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Tiffany Steggink
Reflection #3
SPED 310, Dr. Byrns
December 9, 2015

An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do.

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Educators inhibit a role that impacts the lives of students on a multitude of levels. Ones
life is built upon social, emotional, and academic competencies, all of which are developed
within the classroom. Therefore, it is critical the educator focuses on generating an environment
that fosters maximum student success. The incorporation of technology, the use of graphic
organizers, the integration of think-alouds, examples, non-examples, and critical components in
lesson cycles increases student learning and creates effective teaching in all areas of instruction.
Incorporating technology into lessons is an effective strategy used to capture students
interest, maintain engagement, and provide avenues for exploration. In class, we discussed using
technology, such as Google maps, to activate and build students background knowledge. The
sixth grade math teacher I observed in Houston ISD used a Smart Board as the source of
instruction throughout her lessons. Although there was minimal technological usage in the
classroom, the Smart Board included different maneuvers that aided student learning rather than
acting as a distraction for the students. In comparison, in a second grade field placement
classroom, the mentor teacher used IPads and computers as a regular station during center time.
In computer station, the students played age-appropriate reading games. In the afternoon, they
explored math apps with timed addition and subtraction problems. Whether technology is used
minimally or frequently, its incorporation into the classroom is an effective teaching strategy that
engages students and positively impacts student learning.
Despite all the new advances in technology, graphic organizers remain powerful tools in
spurring and aiding student understanding. Organizers allow students to focus on key concepts,
identify important details, and form an overall understanding. Graphic organizers, such as the
Concept Comparison and the FRAME Routine, facilitate storage and retrieval of information, as
well as spur comprehension of concepts. During the day of observation in Houston ISD, many

teaching skills were implemented effectively. When observing a sixth grade math teacher, a
graphic organizer was used in the first part of instruction to introduce order of operations in a
unique way. Each student received an empty organizer and, as the teacher taught each
component, the students filled it in accordingly. This information was taught systematically. The
organizer served as a great tool for the students to return to for guidance as they began working
independently, especially after further modeling and guided practice occurred. On the other hand,
if not implemented correctly, organizers can be confusing for students. In field placement
observations, the mentor teacher has previously omitted modeling to the students how to fill out
a graphic organizer. While the graphic organizer was intended to aid students comprehension,
comprehension was inhibited because of confusion with the organizer. Without having direct
instruction, the students engagement and learning decreased while off-task and undesired
behavior increased. It is imperative that teachers provide explicit instruction to their students
about graphic organizers in order for maximum learning to be achieved.
Think-alouds and providing examples/non-examples has also proven to be an effective
teaching strategy over the course of this semester. These strategies are used during cognitive
modeling to increase student understanding. Think-alouds help the answer to a problem become
a logical conclusion followed by a sequence of reasoning. By making that sequence of reasoning
verbal and apparent to students, it teaches them how to continue through a similar sequence of
thought independently. Think-alouds contribute greatly to a students reading comprehension and
can be used to model a variety of skills such as: how to connect text to self, the world, and other
text. Although the observation in Houston ISD occurred in a math classroom, think-alouds were
still present. The teacher modeled the process of using order of operations in a word problem and
gave a self-directed think-aloud to show students the sequence of thought behind the concluding

answer. For example, after reading the problem out loud she would say, The first thing I should
do is dissect my math equation out of my word problem so I know what numbers I am working
with. Providing students with examples and non-examples throughout instruction is another
teaching strategy that gives students critical information. Examples and non-examples help to
clarify complex ideas, expose relationships and patterns, and to organize new information into
meaningful constructs. It is crucial that examples fit the definition and illustrate essential
attributes. Non-examples help students filter out any misunderstanding. Incorporating thinkalouds and multiple examples and non-examples during instruction will increase student success.
The critical components of a lesson act as bones do in a human body; without them,
content has no structure to hold onto and everything jumbles into a mess. According to Goeke,
the critical components of a lesson are segmented into pre-instructional set, preparing the
knowledge base for instruction, and instruction (2009). During the pre-instructional set, it is
crucial to gain students attention and inform them of the lessons learning objective and
expectations so they are prepared to learn. Activating prior knowledge, reviewing previously
learned skills, and pre-teaching key vocabulary are strategies in which to prepare students
knowledge base for instruction. Effective educators use these elements to engage the learner and
facilitate storage and retrieval of new skills, strategies, or content. Instruction is most effective
when educators follow the sequence of cognitive modeling, guided practice, independent
practice and closure; also known as I do, we do, you do. By following this sequence, new
information is explicitly presented to students, heightening their academic success.
In the field placement observations, the importance of a complete lesson cycle has been
reinforced. During lessons in which the critical components are presented there is a noticeable
increase in student engagement, student participation, and understanding displayed through

independent activities. If the teacher only delivers guided practice, such as going through a few
of the problems on the worksheet with the students, the students are not as attentive and have
more difficulty completing their assignment. Throughout this course and experiences of
observations, it has become evident that the critical components of a lesson place must be present
in order for efficient student learning to occur.
As educators, we strive to create a classroom that fosters learning and success. It is our
responsibility to continuously equip ourselves and our instructional set to better meet the needs
of our students, especially for those with disabilities. Using effective instructional strategies such
as incorporating technology, using graphic organizers, providing examples and non-examples,
implementing think-alouds, and delivering complete lesson cycles increases student erudition.
Providing proper instruction in all aspects of the classroom results in success that goes far
beyond the school building.

References
Goeke, J. L. (2009). Explicit instruction: A framework for meaningful direct teaching. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.