FS 1 Episode 1

Episode 1: The Learner's Development and Environment

Episode 1

SCHOOL AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

SCHOOL FACILITIES CHECKLIST

Facilities	Available	Not Available	Description
Office of the Principal			The Office of the Principal has complete facilities, tables and desks, desktop and a couch where the visitors of the Principal can lay by.
Library			Unfortunately, Mayapa Elementary School doesn't have a Library yet.
Counseling Room			The Counseling Room is where the students go when they have problems and need some advice.
Canteen/Cafeteria			The Canteen is located beside the stage of the school; food that is being sold is nutritious and healthy.
Medical Clinic			The Medical Clinic is where the students who are sick settle by until a parent attend his/her child.
Audio Visual/Media Center			They use their Computer Room as their Audio Visual or Media Center.
Reading Center			They do not have a Reading Center, when they have Reading Activities they just do it in their classrooms.
Speech Laboratory			For now, the school doesn't have their Speech Laboratory.
Science Laboratory			The Science Laboratory is not yet available this time. Science experiments are performed inside the room with supervision of the class teacher.
Gymnasium			The Gymnasium is appropriate to students when performing their P.E. classes, because it’s spacious enough and has a complete facilities (e.g. rings, nets, balls, score boards )
Auditorium			As of now the school still does not have an Auditorium.
Home Economics Room			Their classroom serves as their H.E.L.E. room where they perform their various activities.
Industrial Workshop Area			As of now, they do not have an Industrial Workshop Area.
PTA Office			PTA meetings happened in the classroom of a specific student.
Comfort Room for Boys			The Comfort Room for Boys is separated from the Girls. It’s also very neat.
Comfort Room for Girls			The Comfort Room for Girls is maintained clean for hygienic purposes.
Others: Computer Laboratory			They have Computer Laboratory as a requisite for the Elective Computer subject.
Others: E-classroom			They have this really high technology classroom where the students can interact with HD gadget to perform some reports.

Observation for the Classroom Visit

Name of the School Observed: Mayapa Elementary School

School Address: Mayapa, Laguna

Date of Visit: July 19, 2013

1. Describe the community or neighborhood where the school is found.

• The Mayapa Elementary School is in an urban place, it is beside the high way, convenience stores are found near it, computer shops are steps away from the school and there are also food eateries around the area.

2. Describe the school campus. What colors do you see? What is the condition of the buildings?

• The school campus is composed of several buildings for elementary and secondary students. On the external view, Blue, White and Green colors are dominating my eyes. Blue for the color of the school, the walls are painted white and Green for the plants and trees around and inside the school premises. As you entered each classroom, your eyes will be so amused for so many colors painted on the walls, such as paintings, murals, charts, posters, quotations and famous sayings. The buildings are in good condition and very well taken care of by the members of Mayapa Elementary School.

3. Pass by the offices. What impression do you have of these offices?

• While passing by the offices, I observed that the offices are very suitable and appropriate for both the members of the school (faculty & students) as well as the visitors. It’s very accommodating, well arranged and formal.

4. Walk through the school halls, the library, and the cafeteria. Look around and find out the other facilities that the school has.

• The school halls are very clean, the floors are shiny and well-polished, unfortunately they still do not have a library, but their school cafeteria is very clean and has an appetizing atmosphere.

Classroom Facilities Matrix

Classroom Facilities	Description (location, number, arrangement, condition)
Wall Displays	There are many wall displays on the classroom, such as paintings, charts, posters, and inspirational and motivational quotes and sayings which is very attractive and pleasant to the eyes and mind.
Teacher’s Table	The teacher’s table is located in front of her students to have a better view of the students and also to monitor them.
Learner’s Desk	The learner’s desks are properly arranged, it is in good condition an there are no desks that do not function or not in good condition.
Blackboard	The blackboard is just enough for the class, even the students at the back can clearly see what’s written or posted on the board. The height of the board is enough for the students when they do some board works.
Learning Materials/ Visual Aids	The learning materials used are chalk and manila papers. During the Math time, the teacher has her sample problems written on the manila paper and then selected students are asked to perform it on the board, after the students answered it, the teacher together with the class will check it, it is also a form of reviewing if the answer of their fellow classmate id right or wrong.

6. Television

The classroom has their own television for playing educational movies that will surely help the students for additional insights.

OBSERVATION REPORT

Name of the School Observed: Mayapa Elementary School

Location of the School: Mayapa, Laguna

Date of Visit: July 19, 2013

• In my own observation of the classroom, it is very much warm to study, it is very comfortable, the classroom facilities they have are a big help to motivate the students in the learning process. The environment and ambiance of the room is very much appealing and the room is well-ventilated. Plus each classroom has its own comfort room; this is an advantage because the students can go to the comfort room with no hustle because it is near the room in fact it is inside the room.

How do the school campus and the classroom in particular impact learning of the students going to school? What are your conclusions?

• The facilities of the school campus and the classroom greatly affect the students that go to school, because if the school and classroom is improper the students will start to think not to go to school. For example, there are schools nowadays that are very much limiting their cost in which the number of students is not enough to the ratio of the chairs, to the extent that some students sat on the floor. In this sample case, I therefore conclude that if the student is not comfortable or satisfied of a certain school, he/she will get lazy and not be on school, but if the student is comfortable or satisfied with the facilities of a school he/she will be more eager to attend school.

How does this relate to your knowledge of child and adolescent development/how does this relate to your knowledge of facilitating learning?

• As future educator, by these instances I will know that there are many factors that can affect the student to attend and not to attend school. And by knowing such factors, I can adjust to what my students will need.

YOUR REFLECTIONS

1. Would you like to teach in the school environment you just observed? Why? Why not?

• Yes. Because the school environment is very accessible, the surroundings is very peaceful and covered by green pasture that brighten up the day and gives a cool and cozy environment.

2. What kind of school campus is conducive to learning?

• A school that is conductive to learning is a school that has complete facilities that will surely help and benefited by the student learners to understand the subject matter they are studying.

3. What kind of classroom is conducive to learning?

• A classroom that is conducive to learning is a classroom with proper chairs, functioning electric fans for the ease of students, all other facilities that will greatly contribute for the attainment of knowledge of the students and most especially an expert teacher by profession and by heart.

4. In the future, how can you accomplish your answer in number 3?

• For now, I will study hard so that I can be a good teacher in the future. If I have good grades and right experiences I have no doubts that I can accomplish to become a compassionate teacher by mind, heart and soul.

5. Write your additional learnings and insights here.

• I learned that every student has their own reaction to the environment they are in, that’s why the teacher’s should be complex and flexible to know that.

MY PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION OF AN EFFECTIVE

SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

My Personal illustration of an effective school environment is an environment that is structurally built in strong, clean external and in internal, free from noise of the outside world so that the students will feel peaceful and concentrated. On the classroom part, one that is conducive in learning is a classroom that has many charts, posters, sayings and inspirational quotes as motivation and additional information to children. Also those that have models like the Globe, projects and a whole lot more of projects.