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Wyland Oyama

MS Self Field Report


10/26/2015
Science Fair Book Research
Strengths:

I made a positive first impression by meeting the students at the door and tried to use
everyones name. I also made sure to mingle a bit and open myself up to some
questioning to form a relationship with the students.
I did a good job circling from student to student in the library, trying to make myself
accessible to everyone, as well as targeting specific students who I had not worked with
yet.
I made an effort to try and ask every student about their science fair project. I made sure
to ask what they were doing, how it was coming along, and what kinds of discoveries or
problems they encountered. This provided me the opportunity to show the students that I
cared about their success.
When helping students, I tried to give myself a time limit of long I was going to work
with them for. Each student got about two minutes of one-on-one time with me. Towards
the end of their time, I tried to leave them with a question to promote further inquiry and
research topics for their individual project.
I made sure to have the library thank their library staff for allowing them to use the
school resources. Hopefully this promotes more gratitude in their later life for the simple
things.

Weaknesses:
1. Considering I didnt know what all was needed for their science fair project, the
teacher had to step in and give a good portion of instruction on their task that day.
2. There was a lot of unused time while the library staff was setting up equipment. This
meant there was no bell-to-bell work for the students.
3. Some students required a bit extra time. Christian, an ESOL student needed some
extra time to clarify what he needed to look for in a research book.
4. Overall, I bonded well with the students today, but I didnt provide as much positive
reinforcement as I would like.
5. Some of my student mingling was during the announcements, which set an expectation
for the students that they werent required to listen to them.
6. I was having trouble finding a specific research book for maxim. His project was very
unique and all I could think of were broad chemistry books for him to use as research.
Constructive Suggestions:

1. It would help me to be more prepared to have the expectations of the science fair to read
before coming in to class today. That way, even if I didnt know all of the expectations
that were predetermined for todays activity, I would have the general direction in mind
to steer them towards a final product.
2. The easiest thing to do for this time would have been a small description of myself, and
explain the expectations that I had for todays class activity as well as my expectations
throughout the time I will be teaching.
3. Had I known Christian was a second language English speaker, I would have given him a
few one-on-one help sessions intermingled between the other students of the class. That
way, the expectations are still upheld, while still giving a presence that I am circling
around through the class.
4. I always come back to quotas for this weakness. If every time I talk to a student, I remind
myself to give at least two compliments, it will help validate the times when I have to
take the role of a disciplinarian.
5. The mingling can happen more before the announcements are on. This weakness must
only be corrected by enforcing attention to the announcements. Otherwise, I can clarify
that I made a mistake and that today would be the only exception.
6. Having prior knowledge of the individual student projects may have helped me with
more of a game plan for Maxim. Otherwise, I could have let him pick out a number of
different books and asked him to narrow down which book he thought would be most
appropriate.

Wyland Oyama

MS Self Field Report


10/27/2015
Hypothesis/Plant Experiment Journal
Strength:

The bell ringer for today was a good minds-on warm up for the activity of the class. They
were required to form what they thought would be a good hypothesis so that we can
correct their initial conceptions later.
I felt like I was losing student attention at one point, so I made them stand up and do an
acting exercise where they shake themselves awake. This energizer was well placed at my
most desperate hour.
I continued to use the ticket system that Mrs. Hankins already had in place as a seamless
transition from what she expected of the class to what I expected.
I made sure to use the random call out generator to ensure that I wasnt picking the first
person with their hand up (which I usually do). This is a good general tool, but I also
think its positive to address my shortcomings and find ways to correct them.
Another short energizer I used was a transition to the lab stations for further work. This
helped the students by giving them a short break, but also gave them a new environment
in order to form thoughts on the subject.
I made sure to incorporate the general mentality of the scientific community into this
class. One of the aspects I addressed today was the importance of scientists sharing their
work so that the progression of technology and the bank of scientific knowledge can
grow much faster.

