Wednesday October 7, 2009
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals:
2.1.3 Clarify an understanding of text by creating notes
3.1.1 Generate ideas using a variety of strategies
3.1.2 Generate a main idea or thesis appropriate to a type of writing
Understandings:
Students will understand that…
• Communities use rites of passage to initiate members
• Ceremonies/rituals are very important symbols to communities
• The values and beliefs of a community are passed on from generation to generation through these rites/ceremonies.
• All communities have some rite of passage.
Essential Questions:
What are rites of passage?
Who participates in rites of passage?
What place do rites have in communities?
Students will know…
Vocab: Rite, passage,
Students will be able to…
• Summarize and organize pertinent information from text.
• Identify, discuss and defend different rites of passage in their lives.
• Restate a concept in their own thesis statement
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
• Group Dual entry diary
• Group competition
Other Evidence:
• Group participation
• Exit ticket (Thesis sentence)
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
1. GW compile Diary for Chapter 5
2. TW introduce background info for “Rites of passage”
3. GW read rites document in pairs then WW read as a class.
4. GW list different rites of passages in the communities they belong to
5. TW give journal prompt
LESSON REFLECTION
1. What worked best in the lesson?
I think the best thing about this lesson was the way that the lesson lead them to a full understanding of rites of passage. It was designed to go from a basic grasp on the idea (the reading), then to have them list some examples from their own experiences, followed by some unique/interesting examples from across the world, ending up with an application of their new understanding to the novel we are reading. I am very proud of the progression of the lesson and feel that it worked rather well in all three of the classes.
2. What would you do differently?
If I were to teaqch this lesson again, I would re-think the setup of the competition. When I wrote the lesson, I had originally assumed that the students would really only be able to come up with about 6 or 7 rites of passage per group and that the actual competition wouldn’t last more than about 10 minutes (groups alternated writing one of their examples at a time on the board until only one group was left with idea to write on board), but if I would not have found a way to end it, it probably could have gone on a good portion of the period. I had to result to a sudden death round to get the competition to end and felt that it was a bit rushed and somewhat unfair of a way to end the activity. I can’t say I really know yet how to end it more effectively/fairly, but I would certainly put a lot of thought into it and figure something out so I didn’t end up with the angry students that I did with this approach.
3. How did you determine what instructional models to use?
Well, the layout of my classroom and the theme (community) of this unit have lead me to look for ways to do cooperative learning in any way I can, so I would say this was the determining factor in my lesson planning.
4. Did you accomplish the objectives of the lesson?
I do believe that I accomplished the goal of the lesson because it was to get them to understand what a rite of passage was and then get them to see its significance in the novel we are reading. In each of thee classes I did a quick survey of the students to see who already knew what a rite of passage was, and only one student out of all three classes went into this lesson with a firm grasp on the concept, at the end, I can safely say that 99% of the students understand and can list a number of examples both experiential and written to show their comprehension. The journal that they wrote at the end of class is a testament to their understanding of the lesson.
5. How were you able to actively engage the students?
I engaged the students by having cooperative activities, competition, and multiple medias throughout the lesson. By making the students read the rites of passage handout to each other, they had to be actively engaged. The competition always excites kids and get them a little more into a lesson. And when expanding their schema near the end of the lesson, I had them watch a very interesting, somewhat graphic example of rites of passage around the world and I felt that this drew the kids in and reinforced some of the concepts that we had been discussing throughout the lesson.
6. How was the lesson pacing?
This is one of the main aspects of the lesson that needs to be reexamined. This is primarily because I had underestimated the amount of time the competition was going to take and this did not leave quite as much time as I would have hoped for at the end of the lesson for the students to do a thorough journal entry. As it turned out, the kids only really had about 10 minutes to do their entry (and factoring in that most students are pretty much useless the last 2 or 3 minutes of class there was even less than 10).
7. How was classroom management?
The fact that I had things for the kids to do from the second they stepped into the classroom till the second they left, there was not really any classroom management issues, also I’d like to think that the material was of interest to them so they were into the lesson and participated fully. There were some slight issues with my bigger/louder class with volume levels during the competition, but this is an issue I struggle with daily in this period, and that I figured would only be exacerbated by the class wide competition. But the noise was (as far as I could tell) on task noise and did not really take away from the learning environment, and I feel that if harnessed this kind of energy can really feed the education/student motivation.
8. How were you able to account for individual differences?
I tried to teach for different learning styles with elements for visual learners and elements for verbal and kinesthetic learners in the lesson. I also tried to account for cultural differences by using multiple different cultural rites in my examples, and encouraging students from other cultures (primarily Hispanic cultures) to think of specific examples that they had to contribute to their groups lists.
9. How where your discussion skills?
I felt a little uncomfortable with the discussion about the reading at the start of class because, I will be the first to admit it, the reading that I gave them was a little dense and had some harder concepts/vocab in it. This was also tricky because one of the best ways to really help the kids understand the idea of rites of passage is to provide examples for them, but I did not want to spoil the competition that we were about to have or give them too many ideas right off the bat, I wanted them to make the connections on their own, so I ended up focusing a lot of vocabulary and the few examples given in the reading itself. I would not say that this was one of the best discussions we’ve ever had in the class, but it wasn’t supposed to be holistic by any means, it was just supposed to provide a a basic schema for the kids to start building on.
