Field Journal
FOED 1110 – Honors
Education as a Profession
Middle Tennessee State
University
Field Experience Requirements
FOED 1110 – Honors
As partial
requirement for completion of the course, students will complete the following
activities:
Initial Observations/School Visits:
Conduct at least two observations – one hour each – in a public school
classroom. Use the guidelines included
in the field journal to assist you in observing the classroom situation. Complete the "observation logs" for
each visit. Activities that should be
recorded on the observation logs include:
¨ Drawing a diagram of the teacher's classroom
showing the room arrangement, (ex: student desks, teacher's desk, bookshelves,
etc.)
¨ Conduct a case study of one student within
the classroom situation.
Teacher Interview/School Visit: The
Teacher Interview Assignment is a requirement for any student enrolled in FOED
1110. For students enrolled in FOED
1110-Honors, the Teacher Interview Assignment is one component of the Field
Placement Journal/Experience. The
assignment consists of conducting an onsite interview with a teacher currently
employed in a public school. The
interview should be conducted with the Field Placement Cooperating Teacher at
either Kittrell School or—in the case of those students who self place—with the
cooperating teacher at the selected school.
Interview Paper:
(see guidelines that follow at end of file) Compile the teacher
responses gathered from the interview.
Use the responses to complete a written report, which should include:
¨ Overview of the teacher's background –
education, years of experience, locations of schools that the teacher has
taught in and grades/subject areas,
¨ Teacher responses written in concise,
narrative form,
¨ Your reaction to the teacher's responses and
why you believe the teacher gave the answers that he/she did.
Total Number of Classroom
Observations/Visits – 3
Total Number of Hours – 3
Onsite Initiation Visit – Kittrell
School
A mandatory onsite visit/meeting at Kittrell School is required. The time and date of the meeting will be announced in class. During the visit you will take part in an Orientation and will be introduced to your cooperating teacher.
Preparing for
the Visit:
Before
the scheduled visit, you must prepare a letter of introduction, which you will
give to your cooperating teacher. The
letter should include the following:
- Your name, phone number, and email
address
- Major and minor (if you have one)
- Grade/s and/or subject areas you hope
to teach
- Background information—classification,
projected date of student teaching, projected graduation date, home town,
etc.
- Any previous teaching experience such
as Sunday School, day care, after-school care, babysitting, etc.
- Overview of the requirements for completing
the FOED 1110 – Honors Field Placement experience (see page 2)
The Orientation Visit/Meeting:
The
onsite visit/meeting will take place at Kittrell School in Murfreesboro. Ms. Williams, Guidance Counselor and/or Mr.
Herbert, Principal will give you a brief orientation to Kittrell School. Immediately following the meeting, you will
have an opportunity to meet your Cooperating Teacher. Please give the teacher a copy of your Introductory Letter and
keep a copy for your Field Journal.
Exchange phone numbers and email addresses with the teacher. Try to secure a time and date that you will
return for the first observation.
**For those you
self-place, please follow the same procedures and field journal requirements
and submission/completion deadlines.
Observation/Classroom Visit #1
- Information Gathering Visit
Guidelines: On
your first visit to the classroom, observe for at least one hour. During that time, consider these questions:
1. What is the classroom arrangement/floor plan
and how does it affect classroom instruction?
2. What is the makeup of the class you observed
– diversity factors, cultural factors, gender factors?
3. What types of instructional methods did the
teacher employ throughout your visit and how effective were these in terms of
student learning and understanding?
4. Were there ample resources—other than
textbooks—visible in the classroom setting and how did these enhance the
learning environment?
Reflections – Visit #1
Record
your reflections—as a future teacher—after visiting the classroom for the first
time. What did you notice that
worked/did not work? What were your
impressions of the teacher, student-teacher relationships, and learning
environment? What would you change
about the classroom situation?
Observation/Classroom Visit #2
– Case Study
Guidelines:
On your second visit
to the classroom, single out one student to observe carefully. Observe the student for at least one
hour. During that time, record the
following information:
1. Student profile – gender, race, outward
appearance, observed academic ability.
2. Describe what types of learning activities
was the student engaged in while the observation took.
3. What was the relationship between the
student and other students; student and teacher and how—in your opinion—did
this affect the learning situation?
4. Explain why you selected this student to
observe?
Reflections /Case Study –
Visit #2
Reflecting
on the student and learning environment/activity that you observed, what would
you do differently to assist this student in meeting success? If you feel that the student was
successfully engaging in his/her learning, how would you enhance the situation
if this were your classroom?
Observation/Classroom Visit #3
– Teacher Interview
Guidelines:
Conduct an onsite
visit with the teacher you have been assigned to. Use the interview questions compiled in class as a guide. During this last visit, gather
information—in addition to the interview question responses—so that you can put
together a "teacher profile."