Weaknesses:
1. I didnt have much accountability in making sure students had something written down
for the bell ringer. I assumed they had something if they were participating in the
discussion.
2. When I had students discuss amongst themselves, not all students were readily willing to
talk. This lent itself to one-sided conversations.
3. I wasnt completely clear about what was in in the blanks of If
. Then
.
Because
.
4. Wait times were nonexistent today. This is something I need to work on in general.
5. I used a phrase about what the collective thinks but didnt qualify that with an
explanation. Students may not know what a collective is.
6. I need to make sure to assign group tasks. There was some time wasted when the
students had to decide what they wanted to do.
Constructive Suggestions:

1. I can use the ticket system for this scenario specifically. If I incorporate the routine of
checking student work while encouraging students who are completed first with tickets,
more students may be better prepared with something written. It may cause students to
write something that isnt applicable, but that correction can occur in a few classes.
2. I should incorporate explicit timing for this. I can give the individual students 1 minute
to share their piece and then have them rotate through the color system that is already in
place.
3. If I have one word in each of the blanks, then the students can base the information on
something solid and be able to build the expanded knowledge on something more
concrete. If Change, Then Result, Because Why.
4. I need to count before choosing a student to answer as well as counting before validating
or correcting an answer. It seems simple in theory but applying it seems to be very
difficult for me.
5. I should create a hand signal for when students are confused by a word that I use. That
way I can stop immediately and address the issue rather than continue on a promote
confusion. I can also reward the brave student with a ticket to encourage this to happen.
6. If I create clear roles and either randomly assign them or have those roles rotate, then
there wouldnt be quite so much time wasted in having the students decide what they
want to do.

Wyland Oyama
MS Self Field Report
10/28/2015

Materials and Procedure


Strengths:

I performed the exercise we saw in science methods about how to make a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich. It got the students engaged and gave a good idea of clarification for
when they make their Procedures for their experiments.
I was very clear and had a good strategy for rules that promoted every student to be
engaged during the demonstration.
I incorporated Mrs. Hankins strategy of gathering focus. The students were well used to
this tool and it saved time from having to create a new one.
I made sure to assign group roles for the experiments so that everyone had a job to do,
and no single student was the only one working. This was a good incorporation of the
strategies we are currently learning about in class.
I made sure to have students clarify the group roles. This not only checked for retention
for what was required of them, but gave the students a new means of communication for
the expectations.
When a new student entered the class, I made sure to have the class welcome her and
involve her in the group activity. It was a relatively seamless transition for her, which I
believe put her at ease.

Weaknesses:
1. I need to incorporate more higher order thinking questions. The activity was fairly
straightforward and only required the students to complete a task.
2. I was so obsessed with the specificity of the lab materials that it took up most of the class
time. There were some instances where I could have saved some time by being less strict.
3. Though I did a good job welcoming the new student, I didnt make sure to catch her up
on the lab activity that we were doing.
4. I didnt spend an equal amount of time with each lab group, in part because of the
specificity I expected in the materials list.
5. I didnt give full instructions while the students were at their seats. Instead, I let them go
to their lab groups and then had to rein them in before continuing further.
6. I used Mrs. Hankins focus tool, but I didnt make sure there was 100% compliance
before I continued on.

Constructive Suggestions:
1. This was particularly difficult considering there was general work that needed to be done
rather than minds-on work. I could maybe have groups exchange their materials list and
have them critique how specific it was, giving students the new perspective and ability to
critique their own work as well.

2. I could have used explicit timing for myself to prevent this time loss. If I devoted 20
minutes to each part (materials and procedures) then perhaps both would have been done
today.
3. I could have given this task specifically to her group mates so that she could bond with
some of the students she would be most exposed to. After the fact, I could follow up and
do a retention check of her understanding of the assignment. That way I can assert
myself as the instructor with expectations as well.
4. I could have used explicit timing and a similar activity as the bell ringer to have the
whole class involved in clarification. That way, students could use each other more than
me as a resource for information.
5. If there was a list of all the instructions I planned to give, then I could simply go through
the list before they move to the lab stations. That way I wouldnt forget any portion of
what was expected of them, and I wouldnt have to gather their attention again.
6. One thing I want to incorporate into her tool is saying, you are going to show me I have
your attention by giving me your eyes. That way students wont talk to each other when
they are looking at me.