10. How well did you monitor group work?
This was one of the things I am starting to do particularly well. As I have been doing quite a bit of cooperative lessons recently, I am starting to get a good grasp on the group dynamics and who is participating/on task and who is not, as well as steps that should be taken to reengage/refocus certain students/groups.
11. Transitions?
This was a very connected lesson, so I don’t think there was any transition that did not make sense and did not go smoothly. While this has been something that I do feel I have struggled with in past lessons, I don’t think it was a problem at all here.
12. Were your materials appropriate for the lesson objectives?
I feel that my materials were extremely appropriate for this lesson. I had them read, I had them watch, I had them write on the board and in their journals. I figure if you have a little bit of everything you are probably on the right track.
13. Were you objectives in the zone of proximal development?
As I was assuming that most of the students did not have any understanding of the topic of this lesson I was starting at the bottom zone of proximal development and step-by-step asking them to identify and apply their understanding as it grew. I feel that learning occurred and that it was scaffolded in appropriate/effective ways.
14. How did you collaborate with others in the planning of/or teaching of this lesson?
I did not participate with any others in the planning of this lesson. I did receive some helpful advice on small things I could do differently in the competition from my lead teacher, but that was really about all.
15. What did you learn about yourself as a teacher from this experience?
I learned that designing and implementing a good lesson is a lot of fun! I wasn’t too sure about how things would go at the start of the lesson and definitely had butterflies in my stomach before the first period (because I’d never done a lesson like this before), but it went really well and I had a major adrenaline high at the end of the day, and that was really nice and encouraging. I also think I learned that I’m pretty good at thinking on my feet. When I realized that time was not on my side during the lesson, I was able to come up with a solution to my dilemma very quickly and had the confidence to go with my gut instincts, which luckily, proved to be good. Hopefully my gut will continue to provide good advice in the future.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Week 2 Lessons + Reflections
LESSON #1
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals:
3.2.2 Sequence ideas in a cohesive, meaningful order.
3.3.4 Use a variety of sentence structures to improve sentence fluency and enhance style.
3.3.5 Use literary models to refine writing style.
Understandings:
Students will understand that…
• Sentences can be combined to limit redundant information and strengthen ideas.
• Characterization is revealed through actions, thoughts and words of the character.
• Prepositional phrases help an a writer show a scene rather than just tell it.
Essential Questions:
• What makes a complex sentence?
• Why do we combine simple sentences?
• How/why do authors characterize?
• What effect does a participle phrase have on a sentence?
Students will know…
• Participle phrases (-ing phrases)
• Characterization
• Simple sentences vs. complex sentences
Students will be able to…
• Combine simple sentences for effect.
• Identify and compose a participle phrase.
• Define characterization and identify writing.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
• Journal entry
• Exit ticket (participle phrases)
Other Evidence:
• Group participation
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
1. WW do a warm up activity (sentenced combining)
2. TW hand back POWs from last week.
3. TW display a couple good examples and WW discuss what makes them good.
4. WW discuss telling vs. showing and the –ing phrases (participle phrases)
5. TW give new prompt for POW
This was a really hard lesson for me for a number of reasons, the primary one being that teaching lessons on grammar actually terrifies me. I LOVE reading, and I love talking about books and writing, but when it actually comes down to knowing how and why things have a particular effect in writing, I have recently realized I still have much learning to do myself. I have been reading a couple different books on grammar and mechanics on top of my already excessive pile of to do reading, and feel as though I have already learned quite a bit, but each part of grammar depends so much on every other part that I find it hard to really feel comfortable and knowledgeable in a lesson when you you only feel like you have a slight grasp on the material yourself. It's like I'm a tightrope walker treading on this really thin line of wire, but if anyone comes in and tries to take me on a slightly different course I will just end up plummeting into an oblivion (again probably a bit dramatic, but not too far from the truth).
The lesson went surprising well compared to my expectations, but I still felt as though my transitions weren't as fluid and transparent as I would have liked, nor do I feel I was as clear with my expectations of the students as I should have/could have been. For this lesson to really work well, I was banking a lot on the students to provide crucial linking material or comments that showed a purpose and connection to the unit goals, but this was a really risky venture, and I really only feel that one of the three was able to make those connections and see the purpose in it all.
Also, thanks to some crucial feedback from observing teachers, I think I need to really work on getting the kids to be the primary "narrators" of our classroom discussions, as opposed to me being a lecturer. I think that I was just so concerned about getting the lesson right and getting not wandering into a situation that I didn't know the answer to, that I kind of lost touch with them at points and may not have made that important, personal connection to the content that was necessary for them to really comprehend it all.
Lesson #2
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals:
2.1.2 Apply reading strategies to self monitor for comprehension
2.3.1 Read and respond to literature from a variety of genres.
Understandings:
Students will understand that…
• There are a variety of techniques to help readers self-monitor for comprehension.
