Running Head: CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Clinical Experience
Tiffany Romary
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Entry #1
Observation of a Lesson & Reflection

I observed a reading lesson. My teacher did a mini lesson on how paragraphs connect and how
you have to read the chapters before to understand references later in the text. She used Judy
Moody as an example. She talked about how Judy dropped her brothers animal, Newton down
the drain and her brother didnt tell because he didnt want to get her in trouble. Then, several
chapters later her brother asked to borrow her markers and she said no. He said Newton. And
she changed her mind. If we hadnt read the other chapter we wouldnt understand why that
made her change her mind. Next my teacher used the book BFG as guided practice. Then she
prompted them to while they were reading think about how the chapters in their own book
connected. I really liked this lesson, and it flowed well with what we are learning in class. She
also allowed in Readers Workshop for them to choose their books which is also what we have
been learning. This observation influenced me as a teacher to be sure to use books my students
have read in my mini lessons, and to be sure to ALWAYS practice with them first like my teacher
did. She did Teacher Input with Judy Moody, Guided Practice with BFG and then Independent
practice was when they tried what they learned in the mini lesson with their own books. I feel as
if students get so much more out of the lesson if they know what you are referring to and you
practice with them before you expect them to do it on their own.

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Entry #2
Classroom Document and Reflection
What kind of document did you collect?
I took a picture of the teachers classroom management tool. I chose this because I really liked
her behavior management strategy. I have never seen a portable clip chart but I thought that was
a great idea and something I would use.
What does this document show?
This document shows my teachers behavior system. She has a stick with all of the students clips
and the colors. The students can clip up or down immediately all day. She even leaves it for the
specials teachers which helps them as well.
Reflection: What are your thoughts/opinions about this document?
I love this idea. I like how she encourages them to get purple by giving them a class dojo point if
they end on purple. Once they get 25 dojo points they get a prize. There is an app for the class
dojo so it is very easy to keep track of.

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Entry #3
Teacher Interview
1. How do you write a typical lesson plan?
I look at the standard first- what do they need to get out of this? I also look for questions that are
related to the standard that they are going to see for the EOG- not teaching to the test, but making
sure I use the same academic language in my lessons (instead of saying "What's the main idea?"
I would say "What's the central message?" Because "central message" is what they will see). I
make sure to include something for visual, kinesthetic and auditory learners so I plan activities
that link all three types of learners. I ask myself "How can I use technology in this lesson?"
When I write the plan, I think of the intro/connection from the previous lesson, I make sure there
is time to go over expectations for the activity and I always plan a closing. I like to make sure
I've wrapped up the lesson so the students not only know what they did but WHY they did it.
2. In what ways do you plan to accommodate individual differences in the classroom?
I make sure all learning styles are accounted for in my activities. Some students have
manipulatives, like cubes or clocks. Seating arrangements are very important in the classroomfor behavior as well as focus. When in doubt- ask the parents what motivates their child. Maybe
they have a secret weapon you haven't thought of.
3. What are some of your instructional challenges as a teacher?
Instructional challenges include differentiation. All parents want individualized instruction for
their child but with 24 students that is very difficult. They will say "How is my child doing in
class?" and they legitimately expect you to know the answer off the top of your head. There is a
lot to juggle with the expectations of the students, parents, and administrators. I want to try to
please everyone so making sure I have enough technology in my lesson, enough cultural

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

awareness, enough differentiation, etc for the administrators to be pleased. We are required to
retest students that score less than an 84% on any formal assessment, and that is also hard to
juggle- you are expected to teach a specific standard every week but you can't forget about the
previous weeks' because you still need to reteach and retest that standard.
4. What are the demographics of your classroom? Girls? Boys? Etc.
I have 13 boys, 11 girls, 1 ESL student (boy), and one student with ADHD. He does his own
thing in the back of the room but he is listening. As long as his body is stimulated he is on-task.
5. What motivation tactics do you use to ensure a desire to learn?
I share student data with them as often as I can. We set individual goals for MAP scores.
Students know the score they need to show proficiency and as soon as I know the score I let
them know in a conference. We individually talk about specific skills that the student needs to
work on at the own time. Students know what is expected of them and they want to naturally
meet their goals. As soon as they are aware of these goals they are motivated to reach them.
6. What are the class rules? How is behavior monitored? What are the consequences? Rewards?
Motivation includes a behavior chart- you can move up or down and the 'color" at the end of the
day is sent home to show how students behaved. Positive reinforcement includes
www.classdojo.com and when they reach 25 points they can have a bigger reward like the prize
box.

Teacher Interview Reflection

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

My interview with my teacher was very helpful in informing me about things I needed to
know when I taught in her class. She shared with me the layout of her lesson plans as well as she
shared with me her thinking behind her plans. I really like that she doesnt teach to the test but
she still considers the language they need to know for the EOG. It was also helpful as a future
teacher that she shared that it was hard to balance all of the testing BUT I know its possible
because I have seen her getting it all done. Also, she shared with me about how she has a student
with ADHD, and a student who is an ESL student. This was helpful when planning for
differences so that I could provide extra support if needed. My teacher also said she involves her
students in making goals for testing so that they are motivated to learn and grow. Instead of
yelling at them when they werent listening in class she would ask them if they wanted to grow.
She would mention that she knew everyone else wanted to grow and move to the fourth grade
and assured them that if they paid attention they would grow as well. Lastly, my teacher shared
her behavior plan with me. I LOVE her behavior plan. She has a clip chart that is portable so
that no matter where they are she can discipline and then she rewards them with dojo points if
they end the day on purple, or she sees that they are just having a really good day. Once they
receive 25 points they get a prize. Overall my interview and experience with my teacher were
great and very helpful.

