Continuing this week the traditional lesson plan presentations, I also have a lot of other assignments that need to be completed as well. I am having to manage my time very carefully and keep everything organized for each class. I am teaching a lesson in PHED 300 this week as well. For Social Studies Methods, I am having to tie everything together and finalize my unit plan and then complete my virtual field trip, which I am excited to see how well that turns out to be!
This week, I found an interesting article that talks about how to incorporate literacy and technology into your everyday lessons within your classroom. I found this automatically interesting because I presented on this same topic in the LOTS conference that was held at Gardner-Webb University last weekend. The author discusses how his school district is a Chrome Book district, which means each student is provided with a Chrome Book. He discusses how it makes it easier to integrate technology within his lessons. He also provides a list of five resources that he uses technology to enhance literacy skills. These resources also help to give formative assessments and immediate feedback for the instructor, which is a plus too! I thought these resources were very helpful in the fact that the students are able to personalize their work and demonstrate their skills. Also, a lot of them allow the students to work collaboratively on the same document. I encourage you to check out these sites/ apps for yourself because I think your students would enjoy and benefit from using them in the classroom!
List of resources from the article:
http://www.scrible.com/
https://ant.umn.edu/
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kaizena-shortcut/kfcmpbkmmdlcnepmeojihblcllopielg
https://edpuzzle.com/
This article ties in with NCPTS number four, the teacher should facilitate learning and they can do this by integrating technology and having the students to work at their own pace, and on their own level. Differentiation is key and these resources allow for differentiation!
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Thursday, March 24, 2016
My Class, My Community
Week eleven: The week reality is back in full swing, and you are just dragging to make it to Easter break. This week has been so crazy with all kinds of lessons and other assignments being due, as well as adding onto the long list of assignments due at the end of the semester. I am currently writing this blog on break because this break for me is going to be playing catch up. As, the end of the semester approaches and we are rounding third base, heading for home, just remember to finish strong!
This week in Social Studies Methods, we completed and submitted our traditional learning plans and then combined with Dr. Clark's class and taught our lessons. I got the opportunity to go right after the lunch break on Tuesday. I liked teaching with other people in the class that I did not know all that well. I am excited to get feedback from others who have never seen me teach before!
An article I found this week off of Edutopia was very helpful in the fact that it listed five ways to make your classroom a community. The first on the list was giving your students the opportunity to share multiple parts of their lives. This will establish a sense of community because the students can learn more about one another, and allows them to relate easier to one another. The next is to acknowledge what is good and praise your students when it is appropriate. The students will be more motivated to impress you, if you acknowledge their good work. Third, provide time for student to student interaction. Collaboration is key when building a strong community. Next, check in and monitor groups, make sure everyone's ideas are being heard and everyone is working together. Last, but not least, set the tone and be the host. Have the expectations for your students set and give them the appropriate amount of responsibility for their task, but make sure they still know who runs the show. These tips were very helpful for me and if you have a great community in your class, classroom management won't be such an issue.
Building a strong community in my classroom and becoming a better teacher for my students are two very important goals for me. This article relates to teaching standards one and four. One, to be a teacher leader, and four is to facilitate student learning. Find the perfect balance and your students will be the most successful!!!
This week in Social Studies Methods, we completed and submitted our traditional learning plans and then combined with Dr. Clark's class and taught our lessons. I got the opportunity to go right after the lunch break on Tuesday. I liked teaching with other people in the class that I did not know all that well. I am excited to get feedback from others who have never seen me teach before!
An article I found this week off of Edutopia was very helpful in the fact that it listed five ways to make your classroom a community. The first on the list was giving your students the opportunity to share multiple parts of their lives. This will establish a sense of community because the students can learn more about one another, and allows them to relate easier to one another. The next is to acknowledge what is good and praise your students when it is appropriate. The students will be more motivated to impress you, if you acknowledge their good work. Third, provide time for student to student interaction. Collaboration is key when building a strong community. Next, check in and monitor groups, make sure everyone's ideas are being heard and everyone is working together. Last, but not least, set the tone and be the host. Have the expectations for your students set and give them the appropriate amount of responsibility for their task, but make sure they still know who runs the show. These tips were very helpful for me and if you have a great community in your class, classroom management won't be such an issue.
Building a strong community in my classroom and becoming a better teacher for my students are two very important goals for me. This article relates to teaching standards one and four. One, to be a teacher leader, and four is to facilitate student learning. Find the perfect balance and your students will be the most successful!!!
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Flip or Flop?
