VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY - TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

Summary of Year 6 Final Practicum

Student:

Ms. Leigh Fryling

Practicum Dates(dd/mm/yy): 26/10/15 11/12/15

School:

Dover Bay Secondary School

District: Nanaiomo-Ladysmith (#68)

Analysis By:

Mr.L. Venables

Grade(s):

8 - 12

Supervising Teachers: Ms. Pamela Schwarze; Mr. Ward Norcutt

Received and Discussed

Signatures:

Date:

Student:
Sponsor:
Sponsor:

Page 1 of __2___

Supervisor:

School/class context:
Dover Bay Secondary has a population of 1350 students and is located in the north end of Nanaimo. The school
serves a population of primarily upper middle class homes. The school has a history of excellent sports, theatre,
and academic programs. The support programs within the school include learning assistance, Learn-At-Home,
Resource Room, Senior/Junior Alternate and Skills for Life. Dover Bay Secondary is on a semester system
therefore there are 4 classes each semester.
Leigh taught 3 classes during this practicum 1 class of Drama 8, and 2 classes of English 10.
Drama 8 had 25 students (15 boys, 10 girls) with 2 students with IEPs. Leigh taught Acting skills 1 & 2,
scriptwriting, and a Heros Journey.
The English 10 classes had 22 students and 29 students. Leigh taught Romeo & Juliet, Literary Terms,
Persuasive Essay and Analysis.
This practicum was a challenging assignment since Drama, as an expressive art form, and English 10, an
academic course dominated by preparing for a provincial exam, are so different. Leigh did an excellent job and
this report will reflect the different teaching styles she had to embrace to be successful. Leigh had an additional
challenge in adapting to the public school system and the range of abilities and student behaviours that are typical
of high school classes, unlike her previous practicums at private schools.
Value and Care for Students
Leigh loves working with youth. She reads the same books, watches the same movies, listens to the same
music This familiarity with youth interests allows her to relate well with teenagers. She clearly enjoys herself
in front of the class but that enjoyment is student centred. She cares about all kids and endeavours to ensure
that all kids participate and understand what is expected. Leighs comfort in teaching Drama was evident and it
was easy for her to be relaxed. In English, over time, Leigh was able to let herself be more open and friendly,
but always clear that she was the teacher and students conducted themselves accordingly.
Role Model
Leigh is a good role model for students. She dresses well for her classes, conducts herself as a professional at all
times, is prepared for each lesson and brings energy to her classroom. She is enthusiastic about her teaching and
wants to convey that enthusiasm for the material, to her students.
Leighs confidence with Drama is evident. Students feel very comfortable sharing in her classes. She establishes
an environment that allows personal expression, with the watchful eye of a caring adult.
Leighs knowledge of English is also evident, in this case, Romeo and Juliet. She was able to diversify the
instruction of this Shakespearean play to find ways to engage and interest her students. This, again,
demonstrated her skill in directing class energy.
Knowledge of Student Growth and Development
In Drama, Leigh understands how people learn and retain information and skills. Her warm-ups, mini-activities
and larger assignments were all very suitable for Grade 8 students.
In English, her lessons reflect a very good understanding of the skills needed at that grade level. She brought in
videos well suited to the material and to the interests of kids. The resources she chose, the development of
lessons, her style of discussion were well suited to a Grade 10 level student.
Values the Involvement of Parents/Guardians
Student teachers usually have limited opportunity to interact with parents during an intensive practicum. In
Leighs case she did contact several parents in Drama and English to develop learning packages for students
who were absent. In addition, Leigh participated in the schools Report Card Night.
Effective Practices in Classroom Management, Planning, Instruction, Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting

Please provide copies to student/sponsor teacher

Field Experience Office, Vancouver Island University, 900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5
Phone 740-6223 * Fax 740-6463
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Revised: Feb. 20, 2006

