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FIELDNOTE SAMPLE

Field Note #5
Joe Q. Student
February 23, 2004
Susie Sunshine, 11 years old, 5th grade
Betty Boop, 10 years old, 4th grade

CHILDREN’S PROGRESS ON THE MAZE
Susie move two steps toward Room 2 by completing her “I Am” poem for the literacy activity and reached a higher level of Math Whiz for the computer activity. Betty moved only one step because she played outside most of the afternoon and wasn’t interested in other activities.

DESCRIPTION OF SOCIAL SCENE
Today seemed especially loud and lively in the classroom. There was high-pitched laughter and yelling. All of the Wilson students got along really well today. Students who usually tease each other, such as Juan and Bob, spent a lot of time doing different activities together.

Inside, a group of about three Wilson students and three cyberguides were playing Hangman together. Their excitement caused other students to join in and attempt to solve the puzzle. Each student took turns choosing a phrase to write on the white board. Everyone worked together to guess what it could be and had a good time. One puzzle that a Wilson student chose showed the difference between children their age and the UCI students. It took a while for someone to guess what it was, and finally a Wilson student knew the correct answer. When the whole puzzle was written on the board the UCI students did not know what the word meant; we joked that maybe it was a new vocabulary word because it looked foreign to us. The Wilson students stated that it was the name of a character from Harry Potter, and they couldn’t believe we did not know this.

Outside on the playground seemed a bit more low key than usual, I guess because there was so much energy inside the classroom. There weren’t as many children playing basketball, and the usual long line to play tetherball was shortened. However, the same girls who are always playing tetherball were there just as every other week.

DESCRIPTION OF CHILD’S BEHAVIOR AND INTERACTIONS
Today I got to learn a lot about Betty as we played on the jungle gym. She is quite talkative when we are alone outside; even more than when it is just the two of us doing something inside. Outside, we walked around the playground looking for puddles because Betty said that she likes splashing in the deep ones. As we watched Tom play tetherball against Karen, a UCI student, it seemed as though Karen had already won, but Tom argued that the ball had not gone completely around the pole. Karen had to prove that in fact she won by making the rope go completely around the pole again. When I stated that I thought Karen won the first time, Betty said, “Tom is a sore loser.” Betty’s bluntness surprised me because she is usually very quiet. I appreciated her opening up to me, because I enjoy learning about her.

As we climbed on the jungle gym together Betty told me about teachers she likes and dislikes. When I asked what it is about the teachers she likes that appeals to her, she said it was because they do fun things. One teacher in particular made class fun by giving out fake money; she then brought things from home that the students could buy with the money they saved up. I thought it was funny that Betty said the teachers she dislikes all seem to be old. I was able to contribute to this theory because I remember my first-grade teacher that I disliked was an older woman.

I was impressed that Susie talked about herself; because when we were inside and I asked how her birthday was she didn’t have much to say. However, when we were outside and she began talking, it caught me a little off guard so I tried to ask questions related to the topic to keep the conversation going. Because Susie is such a quiet person it seems like we only talk about things at a surface level; no topic has been discussed at much length. It is for this reason that I would like to get to know more about Susie’s family and what kind of daughter and sister she is.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Although we are not supposed to act as superiors to Wilson students, I have noticed different means of assisting performance being used by cyberguides. These scaffolding techniques are not used in an authoritarian way, but rather they allow the older cyberguides to lead Wilson students in the direction of learning something new. Both Wilson and UCI students offer behavior for imitation through modeling. It doesn’t always have to be the older one doing the modeling; Betty once showed me how to climb on the jungle gym by first climbing herself. I have also observed feeding back taking place among Wilson students and their cyberguides. Whether it is while doing homework or playing a board game, UCI students give information of the Wilson student’s performance (positive or negative), allowing the student to make adjustments for the next performance. Contingency management, “the means of assisting performance by which rewards and punishments are arranged to follow on behavior, depending on whether or not the behavior is desired,” is used by everyone in the program with the rewarding of prizes. Not too much instructing is practiced as far as assigning tasks, but one can call for specific actions when playing a board game that has certain rules. In helping the students with homework I tend to use questioning, which calls for a specific linguistic response. I mainly ask questions that assist, rather than assess, because I know that the students can answer certain math problems on their homework, but they just need extra encouragement.

This week while playing a computer game with Susie, I employed the scaffolding techniques of questioning, feedback, instructing, and modeling. The game we were playing required Susie to solve math problems. If I saw that a problem was wrong (hindering her progress to the next level) I would question her answer and she would look it over, and eventually get it correct. When she was doing well I would give her positive feedback by praising her efforts. While playing the Jungleway game, Susie didn’t know how to do certain parts, in which case I would give instructions that would call for specific action of where to point the mouse or what buttons to push. One part of the game was both tedious and confusing, so Susie asked that I complete it; by doing so I modeled behavior for her to imitate.
Questioning and modeling seem to be quite successful means of assisted learning. Rather than getting discouraged by questioning like some students, Susie listens and understands the question before coming up with the correct answer. Because she is so quiet I prefer to model behavior rather than give instructions. She is a good observer and listener and can therefore imitate behavior very well. In the future, I will try to give more feedback. Although I try to be effective by giving positive encouragement when she is doing something well, I do not know if Susie finds it useful or if she even finds the feedback important or helpful. Hopefully I will be able to observe positive outcomes from feedback as I use it in the future.

Volunteers Guide

Relax, nobody expects you to be an expert. After all, teachers spend years training before they become fully qualified teachers.

Rather than experience, enthusiasm, a real sense of commitment and a willingness to learn are key ingredients for successfully volunteering in any school–age care program. You have many qualities you probably don’t even realize, not to mention being a valuable extra pair of hands and eyes for most understaffed programs.

After-school programs provide a balance of educational, social and recreational opportunities for children to learn in a safe, fun way, and there are many important ways you, as an academically based volunteer, can be really helpful.

Becoming a mentor, or simply a friend to a child, gives you a unique opportunity to be a role model who can help:

* Create environments that enhance children’s self-esteem.
* Personally support and help children to achieve their full potential.
* Promote cultural awareness and appreciation of cultural differences.
* Value children and encourage them to believe in themselves.
* Create a positive interpersonal environment.
* Help children to develop positive self-concepts.

Feedback Checklist:
* Give appropriate positive feedback and recognition immediately.
* Let the student know it is all right to try even if unsure of the outcome. Show children and youth that you are confident to try new things. This will help them attempt new situations, too.
* If a student doesn't try to answer a question, calmly ask the question again, give a hint, or ask another question that might elicit the same answer. Be patient and encouraging.
* Encourage children and youth to think out loud and talk through their responses.
* If the student's answer is incomplete, ask additional questions or offer clues to help the student arrive at a complete response.

As after-school programs aim to bridge the gap between home and school, many activities are structured informally; and what you will be expected to do will vary greatly depending on both the kind of program you volunteer at and the developmental level of the children. Volunteers work in a variety of areas as diverse as one on one tutoring, reading buddies, homework help, sports coach and chess club. All school-age care programs, however, are committed to the same philosophy: to provide a safe structured environment that offers age-appropriate, culturally relevant activities that meet the needs of the whole child.

Hopefully you can now see, although lacking teacher credentials and experience, you will have a wonderful opportunity to influence children’s lives in a very positive way.

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