Wyland Oyama
MS Self Field Report
10/29/2015
Short Day/Planting and Finishing Procedure
Strengths:

I used a quote as the bell ringer and promoted class discussion on their opinions
on it. This was a promotion of higher order thinking about morality, which is not
part of science standards, but still very important.
Today I was really on top of positive reinforcement. I felt like many of the
students formed a stronger relationship with me because of this effort to show that
I care for them and their success.
I maintained group roles today. There were a couple of times I went over and saw
students who werent the materials manager manipulating the materials, but I
made sure they continued to act exclusively towards these roles.
I incorporated the, you will let me know I have your attention when I have
everyones eyes into the focus gathering. I also waiting until I had everyones
attention, even if it was after I had counted to 1.
Group 5 was arguing amongst themselves a lot, which I addressed with some
conflict management. I had everyone take a breath and air their grievances before
they continued on.

Weaknesses:
1. Because it was a short day, I was more inclined on giving students the answers rather
than making them discover it for themselves.
2. I wasnt able to use Reyanna as the reporter because she was absent yesterday, but I
didnt have a plan on how to deal with this issue.
3. Overall time management was off today. I ran out of time for all groups to have planted
their seeds.
4. Some of the group hypothesis still werent clear. I feel like I didnt have the time to
address the misconceptions while still getting what was required completed.
5. I didnt incorporate clean up time into my lesson plan.
Constructive Suggestions:
1. This is not the worst weakness considering the time I had to get everything done. In some
ways, it is positive in reference to choosing my battles. However, it still needs to be
important to develop inquiry for the students.
2. I could have asked her to fill in all of the information from the day before and then
checked her work to make sure it was completed correctly. From then on out, I could
have held her accountable for the work that was being done today, rather than dwelling
on the past.
3. Informing the students of my expectations wasnt entirely useful. I should have
maintained time reminders throughout the period so students were constantly aware of
how much time they had left.
4. I could have allowed the students to continue working, and make written notes in the
recorders book as to how they might improve their hypothesis. That way, everything
would get done, and they would have some foundation for change on Monday.

5. This needed to be established beforehand. If the class ended at 9:55, I should have set an
alarm for cleaning up at 9:45. I think all in all, I was a bit frazzled by all that we needed
to get done today.

Wyland Oyama
MS Self Field Report
11/2/2015
Finished Up any Leftover Planting
Strengths:

I made sure to complement group 5 for their cooperation today and their hard work. It
was important that I congratulated them while they were doing what I expected so that
they are encouraged to continue working together.
I maintained the ticket system as reinforcement for positive work and class procedures
that the students are upholding.
I was very conscious today about where I positioned myself in the classroom. This
encouraged students like Hans to speak louder and face our conversation towards to rest
of the class to include them in the discussion.
I was much more effective at time management today, and made sure to have designated
clean up time at the end of the class.
I made sure to check specifically with the recorders on their plant experiments. This
enforces that particular role as well as the other roles assigned to the students of the
group.
I stressed the idea that, if I was someone who didnt know you or someone who didnt
know how you did this experiment, would your procedures allow me to recreate this
experiment and come to similar conclusions.

Weaknesses:
1. Some of the general information about the plant project was not well presented. Some
examples were seed depth and amount of water to give.
2. I wasnt quite as much of a disciplinarian as I normally am. Some of the students were
cutting up which I didnt effectively address.
3. I used abbreviations on the board for the bell ringer activity. This might have created
some confusion about the information.
4. I wasnt able to keep all of the students engaged, especially Christian who is my ESOL
student.
5. I didnt always check the students work. One group needed to have some of their plants
in the refrigerator, which I didnt make sure was accomplished.
6. Generally, I was rushing around a lot today and felt very flustered by mistakes. I dont
want this to look like unprofessionalism to the students.

Constructive Suggestions:
1. This information could have easily been written on the board so that all of the students
could see it and reference it when necessary (which it was the other days). Also, a general
reference before students begin would be helpful in reiterating this important information.
2. This may have been due to the fact that I was a bit frazzled today. I could have used the
attention getter so that everyone was held accountable for their groups progress. I could
also have put in an energizer to give students a short time to goof off.

