Focusing on the WHOLE student...

My observations this week have been very exciting as we began flexible reading groups between 4th and 5th grade. This has gone well so far and the students seem to be enjoying this new method of guided reading. Prior to this students had a long stretch in the morning with straight instruction because lunch, specials, and recess are all in the afternoon. So not only do these flexible groups allow for maximum differentiation but it also gives students a change in setting so they do not get burnt out during this long stretch of content. Learning new student’s names has been a struggle because they are only in the room for a hour and thirty minutes each day and during that time they are in rotations. I’m slowly remembering them though.

A satisfying moment this week was when the students received their interim reports, not all of the grades were excellent but it was the comments I heard that made me happy. As students received their interims I heard, “Wow that remediation really helped my math grade”, “I’m doing a lot better this year”, and “I did okay but I still have room to grow”. The growth discussion truly set in with these students. Over the next week I plan to continue lesson planning for EDUC 435 and preparing to teach within the next 2 weeks.

This week we had a very productive meeting for our water cycle and science fair projects. We were able to meet and get our learning experience started for the water cycle project. We will be meeting again this week and make more progress.

This week my outside research has been on good cause exemption students. This was new term thrown out during the PLT meeting I attended. Since it was an unfamiliar term, I decided to do some outside research. This was much more involved than I expected. I learned that a good cause exemption student can be qualified if they are in the ESL program, have a recognized learning disability, have been retained more than once, received reading intervention, or demonstrate proficiency in another form. All of these students qualify to pass without passing the EOG. This will be beneficial background knowledge about the variety of learners that may enter into my classroom.

My first tweet is about building relationships among your school community. During my time at my observations I have observed how vital this is. It is important not only for the benefit of the teachers but it also improves student's learning when staff connect.

My next tweet is about using technology to highlight student's strengths. It is amazing to see how different a student works with and without tech in the classroom. Using tech as a support in the classroom can transform the classroom.

My last tweet is about fostering students mistakes. Students should understand that mistakes are part of the learning process and are to be expected. Helping students understand that students may not YET understand but if they keep working they will is so vital to teach students perseverance.

The current event I researched this week was about the largest recorded solar flare since 2006 that happened on September 6th. "Solar flares, or storms, begin with an explosion usually above a sunspot, the area where strong magnetic fields poke through the sun's surface. When these spots become unstable, they erupt, releasing significant amounts of energy." This flare cause electrically-charged particles to collide with gases resulting in incredible auroras. Here is the link if you are interested in learning more: https://www.dogonews.com/2017/9/16/largest-solar-flare-in-over-a-decade-causes-slight-disruption-but-sparks-beautiful-auroras 

One of my favorite aspects about this week's text hyperdoc was the infographic about types of student inquiry. The infographic relates the four types: structured, controlled, guided and free as depth levels for swimmers. This helps depict the mix of teacher support and freedom of choice. 

This week I learned about NCTCS standards 2C-2D and that the theme of these standards is creating the best possible learning environment for your students. This will be different for every group of students and each individual students. However, it is important to get to know your students so you can understand what an environment that fosters learning looks like for them.

Growth is the Goal...

This week has been very busy, as usual. The students had their first math test this week. In my CE’s classroom she gives a pretest and a posttest for each big topic. I was very proud of the students that showed major growth, not everyone got an 80% or higher but almost all students showed growth! This was so satisfying because I had worked hard with several students during their independent practice to explain and assist in anyway I could. A struggle I ran into this week was time management. Next week I plan to get a head start on my assignments so I’m prepared for the week. This week we had a meeting about our water cycle project and it was very successful. We all shared ideas and contributed to get this project off to a great start.

Over the next week I will be attending my first field trip so I hope to observe and help make this a memorable learning experience for my students. This is also exciting because it kicks off our first SS unit so I can observe how my CE integrates SS into the classroom. This week as part of my outside research I decided to do some research on our field trip destination, the Alston House or the House in the Horseshoe. It is the site of a battle in the revolutionary war. (http://www.nchistoricsites.org/horsesho/main.htm) 

My first tweet is about how every student deserves to feel the pride of achievement. For some students this will be easy but for others this will require hard work. Either way students should understand that growth is the goal and that they can be successful. It is important to remember that we are sometimes their only cheerleader so we need to support and encourage every student.

