Victoria Chanda

LCP Tri Project

LCP’s in Action

The pictures were taken at Guilford Elementary School in Columbia, MD. Guilford is a
Title 1 school with a population of about 500 students. The pictures are of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th
grade students. Students were in Language Arts, Math or Social Studies when I walked around
with the camera. I went back to the teachers in the afternoon to ask what the students were doing
so I had a better understanding of what was happening in each picture.
The first picture is of a 4th grade student typing a response to a question projected on the
screen. The students were being introduced to a “Hero” unit where they needed to explain why a
person is a hero by analyzing the character traits of the person. Students were introduced to the
lesson by being asked “What does the word ‘hero’ mean to you?”. This shows LCP #1
because before students got into the complex subject matter, they constructed meaning
from experience through an intentional process set up by the teacher.
The second picture is of a second grader and his mother reading together. This shows
LCP #2: Goals of the Learning Process. The student has the support of not only his teacher, but
his mother as well and because of this he will be able to create meaningful representations of
knowledge. The instructional guidance of both the teacher and mother will allow him to be
successful when it comes to reading. Parents were encouraged to come visit school during
American Education Week to see what their child was doing in the classroom. The second grade
teacher encouraged parents to read beside their child so they can recognize what the child is
strong at and how they can assist to further build knowledge.
The third picture is of a fifth grader working with a reading support teacher. This shows
LCP #3: Construction of Knowledge because the student is taking what he learned from the
previous day and applying it to a small group setting when reading to the teacher independently.
The day before, the child learned about cause and effect. Today, the reading support teacher
asked that he read a book and then identify an effect after being given a cause. This shows me
that the student is able to link new information with prior background knowledge.
The fourth picture is of a number talk from 5th grade math. Students are encouraged to
use higher order thinking strategies to select and monitor mental operations. The picture supports
LCP #5: Thinking about Thinking. Students can be creative and are challenged to think critically
when solving the original problem on the board. All answers are accepted as long as students are
able to verbally defend how they found the answer they found.
The fifth picture shows 4th students playing Kahoot during math to further build
background knowledge on fractions. The picture supports LCP #6: Context of Learning because
students learning is influenced by technology during this lesson.
The sixth picture shows third graders reading a book of their choice during small group
instruction. The picture support LCP #7: Motivational and Emotional Influences on Learning. It
is clear that motivation is a key topic when it comes to the success of students. Allowing students
a choice in books they read to build upon the subject being taught will motivate students because
of their interest in topics.
The seventh picture shows a fifth grader writing her memoir on the computer. The picture
supports LCP #8: Intrinsic Motivation to Learn. The teacher of the class taught students about
memoirs for three weeks. He then allowed students to decide how they would show insight about
a memory from their past. They could write their memoir, type it up, record a movie to show
their special memory, or even make a display board with pictures explaining their memory.
Allowing students choice and control in projects will increase intrinsic motivation.
The eighth picture is of a third grade student working with the special educator on a
social studies assignment. I felt as thought the picture supports LCP #10: Developmental
Influences on Learning. The teacher took into account the developmental differences of the
student and pulled him aside to pre-teach a topic so that when the boy entered the classroom he
would be able to participate with the rest of the class. He knows the information but is unable to
think quick on his feet and needs a lot of individualized pre-teaching to be successful in the
classroom.
The ninth picture is of two students in fourth grade talking to one another during a turn
and talk routine. The teacher poses a question and then has the students turn and talk to share
their ideas. The picture supports LCP #11: Social Influence on Learning because the learning is
influenced by social interactions between students. The teacher encourages relationships and
strong communication in her classroom which sets the students up for success.
The final picture is of a fourth grade teacher reading a cultural Cinderella story. The unit
focuses on different cultures telling the story of Cinderella to compare and contrast information.
The teacher has multiple students from Argentina in her classroom that spoke Spanish. She
decided to get a version of Cinderella that was written in Spanish and asked her students to
translate it in English for the rest of the class. The students were engaged throughout the whole
lesson and really enjoyed listening to the different language. The students who spoke Spanish
were successful in translating the language which allowed all students to succeed when
comparing and contrasting the different Cinderella tales.
It was extremely easy finding different LCP’s in action at my school. What was
interesting was that none of the teachers I approached knew what the LCP’s were. When I had
explained the principles to them, they acknowledged that a teacher should be thinking about the
principles when planning lessons to make sure they are creating environments that allow the
students to succeed.