Before coming to this lecture I didn't really know what to expect. I found out that the speaker, Barb had autism only on Tuesday. I was informed that she used a typing method to communicate. I was very excited to experience this lecture because I had watched a movie called Autism is a World previously in the semester in my special education class which was a documentary about a girl who had severe autism and used the same method of communication.
It is amazing to see Barb using technology to express her ideas and also to her parts of her book that she wrote. I think that we are quick to judge people with autism and assume they are stupid or not capable of things that people without disabilities can do. This is far from the truth. It is our job to find outlets for people with autism to express themselves and also be themselves and lastly to stand up for them.
The thing that I got most from this lecture is that autism is real and it something that I will encounter in my classroom. I would really like to educate myself more about autism (when I have a little more free time...) and how to adapt my classroom and become a better teacher to a student with autism.
I did find myself having somewhat of a hard time keeping my attention on Barb's presentation because I was very intrigued with Barb herself, watching her and listening to her. I was thinking almost the whole presentation about what it would be like to have autism as severe as Barb. I feel like I would feel trapped inside of my own thoughts which would become incredibly frustrating. As I stated before, this makes me want to educate myself more about autism and become an autism advocate.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Group Differences
I really enjoyed doing the group differences forum. I liked the article that my group read, Kill Santa, because Christmas in school has always been something that I've had mixed feelings about.
I like doing discussions in class where small groups present prompts for everyone and we can chime in whenever we feel the need to. I think that I got a new perspective on a lot of things by hearing about everyone's articles and also everyone's input. One thing that I especially liked was hearing the ESL/ELL article, because I always think of hispanic students when I hear ELL, so I liked the fact that the article was more about Asian Americans.
I think that these forums work really well in a class like ours where people are comfortable speaking up and are friends. I'm not sure if the same type of discussion would've been so thorough if we would have done this at the beginning of the semester. The only suggestion I have is that it would have been nice to have a little bit more time for discussion and that some people would self-monitor a little better and make sure everyone is getting an equal opportunity to add their comments.
I like doing discussions in class where small groups present prompts for everyone and we can chime in whenever we feel the need to. I think that I got a new perspective on a lot of things by hearing about everyone's articles and also everyone's input. One thing that I especially liked was hearing the ESL/ELL article, because I always think of hispanic students when I hear ELL, so I liked the fact that the article was more about Asian Americans.
I think that these forums work really well in a class like ours where people are comfortable speaking up and are friends. I'm not sure if the same type of discussion would've been so thorough if we would have done this at the beginning of the semester. The only suggestion I have is that it would have been nice to have a little bit more time for discussion and that some people would self-monitor a little better and make sure everyone is getting an equal opportunity to add their comments.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
PLE #10
Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.
I think that language does play a huge role in cognitive development. I've learned this in many classes including my Reading Ed class. I think that I need to give lots of opportunities for my students to see and read words. The book gives lots of great strategies and I would like to include the ones that I found the most interesting and helpful. I am also going to be focusing on K-2 since that is where I would like to teach. I love the idea of asking students to construct narratives about their recent events. When I worked in a bilingual classroom in Spain I did a lot of this when trying students to speak English. This relates what students are writing or speaking about to their lives so they will be inclined to be more interested. I am also a very big believer in asking follow up questions. I think that students need to process what they read and use metacognition.
I think that language does play a huge role in cognitive development. I've learned this in many classes including my Reading Ed class. I think that I need to give lots of opportunities for my students to see and read words. The book gives lots of great strategies and I would like to include the ones that I found the most interesting and helpful. I am also going to be focusing on K-2 since that is where I would like to teach. I love the idea of asking students to construct narratives about their recent events. When I worked in a bilingual classroom in Spain I did a lot of this when trying students to speak English. This relates what students are writing or speaking about to their lives so they will be inclined to be more interested. I am also a very big believer in asking follow up questions. I think that students need to process what they read and use metacognition.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Self Efficacy and Self Regulation
How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?
I think that this case study deals more with self-regulation than self-efficacy, but both are very important.
One reason why Lisa may be off task in her group is because she doesn't feel confident about her abilities or her particular job in her group, which may lead her to being off task and not motivated to try. As Lisa's teacher, I would need to boost her self-efficacy by giving her positive feedback when she does do something on task and productive. I would also assure her that she has the tools and does know how to work in an on task manner and successfully complete her role in her small group.
