Hi,
This week was very dull.
Monday
Today I have very short day due to having to leave early for class. It was even shorter because the students come later on Mondays for teacher planning. The teachers went over a test from last year that measured the classroom understanding of different topics they had gone over for the semester. After our two hours of review was up school started and the students just read because it was such a short class.
Tuesday
Today the students were working on quote integration for their upcoming papers. They worked really well and found a lot of quotes to support their paper. I found that they have a really good understanding of their topics and did really well annotating for their topics. Tomorrow I take over my next class I'm pretty excited because I'm building my confidence up.
Wednesday
The students started on the rough draft of their paper's so it was a quiet day. I found that they all seemed to get a good chunk started on the paper. I am excited to read their work. Not much else happened today.
Thursday
Today, I was able to interact with a student who is known to have behavioral issues. It was really encouraging for me to talk to her and have her understand that I truly do not have any preconceived notions about her. I am looking forward to picking up her class later in the semester.
Friday
It was an interesting day, as the students took a quiz in the regular level. And the classes that I took over had notes and worked on their drafts for a bit. However, I felt comfortable with the students when my CT left the classroom. I was able to talk to him about working on my style and he gave me some great tips for building my confidence in the classroom. I also was informed by him that I am more than welcome to bounce ideas off of him and the teaching team. I am glad to hear this because I want to do better in the classroom. I have also found that the team teaching is getting tiring, I am hoping to come with a new perspective next week.
This week I focused on Illinois Teaching Standard #2, which states that "The competent teacher understands how individuals grow, develop, and learn and provides learning
opportunities that support the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students." This was important for me because I need to grow and develop along with my students if I am to become the best teacher I can be. This is one of my goals for this week.
Courtney
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Classroom Confidential 6
Hello,
Chapter 6
Discuss some ways that you could use the strategies from chapter 6 in your own teaching, even if you don't teach writing.
Something that I found interesting from this chapter was the first sentence. "Some kids love to write." (113) This is true. When I was at my first placement my CT asked the students who liked to write. Very few students raised their hands. However, there were a select few that truly did love writing. One of my seventh grade students was even starting to write a novel called "Fat."
The one concept that I already see working in my current classroom is the use of journals. The journals get the students warmed up to the classroom and transition from the noisy hallway to the classroom.
I also really liked the idea of everyone being the editor. This is a step in the writing process that I also struggle with. The idea that everyone in the class is an editor and not just the teacher the students can learn to become better editors and by default better writers.
Finally, I really liked his ideas on growing a writer. This is something that I like to try with my own students. Writers are not born, they blossom It took me a long time to realize that in school. My CT does a good job of explaining that to the students. He told them this week that they need to be matadors and not bulls when writing. They need to control the writing not charge at it. He also informed them that this comes with time. I like the idea of this and want to incorporate it in my own classroom. This was a great chapter for the classic English teacher.
Courtney
Chapter 6
Discuss some ways that you could use the strategies from chapter 6 in your own teaching, even if you don't teach writing.
Something that I found interesting from this chapter was the first sentence. "Some kids love to write." (113) This is true. When I was at my first placement my CT asked the students who liked to write. Very few students raised their hands. However, there were a select few that truly did love writing. One of my seventh grade students was even starting to write a novel called "Fat."
The one concept that I already see working in my current classroom is the use of journals. The journals get the students warmed up to the classroom and transition from the noisy hallway to the classroom.
I also really liked the idea of everyone being the editor. This is a step in the writing process that I also struggle with. The idea that everyone in the class is an editor and not just the teacher the students can learn to become better editors and by default better writers.
Finally, I really liked his ideas on growing a writer. This is something that I like to try with my own students. Writers are not born, they blossom It took me a long time to realize that in school. My CT does a good job of explaining that to the students. He told them this week that they need to be matadors and not bulls when writing. They need to control the writing not charge at it. He also informed them that this comes with time. I like the idea of this and want to incorporate it in my own classroom. This was a great chapter for the classic English teacher.
Courtney
Weekly Reflection 9
Hello,
This was a strange week. You will see why below:
Monday-
Today was a teacher institute day. The students were not in attendance. What I learned the most today was about a program called Socrative. It is a great online tool that is free for any teacher. All the teacher has to do is create an account and they are give a "room number." The teacher then gives this room number to their students. The students then use their cell phones, electronic devices etc. To answer informal tests as a class. It is a great tool for informal assessment and to check for understanding. I would like to use this during my time at the school. If you are interested in checking out the website is here: http://socrative.com/
Tuesday-
Today was my first day teaching. I was nervous the entire day. However, when it came time for me to teach 8th period, I went way to fast. I finished the notes with the students 15 mins early. This was a mess, I had them work on their reading, but it was hard to keep them on task because I was not clear what they should do next. I realized that my Cooperating Teacher (CT) talks a lot during his lessons. He has tons of stories to talk about while the students are writing. I feel like I have no filler space for notes.