My next tweet is about how we are being role models in even the smallest ways. Students are so SO observant. If we expect students to take risks we must model that same behavior. Growth takes place when students step out of their box however, the same goes for teachers.

My last tweet is resource list of apps to use in the classroom. The apps are organized into different categories that describe their purpose. This is the perfect resource for integrating technology into the classroom successfully and supporting the today's learner.

The current event I researched this week was the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rattled Mexico on tuesday. This is the second earthquake in a week however, this earthquake’s epicenter was on land. At least 225 people were killed and over 5 million remain without power. (https://www.dogonews.com/2017/9/20/powerful-7-dot-1-magnitude-earthquake-rocks-central-mexico) If you’re not familiar with DOGO news it is a wonderful website for kids to learn about current events.

My favorite aspects of this week’s text facilitation were the 5 tips about scaffolding because this can be very difficult to do successfully. Another aspect I really enjoyed was the common misconceptions in science. These misconceptions are very real for students and we should be planning and teaching to help address these issues to prevent gaps in student’s learning. This connects to standard 4B, teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students because teachers should be helping fill gaps not create them due to misconceptions.

Exhausting but SO Rewarding...

Week four is quickly coming to a close… which means my students are completing week 3! I’ve been very thankful to be in the classroom with them everyday this year so far except one. It’s been so great to see them grow on a daily basis. This week I was most proud of being able to help a few students with their addition and watch the light bulb go off in their head. That is a very satisfying moment when a student finally understands after working and working with that student. This week my struggle came with a wave exhaustion. Being in the school every day has been very rewarding and very tiring. However, lots of water and some extra sleep are easy solutions for that struggle. Something that brought me a lot of satisfaction this week was attending the PTO open house night at my school, the students were so excited to show their students what they had been learning and creating in the classroom!

Next week, I have the chance to sit in on a meeting where the 4th and 5th grade teachers will be deciding on flexible reading groups, where students will be switching classrooms during guided reading time. I’ve observed this type of grouping in a previous clinical experience in lower grades classroom, but I’m very interested to see it in action in 4th and 5th grade. This will also be very valuable to take part in this process because next semester when I begin teaching I will be able to transition in smoothly. This week in class we continued meeting about our science fair project and began discussing our next steps for the water cycle project.

This week’s outside learning came during this week’s PLT meeting. I was walked through powerschool, the system my school uses for a grade book and attendance. The lead teacher walked us through how to set up grading scales, how to add assignments, and so much more. This was very beneficial because all of the district I am in uses this system so I will be better prepared to utilize this system in my future classroom.

My first tweet from this week is about inquiry based learning. It's described here as having 4 pillars as part of it's foundation. The pillars are passions, goals, curiosity, and new challenges. These are four great ways to get your students about learning and engage them in inquiry-based learning.

My next tweet is about changing the mindset from "They didn't learn it" to "I didn't teach it well". This is important mindset change because without it we don't recognize the need for self reflection and changing things up. No student is the same and thus will require different teaching methods.

My last tweet is about a few formative assessment ideas to use for student reflection. One of my favorites included is actually the one that allows the student to make the choice for what fits them best. As I just mentioned every student is unique and has there own unique way of showing off their knowledge.

The current event I learned about this week is the spinach leaf that was transformed into beating human heart tissue (yes, you read that right)! I actually first heard about it while one of my student''s was on Dogo news reading about it. This would be perfect to show to students about real life science and get them engaged in inquiry based learning. 

This week was my week to unpack NCTCS 1A, 1B, and 1C so I learned a lot. It was very informative to go through and dissect these standards to find true meaning and intent behind it. For example pulling out key words and concepts was beneficial to grasp the full meaning of the standard. I look forward to seeing everyone else's NCTCS unpacked to get a more in depth knowledge about all of the standards!

Where did the week go?...

Wow this week has flown by! This week something I was most proud of was improving my classroom management skills. I had been having troubles getting students to quiet down whenever my CE left the room or stepped away. So I tried to be more confident when I told them to quiet down and to my surprise it actually helped! This week I was most proud of the number students that have begun to connect and ask me questions. To me this proved that the relationships I had been trying to build with students were beginning to pay off. Also, this week I was able to sit in on a PLT meeting where we were discussing different units and lessons. Thankfully I was very use to the language used in the units such as performance task, generalizations, and guiding questions. I remember my confusion level when I first heard these terms and I was very thankful to not have that feeling of cluelessness while diving into these units. Over the next week I hope to begin checking more things off of my checklist for EDUC 435 and do better with my time management. In SCED class this week, I was able to assist my classmates as we developed a deeper meaning of the New Bloom’s Taxonomy.

