Name:Cecilia Romero.Date of Reflection: July 2, 2025
TFE 800.51 Interactive Field Experiences in Learning Strategies: Part 1
While there are many marks of a good teacher, one of the defining characteristics of an effective teacher
is someone who consistently has well-planned, objective-driven lessons intentionally crafted to engage
all students. Good teaching is so much more than knowing content. Good teaching requires knowing
content, then being able to plan out how to convey that information to many different types of people in
an engaging way. This field experience builds on courses such as TCR 404 Elements of Effective
Instruction, TTL 402 Teaching Strategies that Work, and TTL 302 Strategies for Teaching Exceptional
Learners. During your time in the classroom, look for different strategies the teacher draws on, such as
(but not limited to) incorporating direct instruction, using strategies such as cooperative learning and
thematic instruction, as well as how they shift between small and whole group instruction. In particular,
pay attention to how information is presented in multiple ways to offer accommodations and support for
all students.
IMPORTANT: This field experience requires 5 hours in the classroom. The Texas Administrative Code
§228.35 (e)(1)(A) requires FBEs include your active engagement with students during educational
activities the entire time you are in the classroom. Please make sure to discuss with the teacher
beforehand ways for you to be actively involved, such as but not limited to facilitating small groups, help
with monitoring the class, one-on-one tutoring during class time, answering student questions, and
other activities more involved than observation or small talk.
Reflection Questions:
1. Over the course of 5 hours, describe two different times you observed the teacher move from
guided to independent practice. How did they initially teach the content? What activities did
they implement during practice? And how did they transition between the two?
Mr. Emilio Saucedo teaches fourth grade science and math. At the beginning of class, students
were told to log onto their ST Math and complete 15 minutes of bellringer work. I sat with a student
during these 15 minutes to observe how ST Math worked. Students were able to choose a game that
already has questions related to the current objective in the class. Students worked independently
during this time with occasional questions for the teachers. Mr. Saucedo encouraged students to answer
as best they could and not worry too much about getting answers wrong. When the 15 minutes were
over, Mr. Saucedo pulled up a list of common questions that students got incorrect and went over how
to solve them with the whole class. During this time, he cold-called students and helped them
think-aloud the equation process in order to find the answer. Later, when moving from guided to
independent practice, Mr. Saucedo opened another assignment. He began by reviewing the first two
questions with his students, and then tasked them with completing the rest of the worksheet in class. If
students had any questions, they could raise their hand or go-up to his desk so he could help them. This
second set of questions were still related to the work they did during bellringer time, with only a few
new questions to challenge students. This helped with students that are more advanced and kept them
busy while other students worked on the grade-level questions.
TFE 800.51 Interactive Field Experiences in Learning Strategies: Part 1
While there are many marks of a good teacher, one of the defining characteristics of an effective teacher
is someone who consistently has well-planned, objective-driven lessons intentionally crafted to engage
all students. Good teaching is so much more than knowing content. Good teaching requires knowing
content, then being able to plan out how to convey that information to many different types of people in
an engaging way. This field experience builds on courses such as TCR 404 Elements of Effective
Instruction, TTL 402 Teaching Strategies that Work, and TTL 302 Strategies for Teaching Exceptional
Learners. During your time in the classroom, look for different strategies the teacher draws on, such as
(but not limited to) incorporating direct instruction, using strategies such as cooperative learning and
thematic instruction, as well as how they shift between small and whole group instruction. In particular,
pay attention to how information is presented in multiple ways to offer accommodations and support for
all students.
IMPORTANT: This field experience requires 5 hours in the classroom. The Texas Administrative Code
§228.35 (e)(1)(A) requires FBEs include your active engagement with students during educational
activities the entire time you are in the classroom. Please make sure to discuss with the teacher
beforehand ways for you to be actively involved, such as but not limited to facilitating small groups, help
with monitoring the class, one-on-one tutoring during class time, answering student questions, and
other activities more involved than observation or small talk.
Reflection Questions:
1. Over the course of 5 hours, describe two different times you observed the teacher move from
guided to independent practice. How did they initially teach the content? What activities did
they implement during practice? And how did they transition between the two?
Mr. Emilio Saucedo teaches fourth grade science and math. At the beginning of class, students
were told to log onto their ST Math and complete 15 minutes of bellringer work. I sat with a student
during these 15 minutes to observe how ST Math worked. Students were able to choose a game that
already has questions related to the current objective in the class. Students worked independently
during this time with occasional questions for the teachers. Mr. Saucedo encouraged students to answer
as best they could and not worry too much about getting answers wrong. When the 15 minutes were
over, Mr. Saucedo pulled up a list of common questions that students got incorrect and went over how
to solve them with the whole class. During this time, he cold-called students and helped them
think-aloud the equation process in order to find the answer. Later, when moving from guided to
independent practice, Mr. Saucedo opened another assignment. He began by reviewing the first two
questions with his students, and then tasked them with completing the rest of the worksheet in class. If
students had any questions, they could raise their hand or go-up to his desk so he could help them. This
second set of questions were still related to the work they did during bellringer time, with only a few
new questions to challenge students. This helped with students that are more advanced and kept them
busy while other students worked on the grade-level questions.
