Instructional planning and assessment is not something that magically happens with a quick and simple plan. There are many contextual factors that must be considered because each student is unique with individual experiences all their own. In this essay, I will describe contextual factors in my classroom and explain how these different factors affect the teaching-learning process. These contextual factors will include environmental factors, classroom factors, and student factors. Finally, I will take a look at how student skills and prior knowledge may influence my development of three essential components to instructional design and delivery.
Palmetto is a quaint little town located in the northern portion of St. Landry Parish. It is nestled between larger cities, such as Opelousas and Eunice, and is to the north of even larger and more well-known parts of the state of Louisiana, such as Baton Rouge and New Orleans. An interesting point to note is even though the school is in Palmetto, students are bussed from surrounding communities to Palmetto Elementary School, due to the recent implementation of a desegregation law enforced throughout the parish, which will be discussed in a section to follow in this essay. The geographic location of school allows students, faculty, and staff to have an ongoing teacher-learner relationship throughout many years.
Palmetto may have a small number of citizens compared to neighboring areas, but it is a thriving community of citizens who care about the education of their children. One such example of community support for education is through the annual Accelerated Reader program. This year the boys and girls in each grade level will have the opportunity to win a new bicycle. The boy and girl in each grade level with the most AR points over 20 points will win a bicycle. The bicycles are paid for through donations from the Police Department and members in the community of Palmetto.
Because the community is relatively small in size and centrally located with relation to the school, there tends to be a fair amount of support for the school. Reputable members of the community (e.g. owner of a local grocery store) participate in many school functions, such as oral reading to kindergarteners at a Christmas function. This support is vital in continuing the teaching-learning cycle and building a strong sense of community within the school.
The school district is another important factor to bear in mind. Public schools are as successful as the district in which they are placed. In 2005-06, the St. Landry Parish District ranked among the lowest paying districts in the state of Louisiana (Heath & Keller, 2007, p. 5). Heath & Keller furthermore shared that teachers’ salary, recruitment, and retention in Louisiana has been lackluster because, “Essentially teaching is viewed as a ‘flat career’” (p.8). However, because Palmetto is a small town, this makes teaching in this district quite desirable for many teachers who want to avoid larger cities.
St. Landry Parish is comprised by a majority of white population. The second highest race in St. Landry Parish is 41.3% African American (Demographics Analysis of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, 2009). There are two types of ethnicity prevalent in this area: Cajun and Creole. Within these ethnic groups, families are close-knit, reaching even unto extended family. The diversity of races and ethnicities within this district can sometimes create gaps between learners and educators. Furthermore, this district recently experienced consolidation of several elementary schools in an effort to meet a desegregation mandate (Montheilh v. St. Landry Parish School Board, 2011).
The St. Landry Parish district is located in south-central Louisiana. According to the United States Census Bureau (St. Landry Parish QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau, 2012), over 83,000 people live in the parish. The parish is sandwiched between six neighboring parishes. It is a fairly large parish, covering just over 923 square miles of the state (St. Landry Parish QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau). This district is surrounded by lower-paying school districts, making it more desirable for teachers wanting to make more money. This may have a negative impact on students, if teachers coming to this district are only seeking to teach here because more money is involved, rather than teaching to meet the needs of this district’s students.
Palmetto Elementary School is located in Palmetto, Louisiana in the northeastern portion of the parish. The school is located just off Highway 10, which is a major highway in the parish. It is nestled in a quiet area of town. Some teachers drive from surrounding towns to teach at Palmetto Elementary simply because they prefer the small-town atmosphere. There are fewer distractions, making it more possible for teachers to come to school ready to teach, and students come ready to learn.
The town of Palmetto includes several businesses. Among some of these include a fertilize company, beef farm, and a bank. Although a small town, Palmetto’s economy seems to be a flourishing one. It is a close-knit society of families and friends who look out for each other, as well as a community that is built upon long-standing businesses. Despite there being several businesses in this community, there are many students who attend this school that live in lower middle class situations. A significant portion of students come from broken homes, single-parenting homes, and homes where children live with grandparents or other relatives. In some cases, this presents a challenge for teachers, when some of these students lack parental/guardian support at home. It also contributes to some behavioral issues at school as well.
The classroom walls have a fresh coat of blue paint. The shade of blue is pleasing to the eye and very third grade friendly. Classroom rules are posted at the front of the classroom, along with the district slogan, “Be Responsible. Be Respectful. Be Safe.”. Bucket Fillers (small envelopes with each student’s name on them) are also located at the front of the classroom near the door.