Leighs enthusiasm and her personal conviction to be an exemplary teacher are evident. She carries this same
sense of enjoyment into her instruction each day. Because of the different skills needed for Drama and English I
will separate the two areas:
Drama Leigh enjoys planning and ensuring that the lesson goal is achieved each day. Her experience in teaching
Drama previously has given her the structure of how to design/develop effective lessons in Drama. Therefore,
pacing of activities is good. She developed routines to structure lessons attendance, warm-ups, brief
description of each activity followed by practice time. There were always multiple activities within one period.
Leigh was very good about having effective Attention-getting cues that the students respected. They quickly
learned that she wanted their attention to close one activity and to introduce the next. Management of students
was good, effective by managing students quickly so they deferred to her and bought in every day.
English Leighs motivation in any class (Drama or English) is to have kids engaged and learning. In English
she worked patiently to implement strategies to excite kids about learning Shakespeare. She had videos,
discussions, individual and group work. Throughout each lesson she was good about circulating, helping
individuals and groups.
Discussion is a key feature of Leighs instruction. She enjoys having students contribute and teasing out ideas
from the text. As with her Drama instruction her instructions are clear and usually followed by examples to
clarify finally finishing with a question to check for understanding. This instruction style of direct teaching and
discussion is typical of the balance that Leigh seeks between teacher-directed and student-centred activities.
The English 10 unit that Leigh taught was Romeo and Juliet. Leigh is knowledgeable about Shakespeare. She
examines ways that kids can be more engaged with the material and is confident enough to try creative
strategies. She is thoughtful and open to suggestions. For example, one English 10 class that I observed did a
jigsaw cooperative activity for one scene from Romeo & Juliet. This required all students to contribute then to
share with the entire class.
Another lesson planning skill that was evident was coaching students then having them practice. For example, in
preparation for writing the five paragraph essays for the provincial English exam, Leigh gave notes on paragraph
development then had them write a paragraph, followed by notes on the structure of a 5 paragraph essay to be
followed by an in-class essay next week. These lessons showed direct instruction, followed by practice. During
this time Leigh circulated and helped individuals, always reminding the class of time remaining and the purpose
of each activity. Impressive.
Leigh was asked to provide information and reporting on a range of students in her classes. Her classes in
English 10 had a Persuasive Techniques quiz, a quote finding assignment, and a mid-unit test as part of their
assessment for this unit. The Drama class had marks for participation, a superhero character creation and a final
project. When asked to provide comments suitable for a report card Leigh was able to create very positive,
encouraging comments that reflected knowledge of the student and his/her individual strengths.
Broad Knowledge Base in Subject Areas
Leigh has an excellent knowledge base in Drama. She also has a very good background in English. She finds
interesting ways to share with students, always focusing on engagement with the material. She also has good
awareness of the comfort level of each class, assessing if they understand and making adjustments.
Engage in Career-long Learning
Drama Leigh has previous experience in working with independent professional theatre.
Because of her interest in youth, particularly troubled kids, Leigh plans to start her Masters in Counseling in the
next 2 years.
English Leigh likes to contribute. She has come into Dover Bay Secondary on the weekends to help the drama
teacher with the set for the Fall play.
For instruction, she is always looking online for resources that will make her instruction better.
Contributes to the Profession
Student teachers have limited opportunity to address this during practicum. However, Leigh does work with
troubled youth in community services.
In Summary, Leigh has enjoyed her practicum at Dover Bay. She is an energetic and committed person who
loves to develop ways to have others embrace her love of Drama and English. She is a risk taker and confident
in her abilities to assess herself, work with others and become an excellent teacher. She will be a fine addition to
any staff.
Leigh Fryling has successfully met the outcomes for the Vancouver Island University Teacher Education
program Year 6 final practicum.

Please provide copies to student/sponsor teacher

Field Experience Office, Vancouver Island University, 900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5
Phone 740-6223 * Fax 740-6463
/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_5/298463779.doc
Revised: Feb. 20, 2006