3. This could be solved by a slide set, but it was too impromptu to be really prepared. I
should make sure to write out all the words every time, because the slight time it saves is
not equal to the potential misconceptions the students might walk away with.
4. The energizer might get other students engaged again, but Christian is still someone who
I am working to find strategies for. I may ask him to use analogies or explain them to me
personally to get him more involved.
5. I can make a checklist of the specific conditions some groups needed so that I can make
sure everyone is held accountable. Group 4 was the only real issue, but having the
checklist might keep me more organized with them.
6. I should make sure to center myself while letting the students work amongst themselves.
If I take a quick minute while they collaborate, I can be a more effective teacher after I
have calmed myself.

Wyland Oyama
MS Self Field Report
11/3/2015
Dr. Jones Observation/Variables
Strengths:

I made sure to utilize group work today, asking students to come up with their best idea
how to cool a can of soda from room temperature. This inspired a bit of debate amongst
the students which made them somewhat attached to the subject.
I made sure to combine this lesson on variables to the variables they were using in the
experiment. I also used an experiment question that none of the lab groups had so that we
could collectively come up with the variables.
I did a good job randomizing which students I would call on so that everyone had an
opportunity to say something. This was in part due to the randomizer, but I am also
developing those skills into my impromptu teaching style.
I made sure to give a lot of positive feedback, especially considering Dr. Jones was
observing me. I wanted the students to feel comfortable guessing and tying so that
students were more involved.
I interspersed the discussion with lecture, making sure the energizers kept students
engaged.
I used a lot of explicit timing, and help myself accountable by setting Mrs. Hankins timer
clock to remind the students and myself when to move on. It helped somewhat in my
time management.

Weaknesses:
1. There was some general confusion on the topic of variables, which may have been due to
the fact the bell ringer was a little too hard.
2. I had troubles getting target students to answer, especially Kisia considering she is a
naturally quiet girl.
3. I wasnt able to follow my lecture outline to the T because of the general confusion. This
forced me to throw away a lot of my time estimates.
4. My wait times were not present, which may have been attributed to my nervousness of
having Dr. Jones observe me today.
5. There werent any real retention checks since the students were struggling to grasp the
information as a whole.
6. I was so consumed by getting the students to understand the information that I may have
neglected some cognitive overload.
Constructive Suggestions:
1. Rather than using the lab group prompt as a supplemental example, I should have used it
as the bell ringer in place of the soda prompt. This would have been closer to what they
were already working on and helped transition the application of variables more
smoothly.
2. I could have given a quick 10 seconds for the group to discuss then asked the question
again. That way, shy students like Kisia would have the feeling that her entire lab group
was supporting her.

3. It was good that I didnt continue when the students made some misconceptions. Dr.
Jones gave a good strategy by calling them manipulating and responding variables. That
way, the word choice is more specific to what the variables are actually in relation to in
the experiment.
4. I need to be more confident in my abilities as a teacher. I have a unique style and I do it
well. With that confidence I can slow myself down and allow the time necessary for
students to learn through wait times.
5. With the adjustments I could have made, retention checks can be used for the other lab
prompt that wasnt used. Students can work as a group and display their answers on the
class set of whiteboards. This would have also been used efficiently as an energizer.
6. Preparing the lecture more towards the students level of thinking could have improved
this drastically. I asked them to conceptualize a very challenging idea. Giving them a
more reasonable idea and using the lab prompts effectively would have helped the
students with this strain on the brain.

Wyland Oyama
MS Self Field Report
11/4/2015
Review Variables/Data Table
Strengths:

I used a variable bell ringer to clarify and address the misconceptions from yesterday. I
also used the terms manipulating and responding variables rather than independent and
dependent for further clarification. It was also used to explain constants.
I asked one student from each group to come up and draw what they think an ideal data
table for the experiment was. I used this to clear misconceptions and asked students to
give strategies on how to make it more specific to the task, which was a good way of
promoting inquiry for honors kids.
When students were not raising their hands when they asked questions, I demonstrated
my expectations by raising my own hand. The students understood, and maintained the
expectations for the rest of the period.
I used the information we collectively made to create a class data table that they could
use for the experiment. It felt good using the students work to create something
functional that the class could use, giving them the cognitive load.
I made sure to continue using Mrs. Hankins timer clock to improve my time
management and explicit timing.
I gave a good bit of positive reinforcement, but I am mostly proud of congratulating
maxim on correcting me on something I did wrong. I was very proud of him having the
courage to say that I was wrong, and it was very strategic to give him positive
reinforcement because of his actions.

