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When meeting with my teacher by the name of Ms. Vargas for the first time, there were many potential areas for me to assist within her classroom. We both agreed that having myself work with a small group of kids was best. These are the two SMART Goals that we discussed:

1. By March 28, 2018, all four students in the math small group will show growth in multiplication fact fluency using a computer generated assessment with a 70% accuracy on all twelve fact families.

2. By March 28, 2018, all four students in the small group will demonstrate growth in MAFS.5.NBT.1.3 which is reading, writing, and comparing decimals to the thousandths using a district approved assessment with a 70% accuracy.

After further consideration, we both decided that SMART Goal #2 would be best for both myself and her students. Although not every student hit the 70% accuracy goal, each student did improve significantly from the beginning to our last meeting together. I can confidently say that each student took something away from our time together in the numerous Wednesday meetings. I will include further details in other components of this project.

I was able to collaborate with my classroom teacher to ensure there were consistencies with her teachings. Additionally, I was provided with guidance and advice in my lesson planning to ensure that each student I worked with got the attention they needed for their currently level in regards to decimals.

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Each Wednesday for eight weeks, I met with the same group of four students.

January 31, 2018: Observed in the classroom for an entire school day focusing on classroom management, transitions, student behavior, and pacing of the teacher. This was also the meeting in which we decided the SMART Goal to follow for this project.

February 7, 2018: Met with students for small group instruction for the first time. Students completed an interest survey to start a relationship with myself as a "get to know you." Students took a district approved pre-assessment of reading, writing, and comparing decimals.

February 14, 2018: Met with students and set expectations of the group. The students were asked to write what they already know about decimals, and after share with the group. We then focused on introducing reading decimals in standard form, focusing on decimal place value.

February 21, 2018: Reviewed previous week's learning through a speed competition game with decimals written in their standard form. Students had to read the decimals and say them with precision and accuracy. We then focused on introducing writing decimals in word form and utilized a place value chart to assist.

February 28, 2018: Played a review game with the students which allowed them to work together to play a matching game with decimals written in standard form and word form. We then worked together in which they modeled myself in writing decimals in expanded form. The students utilized their place value chart for this activity.

March 7, 2018: Reviewed expanded form with the group to confirm their understanding (this was one of the more difficult concepts for them to grasp as a group). We then introduced comparing decimals with the symbols >, =, and <.

March 14, 2018: Played a review game in which students compared and contrasted decimals. We played a matching game and then the students worked together to put sixteen decimals in order from least to greatest.

March 18, 2018: Final meeting with the students. The post-assessment was administered to compare their results from the first test that was taken to evaluate progress.

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There were a few challenges that were faced while working with these four students. Although the students had similarities, there were also differences among one another. There were some students that grasped the concepts fairly quickly, while others needed some additional attention. It became increasingly obvious that it will be a challenge to balance twenty students someday opposed to the four that I had.

Another challenge that I faced was assisting students the following week if they were absent for one of our meetings. I had one student that missed two of our meetings out of the 8 that we had. Because of this, I had to spend a little extra time with him to help him caught up. This ultimately took away time to introduce new content.

For the students I worked with specifically, two of the four students were ESOL students. This provided some challenges particularly with decimals in word form. I had to work closely with them to ensure that they were writing all of the words accurately on top of getting the information right.

The last challenge I would like to highlight was keeping the students actively engaged. There were a few instances in which the students were admittedly very chatty among one another. This in turn made me have to introduce behavior management tools. I created an incentive to earn stickers each week for good behavior, and then could ultimately win prizes at the end of our time together.

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The biggest learning experience for me was adjusting the path of the lesson if the students didn’t grasp the concept right away; I know this
comes with the territory, but I didn’t realize how much of a learning curve there is with this. There have been a few instances where I had to spend more time reviewing than expected just to ensure that all of the students were ready to move on to the next lesson. This was a big lesson for me in terms of time management.

