Field Visit #3

The focus of this field visit was administering the pretest for our unit. Catherine B. and I worked to create a pretest that Incorporated a variety of different questions (both selected response and constructed response) and touched on several important ideas about ancient Egypt. We wanted to get an idea of what the students knew specifically (key terms, etc.) as well as their general knowledge (what daily life was like). We also included an interest survey to gauge what the students would be interested in learning. From the results of the pretest, we discovered that the students didn't know several key ideas about ancient Egypt but seemed to have a good grasp on pyramids and weather. The interest survey indicated that most students would like to learn more about mummies and pyramids. As we begin to plan our unit, these results will help inform our instruction, making sure that we touch on things that the students are interested in and that they need to learn.

The actual administration of the pretest went smoothly. After passing out the tests to each student, we read the questions aloud one by one allowing the students time to answer. Although we had not originally planned to administer the test orally, we soon discovered that this would be an effective way to accommodate for the below average readers in the class. For second graders, this seemed to be a particularly efficient way to use multiple choice questions. After the pretest, the students resumed their regular reading activities and several students that had been in pull-out programs returned to the class.

I took the students who had been in pull-out programs into the hall so that they could take the pretest. These four students are notorious for being troublemakers. I found their behavior in the hall difficult to handle (to say the least): they wouldn't sit still, insisted on going into the classroom to sharpen pencils that they had intentionally broken, and refused to focus on the pretest. I think that they thought they could take advantage of me because I wasn't their real teacher. Finally, after trying to get them to settle down nicely, I started being very firm. I told them that unless they completed the pretest, they would not be able to participate in the activities we were planning for the unit and separated them into different areas of the hall. I also only paid attention to the students who were on task. These measures seemed to help and showed me the importance of being stern with students who are misbehaving. It also helped me understand what Mr. F. experiences on a daily basis. I would be so frustrated if I were in his position. I'm not sure what you can do when you have several students that are consistently misbehaving--especially when you have already established rules and routines. I wish that Curry would offer some sort of class on behavior management; I think that is the one area in which I feel the most ill-equipped.

I felt that this field visit was productive because we were able to use the time administer our pretest and gather information that will help us prepare for teaching our unit. On a more personal level, I began to think about what discipline and behavior management should look like in the classroom, specifically one that has several troublemakers.