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