Just a summary of field: It was such a blast! I loved it. I also have realized that second grade is not my first pick of grades. I talked about this with my UVU supervisor that some teachers are just geared to teach certain grades and some are geared for others. I am one of those teachers that is geared for the upper grades. I always knew that I loved fourth grade, which is what I wanted for this experience. I was put a little farther away from that grade than I would have liked, but I am so thankful for the great teacher that I have and all the wonderful learning experineces I had during this three week skill practice. I have learned a lot about myself and my teaching styles in this time, which has been so beneficial to me already! I thought I knew my learning styles and as so, that would be how I would teach, but that isn't exaclty true. I am teaching to assumptions which I know I shouldn't do, especially for such a young grade. That will be my biggest improvement for the next semester. I have also learned a lot more about managing the classroom, a lot of the techniques that we have talked aboout over the coarse of my education, I have been able to apply, and I love it!
I think my favorite thing about this experience, has been learning about the kids, they are so cute and fun in their own ways and they just each need to be loved and cared for each in their own way! I can see that the trouble makers clearly just want to be apart of the class and acting out is how they see that being accomplished. I love the "Quote of the day." Each of these kids say and write about the funniest things and I love to laugh out luod or to myself at the cute little things that they do. I am excited to go back in January and I hope that this experience will make me a better teacher, the one that I want to be.
Comments on Differentiation
Comments on Readings For October 20, 2008
Date: October 13th
The readings this week were small, which is really really nice when you have a hundred other things to read, so thank you so much for that. Also most of the readings we have already read in past weeks. I really enjoyed looking through the different graphic organizers, because this was one way that really helped me as a kid to learn and remember things well. The first one is great for younger grades, that compares stars and planets and how they are alike and different, it was set up really well set up, and I can see myself using something like this! I also really liked the "Web of better explanation," as i think I will call it, because it helped me break down what the know, understands and the do's so that I feel better prepared to teach this way.
Because there isn't a ton of reading, I thought I could take the opportunity and ask how you are doing? It seems like life is crazy for everyone right now and isn't it funny how life just pours everything down on us all at once? Well not so much as funny, more like mean.. J/K. I believe very strongly that life is what we make of it!! And I feel like lately it has been really hard to live by this, because so much has been poured on all at once! I just want to thank you for all you little life inspirations and happy thoughts that you put in our heads,
I truly love coming to your class for that reason!! with the stress of losing my little 14 month old nephew who was the sweetest soul( I'll have to send you a picture next time), and work and homework and preparing to move, plus being sick with migraines and stomach stuff, I just can't tell you how grateful I am for the good times and also how excited i am for this little break from school and work! I really hope that your daughter is doing okay, I know how the tole of an emotional stress can be so much more than anyother stress, so I hope that you take some time during this break to just breath and enjoy a quiet moment!!! Please let me know if there is anything that I or we as a cohort can do for you!!!
The readings this week were small, which is really really nice when you have a hundred other things to read, so thank you so much for that. Also most of the readings we have already read in past weeks. I really enjoyed looking through the different graphic organizers, because this was one way that really helped me as a kid to learn and remember things well. The first one is great for younger grades, that compares stars and planets and how they are alike and different, it was set up really well set up, and I can see myself using something like this! I also really liked the "Web of better explanation," as i think I will call it, because it helped me break down what the know, understands and the do's so that I feel better prepared to teach this way.
Because there isn't a ton of reading, I thought I could take the opportunity and ask how you are doing? It seems like life is crazy for everyone right now and isn't it funny how life just pours everything down on us all at once? Well not so much as funny, more like mean.. J/K. I believe very strongly that life is what we make of it!! And I feel like lately it has been really hard to live by this, because so much has been poured on all at once! I just want to thank you for all you little life inspirations and happy thoughts that you put in our heads,
I truly love coming to your class for that reason!! with the stress of losing my little 14 month old nephew who was the sweetest soul( I'll have to send you a picture next time), and work and homework and preparing to move, plus being sick with migraines and stomach stuff, I just can't tell you how grateful I am for the good times and also how excited i am for this little break from school and work! I really hope that your daughter is doing okay, I know how the tole of an emotional stress can be so much more than anyother stress, so I hope that you take some time during this break to just breath and enjoy a quiet moment!!! Please let me know if there is anything that I or we as a cohort can do for you!!!