• Writers often introduce major themes through smaller details and motifs
Essential Questions:
• Why/how should a reader monitor themselves for comprehension during reading?
• How do we identify themes in a reading?
Students will know…
• Vocab: motif, allusion, theme
• A useful strategy for monitoring reading comprehension and developing ideas about a text.
Students will be able to…
• Identify developing motifs/themes
• Define root words based on context
• Describe the use and function of dual entry diaries.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
• Journal entry
• Group notes
Other Evidence:
• Group participation
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
1. SW do journal entry
2. TW model note taking/note making with Chapter 3
3. GW divide in two and write their own Notes on Chapter 4
This was another tough one, but for an entirely different reason than the last. On this day I was introducing a during reading exercise that I wanted to have the students using throughout the rest of the novel we are reading (The Giver), the dual-entry diary. The way that I wanted to go about this was that I was going to model it for them with chapter 4, then have them do it in groups with chapter 5, then, finally turning them loose to do it on their own the next day. But, I had to ensure that they were all engaged and paying attention to what I was doing while I was modeling it, which is kind of difficult because reading out loud, writing on the SMARTboard, and ensuring the class is paying attention at all times is a rather difficult task.
Luckily the book is somewhat interesting, and most of the kids seemed to pay attention and even add to my dual entry diary, but I do know that there was probably a lot I missed due to lack of processing space in my brain. Of course, with the addition of the journal entry, I was not able to give them the time to do Chapter 5 as a group, so this had to be extended into two different lessons. Should have stuck with my rule of 2 (only really capable of doing two things per period).
Another concern of mine from the lesson was whether or not I really made clear all the different kinds of entries they could make in their diaries. I had made a dual-entry book mark to hold their place in the book that had a list of different ways they could respond to the writing, but I'm not sure I really took them through item-by-item and had them explain what each meant and how they might utilize it in their own diaries. I do plan on expanding on this idea in the near future and helping them see how useful this technique really help them remember and analyze writing as well giving them things to talk about in their groups or in the class discussions.
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals:
3.2.2 Sequence ideas in a cohesive, meaningful order.
3.3.4 Use a variety of sentence structures to improve sentence fluency and enhance style.
3.3.5 Use literary models to refine writing style.
Understandings:
Students will understand that…
• Sentences can be combined to limit redundant information and strengthen ideas.
• Characterization is revealed through actions, thoughts and words of the character.
• Prepositional phrases help an a writer show a scene rather than just tell it.
Essential Questions:
• What makes a complex sentence?
• Why do we combine simple sentences?
• How/why do authors characterize?
• What effect does a participle phrase have on a sentence?
Students will know…
• Participle phrases (-ing phrases)
• Characterization
• Simple sentences vs. complex sentences
Students will be able to…
• Combine simple sentences for effect.
• Identify and compose a participle phrase.
• Define characterization and identify writing.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
• Journal entry
• Exit ticket (participle phrases)
Other Evidence:
• Group participation
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
1. WW do a warm up activity (sentenced combining)
2. TW hand back POWs from last week.
3. TW display a couple good examples and WW discuss what makes them good.
4. WW discuss telling vs. showing and the –ing phrases (participle phrases)
5. TW give new prompt for POW
This was a really hard lesson for me for a number of reasons, the primary one being that teaching lessons on grammar actually terrifies me. I LOVE reading, and I love talking about books and writing, but when it actually comes down to knowing how and why things have a particular effect in writing, I have recently realized I still have much learning to do myself. I have been reading a couple different books on grammar and mechanics on top of my already excessive pile of to do reading, and feel as though I have already learned quite a bit, but each part of grammar depends so much on every other part that I find it hard to really feel comfortable and knowledgeable in a lesson when you you only feel like you have a slight grasp on the material yourself. It's like I'm a tightrope walker treading on this really thin line of wire, but if anyone comes in and tries to take me on a slightly different course I will just end up plummeting into an oblivion (again probably a bit dramatic, but not too far from the truth).
The lesson went surprising well compared to my expectations, but I still felt as though my transitions weren't as fluid and transparent as I would have liked, nor do I feel I was as clear with my expectations of the students as I should have/could have been. For this lesson to really work well, I was banking a lot on the students to provide crucial linking material or comments that showed a purpose and connection to the unit goals, but this was a really risky venture, and I really only feel that one of the three was able to make those connections and see the purpose in it all.
Also, thanks to some crucial feedback from observing teachers, I think I need to really work on getting the kids to be the primary "narrators" of our classroom discussions, as opposed to me being a lecturer. I think that I was just so concerned about getting the lesson right and getting not wandering into a situation that I didn't know the answer to, that I kind of lost touch with them at points and may not have made that important, personal connection to the content that was necessary for them to really comprehend it all.
Lesson #2
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals:
2.1.2 Apply reading strategies to self monitor for comprehension
2.3.1 Read and respond to literature from a variety of genres.
Understandings:
Students will understand that…
• There are a variety of techniques to help readers self-monitor for comprehension.
• Writers often introduce major themes through smaller details and motifs
Essential Questions:
• Why/how should a reader monitor themselves for comprehension during reading?