Wednesday-
I taught again today. It was much better. My pacing was better so some of the students didn't just stop writing because I was going to fast. I had a writing assignment based on the notes. However, some of the students finished a bit sooner. I got excuses such as: I'm not in the zone. I was a bit easy on them as I am still warming up to them. However, my CT told me to not let them get away with that. They are honors students and can do more work if I give it to them. This is something I will definitely keep in mind.
Thursday-
Today was good. I had a discussion with the students based on the notes and activity from the previous day.However, I finished with 2 minutes to spare. I informed the students to read their books and work on the writing assignment. However, some of the students just shut down. I realized that I really don't like large group discussion because it is almost impossible to get everyone involved in the discussion at once. I definitely like the small group work better.
Friday-
Today...today was crazy. So, when I got to the school the front doors were locked and their were three students waiting outside looking confused. So, I hit the buzzer. I was informed that the school was in a code red and no one was allowed in or outside the building. I asked if teachers could come in and they said no. So, I was going to walk back to my car and call my CT to see if he was in the building yet. This was around 7:15 am, mind you school does not start until 8:25 am. However, I saw some other teachers going in another entrance and I told them that there was a code red going on. They told me I could not be in the building. However, I told them I was student teaching and they laughed and we all walked to the office.
We all found that there was not someone in the building who was not supposed to be there as that what a "Code Red" means in the educational world. But, a code red meant that the police were handling a situation across the street from the front of the school. Someone fired shots at around 6:55 am and was barricaded inside of a house across the street from the school. When I found this out, I left the office and headed towards the English office.
On my way there, I was going to go through the front stairwell to the office. However, one of the security officers of the school advised that I not go that way. I said ok, but there were still students standing outside the front door (mind you right in the line of a potential cross fire). He informed me that no one was allowed in or out of the building. I said to him, ok, but what are you going to do about the kids outside the front door? The students are still on their way to school. At that moment the school police officer came through and the security guard informed him of the same thing. I guess he handled it and I went up stairs. My CT was wondering what as going on. I told him, he went down stairs and I went to the classroom.
The office announced that they would conduct a two hour late start. They also, started putting students in the cafeteria this was announced at 7:25. At, 8:25 am it was announced that school was canceled for the day. My CT and someone he team teaches with put me in the computer lab so that I could do some work. However, I had nothing to work on because, we do our planning daily. However, I started on a PowerPoint for a possible upcoming lesson. At 10:35 the stake out was over and it was announced that the students would be provided rides, and they could walk home if they walked, and go drive home if they drove. They also told the staff they could leave as well.
I got home at around 11 am that day.
-----
And that, was my crazy week. A crazy Friday to end my first crazy week of teaching. This has proven to be a bit harder than I expected. I am getting a bit tired, but it is only the final stretch of my education. I have found that this week was focused on standard 6 Instructional Delivery: "The competent teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills." I am interested to see what comes up in this next week.
Courtney
This was a strange week. You will see why below:
Monday-
Today was a teacher institute day. The students were not in attendance. What I learned the most today was about a program called Socrative. It is a great online tool that is free for any teacher. All the teacher has to do is create an account and they are give a "room number." The teacher then gives this room number to their students. The students then use their cell phones, electronic devices etc. To answer informal tests as a class. It is a great tool for informal assessment and to check for understanding. I would like to use this during my time at the school. If you are interested in checking out the website is here: http://socrative.com/
Tuesday-
Today was my first day teaching. I was nervous the entire day. However, when it came time for me to teach 8th period, I went way to fast. I finished the notes with the students 15 mins early. This was a mess, I had them work on their reading, but it was hard to keep them on task because I was not clear what they should do next. I realized that my Cooperating Teacher (CT) talks a lot during his lessons. He has tons of stories to talk about while the students are writing. I feel like I have no filler space for notes.
Wednesday-
I taught again today. It was much better. My pacing was better so some of the students didn't just stop writing because I was going to fast. I had a writing assignment based on the notes. However, some of the students finished a bit sooner. I got excuses such as: I'm not in the zone. I was a bit easy on them as I am still warming up to them. However, my CT told me to not let them get away with that. They are honors students and can do more work if I give it to them. This is something I will definitely keep in mind.