To assist you, use the following:
1. Number of years teaching:
2. Grades and subjects taught:
3. List the schools and locations where the
teacher has worked:
4. Gender – male/female
5. Approximate age:
6. Degrees and where they were completed:
7. Areas of interest:
**See further
explanation of assignment beginning on page 11
Observation/Classroom Visit #1 – Room Arrangement
Optional: Photograph of the Classroom
Reflections – Visit #1
Obtain
a copy of a typical assignment from your cooperating teacher. If possible, make a copy of student work
that resulted from the assignment.
Reflect on the assignment and student work—what do you think of the
assignment; was the assignment effective; how would you change the assignment
to achieve positive learning outcomes?
Observation Log
Name of Teacher:
School:
Date Time
In Time Out
Observation/Classroom
Visit #1
Observation/Classroom Visit #2
Observation/Classroom Visit #3
Teacher's
Signature: Date:
Comments:
Teacher Interview Assignment – FOED 1110
Part
I: Each student is required to conduct a
teacher interview with the cooperating teacher (Kittrell School). FOED 1110 students will refer to the set of
questions as a guide throughout the interview.
Part
II: In addition to the interview—which may be
conducted by phone, email, or in person—the student must visit the teacher’s
classroom in order to draw a diagram or take a picture of the classroom. This diagram/picture must be included in the
final Teacher Analysis and will be used to compare changes in education that
have taken place over a period of time.
Part
III: Once the interview has been conducted, the
student will complete:
!
A
teacher profile which must consist of: a) the location of the school, b) grade,
c) number of years experience in a public school, d) education background, and
e) other professional experiences/activities such as coaching, yearbook
advisor, membership in professional organizations, etc. Utilize the teacher responses collected (see
page 8) when writing your teacher profile.
The responses must be written in narrative format.
!
An
analysis of the teacher’s responses to the interview questions (see page
13). The analysis should reveal any
patterns in responses such as trends in education that the teacher has seen,
issues in school reform that are of concern, etc. Analysis results must be
typed in narrative form and must include any emerging patterns along with the
student’s opinion as to why the teacher responded in a specific manner
Grading: The assignment will be graded using the attached Rubric. Please refer to the grading checklist
(below) and rubric when preparing your assignment. The assignment must be typed and should include:
ü
Cover
Sheet – Title of the Assignment, Your Name, Course, Date
ü
List
of Generated Questions utilized (refer to Suggested Questions List)
ü
Profile
of Teacher (one page)
ü
Narrative
of Teacher Responses (one page)
ü
Diagram
or Picture of Classroom
ü
Analysis
of Responses (approximately one page)
ü
NO
FOLDER NEEDED – Please staple in the upper left-hand corner
ü
EXTRA
CREDIT – Include samples of teacher-made materials, student work, or additional
pictures of classroom
ASSIGNMENT
DUE:
Updated – Spring 2002
Craig
Teacher Interview Assignment – FOED 1110
FOED 111 –
Suggested Interview Questions
- In your opinion, what things are the most important, most interesting, and least desirable aspects of teaching?
- Would recommend the profession?
- What are the biggest problems facing the public schools in your community?
- Do you think parents have lowered their discipline standards – and – what type of discipline problems do you think teachers should be able to handle on their own?
- What do you think of extending the school year – to year round?
- What was the most difficult aspect of your first year of teaching?
- In your opinion, are public schools demanding enough of students –with regard to required courses, testing, and quality work?
- What do you think about inclusion and how has it affected your classroom?
- What suggestions would you give to help prepare the future teacher for the classroom?
- What bilingual education/ESL problems do you see facing your community, school, and the profession in general?
- How do you feel about corporal punishment?
Alternative Questions:
- What is your opinion of “parent choice” and vouchers?
- What do you consider to be qualities of effective teachers?
- Should public schools consider becoming charter schools or should they consider reorganization by private businesses?
- How can funding be increased to meet the needs of specific communities?
- What do you think of the idea, which would require all tax revenue to be pooled and redistributed evenly regardless of income, property tax, etc., in every system across the state?
Middle Tennessee State University
Dr. Tammie Brown
Department of Educational Leadership
University Honors Program
To: Cooperating Teachers
From: Dr. Tammie Brown
RE: Field Experience – FOED 1110 –
Honors
Thank you for agreeing
to sponsor and assist a FOED 1110-Honors/Education as Profession student. Each student must complete a field placement
consisting of three hours in a public school classroom. The guided observations are outlined in the
Field Placement Journal that students will share with you during the first
visit. Activities include conducting a
teacher interview, drawing a diagram of the classroom, completing a guided
observation of one student within the classroom setting, and recording
reflections after each visit. Please
encourage students to become involved in the classroom environment. University students will ask each
cooperating teacher to sign their completed observation log and offer comments
regarding the field placement. If you
have any questions regarding the field placement and assignments, please feel
free to contact me. Thank you again for
assisting future teachers as they enter the profession.
Dr.
Tammie Brown
Department
of Educational Leadership
And
Honors
College
Middle
Tennessee State University
PO
Box 91
898-2325
tsbrown@mtsu.edu