It is increasingly clear that after reading this article, that students of elementary school age need ample amounts of physical activity throughout the day. Not only does sitting for a longer period time lead to fatigue within children, which lowers the ability to achieve academically, but it also hinders children from sharpening their motor skills. A separate article about eight years olds suggested that children of elementary school age should have breaks for physical activity every 2 hours. At my school, each child receives P.E. (which the article states many schools don’t offer) and one twenty minute recess daily, however students are required to be in class for periods of up to four hours. These articles have lead me to reflect my teaching practices. If students are not getting crucial physical activity throughout the day, how can I incorporate in my teaching?
The article also made a point about parents acting as models for healthy choices. I know that within my classroom I am often not a model of making healthy choices even though it is a core value of the school. Students frequently joke with me about the half-empty diet coke cans that are sporadically left around the classroom. Although it may seem funny, I am sending the wrong message to students. Although I tell them to make health choices, if my actions are aligned with my words, then those words a meaningless.
Another part of the article I found interesting is when it spoke of sports and how the “pressure to achieve” has negative impacts on students. The “pressure to achieve” is not merely unique to sports. We apply a lot of pressure on our students on a daily bases. Although the pressure is presented in a positive way (eg: investment systems that are marketed in an exciting fashion), the pressure is certainly still there. In many ways, students thrive off of competition and it is a strong motivator. Even in group work, when I assign students a task to complete as a group, each group has a sense of urgency to be the first done or the group with the best result even if I never stated that such an activity was a competition. Is this sense of competition and pressure negatively impacting students, especially students that don’t often feel the sort of success many other students do? If so, how do I eliminate that competitive energy around group work? I suppose it would merely be a mater of explaining to students that it is not a competition, but then how do I retain that same level of motivation and investment?
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
107: Assignment 2, Chapter 13
Quote
“Latch key children find their way into trouble more easily, possibly stealing, vandalizing or abusing older siblings.”
One of my students, who last year had some reminisce of a structured home-life, has recently become a “latch key” child. His behavior has spiraled down this year, although it is important to note that it was always a struggle. He appears to be much angrier this year and often complains about loneliness at home and harassment from older siblings.
This article seemed supportive of after school programs. This particular student was enrolled for a week, but has not been back. I truly believe that the additional structure after school would lead to improved behavior during class and make this student a genuinely happier child.
I do however wonder if there are other strategies to provide home structure for latch key kids other than after school programs or adult supervision. If the parent is reluctant to re-enroll the student after school, what else can I suggest?
Comment
I found the discussion about the two schools of thought on education (constructivist vs. direct) to be rather interesting. It forced me to reflect on my teaching approach and assess whether or not it fit into either category clearly or whether or not it was a mix of both.
Although there are some parts of the day, while learning new vocabulary through the CCD or working in particular centers, where I feel as if students are being challenged to construct knowledge, I feel like most of my teaching is falls along the line of a more direct approach, from guided reading to grammar instruction – everything is much more teacher centered. I suppose, subconsciously, my approach leans this direction because as an educator I feel as if I have more control over directing students toward a particular desired outcome – especially in terms of students acquiring particular content knowledge.
I had not often thought about how my teaching approach might actually hinder students from developing other important skills or deprives them of meaningful hands-on learning.
Although it was not the intention of Chapter 13 to advocate for a particular school of thought, I feel persuaded to re-evaluate each element of the day within my classroom and find ways of allowing students discover and explore collaboratively.
In addition to finding the aforementioned portion of the book useful, I also thought the discussion about ethnicity in the classroom was particularly practical. Granted, at my school there is little ethnic diversity, however the strategies presented (eg: the jigsaw activities) seem like a strong method for culture building that would generally contribute to a safer and more understanding learning environment.
Question
I am also curious to find out more information about the Corner Approach and evaluate how well my school meets the three elements. I feel like my school does do an effective job at creating a comprehensive school and staff development plan as well as involving parents. But I am not entirely sure what exactly the Corner Model precisely says.
“Latch key children find their way into trouble more easily, possibly stealing, vandalizing or abusing older siblings.”
One of my students, who last year had some reminisce of a structured home-life, has recently become a “latch key” child. His behavior has spiraled down this year, although it is important to note that it was always a struggle. He appears to be much angrier this year and often complains about loneliness at home and harassment from older siblings.
This article seemed supportive of after school programs. This particular student was enrolled for a week, but has not been back. I truly believe that the additional structure after school would lead to improved behavior during class and make this student a genuinely happier child.
I do however wonder if there are other strategies to provide home structure for latch key kids other than after school programs or adult supervision. If the parent is reluctant to re-enroll the student after school, what else can I suggest?
Comment
I found the discussion about the two schools of thought on education (constructivist vs. direct) to be rather interesting. It forced me to reflect on my teaching approach and assess whether or not it fit into either category clearly or whether or not it was a mix of both.
