Episode 2: Learners' Characteristics and Needs

LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT MATRIX

Observation:

Directions: Observe two learners, one from higher level while the other one from the lower level (e.g. Grade 6 and Grade 1). Record the data you gathered about the learners’ characteristics and needs in different levels. The items under each domain are by no means exhaustive. These are just sample indicators. You may add others aspects which you may have observed.

	Grade/Year LEVEL OR SECTION (Indicate grade/year level or section of learners observed)
Level:	(Senior) High School
Age:	17-18 years old

DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN
Physical
Gross-Motor Skills Fine motors Skills Self-Help Skills	They develop a sense of maturity and carry themselves with discipline. Cooperative and helpful to others. Need frequent physical activity and movement.
Social
Interaction with Teachers Interaction with classmates/friends Interest (interview the learner) Others	Actively participate in class discussion. Need to feel part of a peer group, consisting of boys and girls, and are influenced by peer pressure and conformity to their group. Prefer active over passive learning activities that involve working with their peers.
Emotional
Moods and temperament Emotional independence Others	Sometimes they are quite and focus to the teacher’s discussion and sometimes they did not. Tend to develop sense of independence as they grow older and matured individual. Need adult support, guidance, and calm direction.
Cognitive
Communication skills Thinking skills Problem-solving skills Others	They need o enhance their level of communication skills especially in using correct grammar to be able to understand/express their opinions/ideas. In terms of recitation, the student can easily answer the question to ask to them as long as they are attentive and focus on what the teacher’s discussing. Enjoy solving "real-life" problems. Beginning to think critically.

ANALYSIS

Write the most salient developmental characteristics of the learners you observed. Based on these characteristics, think of implication for the teacher.

Level	Salient Characteristics Observed	Implications to the Teaching-Learning Process
(Senior) High School Age: 17-18	Grade 11                                Interested in gaining/creating friendship with others. They like to chat/talk with their seatmate. Focused on themselves and how they are perceived by their peers. Very observant to the environment.	The teacher should use effective strategies in teaching in order to apply/enhance more the student’s awareness towards the environment.

REFLECTIONS

           Today’s learners are wealthy in terms of access to media and communication, and they demand engagement in everything they do. The students of today all have something in their lives that’s really engaging something that they do and that they are good at, something that has an engaging, creative component to it. They want to know how the learning they are engaged in will help them later on in their lives. Another characteristic of this learner is that role models are no longer parents or teachers, but peers.

            "Kung gusto mo, maraming paraan, 

              kung ayaw mo,

             maraming dahilan." – R.Duhaylungsod

            The teacher I cannot forget is Mrs. Rosalinda Duhaylungsod for she is a very popular teacher in my Alma Mater. She is known to be very strict, but very excellent in teaching. This is the positive reason that I cannot forget about from my teacher way back in high school. There is no hard and fast list that tells you who is a good teacher or who is not a good teacher.

            Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is my favorite. Not just because it gives full details of development from infancy to adolescence but also because of the significance of each stage to teaching. It can be applied from preschool to high school level types of learners. This theory focuses on how individuals construct knowledge.

            When I become a teacher I will make sure I use the appropriate materials ask motivational questions that provoke thinking. Most important of all even if I want to challenge my students, I will not make a student carry out tasks that is beyond his or her cognitive capabilities. As they say, too much of something is bad.                   

            The classroom has indeed changed. Teachers of today face the challenge of reaching a new type of learner who has a different mixture of social expectations, learning characteristics and needs than students in previous generations. I have learned that acknowledgement and appreciation of effort is important. Equality or fairness in class must prevail. The teacher must be concern not just to a few but to all his or her students. Encouragement must be present at all times.

Episode 1: School As A Learning Environment

MY ATTENDANCE SHEET

MY CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Name:  Alango, Dania G.                                                                                                                         

Course:  BSE- Technology and Livelihood Education                      Year & Section:  II - B                

Resource Teacher: Mr. Edrein Aracena                                             Date:  November 23,2016

Cooperating School: Iligan City East National High School- Sta. Filomena

SCHOOL FACILITIES CHECKLIST

Check if:		FACILITIES	DESCRIPTION (location, number, arrangement, condition)
Available	Not Available
ü		Office of the Principal	The principal’s office is well manage, clean and orderliness.It is very spacious and is air-conditioned; the staffs have their respective tables and computers
ü		Library	At the upper part, it has books and is well-ventilated; it is conducive for learning and studying.
ü		Counseling Room	Located beside the principal’s office, it is well ventilated and provides a friendly environment
ü		Canteen/Cafeteria	There is only one canteen near the gate, properly ventilated and well-cleaned
ü		Medical Clinic	It is quite small yet it is clean, there is also enough medicines and first aid kits for immediate treatment
ü		Audio-Visual/Media Center	Right next to the principal’s office, it has sixteen units of personal computers that can be used by the students.
	ü	Reading Center
	ü	Speech Laboratory
ü		Science Laboratory	It is quite small yet it is clean and comfortable to do some experiments
	ü	Gymnasium
ü		Auditorium	It is very big that it can accommodate all of the students while they are having their flag ceremony
ü		Home Economics Room	At the front of the principal’s office, it is quite small but it has a lot of equipments used in cooking.
ü		PTA Office	Beside the canteen; it’s always locked but there are files inside indicating it is still in use
ü		Comfort Room for Boys	It is small that it can only be used one by one, it has enough water to wash and clean the comfort room after using
ü		Comfort Room for Girls	It is clean and provides privacy to the students who use it, it has a big mirror where students can tidy themselves up

OBSERVATION REPORT FOR SCHOOL VISIT

             Iligan City East National High School at Sta. Filomina is located at a peaceful environment which is surrounded by trees and few houses in the neighborhood. The breeze of fresh air and its peaceful environment fascinates to one’s wandering mind. Iligan City East National High School is also one of the pilot school which known for upholding the culture of excellence for their students.