This week for my outside learning I did some research on the math website my CE plans to use in her, Prodigy. The website mixes math problems, online manipulatives, and fun games. The teacher is able to log in to see each student’s progress and when they are using the site. You can also embed formative assessments into the game. This site helps make math fun and exciting for students. And it’s also FREE! This is definitely something I would consider using in my future classroom and I’m very interested to see how this year’s students respond to it. Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://prodigygame.com

My first tweet is about an awesome way to integrate tech into the classroom. Using VR to view the eclipse. This would be such an awesome experience for students and would get them truly excited to learn about it.

My next tweet revolves around the growth mindset. If we are going to change our classroom mindset then we must also change our classroom rules to reflect that change. These rules can inspire a student to become a better student, learner, researcher and so much more.

My last tweet is about making learning relevant for our students. Too often in classrooms you hear "Why are we doing this?", this question doesn't exist if teachers integrate real life into their classroom. Students get engaged and plugged in when they can find reason behind what they are doing.

This week's current event is sadly again centered around, the growing Hurricane Irma. The students have had tons and tons of questions about it. It's been very exciting to see their interest level in learning about it. Today we had a 10-15 minute conversation discussing what a hurricane is, what different categories of hurricanes mean, and the path that meteorologists currently think Irma will take. This lead to a lot of deep thinking from the students, an awesome learning moment that was student driven! This connects to NCTCS standard 3D, teachers make instruction relevant to students, this a real life event that could possibly impact them so incorporating this into the classroom made learning real for students.

 

First Week of School...

The first week of school is almost over and I’m already so thankful for a year long experience in the classroom I will be doing my student teaching. The ability to see how week one is run is such a valuable experience, so that I feel a little more prepared when eventually it’s my name on the door. This week was full of paperwork, rules, policies/procedures, base testing, and learning new things. The students have begun to get into the swing of things and know what is expected of them. This week in SCED we met about our science project. We were able to find a standard and then a project idea to connect it to. Next week we are going to continue to meet so I hope we continue to make good progress on this project.

Continuing last week’s outside research, I had the opportunity to observe the lead teacher from the county office teach a lesson using Number Talks. Students are introduced to this method using an arrangement of dots and the students must find out how many dots there are. I like this method because not only are students encouraged to do mental math but it encourages them to explore several ways to get to the answer. After a few minutes everyone comes together to share the different ways they find out the answer, wow did some students have some unique methods. In their explanations they must relate it to a math equation and use correct terminology. As you continue to use this method you eventually start to use equations rather than dots. Students are praised for contributing and all hands must go down when students are speaking so listening and learning is intentional. This is definitely a method I would like to use in my future classroom because it truly gives you a small glimpse of their math mindset. It also connects to Standard 4C of NCTCS, “Teachers use a variety of instructional methods”, because the teacher is providing and helping students explain the multiple ways to reach the correct answer. This is very beneficial to students because students understand things differently so presenting them with multiple methods increases their chance of success.

My first tweet is about the difference between technology integration and simply using technology in the classroom. The difference is so vital because if the tech is not truly being integrated then it is just a substitution. Instead technology should be used to enhance the learning experience and create more opportunities for students.

My next tweet is about home for some student's being your classroom. After being in the schools for a week, I realize this now more than ever. Students who don't get the attention love and crave the attention in the classroom, so it is important we provide a welcoming environment for our students.

My final tweet is about encouraging students to ask "Why not?" and think outside the box. The world is quickly changing and jobs that one day were reliable may no longer exist. We should encourage our students to dig deep and dream big as part of this new generation.

This week's current event is about Hurricane Harvey, this would be a current event to discuss when talking about weather patterns/disasters. Hurricane Harvey made landfall 3 times and put down 51.88 inches of rain. This has left the coast of Texas devastated, unfortunately a history making storm. Here is a link if you're interested in learning more about some of the numbers associated with the storm: http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-harvey-wreaks-historic-devastation-numbers/story?id=49529063