Clinical Observation

In 1993, I had just started my teaching exploration. One of the first classes at Waubonsee Community College I took had me do a field observation. I was lucky to get Mrs. Lehman, my favorite teacher from Somonauk High School. Presented here is the paper I wrote for that class.

Matthew Butcher
ED202
Ms. Miles
5 April 1993


CLINICAL EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION



MY TEACHING EXPERIENCE

If this experience has done anything for me, it has strengthened
my desire to teach. During these past few weeks, I have had the
opportunity to present two lessons to the class. I knew right then
that this is what I want to do with my life.
As I presented the material, I felt at ease. I was able to
invoke discussion and answer questions from the class. I felt a
little nervous but once I began, my uneasiness subsided and I was in
control. I was able to present the lesson with full confidence.
One teacher told me later that when she passed the room in the
corridor that I looked completely at home. I liked the sound of
that. My cooperating teacher, Mrs. Lehman, said that I did a great
job, but also gave me important constructive criticism for the next
time I face a classroom again. This is powerful praise to me,
coming from the best teacher I had in high school.
From her criticism I will learn to incorporate more classroom
discussion and activity, simply by waiting for my questions to be
answered rather than answering myself the the moment I hear a second
of silence. This was an important step in my advancing career. From
teaching these two lessons of material, I am definitely positive that
I want to continue in this discipline.

CHANNEL ONE

While I was observing Mrs. Lehman's class, Somonauk High School
had the controversial Channel One installed in the building. Every
classroom is equipped with, free of charge, a television mounted into
the wall that broadcasts a fifteen minute MTV‑type current events
program every day during homeroom. The controversial part to all of
this is the two minutes of commercials spaced throughout the show.
I was there the first day Channel One had been implemented and I
was able to gauge the students' reactions.
When the show began, there was general curiosity,a nd when the
show remained fast paced the students paid more attention. There was
one section where they became restless while the show replayed large
portions of President Clinton's first White House press conference.
Otherwise, they remained somewhat interested, depending on the
subject matter.
What I found of particular interest was what happened during the
commercials. The students simply ignored them, much as people do at
home when commercials are on. They talked to friends and simply
phased the commercials out entirely. When the program resumed, the
students tuned back in to watch. I find this interesting because it
effectively cancels out arguments about commercials in the schools.
Kids don't pay attention anyway.
I think that this type of new teaching system can be very valu‑
able. With the Channel One program also comes study guides and
teacher aides that can help the students investigate what they've
seen on the program. Also, the television units are free. The
school can tie it into CNN and C‑SPAN and other educational broad‑
casts. The drama and journalism classes can also use it to their
advantage. I believe that the Channel One system will be highly
accepted throughout the nation.

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION

As new teaching styles emerge, cooperative education gains more
and more credence. My observation took place in the higher grades of
high school and I discovered some interesting things.
First of all, I have to say that cooperative education only
works if kids grow up with it. This is the first year cooperative
education has been implemented at Somonauk High School. The seniors
just did not work well with it. One student always took over the
group and did most of the work. They tended to break down the
assignment into parts so that each member did a different section,
rather than do each part collectively.
These kids have grown up through a school system that has always
made them do their own work and made them viciously competitive.
It's a hard adjustment near the end of their secondary educational
career. If the kids grew up with it, then these individualistic
attitudes would not be so hard to break.

EFFECTIVE TEACHERS

In my opinion, Mrs. Lehman is a very effective teacher. She
involves the class during lectures and gives homework that students
get involved in and helps them understand the material to a greater
extent. She also treats each student as equal as well as individual.
During lectures, Mrs. Lehman lets students give their opinions,
especially during poetry. She always says that no interpretation is
wrong as long as it is backed by evidence. She always patiently
answers questions to the best of her ability. The homework she
assigns helps in gaining comprehension of the material. She makes
students choose scenes from poems like "The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner" and illustrate them. This helps the student to visualize
what is going on. She presents many other activities that give the
students hands‑on experience.
The most important thing about Mrs. Lehman is her lesson
planning. She is a master of curriculum. Her lesson plans have
worked well in the past and she updates them every year to max‑
imize learning in her class. She is always open to new ideas and
new avenues of exploration. When I was a senior two years ago, I
was in the class, and now the class I'm observing is the same in name
only. It is shaped by the students, with Mrs. Lehman guiding the
way.

KNOWLEDGE OF A DISCIPLINE

Without a good knowledge of the subject you are teaching,
you cannot teach effectively. Mrs. Lehman's main area is English
and this helps her teach competently. I cannot see how to educate
students on a subject without a good knowledge base.
I had first hand experience in this on the first lesson I pre‑
sented to the Honors English IV class. These are all bright kids in
this class. As I presented the Byron poem, "Darkness," I was
asked a question I could not adequately answer. I did my best and
reflected on all the knowledge and understanding I had of the poem
but could not answer it where the student was satisfied with the
answer. Luckily, another student uttered a comment about that par‑
ticular question, and it was an excellent observation. I said it
was and told the student that I didn't know anything else to add.
I found it to be an eye‑opening experience on gaining an incredible
knowledge base before attempting to teach.