While I am in the school premises, I observe that there school facilities is well maintain and in orderliness. The walls are painted in colorful murals of beautiful scenery. Their garden school surrounding has colorful ornament plants and herbs, which properly maintained by gardeners. The campus is wide enough especially the field were the students conduct some of their school activities. The light colors such as yellow, green, white and other earthly colors  suits the eyes of the students, the buildings was beautifully designed and the class rooms were arranged by different year levels.

Offices are found at the building on the first floor, the offices of the principal and faculty rooms is alongside and are easy to locate by the students. The offices are well functioning to entertain the teachers, students and the parents. The Principal’s Office is clean and has a good ambiance for their special visitors.

As passing the different areas of the school I noticed their different facilities which are beneficial to the success of the students. The comfort rooms for boys and girls are separated for privacy of the students, and others. Their library is clean and has a proper arrangement of books in the cabinet rack. After I observe the library I also go to their canteen and cafeteria where I saw the students eating, drinking, and chatting with their friends, and etc. in some part of their canteen some garbage where not properly dispose by the indolence students. But as a whole I observe that their canteen is properly maintained by the school nutritionist and helpers to maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the canteen. In their Guidance Office, the school guidance counselors do her job properly in guiding their students if there are problems that been encounter, this room is also have a good ambiance and orderliness.

CLASSROOM FACILITIES MATRIX

CLASSROOM FACILITIES	DESCRIPTION (location, number, arrangement, condition)
Wall Display	There are rooms which lacks picture displayed on the wall. But some rooms have many pictures posted on the wall.
Teacher’s Table	The teacher table located in the upper left and there’s only one teacher table.
Learner’s Desk	There is forty five (45) learner’s table which located in the middle of the classroom facing the teacher’s table. The chairs are group in three rows with nine 15/18 desks in each row. Learners Desks Students from Grade VII to Grade X students have their individual desks. They sit on armchairs, it is small but enough to make the students sit comfortably.
Blackboard	The blackboard is located in its proper place where the writings can be seen clearly by the students.
Demonstration Table	A simple wooden table that is used by the teacher to put his chalk and lesson plan
Bulletin Boards	Near the ceiling, a small blackboard but is barely noticeable because there are boxes covering it.
Learning Materials/Visual Aids	Learning materials are enough to the pupils for their learning. The teacher has visual aids to help her student assessment. There are many visual aids in the cabinet of the teacher that is related to their topic.
Chalkboard	The chalkboard is big. It is convenient for the teacher to write many things for his lessons
Instructional Materials	There are few reference books in the classroom
A portrait of Pres. Benigno Aquino	Every room has the portrait of the President at the top of the chalkboard
A tarpaulin about Hinduism and Buddhism	Pasted on the wall to provide knowledge and easy understanding of the learners

OBSERVATION REPORT FOR CLASSROOM VISIT

            It was November 23, 2016 when we started our first actual observation in accordance to our FS 101 subject. I was so excited on that day that I came to school very early. Each one of us were assigned to a certain classroom and observed everything that is related to the student’s learning process. As I am roaming around the school premises together with my classmates I observed everything that the school has. And I was comparing it to different schools that I been before. The silence of the surroundings caught my ears and the breeze wobbled the trees. The building was structured carefully to accommodate the students, but the first time I saw it I said that the design was comparable to a hospital building yet it was just an impression. When I first entered the room and observe the class, the room is good because the students are busy with their papers and also the room has a big space at back so it doesn’t look like a small room. The color of the wall of the room is painted with yellow and green so it looks so calm and bright. I was impressed by the different offices and rooms. The teachers table is located at the front and back of the room. The student’s desks are arranged by rows. The students are paying attention to their teacher. But the overall observation, the school is a conductive environment for learning but it can improve more.

            We went back on another days and continued our observation. I accomplished the school facilities matrix and was able to answer the questions which are asked in my data.

ANALYSIS

            The school campus and classroom in particular impact on the students going to school because when the student feel comfortable they can easily learn and they will have a good performance.

            Child and adolescent development differ greatly from each other. There is a level of maturity in behavior being formed in school as well as in understanding the lessons given by the teacher. Thus, the school has a great responsibility that contributes to the learning and development in a child and adolescent.

            According to my observations, students vary from one another in terms of attitudes or behavior. This factor should be considered in facilitating the learning of the students so that despite their differences, it will not hamper their learning in school.

REFLECTIONS

               Based on the school I have just observed, I would say no, because the school is very far and I have things to consider. But if there is nothing else, I will teach in there, having my commitment of teaching as my motivating factor.

         A clean and green, well-organized and free from pollution school campus is conducive to learning. Complete facilities to offices, laboratories and every classroom can be also considered helpful in the learning of the students.

        A classroom is considered to be conducive to learning if it is clean, properly lighted and well ventilated. Also, completeness and proper organization of necessary facilities and equipment is helpful in maximizing the learning process of the students. It should not be too crowded that might affect the learning of every student.

       As a future teacher of the next generation, if by God’s grace, my aspiration in becoming a teacher will be granted, I will do the same with all my efforts. I will make sure that my classroom is clean, properly lighted and well ventilated. I will also see to it that the furniture in my classroom is properly arranged so that students will be comfortable in moving around the room.

               This field of study is very important, for students like us, as future educators. It helped me open my mind in considering the environment such as the school campus, as a factor that would be very important in the learning of the students. I also learned that every classroom should be conducive for learning so that students will be encouraged to learn and feel comfortable in going to school.