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FIELDWORK

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I will be doing my fieldwork at Foothill Elementary School, in Mrs. Kendall's 3rd Grade class. I have been given a unique opportunity because not only is Foothill a public school, but also an elementary with an ALA program. It also has a program for students with Autism. So far in the classroom I have seen some very apparent developmental differences. Developmental in the context of the level of intellect that each student is at, some need additional help and some feel that they don't need any help or supervision at all.

I want to start by discussing the learning modalities. It was amazing that in just a few hours I was able to identify some of the students learning modalities. One student in particular, a young girl, was having an incredibly difficult time focusing during the quiet assessment test. If anyone made even the slightest sound her eyes were off her paper and at the source of distraction. She would then move in her seat, talk to her neighbor, until the teacher would prompt her to continue working. Also during reading time, this same student wouldn't look at the teacher as she read or even show that she was listening at all. However, I knew she was because she was doodling on a piece of paper. From my amateur observation, I believe this student to be an auditory listener. Each student is different and pays attention, or doesn't, in their own way. I observed as one autistic student was very much a kinesthetic learner. Everything he did pointed to hands-on behavior. He touched all of the objects around him frequently, sat quietly, and looked around. When it came time to clean up, he focused all his attention on the things he needed to do. He didn't hardly talk to anyone, he just did the things he was told; picked up his folder, put away his things, and waited quietly at his desk.

One thing I noticed that Mrs. Kendall does really well is her method of communicating with her students. She uses Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Visually stimulating ways to communicate instructions. For example, today she wrote 3 things on the white board that he students needed to do before they went home. Next she read them aloud to her students and had them raise their hands and repeat to her the 3 things. There was the Visual and Auditory. Lastly before the students left they were all to DO the things she wrote down for them, thus the Kinesthetic. I feel so inadequate to teach this young minds after today. They each have so many individual needs and as potential teacher of 30 students, it's slightly overwhelming. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a helping hand in the lives of these young minds.

Hannah Groom (Decker)

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