As I previously stated, self-regulation would really come into play in this case study. As I've seen in classrooms before, I could give Lisa a sticky note where she could keep tally marks of times that she is on task. I could also speak with her at the end of the day and ask her to evaluate how well she worked in her group that day. I would say something like "I was watching you today to see how you did in group time and I'd like you to tell me how you think you worked". This way Lisa will know that I too was observing her and she can't get away with saying "I did great!" even if she didn't have a good day. We could talk about things that she did right and wrong and why they were right and wrong. After this we could think of a plan for her to stay doing positive things in group work. This gives Lisa a sense of ownership, which I think is very important in younger students.
I have included a link to an article on self-regulation with some great tips for the classroom! http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/staff-workshop-teacher-handout-self-regulation-early-childhood-classroom
I think that this case study deals more with self-regulation than self-efficacy, but both are very important.
One reason why Lisa may be off task in her group is because she doesn't feel confident about her abilities or her particular job in her group, which may lead her to being off task and not motivated to try. As Lisa's teacher, I would need to boost her self-efficacy by giving her positive feedback when she does do something on task and productive. I would also assure her that she has the tools and does know how to work in an on task manner and successfully complete her role in her small group.
As I previously stated, self-regulation would really come into play in this case study. As I've seen in classrooms before, I could give Lisa a sticky note where she could keep tally marks of times that she is on task. I could also speak with her at the end of the day and ask her to evaluate how well she worked in her group that day. I would say something like "I was watching you today to see how you did in group time and I'd like you to tell me how you think you worked". This way Lisa will know that I too was observing her and she can't get away with saying "I did great!" even if she didn't have a good day. We could talk about things that she did right and wrong and why they were right and wrong. After this we could think of a plan for her to stay doing positive things in group work. This gives Lisa a sense of ownership, which I think is very important in younger students.
I have included a link to an article on self-regulation with some great tips for the classroom! http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/staff-workshop-teacher-handout-self-regulation-early-childhood-classroom
Case Study Continued
Consider your CSEL intervention case study. Are there tools from a behaviorist view for either encouraging productive behaviors or discouraging undesirable behaviors that you could apply to the case? What are they?
Now, compare the interventions that you have identified above with what you think might work from a cognitive or constructivist viewpoint (you may need to Google for ideas but it's okay to just speculate based on your prior knowledge). How do they compare to behaviorist tools? What are the benefits of each theory, and what are the deficits? Which theory might play a larger role in how you determine classroom management?
Elementary Education Case Study
You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner. You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems. She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning. She constantly interrupts others in her group. She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.
There are many behaviorist theories that I would consider in this case study and I think that many are used regularly in elementary classrooms. One system that is clearly behaviorist would be implementing a behavior chart with consequences and rewards. You can use reinforcements for good behavior, such as students receive extra recess time for good behavior (positive reinforcement) and taking away recess for bad behavior (negative consequence). In the case study that I worked with previously, I stated that if a problem persists over time I would remove her from the group and have her work on her own. This would be an example of negative consequence, because I am removing her from something desirable (being a group) in hopes that the action (being distracting/not working well with others) decreases.
When using a constructivist approach, I would not use reinforcement or punishment like I would in a behaviorist setting. In a constructivist approach, I would explain to Lisa what she is doing wrong and discuss with her what we could do to help fix the problem and why it is a problem in the first place that she is being disruptive and unhelpful. Lisa and I could maybe come up with a consequence when she is being off task and a cue that I give her when she is being off task. In my previous post, I said that I could tap on Lisa's desk to get her attention and make sure she is on task, this could be a cue that we come up with together to make sure she is working well in the group.
I think that as a first year teacher, it is easier to implement a behaviorist system for classroom management in your classroom because it is very straight forward with reinforcements and punishments put into place and set in stone. I think that as I progress as a teacher I would like to move more toward a constructivist classroom, where students can notice their behaviors, explain why they are not acceptable and fix them themselves. Like I said, this constructivist classroom would come more with time, practice and knowledge of how a classroom really runs.
