practicum assignment 1

8/6/2019 Practicum Assignment 1

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Tammy Mitchell

GADS 559 Supervision Practicum

Assignment # 1

June 21, 2011


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Assignment: Conduct 2 school visits. Write a report describing how the physical plant and

room configurations support the program implementation.

*Note ~ Because this assignment was completed during the end of the school year, I did

not get to see all of the classrooms and learning spaces as they would typically be set up, but I

do have fairly good pictures and was able to talk with some teachers. Some of the photos have

materials put away in preparation for summer vacation. I was able to acquire some photos from

earlier in the year from some teachers. I was able to visit two schools (elementary and high

school) outside my district and one school within my own district. In addition, I found many

resources on the web including research and videos which were interesting and enlightening.

Learning Environments

There are many factors to take into consideration when designing a learning environment

conducive to education. Environment is like a second curriculum, like a silent curriculum in the

background (Fielding, 2010). Optimal learning spaces are those in which children and/or adults

feel safe and secure. Room models should include spaces for learners to work together

collaboratively as well as individual learning spaces. Classrooms should be set up in a way that

includes students in need of special services and/or learning accommodations. Room set-ups

should facilitate all the different roles of a teacher from whole group demonstrator to

individualized instructor. In addition, structure and design that fosters multiple modalities of

learning is needed.

The learning spaces framework, shown below, places the learner (student) at the core of

the framework indicating that learning spaces are changed and improved to meet the needs of the

learner. The outermost layer of the framework is the planning and decision making process

where three main components are taken into account centering on learners. Changing the culture

of schooling refers to the transition from the 20th century style schools with many individual


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classrooms behind closed doors where students sit all day in desks arranged in rows with the

teacher in the front of the room to 21st century style learning environments conducive to the

changed learning styles of 21st century learners who often prefer multitasking, non-linear access

to information, visually-oriented, highly networked, interactive, mobile, and social with a

preference for active as opposed to passive learning (Prensky, 2001, Oblinger, 2003).

Learning Spaces Framework (Curriculum Corporation MCEETYA 2008)

In addition to physical learning spaces, schools are making use of virtual learning spaces

as well. Resources and links to educationally relevant information for students, parents, and

teachers are collected in virtual learning spaces. Student and teacher learning communities or

personal learning networks (PLNs) are on the rise with tools and services such as Wikis, Twitter,

and social bookmarking sites such as Diigo.

Designing Spaces for Learning is a second factor in the framework which refers to

meeting the needs of learners by creating flexible, connected, collaborative, multisensory, and

graphic spaces. Creating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) rich learning

spaces is a third factor in the framework which refers to providing learners with opportunities to

collaborate and create through the use of tools such as Interactive White Boards (IWBs),


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projectors,

speakers,

internet

connection points, wireless access points, computers, and mobile devices. Keeping the

framework in mind, as well as information from other readings and informative videos, I will

describe some of the features evident in the learning spaces of the schools I visited.

Laurel School District

Laurel School District is located in New Castle, PA and is considered a rural district.

About 1,365 students attend Laurel School District between their elementary (K-6) and

combined junior/senior high school (7-12). I had the opportunity to visit Laurel School District

June 2, 2011. I visited areas of the elementary school as well as areas of the junior/senior high

school. Below, I have posted various pictures from my visit below with captions and/or

descriptions to follow.

Front View of Laurel Elementary School

Sign at the Elementary School Entrance


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The mission and goals of the school are

among the first things seen when entering the

school and I was impressed at the amazingthings being done at the school and saw

evidence that they are working to meet their

goals.

Student Bathroom

Nurses Office

The entire school was extremely kid friendly down to the murals on the walls of thebathroom reminding students to wash their hands to the bright and colorful walls of the nurses

office. The aesthetics build an atmosphere where kids can feel welcome, safe, and secure. In

addition to the wall paintings, a teacher shared with me a description of how the hallways aretypically decorated (now taken down for summer) with student work and projects as well as

bulletin boards that reinforce good behavior and other skills.

Kindergarten Classroom

The photos of this kindergarten classroom were taken earlier in the year when it was set

up for learning. The picture to the left shows different areas or sections for student learning.

There is a book section with some comfortable seating that accommodates multiple children for ashared reading experience as well as bean bag chairs (not pictured) for students who prefer a

moment alone. In the picture to the right, there is a large carpeted area where the whole class

can sit together for large group instruction and demonstrations. Also pictured are multiple tablesin various areas of the room spaced out so that groups of students can engage in different

learning centers. In addition to what is seen in the photographs, an Interactive Whiteboard was

placed in the classroom shortly after the photos were taken providing students with an interactive


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way to connect technology to their daily learning. As you can see, this classroom is very

visually-oriented and the set-up is conducive for social-learning.

Elementary Classrooms

The set-up of these elementary classrooms is different from the kindergarten classrooms.

