David J.

Gonzalez Valencia College

It was a fresh and beautiful Monday afternoon, and Principal R.W. Lundquist waves at me with an eager smile waiting for my visit and appointment to begin my journey in observing the educational fruits of Oviedo High School, which at first impression, he seemed so highly proud of. I was intrigued and excited as he set the tone genuinely for the observations I was going to make towards his inviting school culture, unique curriculum, and particularly experiencing a live cumulative fifteen hour demonstration of one educators teaching style along with all the tools for learning the exceptional public comprehensive high school has to offer. Oviedo High School of Seminole County Public Schools in Oviedo, Florida has been graded by the state an A+ school. This is known as an effective school. Those fifteen hours I spent within just one of their classrooms and campus grounds proved to me, astonishingly, they truly were.

The Curriculum
The curriculum at Oviedo High School was one I had never seen before, but do see the reasons of its success. It is interdisciplinary within its block scheduling mode throughout the school year. It also involves the transition between the philosophy of essentialism and progressivism between grade levels, cooperative learning, and the act of reflective teaching. The curricula for 9th and 10th graders seemed to follow the essential approach of teaching in the classroom because it involved giving students the essential core subjects to study to achieve a great score for the school on the state mandated FCAT. Once the students progressed in these two grades, progressivism was introduced in the classroom, where students had the liberty to research, learned how to think then what to think- becoming great problem solvers with the knowledge they had gained from years before. Progressivism included cooperative learning, where groups were formed in the classroom by teachers to create a thinking tone in the classroom where students could share ideas, thoughts, even better ways to study amongst each other. Along with this curriculum, teachers were encouraged to hand in an e-mail to the principal every month to give them an update of their classroom, to reflect their teaching struggles or students learning struggles. Electives offered at Oviedo High School are extremely comprehensive- offering students many options and outlets, from a high tech Bio-technology program and lab worth over $150,000 of equipment for student research in the sciences, to weight-lifting and cooking classes to begin the students interest in the culinary. The teacher plays the role of a facilitator in direction at OHS rather than one who just dumps information on the childs desk to learn.

The Culture
Walking through the hallways each and every day that I spent on OHSs campus, I felt a culture that flourished throughout the school year. Teachers pointed out to me students whose behaviorism changed for the better because of the many diverse programs and clubs the school supported and offered. Both cultural pluralism and culturally responsive teaching skills and ideas are first looked at before ANY social science, subject, event,or club are even approached by this educational institution. In conclusion to school culture, Oviedo High Schools marching teams, athletes, even political and debate teams have t-shirts showing their beliefs, goals, and dominant ideas all at the same time on school grounds. The shy 9th grade student is now president of a club! I could look at a student and already know at least the first page of their story. None are a closed book. The surprising demographic of this growing melting pot is 80 percent White, 10 percent African-American, 5 percent Hispanic/Latino, and 5 percent of other descent. A multicultural curricula is a primary factor so students become equal and fair members to society when they graduate.

Why I would teach like her..

With 25 years of experience in teaching Biology at the High School level at the same school Oviedo High School, she has tested many teaching styles introduced in textbooks, seminars, staff development, and through vicarious experiences spoken to me in my 15 hour visit. She said the most successful type of teaching style was first connecting with the students. Find out their story. Study how to approach them. For each class, find the average approach and you will succeed every time. Some students enjoy memorization practices by making flashcards in class, some like using diagrams and actual skeletons in their hand. Whichever way, Ms. Clark reaches out to each student and makes them successful in the subject. I will do the same.

From left to Right: Student Hilary, Teacher Ms. Clark, Myself (holding the dissected pig!), and student Anna, about to perform their Oral Final Exams

Please note that Ms. Christine Clark was the primary teacher observed. However I did not turn down the idea of observing another teaching style briefly from Ms. Petchel and Ms. Dougherty to differentiate teaching experiences between an Honors and Standardized level classroom level.

