May Feature Teachers

Raul Fernandez brings music lessons into the ISP Classroom

Raul Fernandez is currently an ISP teacher at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic. He has also taught in site-based, hybrid, and bilingual classrooms at PDC.

Some challenges that ISP teachers face when trying to incorporate small group instruction/activities are finding the time to incorporate lessons amidst the other responsibilities they must take care of during class time, coming up with/selecting the curriculum to teach, and the lack of time for small group lesson prep on top of grading time.

In this video, Raul shares some ways he has addressed these challenges:

1. Through making time at the beginning of each class to reinforce procedures and expectations
2. Through working with the students who have naturally assumed the role of peer mentor in the classroom, guiding them in what mentoring looks like both in and outside the classroom (and what mentoring is not)
3. Through conducting one-on-one meetings with students on a daily basis and when they submit packets; this involves assessing them on the spot regarding both process and comprehension
4. Through bringing in small group lessons that come from something he is passionate about – music!

Some benefits he has seen as a result of his efforts:

1. Improved work quality
2. More student-to-student interaction
3. More individual check-in time with students
4. More time to for small group lesson preparation

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Watch the video to see how his students are learning to play the recorder in an ISP classroom environment!

Classroom footage by CA Suchovsky; Editing and Production by Simeon Weinraub