Blog Posting # 8

MY COHORT

I read many of my classmates work and was really inspired by all of them. One that I would say I learned something or gained new insight was on Charis's blog. She is talking about blog #2 and the quote that impacted her the most. She then added her own thoughts and said, " My students will be taking risks that may leave them open to ridicule as they share their thoughts and feelings with others. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to establish a bond of trust that let's my students know that it's alright for them to explore the world around them and share their discoveries without fear of being mocked."

I thought this was so important. I also noticed in her writing that what she talked about in this blog also relates back to the morning meetings blog. It is amazing the connections find and the way morning meetings are valuable and is a great way to bond with your students and to have them gain trust in you.

THE OTHER COHORT

The other blog I looked at from the other class was by Kjersti Helberg. She said,
"I also feel like it is so important for each child to have personal time with the teacher where they feel like they are the most important kid to the teacher at that moment. This might be special time when all of the kids are outside or a time during small groups where the student gets to interact with the teacher. I think in this time like in the chapter you could talk about goal setting, interview the student to see where they are at emotionally in the class, just talk to the student about something that is not usually discussed in class anything to make them feel special. I think in a classroom of 30 students it would probably be pretty easy to feel like you were just another m&m in the bowl with nothing special about you. I want to make sure I take the time to make all of my students feel like they are important to me to encourage them to continue to put forth effort in my class to do their best!"

Wow this was really valuable to me! I agree completely with her thoughts and it really made me realize how important it is and how it is my duty to make my students feel loved and cared about. Every teacher is always running around trying to get things done, but when you think about it if you don't grow a bond with your students and give them the time the need and deserve, then the work and the stress level for you as a teacher is going to be high! It is so important for students to not feel like they are just another number (child) in the classroom. Talking with students one on one my not only help your relationship with them, but it could help them personally and academically! Great insight Kjersti!

P.S. Sorry 2-3 sentences was way to difficult for me! There was just so much good and insightful words! ENJOY!!!

Blog Posting #7

Part 1: Other than the strategy you presented in class this week, which strategy can you most picture yourself actually using in your teaching?

The strategy I did was Think-Tac-Toe and I thought it was a fantastic idea. The other strategy that caught my eye and my attention was the learning menu's. I thought that was such a creative idea that match my organization and my creativity.

Part 2: Why? Explain this, and give me an idea of a concept or topic you are familiar with, and what it might look like to teach it with this strategy.

Learning Menu's is just a very creative tool that can be used in any subject area and with any topic. It is a great way for students differentiate learning and allow them to have a choice in what they do. Learning menus is a type of learning that incorporates activities that all students must do, as well as some activities that they get to choose from. It helps them focus on the purpose of the topic and have knowledge and understanding. Learning menus is not only used to differentiate based on interest or readiness but also learning profiles of the student. I love that you can incorporate it into math. An example:

• main course, each student would have to do all of these activities (unless I chose to change it and limit it down to one. If I did this I would just take out the 2 other ideas so they couldn't see it and may use them another time) :
• Write the steps you will take in deciding how to represent a group of place value blocks.
• Draw a picture that represents numbers in many different ways.
  
• Develop patterns using place value and repetition of number patterns.
  
• Side Dishes (must choose 2)
  
• Define place value, in writing.
  
• With a partner present a dramatization of a number sentence focusing on place value .
• You have the information, "is 327 made up of 3 tens, 2 hundreds and 7 ones?". Check whether given answers to the problem have the correct place value and explain why.
• Dessert (you may do one or more of these if you would like to)
• Create a place value test for your class.
• Create 10 place value word problems for your classmates to solve.
  
• Explain how the words such as ones, tens and hundreds relate to place value.
• Create place value questions such as, "For what place is the number the same?" (tens)
  

I found this idea on the internet. After class I was really interested in this strategy so I went online to look for some more ways to incorporate it. I loved how in class they used a book and language arts but I thought it was brilliant how the this lesson did it for math. I am glad I saw this menu on place value and saw how they integrated it with language arts as well. This is such a creative strategy and I think it will really draw the students attention. The set up of the pamphlet of choosing from the menu is great. I also loved the idea that instead of using points, make it about money and have them get to a certain amount. You could also have a final banquet. There is just so much to do with this strategy.