• How do we identify themes in a reading?
Students will know…
• Vocab: motif, allusion, theme
• A useful strategy for monitoring reading comprehension and developing ideas about a text.
Students will be able to…
• Identify developing motifs/themes
• Define root words based on context
• Describe the use and function of dual entry diaries.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
• Journal entry
• Group notes
Other Evidence:
• Group participation
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
1. SW do journal entry
2. TW model note taking/note making with Chapter 3
3. GW divide in two and write their own Notes on Chapter 4
This was another tough one, but for an entirely different reason than the last. On this day I was introducing a during reading exercise that I wanted to have the students using throughout the rest of the novel we are reading (The Giver), the dual-entry diary. The way that I wanted to go about this was that I was going to model it for them with chapter 4, then have them do it in groups with chapter 5, then, finally turning them loose to do it on their own the next day. But, I had to ensure that they were all engaged and paying attention to what I was doing while I was modeling it, which is kind of difficult because reading out loud, writing on the SMARTboard, and ensuring the class is paying attention at all times is a rather difficult task.
Luckily the book is somewhat interesting, and most of the kids seemed to pay attention and even add to my dual entry diary, but I do know that there was probably a lot I missed due to lack of processing space in my brain. Of course, with the addition of the journal entry, I was not able to give them the time to do Chapter 5 as a group, so this had to be extended into two different lessons. Should have stuck with my rule of 2 (only really capable of doing two things per period).
Another concern of mine from the lesson was whether or not I really made clear all the different kinds of entries they could make in their diaries. I had made a dual-entry book mark to hold their place in the book that had a list of different ways they could respond to the writing, but I'm not sure I really took them through item-by-item and had them explain what each meant and how they might utilize it in their own diaries. I do plan on expanding on this idea in the near future and helping them see how useful this technique really help them remember and analyze writing as well giving them things to talk about in their groups or in the class discussions.
Ahead of the Curve Reflection #2
Reflection – Ahead of the Curve
Chapter #2
Author of Chapter: Anne Davies
Main Point of the Chapter –
In this chapter, author Anne Davies argues for the inclusion of students in the assessment process, which, she posits, helps them grasp material better, and motivates them (through increased ownership and more thorough conceptual grasp on tasks), to consistently do more competent, thoughtful work. In addition to this, she attempts to discredit the historical practice of evaluative assessment in favor of the triangulation of assessment through formative assessment, various forms of feedback, and summative assessment (work selected by students to show their progression), instead of final the final, all encompassing, anxiety ridden tests typical in American classrooms.
Reflection on the message of the chapter:
There are a number of very useful lessons in this chapter. A couple of my favorites would be when she states things like," When teachers emphasize learning and performance, rather than competition and grades, students are more likely to be intrinsically motivated and encouraged to take risks that challenge and expand their learning" (Reeves, 2007), or the idea that"..students do not understand what they are expected to learn and how they can best show they have learned it" (Reeves, 2007). When I reflect back on my own time in school, I realized how frustrating it was when a teacher was not clear enough with their own expectations, and how much I depended on seeing solid examples of work in which I am supposed to be producing. I worry that I may have lost touch with this idea as I sift through all the minute-by-minutes emergencies that compose teaching.
Application in your settings:
I really enjoyed this chapter and plan on reading it a couple more times as I could not go very far at any one time due to the fact that I had to stop and reflect on things every couple sentences or so. I really like the idea of involving the students in the critera building for their assignments and the inclusion of multiple forms of feedback that is only made possible by this previously mention inclusion. In past peer edited assignments, I haven't really felt as though the kids really knew how to help each other correctly, but if they are all a part of the discussion process that defines what a good paper is, and help to build a rubric (or whatever form of assessment guide you choose to construct), they will eel more thoroughly versed in the language and the subject material to provide pertinent, useful feedback to their peers (which is a very empowering feeling indeed!)
I also like the idea of the summative evaluation and really would like to look more into the writing portfolio idea. I was thinking that for each unit, a student would select a couple articles of their writing which show what they are capable of producing (as well as where they have come from), whether it be journals, Paragraphs of the week (a common assignment at Vallivue), or other extraneous writing assignments. After doing this and receiving a grade on each separate unit, they will also look back through their work and submit a portfolio that encompasses their entire year perhaps this one could focus more on where they have come from during the year).
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Here is a link to my RTI article entitled: Response to Intervention: Guidelines for Parents and Practitioners by James B. Hale
Response to Intervention or RTI is a a set of practical guidelines used in the US designed to help educators identify children with academic troubles and guide them through an intervention process that provides the students with the additional supports necessary for academic success. The philosophical foundation of this new model is the belief that if a child receives high quality instruction and educators regularly assess their improvement, all children can succeed in school. RTI includes 3, or sometimes 4 tiers of instruction each of which progressively provides more intensive and more individualistic instruction to the student if they do not respond to the previous tier. The first tier doesn't seem to be too different from regular good teaching. The teacher must provide solid, scientifically based instruction to the entire class while monitoring the possibly troubled student(s) for the progress along typical curricular benchmarks.