...And just like that, spring break has come and gone! Now it is crunch time during the semester for most of the education classes and a lot of lesson planning is heading my way. This week in Social Studies methods, we are putting into practice the flipped lesson plans that we created before we left for break. I find this to be really exciting because I also get to experience what everyone else in my class came up with and get to participate in some great learning experiences.
This week I found an article that explains and breaks down the reasoning for flipped classrooms and flipped lessons. The article described how the learning in a flipped lesson is reversed from the traditional ways of teaching. The teacher instruction occurs outside of the classroom, usually by an online video that the students will watch before class. This benefits the students by allowing them time to ask questions that they may have about the material, and allows the teacher to work more one on one with students and help to explain the material more in depth. It also helps when students miss class, they are still able to watch the videos and stay on track. This article was intended for the parental audience, but it gives great background information about flipped lessons and gives tips as to how parents can support the flipped classroom. However, I think everyone can benefit from reading this article and learn how to make their flipped lessons more effective.
On Thursday, I will be presenting my flipped lesson to my classroom peers and I am interested to see how well it goes. The students are to watch the instructional video and then are going to be assessed at the beginning of the lesson to see how well they comprehended the information from the video. Depending on how well they do, it will determine where we go from there, and how intensive our review session will be. I think the flipped classroom is an awesome idea if everyone will participate. It is going to be my self challenge to get my students excited and interested in the flipped classroom routine.
This ties into the fourth North Carolina Professional Teaching Standard, which states that teachers should facilitate learning for their students. During class time, students should be the ones guiding their learning experience. Based on the questions and discussion generated by the students will determine how the class goes. The idea is that the teacher is just there for additional help and guidance if need be.
This week I found an article that explains and breaks down the reasoning for flipped classrooms and flipped lessons. The article described how the learning in a flipped lesson is reversed from the traditional ways of teaching. The teacher instruction occurs outside of the classroom, usually by an online video that the students will watch before class. This benefits the students by allowing them time to ask questions that they may have about the material, and allows the teacher to work more one on one with students and help to explain the material more in depth. It also helps when students miss class, they are still able to watch the videos and stay on track. This article was intended for the parental audience, but it gives great background information about flipped lessons and gives tips as to how parents can support the flipped classroom. However, I think everyone can benefit from reading this article and learn how to make their flipped lessons more effective.
On Thursday, I will be presenting my flipped lesson to my classroom peers and I am interested to see how well it goes. The students are to watch the instructional video and then are going to be assessed at the beginning of the lesson to see how well they comprehended the information from the video. Depending on how well they do, it will determine where we go from there, and how intensive our review session will be. I think the flipped classroom is an awesome idea if everyone will participate. It is going to be my self challenge to get my students excited and interested in the flipped classroom routine.
This ties into the fourth North Carolina Professional Teaching Standard, which states that teachers should facilitate learning for their students. During class time, students should be the ones guiding their learning experience. Based on the questions and discussion generated by the students will determine how the class goes. The idea is that the teacher is just there for additional help and guidance if need be.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
"Without Teachers, Life Would Have No Class"
Week 9 has hit me hard with all of the assignments and lessons being due before break, along with the struggle of Spring Fever! It has been thought to stay motivated and keep a positive attitude these past couple of weeks. However, I know as a future teacher, a good attitude is an essential quality for our job. This week I read an article that discussed ways in which teachers can have resilience throughout the year and it listed five ways in which you can bounce back.
I specifically enjoyed this article that helped with professional development because it took the time to list out the five ways, and it also made it relevant to the reader by explaining what you can do to implement these in your daily life. I want to list them out for you because I think they are important to keep in mind as we progress throughout our career and may be a nice refresher as we endure the rest of the semester.
This article ties into the first NCPCS, which talks about demonstrating teacher leadership skills. The list of 5 ways to nurture your resilience as a teacher infers that you have the capability to take action and move beyond the temporary challenges. Are you prepared to hit the curveballs that teaching throws at you out of the park?!
http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/04/02/ways-to-nurture-your-resilience-as-a-teacher
I specifically enjoyed this article that helped with professional development because it took the time to list out the five ways, and it also made it relevant to the reader by explaining what you can do to implement these in your daily life. I want to list them out for you because I think they are important to keep in mind as we progress throughout our career and may be a nice refresher as we endure the rest of the semester.
Strengthen your school relationships
Emphasize the positive
Take the initiative
Keep priorities in focus
Keep emotions in check
This article ties into the first NCPCS, which talks about demonstrating teacher leadership skills. The list of 5 ways to nurture your resilience as a teacher infers that you have the capability to take action and move beyond the temporary challenges. Are you prepared to hit the curveballs that teaching throws at you out of the park?!
http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/04/02/ways-to-nurture-your-resilience-as-a-teacher
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