Blog Posting #6

Choosing which way to differentiate, for readiness or interest, is a really hard question to answer. I think it is important to differentiate both ways. I think both ways helps you better help your students, depending on the situation. Sometimes it is really important to put students together based on readiness because then they are with a group that are on the same level and are learning equally. Placing students that are not on the same learning level can be hard at times for those that are higher developed. However, if I was to choose one particularly, I would choose for interest. I was sitting in my classroom management thinking about this question. We were talking about when students are interested they tend to do better. Then it came to me! I would be more interested in differentiating on my students interest. I love when students have a choice and when they have a say in what they are learning and how. I think it builds closer relationships with other students in the classroom that are similar to them. I also think they would be more apt to doing their work and caring more about doing it right and it looking good. When students enjoy what they are doing they succeed!

Blog Posting #5

Communication in the Classroom

Roles communications patterns in the classroom can play:

• Build a group identity.
• Ensure that teachers have ways of getting to know their students better.
• Enable teachers to share his or her thinking about teaching.
• Provide a shorthand for quick communication among members and the classroom community.
• Teach meta-cognitively
• Help students understand their similarities and differences and guide them to develop a sense of community.
• Model for students what you want them to do and how to make the class excellent.
• Help students see their strengths.
• Say "Pat your brain" when students do something noteworthy.
• Do "Windshield checks" to help students see if they are clear, have a few bugs stuck to them, or are covered with mud. This will provide the teacher with the with the understanding of how much help the students need.
• Diversify, Verify, Amplify, use these to help students to be challenged in discussions and assignments.
• Allow students to work in the room during lunch this will allow the students to communicate with one another and their ideas, questions, and projects.
• Hold goal-setting conferences, this is when the teacher meets with one students to talk about their progress in a particular area or a particular project.
• Help foster students understanding and ownership of their own learning.
• Use Dialogue Journals, this allows student and teacher to "talk" in ways that often are not possible during class.
• Incorporate Teacher Talk in Groups in Lesson Plans, do with 3-5 students for 5 minutes and check for students understanding of content, skills, assignment directions, and group functioning. This allows students to talk more freely in their small group rather than whole class.

Blog Posting #4

A-1) I absolutely love morning meetings. When Principal Allan came in to speak to us, I just felt so overwhelmed with joy and comfort. What she had to say was personable and very meaningful. Just like she constantly kept saying, "I don't know how this works, it just does" that is the base of what made me drawn to morning meetings. It works because kids feel valuable. They feel that someone cares to listen to them and that they have a family or community that feels very similar to them. Morning meetings allow students to say how they feel which sometimes that is all they need and all that may be missing. I absolutely loved the class creed. I felt it was so powerful. It gave students hope and power in themselves and that they can achieve and conquer anything! Principal Allan was so powerful and influential to me. She made me really excited to start teaching and incorporate morning meetings from the first day on. Her stories were real and the feeling I had was most likely the same feeling those kids have as they think back to their morning meetings. I do believe they work and I do believe in the power it has in the classroom. I will definitely use morning meetings because it just makes you feel good and it helps all of us to see that we do have a voice and we will be leaders! There are some things I am worried about such as knowing when to stop a conversation, how to handle hard topics and conversations, and how to get around the administration if they do not approve. After talking to Sylvia, she implanted hope into me and made me realize in time I won't have those thoughts. Things just flow and you just have natural instincts to handle the difficult situations. Just like she said, "Do what is right for the kids, NOT what's most comfortable to you!" I LOVE MORNING MEETINGS!!!!

B-1) The five specific ways teachers can respond are, Invitation, Opportunity, Persistence, Investment, and Reflection. The invitation response made me think of morning meetings because it talks about getting to know your students and learning from them as well. The invitation is what brings a class together as a community and it is what develops a strong teacher/student relationship. I think the response I like the most is Persistence. It is important to realize that students are growing but they have so much more to grow. In the book it states, "The teacher helps students realize that the quest for quality nervier ends. If they quest ends, quality ends with it -- and so does the growth of the individual." (Tom. Pg. 33) This is so important for us to motivate the students to keep the quest going so they can continue that journey. Just like the book says, "we are all on a journey." (pg. 33)

Blog Posting #3

Content Specific Ideas: What Do You Want to Learn About Rome?

