Contextual Factors In The Community

A1 Two of the contextual factors in the community where I will be student teaching are geographic location and race and ethnicity. The community where I am student teaching is a rural area. The nearest metropolitan area is two hours away. This location limits the resources that are available for the student and their families. Some activities that are offered to students in larger communities are not available in our area. On the other hand, in some ways it is better in a small community. Any students who want to are allowed to participate in offered activities. Another contextual factor is race and ethnicity. Even though the community is small there is a substantial group of different races. These groups of people help to make the community

The school I am student teaching at is a Title 1 school. This means that at least half of the students attending this school qualify for free or reduced lunch and breakfast. At least half of the families that have students in the school are living at or below the poverty income level. Poverty affects the school because, if students' basic needs are not being met it is hard for them to concentrate on their studies and learn. The second school contextual factor is the population. In the school, we have a population of families who are living on limited income and a population of privileged families, those that have plenty. This is seen in the classroom by how students are dressed and in the school supplies they have. Most students are supported in their education and encouraged by their parents, but some parents have more time and money to help their students. The teacher will need to be aware of these differences and when planning try to level the playing field. One thing a teacher could do is provide school supplies for the students. This way all the students will have the same supplies and all students will have what they need to complete their assignments. Also, the teacher will need to plan to treat all the students equally, showing no favoritism for either population. The teacher will need to be aware when teaching to call on students from both populations equally. By doing this

In the classroom the teacher has a meeting area that is called the Kiva. This is an area where the students meet to have class discussions, listen to the teacher read stories or to receive instructions. This area is in the front of the classroom in front of the whiteboard. The Kiva is a tiered structure where the students sit in two rows and is the shape of an arch. The west wall has two rows of lockers, one above the other, with the door in the back. The students each receive a locker where they keep their belongings. Above the lockers the teacher has a word wall where words are posted after they have been studied for a week. On the north wall, or back wall, there is a counter with a sink and a water fountain. There is also a cupboard where the teacher keeps supplies. The counter area is used for homework baskets and for pencil sharpening. In the northeast corner of the room there is a kidney table where the teacher works with different students when needed. Also, the northeast corner has bookshelves on both walls. On the east wall the top half is windows the length of the room. In the front and back there are shelves where the teacher keeps manipulative for teaching. In the middle of this wall there is a long table that has iPads on it for the students to use. The teacher’s desk is in the front southeast corner. On the front wall there are three whiteboards. The whiteboard on the right has math vocabulary and math helps. The