Entry #4

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Student Interview
1. How long have you been going to Morehead? What is your favorite thing about the

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school?
1st year, the engineering
What is your favorite subject and why?
Reading, I like to read
If you could change or add one thing to your school what would it be?
Add talent shows, because he enjoys dancing
What is your least favorite subject and why?
Math, because division is hard
What are some of your class rules?
Keep your body to yourself, and be honest
Did you make the rules as a class or were they made by your teacher?
We made them as a class and then we had to sign them saying we would follow them
Why do you think we need rules?
We need rules so we wont do bad or hurt anybody and have any consequences. We also

need rules to keep control outside of school

8. Why do you think we need school?
We need school for an education, to get smart, and to get a job.

Reflection on Student Interview

The student that I interviewed was a student whose desk was separated from the rest of the class.
I chose this student because I felt like they would give an interesting perspective to some of my
questions. It is his first year at the school that also gives a different perspective. He said he
really enjoys engineering and reading but thinks that math is hard. Although he says math is
hard his grades reflect that he is very good at math and very smart across the board. He told me
what the class rules were and that they developed them together as a class. Knowing that they
developed the rules together as a class and signed a form saying they would follow them was
helpful to know in classroom management. If necessary I could have brought up that they signed
the rules at the beginning of the year so they should know to follow them. He knew we needed
rules to keep us safe and to keep us from doing bad or hurting others. He also stated that it helps

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

him keep control outside of school as well. He told me we need school so we can get an
education, be smart and get a job. This child sits to the side of the class only sometimes when he
knows that he will be distracting others from learning because he cant concentrate. So what
seemed like a punishment was actually a way to help this student and others stay focused and
learn. Overall from this interview I learned a lot about the classroom dynamics, and how third
graders view school and rules. I know from experience that kindergarteners take rules seriously
and want to obey them, so I was curious as to what third graders thought of rules and if they even
thought we needed them. This interview was also helpful for me getting to know the classroom
management aspect of the class and getting to learn from a third graders perspective.

Entry #5
Overall Clinical Experience Reflection
My overall clinical experience was amazing, and I learned so much just in these two short
weeks. I learned the importance of balancing time management, classroom management and the
actual lesson. It is a hard thing to do at first but with practice it will become more natural. My
teacher did a fantastic job of balancing everything. She even managed to still find time for
writing even if it was integrating it into other subjects. She told me that writing is the first thing
to go when they have to start cramming for testing. She hated that writing had to go, and didnt
feel this was okay, so she tried to fit it into lessons when she could. I learned that as a teacher of
writing that I have to make writing important or my students wont think it is important and that

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

it will just slowly disappear in preparation for testing. I also learned that balancing testing with
all of that is extremely hard.
In my lessons I found myself working from the first lesson to improve on all of the things
she suggested. I feel like all of her suggestions were very helpful and made my lessons run
smoother. I started in my second lesson by focusing on one thing that she told me to I could
improve on in the first and tried to improve on that in the second lesson. I thought my science
lesson went the best. My science lesson was my 3rd lesson and it was halfway through the
second week so I knew the students and the students knew me. My students and my teacher
really loved my science lesson. That lesson was when I saw myself grow the most as a teacher
over this experience. During my science lesson I found myself trying to bring in writing. I had
my students write a letter to their teacher explaining to her why they needed the Skeletal System.
Then if they finished early since she had suggested after my first lesson that I give them
something related to the task if they finished early I had my students write letters to their Skeletal
System thanking it for being there for them. My students loved that and I was able to
incorporate creative writing like we do in class. I used the idea of writing a letter to something,
such as the mirror and made it relevant to the science lesson I was teaching. I found my beliefs
of writing instruction influencing my experience by me trying to incorporate writing into my
lessons when I could.
During my clinical experience my teacher also said I did really well at classroom
management. I was a little worried about classroom management because I didnt know the
students that well at first but once I was able to see how she managed behavior in and out of the
classroom I was more comfortable stepping in and doing it myself. During my clinical
experience I got to sit in on a post observation meeting with the assistant principal. In that

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meeting I learned a lot about professional development and teaching the standards. Also, I
learned how they write their lesson plans at my school. I got to sit in on a data meeting which
was interesting to see how they look at the data and then see where their students need to grow.
Also they showed the third grade teachers in the data meeting a way to choose complex texts for
their students. The last meeting I sat in on during my two week clinical experience was grade
level planning. I sat in on planning where they went over what they were planning to do for the
week and kind of tossed out ideas. Sitting in on planning made me realize just how important
working collaboratively with your coworkers is. They all had unique ideas to bring to the table
and it was interesting to hear all of the ideas and how they shared all of their materials on their
grade level page. During my clinical experience I was able to come away with so many rich
experiences that will help me grow as a teacher. This experience made me so much more excited
to be a teacher and to apply what I have learned.