Thursday-
Today was good. I had a discussion with the students based on the notes and activity from the previous day.However, I finished with 2 minutes to spare. I informed the students to read their books and work on the writing assignment. However, some of the students just shut down. I realized that I really don't like large group discussion because it is almost impossible to get everyone involved in the discussion at once. I definitely like the small group work better.
Friday-
Today...today was crazy. So, when I got to the school the front doors were locked and their were three students waiting outside looking confused. So, I hit the buzzer. I was informed that the school was in a code red and no one was allowed in or outside the building. I asked if teachers could come in and they said no. So, I was going to walk back to my car and call my CT to see if he was in the building yet. This was around 7:15 am, mind you school does not start until 8:25 am. However, I saw some other teachers going in another entrance and I told them that there was a code red going on. They told me I could not be in the building. However, I told them I was student teaching and they laughed and we all walked to the office.
We all found that there was not someone in the building who was not supposed to be there as that what a "Code Red" means in the educational world. But, a code red meant that the police were handling a situation across the street from the front of the school. Someone fired shots at around 6:55 am and was barricaded inside of a house across the street from the school. When I found this out, I left the office and headed towards the English office.
On my way there, I was going to go through the front stairwell to the office. However, one of the security officers of the school advised that I not go that way. I said ok, but there were still students standing outside the front door (mind you right in the line of a potential cross fire). He informed me that no one was allowed in or out of the building. I said to him, ok, but what are you going to do about the kids outside the front door? The students are still on their way to school. At that moment the school police officer came through and the security guard informed him of the same thing. I guess he handled it and I went up stairs. My CT was wondering what as going on. I told him, he went down stairs and I went to the classroom.
The office announced that they would conduct a two hour late start. They also, started putting students in the cafeteria this was announced at 7:25. At, 8:25 am it was announced that school was canceled for the day. My CT and someone he team teaches with put me in the computer lab so that I could do some work. However, I had nothing to work on because, we do our planning daily. However, I started on a PowerPoint for a possible upcoming lesson. At 10:35 the stake out was over and it was announced that the students would be provided rides, and they could walk home if they walked, and go drive home if they drove. They also told the staff they could leave as well.
I got home at around 11 am that day.
-----
And that, was my crazy week. A crazy Friday to end my first crazy week of teaching. This has proven to be a bit harder than I expected. I am getting a bit tired, but it is only the final stretch of my education. I have found that this week was focused on standard 6 Instructional Delivery: "The competent teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills." I am interested to see what comes up in this next week.
Courtney
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Classroom Confidential 8 and 9
Hello,
1.Even if you don’t teach Social Studies or the Arts, what are some ideas you could glean from Schmidt chapters 8 and 9 for your own teaching?
I think the first line in the chapter is vital: "History is supposed to be a story well told"(164). I believe the same to be true for English. English class is supposed to be a collection of studying how the English language works as well as how to look, study, and interpret stories in a different manner. Another point from these two chapters, that I can apply to my own content area, is that the big idea about history (or English in this case) is that it's a story about people. Although at times, the story can be fictional people,it is still a story about people that we can relate to on even the most superficial levels. I believe that is powerful. Something that we can apply from history to English is that, "Primary source document are firsthand accounts that were created by people who took part in or witnessed the event" (171). I have learned in my time in Oxford that the primary source in English is the best source to have for your paper. When you combine your own thoughts with just the primary text you would be amazed with what ideas, thoughts, and questions can come up with.
In chapter 9, I love the idea of teaching through drama. That is an English teacher's dream. "Dramatizing ideas creates an excellent foundation for writing assignments because drama creates images that can be translated into prose or dialogue"(194). This is very true, it also can help kinesthetic learners. I am more than happy to reach learners of all different types and drama helps me as a teacher do that.
2. What types of authentic assessment have you seen? How could you use it?
I, unfortunately, have not been able to see as much authentic assessment in the classroom this year. However, something my new CT said guides along the lines of authentic assessment. "I often put the students in groups and instead of rows, so they are the center of their own learning." I believe this is key factor of authentic assessment. When the students are the center of their learning, they are able to assess their status.
Weekly Reflection 8
Hello,
This has definitely been a new week, new place, new faces, new everything. It has been hard transitioning into high school from a middle school setting. I have found that the students are definitely not as entertaining as middle school age students. Although, I have found that I can make them laugh just as easily though. I can tell that the students are not sure what to make of me just yet. However, I am confident that I will be able to transition smoothly this upcoming week. Here is a overview of what happened this week.
Monday-
No school due to Columbus Day.