These classrooms have a desk for each student. You can see the arrangement of the desks in thepicture to the left which are arranged as a table group so that students can work collaboratively

when appropriate. There are also several tables throughout the room where students go to access

different resources for different subjects. The classroom in the picture to the right is set up so

that the students are in rows going different directions in the room. These desks can and aremoved frequently to provide students with different learning spaces that are appropriate to their

given tasks.


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Computer Lab

This computer lab is set up with 5-6 computers per round table so students can workclosely with a group. There is an IWB in the front of the room for large group lessons as well.

This lab is one of 5 computer labs in the elementary school. It is also important to note that there

are IWBs in every classroom K-12 as well as an average of about 2 classroom computers. Thehigh school has 6 computer labs as well as 8 mobile labs equipped with 30 lap-tops. Students at

Laurel have the resources to be very connected.

In addition to the technology infused in the curriculum at school, Laurel maintains awebsite that acts as a virtual learning space for teachers, students, and parents to make use of

both in school and out of school.

Laurel High School

High School Entrance


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High School Science Classroom

Some of the classrooms at the high school are set up with traditional desks in rows, butscience labs like the one pictured above make it possible for students to move around and work

together during investigations and experimental learning.

Outdoor

Classroom

Walking Trail

The settings above are two of my favorite. The outdoor classroom allows teachers to

move students into an authentic environment when learning about nature, weather, ecology, etc.

and the walking trail allows them to explore the land and water around their school. Imagine thelearning possibilities of this outdoor setting incorporated with the use of the lap-top computers or

other mobile devices.

Mars Elementary School

Mars Elementary School, part of Mars School District (my home district), is made up of

grades 2-4. There

are approximately


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700 students in the elementary school. Mars School District is located in the suburbs about 25

miles north of Pittsburgh. Since it was the end of the school year for most other districts, I did

my second school visit in the elementary school of my home district. Below, I have posted

various pictures from my visit below with captions and/or descriptions to follow.

Mars Elementary School Library

The library has very high ceilings, is very bright, and has beautiful architecture.. The

walls are lined with display bulletins which bring the characters in stories alive. There are tablesset up for looking at books and working on research projects. There are two walls lined with

computers behind the camera which help students locate books in this library as well as other

libraries within the district and community. Surprisingly, there are no comfortable seatingareas for children to gather, relax, talk about stories, and read. The only seating is the wooden

chairs at the tables in the pictures and wooden chairs at the computers. When I reflected on the

features I had observed in other libraries like the one in Laurel Elementary, and the one in myown building, I remember seeing a variety of small sections with colorful carpets and small sofas

to sit on and read.


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Computer Lab

This is one of two computer labs in the

elementary school. In addition to the two labs, each classroom had 3-4 computers. Each

classroom is also equipped with an IWB and personal response devices. In the pictures above it

is evident that the computer lab is set up so that computers line the perimeter of the room with anisland of computers down the center. Unlike the set-up in the computer labs at Laurel

Elementary, it is difficult for students to collaborate with anyone other than the two students oneither side. In addition, there are wheels on the chairs, and on the hard floor, the students are

constantly wheeling and wiggling in the chairs making it loud and distracting.


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Classroom

The arrangement of this classroom was different from the rest I observed because instead

of individual student desks, this teacher elected to have tables put in. She said that the tablesallow the students to move around more freely and work together more efficiently. The picture

on the left shows students working on a task. Some are at the tables while some are working onthe floor under them. The picture on the right portrays have very technology rich this classroom

is as students enter a response to a question posed by the teacher on the IWB. The personal

response devices allow for more immediate and corrective feedback.

Another

Classroom


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This classroom shows the typical student desks arranged into table group formations.

This teacher likes the desks because the formation of individuals and groups can change to allow

different numbers of students to work together and different shapes of groups depending on theactivity. In addition to the student desk groupings, this classroom also has a large table for

students to work at which can be seen in the bottom left picture. This classroom also has an IWB

for an interactive and connected learning experience.

Conclusion

This assignment has opened my eyes (literally) to the elements of a school environment

conducive to learning. The site visit to Laurel School District allowed me to gain perspective

into what another district is like. I was then able to find the similarities and differences between

the two schools. Both schools were fortunate to have had the Classrooms for the Future Grant

which provided technology tools such as IWBs in every classroom and a greater number of

computers district wide. Both schools strive to meet the demands of an ever changing and

growing society and have teachers motivated to challenge and inspire students.


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References

Curriculum Coorperation. (2008).Learning Spaces Framework. Ministerial Council on

Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). Retrieved June 6,

2011 from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/ICT_LearningOnlineWorld-

LearningSpacesFWork.pdf

Fielding, R. (2010).Design for the Creative Age. Ohio School Facilities Commission, Columbus,

OH. Video Retrieved June 6, 2011 from http://youtu.be/b7c3LHvrd1U.

Oblinger, D. (2003). Boomers, gen-xers, and millennials: Understanding the new students.

EDUCAUSE Review, 38 (4), 37-47.

Prensky, M. (2011). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9, 1-6.
http://youtu.be/b7c3LHvrd1Uhttp://youtu.be/b7c3LHvrd1Uhttp://youtu.be/b7c3LHvrd1U

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