Weaknesses:
1. I used the random generator to call on a student before I actually asked them the
question. This can put students on the spot in a negative way.
2. Some of the cooperative learning groups were not talking with each other, making the
discussion rather useless.
3. There was a wasp problem today, which took time and focus away from the class as a
whole.
4. I used too much redirecting and not enough probing. I also allowed the student to choose
who to redirect to, which were usually students eager to answer.
5. I took a few too many call-outs today which was later corrected, but I dont want to ruin
the positive work that has been happening already.
6. Im having an issue maintaining group 2. Christian and Stephen are both being way too
social when I need them to focus on the work.
Constructive Suggestions:
1. This is something that I just need to flip. If I develop a phrase or way of speaking that
could promote me using the generator afterwards, it may become routine for me. After
asking the question, I could say something like, Who is our lucky contestant today?
2. Kagan would be the best way to remedy this situation. I could use more round robin to
encourage equal parts of participation from all students.

3. This is a tough scenario to deal with. We left the classroom while Mrs. Hankins sprayed
bug killer, and I tried to use that time for some team building, but I would say the
majority of this needed to be dealt with immediately.
4. In my lecture outline, I could have possible probes under the question that I have
preconceived. That way I will have a plan B for students rather than having to come up
with them on the spot.
5. I handled it the best way that I could, but it needed to happen earlier on in the class
period. That way, I can hold them accountable for reinforcing the rules from the
beginning of the class period.
6. I think the best way of handling this is sitting them across from one another. Christian is
probably doing this because hes not following all of the English in the class, and Stephen
is more than willing to play along. If they sit diagonally across from each other, it would
minimize their interaction.

Wyland Oyama
MS Self Field Report
11/5/2015
Computer Lab (Teacher-Facilitated)
Strengths:

Even though this was our last day, I continued to build upon student relationships. I
brought candy and told them how proud I was when Dr. Jones visited the class. They
ended up writing me a thank you card, and Reyanna drew a picture of me that said, See
you soon.
I used the Whirl-One reward system to keep students engaged and on task. Students who
completed their work got a ticket, and as soon as other students saw this they were
encouraged to focus on their work.
I was flexible and maintained composure when there were issues getting access to the
educational resource. I calmly found a solution by using captions rather than headphones
and moving students to different computers rather than trying to fix unnecessary issues.
I continued class routines in a new environment like the ticket system and the 5, 4, 3, 2,
1. This was only possible since they were routinely used in the classroom.

Weaknesses:
1. There was too long of a transition time between the class and computer lab because
students wanted to talk and mingle with me before heading over.
2. I didnt have anything for the students to do after they finished the work with the
educational resource.
3. I wasnt familiar with the educational resource they were using so I was very dependent
on Mrs. Hankins and the computer technician for help.
4. I didnt check the student work for quality as opposed to completion. I believe some
students may have given me the slip in this respect.
Constructive Suggestions:
1. Really, I should have been more stern with Reyanna for holding up our transition.
Afterwards, Mrs. Hankins informed me that she will work until you physically close her
book. I saw she was working on a drawing for me and that made me more lenient.
2. I could have told the students to do extra research on their science fair projects when they
were done. This would have given more purpose to the free time.
3. This was something I may have been able to check on before using the lab today. I dont
think it was horribly detrimental, but having the extra knowhow would improve my
image as a dependable resource for the kids.
4. This was a mishap on my part. I didnt catch some of the answers that werent written
initially, but most students had been working diligently. It would have been better if I had
completed the worksheet on my own time, so I knew what to be looking for.

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