The Class Syllabus Each student at the beginning of the semester is given this syllabus. It is to be signed by both parents and students and brought back to Ms. Clark.

The Weekly Teaching Plan The weekly teaching plan usually prepared by Ms. Clark on Sunday afternoons then faxed or emailed to the department head to show structure, organization, and communication throughout the week and semester.

Student Bi-weekly Reading Activity and Exercise

I personally thought this was fantastic. According to the principal, each and every student bi-weekly has to turn in this activity practicing their reading skills. Helping students to really read and indulge in liking to read.

Reflective learning opportunity and exercise survey I performed for 25 Honor Students

I performed a survey with the students that would give me better insight DIRECTLY from them on how they felt about their school culture, curriculum, and tools for learning. It was amazing to see how many 9th graders like this one, actually care for the outcome of their school and themselves at this age.

Questions 1)What challenges do you face as a high school teacher ? 2) What classroom management issues do you face at the 9th grade level, how do you solve them?

Answers
1)Just as a one grade 9th grade teacher, the students are brought into such a menagerie of opportunities and events that the school offers, its hard to keep their attention on academics- so the challenge is to keep their attention on the subject at hand. 2) Most of my students are well behaved at the Honors level, (I hear horror stories of the short attention span of Standard students)- but when it does get hectic around Homecoming week or football season, this is where I assign many of my projects, presentations, and individual work for the students, so my classroom stays behaved.

Questions
3) What tools do you use to keep communication between yourself and the parent with your students academics?

Answers
3)I do not embarrass my students, but I do however pull them aside from the classroom when I know theyre about to or are misbehaving and taking away attention from the classroom. All parents are given my e-mail, blackboard learn access, and telephone at my classroom desk. They are free to call at ANY TIME as I have set that relationship tone with them to call them with the same freedom as well. 4) When you have a faculty so diverse at the least in age difference and experience, we become like family. Oviedo High School is family to me. So when my ideas are presented or new strategies (especially through new technology) are presented to me- we embrace it. These meetings are usually done during planned lunches/dinners with the whole department to share each others troubles and motivate each other better.

4) With 25 years of teaching alongside working with teachers who were your students back in the day- how do you collaborate ideas/strategies for current students to be successful in your department?

Final Questions 5) What do you use to motivate a classroom of hyper 9th grade students to calm down and enjoy the subject of Biology ? 6) Do you love your job?

Final Answers
5)Usually these students at the Honors level, are told that participating at the Honors level, future colleges see this for admission- so that is a huge motivation in itself. 9th grade parents are searching and speaking to their students of college choices at this age. I never saw that when I worked in Orange County Public Schools 30 years ago. As far as the extrinsic and intrinsic rewards are concerned- the extrinsic is still owned by the student whether it be a party for highest average in presentations- where the intrinsic reward stays with me when I go home still, every day. 6) I live it. I breathe it. I love it.

When a teacher, like Ms. Clark reaches out to Patrick and has a face to face one on one experience that are powerful sources of learning. Here he is examining the pig, not with a group of students, but with the educator herself who explain better.

This instructional approach in which students work together to achieve learning goals. This was used daily if not twice a week in Ms. Clarks classroom.

All around Oviedo High School, particularly in this class, they were given worksheets, spreadsheets, diagrams, tools to better understand certain topics. Students working to find answers through resources like texbooks, library, and internet researches brought from home. Below is an artifact of the actual worksheet students filled out on their final exam.

I find education an incomparable feeling. If an someone can call education an incomparable feeling, because it produces one- they should become an educator. The enjoyment watching students use vocabulary that wasnt used by them at the beginning of the week towards the end of the week enlightening and opening their minds to new knowledge, is fascinating to me. My observations at Oviedo High School confirmed even more the realization of making the exchange of teaching and learning a reality and a profession some day. I cant wait for my classroom, filled with incomparable school culture, an amazing curriculum, and learning tools that pile up to the sky to where no student will leave my classroom uneducated.