Another thing I learned was simple things can go a long way with students. The first week, I was elaborate in my charts, spending hours the next before hand cutting small numbers for the students place on those charts and color coding for each student. This was somewhat practical for a group of four, but this wouldn't translate for an entire class. Ms. Vargas provided advice and insight in trying to find simpler tools to assist, such as utilizing playing cards for numbers or finding worksheets on Teachers Pay Teachers. There are resources out there to help, so why not utilize them?

The last major lesson that I learned was that it is important to underestimate your students' capabilities. I was very discouraged to see that the students' scores were relatively low, especially because they should have already known this information and I was just assisting with reinforcing this information. I had to change my approach and teach the information as if it was their first time seeing it, and adjusting from week to week according to their needs. I was proven wrong at the end because the two girls that were there every class meeting improved tremendously and I am still so proud of each and every one of them.

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The pre-assessment consisted of 15 questions total, covering decimals in standard, word, and expanded form, as well as comparing decimals. The post assessment was the same exact test given at the end of our time together. Please see below for the improvements, which shows the impact on student learning through data.

Student #1:
Pre-Assessment (February 7th) - 2/15 correct, 13.33%
Post Assessment (March 28th) - 6/15 correct, 40.00%

Student #2:
Pre-Assessment (February 7th) - 5/15 correct, 33.33%
Post Assessment (March 28th) - 14/15 correct, 93.33%

Student #3:
Pre-Assessment (February 7th) - 9/15 correct, 60.00%
Post Assessment (March 28th) - 12/15 correct, 80.00%

Student #4:
Pre-Assessment (February 7th) - 1/15 correct, 6.67%
Post Assessment (March 28th) - 9/15 correct, 60.00%

As you can see, each student improved significantly from the beginning when compared to the end which shows me there was a positive impact on these students in our time together.

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6. Reflection on Service Learning Experience

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6. Reflection on Service Learning Experience

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Upon finding out that this course would require me to spend time in the classroom and interacting with an active teacher and their students, I must admit that was a bit intimidated. The first day was very eye opening as Ms. Vargas revealed that she was in "bare mode" due to some behavior problems at the beginning of the week. This meant that she didn't allow them to have any extra things that may be viewed as a reward. Seeing the real side of teaching in which discipline was implemented was important for me and I'm grateful that I was exposed to that very early on.

After discussing what was best for her students and what I could handle, we both agreed that interacting with a small group would be beneficial. This hands on experience was wonderful, and it allowed me to adapt to the students' needs from week to week. By creating consistency, the students knew what to expect when they met with me, so they were focused and ready to go each Wednesday morning that we met with one another.

Each Tuesday night, I would ensure that I was prepared for the following morning. This included making flashcards and review questions to allow us to optimize the time that we had together as a group. The students seemed to enjoy consistency; we started with a review game that went over material from the week before, move into learning new material by using note cards to write on, do review questions at the end on the new material, and then pick stickers for their positive behavior as an incentive. It was amazing to see how the students improved from week to week as we went over decimals. I was lucky enough to witness various “light-bulb” moments as we progressed as a unit, and the students were comfortable being honest if they didn’t understand what was presented.

Something that I didn't expect was to form a bond in the short time that I spent with the students. I was able to anticipate their behaviors and needs, and understand their personalities. The students often expressed that they were sad to see our time together coming to an end. This is something that warmed my heart the most; I even received a Valentine treat from one of them! My ultimate goal was obviously to help them improve in the subject area, but I also know the importance of creating relationships and connecting that to working together to better ourselves as a class.

I was incredibly proud on the last day when the students took their post assessment. When we went over their results, the look of pride on their faces when they realized their progress was amazing. One student actually took it upon herself to draw smiley faces on everyone's test to show how proud she was, and we concluded our time together with high fives. Ms. Vargas also informed me that the students spoke very highly of me, and were "devastated to see me go." These types of moments are the confirmation that I need that I chose the correct path for my life in terms of career choice.