Running head: culmination paper

Alma RamirezRodriguez
Pacific Oaks College
HD450 Reflective Teaching

Culmination Paper

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Introduction
As the final stage is near, I have gathered all the information throughout the semester and
what it has developed into this culmination paper. In this paper, I will discuss on the overall
summarization of my observations which were conducted at three different schools. Next, will be
the analysis of the observation, this paper will also include the concepts that are in relevance to
the classroom concepts which go hand in hand with the theorist. Lastly, I will add my reflection
to my own work as the final concept and that wraps up the final stage to this culmination paper.
Summary
The first (three) set of the observations were conducted at Cesar Chavez Elementary
School. This school is located in the city of Norwalk, California and provides education to its
diverse community.
The first two observations were administered in a transitional kindergarten classroom
with Mrs. Gomez. Mrs. Gomez classroom had wall to wall covering of students work. Mrs.
Gomez agenda was clear to her lesson plan which was done through the projector. The students
all sat at the carpet area focused on the lesson, projecting from the screen. A bell rang to change
tasks, students had to find a partner to read to each other from a booklet that they were going
over on the projector. Alexa, was a student who was having a difficult time when approached by
a classmate. Alexa, did not want to participate and moved around the carpet area so she would
not team up with someone. Mrs. Gomez approached her with patience to comfort her and to
assist her in team reading. This observation was done in the first hour of class, which was based
on reading, sounding out words and the alphabet. Mrs. Gomez would randomly ask a student to
pronounce a word and rewarded them with a handful of snacks.

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The second observation, was again with Mrs. Gomez during the second half of class. This
time the students were broken up into groups. Each group had a particular task to do, for
example, one group was coloring and cutting, the others were writing their names and another
group were on the computer corner working on their words. Mrs. Gomez, sat with one group
only and had no interaction with the other groups. In this observation, Alexa, was also having a
difficult time participating among the groups and task.
Third observation, was within a third grade class. Mrs. Halls, classroom had a neutral
environment, no students work was displayed on walls. Students desk sat in the middle of the
room. Mrs. Halls interaction with the group consisted through their daily oral. The daily oral
was a sheet of paper with sentences that had errors. As a whole class they corrected the
sentences. Individual attention was given when Mrs. Hall would pick on a student as they had
their hand up in the air. Another group activity, was when she asked everyone to move to the
carpet area to go over a few paragraphs. Mrs. Hall, was explaining how a paragraph should be
written, organized and punctuation. Angela, was one of the students who was observed.
The following observation was conducted at my old elementary school. San Pedro
Elementary School is located in Los Angeles, California near the garment district in downtown
Los Angeles. What divides these two locations is the ten freeway. This elementary school
provides education to predominantly Latino families.
Mrs. Avilas classroom was at the end of the hallway, in this hallway were banners that
represented Californias Universitys and some colleges. Mrs. Avila, teaches kindergarten and
transitional kindergarten, ages five and six. Most of Mrs. Avilas teaching moments concluded at
the carpet area allowing the students to work as a large group as well as individual attention to
students. Mrs. Avila, had a specific student who she often asked for help. Sophia was the student

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who Mrs. Avila would count on for help. Mrs. Avila, would reward her students with applauses
when they answered the questions correctly.
My final observations were administered at a child development center, also located in
the city of Norwalk, California. Norwalk Child Development center provides fundamentals of
education to a diverse community. The environment in the classroom consist at a neutral level,
with minimal student work displayed. Everything in the classroom is at eye level of the children.
For Example, the cubbies that had a variety of activities where at hands and eye level for
students, the tables, chairs and dramatic play area life skills were also at eye level for students.
In the observation, Mrs. Mari and Mrs. Candy had interactions with their students. For
example, when it was time for them to put on their thinking caps, use their imagination to make
or build whatever they chose to do with colorful playdough placed on the tables. During this
time, Pedro was rolling, patting and shaping the dough to make a car. Mrs. Candy, asked Pedro
open-ended questions about his car. In the second observation, Valeria was sitting among five of
her peers and Mrs. Mari, Mrs. Mari facilitated the task by letting them know what they were
tracing and how to trace it. Valeria, shared her weekend story with Mrs. Mari as she began to
trace her name, after tracing her name, Valeria went on to play with other activities.
Analysis
My analysis to the observation is how each students development was expressed through
their physical, cognitive, language and their social-emotional present. Their physical
development was expressed when the students would stand up, sit down, this was through their
fine and gross motor skills. For example, raising their hands, walking, and writing, rolling,
patting the paly dough and tracing their name. When Alexa from Mrs. Gomez class was tracing

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her name and coloring the letter of the day. She was able to show her physical development by
holding the crayon with her fingers.
The students social development was expressed through their interactions among their
peers and teachers. For example, Valeria, Sophia, Angela and Pedros social growth was
established through their competence of free play, learning to read, write and in a group setting
allowing others to participate. As Curtis and Carter State Children pursue an interest in their
play and conversations, we have to recognize that these moments are mortar and brick of a
developing life (Curtis & Carter, 2000, Pg.25). Through the socialization development, students
develop and continue to grow in learning while becoming autonomous as well as learning to trust
those around them. Also, through this development the student expressed their language skills.
For Example, when they were asked a question, they expressed their interest of building and
sharing stories with their educators.
Emotional development, goes into connection with the social development. Childrens
emotional development refers to their capacity to feel or experience a wide range of emotions
such as happiness, sadness, anger, jealousy, excitement, wonder and fear (Hoorn et all, 1993,
Pg.66). This development occurs through dramatic play in their classroom environment. Through
these interactions a child matures and is able to regulate their emotions and expressions. For
Example, Valerias emotional development was expressed as she shared her feeling about how
her mother combed her hair and did not like it. Also, sharing her story about their time at the
beach for Easter and how her cousin pushed her, hurting her knee.
Cognitive Development, Is the study of how there processes develop in children and
young people, and how they become more efficient in their understanding of the world and in
their mental processes (Oakley, 2004, Pg.2). All the students who were observed expressed their