I could definitely see myself using this handout. I find it very useful and important for a teacher to include their students in some of the topics they learn about. I feel when students have a say in what they want to learn about that means they are interested in that subject and therefore would learn more and do better. This is also a great tool to assess my students and see what they already know as well as help me see what they are interested in. Another reason why I really like this handout is because it is versatile with multiple subjects. You could easily incorporate, say for instance, history with language arts, art, math, etc. Each subject can be used my taking a survey and then compiling that information and teaching from what you discovered. This survey helps me to see how advance my students are and what kind of level or readiness they are in.

Vertebrates Chart

I really like this chart and can imagine not only me as a students using it but also introducing this type of tool to my students. I am a very visual person and learn well when I can see my thoughts organized and written down. I like this chart because it helps the students organize their thoughts as well as help process and detect where each bit of information goes. I think this chart would help the students organize and prepare a paper or an essay. It starts them off by explaining what it is and what it is about and then goes into different parts of vertebrates (examples and non-examples). This tool could also be used with math. For instance, learning a new concept or a new method. They could organize and produce examples and non-examples and could refer back to this chart in the future. This chart serves as a multipurpose chart and is not subject to only helping in one content area. I could easily make this a chart work for all students and all learners. I could add more in depth topics such, as type and where they came from for advanced students. This chart will also show me what their interests are by selecting what examples and non-examples they use and the readiness they have in vertebrates.

Six-Trait Guide to Revision

This handout is a great tool to have hanging up in your classroom. I also think it is a great tool for students to use to check off whether they accomplished and included everything they needed to in their paper. This check off list also allows them to add in anything that they may have missed. I think it would also be easier for you to help teach them about each trait because it has great definitions of what should be included with a detailed sentence. I like that it is not too long so the students will easily be able to look at this chart and go straight to their paper to check if they have it included or not. I love that this chart can be used at all times, whether it be introducing the trait, in the middle of using certain traits, or at the end when the students should know all six-traits. This tool can be used with any subject that includes writing, which could be any of them. Students have to write papers in science, history and even math. I could use this handout to help all students by differentiating it enough to help all learners. I could add examples and include interesting words. I could add in grammar tools and what I will be looking for. When the students are done writing I would have them turn this checklist off in along with their papers to show the readiness they have and whether or not they were organized and prepared throughout their writing. This also shows their personality and interests by the way they write and the words they used.

Blog Posting #2

My favorite quote from this reading is quite simple and one of the first things I read for this reading. It is in chapter 1 and on page 1. It reads,

"If a students has "given up" on school, there should be active and continual planning to help the student reconnect with the power of learning to positively shape his or her life."

I love this quote because as I stated earlier one of the hardest things for me is to see people give up on themselves by not believing they can do it. This quote fits my motto perfectly by saying that we as differentiating teachers cannot allow that to happen. It is our responsibility to help them believe in themselves and find the love and the power in learning. Learning is one of the keystones in life and if it is "given up" on early or in fact at anytime in life, it will help diminish the person (students') well-being and desire to learn.

My goal in this teaching process is to help students. Helping students is also linked with believing in them and showing it to them by being positive and helpful. I especially love this quote because I have seen so many students "give up" on themselves because they felt nobody believed in them and that lack of belief turned in to experimenting with horrible things such as drugs, alcohol, and violence because that is where they felt the most gratification. This is NOT what we as teachers should be seeing or relying on. Each student has a lot to offer and if they received that different way of attention (learning) then they can share with the world and with themselves the importance of learning and the importance of who each of these children are.

This post is a lot longer than expected. Who knew that someone could be so passionate about a simple but impactful quote? This quote helps me to see what differentiated learning is and how using it helps a child's self-esteem and self worth which leads to self efficacy as stated in chapter 2. This is an important cycle in learning!

Blog Posting #1

1. What are your favorite things to do when you aren't in school or doing homework?
I love sports especially basketball. I love watching and playing all of them. I also love the outdoors and enjoy trying new things. Summer time is my favorite time of year because I am able to go boating. I pretty much live on the water in the summer. When it's too hot to go outside or too cold to do anything, I enjoy scrapbooking and being crafty. I also enjoy reading and watching movies.

