Dakota State University has provided me with many great experiences to step into an actual

classroom to see and practice what I have been learning while pursuing my degree in Elementary
and Special Education. These experiences have given me a better understanding of what being a
teacher consists of each day. It has also emphasized the importance of creating a positive
classroom environment, having successful classroom management, and creating relationships
with students. I have been able to be part of many great classrooms and have learned from highly
experienced teachers. My experiences have made me excited to have my own classroom
someday.

Student Teaching at Canistota Middle/High School – 6-12 Special Education

I completed my second semester of student teaching in the Canistota Middle/High School
while working with students in Special Education. Over the course of the semester, I got hands-
on experience with going through Individualized Education Programs, going through the steps of
the referral process, evaluations, and implementation, and how to effectively progress monitor
goals. My biggest take away from going through this process was learning the importance of
accuracy and planning ahead. I also created lesson plans for students that were pulled out of the
classroom. These lesson plans were differentiated in order to meet the academic and emotional
needs of my students. This really opened my eyes to how capable students are to learn when they
have materials and tasks that are at their level of ability and achievement. During this student
teaching experience, one of the most memorable moments was when I accomplished a break
through moment with one of my students who has Emotional Behavior Disturbance. This student
often exhibited refusal behaviors and aggression. After I took the time to get to know this
student, I realized that if I related the materials to things that he was interested in he was much
more motivated to complete them. One of his interests was basketball. Therefore, I created a
basketball game that we could play with almost any type of assignment. I was still able to grade
and reflect effectively after this game and he wanted to do the assignments. Throughout this
semester, I learned the importance of not only taking the time to create a positive relationship
with my students, but also my colleagues. During this experience, Canistota School District went
through losing two students in the short amount of two weeks. The death of a student is
something that many teachers don’t go through in their entire teaching careers. I was able to
learn how to be emotionally and physically be there for the staff, my students, and for myself.
This also allowed me to create lifelong relationships with my colleagues that I will forever be
thankful for.

Student Teaching at Canistota Elementary School – 3rd Grade

I completed my first semester of student teaching with the Canistota 3rd grade class.
During the first couple of weeks, I observed my cooperating teacher and took notes on how she
taught her students and how she made relationships for them. Over the course of the semester, I
slowly started teaching each subject until I was teaching the full day on my own. During this
time, I was in charge of making lesson plans, preparing for each lesson, carrying them out,
handling classroom behaviors, being flexible and reflecting on my teaching. It gave me a hands-
on approach to see what having my own classroom will be like. One of the biggest takeaways
that I got from my classroom teacher is how beneficial it is to build relationships and teach
procedures in your classroom. On day one, my cooperating teacher told me “We probably won’t
start teaching actual content until week two. We have to build relationships and learn daily
procedures first. It will take time, but it will be worth it.” She was 100% correct. By taking the
time to teach and practice daily procedures, our students knew what is expected of them at all
times and the consequences that will happen when the expectations aren’t met. When we take the
time to build relationships with our students, they know that we care about them and will do
anything to help them succeed, inside and outside of the classroom. Building relationships with
my students and their parents will help benefit behaviors and make a difference when there may
be negative behaviors or other concerns. I also greatly benefitted from creating my own 10
lesson animal science unit. It included contextual factors, pre-assessment data, timelines, lesson
plans (including goals, objective, and standards), post-assessment data, recommendations, and a
reflection. My animal unit included hands-on projects, such as creating our own backbone and
hand imprints. This helped me see what is all needed to make an entire unit be successful.

Level III’s Madison Elementary School – 4th Grade

For my level III field experience, I was able to observe and teach at the Madison
Elementary School in the 4th grade. During this period of time, I was able to plan and teach five
science lessons and three math lessons. The focus of my science lessons was wind energy. The
learning of wind energy was completed with a hands-on, interactive approach. Students were
able to listen to books about wind energy and able to watch videos about how the first windmill
was create. As a class, we then got to put together a Dynamo Torch to help students understand
how energy travels and how a windmill is able to create electricity. By providing students with
hands-on activities, they were highly engaged and enthusiastic about learning. The math lessons
I taught included learning about different types of triangles, units of weight, and reviewing topics
that had already been learned. During the triangle and unit of weight lessons, my cooperating
teacher and I taught by using the station teaching co-teaching strategy. This included us dividing
instructional content into parts and the class into groups. Groups then spent designated time at
each station. I loved being able to experience teaching in this way. Together, we were able to
cover more content, which was vital because state testing was approaching soon for them. For
the math review, I used Plickers to incorporate technology and allow students to review in an
interactive way. Plickers is where the teacher creates question and answers online. Students then
answer them by using individual answer cards that the teacher scans using an electronic device.
This program also syncs and stores data about the questions and how your students answer.

Madison Middle School – Special Education/STEM

For my middle school practicum class, I was able to observe a special education teacher
who also taught two STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes. I was able to
observe how she organized her classroom and how she was able to individually help each
student, especially since they each had their own IEP. My cooperating teacher allowed me to
assist students with homework that they needed help with. I also observed and interacted with
students when she taught her STEM classes. This was a unique experience for me. I loved how
students were able to be creative, do hands-on projects, and collaborate with their peers. My
cooperating teacher was also very enthusiastic during this class and did an amazing job at
engaging her students during this experience. This helped me become aware of how beneficial
hands-on learning can be for students.

LifeScape Reflection
During my field experience at LifeScape in Sioux Falls, SD, I was placed in a classroom
with nine fulltime students ranging ages 5-10. There were also five teacher assistants in the
classroom. My cooperating teacher did an excellent job at preparing me for what to expect with
each student since they each had different needs. She was amazing at conversing with each
student (even if they were nonverbal) and making them feel special. While there, I got to help
students work on their daily goals, wheel them to different areas of the school, and play with the
students during mat time. I was also introduced to many new technological devices such as a
Tobii DynaVox, single output switches, Rifton supine standers, etc. Discrete trail training was
also used often in this classroom. This was an eye opening experience that confirmed to me that
every student deserves an opportunity to receive an education in a safe and accepting
environment. It also reinforced that it is crucial to implement differentiated instruction for your
students.

Howard Elementary School – 3rd Grade

For my reading methods class, I was placed in a 3rd grade classroom in Howard, SD. I
observed and assisted in the classroom for 8 hours. During this time, I also presented two lessons
that I created. One lesson was a read aloud and the other was a guided reading lesson. This
experience allowed me to get experience in front of a class and helped me visualize what a
successful reading lesson should look like. My cooperating teacher also introduced me to the
Daily Five reading strategy. This strategy seemed very beneficial for her students and allowed
their learning to be differentiated. I was able to see how the Daily Five helped her classroom
management and allowed her to work with different students while others were working
independently. During my experience, she also took the time to answer any questions I had and
gave me useful feedback about my lessons.