Blog 8

Blog 8

350-
This was a really interesting week for my 350 class. We had the chance to take a class trip to a low performing school and spend the entire day there. The school has a lot of strategies in place to raise their school scores in their school improvement plan. They have succeeded a lot and achieved a significant amount of growth, which is the main goal for every school. Having the opportunity to experience this classroom was challenging, intimidating, sad at times, but overall so so worth it. I left with a heavy heart because of the sweet little souls I encountered. Not all of the kids were well behaved at all, and a lot of them had serious behavioral issues. It just opened my eyes to the amount of poverty that truly is out there and how helpless children can be to their life circumstances. Working at a school like this is no easy feat, but to get to be a smiling and caring face in these kids lives must be absolutely beyond rewarding. I'm really thankful I got to have this experience and am grateful that this school is taking so many steps to get better every day. The teacher I got to observe was very loving and attentive to her kids. You could tell she earned their respect by being a firm, and kind presence. Kids thrive when they feel important and this teacher made a great effort to do that. Right away I connected this class to NC teaching standard number 2. This standard says that teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. This standard also says that teachers are to embrace diversity in the school community and in the world. This teacher was an amazing example to me of embracing diversity and I hope to be a teacher like that. She gives them all individual attention and there was one boy in particular that truly never wanted to leave her side. She later said, "oh yeah that little boy is precious, I call him my little leech!" She just went out of her way in so many ways for these kids and it just really felt special to witness.
I did my outside research on: "What is really the difference between high- and low-performing schools?"
http://schoolleader.typepad.com/school-leader/2016/01/what-i-see-in-low-performing-schools.html
"The bottom line is that, if you work in a low-performing, high-poverty school, the stakes are simply higher to improve student learning." I really agree with this and am thankful for all the current and future teachers that work in these schools. 


410-
We are still continuing our topic of integration and I saw this demonstrated exceedingly well in the classroom I observed. The teacher I observed blended subjects and topics effortlessly and smoothly. My professor says this takes a lot of hard work and practice/ trial and error to get good at! I can't wait to have more real life practice with integration and watch teachers put this idea into action. I think its such a beautiful thing to be passionate about children receiving a whole and all-inclusive education that prepares them for the real world and for further education. 
This website told me 11 ways that blended learning can be incorporated into a kindergarten classroom. 
http://web.learnbop.com/blog/11-ways-to-incorporate-blended-learning-into-kindergarten

"There are a number of learning opportunities when technology is integrated effectively into the classroom: learning can be individualized, students can collaborate, and teachers become facilitators. Recognizing this, I opted to give blended learning a try in my own kindergarten classroom. And indeed, by the end of the year, my five and six year olds were able to operate computers independently, created projects together, and were developing some basic coding skills." 

Blog 7

This week was a little bit hard because I got really sick beginning on Sunday...A little bit of a catch up week but I have been trying hard to get myself back on track.
I was in 350 this week but missed Thursday of 410 so I was not present for the seminar. I am feeling tons and tons better now so I am really happy about that.

350-
I really enjoyed the information taught by the guest speaker. Her name was Dr.Mitcham. She taught us abouta lot of different principles. The main thing we learned was about Exceptional Children and a system called MTSS. This stood for multi-tiered system of support. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is an umbrella framework that includes Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) frameworks. P.K. Yonge uses this tiered system, where every student receives core instruction, known as Tier One. We practices categorizing different items into the tiers and I thought that was a good way to really ingrain them into our minds. While doing some research I found a quote that said:

"If a child is not behaving there’s a need not being met, and that’s the premise I always go on."

That seems to be the premise that these systems are based off of and I think that is really important. 

P.K. Yonge strives to create a culture of support and safety, making it seamless and normal for all students.  

For my future classroom that is the culture that I want to create. I want kids to feel like I will intervene and be there always when they are struggling or stuck on something. 

 https://www.edutopia.org/practice/supporting-behavioral-needs-multi-tiered-approach

 

 410- 

I read the articles that were discussed in the seminar and thought they were very applicable to what we have been really learning about. (Assessment) 

 Data and assessment go hand in hand and cannot really exist functionally without the other.  Like a toothbrush with no toothpaste. Still useful but way less than it could be.

Assessment is crucial and formative assessment is so beneficial for student success. Knowing when to use it will help with everything. It will also help you implement the MTSS because you know which students need help where.  

