Learning Theroies

The teacher I observed for my service learning hours mainly used behaviorism.

The children know that there are rules that they must follow. They also know where to put there assignments and when it is time to do certain activities. The student's must raise their hands, or when they can get up to get a drink or something. They're also split into "teams" so that if they are caught doing something good, they get bonus points. What ever team earns the most points gets something (although I haven't quite figured out what that something is). Participation points are also earned when they finish an assignment correctly or answer a question correctly for the class.

The students have a very structured schedule, that include task that are repeated daily. Some of the task that happen consistently each day include things such as; turning home work into a bin, journaling, subjects such as math, reading, and science.

The teacher I am working with addresses the developmental levels and different learning preferences by having "centers" that the kids can choose from. There are about 12 different things to do and each child quietly has their choice and each center, for the most part, has different levels for each individual child to pick from. She also has a library where the kids can go "shopping" for ten new books every week. Each book contains a reading level, and each child is assigned to their individual reading level.

I think she uses behaviorism very well. She does an excellent job implementing a routine that is consistent for her students. The expectations are set and managed through consistently adhering to structure of behaviorism. When children are young, it's important that they're in an environment that is highly organized, has daily task, and assignments. This type of environment helps the child understand in a clear and simple way what is expected of them, but also what they can expect each day.

Service Learning

When I saw that we would have to do 20 hours of service learning at an Elementary school I was so excited. I love being around children and being a teacher has always been something I wanted to do. With this opportunity, I am able to observe a teacher and students and experience what it would kinda be like to be a teacher. This, will also validate that I will love teaching just as much as I think I would.

I have the opportunity to complete my service learning hours at Vineyard Elementary in Vineyard, Utah. I will get to work with Mrs. Vickers and her 1st grade class. I'm excited to get to know the kids that are in the class. There are definitely some children that I have pinpointed exactly the type of personality they have, and how they will do during the day. I love this age so it will be helpful to see how Mrs. Vickers is able to keep their attention.

I chose this school because it’s close to my home, and if I had school aged children they would be attending this school. The school is surrounded by newly built homes, homes still in construction, and some sports fields. Just by looking around the neighborhood, it seemed to be surrounded by homes that are a little above average in price. After doing a little research the average price home in the area is about $300,000. Which seems to me that the families do pretty well financially. Vineyard Elementary School looks very clean on the outside but, it’s a bit confusing to figure out where the front was because of the lack of signage around campus. The inside is bright and open and the halls are decorated with the children's art. Overall, the school is  very clean, and has a simple layout idea for younger children.

The school seems made up of mostly white and Hispanic students. As I researched the demographics of Vineyard Elementary, I found that the school is 69% White, 21% Hispanic, 3% Island Pacific, 2% Asian, 2% Multiracial, 0% Native American, and 0% African American.

When I looked up Vineyard Elementary School on greatschools.org, I was surprised to see that it had a 5 out of 10 star rating. Most of the comments on this website were from one to two years ago and were mostly from parents who were not happy with the school. The parents were not satisfied with the school not having the extra help some students needed and didn't offer advanced learning classes for students. From my first impressions all the staff and teacher’s I have met, are extremely kind and great. I'm excited to have the opportunity to learn more about Vineyard Elementary and experience what it will be like as a teacher in a first grade classroom.