If they do not seem to be responding or progressing normally, they will then be moved on to tier 2 which uses the Problem Solving Model (problem identification, problem analysis, intervention development/implementation, intervention evaluation/modification) to identify the particular learning or behavior problem the student is having and then Tailor an intervention program (as well as measurement to judge the success of the program) to the individual. If the child still does not show progress, they will then likely be moved to tier 3.
In tier 3, the child will have been identified with a specific learning disability, given an IEP (individualized education plan) and will likely be moved into a special education classroom to receive specialized services. The intensity of the instruction and the classroom, or one-on-one nature of it depends upon the individual's educational needs.
My initial reaction to the idea of RTI is pretty good. I think that it really does focus a teachers attention on troubled students early on and ensures that no student will ever be totally lost or left out in a higher level class because the limited skills and comprehension that they have in the subject area were never confronted. The bad side of it all is that it just seems like it is another responsibility that falls on the teachers shoulders along with a thousand other things a teacher has to think/worry about daily. To ask teachers to provide individualized education for growing number of students during a time of financial cut backs and growing class sizes is not only a bit ironic, it could seem a bit daunting. I want every child to succeed in my classroom, but the amount of time and energy I will have to put into my lessons and my individualized instruction are not being fairly compensated for the additional responsibilities put on me...
Response to Intervention or RTI is a a set of practical guidelines used in the US designed to help educators identify children with academic troubles and guide them through an intervention process that provides the students with the additional supports necessary for academic success. The philosophical foundation of this new model is the belief that if a child receives high quality instruction and educators regularly assess their improvement, all children can succeed in school. RTI includes 3, or sometimes 4 tiers of instruction each of which progressively provides more intensive and more individualistic instruction to the student if they do not respond to the previous tier. The first tier doesn't seem to be too different from regular good teaching. The teacher must provide solid, scientifically based instruction to the entire class while monitoring the possibly troubled student(s) for the progress along typical curricular benchmarks.
If they do not seem to be responding or progressing normally, they will then be moved on to tier 2 which uses the Problem Solving Model (problem identification, problem analysis, intervention development/implementation, intervention evaluation/modification) to identify the particular learning or behavior problem the student is having and then Tailor an intervention program (as well as measurement to judge the success of the program) to the individual. If the child still does not show progress, they will then likely be moved to tier 3.
In tier 3, the child will have been identified with a specific learning disability, given an IEP (individualized education plan) and will likely be moved into a special education classroom to receive specialized services. The intensity of the instruction and the classroom, or one-on-one nature of it depends upon the individual's educational needs.
My initial reaction to the idea of RTI is pretty good. I think that it really does focus a teachers attention on troubled students early on and ensures that no student will ever be totally lost or left out in a higher level class because the limited skills and comprehension that they have in the subject area were never confronted. The bad side of it all is that it just seems like it is another responsibility that falls on the teachers shoulders along with a thousand other things a teacher has to think/worry about daily. To ask teachers to provide individualized education for growing number of students during a time of financial cut backs and growing class sizes is not only a bit ironic, it could seem a bit daunting. I want every child to succeed in my classroom, but the amount of time and energy I will have to put into my lessons and my individualized instruction are not being fairly compensated for the additional responsibilities put on me...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
My first explosion
Ok, explosion may be a bit of an overstatement, but I certainly did have a very strong reaction to a student today that is both very out of character for me, and in retrospect that I regret very much.
To put a little context to the story, this is a student that I knew I would have troubles with from day one, I just hoped that it wouldn't ever lead to an event like today and certainly not this soon. He was that student that walks into a classroom and before doing anything else, makes sure to stop, made eye contact with the teacher, and roll his eyes in contempt before moving on to his seat. Alright, well this may not literally happen, but it might as well. There is a little passage I came across in the book Discipline Survival Kit for the Secondary Teacher that talks about "students that do not hesitate to let us know through a variety of disruptive behaviors that they are not at all interested in either an education, or becoming productive citizens," well, this is that kid.
Anyway, I have for the most part chosen to give him "the eye," use proximity, or verbally prod him into doing his work up to this point, but it has been a struggle every day. Then, today, after catching him completely away from his group earlier on (for which he was supposed to be working on an assignment with), talking to another boy about the best way to kill someone (no joke), I later caught him with his head down on his desk while I was modeling close reading skills for the class and I dont know exactly why, but I just kinda flipped out. I stopped everything and in front of everyone, told him (quite loudly) that he had not participated at all in any of the previous activities, that he had turned in almost no writing assignments and he was now disrespecting me and my classroom by sleeping while I lead a lesson. I told him that either we were going to step out in the hall to talk it out or he would be making a trip to the principles office if he did not sit up and pay attention...
Well, there was a somewhat shocked silence in the room for a moment, (I think that I was almost as shocked as the students were to be honest), and I then asked the boy in question to answer the question that I had asked just asked prior to blowing my top. Of course he answered that he didn't know, or at least made no effort to answer it, and not thinking it best to push it any furtherm, I moved awkwardly on wit the lesson for the last 3 or 4 minutes of class.
