This week is another short week for the public school system. Today, on Halloween, the teachers conveniently have a planning day. The teachers are in their classrooms, cleaning off desks, grading papers, and making lesson plans for the following weeks to come. This is a day set aside for teachers to catch up and reorganize their plans for instruction. Although this week feels like a shorter week for me, since I will only go to my school on Wednesday and Friday, it is also a big week for me. On Wednesday, I am being observed for the first time by one of my professors and am wanting to make a great impression. Also, on Friday, I have an introductory meeting with my student teaching supervisor and my CE! This is exciting, yet a little intimidating. I feel as if my brain is already on overload this week, and being introduced to all o the expectations and requirements upcoming for next semester hopefully will not overwhelm me too much.
With all of life distractions and still having to manage course work, on top of juggling to meet the weekly time requirements in our clinical placements, it can be difficult to fit it all in. This week, especially since I am going out of town for the next two weekends, I am having to submit all of my assignments by Thursday, I feel like I am having to do and work on several things at once. Every time I do homework, I make a habit to have several tabs open on my computer and will switch back and forth from one thing to another. However, I found an article on Edutopia that suggested that might not be the best way to get things done in a timely manner. From the article, I learned that it takes more brain power and energy to multitask than to just do one thing at a time and take regular breaks every so often. This completely shocked me, because often times I feel like if I can juggle several things at once it will take less time to accomplish all of my tasks. The article suggested several tips in order to help the reader focus when doing homework. I a going to try these out this week since I am in such a time crunch with a ten foot long to do list. If you would also like to check out some tips on how to do a task more efficiently, here is the link to this awesome article: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/conquering-the-multitasking-brain-drain-judy-willis
This blog post best relates to NCTCS to one, three, and four. The teacher is responsible for taking leadership when in their classroom, as well as taking leadership when planning curriculum with their grade level teams, etc. They can display this leadership when planning by knowing the content and knowing how their students learn best. My CE's lessons are not going to be exactly like the other third grade teachers because not all of their students in their classes learn best the same exact way.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Be in the Loop
This week is going to be a short week, being that fall break took Monday and Tuesday from being in our classrooms. However, that means this week is going to fly by faster than normal weeks and there is a lot to get accomplished within a shorter amount of time. For my small group instruction, I am just continuing the magazine that we started last week and taking these extra days to catch up, or delve a little deeper into the activities that I originally planned for last week. My students are still very interested in the articles we are reading and have been cooperating each week to complete the assignments I have for them. As the semester moves past the halfway point, I have started to notice the different tasks my CE does to keep the parents/guardians in the loop. She makes an effort every week to sit down and reflect on the week, as well as to include the different events and important dates that they may need to know for the upcoming week. I really admire this about my CE and have heard praises from the parents thanking her for keeping them involved with what their child is experiencing in the classroom!
I found a really good post on Edutopia.org giving teachers resources and tips on how to create an eye catching and informational newsletter for parents/guardians. This article listed various websites and apps that allowed teachers to make their own webpage for free and even allow them to update it whenever needed. This is awesome for someone like me, who is getting ready to have a classroom of my own because having knowledge to free resources is key! I plan to send home a weekly newsletter with my students as well. I am sure I will have some practice when I am student teaching and will be able to see an example of a format I could implement in my future class. This article not only listed resources to create a newsletter to send home, but it also gave different ideas about how to send it out. For an example, I thought having a QR code would work really well if it were to be printed on their take home folders. The parents or guardians could just scan the code each week and the newsletter would pop up for them to read over. There were other ways a teacher could make this process work, but that is just one that stuck out to me.
I highly encourage you to take a look at this article because it lists multiple resources to use and give ideas on how to implement them!!!! https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tech-tips-for-parent-newsletters-monica-burns
This blog post best represents NCTCS one because the teacher should take leadership not only for what happens in their own classroom, but also be responsible for taking leadership outside of their classroom. One way to do this is to reach out to the parents/guardians and let them know exactly what is going on in your classroom and how it is going. Newsletters is a great tool to practice this standard!!!
I found a really good post on Edutopia.org giving teachers resources and tips on how to create an eye catching and informational newsletter for parents/guardians. This article listed various websites and apps that allowed teachers to make their own webpage for free and even allow them to update it whenever needed. This is awesome for someone like me, who is getting ready to have a classroom of my own because having knowledge to free resources is key! I plan to send home a weekly newsletter with my students as well. I am sure I will have some practice when I am student teaching and will be able to see an example of a format I could implement in my future class. This article not only listed resources to create a newsletter to send home, but it also gave different ideas about how to send it out. For an example, I thought having a QR code would work really well if it were to be printed on their take home folders. The parents or guardians could just scan the code each week and the newsletter would pop up for them to read over. There were other ways a teacher could make this process work, but that is just one that stuck out to me.