Teachers need to be aware of progress or lack of progress being made in their classroom and that is why I plan to formatively assess my kids a lot in the future. 

I think this relates to standard 5 of the NCTCS which says teachers reflect on their practice.

Blog 6

350 

Hello classmates! 
On Wednesday in 350, we focused on IDEA, which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This specific law governs and oversees students with disabilities and their education. 
The IDEA requires students with disabilities a "free and appropriate education." 
This aligns with NC Teaching Standard 2: "Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs." 
We briefly touched on the topic of IEP's (Individualized Education Plan) and LRE (Least Restrictive Environment.)

There are 4 total of settings for LRE: (ranked 1-4, 1=least restrictive and 4=most restrictive)

1. Inclusion (What I will teach/traditional classroom in which EC kids are functioning below grade level, but with support, can be in a traditional classroom. Kids are included in traditional day and we just provide accommodations.)
2. Resource (The EC kids are still in the traditional classroom, but they go to a resource teacher as they are pulled out during different times of the day.)
3. Self-contained (EC kids are still at your school, just in their own classroom.)
4. Separate setting
5. (May have a few students that are on monitoring… these kids have an IEP and the EC teacher comes in and checks if they’re still progressing)
    
   Outside Research: 
   I continued to research this Act because I just started learning about it and the way it is implemented in the classroom.  
    
   This website I found talked about implementing this act in the classroom.
    
   “The intent of LRE is to make sure that kids who receive special education are included in the general education classroom as often as possible" 
   I think this is such an important statement to reflect on. 
   An inclusion classroom is a general education classroom that has students who receive special education. Inclusion is a teaching approach that focuses on including students with special education needs in the school community.
   Inclusion goes beyond placement in a general education class. It also aims to have a child participate in the classroom, lessons and extracurricular activities.
   
   https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/special-education-basics/least-restrictive-environment-lre-what-you-need-to-know
   
   
   

 410-

Natalie led our seminar really, really well this week. The topic was rubric use in the classroom.Teachers and students can both benefit a lot from rubrics and that was the class decision at the end of the seminar. We read some super interesting articles and I think the whole class engaged well in the conversation. 
We agreed that this was basically our definition of rubrics:
"A rubric is a scoring tool that explicitly represents the performance expectations for an assignment or piece of work. A rubric divides the assigned work into component parts and provides clear descriptions of the characteristics of the work associated with each component, at varying levels of mastery."

This article was one I found on my own and it talked a little more about the advantages to using rubrics. 
https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/rubrics.html

Using a rubric provides several advantages to both instructors and students. Grading according to an explicit and descriptive set of criteria that is designed to reflect the weighted importance of the objectives of the assignment helps ensure that the instructor’s grading standards don’t change over time.

 Grading consistency is difficult to maintain over time because of fatigue, shifting standards based on prior experience, or intrusion of other criteria. Rubrics can reduce the time spent grading by reducing uncertainty and by allowing instructors to refer to the rubric description associated with a score rather than having to write long comments. 


Finally, grading rubrics are invaluable in large courses that have multiple graders (other instructors, teaching assistants, etc.) because they can help ensure consistency across graders and reduce the systematic bias that can be introduced between graders.

 




Future classroom:

My classroom will always follow strictly along with policies and guidelines that make my classroom an inclusive and safe environment. Rubrics are something that promote organization and clarity in a classroom and for those reasons I will include them in my future classroom teaching.

Blog 5

Education 350

Hey everyone!

This week was really awesome in 350. Dr.Clark never fails to make class an eye opening and enriching learning experience while somehow making learning fun! I hope that my students feel that way about my classroom someday. We payed a simulation game called C'est La Vie. It was a game where were given a set profile and had to make life life decisions based on how much money we had, our health, and our living situations. A lot of things were pre-disposed and that made the game a lot more realistic. It put into perspective real life issues people who aren't born into families where they live in the best school district or struggle to make ends meet with money. The main point of the game was to make important decisions that affect your well being and future. Most of these decisions were not ones that could be controlled and that was pretty crazy to me. To win, you needed money and most of the kids in my class who did well in the game, were born with money, not having to earn it.
In my opinion this lesson connected to the NCTCS 1st standard where it says teachers demonstrate leadership. Teachers have to be aware of issues that students struggle with and make sure that their classroom offers fair opportunities for all students.It is a teachers job to advocate for all of his or her students and that is gong to be huge goal for me in my future classroom! Having a  diverse classroom cna be such a beautiful thing when it is appreciated the right way.