Well, after the bell rang and the students had all left, it hit me like a rock, and I just felt like a total ass. I felt like I did something I thought I would never do, which was belittle a student in the front of his/her peers. I immediately realized that I should have taken him out into the hall to talk about my frustration rather than pull the dirty laundry out in public, but of course it was too late to fix this. I had just been so angry at the moment I hadn't really stopped to think about the best way to deal with the situation and ended up doing just about the worst thing I could have.
I have since resolved to apologize for confronting him like that before class tomorrow, but to also communicate to him my feelings of frustration about his lack of respect towards me and my class. I think it will be crucial that I ask him what we can do to fix this situation and also make some sort of attempt to have him tell me a little bit about who he is and where he is coming from. I feel that if he sees that I want to make a connection with him and that I have a legitimate interest in who he is and why he acts the way he does, he may improve his attitude, if only even to the smallest degree, because I think this would be a victory of sorts...
Kelli also suggested that I also make a public apology to the student in the class, but Patti had suggested that this may be a bad idea. I could really see it going either way, I mean I don't want to make it an even bigger deal, but I feel that if I use it as a learning opportunity and to show them that I am human and make errors in judgment as well, but that we need to all work to respect one-another, it could bond us as a class, as a community a little tighter...
If anyone has any thoughts/suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.
To put a little context to the story, this is a student that I knew I would have troubles with from day one, I just hoped that it wouldn't ever lead to an event like today and certainly not this soon. He was that student that walks into a classroom and before doing anything else, makes sure to stop, made eye contact with the teacher, and roll his eyes in contempt before moving on to his seat. Alright, well this may not literally happen, but it might as well. There is a little passage I came across in the book Discipline Survival Kit for the Secondary Teacher that talks about "students that do not hesitate to let us know through a variety of disruptive behaviors that they are not at all interested in either an education, or becoming productive citizens," well, this is that kid.
Anyway, I have for the most part chosen to give him "the eye," use proximity, or verbally prod him into doing his work up to this point, but it has been a struggle every day. Then, today, after catching him completely away from his group earlier on (for which he was supposed to be working on an assignment with), talking to another boy about the best way to kill someone (no joke), I later caught him with his head down on his desk while I was modeling close reading skills for the class and I dont know exactly why, but I just kinda flipped out. I stopped everything and in front of everyone, told him (quite loudly) that he had not participated at all in any of the previous activities, that he had turned in almost no writing assignments and he was now disrespecting me and my classroom by sleeping while I lead a lesson. I told him that either we were going to step out in the hall to talk it out or he would be making a trip to the principles office if he did not sit up and pay attention...
Well, there was a somewhat shocked silence in the room for a moment, (I think that I was almost as shocked as the students were to be honest), and I then asked the boy in question to answer the question that I had asked just asked prior to blowing my top. Of course he answered that he didn't know, or at least made no effort to answer it, and not thinking it best to push it any furtherm, I moved awkwardly on wit the lesson for the last 3 or 4 minutes of class.
Well, after the bell rang and the students had all left, it hit me like a rock, and I just felt like a total ass. I felt like I did something I thought I would never do, which was belittle a student in the front of his/her peers. I immediately realized that I should have taken him out into the hall to talk about my frustration rather than pull the dirty laundry out in public, but of course it was too late to fix this. I had just been so angry at the moment I hadn't really stopped to think about the best way to deal with the situation and ended up doing just about the worst thing I could have.
I have since resolved to apologize for confronting him like that before class tomorrow, but to also communicate to him my feelings of frustration about his lack of respect towards me and my class. I think it will be crucial that I ask him what we can do to fix this situation and also make some sort of attempt to have him tell me a little bit about who he is and where he is coming from. I feel that if he sees that I want to make a connection with him and that I have a legitimate interest in who he is and why he acts the way he does, he may improve his attitude, if only even to the smallest degree, because I think this would be a victory of sorts...
Kelli also suggested that I also make a public apology to the student in the class, but Patti had suggested that this may be a bad idea. I could really see it going either way, I mean I don't want to make it an even bigger deal, but I feel that if I use it as a learning opportunity and to show them that I am human and make errors in judgment as well, but that we need to all work to respect one-another, it could bond us as a class, as a community a little tighter...
If anyone has any thoughts/suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
OUTRAGE!!!!!
No, that title was not a joke! I am sitting here almost foaming at the mouth after finding out that our FEARLESS leader, the principle of Vallivue High school, sent out an email this afternoon banning all teachers from showing Obama's controversial address to students this coming Tuesday!
I thought censorship was done with in America! I thought that the erroneous, ignorant, fear mongering slander that has preceded this speech (as Obama is now being compared to Mao Tse Tung) died off with the whole Bill Ayers fiasco!! Well apparently I was wrong!