Now, compare the interventions that you have identified above with what you think might work from a cognitive or constructivist viewpoint (you may need to Google for ideas but it's okay to just speculate based on your prior knowledge). How do they compare to behaviorist tools? What are the benefits of each theory, and what are the deficits? Which theory might play a larger role in how you determine classroom management?
Elementary Education Case Study
You engage your third grade students in cooperative learning activities at least twice a day, changing heterogeneous group members once every four weeks. You have agreed upon routine procedures that your classroom community uses within their small groups, including the roles and responsibilities of group members. Lately you have noticed that one small group always seems to have difficulty grasping material and completing their project in an acceptable manner. You observe this group carefully and find that Lisa seems to be the catalyst for their problems. She gets angry with others if she does not get the job she wants and refuses to do her part in contributing to the group’s learning. She constantly interrupts others in her group. She does not pay attention when her group prepares for class presentations.
There are many behaviorist theories that I would consider in this case study and I think that many are used regularly in elementary classrooms. One system that is clearly behaviorist would be implementing a behavior chart with consequences and rewards. You can use reinforcements for good behavior, such as students receive extra recess time for good behavior (positive reinforcement) and taking away recess for bad behavior (negative consequence). In the case study that I worked with previously, I stated that if a problem persists over time I would remove her from the group and have her work on her own. This would be an example of negative consequence, because I am removing her from something desirable (being a group) in hopes that the action (being distracting/not working well with others) decreases.
When using a constructivist approach, I would not use reinforcement or punishment like I would in a behaviorist setting. In a constructivist approach, I would explain to Lisa what she is doing wrong and discuss with her what we could do to help fix the problem and why it is a problem in the first place that she is being disruptive and unhelpful. Lisa and I could maybe come up with a consequence when she is being off task and a cue that I give her when she is being off task. In my previous post, I said that I could tap on Lisa's desk to get her attention and make sure she is on task, this could be a cue that we come up with together to make sure she is working well in the group.
I think that as a first year teacher, it is easier to implement a behaviorist system for classroom management in your classroom because it is very straight forward with reinforcements and punishments put into place and set in stone. I think that as I progress as a teacher I would like to move more toward a constructivist classroom, where students can notice their behaviors, explain why they are not acceptable and fix them themselves. Like I said, this constructivist classroom would come more with time, practice and knowledge of how a classroom really runs.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Metacognition
Consider a lesson plan you might use. Which metacognitive skills/abilities are involved as students gain facility/knowledge in this domain?
OR
Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.
Metacognitive skills are so very important for our young learners-- because it helps them learn how to learn. When I was first introduced to the word metacognition I was a little confused, but then quickly realized that this is a skill that I've used for a very long time and has served me well! For this PLE I will be answering the second question that we were given.
Before starting a new literature lesson I would like to introduce my students into this idea of metacognition. I don't think that I will use the word metacognition, because it's a little big and scary (even to my college aged self I was a little bit intimidated by it!). I want to advise my students that they will start "thinking about what they're thinking about". I will give them their literature and tell them that they should write down on a separate sheet of paper anything that they find themselves thinking about when they're reading along with the page number they were on. In a perfect world students would be able to write in their books, but due to funding and resources this probably won't happen. I'd like to see them write down things such as connections they're making, questions they have about vocabulary words, etc.
Along the same lines, once we're done with our literature piece, I'd like to present them hypothetical questions like "what if you were character X, what would you have done in their situation, and why?" to help develop their problem solving skills. I would like to make this a big group discussion, because I think that students feed well off of each others comments and discussion.
Here is a cute youtube video I found of students singing a song about metacognition. A little long to have students memorize and sing, but maybe making a recording of this or printing it out and placing it around the room would be a good idea! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNeQKk_1Bg8
OR
Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills.
Metacognitive skills are so very important for our young learners-- because it helps them learn how to learn. When I was first introduced to the word metacognition I was a little confused, but then quickly realized that this is a skill that I've used for a very long time and has served me well! For this PLE I will be answering the second question that we were given.
Before starting a new literature lesson I would like to introduce my students into this idea of metacognition. I don't think that I will use the word metacognition, because it's a little big and scary (even to my college aged self I was a little bit intimidated by it!). I want to advise my students that they will start "thinking about what they're thinking about". I will give them their literature and tell them that they should write down on a separate sheet of paper anything that they find themselves thinking about when they're reading along with the page number they were on. In a perfect world students would be able to write in their books, but due to funding and resources this probably won't happen. I'd like to see them write down things such as connections they're making, questions they have about vocabulary words, etc.
