Blog Post 6

Learning about the technology available in the classrooms I’ve been in and how my cooperating teachers incorporate it into instruction has been a very interesting part of my student teaching. At my first placement, they had access to a projector with a computer attached. I used it to show short videos and Brain Pop cartoons, as well as for the district required curriculum learning bridge animations for math.  Students seemed to enjoy the short videos as an engage and connect segment or even as a segway in addition to the main lesson.  I also created a few power point presentations for lessons so students could practice taking notes.  This also provided a fun forum for guided practice. For example, when we were identifying elements of poetry, I could project a poem on the screen and the students we able to identify the element I asked for by writing and holding up their answers on whiteboards. Another fun activity we did was play games, such as Generalization Jeopardy. This was definitely a student favorite.  At my second placement in a Special ed multi-needs room, I haven’t designed many lessons yet, but technology is a valuable resource.  For reading, the classroom uses an interactive Smartboard program called Kurzweil that highlights the words of the story while it reads to the class.  This is a different way for the students to hear the story, as well as follow along as it is read to them.  I plan to try to incorporate other Smartboard activities and games into the lessons I create for this classroom as well as show a few short videos that relate to my lessons, since the students seem quite responsive to it. 

One of the aspects of the teaching process that I am still quite curious about is where teachers find good resource materials. I know some school districts provide required curriculum materials for many subjects, but where do you go to find quality supplemental materials?  I know there are websites such as teacherspayteachers.com and edhelper.com and also many books at the teacher stores.  I assume teachers must collect things over the years and weed out the junk to find and develop meaningful activities for students. 

I’m looking forward to planning some fun science and social studies units for my new classroom.  We will be studying the life cycle of a butterfly and grow our own butterflies after Spring Break. I am also going to plan a unit about the United States. I asked the students what else they were interested in learning about while I was there and they chose mythology and said that they also wanted to read a play, so I plan to find some enjoyable activities to do with that as well.  I found that being in a Special ed classroom opens up the opportunity for some freedom in planning, which will be a great opportunity to try some new and fun learning experiences.

I think Prof. Royster will find I have transitioned rather quickly and nicely to my new classroom placement. This is partially because my cooperating teacher has had to start Kite testing the students individually this week, which has kept her busy most days, and me in front of the students assisting them with their work. Since the students are at different grade levels and move in and out of the classroom at different times for lunch and specials, the atmosphere in this classroom is a bit more hectic than my last placement, but in a good and fun way.  I am enjoying working with students in a more one-on–one environment and participating in their extra-curricular activities such as playing checkers, coloring, and cooking.  

Blog Post 5

One word to describe my past week was fulfilling. I finished up my first 10-week placement with Miss. Glass’s fourth grade class. It was sort of a slow week since the students had 2 hours of PARCC testing every day. After everything else they had to do, we only had time each day for writing and math in the afternoon. On my last day Friday, I had lunch with the students in the classroom and then went to recess with them. Even after only being in the classroom for 10 weeks, it was hard to say good-bye. The students were so sweet and wrote me letters telling me I was a great student teacher, which I will treasure. I promised to visit them again before the end of the year. I had such a great experience there and feel very blessed and lucky for the opportunity to be in such a great classroom.

I feel fortunate to have learned so much about classroom management at my first placement. My cooperating teacher has high expectations set in place for behavior in the classroom, which were a great example for me. I plan to be much more confident and assertive in my own classroom. I realized that by having high classroom management expectations for students you are not being unkind or a “mean” teacher, but you are creating an environment for students that facilitates learning. Students cannot learn in an environment that is not conducive to respectful behaviors. Listening, taking turns speaking, and being considerate of others are the basis for what make meaningful learning possible.

My greatest growth experience has been my confidence. I was SO nervous teaching my first lesson. I’m so glad to be in a place where I am not nervous about what I am teaching. This enables me to be in a position where I can really listen to students and accommodate their learning needs.  This confidence also puts me in a place where I can change gears if I have to mid lesson or think of another example if I think the students need a bit more guidance. It definitely makes teaching more fun and a lot less stressful. I hope to continue with this comfort level at my next placement, which is in a special ed classroom. I really hope I can find ways to help the students and really make a positive difference for them.

Testing student understanding is an important part of teaching. Making sure we are testing students on the objectives and what they know is the fundamental goal of assessment. Learning should not be a competition.  It should be a teacher’s goal for every student to master the objectives, not for a select few smart ones. It is a teacher’s job to find the best ways to accomplish this goal.  Achievement ranking of students is not educating students, it puts them in a category that suppresses them. Perhaps ranking information and standardized testing is useful in some capacity for education, but I feel it has no place in an everyday classroom.

I enjoyed my final classroom observation with Prof. Royster. I totally credit the students in my classroom for being so awesome and making my student teaching experience go so smoothly. I definitely was starting to feel very comfortable and finding my groove with the class and in the school in general. I’m not sure what my role will be at my next placement, since the dynamic will be very different in a contained sped classroom, but I’m excited to see what challenges it will bring and look forward to feedback at my next observation in a couple of weeks.