Conductive Learning Center
2428 Burton St. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546(616)575-0575 www.conductivelearningcenter.org Mission Statement: "To provide opportunities for preschool and school age children with motor challenges to achieve optimal physical, cognitive, and social independence through the application and promotion of conductive education principles." February 2-April 3, 2015 February 2-February 27: Elementary/Young Adult Intensive Group Ages: 12-19 Years Old Number of Children: 8-11 Lower Primary Follow-up Group Ages: 7-11 Years Old Number of Children: 4-9 March 9-April 3: Lower Primary Intensive/Follow-up Groups Ages: 7-11 Years Old Number of Children: 6-10 Cooperating Teacher: Liz Filkins [email protected] |
My placement at the Conductive Learning Center (CLC) was the first nine weeks of my student teaching experience. My main placement for the first session (four weeks) was with an Elementary/Young Adult group of children between the ages of 12 and 19. Some of my responsibilities for the session included writing, planning for, and implementing the topic curriculum; revising goals, tasks, and differentiation for the sitting program; providing verbal and manual facilitation; and planning for and leading several other programs, including writing, fine motor, art and craft, and individual programs. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, I worked with a small group of boys in the Lower Primary Follow-up group. This is a more mobile group so the programs and tasks were a little different. I gradually took over the planning and leading responsibilities, but by the end of the second week, I lead the whole afternoon for that group.
In the fifth week of my placement, there were no children in the building. The conductor-teachers use the week for professional development, catching up on paperwork, ,and planning for the next session. I started by getting my classroom ready, which mostly meant cleaning and making sure I had the necessary equipment. The topic theme was the same as the previous session, but I had to change most of the curriculum in order to fit the needs, goals, and interests of the younger Lower Elementary group. Throughout the week, I also helped to update the progress reports of some of the children I had been with.
In my last four-week session, I was with the Lower Primary Intensive group, which included several of the children in the Follow-up group that I was with on the Tuesdays and Thursdays of the previous session. Most of my responsibilities remained the same. One difference was that I was now responsible for planning and facilitating for pictures to show the progress of one child. These pictures are included in the progress reports for every child, so I was happy to have this experience.
Although the setting and most of the children were familiar to me, it took some work to adjust to my new role in the classroom. I feel that I developed as a conductor-teacher throughout the placement in several ways, including improving my planning skills, learning to better differentiate for each child, and assessing student progress toward general and specific goals.
Palmer Elementary SChool
Grand Rapids Public Schools
309 Palmer St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49505 (616)819-2929 www.grpublicschools.org/palmer Mission Statement: "Our mission is to ensure that all students are educated, self-directed and productive members of society!" April 14-June5, 2015 Second Grade Number of Students: 25 Cooperating Teacher: Vicki Boase [email protected] |
For my second placement, I spent eight weeks in a second grade, general education classroom at Palmer Elementary School. From the very first day, I started taking over small responsibilities in the classroom--from checking in homework to walking the students in the hall to recess and specials. In the first week, I started to teach science lessons. There is one other second grade class at Palmer. The teacher of the other class taught social studies to all second graders and my cooperating teacher (and myself) taught science. For three lesson of my first week, I taught the other class. At first it was difficult because I did not know any of the student's names or anything about them. Little by little I found ways to get to know them a little better. In the next few weeks, I completely took over the planning and teaching of all subjects.
My biggest growth from this placement has been in classroom management. Although there is still so much for me to learn, I am much more confident in my ability to facilitate to the growth of self-disciplined students. I feel I learned so very much from my time at Palmer, from the students and from my cooperating teacher.