410-
This week I really enjoyed the seminar we participated in led by Megan. I love hearing my classmates opinion on things because they will be the teachers I teach alongside with someday. To me, learning how they think about things is vitally important. We dissected two articles about the importances of assessment. One of my favorite quotes from the John Hattie article was, "Until we see tests as aids to enhance teaching and learning, and not primarily as barometers of how much a student knows now, on this day, on this test, then developing more tests will add little, and will remain an expensive distraction." It really puts the true meaning of assessing students into perspective. Linking assessment, instruction, and student learning is a really intricate practice and takes a lot of studying and practice to get right. It is something I want to be a top priority in my future classroom. This article talks more in depth about this topic and was good for my outside research.  Classroom assessments do more than just measure learning. What we assess, HOW we assess, and how we communicate the results send a clear message to students about what is worth learning, how it should be learned, and how well we expect them to perform.

 

https://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL_Institutional_Testing_Program/ELLM2002.pdf

Blog 4

350-

Hello my classmates!!
This week in 350 we discussed poverty and its affect on a classroom. At the beginning of class we did a really interesting simulation. Our class got divided into groups to make a poster. One group got to sit at a table with chairs, had internet access, an assortment of supplies, nice markers, snacks, stickers, and drinks. The other two groups had to sit on the floor, had scarce/damaged resources, dried out markers, and barely any supplies. Both groups had to make the same project, the circumstances for creating the project were very different. This simulation was really powerful to me and definitely opened my eyes a little bit more to how some students have to go through life. When I was on the ground, I felt inferior to the kids sitting at the table. I felt sad that they got better supplies than me. It made my group feel a little embarrassed at the outcome of our poster. This simulation was very applicable to real life and if I was to do something similar with kids in my future classroom I think it would be interesting to ask younger kids how it made them felt and what it helped them realize. Students experiencing poverty might get sick often, be unprepared for class due to hardships at home, hungry, or sleep deprived. It is really important for teachers to be aware of thee issues in order to be sensitive to them. The NCTCS standard this topic relates back to is Standard 1. This standard says that teachers advocate for their school and students. This means that problems that students have in their life and in the classroom are something that the teacher cares and is sensitive about. It is our job to advocate for them and to help protect them and nurture them when appropriate. When students are in need and it beyond their ability to change, we must help them have fair circumstances in the classroom.
For my outside research, I found a really interesting YouTube video. It talked about the effects of poverty in the classroom and things that teachers can do to help kids in need in the classroom. It had some really cool "food for thought" and interesting facts within the video. Gained a little knowledge from it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2r55tAOXAc

410-
    This week in 410 we focused on data concerning assessment. After, before, and during assessment, it is so important for data to be kept and analyzed. It is more than statistics and numbers. This data lets us know which areas our students are excelling in and where they need remediation or more work. "Teachers who develop useful assessments, provide corrective instruction, and give students second chances to demonstrate success can improve their instruction and help students learn."

If data is not recorded after assessments, teachers are not fully reflecting on their practice or their students progress. Teachers can spot gaps in learning and areas that need more work when they are constantly reflecting on their work and student assessment. Analyzing and collecting data refers back to NCTCS Standard number 5. This standard says that teachers "analyze student learning." I read a really interesting article about this topic.
Critics sometimes contend that this approach means “teaching to the test.” But the crucial issue is, What determines the content and methods of teaching? If the test is the primary determinant of what teachers teach and how they teach it, then we are indeed “teaching to the test.” But if desired learning goals are the foundation of students' instructional experiences, then assessments of student learning are simply extensions of those same goals. Instead of “teaching to the test,” teachers are more accurately “testing what they teach.” If a concept or skill is important enough to assess, then it should be important enough to teach. And if it is not important enough to teach, then there's little justification for assessing it.


Assessment data is important for so many reasons! It helps create an objective learning experience and help make learning relevant.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb03/vol60/num05/How-Classroom-Assessments-Improve-Learning.aspx

test

test

Blog 3

350:
 This week we focused on prejudices and the topic of racism in the classroom. We spoke on how RACISM should not be a prevalent factor, but RACE should not be ignored. Race should be appreciated. Race isn't just about how we look, it is the culture and heritage we come from. We want to be proud of that and respect it, not pretend that it doesn't exist. The conversation and "talk circle" that we partook in was a great way to put NCTCS standard 2 in action. This standard says teachers establish a respectful environment for a DIVERSE population of students. "Teachers embrace diversity in the school and the world."
I found  really awesome article about how to structure activities that promote racial and cultural awareness for younger kids.

https://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/read_activities.html 


"Children can also understand feelings of shame and pride at this age, and they are aware of racism against their own group. They are able to empathize, and they are interested in learning about the world. It's the perfect time for giving them accurate information so they grow out of "preschool" ways of thinking" (York, 1991).

