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.