I highly encourage you to take a look at this article because it lists multiple resources to use and give ideas on how to implement them!!!! https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tech-tips-for-parent-newsletters-monica-burns
This blog post best represents NCTCS one because the teacher should take leadership not only for what happens in their own classroom, but also be responsible for taking leadership outside of their classroom. One way to do this is to reach out to the parents/guardians and let them know exactly what is going on in your classroom and how it is going. Newsletters is a great tool to practice this standard!!!
Monday, October 17, 2016
Comfy Classroom
This week has been awesome!! I have had a great experience being able to teach whole group instruction. My students loved my lessons and were attentive (for the most part) and were eager to answer all of my questions. I recorded them to count for credit for the EdTPA requirement. My CE has been very encouraging and has been very open to providing me with feedback. I was able to set aside time with her during our planning time to discuss what I should look for in my next lesson and how to address certain student's behavior. I was then able to take into consideration her feedback and tips in order to make my lessons flow more smoothly. I feel like our relationship is continuing to grow and she is allowing me to take on more and more as the semester is goes on. The one thing I have noticed is how my CE has mastered the perfection of her classroom and learning environment. The students are expected to be aware at all times because of the effort she has put in to setting up her classroom environment.
I found this article on Edutopia discussing how the learning environment has a direct impact on one's learning experience. As the days are getting shorter, light from the sun is not a prevalent and it affects our emotions, and other forms of mentality. Our environment is constantly changing and affects us in ways we don't notice. One factor that we don't realize has an impact on us is light exposure. blue light exposure for example, has the most impact on the human hormones secretion. being exposed to Blue light makes you more alert and less sleepy. Sunlight,full-spectrum LEDs, and most digital screens are fill of blue light. "21,000 U.S. elementary students showed that, over one school year, kids who were exposed to more sunlight during their school day displayed 26 percent higher reading outcomes and 20 percent higher math outcomes than kids in less sunny classrooms." (Learning Environments, The Science of Effective Learning Spaces)
This blog post would tie in with NCTCS number four, which deals with facilitating students' learning. This post deals with setting up a safe and comfortable learning environment and takes a closer look at some of the elements of a learning environment.
If you want to check out some more facts and statistics from a study performed studying elements of the learning environment: http://www.edutopia.org/article/science-of-effective-learning-spaces-melina-uncapher
I found this article on Edutopia discussing how the learning environment has a direct impact on one's learning experience. As the days are getting shorter, light from the sun is not a prevalent and it affects our emotions, and other forms of mentality. Our environment is constantly changing and affects us in ways we don't notice. One factor that we don't realize has an impact on us is light exposure. blue light exposure for example, has the most impact on the human hormones secretion. being exposed to Blue light makes you more alert and less sleepy. Sunlight,full-spectrum LEDs, and most digital screens are fill of blue light. "21,000 U.S. elementary students showed that, over one school year, kids who were exposed to more sunlight during their school day displayed 26 percent higher reading outcomes and 20 percent higher math outcomes than kids in less sunny classrooms." (Learning Environments, The Science of Effective Learning Spaces)
This blog post would tie in with NCTCS number four, which deals with facilitating students' learning. This post deals with setting up a safe and comfortable learning environment and takes a closer look at some of the elements of a learning environment.
If you want to check out some more facts and statistics from a study performed studying elements of the learning environment: http://www.edutopia.org/article/science-of-effective-learning-spaces-melina-uncapher
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Read To Achieve: Run Down
This week, I am extremely excited because on Wednesday, I will get to teach my first whole group lesson ever!!! I am going to be teaching "Adding Dollars and Cents". I have worked really hard planning and preparing for this lesson. I really hope that the kids are going to enjoy it and connect to the content. I am also continuing to teach my small groups, but the student groups that I am working with are changing. However, most of the students that I have been working with will remain the same, and I will gain a couple of others. Today, I had a lesson that I felt really confident about because I could see how the students were making those important connections. The article that we read and discussed was called the "Perfect Pet?" and the students were engaged, participated, and accurate with their responses to my questions throughout the entire lesson.
Read To Achieve is a third grade state required portfolio that tracks student's progress for math and reading throughout the year. This helps to provide evidence for a student who may not pass the End Of Grade test, but may be considered to be promoted to the fourth grade. The state uses this portfolio as a back up plan, or another way to evaluate the students academic skills. My CE takes this task seriously and took the time out of her instructional block to explain to the students exactly what they were about to do and the purpose behind these timed test. My CE took this subject matter, hoping that the students will do the same when approaching these tests throughout the remainder of the school year. I really appreciate how my teacher has structured her "Read To Achieve" standards. She also gave me a run down of how this would be implemented all year. On Mondays, she will do an instructional passage, which will take up half of the reading block, but she reads the passage aloud and models their reading strategies to help answer the questions at the end of the passage. Today being the first day they have started Read To Achieve, I observed and was amazed at how well she made the reading passage exciting. I loved the different ways she used her vice when reading the passage, and how she constantly stopped to discuss or ask the students questions in order to keep the students engaged. My Ce has a really good balance of stressing how important it is to do their best on all of these tests, but she also encourages them that it is doable and lets them know that she believes in them. The third grade teacher team is hosting a Read To Achieve night in order to set aside time to explain this process to the parents. I you would like to look more into what Read To Achieve is and learn more about how it is implemented into third grade, feel free to check out this PDF put out by the North Carolina Department of Instruction: http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/k-3literacy/resources/guidebook.pdf.