Along the same lines, once we're done with our literature piece, I'd like to present them hypothetical questions like "what if you were character X, what would you have done in their situation, and why?" to help develop their problem solving skills. I would like to make this a big group discussion, because I think that students feed well off of each others comments and discussion.
Here is a cute youtube video I found of students singing a song about metacognition. A little long to have students memorize and sing, but maybe making a recording of this or printing it out and placing it around the room would be a good idea! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNeQKk_1Bg8
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Constructivism
Make a list of the sequence of skills necessary for ultimate mastery of the content of your lesson through a constructivist approach.
Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student’s individual or group construction? How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?
For this blog I would like to use a hypothetical classroom talking about natural resources. This would be set for a fifth grade science classroom. I wrote a used a lesson about this in my science methods class and it went very well.
First, I would introduce natural resources. I would ask students what they knew about natural resources, this would include definitions and examples.
Next, I would have students spend a few minutes writing down why they think natural resources are important and if they think they are at risk of running out.
After having some time to individually reflect I would have the class come back together and share their ideas about natural resources.
After this discussion we would do a short activity showing students how natural resources are at risk and how we need to share them among all citizens. This activity involves using M&Ms as fish in a lake and over fishing.
Lastly, I would ask students to apply what they've learned to other topics in the real world. I would ask for other examples of natural resources other than fish or animals. I would also ask what we can do to help save our natural resources.
This activity would help students explore what they think about natural resources and how we should use them. I've included a link that lays out constructivism pretty simply. This is helpful since we're learning so many different learning theories to keep them straight! http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism_in_the_Classroom
Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student’s individual or group construction? How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?
For this blog I would like to use a hypothetical classroom talking about natural resources. This would be set for a fifth grade science classroom. I wrote a used a lesson about this in my science methods class and it went very well.
First, I would introduce natural resources. I would ask students what they knew about natural resources, this would include definitions and examples.
Next, I would have students spend a few minutes writing down why they think natural resources are important and if they think they are at risk of running out.
After having some time to individually reflect I would have the class come back together and share their ideas about natural resources.
After this discussion we would do a short activity showing students how natural resources are at risk and how we need to share them among all citizens. This activity involves using M&Ms as fish in a lake and over fishing.
Lastly, I would ask students to apply what they've learned to other topics in the real world. I would ask for other examples of natural resources other than fish or animals. I would also ask what we can do to help save our natural resources.
This activity would help students explore what they think about natural resources and how we should use them. I've included a link that lays out constructivism pretty simply. This is helpful since we're learning so many different learning theories to keep them straight! http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism_in_the_Classroom
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Chapter 6
What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning?
How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions?
I want my students to be able to relate previous knowledge to the material we are learning in class and then relate that to future lessons. I think it's important for them to be active learners, so I will constantly ask my students questions to check for understanding. I will also try to give lessons in different ways and try to connect what they're learning to the real world.
I also want my students to be able to make not only academic connections, but emotional connections to material we are learning in class. As we covered in the teaching projects, students are more likely to remember material that has some sort of meaning behind it. Giving students enough time to share stories will not only help them verbalize their own connections, but may trigger memories that other students have.
I think that linking ideas helps students remember things well. For example, when I was in high school we had to make concept webs in my microbiology class. I would remember topics that went together because I literally linked them on my paper. I remembered this flow of ideas and also remembered the way that my concept web looked (I tend to be a pretty visual learner).
How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions?
I want my students to be able to relate previous knowledge to the material we are learning in class and then relate that to future lessons. I think it's important for them to be active learners, so I will constantly ask my students questions to check for understanding. I will also try to give lessons in different ways and try to connect what they're learning to the real world.
I also want my students to be able to make not only academic connections, but emotional connections to material we are learning in class. As we covered in the teaching projects, students are more likely to remember material that has some sort of meaning behind it. Giving students enough time to share stories will not only help them verbalize their own connections, but may trigger memories that other students have.
