Seeing our Discussions in Action...

As I sat in the back of the second grade classroom on Monday, I could not help but to relate things back to our EDUC 250 class. Yes, I know this was the point of the visit. However, I did not imagine it would come so naturally. I found myself relating everything back to the NCTCS standards from the teacher's actions to even the decorations in the classroom. This class has truly put me in the mindset of a future teacher by allowing me to view things in a new light.

The first thing I realized as I walked into the class I was to observe were the decorations all around the room. In my opinion they aligned with standard 4, facilitating learning. The decorations prepared the scene for facilitation of learning. I believe this is just as important because the students need to be an environment that encourages them to learn. She had student work displayed all through-out the room. This helps the students to reflect on what they have already done and also encourages them to keep growing to replace that work with new work. Her classroom was engaging for students and even made me excited about what they were about to learn.

Another observation that I made while in the classroom is the setup of the room. She had the students seated in groups to allow for collaborative learning. She had her small group table strategically placed at the back of the room so she could keep an eye on her classroom during the different small groups. This aligns with the leadership standard because she was able to conduct a small group and control her classroom simultaneously. Her small groups also displayed diversity in the classroom. One group was using technology, another used white boards, and another used cards to play a math game. Each small group exposed the children to the same material just presented in a new way. This is crucial in a classroom because students cannot dwell too long on one topic without becoming bored. This allowed the students to keep learning while staying engaged.

Overall this experience was very influential. I never imagined I would actually see second graders be handed iPod touches and for them to remain on topic. However, this teacher had established her rules and position as the leader in the classroom and the students respected her for that. I walked away from this experience knowing that this is something I must do as a future teacher. I am typically a person who handles issues as they come. However, in teaching this will be much different because it will be beneficial to address possible issues at the beginning to avoid this as a distraction later.

It's Getting Real...

Each day when I walk into class I expect several "teachable moments" to prepare me and also several "Now let's get real moments." None of these moments were quite as real as what we discussed this Monday. This past class we discussed student teaching we talked about what we may experience such as late hours and lots of papers to fill out and lots of plans to make. Everything we learn from now until then will then be on us. We will not have Dr. Parker and Dr. Clark there to remind us of everything we should be doing. The classroom will be in our hands and it will be time to apply everything we have learned. Our jobs will begin before we graduate and that is not true for many other majors. Discussing all of this is one thing but then realizing that in 2 years that will be me is slightly overwhelming and exciting!
Another thing we discussed on Monday is our Learning Plans. I love this rename of Lesson Plans because it fits more into the role of what a teacher should be doing. To me this fits in with the acronym that our professors gave us at the beginning of the year. TEACHERS. Transformative educators who are engaging, adaptable, content-driven experts that are holistic, evidence-based and reflective practitioners prepared for a successful career. Having a learning plan rather than a lesson plan means I plan what I want my students to learn and that is my goal rather than exactly how I will teach it to them. For example, having the goal be for students to add fractions together and understand this with relevance to the whole. In a lesson plan, I am focused on planning how I do this and stick to it. In a Learning Plan, I have an idea of how to accomplish this but I am adaptable to how many students respond that day to a given activity and I am prepared to make changes so learning happens. The difference is the focus. Learning is the goal.

Harvesting Success...

This week in class we have had a lot of deep discussions. These discussions have been "off-topic" for what was planned but out of them has come a great deal of learning. Simply understanding the benefits of an "off-topic" discussion is a benefit from this week, not to mention the subjects discussed is also beneficial to becoming a successful teacher. I have learned so much in this class in just a month. This class is so much more than simply learning the facts. For example, it is one thing to know the five standards of NCTCS, but is another to understand how to apply them and aid students in being successful.

Measuring the success of a student is a very controversial subject. Some say tests are the only way to measure student learning. Others would say that this is not a fair method. Some would argue it is not fair to think this is unfair... and the conversations can go on. This is issue really boils down to the need of your student. There is no getting around testing, the state requires it because it is a known method for testing growth quickly and easily for large groups of people. Now some students may not test well, this when you can take into consideration the other aspects of learning, such as classroom activities. We cannot simply eliminate part of a system because it is not fair to everyone because that is not how it works in the real world we are preparing them for. We as teachers have to adapt and figure how to maximize their individual learning. Teaching the same material to 25 small minds and then individually accessing what they learned and helping each student reach the same goal. This is no easy job for sure. This is similar to asking 25 people to run a race but some have obstacles to get through and some have more obstacles than others and still at the end of the day they must all cross the same finish line. Teachers have to be creative in this approach and provide the correct tools to help each student be successful.

