The entire chapter of best practices has no shortage of information and ideas for up and coming teachers and gives ideas of how to achieve certain goals in a classroom. I almost wish I could just list all of the concepts that I want to use in my own classroom for when I start my first year of teaching. But I get to pick three I want to talk about in greater detail and two concepts which I really want to use in my own classroom. Some of the concepts that were talked about that I would still like to keep in mind, even if I don’t find them to be in my top three are; the layers of classroom management, setting up different workgroups, leaving comments on student’s papers, and different practices to make writing meaningful. This being said I want to keep these in the back of my mind so they are prepared as I get closer to becoming a teacher. The three main concepts for me are; having a daily routine, noise and structured chaos, and having pen-pals. No matter what age of a child it is important they understand the value of having a daily routine put into places, not only for the students but for the teacher as well. The book identifies ways to make sure a daily routine is up to par in making one an effective teacher. Some example of this, that I would also like to see in my own classroom, are having the next week’s lessons plans ready to go, making sure the first day is about the students getting to know you a little better and knowing their classmates as well, and spending a
This movie, The Classroom, which was very interesting to watch, discusses all that goes on in the school system, the good and the bad. But it also shows how things at home can affect the way the student acts during the school day. This movie definitely makes you look at students that act out differently, instead of punishing them maybe we should all look deeper into the issue and find a way for the student to thrive and use school as an outlet.
Third is sitting or standing still, instead of a teacher staying stagnant Englehart states that “He or she must endeavor to come into close proximity with every student” in doing so it keeps students on task and more accountable (2013, p. 104). Then with disconnecting routines from behavior, teachers should know that routines are what their classroom is built around. Every teacher has his or her own lesson plan for
This learning experience supported the science content area physics. It provided the children with opportunity to collaborate as a group to work together to problem-solve. My focus for this lab was to build and construct ramps and pathways in the outside play yard. I implemented technology by letting the children watch a YouTube video about constructing ramps and pathways to generate new knowledge about the activity. They used marbles to travel down the ramps, while recycled bottles and PVC piping were used to make bridges and underpasses. I planned this lesson to connect to some of the children’s prior knowledge about using this type of track. When the children began using the tracks in the outside play yard they chose to put their ramps off landscaping rocks. This gave them the ability to secure the ramp at the top as well as the ability to build bridges and underpasses on the ground. This activity immediately ignited their language such as, “let me try this, I have an idea, what about this, how about if we do this” which demonstrated that the children were engaged in the inquiry process. The learning standards this activity supported was; 3.2 PK.B.1 Explore and describe the motion of toys and objects. AL.1 PK.A Explore and ask questions to seek meaningful information about a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.
On the morning on September 29th, 2017, uncertainty, anxiety, and excitement were three of the best words to portray my emotions. I was uncertain of what my role within the classroom would be and how the students would receive my presence; I was anxious to commence this new experience and put my classroom knowledge to the test to further my education; But, most of all, I was excited to meet the students that would ultimately begin my long career in making a difference in kids’ lives through education.
One concept we discussed during class was the demographics of the school not aligning with the demographics of the teachers. A main point we talked about was how a lot of younger grades were taught mostly by white, female teachers. This negatively impacts students of color and their feelings surrounding school and forces an invisible tax on teachers of color working at underrepresented schools. In the school I did my field experience in, Chelsea Heights Elementary school, I noticed this point very clearly. Of all the staff I interacted with who taught at the school, five of them appeared to be white women, one was a woman of color, and two were white men. It was also interesting to note that the woman of color was a paraprofessional, and only interacted with one student at the end of the day. Both of the male teachers were specialist teachers, and taught physical education and science, which are stereotypically male subjects. In the group of homeroom teachers the class I observed interacted with, all three teachers were white and female. Compared to my field experience class, where over half of the students were students of color, this staff ratio was clearly disproportionate to the actual student population. By observing this information, I was able to actually visualize what we talked about in class, and see the population difference between teachers and students.
