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 is a great blog, Jessica!
ReplyDeleteIt is so important that we make our classroom feel like a community. When students are able to learn from one another, that makes for great social skills, and a deeper understanding of the content you are teaching. Students are more open to throwing their ideas out their when the classroom feels like a community, because they are not scared of being judged by others.
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog! The article really gave me insight on establishing a good community in the classroom. Sometimes I struggle with this because I am very laid back and students sometimes take that as they can be laid back as well and not do their work. I feel that making sure you praise your students is very important because they should know when they do something good! These tips will be helpful in my future classroom.
Thanks for sharing!!