Comments on Chapter 6 and 7 Readings 10-04-08
I loved the intro to chapter six, but it also put the pressure on the be the best teacher. I've noticed that this book puts the pressure on a lot, but I don't consider that a bad thing! It it pressure in a very motivating way, that feels more like encouragement for success! I liked when it said, " Because you matter and because learning matters too, I will do my best to..." and it lists off several things that coach you through how to be the best teacher that you can. But then the pressure comes when it says, "To do less than that, the teacher understands, is to send negative messages about who the child is and might become, the worth of that learner's time, and the importance of the child in the teachers mission. To do less than that is to reject creating any ties-and to reject the student." The list that is created is a great standard for anyone who really wants to be a great teacher and now I know better what to strive for! I also liked the strategy called, "Help students discover how ideas and skills are useful in the world." I liked it because it was something that I know I struggled with as a kid. I needed to know how the things that I was struggling to learn would help me in the real world, because if I didn't see that picture I was definately less motivated to do the work. And that's what chapter 6 was about was the different strategies and techniques to help that students know, understand and do.
Chapter 7: One thing that I learned in chapter seven was that our students want the same things from us and we want from them. They want to be respected and appreciated. They want teachers who care about them and the things that they teach. They want to be heard and understood and most of all they all do want to make a difference in their own way! I loved that the list of these things that the children want from a good teacher goes on and on, because that just gives me all the more reason to be a great teacher and to understand their needs!
I know that becoming close to our students is hard, especially in our day and age, when their are so many concerns about loosing a job or breaking some sort of boundary rule. I am a person who loves and needs to be loved through touch. now tell me how am I supposed to be a good teacher and let my students know that I care about them, when I can't hug them when they're sad or hurt? What about the boundaries for going to a students home to get to know them and their individual backgrounds? How do we have order and flexibility in our class? I suppose that there aren't easy answers, and I know that I probably won't find them out now, or in a few years! I will hopefully get more answers through exploring for the answers and through teaching!!
P.s. Sorry I haven't found a way to make it so that you can comment, do you know how? If not I will find out and do it asap! Thanks!
Chapter 7: One thing that I learned in chapter seven was that our students want the same things from us and we want from them. They want to be respected and appreciated. They want teachers who care about them and the things that they teach. They want to be heard and understood and most of all they all do want to make a difference in their own way! I loved that the list of these things that the children want from a good teacher goes on and on, because that just gives me all the more reason to be a great teacher and to understand their needs!
I know that becoming close to our students is hard, especially in our day and age, when their are so many concerns about loosing a job or breaking some sort of boundary rule. I am a person who loves and needs to be loved through touch. now tell me how am I supposed to be a good teacher and let my students know that I care about them, when I can't hug them when they're sad or hurt? What about the boundaries for going to a students home to get to know them and their individual backgrounds? How do we have order and flexibility in our class? I suppose that there aren't easy answers, and I know that I probably won't find them out now, or in a few years! I will hopefully get more answers through exploring for the answers and through teaching!!
P.s. Sorry I haven't found a way to make it so that you can comment, do you know how? If not I will find out and do it asap! Thanks!
Comments on Ch. 4 and 5 in "Fulfilling the Promise"
In the beginning of chapter four, it talks about covert and overt ways that the teacher lets their students know certain things, such as , they are unique individuals and you are importantn to the class. I think that each and every one of these things on the list is so important. In on of the morning meetings that I went to, the teacher had a classroom creed that she read with her class every day. It said things like the things in this list, like I am an important part of our class and I can make a difference, not only in our class, in the world if I reach for my dreams. This is the kind of positive motivating force that kids need today, to believe that they are more than anyone else may think. I also liked the point in chapter four where a teacher made it a point to celebrate the success's of her students. She would pick several students parents to call to share something positive that had taken place in the classroom the week before! I really really loved this idea and i would love to apply it to my teaching.