This blog post ties in with teacher leadership because it is our responsibility to teach the students, but also make sure the parents have an understanding of what their students are learning too. Progress monitoring ties in with the NCTCS number four because in order to see growth in a student, you have to meet them where they are. Every student is on a different level and it is our job to assist and see every child grow.
Read To Achieve is a third grade state required portfolio that tracks student's progress for math and reading throughout the year. This helps to provide evidence for a student who may not pass the End Of Grade test, but may be considered to be promoted to the fourth grade. The state uses this portfolio as a back up plan, or another way to evaluate the students academic skills. My CE takes this task seriously and took the time out of her instructional block to explain to the students exactly what they were about to do and the purpose behind these timed test. My CE took this subject matter, hoping that the students will do the same when approaching these tests throughout the remainder of the school year. I really appreciate how my teacher has structured her "Read To Achieve" standards. She also gave me a run down of how this would be implemented all year. On Mondays, she will do an instructional passage, which will take up half of the reading block, but she reads the passage aloud and models their reading strategies to help answer the questions at the end of the passage. Today being the first day they have started Read To Achieve, I observed and was amazed at how well she made the reading passage exciting. I loved the different ways she used her vice when reading the passage, and how she constantly stopped to discuss or ask the students questions in order to keep the students engaged. My Ce has a really good balance of stressing how important it is to do their best on all of these tests, but she also encourages them that it is doable and lets them know that she believes in them. The third grade teacher team is hosting a Read To Achieve night in order to set aside time to explain this process to the parents. I you would like to look more into what Read To Achieve is and learn more about how it is implemented into third grade, feel free to check out this PDF put out by the North Carolina Department of Instruction: http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/k-3literacy/resources/guidebook.pdf.
This blog post ties in with teacher leadership because it is our responsibility to teach the students, but also make sure the parents have an understanding of what their students are learning too. Progress monitoring ties in with the NCTCS number four because in order to see growth in a student, you have to meet them where they are. Every student is on a different level and it is our job to assist and see every child grow.
Monday, October 3, 2016
Teacher Talk
I cannot believe we are already in week seven of the semester! The amount of assignments and the number of hours spent in class on and off campus are making the weeks fly by. As I continue to spend time in my classroom, I feel as if my CE is getting more and more comfortable with handing me more responsibilities. My dreams and reality of being a teacher collided when I got the opportunity to take over the class and give the students their spelling test on Friday. I got to read their words aloud and then make a sentence using each word before repeating the word once more. I also continued to teach my small groups of students before lunch break, and then after their double specials, the students return to the classroom for thirty minutes before dismissal. My CE ran their classroom store, which is a part of their positive behavior reward system and while she did that, I got to monitor the whole class, direct AR testing, and pack the students up after I circulated the room signing agendas. The day definitely went by faster when I got to pretend I was their teacher for parts of the day!
An article I found on Edutopia.com was focusing on teacher burn outs. It listed some of the reasons mainly new teachers face burnouts during the school year. I found this article really interesting and connected to it because juggling on campus life and classroom life has gotten easier, but exhausting as the semester has progressed. This article gave five helpful tips that were refreshing to me.
An article I found on Edutopia.com was focusing on teacher burn outs. It listed some of the reasons mainly new teachers face burnouts during the school year. I found this article really interesting and connected to it because juggling on campus life and classroom life has gotten easier, but exhausting as the semester has progressed. This article gave five helpful tips that were refreshing to me.
1) Maintain Your "Other" Life
2) Be a Stakeholder When Changes Are Made
3) Find Lessons and Opportunities in Everything
4) Nurture Peer Connections
5) Keep It Light
These tips really stood out to me and made me realize it is okay to take a step back from it all, every once in a while and breathe. There is life outside of the classroom (at your clinical site or on campus). I also read some of the comments left by other educators to see how their schools counteract teacher burnouts. Strive to be the best teacher you can be, but don't let your career swallow your entire life. Your students will sometimes better relate to you because of your life outside of the classroom, and that is okay because it may spark interest for their life inside your classroom. For an example, this week when I facilitated their spelling test, I had connected with a student discussing sports and his love for baseball. He told me he was pitching that upcoming weekend. One of their spelling words was "strike". To make the spelling word fit in a sentence, I used "When (So and so) pitches this weekend, he will throw a strike". It got the whole class' attention and his face lit up with excitement because I remembered something about him.
I think this article ties in best with NCTCS number one because teachers should understand the healthy balance of life and career. They should continue their learning, but should also keep it fresh. A good teacher leader should not only give advice and take leadership with their words, but their actions should also model it.
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