While not every teacher teaches the exact same, there does exist a few, fairly common similarities between those I was able to sit in on. Of these commonalities, there were positives and negatives. Typically, one of the first things I noticed during observations of a “good” class was that from the moment students entered the room they knew what to do. Out of the ten observed classes, eight used some form of bell-ringer that was displayed before and during the ringing of the first bell. Yet, of these eight, only four classes successfully engaged in the bell-ringer. Of these three, there was only one that required the teacher’s full input, which came in the form of reading the question. Even still, the four classes that successfully started off the classroom’s time with learning did so out of routine. The two classes that did not use bell-ringers while I was observing did so voluntarily. One was because the students were to be engaged in a Science project within the class, and the other was because they were expecting to leave to take student yearbook pictures. Excluding the Science outlier, classes that did not start off with a bell-ringer or some form of question/activity at the bell tended not to transition as smoothly into lecture or the next planned activity.
I have never truly analyzed my surrounding as much as I did today. I noticed that my surrounding has an impact on my mood and performance. The colors of our walls, the colors and patterns of our furniture, the smell in the air, the lack of or the buildup of dust, all affects us; the issue is that this impact usually is not felt for an extended period of time post-exposure.For example, rooms with bright light can improve depression and anxiety. Certain colors can affect your mood in a positive way. Like colors like Yellow is thought of as joyful, outgoing, and friendly. As I analyzed my Philosophy class, I noticed that my surrounding affect my mood and performance.
Scenario: I’m teaching a third-grade class of 20 total students. The class consists of the following population:
Question 1. How do you make work more meaningful to your students? What motivators are you currently using with your students? Examine the climate in your classroom. What would you change to make it better?
There were many ways to monitor students' understanding and achievement of the mastery objectives during my lesson. Students were continuously informed me about their learning and interpreting information through discussions, explanations, ans written work. These informal observations provided me with opportunities for instruction to be adjusted according to students' needs.
This paper will describe on why a certain lesson should be adapted before it is delivered to different audience at the same level. This lesson was taught to university students in the USA where the majority of the students were English native speakers. At some points in this lesson, the depth of discussion is not really appropriate to be taught to foreign/second language learners because the nature of English proficiency between English native speakers and foreign/second language learners is absolutely different. The finding in this paper will be based on observation of the writer and elaborated with the reference from library research.
Working with students with special needs, teachers have the responsibility of protecting students’ right. Special education teachers are required to keep high standards and meet best practices. According to the Preliminary Credential Competency Checklist Historical and Legal Foundation 1.4 (2014), two of the best practices that are enforced in the special education field is to individualize education and evidence-based practice (p.1). Being a teacher in a special education classroom, there is a diverse level of learners and each student has an individual method of learning. The role of the teacher is to verify each student’s learning is being met. Individualizing a lesson by making accommodations or modification for them to learn the curriculum. Implementing evidence-based practice is using an educational method of learning that will support the student’s learning based on previous research. Using evidence-based practice in a special education classroom is a key component when a student or students need an intervention to support them in the academic area they are struggling. Special education teachers are responsible for meeting best practice standards for students’ academic learning.
across all the classrooms was the rapport that has been developed in each classroom between not only the teacher and students but the students with each other. It was evident that students are comfortable working in groups and helping each other learn. Students spoke to each other in respectful ways and offered help to each other. The teachers communicated with students in positive and respectful ways that encouraged students’ participation. Another pattern I noticed was that the students were involved in their own learning. There were not teachers giving lectures at the front of the room and students just sitting in desks taking it in. The teachers of this school understand the value of letting the students explore, create, and discover for themselves. There was evidence in each room that the students were taking an active part in their own learning through small group work, independent work, discussion, creating things and using technology. These walk-throughs gave me a view of the school that this is a positive learning environment where students’ best interest is at the forefront.
As stated in Everston & Emmer “teachers who have good rapport with their students get better cooperation and have a more positive classroom climate” (2017, pp 12). As in life, building strong relationships allows all parties to interact with meaning and learn from each other. When teaching there are two parties that are very different that you are trying to work along and ensure that each has the knowledge and support they need to feel comfortable with you as a teacher and a mentor to their children. Each teacher has different strengths that allow them to connect with their students and engage in learning. Some of my strengths that would be brought to the classroom, and why I feel I would do best with a younger population are my openness,
Throughout my college career, I have worried about looking professional, supporting my students, and being creative. However, my placement has helped me take a critical look at what I can do and what I need to improve on. Some of what I discovered was positive like the fact that my fears about putting together an effective lesson were mostly in my head. Other discoveries highlighted genuine concerns such as my ineffective social skills. At the end of the day, though, I am more prepared for the coming challenges of my own classroom.