Chapter 5: There was an interesting bit of imagery in this chapter that I have never heard of, it was that we teach in our classrooms like hampsters in a wheel. There is so much information to get through that we move so fast , that there is never time to stop, and we think that the faster we move, the more information we can cover. I am a believer that less is more. If I can teach a few things really well, then I won't feel bad about not getting to some things. If my students can remember two or three things really well, i think, it will be much better than teaching everything I need to and having them remember nothing!
I really liked how chapter 5 went through different ideas about curriculum and instruction like: C and I that are engaging, C and I that are demanding, C and I that are scaffolded, C and I in the face of student diversity and C and I that are focused. each of these ideas allow of instructional diversity, which is what differentiation is about, using different strategies and techniques to find the most beneficial ways to teach ea ch student the way that they need to be taught. I could go on and on about each strategy, but I won't! You've read the book and know how influencial it is! Thanks for picking this, it's a good one!!
Chapter 5: There was an interesting bit of imagery in this chapter that I have never heard of, it was that we teach in our classrooms like hampsters in a wheel. There is so much information to get through that we move so fast , that there is never time to stop, and we think that the faster we move, the more information we can cover. I am a believer that less is more. If I can teach a few things really well, then I won't feel bad about not getting to some things. If my students can remember two or three things really well, i think, it will be much better than teaching everything I need to and having them remember nothing!
I really liked how chapter 5 went through different ideas about curriculum and instruction like: C and I that are engaging, C and I that are demanding, C and I that are scaffolded, C and I in the face of student diversity and C and I that are focused. each of these ideas allow of instructional diversity, which is what differentiation is about, using different strategies and techniques to find the most beneficial ways to teach ea ch student the way that they need to be taught. I could go on and on about each strategy, but I won't! You've read the book and know how influencial it is! Thanks for picking this, it's a good one!!
Comments on Readings for September 22
Fulfilling the Promise: pages 100-103:
I really really liked the entire set up of the student interest survey! I think that I would definately use this form because I think it gives an accurate reading of how each and every student learns best and the things that us as teachers need to do in order to fulfill that particular childs needs in the classroom environment. I also think that through this survey, I can find out a great deal of information about the child in general and that is always good to know, to feel more adequate about teaching them properly.
File of Inventories and Pre-assessment:
I looked through each of those inventories, and I thought that I could use any of them, if not all of them, they each ask different questions and that would be a fun homework assignment to send home the first week so your students know that you really want to get to know them. The smily face responses would be great for the younger grades and the questions that involve more writing would be fun for the older grades. I think that your students will respect you better and want to know and understand you, the more that you want to know about them!
I really really liked the entire set up of the student interest survey! I think that I would definately use this form because I think it gives an accurate reading of how each and every student learns best and the things that us as teachers need to do in order to fulfill that particular childs needs in the classroom environment. I also think that through this survey, I can find out a great deal of information about the child in general and that is always good to know, to feel more adequate about teaching them properly.
File of Inventories and Pre-assessment:
I looked through each of those inventories, and I thought that I could use any of them, if not all of them, they each ask different questions and that would be a fun homework assignment to send home the first week so your students know that you really want to get to know them. The smily face responses would be great for the younger grades and the questions that involve more writing would be fun for the older grades. I think that your students will respect you better and want to know and understand you, the more that you want to know about them!
Comments for September 15th Readings
Differentiation in Practice: pages 1-14
I feel like the first portion of the book focused more on what the teacher believes and needs to do., I liked when it said (page1) "Effective teachers, like effective parents, work from a coherent but ever-evolving set of beliefs and principles about teaching and learning. These teachers also understand that how they apply these fundamental principles will vary as they focus on children with different needs and as they themselves become more experienced classroom leaders." This made me both nervous and excited to be a teacher, because it puts the pressure on to be a great leader but in the same respect it made me excited to take on that challenge. I liked the four parts to responsive teaching, because that puts teaching into a simpler perspective. I also liked when the book talked about the currulum giving students legs, meaning the knowledge and skills to make an imprint in their lives and in others as well.
