The community where my school is located is predominately white (93%). The median age is 33 and the average household size is 2.5. The median income is $39,447. This tells me that the families in my school are young. The students in my classes may be the first or second child in their families, meaning that the parents may not be experienced with engaging with the school or helping their child. The students in my classes are also not coming from wealthy homes, which could mean they may not have access to the best school materials or a lot of research opportunities.

 

The school itself is slightly more diverse than the community it is in. Whites make up 61% of the population, with blacks at 10%. Hispanics make up 9% of the population while Asians are 13%. This presents some teaching challenges. With the Hispanic and Asian community, there are many English Language Learners. These students need differentiated education in order to get as much as possible from lessons. The small populations of these groups, however, may lead to tight-knit cliques forming which may be disruptive in the classroom. 

As per the district as a whole, Perry Townships School District is 86% white. Only 25% of residents have higher than a high school degree. The average household income is $45,883, which is slightly below the average income for Indiana, but nearly $7,000 below the average income for the country. This shows that the students most likely come from homes where the parents are unable to provide them with a large amount of academic help. The district as a whole has a larger minority community than the community of my school, so other schools may have more diversity than my school.

 

This presents some teaching challenges. With the Hispanic and Asian community, there are many English Language Learners. These students need differentiated education in order to get as much as possible from lessons. The small populations of these groups, however, may lead to tight-knit cliques forming which may be disruptive in the classroom. 

The classroom I am teaching in has a large amount of available technology. The front of the classroom has a SmartBoard. This is connected to the teacher’s computer, the dvd player, and a VHS player.  It allows for media to be shown on a large screen to the class as well as allows the teacher to easily show a powerpoint to accompany the lesson. The classroom also contains many netbooks for students to use in class to complete homework or do research. 

 

The classroom is rather large. The front of the room has the SmartBoard as well as a white board. The teacher’s desk is located at the front left of the classroom. The students’ desks are arranged in several rows, all facing the front of the classroom. From my experience during observation, there did not seem to be a lot of parental involvement in the classroom. I am not sure whether that is the fault of the teacher or the parents. One concerning factor I experienced was classroom discipline. Students talked throughout the class and did not pay attention. One group of hispanic students liked to talk back to the teacher as well. The teacher did not do much to curb this behavior.

 

Ethnicity will impact the design of lessons. In my United States History class there is a group of Hispanic students and in my Economics class there is a group of Asian students. Incorporating comparisons to things they are familiar with will be helpful in lessons by allowing them to compare something they do not know with something they do know. I will also need to make sure the materials used in class are not ethnically discriminatory.

 

Skill levels also vary in these classes, which will need to be addressed in instruction and assessment. I noticed during my observation that there were some students who understood the material right away and others who needed significantly more help. In instruction and assessment I will need to make sure that those who get the material quickly are not left to be bored while making sure that those who need more help are not left behind.

 

Language will be important as well. Some of the Asian and Hispanic students in my classes are also English Language Learners. I will need to ensure that my lesson plans contain differentiated instruction to make sure these students are learning as much as possible. I will also need to include as little slang as possible in my lessons so that the lesson contains more words these English Language Learners are familiar with.

 

A fourth factor that will affect instruction will be the block scheduling of the school. Each day has 5, 75-minute class periods, with students having classes divided between red, white, and black days. Some weeks the students meet three times, some week they meet only twice. This makes lesson planning and pacing an issue. Go through the material too fast and the students are left with nothing to do for 30 minutes. Go too slowly, and the students will not cover all of the material they need to by the end of the semester.

 

For learning goals, I will look to the Indiana academic standards as a guide to what the students need to be able to do at the end of each section and chapter. I will make sure my learning goals align with these set standards. While I want to make sure the students have as much information as possible, I also want to make sure that they are meeting the criteria Indiana has set for them. The textbook provides the state academic standards for each section, and a list of objectives the students need to meet. I will use these in my instruction.

 

I will work closely with the teacher in designing assessments for the students. Differentiated assessments may be necessary for the English Language Learners in the classroom due to their unfamiliarity of the language. For example, if the students are assigned a 3 page essay, the English Language Learners may be assigned a one page essay or a different assessment altogether. The assessments will need to balance challenging those gifted students as well as cater to the students who have a more difficult time with the material.

 

My instruction will be based on the textbooks provided. I know what material the students have covered thus far, and where they need to be at the end of the semester. Also, I know which students will need special help. Being a United States textbook, there are some elements of world history presented that the students will have no background knowledge in. I will need to provide this knowledge to the students. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

 

46227 Zip Code Detailed Profile. City-Data.com. Retrieved January 8, 2014. http://www.city-

data.com/zips/46227.html

Perry Township Metropolitan School District, Indiana Demographics. Biggest US Cities.  Retrieved 

January 8, 2014. http://www.biggestuscities.com/demographics/in/perry-township-

metropolitan-school-district

Southport High School. Movoto. Retrieved January 8, 2014. http://www.movoto.com/public-

schools/in/indianapolis/high/180882001467-southport-high-school/971-e-banta-rd.htm