Contextual Factors

Travis Kaelin ELED 345 February 28th 2009 Contextual Factors School and District: Reward School 52 classrooms 950 + students Title 1 School 1 computer lab Motto—“We Find Success In Each One, Some Way, Everyday!” Multiple buildings Classroom: 5 tables 5—6 student at each table 5 computers Word, science, and math walls In class storage room Ceiling projector Fish tank Students: 2nd Grade Ages 7—8 years old 9 boys 12 girls Learning style according to teacher is “hands on” auditory and visual. 3 ESL students 1 New student Observation—2 students needed one on one time to stay motivated to keep up with in class work. The teacher had me use proximity and direct encouragement to facilitate motivation. Implications: The high expectations of the school and district would motivate me as a teacher to work as hard as possible to help the student meet those goals. I would use the Title 1 assistance to my classes’ advantage as much as possible through Title 1 teachers who assist in my class. I would also use the ESL student’s culture for an opportunity to introduce multicultural enrichment to the class. The storage room would be invaluable for storing material for hands on work and experiments. Learning styles would be pragmatically addressed through a multitude of strategies. There was a draw back to the location of the classroom. The building the classroom was in did not have a restroom or water fountain. The students had to leave that building and go to another building for restroom breaks. During the winter this meant that students had to be bundled into their coats and