Kids understand being different from one another at about the age 7-9, helping them celebrate those differences is the task at hand. 

410:

This week we are learning that the big scary word, 'assessement,' is not actually as scary as it seems! Teachers have to show confidence in this area in order to help kids succeed. This teaching requirement ties right into Standard 5: teachers analyze student learning. We must do this to ensure our kids are learning the material they need to keep moving forward. I want my kids to know I am confident in them. I think their success in this area can be increased greatly if teachers actively believe in their kids.
"Where do we need to go from here to make sure your needs are met…" This needs to be the question asked after an initial assessment. 

http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/three-tips-for-quality-assessment-in-elementary-school/

"Use multiple methods of assessment. The traditional method of using test scores alone not only fails to measure a child’s learning experience, it also often doesn’t give any information about why a child has failed. For that reason, teachers must employ a variety of assessment techniques. Test scores still provide valuable data, but they should be combined with the teacher’s own observations, projects and even careful attention to classroom discussions. All of these methods will not only allow a teacher to assess a child’s progress, but will also offer clues to when and how a learning failure may have taken place, making it easier to successfully adjust a lesson plan."

I want to be creative and thorough in future assessment in my classroom to make sure all of my kids get my best effort. 

Blog 2

Hello my fellow Education peers!
350
This week we talked mainly about our missions and goals together as a class. 

Building our classroom culture.

We talked about cultural expectations of our 350 class which is how students work together and are expected to treat each other.

We together worked on our mission statement as a class. Our mission is what we are striving for as a class and what we want to learn from this 350 class.

We want to become better educators by learning about the culturally diverse classrooms we will have very soon. Together we came up with a list of things we want to strive to learn this year.

1. Instruct diverse populations to better meet the needs of our students.
2. Learning how to build class culture
3. Get a good grade in this class
4. Build each other up
5. Sense of community
6. Learn to embrace any culture

After we brainstormed we compiled everything into one short mission statement : In EDUC350 we will become better educators through immersing ourselves in diverse populations to better meet the needs of our students by creating a sense of community inside and outside the classroom.

Our class goals:

1. Pass

2. Build/Create class culture

3. Learn how to get to know our students

4. Learn how to deal with hard situations

5. Learn how to embrace all cultures

6. Be aware of biases

7. Learn how to construct different lessons based on certain circumstances 

I thought it was awesome to see the class come together and get these ideas out in the open. Our communication skills as a class group really impressed me and I am proud to get to work with the my peers in my class.  At the end of our discussion we came up with a concise mission statement.
"In EDUC350 we will become better educators through immersing ourselves in diverse populations to better meet the needs of our students by creating a sense of community inside and outside the classroom." I am so excited about learning how to thrive in a diverse classroom and make it as useful as I can for my students. Dr.Clark then had us do an activity that I found super interesting. She asked us to write down things we find annoying or frustrating that our peers do. We then had to take these negatives and change them into positive scenarios.  Being in a diverse classroom, we are going to have to learn to deal with things that are not in the "norm" for us and learn to handle and accept them. This was good practice for that. This entire class tied right into NCTCS 2, which is "Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of learners." Clark had us establish goals and rules for ourselves and she let us take charge and ownership. 

 https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/creating-respectful-classroom-environment/

This article talks about what needs to take place in order for a diverse classroom to work smoothly and respectfully. 

"In our class: 1) everyone is allowed to feel they can work and learn in a safe and caring environment; 2) everyone learns about, understands, appreciates, and respects varied races, classes, genders, physical and mental abilities, and sexualities; 3) everyone matters; 4) all individuals are to be respected and treated with dignity and civility; and 5) everyone shares the responsibility for making our class, and the Academy, a positive and better place to live, work, and learn.”

 It is super easy to act like this is all easy when you don't really have a diverse classroom and are surrounded by one people group or certain culture. I think our clinical hours are really going to help us expand our horizons.