Fulfilling the Promise: Chapters 1 and 2:
There were a few facts that I thought were interesting as I read. That 75% of teachers in the US are Caucasian while in about 25 years or so, 70% of the student population will be non-Caucasian.
One thing that also stuck in my mind to feel the pressure to be a great teachers was on page 9 when it says, "Children spend the majority of their waking hours in schools and classrooms. They are dependent on adults who shape their experience in those schools and classrooms for the quality of each day spent there." WOW! Now I have a lot to live up to! I really liked the figure in the book about differentiation! I think that as I study that, I will become more aware and therefore more responsive to how to teach and what to teach.
AS for the Article: "Like Being at the Breakfast Table"
I learned a lot about Morning meetings and the affectiveness of them. I would just like to name off a few phrases that I thought were so important and meaningful to me!
-All but one of the students used the worsd happy, fun, smiling of laughing in their sentences to describe morning meetings.
-Moring meeting is worth it because it creates the qualities we generally want our children to have.
-M.M. helps students prepare for responsible citizenship.
-"When I'm in M.M., I feel like at home saying good morning to my mom and dad and sister...Its a comfortable good feeling."
-Everybody helps everybody else.
-I saw a lot of shy withdrawn kids at the beginning of the year. They really came to life!
-"They have become more responsible for their schoolwork, their homework and for each other."
Now each of these quotes not only tell me that M.M. are great for students social and academic skills, but that the children really like them too! Now that's what's important!
Lastly I had a question as I read through this article, and that is: Do you think that the teacher should respond to the children comments in sharing time. I would say generally the student talks to the teacher when they comment, whether looking for approval or something else, i am not sure, but I just don't know. I think that I would always like to respond even if they weren't talking directly to me. What do you think?
I feel like the first portion of the book focused more on what the teacher believes and needs to do., I liked when it said (page1) "Effective teachers, like effective parents, work from a coherent but ever-evolving set of beliefs and principles about teaching and learning. These teachers also understand that how they apply these fundamental principles will vary as they focus on children with different needs and as they themselves become more experienced classroom leaders." This made me both nervous and excited to be a teacher, because it puts the pressure on to be a great leader but in the same respect it made me excited to take on that challenge. I liked the four parts to responsive teaching, because that puts teaching into a simpler perspective. I also liked when the book talked about the currulum giving students legs, meaning the knowledge and skills to make an imprint in their lives and in others as well.
Fulfilling the Promise: Chapters 1 and 2:
There were a few facts that I thought were interesting as I read. That 75% of teachers in the US are Caucasian while in about 25 years or so, 70% of the student population will be non-Caucasian.
One thing that also stuck in my mind to feel the pressure to be a great teachers was on page 9 when it says, "Children spend the majority of their waking hours in schools and classrooms. They are dependent on adults who shape their experience in those schools and classrooms for the quality of each day spent there." WOW! Now I have a lot to live up to! I really liked the figure in the book about differentiation! I think that as I study that, I will become more aware and therefore more responsive to how to teach and what to teach.
AS for the Article: "Like Being at the Breakfast Table"
I learned a lot about Morning meetings and the affectiveness of them. I would just like to name off a few phrases that I thought were so important and meaningful to me!
-All but one of the students used the worsd happy, fun, smiling of laughing in their sentences to describe morning meetings.
-Moring meeting is worth it because it creates the qualities we generally want our children to have.
-M.M. helps students prepare for responsible citizenship.
-"When I'm in M.M., I feel like at home saying good morning to my mom and dad and sister...Its a comfortable good feeling."
-Everybody helps everybody else.
-I saw a lot of shy withdrawn kids at the beginning of the year. They really came to life!
-"They have become more responsible for their schoolwork, their homework and for each other."
Now each of these quotes not only tell me that M.M. are great for students social and academic skills, but that the children really like them too! Now that's what's important!
Lastly I had a question as I read through this article, and that is: Do you think that the teacher should respond to the children comments in sharing time. I would say generally the student talks to the teacher when they comment, whether looking for approval or something else, i am not sure, but I just don't know. I think that I would always like to respond even if they weren't talking directly to me. What do you think?
Friday, November 28, 2008
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