep students on track. I like resources like “Class Dojo” for a reward system in
the classroom. I also like things similar to “Remind” to help keep parents involved with their student’s education.

Question 3 – Do you think it is harder or easier to incorporate technology into your classroom?
I think that it is easy to incorporate technology into the classroom however, I also think that it should be limited
and closely monitored. I do not think that students benefit from all their classroom assignments being online. I
do believe that technology is useful in the classroom as many jobs require individuals to be proficient in
technology, so basic computer knowledge is vital for their success later in life. With how many different
resources for technology in the classroom, I believe it will be easy to incorporate some technology into my
future classroom.

Task 4. Diversity
Question 1 – How diverse was your class(es) you observed?
From what I can tell, the Boise School District in general is insanely diverse, not only in culture and ethnicity, but
in learners as well. The special education classroom specifically is insanely diverse. Of course, in the special
education classroom each student has their own unique style of learning that the teachers must adapt to.
Students in this classroom specifically are from all over the world. Two students are from a refugee camp in
Africa, one student was born in Iraq, and another student is from Thailand. Students in this classroom speak
several different languages aside from English, including Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, and Karen.
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Question 2 – What did your mentor/teacher do (or not do) to create a diverse classroom?
Creating diversity in the classroom was easy for the special education teacher. For example, around Ramadan,
she created a lesson educating the students about this celebration as multiple students in her class celebrate.
She spread cultural awareness within her classroom. As for the other classroom, while not quite as diverse, the
teacher created an assignment that recognized different meals eaten by people in other countries. Students
were required to research a different county, study the food they ate, and present their findings to the rest of
their class.