MGED 3131 - Field Component

Semester timeline:
Semester prior to experience:  Begin communication with schools (gathering placement capacity and interest)
Early within the semester (in which the experience occurs):  Begin communicating initial placement requests - including, where possible, name of university supervisor.
Weeks 2 - 3:  Students report to school
Weeks 14 - 15:  End of field experience
     

Brief description of experience:

Field Component:  Students arrange day and hours with teachers in the field.

MGED 3131 requires a field component to be completed in a local school. Thirty hours will be spent in the field. The field experience provides observation through the completion of a shadow study and five modules of middle school teachers and students. Furthermore, students will be asked to participate in daily routines such as taking attendance, leading students in a discussion, grading papers, preparing materials, teaching a mini-lesson, and so on. Students must successfully complete both the coursework and field component in order to pass the course. The 30 hour field placement will include:
One full day shadow study of a middle school student (i.e., student will be assigned by classroom teacher or clinical associate)
Five observation modules (i.e., modules will be discussed in class)
The field experience hours are to be arranged between the classroom teacher and the MGED 3131 student (i.e., a maximum of seven hours from the full-day shadow study may be counted toward the thirty hour placement). Students will receive a log which must be dated and initialed by the classroom teacher during each visit. The classroom teacher will be asked to complete a brief form evaluating the student's participation and performance. Students will be surveyed regarding the quality of their experience in the school.

 

Shadow Study Assignments:

The Student Shadow Study
The Shadow Study technique, a quasi-ethnographic procedure, supplies realistic snapshots of the educational experience individuals undergo during an actual school day. By focusing on a specific pupil and the minute-by-minute activities and actions of that pupil, a revealing picture of the educational process may be viewed. Although the actions of the teacher are part of this picture, by looking at the day's events through the eyes of the pupil, a different, and in many ways, more valid perspective is secured. This research procedure has been used by many researchers and thousands of students as an effective way to get closer to the reality of organized middle grades education.

Study Observation Guidelines
In this introductory middle grades course you will engage in an important research study. As part of your learning about the realities of teaching at the middle level, you will become an "observer for a day" in a local middle grades environment. During the day you will observe an early adolescent, experiencing the school day as he or she does, recording events and impressions and subsequently reflecting on these observations in a formal written report. The experience provides the raw data needed to deepen your understanding of the realities of teaching early adolescents in the middle grades. The complete report will be worth 50 points and will be compiled in the portfolio where each of you will have an opportunity to further reflect on the experience and add to the report as needed. Additional points MAY be possible upon further reflection. All students must satisfactorily complete the Shadow Study as part of the field component in order to pass the course.

 

General Directions for the Field Experience:
An early adolescent will be assigned to you. The student will not know he or she is being shadowed though you may be sure they will soon figure it out! You will be in the field for a minimum of thirty hours.

Only during the shadow study are your required to stay for an entire school day. During regular visits, two hours should be a minimum stay. However, the times and days you visit are to be arranged between you and the classroom teacher.

On the shadow study day, arrive at school no later than 8:00 AM and report to the main office to sign in and be sure to put on your nametag. Locate the room of your student and introduce yourself to the teacher who will point out your student. Find a seat at the back of the room and relax. Use the Study Observation Form to record your observations. The 7-10 minute interval will give you a bit of flexibility, but you should reflect the flow of activity. Begin a new time interval with each class change. Follow your student everywhere EXCEPT the OFFICE, SCHOOL NURSE, or RESTROOMS! Keep up with your student so you may experience the full school day. Try to see and feel the school experience as the student does.

If your student asks what you are doing, simply say you are observing the entire class for the day as part of your preparation for teaching middle school. After school is dismissed, stop by the main office to SIGN OUT and express your appreciation for the opportunity to spend a day in the school.

The evening of the day of your Shadow Study observations, write out you impressions, reactions and reflections while the day's events are fresh in your mind. Remember that ideas not immediately recorded usually enjoy the shelf life of un-refrigerated food! Close your Shadow Study with a "narrative reflection" of the experience.

Type out your Shadow Study on clean forms. A single copy of each necessary form is attached.

 

Shadow Study Cover Sheet:

Name:
Name of school:
Grade Level of Observation: 4 5 6 7 8
Student Gender: M F
Day of Shadow Study:
Time of Arrival:
Time of Departure:

 

Shadow Study Observation Form:

 

TIME (7-10 minute intervals)

 

Specific Behavior

 

Environment

 

Comment

 

Narrative Reflection
This final section of your report is critical. It should provide the reader with a reflective analysis of the experience of shadowing a study for an entire school day. Reflecting on your reactions to the experience is important to your deeper understanding of the myriad realities of teaching in public schools. Thus part of this narrative ought to address what the experience may mean to your professional future. Finally, it should not be simply a rehash of the main body of the report. Narrative reflections should be a minimum of three pages in length.

 

Observation Modules  
As you know, there are five Observation Modules to be completed during the field experience. I invite you to look at the options listed below; these modules are provided for you on the course website. Please speak with me if you have any questions or concerns. You may complete any of the modules and any may be repeated EXCEPT the classroom map. The modules are worth 10 points each.

 

Comparing Discipline Strategies Module        Textbook Evaluation
Classroom Interaction Module                         Classroom Map Module
Observing Behavior Module                              Discipline Analysis Module