This leads into our next conversation. How to appropriately blend technology, content, and pedagogy. Pedagogy is methods of great teaching. To me this means harvesting success most effectively. This may mean the use of technology as tool to enhance learning but this may also mean the use of no technology. This is not a cut and dry answer. This depends on the group of students, the subject being taught, the mood for the day of the class.. the list can go on. True pedagogy I believe comes when you truly know your students and how they learn best. Each student will learn differently but as a group a teacher has to decide what the best method is to help her class cross that finish line together.

Success is the goal.. not an A, not a 4 on the EOGs, simply success. Harvesting success starts with the teacher and follows through and reflects in the students. Helping your students cross that finish line is the goal. Obstacles will arise but a good teacher, a successful teacher, will harvest successful students because they have learned what success truly is... growth.

Preparing to Prepare...

Today we discussed reality. We discussed the fact that technology is everywhere and is now for everyone. I was shocked to hear that second graders were using iPads in class for activities and to submit assignments. This was so surprising because when I was in second grade, there was no such thing as an iPad. In fact, technology was not incorporated into the classroom until I was in middle school. It is very true that the generation we will be teaching has grown up in totally different world than we did.

Many past generations would venture to say that this change is destroying our future generations and they aren't learning anything. On the contrary I believe we are doing them an injustice to not expose them to technology. Technology is no longer part of leisure activities it is involved in almost every workplace, thus not to expose them is to not prepare them. This preparation is essential to them becoming successful in life. For example I was not allowed to have a computer in a classroom until my first year in college. My typing skills were poor and I was not use to note taking on a laptop. Now for me this was an easy adjustment. However, this week I'm also trying to teach my grandmother how to use a tablet so she can access her paycheck because the company she works for just went paperless. That adjustment for her is not so easy because this is the first time she has ever used the internet or even a computer.

Another thing we talked about during class was questioning strategies. Have you ever put much thought into how or why you ask a question? I hadn't! But now that I entertain the thought it makes a lot of sense, it also explains some of the things my elementary teachers did when I just thought they were being cruel. There was a method behind their madness. Today I realized that sometimes the questions that are and unanswerable for students are the most beneficial. This is because questions are thought provoking. To encourage thinking increases learning. Allowing students to learn without thinking, simply learn the strategy and not the reasoning is teaching for the test not for student growth. It is my belief that it is our goal as teachers is to increase student growth not test scores. The rise of test scores is simply an affect to effective teaching.

Today's class was a lot to take in but it reminded me that we are teaching children for real life. We are teaching them to prepare them for things that have not yet happened. When our elementary teachers were teaching us I'm sure they had no clue we would now live in a world with paperless jobs or one-to-one classrooms. However, the point is that they prepared us. They did their jobs as teachers and prepared us. Now it's our turn to go on and prepare to play that role for our future students.

Building Foundations...

The past few weeks we have heard a lot about building a sturdy foundation to build our career on. In this class so far this means developing an understanding of all North Carolina standards for teachers and comprehending all of the educational philosophies. Today we started the research for our projects on our assigned philosophies. At first I was unsure how this would relate to our technology centered classrooms in the twenty-first century. However, after a bit of research I discovered that these philosophies are some things that I already believe in. For example, reconstructionism is about making teaching interactive and collaborative for students. I believe this is important because I as a student cannot learn unless I can understand its importance to everyday life. As future teachers we cannot forget that we too were once students.

Another big thing on this past week's agenda was the School of Education Orientation that all beginning education majors are required to attend. That meeting to say the least was... OVERWHELMING! As future teachers we have such important roles and are held to higher standards, as I mentioned in my previous blog. In this meeting we discussed what lies ahead for us as we enter into the School of Education. There is a lot expected of us but that is no different than what it will be like once we have our own classroom. The work load is heavy but the importance of the work at hand is worth it. So truly I am thankful that our professors do not take it easy on us because they are simply preparing us for the road ahead.

"To teach a Child is to touch the Future" -anonymous