Every student should have the RIGHT to hear what THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES has to say to them! I don't care what their parents political beliefs are, if they don't want them to hear it, keep them at home, or have them step out into the hall for a few minutes, but they should not have the right to stop all the other children from hearing what the president has to say. It should be THE CHILD'S choice whether or not they want to listen to the speech or not, and teachers can not force them to if they choose not to hear it. But to tell ALL TEACHERS that they absolutely CAN NOT show the speech at ALL is closer to being related to Chairman Mao than anything that Obama could do over the television! As if Obama is going to somehow brainwash everyone who listens to his words and make us all turn into mindless socialist drones. The idea is not only preposterous, anyone who believes that should be laughed out of any sort of real political discussion!
BUT THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!!!!! Even though I am just a student teacher I will not stand for this! Something needs to be done! I will not teach in a school that openly bans ideas of any kind, especially when they are the words or ideas of OUR PRESIDENT! RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!
I thought censorship was done with in America! I thought that the erroneous, ignorant, fear mongering slander that has preceded this speech (as Obama is now being compared to Mao Tse Tung) died off with the whole Bill Ayers fiasco!! Well apparently I was wrong!
Every student should have the RIGHT to hear what THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES has to say to them! I don't care what their parents political beliefs are, if they don't want them to hear it, keep them at home, or have them step out into the hall for a few minutes, but they should not have the right to stop all the other children from hearing what the president has to say. It should be THE CHILD'S choice whether or not they want to listen to the speech or not, and teachers can not force them to if they choose not to hear it. But to tell ALL TEACHERS that they absolutely CAN NOT show the speech at ALL is closer to being related to Chairman Mao than anything that Obama could do over the television! As if Obama is going to somehow brainwash everyone who listens to his words and make us all turn into mindless socialist drones. The idea is not only preposterous, anyone who believes that should be laughed out of any sort of real political discussion!
BUT THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!!!!! Even though I am just a student teacher I will not stand for this! Something needs to be done! I will not teach in a school that openly bans ideas of any kind, especially when they are the words or ideas of OUR PRESIDENT! RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Observations: day 1
Alright, so I have to apologize that I never did a second installment of my first week of school blog (kinda turned out like Mel Brooks' History of the World Part I fiasco). I had a lot of things rolling around in my head the first couple days, but I didn't want to say anything I'd regret later (being as this is a some-what public venue) and then I just simply forgot a number of the things that were occupying my mind those first couple days because I hadn't written them all down. So I think you may be waiting a while for the conclusion to that one...
This week is a whole new story however. I am doing something I am really excited about, namely, watching all the teachers in the entire English department in action. Kelli gave me a SIOP observation sheet at the end of last week and told me she wanted me to go take some notes on how all the teachers approached their classes differently. This was both of a benefit to her and to myself as she would be keeping tabs on what the people in her department were up to, and I just got to see what other teacher classroom management and teaching styles were like.
Mrs. Lumis (pseudonym) was the first teacher I sat in on. With nearly 30 years in teaching Mrs. L has probably the most diverse mixture of classes of any of the teachers. Her schedule is split up between Senior English, Junior Speech class and Freshman honors English. My first impression of Mrs. L's classroom? Well, lets just say the images of tigers scattered about her room pretty much sum up her classroom management style. She is loud, direct and very aggressive with the students who step out of line in her class, but there is something very odd in that, even though she can be very harsh, her classroom does not feel oppressive and the students seem to be very happy and productive (for the most part). I was quite amazed at the fact that only a week and a half into school, the policies and procedures of her class are already so well ingrained that she doesn't even tell the students what they have to do when they come in. Every class that I observed came in, retrieved their "of the day" folder (an idea which I 100% plan on stealing), wrote down the quote, responded to it, put their paper back in the folder and waited until they were informed of the next thing to do.
I think I really see how a teacher that uses the inquiry method properly can turn just about any lesson into something that all students can feel a part of. Mrs. L circled around the room and involved each and every kid at some point in the lesson, asking question after question after question, never answering her own questions and always re-asking a question if she felt some students didn't appear to be getting it or if they just weren't paying attention. The way she used her space and instinctually rephrased her question for clarity or to re-direct thinking was something that one could only hope to be able to re-create after years and years of experience! I recall watching the class and seeing a group of students that were getting sidetracked (either because they were talking/joking or they hadn't gotten past the last question) and worrying that she had lost a number of them (which in this kind of context, if you lose them even for a couple minutes, they will miss something major and probably never get caught back up), but she always seemed to realize and focus her attention on the group before they got too lost/sidetracked.
Going back to her "of the days" for a moment, one thing that I really like about Mrs. L's class that I do not like about Kelli's class, is that she has given them a special folder which they put that in every day, and she collects them all at the end of the week for grading, while Kelli just checks them every once and a while from their notebooks. For one, this seems to simplify the grading process much more (in addition to having a very logical/systematic way of assigning points to each entry), but it also gives the kids a sense that they are doing these entries for a reason. In Kelli's class I don't know, and have no way of really checking if the students are really doing anything in their journals, and if we wait too long to check them, there will be entirely too much material to go back and read them all for content, only completion. If you keep them a manageable size (such as five per student. per week), you make it easier on you and more justified in the students mind to do a good job on them.