410-
 Today in class we participated in a Socratic Seminar about Teaching Standards. I really benefited from this seminar and feel that I really understand fully how important teaching standards are. They give teachers an all around baseline to teach of of and even the playing field. They provide a detailed road for teachers to follow so that students are fully prepared for the next grade level. We also talked about why it is really important for students to be aware of teaching  standards. Students are more prone to feeling confident if they are aware of the class goals for that day and can advocate for themselves better when they don't feel lost. I have distinct memories of feeling embarrassed to ask questions at the end of class because I truly did not know what I was supposed to take away from a subject time that day. If I had an "I Can" statement to keep me feeling confident I think it would have been really helpful. 
 I researched some technology standards for K-12th graders and I found some ideas for turning those standards into "I Can" statements. 

  “I CAN gather details from watching a video, going on a virtual field trip, or interacting with an expert online.”

Standard:  Develop strategies for information gathering (ask an expert, use a book, make observations, conduct simple investigations, and watch a video).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gYmVpzJxsnN_xPrq4O1EXGCnxbKjy__a7OnEbA6FqSg/edit

NCTCS standard 3 says that teachers are to KNOW and understand the content they teach. It is our responsibility as aspiring teachers to be as familiar with what our students need to know so that we can be great teachers in this generation. If we are not on top of the curriculum and start to flounder, students will sense this and feel less confident about themselves. 

First Blog of Junior Year

What is Culture?  Teaching in a Diverse World

This week I had my first Diverse Populations in 21st Century School class.
I really enjoyed getting a brief rundown of what the class is going to look like this semester. I think it is going to be very enriching and most of all, prepare me to teach in a diverse classroom. We talked about a lot and I can tell this class is going to be interesting. I thought I had a rough idea of what the word culture meant until I was asked to provide a brief definition. The word culture is very deep and complex and can be looked at a variety of different ways. Together as a class we came up with our own definition and it was awesome to hear everyone's ideas compile. The definition we created is this: "Culture is the growth/development of human characteristics and social norms through the integration of beliefs, values, and traditions based on place and time, shared by a group of people." Culture has so many different aspects and views and it is really important to learn how to teach kids who come from all sorts of backgrounds. 
This relates back to NCTCS Standard number 2 which says "Teachers Establish a Respectful Enviornment for a Diverse Population of Students."
I researched this standard and really tried to understand all that it involved.

"Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a

positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults.

Teachers encourage an environment that is inviting,

respectful, supportive, inclusive, and flexible.

Teachers should:

Encourage an environment that is inviting,

respectful, supportive, inclusive, and flexible.

Teachers embrace diversity in the school community

and in the world.

Teachers demonstrate their knowledge of the history of

diverse cultures and their role in shaping global issues.

They actively select materials and develop lessons that

counteract stereotypes and incorporate histories and

contributions of all cultures."

I found a really cool website article that talk about how different cultures influence how students learn. This is a great topic to begin to research because the more I learn about this now, the easier it will be when I get to my future classroom. 

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/cultural-differences-student-performance/

"Children in various cultures learn different rules for communicating with adults through facial expressions, body language and physical gestures. Learn how cultural differences can play out in the classroom. "

In my Philosophy I wrote in 250 I mentioned that I want to make sure every child in my class feels welcomed and safe. Learning about where they grew up and the culture they came from can ensure that this happens.

Educ 410

I can already tell this is going to be a really awesome and learning intensive class!
It is all girls and we played a fun game of Baby Blob within the first 15 minutes- for sure going to be an awesome environment to live in and I am so so excited. After playing this game Dr.Clark explained that this type of game can be integrated into many different types of lesson plans. Since we were playing tag, it can be a health game, we could talk about math, or even a science lesson plan. I can for sure see myself using that game in my classroom one day. This was our intro to "integration" I was pretty shocked at first because I didn't realize one type of lesson could be creatively used in so many different ways. This connects to at least two NCTCS Standards. I researched them and the ones that most closely connected were Standards 4 and 5.
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/effectiveness-model/ncees/standards/prof-teach-standards.pdf

Standard 4 says that teachers facilitate learning for their students. This means they create a learning environment and they know the best ways that learning takes place for their students. Teachers have to know how students think and learn in order to teach them best.

Standard 5 says teachers reflect on their learning and need to not only assess their students, but assess themselves. Teachers have to analyze student learning and figure out what works and what doesn't work. Teachers should also use a variety of methods of assessment to see that students have learned.

Feeling super excited about this first day and I can't wait to learn more!