Tuesday-
I came in at 7:15 am, a bit earlier than what I was used to, but not a problem. I found that my CT (Cooperating Teacher) and two other English teachers plan the day out together and teach according to their plans that morning. School does not start until 8:25 am because the other campus, that the Juniors and Seniors attend, starts earlier so that the students at that campus also have access to the school's buses. I have found that the students are pretty nice. My CT has mostly honors classes. He only has a few problem kids, mostly due to a messy home life. I also found that it was Homecoming week so there would be a lot of festivities.
Wednesday-
I just observed and was able to finish reading the honors text, Of Mice and Men, by my favorite author, John Steinbeck. I am excited about teaching this novel. The teacher had the students work on Cause- Effect sentences. They seemed like a lot of fun, because he gave them blanks he made sure that the students were to make sure every single sentence made sense. For example, monkeys could not just come out of the sentences for no apparent reason. The sentences had to made sense in a cause and effect manner.
Thursday-
I was able to talk to a few students today, some asked my name, some asked where I went to school. I was a bit surprised they were interested in me as a person. I guess, or a quickly found out, that I have a perception of high school students that is not necessarily true. It is not a negative perception, but I had an assumption that the students would be nonchalant towards most of the material and even me and I was prepared for that. I believe that this will be the case for some students, but not all.
Friday-
The students had a pep rally today. So, the classes were shortened. All of my CT's classes had a quiz, because he felt that he would not be able to get through any material fast enough. The pep rally was interesting. It made me realize two things: one: I am so glad that I am not in high school anymore; two: pep rally's are really a show to display who is popular in the high school. To say the least, it is definitely interesting being in high school with the perspective of a teacher.
I can't help but remember that I was in the same position as these students 4 years ago. I am eager to make learning fun for the students, which is one of my goals. Another one of my goals is to teach material in such a way that the students can retain the information for formal and informal assessments. When I was at the middle school, the average score for my formal assessment was between 80-75% which is not bad but I feel I can do much better. I want to challenge myself in this next setting so I can become a better teacher. Finally, my CT is allowing me to take over one class starting Tuesday. The students do not have class on Monday due to a Teacher Institute Day. This week, I learned about Illinois professional teaching standard #4: Planning for Instruction. My CT and other teachers arrive to school over an hour before it starts in order to make sure everything is in order. It is clear that they, "understand instructional planning and designs instruction based upon knowledge of the discipline, students, the community, and curriculum goals." I hope to learn more about this, this week.
Thanks,
Courtney
This has definitely been a new week, new place, new faces, new everything. It has been hard transitioning into high school from a middle school setting. I have found that the students are definitely not as entertaining as middle school age students. Although, I have found that I can make them laugh just as easily though. I can tell that the students are not sure what to make of me just yet. However, I am confident that I will be able to transition smoothly this upcoming week. Here is a overview of what happened this week.
Monday-
No school due to Columbus Day.
Tuesday-
I came in at 7:15 am, a bit earlier than what I was used to, but not a problem. I found that my CT (Cooperating Teacher) and two other English teachers plan the day out together and teach according to their plans that morning. School does not start until 8:25 am because the other campus, that the Juniors and Seniors attend, starts earlier so that the students at that campus also have access to the school's buses. I have found that the students are pretty nice. My CT has mostly honors classes. He only has a few problem kids, mostly due to a messy home life. I also found that it was Homecoming week so there would be a lot of festivities.
Wednesday-
I just observed and was able to finish reading the honors text, Of Mice and Men, by my favorite author, John Steinbeck. I am excited about teaching this novel. The teacher had the students work on Cause- Effect sentences. They seemed like a lot of fun, because he gave them blanks he made sure that the students were to make sure every single sentence made sense. For example, monkeys could not just come out of the sentences for no apparent reason. The sentences had to made sense in a cause and effect manner.
Thursday-
I was able to talk to a few students today, some asked my name, some asked where I went to school. I was a bit surprised they were interested in me as a person. I guess, or a quickly found out, that I have a perception of high school students that is not necessarily true. It is not a negative perception, but I had an assumption that the students would be nonchalant towards most of the material and even me and I was prepared for that. I believe that this will be the case for some students, but not all.
Friday-
The students had a pep rally today. So, the classes were shortened. All of my CT's classes had a quiz, because he felt that he would not be able to get through any material fast enough. The pep rally was interesting. It made me realize two things: one: I am so glad that I am not in high school anymore; two: pep rally's are really a show to display who is popular in the high school. To say the least, it is definitely interesting being in high school with the perspective of a teacher.