There are white dry-erase boards along two of the four walls in the classroom. Surrounding the white boards are motivational posters (e.g., “Good better best, never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better is best!”) and a bulletin board. One bulletin board contains a “Super Improvers” chart with each student’s name on it. On the same wall is an analog clock with numbers (printed on small colorful squares) marking the five-minute increments as a tool to help students learn how to tell time (e.g. :00, :05, :10, :15).
The fourth wall in the classroom contains windows along the entire wall leading to the door. The windows have soft white shades hanging in them and light blue curtains as window treatments. Along this same wall there are two window units for air conditioning and heat. Beneath the windows and units are bookshelves for storage, holding various items such as unused text books, Kleenex, and extra school supplies. There are also world globes and plastic bins containing various tools for each day (e.g. Morning Math) on the top of the bookcases. The lighting in the room consists of minimal natural light from windows and fluorescent lighting above students from the ceiling.
On the front wall in the classroom, there is a SMART board. The projector is mounted on the ceiling, eliminating wasted space within the classroom itself. In addition to the SMART board, there are two computer stations at the front of the classroom. These are desktop computers for students’ use. One of the computers also contains the SMART board software for the teacher. The host teacher also has a desktop computer located at the back of her room on her desk. She has a small printer on her desk as well to use with the computer. Internet access is available at all three computers.
There are a small number of parents who were present on the first day of school to meet their child’s third grade teacher. There appears to be a minimal number of parents of students in this class who are actively involved in their child’s education. However, the parents that are involved make it clear that their child should be respectful and studious while at school.
Desks in the classroom are arranged in four rows of five students in each row. There is one extra desk, which is placed along the far wall in the room in case additional seating is needed for a new student. The teacher’s desk is placed in the back of the classroom in the far left corner. Next to the teacher’s desk is a long table with four chairs. This table is used for small group sessions and projects.
As I design instruction and assessment of student learning, gender must be considered. Boys learn differently from girls because they have a wide range of interests. Therefore, as I create lessons, I have to keep in mind the ratio of boys to girls in class and make sure to build lessons that meet the interest of all students. The proportion of boys to girls is about 55% girls to 45% boys.
The students within this class range in age from eight years old to ten. There are students older in age who have failed previous grade(s). Likewise, maturity levels of students are quite varied as well. This is something that will be taken into account as I have students work in cooperative learning and paired groups.
This area is typically referred to as the melting pot of Cajun and Creole cultures. There is a mix of cultures that are intertwined in many ways and yet diverse. In addition, many children are raised to become independent at very early ages, due to circumstances such as single parenting, grandparents raising their grandchildren, or more than one family living together under one roof. The culture of this area is such that children tend to form sub-groups within a class, based upon the area in which they live or the people they know. Knowing these things will enable me to create well-rounded lessons and learning activities that will be interesting to all students. Additionally, this information will be useful in understanding how to differentiate learning as well as varied methods of assessment to gauge student learning during instruction.
Finally, there are no cookie cutter students. Every child is unique and possesses distinctive interests and personalities. As such, having a good understanding of the wide-ranging interests among students will help me to tailor lesson plans to meet this diverse group of learners. While some students are interested in simple things, like sports, others are more interested in accelerated programs of instruction. In between these lie a myriad of interests and abilities.
Another area of great importance that must be taken into consideration when designing instruction and assessment of learning are the skills and prior knowledge students have previously acquired. As an instructional and assessment plan is created, I must bear in mind the range of skills students have mastered and the multiplicity of prior knowledge, much of which can be formed with the previously covered topics within this essay.
As I develop learning goals, I have to relate each goal to skills and prior knowledge students already possess. In order for students to successfully achieve a learning goal, there has to be a connection to something they have already learned. For example, before a student can learn to multiply, they should first have knowledge of basic addition facts.
When delivering instruction, I must take into account if students are physically, mentally, and socially able to accept or adapt to my mode of instruction. If part of my instructional plan includes an activity that requires cooperative learning, students will need to know things like how to work well with others in a small group and how to contribute to a collaborative effort. If they do not have previous experience or knowledge of at least working well within a whole group setting, this could become an issue.
Student skills and prior learning also influence the development of assessments. In order to reach all learning modalities and ensure fair and effective measurements of assessment, this must be given high consideration. I may have to create alternate versions of assessments, or include a variety of assessment procedures to ensure fairness across the board.
St. Landry Parish QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2012, June 07). Retrieved from United States Census Bureau: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/download_data.html
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