2. When have you been really proud of yourself? Please explain why you felt that way.
I would say the most memorable time I was really proud of myself was when I made Lion of the Quarter, which was in middle school. This is only given to students that have truly worked hard in their learning and showed it in action and grades. The teachers nominate you for this and it is an honor to receive. I got a plaque and had a ceremony where my parents came. This made me feel really good and helped me to feel appreciated for all the hard work I had done. It also felt good to see the acknowledgement and influence teachers really have in your lives.

3. What are you really good at in school? How do you know?
I wouldn't say that there is one particular subject that I am really good in. I work hard in all of my classes and have a desire to do well. I am very organized and school driven and have been since I started school. I believe this is what helps me excel and do well in school and each class that I take. How I know this is by the standards I set for myself and by seeing at the end of the year or semester of whether or not I achieved them or not.

4. What background, talent, skill and interest do you have in each of these:

a) music: I love all music. In middle school I was in concert choir and really enjoyed this. When I got older, I then decided to focus on sports. I love to sing but just for fun and never in front of a crowd, unless it's in a big group where my voice is not detected. :)

b) visual arts: Art is just beautiful to me and I enjoy looking at it. I have always wanted to draw and become artistic so I got a drawing set. I feel I could develop a love just for fun in this area but never have time to really focus on doing it well. If someone was to ask me to draw something for them, it would be stick figures and would probably be mistaken for something else...meaning they wouldn't be able to tell what it is.

c) dance: Dance is always a good time.I danced when I was little but that was when I realized I was just too big and made for a soccer and basketball player. I enjoy dancing for fun with friends.

d) theater: I can't act at all! I am very interested in theater but can't do it myself. I can't keep a straight face for anything. Plays, movies, and any type of theater instantly grabs my attention.

5. What is hard for you? What makes it hard?
Something that is really hard for me is people not believing in themselves. I have come from a family that shows and models a lot of support. I care more about other people than I do myself so it makes it difficult when I see people especially children have doubts or negative thoughts. I am not a confrontational person so it is hard for me to see those things happen. I believe everyone is different and important and can achieve anything. It's hard to see others not feel or think the same way I do.

6. What is your favorite children's book, and why is it your favorite?
This is so difficult! Children's books are the best and there have been several that have touched me in some way. But one of my favorite books growing up, and still present, is "Miss Nelson is Missing". This book is so entertaining to me and so realistic. Deciding to be a teacher has made me love this book even more. It makes me wonder if my students will be like this and if they would miss me if I was gone. This book is funny and sounds exactly the way children act.

7. What is your favorite TV show, when you can spare the time to watch?
This is also a really hard choice for me because there are so many. If the Jazz or the Celtics are playing that would most likely be my first choice to sit down and watch. However, I love Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Glee. I can't just choose one because they are all really good and I have to make sure they are recorded so I can watch them when I have time.

8. What movie could you watch again and again?
A movie that I absolutely love is Italian Job. It never gets boring to me and I could watch it over and over again. I love Mark Walhberg and having him be the star in it doesn't hurt!

9. What are some things you really care about?
The most important thing I care about is my family. They mean everything to me and I would do anything for them. Another thing I care deeply about is my religion. Both of these help mold me to who I am and my outlook on life. They help me to be a better person. If I didn't have either of these two things, I would find no reason for life or happiness.

10. What will set you apart as a teacher?
The thing that I think will set me apart as a teacher is the way I care about kids, ALL kids. I have seen some sad situations that children have to go throw and have seen the impact it makes on their lives. I feel each child has a voice and each child needs to be heard, whether personally of educationally. Each has an affect on the child and their success in life and I want to be someone that can help them achieve this important step!

11. What else should I know about you as a person and a student that could help me be a better teacher? What would you like me to know about you that I haven't asked about?

As you can see I am a pretty straight forward person. I am not shy to show who I am or my opinions and beliefs. I have come from a family that has had their ups and downs in life, just like most families, and I believe that has helped me to see the world better and has really helped me to see children for who they are. Different situations result in different ways of learning and that is why I am so excited for this class!