I think that linking ideas helps students remember things well. For example, when I was in high school we had to make concept webs in my microbiology class. I would remember topics that went together because I literally linked them on my paper. I remembered this flow of ideas and also remembered the way that my concept web looked (I tend to be a pretty visual learner).
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Assessment
Think of a lesson plan from your licensure area. Knowing that assessment is an integral part of teaching, explain at least four informal and formal assessments that you will use in your lesson plan to provide you with feedback and involve the students in assessing their own learning.
In my teaching rotation I am able to observe a math lesson at Mooreland Heights Elementary School. I previously didn't feel very comfortable about teaching math, but by watching Ms. Hutson, my mentor, I have found some confidence. Most of her lessons follow the same format, something that I wish to do when I'm a teacher. I think it gets the kids in a good routine and makes them feel comfortable with topics and also some of the forms of assessment I am going to discuss.
For the sake of this blog I will say we're learning about adding and multiplying fractions in a fifth grade class (that is what we're doing at MHES). As most of us know, fractions can be a pretty scary topic and can be confusing so I think it's a great topic to be assessed in frequently, so no one will get left behind.
Below I have stated some of the different types of assessment I will use when teaching fifth graders about math.
-Have some sort of "bell ringer" work that reviews topics from the previous day. This was I can see if students need a little extra time to review what they learned in the previous lesson or if they feel comfortable to move on. This is informal assessment.
- Frequently throughout the lesson have students show me "thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs in the middle" as an indicator of how well they understand what's going on. When I first heard my mentor teacher doing this I thought it may not be accurate beacuse students would be embarrassed or shy to say that they are struggling, but I've found that even with fifth grade they're not afraid to ask for help! This is also an informal assessment.
- Students will work individually on whiteboards when I present a problem on the smartboard or main whiteboard. I will have students hold up their whiteboards when they are done so I can see how they're doing. If possible I will have a co-teacher walking around checking everyone's work and taking notes of how they're progressing. Again, this is informal assessment.
- I will present students with a real life situation involving fractions... I'm thinking along the lines of a Hershey's chocolate bar, or pizza slices, and see if they can apply what they've learned to a real life situation. Informal assessment.
- Lastly I will give my students a formal quiz or test at the end of the unit over adding and subtracting fractions. Even though this will be a formal test I will be sure to do what I can to make my students feel at ease, like giving them their white boards to work out problems or drawing a picture if they need it. This is a formal assessment.
I've included a link that has a great, extensive list of informal assessments for math lessons. Some are strategies that I have mentioned in my assessment ideas and there are a lot of new strategies as well! This would be a great link to bookmark. http://loticonnection.cachefly.net/iste_2010/Informal_Assessment_Strategies.pdf
In my teaching rotation I am able to observe a math lesson at Mooreland Heights Elementary School. I previously didn't feel very comfortable about teaching math, but by watching Ms. Hutson, my mentor, I have found some confidence. Most of her lessons follow the same format, something that I wish to do when I'm a teacher. I think it gets the kids in a good routine and makes them feel comfortable with topics and also some of the forms of assessment I am going to discuss.
For the sake of this blog I will say we're learning about adding and multiplying fractions in a fifth grade class (that is what we're doing at MHES). As most of us know, fractions can be a pretty scary topic and can be confusing so I think it's a great topic to be assessed in frequently, so no one will get left behind.
Below I have stated some of the different types of assessment I will use when teaching fifth graders about math.
-Have some sort of "bell ringer" work that reviews topics from the previous day. This was I can see if students need a little extra time to review what they learned in the previous lesson or if they feel comfortable to move on. This is informal assessment.
- Frequently throughout the lesson have students show me "thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs in the middle" as an indicator of how well they understand what's going on. When I first heard my mentor teacher doing this I thought it may not be accurate beacuse students would be embarrassed or shy to say that they are struggling, but I've found that even with fifth grade they're not afraid to ask for help! This is also an informal assessment.
- Students will work individually on whiteboards when I present a problem on the smartboard or main whiteboard. I will have students hold up their whiteboards when they are done so I can see how they're doing. If possible I will have a co-teacher walking around checking everyone's work and taking notes of how they're progressing. Again, this is informal assessment.
- I will present students with a real life situation involving fractions... I'm thinking along the lines of a Hershey's chocolate bar, or pizza slices, and see if they can apply what they've learned to a real life situation. Informal assessment.