My second class today was Mr. Stern's Senior Shakespeare class and his Freshmen Englsih class. Talk about a COMPLETE 180! MR. Stern's classroom (and please forgive the irony of this psudonym) is one of the most lax, easy-going classrooms I could possibly imagine. While I would think I would normally have reacted very positivly to this kind of environment, I think I was actually quite put off by it, becasue I think the students walked all over Mr Stern, and took full advantage of his laxity on behavioral issues. On a number of occasions, I saw students swearing, making inappropriate drawings, sleeping, and doing anything except what they were supposed to be doing (this was the Freshmen primarily, athough the seniors were not angels by any means). Mr. S didn't take it all without saying anything, he did get proactive about situations eventually, but it seems like it too longer than it should have, and a lot of class time was missed because it was not nipped in the bud quick enough.
Outside of his classroom management techniques however, I was very enthused by my talk after class with Mr. S! We both have very similar tastes in film, books, and theater. If I can do so without stepping on any toes, I dare say that he is the one teacher that I really see eye-to-eye with in term of the content and the ideas that I want to teach in my classroom.
Well, this blog already ended up a lot longer than I had thought it was going to, and I have way to much left to say to do all the others things I must do tonight, so that will have to do...
This week is a whole new story however. I am doing something I am really excited about, namely, watching all the teachers in the entire English department in action. Kelli gave me a SIOP observation sheet at the end of last week and told me she wanted me to go take some notes on how all the teachers approached their classes differently. This was both of a benefit to her and to myself as she would be keeping tabs on what the people in her department were up to, and I just got to see what other teacher classroom management and teaching styles were like.
Mrs. Lumis (pseudonym) was the first teacher I sat in on. With nearly 30 years in teaching Mrs. L has probably the most diverse mixture of classes of any of the teachers. Her schedule is split up between Senior English, Junior Speech class and Freshman honors English. My first impression of Mrs. L's classroom? Well, lets just say the images of tigers scattered about her room pretty much sum up her classroom management style. She is loud, direct and very aggressive with the students who step out of line in her class, but there is something very odd in that, even though she can be very harsh, her classroom does not feel oppressive and the students seem to be very happy and productive (for the most part). I was quite amazed at the fact that only a week and a half into school, the policies and procedures of her class are already so well ingrained that she doesn't even tell the students what they have to do when they come in. Every class that I observed came in, retrieved their "of the day" folder (an idea which I 100% plan on stealing), wrote down the quote, responded to it, put their paper back in the folder and waited until they were informed of the next thing to do.
I think I really see how a teacher that uses the inquiry method properly can turn just about any lesson into something that all students can feel a part of. Mrs. L circled around the room and involved each and every kid at some point in the lesson, asking question after question after question, never answering her own questions and always re-asking a question if she felt some students didn't appear to be getting it or if they just weren't paying attention. The way she used her space and instinctually rephrased her question for clarity or to re-direct thinking was something that one could only hope to be able to re-create after years and years of experience! I recall watching the class and seeing a group of students that were getting sidetracked (either because they were talking/joking or they hadn't gotten past the last question) and worrying that she had lost a number of them (which in this kind of context, if you lose them even for a couple minutes, they will miss something major and probably never get caught back up), but she always seemed to realize and focus her attention on the group before they got too lost/sidetracked.
Going back to her "of the days" for a moment, one thing that I really like about Mrs. L's class that I do not like about Kelli's class, is that she has given them a special folder which they put that in every day, and she collects them all at the end of the week for grading, while Kelli just checks them every once and a while from their notebooks. For one, this seems to simplify the grading process much more (in addition to having a very logical/systematic way of assigning points to each entry), but it also gives the kids a sense that they are doing these entries for a reason. In Kelli's class I don't know, and have no way of really checking if the students are really doing anything in their journals, and if we wait too long to check them, there will be entirely too much material to go back and read them all for content, only completion. If you keep them a manageable size (such as five per student. per week), you make it easier on you and more justified in the students mind to do a good job on them.
My second class today was Mr. Stern's Senior Shakespeare class and his Freshmen Englsih class. Talk about a COMPLETE 180! MR. Stern's classroom (and please forgive the irony of this psudonym) is one of the most lax, easy-going classrooms I could possibly imagine. While I would think I would normally have reacted very positivly to this kind of environment, I think I was actually quite put off by it, becasue I think the students walked all over Mr Stern, and took full advantage of his laxity on behavioral issues. On a number of occasions, I saw students swearing, making inappropriate drawings, sleeping, and doing anything except what they were supposed to be doing (this was the Freshmen primarily, athough the seniors were not angels by any means). Mr. S didn't take it all without saying anything, he did get proactive about situations eventually, but it seems like it too longer than it should have, and a lot of class time was missed because it was not nipped in the bud quick enough.
Outside of his classroom management techniques however, I was very enthused by my talk after class with Mr. S! We both have very similar tastes in film, books, and theater. If I can do so without stepping on any toes, I dare say that he is the one teacher that I really see eye-to-eye with in term of the content and the ideas that I want to teach in my classroom.
Well, this blog already ended up a lot longer than I had thought it was going to, and I have way to much left to say to do all the others things I must do tonight, so that will have to do...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
