Name: Kelly Morgan Date of Reflection:11/29/2025
TFE 800.53 Field-Based Experiences: Learning Strategies
Teachers employ various learning strategies to address the diverse learning styles and needs of their
students, ensuring that each student can grasp and retain the material effectively. With the diversity of
students before them, good teachers use a variety of strategies throughout a lesson such as ones
learned in TCR 404 Elements of Effective Instruction, TTL 402 Teaching Strategies that Work, and TTL 301
Strategies for Teaching Emergent Bilinguals. In your reflection, refer back to previous coursework to
connect what you observed in the classrooms with strategies for learning.
Reflection Questions:
1. In video 1 as you observed the instructional practices of Mr. Gonzalez and Ms. Saavedra, think
back to TCR 404 Elements of Effective Instruction. Describe how each teacher used effective
instructional practices. Which of these methods do you see yourself employing in your future
classroom and why?
During Mr. Gonzalez’s anticipatory set, he used a catchy, repetitive song about “objects and
light”. This helped students remember what the lesson would be about, along with
acknowledging that there is a correlation between the two. After his direct instruction, he gave
all students an opportunity to practice what relection and refraction looks like by giving each
group a cup of water and objects, then after demonstrating what was expected, Mr. Gonzalez
had students try, which kept all learners active and engaged in the lesson. Throughout the
practice, he cold called on all students to gauge their knowledge of what was being taught and
discussed in their small groups. In Ms. Saavedra’s class, she gave students the opportunity to
listen to a song that they played, then be able to spot mistakes or areas for growth. She then
allowed the students to match their findings with hers. In my future classroom, I plan to employ
allowing students to find their mistakes and using a catchy antincipatory set. When students are
able to catch their own mistakes, it teaches a level of problem solving, which will evolve over
time. Also, the students will be able to catch mistakes during practice which could lead to room
for error. For the anticipatory set, students will be able to anticipate what the lesson is about and
with a memorable anticipatory set, students can correlate that memory with the lesson.
2. As you observed Ms. Wright’s and Ms. Robison’s classrooms in video 2, explain how each teacher
used small groups and individualized instruction. How were these strategies beneficial for their
students?
In Ms. Wright’s class, while working on writing their stories, she divided them up into partners.
The partners were expected to have one talker and one listener to ensure that each student was
given an opportunity to explain their story. As the students were working in partners, she
individually checked in on each group by restating expectations, having the students explain
their story, asking guiding questions, and giving verbal praise. For example, while monitoring the
class, Ms. Wright went up to one of her students to look at his writings and offer guidance.
When she recognized that there was a pattern in his topics, she suggested him to take a step
back and brainstorm some new topics to write a new story. This strategy was beneficial to all of
TFE 800.53 Field-Based Experiences: Learning Strategies
Teachers employ various learning strategies to address the diverse learning styles and needs of their
students, ensuring that each student can grasp and retain the material effectively. With the diversity of
students before them, good teachers use a variety of strategies throughout a lesson such as ones
learned in TCR 404 Elements of Effective Instruction, TTL 402 Teaching Strategies that Work, and TTL 301
Strategies for Teaching Emergent Bilinguals. In your reflection, refer back to previous coursework to
connect what you observed in the classrooms with strategies for learning.
Reflection Questions:
1. In video 1 as you observed the instructional practices of Mr. Gonzalez and Ms. Saavedra, think
back to TCR 404 Elements of Effective Instruction. Describe how each teacher used effective
instructional practices. Which of these methods do you see yourself employing in your future
classroom and why?
During Mr. Gonzalez’s anticipatory set, he used a catchy, repetitive song about “objects and
light”. This helped students remember what the lesson would be about, along with
acknowledging that there is a correlation between the two. After his direct instruction, he gave
all students an opportunity to practice what relection and refraction looks like by giving each
group a cup of water and objects, then after demonstrating what was expected, Mr. Gonzalez
had students try, which kept all learners active and engaged in the lesson. Throughout the
practice, he cold called on all students to gauge their knowledge of what was being taught and
discussed in their small groups. In Ms. Saavedra’s class, she gave students the opportunity to
listen to a song that they played, then be able to spot mistakes or areas for growth. She then
allowed the students to match their findings with hers. In my future classroom, I plan to employ
allowing students to find their mistakes and using a catchy antincipatory set. When students are
able to catch their own mistakes, it teaches a level of problem solving, which will evolve over
time. Also, the students will be able to catch mistakes during practice which could lead to room
for error. For the anticipatory set, students will be able to anticipate what the lesson is about and
with a memorable anticipatory set, students can correlate that memory with the lesson.
2. As you observed Ms. Wright’s and Ms. Robison’s classrooms in video 2, explain how each teacher
used small groups and individualized instruction. How were these strategies beneficial for their
students?
In Ms. Wright’s class, while working on writing their stories, she divided them up into partners.
The partners were expected to have one talker and one listener to ensure that each student was
given an opportunity to explain their story. As the students were working in partners, she
individually checked in on each group by restating expectations, having the students explain
their story, asking guiding questions, and giving verbal praise. For example, while monitoring the
class, Ms. Wright went up to one of her students to look at his writings and offer guidance.
When she recognized that there was a pattern in his topics, she suggested him to take a step
back and brainstorm some new topics to write a new story. This strategy was beneficial to all of