- Lastly I will give my students a formal quiz or test at the end of the unit over adding and subtracting fractions. Even though this will be a formal test I will be sure to do what I can to make my students feel at ease, like giving them their white boards to work out problems or drawing a picture if they need it. This is a formal assessment.
I've included a link that has a great, extensive list of informal assessments for math lessons. Some are strategies that I have mentioned in my assessment ideas and there are a lot of new strategies as well! This would be a great link to bookmark. http://loticonnection.cachefly.net/iste_2010/Informal_Assessment_Strategies.pdf
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Learning Environments
Based on our readings and class discussion, how will you create a learning environment that is conducive to learning?
Creating a learning environment that is conducive to learning I'm sure will take some time to perfect, but I have ideas of what I will do as a teacher to facilitate the creation of this learning environment. In this post I will cover two ways that I can make a positive learning environment: physical set up of my classroom and relationships within my classroom.
The physical set up of classrooms is something that we spent some time in class discussing, and I think it was worth the discussion! In my Reading Education 430 class I did my inquiry project on what makes an effective classroom set up. I e-mailed three teachers that I know and got their opinions. Overall, I found that a color scheme, organization and desks set up either in clusters or in a circle works the best. I will have centers in my classroom for things like reading and science, both with appropriate decoration. For example, in my classroom library I of course want to have many different types of books available to students, but also create a comfortable environment where students feel as thought they can relax and enjoy their reading time. Something that I have learned in my classes this semester is to eliminate anything that doesn't have a purpose. I think that this will come in big when setting up my classroom, for I will probably have students who may get distracted easily and don't need all of the extra posters of teddy bears hanging on the walls. I will place students in a location that works for them, maybe if student A is very talkative I will seat them away from their best friend or if student B has a hard time hearing, I will place them near the front of the classroom.
The second topic I would like to cover in regards to creating a positive learning environment is relationships within my classroom. From day one I would like to create a classroom community that pushes for collaborate work and learning. From what I have experienced in school and what I have read I think that some of the best work gets done when bouncing ideas off of your peers. I want to make my students feel comfortable around each other and around me because otherwise they may not be working together at their full potentials. I would like to extend this idea of a classroom community to the parents as well. Children need support at both school and home, and I would love to work alongside of parents to make sure that their children are getting enough support at home. Another reason for getting to know the parents of my students is to give me an insight into any pre existing problems or disabilities the student may have.
Here is a website with 10 tips for creating community in the classroom I found very helpful and realistic.
Now consider your CSEL case study. Develop a full continuum of responses for dealing with the misbehavior of your case.
This prompt in regards to our CSEL case study presents a potential problem that I may face by trying to implement a lot of group work in my classroom. The problem is about a girl, Lisa, who is not cooperating with her learning group and is causing them problems staying on task and contributing to learning. My first step with Lisa would be to make myself present around her group, tapping my hand on her desk every time I notice she is either off topic or taking away from her group's learning. If the problem persists, I would pull her aside and explain the objective of group work and the different roles that students play. I would make it known that the groups must work together with each team member doing their part and point out that she will get the chance to switch jobs in the next rotation. My next step would be to switch Lisa's team. There may be a reason why she's having so much trouble in her group, she has problems with one of the other students, the location of her desk cluster is bad, etc. If after switching groups she continues to cause problems in her new group I would have Lisa work alone. Hopefully I wouldn't get to this point, but if I did maybe she will realize that working with a group is much more fun and exciting than working alone.
Creating a learning environment that is conducive to learning I'm sure will take some time to perfect, but I have ideas of what I will do as a teacher to facilitate the creation of this learning environment. In this post I will cover two ways that I can make a positive learning environment: physical set up of my classroom and relationships within my classroom.
The physical set up of classrooms is something that we spent some time in class discussing, and I think it was worth the discussion! In my Reading Education 430 class I did my inquiry project on what makes an effective classroom set up. I e-mailed three teachers that I know and got their opinions. Overall, I found that a color scheme, organization and desks set up either in clusters or in a circle works the best. I will have centers in my classroom for things like reading and science, both with appropriate decoration. For example, in my classroom library I of course want to have many different types of books available to students, but also create a comfortable environment where students feel as thought they can relax and enjoy their reading time. Something that I have learned in my classes this semester is to eliminate anything that doesn't have a purpose. I think that this will come in big when setting up my classroom, for I will probably have students who may get distracted easily and don't need all of the extra posters of teddy bears hanging on the walls. I will place students in a location that works for them, maybe if student A is very talkative I will seat them away from their best friend or if student B has a hard time hearing, I will place them near the front of the classroom.
