Practicum Reflection Paper

It’s been a month of fun. It’s been a month of hands-on work. It’s been a month of teaching! Practicum was a large learning experience full of discipline, rules, assessment, and differentiation in my first grade placement.
During the first week, all students were assessed on several things. Students who are below grade level were assessed on kindergarten sight words for reteaching purposes. After they were assessed on this level, they were tested on the first grade level to see where they stand. All other students on or above grade level were also tested on sight words. The sight words assessment was implemented to monitor progress. Differentiation was provided during assessments through individual or small group instruction via the special education teacher, general education teacher, myself, and another practicum student. During assessment and other times throughout the day, discipline is handled through the utilization of a chart with clothespin clips. If a student got caught doing something good, they were allowed to move their clip up, and if they made a bad choice, they had to move their clip down to …show more content…
I learned that no one day will be exactly like the next. I learned that one thing, one way, works for one child, and this is why differentiation is so vital in a productive, effective classroom. I learned that all children want to do their best on assessments, in the daily classroom environment, and in their behavior. They simply need someone who believes in them and provides them with firm expectations created by a caring adult. The main lesson that became the most evident to me this past month is that education should be consistently student-based because students are the future, and it is a teacher who gives back by providing differentiation and equal expectations to make an impact on the future. I am thrilled to make this impact for the rest of my life. It’s been a month, and it’s been too