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language and thinking skills, in their environment. In their classroom environment Valeria,
Pedro, Alexa, Sophia and Angela used their cognitive development through their time of working
in a group. For Example, Sophias cognitive development was expressed through her thinking
process of certain questions that Mrs. Avila was asking. Sophias ability to answer was through
her developmental growth of cognitive development. Another example of cognitive development
was how Pedros thinking and language skills were exposed as he interacted with his peers and
responding to his teachers open-ended questions.
Compare and Contrast
In comparing and contrasting the sites, all three were at different locations within the Los
Angeles County. Each school had their own teaching method, two schools followed a lesson
plan, strict to what is only available for teachers to use in a public school. The other was the child
development center, in the classroom it had activities for the students as well as life skills. For
example, students in class had to trace their names, when finished they had the opportunity to do
another activity that focused on their fine and gross motor skills.
Mrs. Gomez and Mrs. Avila, had both similarities and difference. Mrs. Gomez classroom
had wall to wall covering of students work, while Mrs. Avila had less of students work but more
furniture around the classroom. Both teachers facilitated their learning experience through the
lesson plans prepared. For example, Mrs. Gomez support was through the assistance of sounding
out letters, words, and tracing their name. Mrs. Avila, scaffold this method by teaching the
students the numbers, days of the week and problem solving with math. Mrs. Hall, facilitated
their learning development through reading, correcting and forming paragraphs. Ballenger states,
Are all the children participating in thoughtful reflective discussion in some aspect of the
curriculum? (Ballenger, 2009, Pg. 30). Each classroom format was set to what teachers could

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facilitate as well as children participating in the discussion. However, in the public school
setting, it had the teacher dictating the information from the front of the board. The
commonalities from the teachers, was how they assisted in the developmental growth of students
cognitive, physical, social and emotional development.
Education is an arena of hope and struggle-hope for a better life and struggle
over how to understand and enact and achieve a better world. We come to believe
that we can become makers of history, not merely the passive objects of the great
human drama (Pg. 1)
Relevance to Class
I can relate my observations to Piagets Preoperational Stage Piaget suggested that
children acquire knowledge through their experiences and interactions (Cherry, 2015). The
students interactions among their peers and teachers were either individual or in group setting.
Such as, students sitting at the carpet area focused on the projector or white board. Students
would interact socially by asking each other questions of words and numbers. In the child
development center, students worked in group settings as well as activities on their own. The
center provided the opportunity for children to express linguistically through their social
interactions. Another theorist that I was able to relate the observation to class was with Vygotsky
and the stage of Zone of Proximal Development. Vygotsky Defined the ZPD as the distance
between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the
level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in
collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86). Mrs. Hall, is a great example on
the ZPD with her classroom. During their daily oral, students read the sentences and corrected
them as group, Mrs. Hall guided the lesson plan and through her guidance the students
determined what was right and what was wrong in those sentence. This benefiting them in the
future because they will remember going over this in Mrs. Halls Classroom.

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Reflection
My reflection to the culmination paper and observations, reflect on the interactions of
students to teachers, classroom to classroom and the learning methods in which the teachers
assisted their growth. Mrs. Avila, Mrs. Gomez, Mrs. Mari and Mrs. Candy, had positive
interactions with their students. Which none used a shaming approach- rather welcoming their
answers and rewarding them with snacks and applauses, I enjoyed seeing this type of interaction
and learning moments. Reminds me of when I enjoyed my interactions with my teachers,
especially the one on one those were most rewarding.
Through this course I was able to tie in the information learned from class and applying
it to the observations. The theorist aspect is what will help me with the developmental growth of
adolescents in my career. Here I will be able to see what they lacked, where they are stuck and
then encourage a healthier growth cycle. Being an analytical person, observations help me to see
deeper and think critically in the environment in which the student spends most of the time and
to also see the positive relationships that they build. Also, how educators assist in their selfconcept that ties into their self-esteem, making productive young adults. I cannot point at a
contradiction learned in this course to the observation, in a way it all had it purpose to fulfil both
in class and to the observations.

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References

Ballenger, C. (2009). Puzzling Moments, Teachable Moments: Practicing Teacher Research in

Urban Classrooms. New York: Teacher College Press.
Cherry, K. (2015, December 10). Jean Piaget's Life and Contributions to Psychology. Retrieved
March 09, 2016, from
http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/piaget.htm
Curtis, D., & Carter, M. (2000). The Art of Awareness: How Observation can transform your
teaching. St. Paul, MN: Red leaf Press.
Curtis, D., & Carter, M. (2008). Learning Together with Young Children: A Curriculum
Framework for Reflective Teachers. St. Paul, MN: Red leaf Press
Hoorn, J. V., Nourot, P. M., Scales, B., & Rodriguez, K. (1993). Play at the center of the
curriculum. New York: Merrill.
Oakley, L. (2004). Cognitive Development. London: Routledge.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.