I can't help but remember that I was in the same position as these students 4 years ago. I am eager to make learning fun for the students, which is one of my goals. Another one of my goals is to teach material in such a way that the students can retain the information for formal and informal assessments. When I was at the middle school, the average score for my formal assessment was between 80-75% which is not bad but I feel I can do much better. I want to challenge myself in this next setting so I can become a better teacher. Finally, my CT is allowing me to take over one class starting Tuesday. The students do not have class on Monday due to a Teacher Institute Day. This week, I learned about Illinois professional teaching standard #4: Planning for Instruction. My CT and other teachers arrive to school over an hour before it starts in order to make sure everything is in order. It is clear that they, "understand instructional planning and designs instruction based upon knowledge of the discipline, students, the community, and curriculum goals." I hope to learn more about this, this week.
Thanks,
Courtney
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Weekly Reflection 7
Hello,
I can't believe that this was my last week in middle school. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot. I have found that middle school requires a lot of repetition of work, directions, and discipline. I believe that my next placement will tell me if middle school education is for me.
Monday-
My CT had to go to a common core meeting so she asked me to teach half the day. The students were to work in the computer lab and work on a founding fathers essay that the entire 7th grade was doing for the principal. I found that they appeared to work really well in the computer lab.
Tuesday-
My CT and I quickly found out that the students do not know how to look up information on the internet. They did not find the proper information and were acting unruly in the computer lab throughout the entire day. So my CT had them do book work as a punishment.
Wednesday-
The students worked in the computer lab and did some work on their papers. The CT revised what the paper should be about so that they could find the information that was easier to locate on a website and would transition into a outline more effectively. I also observed the math teacher today. I learned a bit about classroom management. He informed me that his control of the class comes with years of teaching and because I am still learning it is something that I will apply later on in life. On a funny note: a student proposed to me to day. :) He asked me if I was married, when I replied no he got down on one knee. I told him to get up right away. He said it was the only way to get me to stay, but I told him that it was inappropriate. It was funny to me.
Thursday-
Today, I helped some of the lower kids with their outlines for their papers. I also was able to observe the social studies teacher and learn from her style. Today, I handed out the buttons I made for all of students to the last core of the day as I will not see them on Friday. I found that they were genuinely surprised that I got something for them as a goodbye.
Friday-
Today, my CT surprised me with a pizza lunch, a huge poster from all the kids with notes saying good bye, and a surprise party at the end of the day from the students. I even got a gift from one of my students. I was so shocked at how much the students actually cared that I was leaving. Later that night I I thought about how much I was going to really miss those students. I promised that I would visit soon.
I learned a lot about #10 Reflection and Professional Growth: "The competent teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates how choices and actions affect students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally." I have truly learned a lot about teaching these past seven weeks and I am interested to see what I will learn from a high school setting. I am honestly worried about this next placement, but I know that I will learn even more.
Courtney
I can't believe that this was my last week in middle school. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot. I have found that middle school requires a lot of repetition of work, directions, and discipline. I believe that my next placement will tell me if middle school education is for me.
Monday-
My CT had to go to a common core meeting so she asked me to teach half the day. The students were to work in the computer lab and work on a founding fathers essay that the entire 7th grade was doing for the principal. I found that they appeared to work really well in the computer lab.
Tuesday-
My CT and I quickly found out that the students do not know how to look up information on the internet. They did not find the proper information and were acting unruly in the computer lab throughout the entire day. So my CT had them do book work as a punishment.
Wednesday-
The students worked in the computer lab and did some work on their papers. The CT revised what the paper should be about so that they could find the information that was easier to locate on a website and would transition into a outline more effectively. I also observed the math teacher today. I learned a bit about classroom management. He informed me that his control of the class comes with years of teaching and because I am still learning it is something that I will apply later on in life. On a funny note: a student proposed to me to day. :) He asked me if I was married, when I replied no he got down on one knee. I told him to get up right away. He said it was the only way to get me to stay, but I told him that it was inappropriate. It was funny to me.
Thursday-
Today, I helped some of the lower kids with their outlines for their papers. I also was able to observe the social studies teacher and learn from her style. Today, I handed out the buttons I made for all of students to the last core of the day as I will not see them on Friday. I found that they were genuinely surprised that I got something for them as a goodbye.
Friday-
Today, my CT surprised me with a pizza lunch, a huge poster from all the kids with notes saying good bye, and a surprise party at the end of the day from the students. I even got a gift from one of my students. I was so shocked at how much the students actually cared that I was leaving. Later that night I I thought about how much I was going to really miss those students. I promised that I would visit soon.
I learned a lot about #10 Reflection and Professional Growth: "The competent teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates how choices and actions affect students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally." I have truly learned a lot about teaching these past seven weeks and I am interested to see what I will learn from a high school setting. I am honestly worried about this next placement, but I know that I will learn even more.
Courtney
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