The second topic I would like to cover in regards to creating a positive learning environment is relationships within my classroom. From day one I would like to create a classroom community that pushes for collaborate work and learning. From what I have experienced in school and what I have read I think that some of the best work gets done when bouncing ideas off of your peers. I want to make my students feel comfortable around each other and around me because otherwise they may not be working together at their full potentials. I would like to extend this idea of a classroom community to the parents as well. Children need support at both school and home, and I would love to work alongside of parents to make sure that their children are getting enough support at home. Another reason for getting to know the parents of my students is to give me an insight into any pre existing problems or disabilities the student may have.
Here is a website with 10 tips for creating community in the classroom I found very helpful and realistic.
Now consider your CSEL case study. Develop a full continuum of responses for dealing with the misbehavior of your case.
This prompt in regards to our CSEL case study presents a potential problem that I may face by trying to implement a lot of group work in my classroom. The problem is about a girl, Lisa, who is not cooperating with her learning group and is causing them problems staying on task and contributing to learning. My first step with Lisa would be to make myself present around her group, tapping my hand on her desk every time I notice she is either off topic or taking away from her group's learning. If the problem persists, I would pull her aside and explain the objective of group work and the different roles that students play. I would make it known that the groups must work together with each team member doing their part and point out that she will get the chance to switch jobs in the next rotation. My next step would be to switch Lisa's team. There may be a reason why she's having so much trouble in her group, she has problems with one of the other students, the location of her desk cluster is bad, etc. If after switching groups she continues to cause problems in her new group I would have Lisa work alone. Hopefully I wouldn't get to this point, but if I did maybe she will realize that working with a group is much more fun and exciting than working alone.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Motivation
Overall Instructions: Write a PLE post that explores the following questions and includes a link (or links) to websites, videos, articles, or other authoritative online sources that provide examples or research to support your answer.
Chapter 11
Consider the theories of motivation that we discussed in class. Which theories of motivation are most helpful and instructive for you? How can they enhance motivation and affect your students?
Before reading Chapter 11 and having our discussion on motivation, I never knew there were so many different theories! I had previously learned about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, but hadn't thought too hard beyond that. The various motivation theories were really interesting, and I think there are definitely theories that work better than others and that there is a correct way that we should use rewards as teachers.
Personally, I really enjoy the goal theory and think that this applies to me the most. I am the type of person who likes to make lists for myself and gets probably far too much satisfaction out of crossing something off of one of my millions of lists. I like to see my goals and accomplish them. Like we discussed in class I think that specific, short term goals are easiest and more likely to be attained. Putting this in terms of my future students, I think I'll write down individual goals for each of them and put them somewhere that they can see the goals every day... maybe put a copy pasted into their folders or planners and give them small rewards for checking things off of the list once they reach enough goals.
Here is a link to a page that has some great motivational activities you could apply in the classroom. I know we talked about how short term goals are better than long term, but I still really liked the 100 day party idea. I think that it gives kids something to look forward to and stay motivated, especially if they had a daily reminder of what day they were on and how much longer they had until day 100. http://www.ehow.com/info_7943287_motivational-activities-classroom.html
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Overall Instructions: Write a PLE post that explores the following questions and includes a link (or links) to websites, videos, articles, or other authoritative online sources that provide examples or research to support your answer.
After the first class, take a moment to reflect on what was discussed. What are your personal objectives for the class? What do you want to explore deeper? What questions or concerns do you have?
I am very excited about this class! I think that a lot of the things touched on in chapter 1 were things that seemed to be very relevant to real world teaching. One thing I'd really love to learn more about is classroom management. The idea of 20-25 nine year olds running around in a small space whom are all supposed to be controlled by me is a little daunting. At the beginning of the class I was also curious about motivation, but we talked about that in class today.As of right now I don't have any concerns... I am really excited for our teaching projects. I think it will be really neat to see what everyone comes up with.
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