Although there are some parts of the day, while learning new vocabulary through the CCD or working in particular centers, where I feel as if students are being challenged to construct knowledge, I feel like most of my teaching is falls along the line of a more direct approach, from guided reading to grammar instruction – everything is much more teacher centered. I suppose, subconsciously, my approach leans this direction because as an educator I feel as if I have more control over directing students toward a particular desired outcome – especially in terms of students acquiring particular content knowledge.
I had not often thought about how my teaching approach might actually hinder students from developing other important skills or deprives them of meaningful hands-on learning.
Although it was not the intention of Chapter 13 to advocate for a particular school of thought, I feel persuaded to re-evaluate each element of the day within my classroom and find ways of allowing students discover and explore collaboratively.
In addition to finding the aforementioned portion of the book useful, I also thought the discussion about ethnicity in the classroom was particularly practical. Granted, at my school there is little ethnic diversity, however the strategies presented (eg: the jigsaw activities) seem like a strong method for culture building that would generally contribute to a safer and more understanding learning environment.
Question
I am also curious to find out more information about the Corner Approach and evaluate how well my school meets the three elements. I feel like my school does do an effective job at creating a comprehensive school and staff development plan as well as involving parents. But I am not entirely sure what exactly the Corner Model precisely says.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
107: Assignment 1, "40 Development Assets for Child Development"
It is clear that after looking at the 40 Development Assets for Child Development, that educators can play a substantial role in helping students grow up as “healthy, caring and responsible” individuals.
In terms of external support, teachers provide “other adult relationships” that provide the child opportunities to develop nurturing relations outside of the family unit. The classroom is also a place where students are used as resources that provide children with a strong sense of value and belonging. Through school, we can also teach students the value of serving others and create those opportunities (food drives, etc). Teachers also are positive role models and set strong examples. We also can set high and powerful expectations for students in work and behavior that are positive.
Even internal assets can be influenced by teachers. Students must be taught many things before they are able to engage in them. One example is peaceful conflict resolution. Many children struggle with resolving problems without violence, because it hasn’t been modeled or shown to them. As a teacher, we can influence this. We can also build a student’s self-esteem and sense of worth and purpose. Every internal asset is something we, as instructors, are able to influence.
What the 40 Assets have shown me, is that teachers can play an instrumental role in the positive development of a child.
In terms of external support, teachers provide “other adult relationships” that provide the child opportunities to develop nurturing relations outside of the family unit. The classroom is also a place where students are used as resources that provide children with a strong sense of value and belonging. Through school, we can also teach students the value of serving others and create those opportunities (food drives, etc). Teachers also are positive role models and set strong examples. We also can set high and powerful expectations for students in work and behavior that are positive.
Even internal assets can be influenced by teachers. Students must be taught many things before they are able to engage in them. One example is peaceful conflict resolution. Many children struggle with resolving problems without violence, because it hasn’t been modeled or shown to them. As a teacher, we can influence this. We can also build a student’s self-esteem and sense of worth and purpose. Every internal asset is something we, as instructors, are able to influence.
What the 40 Assets have shown me, is that teachers can play an instrumental role in the positive development of a child.
Monday, April 6, 2009
112: Pre-Assessment and Observation Reflection
In my self-assessment at that start of 112, I mentioned that direct vocabulary instruction occurs in my classroom but that it could occur more frequently. The observation notes from my coach essentially echo the concerns I had for myself in regards to direct vocabulary instruction. Often times I assume that a particular phrase or word is understood without delving into its meaning. Then that word is used contextually without providing the students meaning before hand, essentially leaving it up to the students to determine the word’s meaning.
I also need to use more explicit forms of academic English. Words like justify and evidence rarely appear through the course of instruction in my classroom, although other words such as compare, or estimate may.
I could also grow by attempting to find more ways to tie home culture and language into mathematics. I attempt to make those connections fairly infrequently and I believe the students would benefit from such connections being made.
I feel generally fairly strong by activating prior knowledge at least in terms of math and also in the area of using models and visuals to assist students throughout their learning. Both of these happens frequently through the course of my instructional time.
I also need to use more explicit forms of academic English. Words like justify and evidence rarely appear through the course of instruction in my classroom, although other words such as compare, or estimate may.
I could also grow by attempting to find more ways to tie home culture and language into mathematics. I attempt to make those connections fairly infrequently and I believe the students would benefit from such connections being made.
I feel generally fairly strong by activating prior knowledge at least in terms of math and also in the area of using models and visuals to assist students throughout their learning. Both of these happens frequently through the course of my instructional time.
110: Assignment 2
Culture for kids has numerous multicultural and language resources for students. Their materials range from information on peoples in American (eg: Vietnamese Americans) to a wide range of materials on what life is like in a variety of different countries spanning over all of the continents. They have other sources of information for students that focus on varying elements of culture including food, music, martial arts, zodiac stories and holidays. They also have multilingual materials for well over 30 languages including many languages that we would rarely encounter on a day-to-day basis. Many of the materials include story books in both languages, and different activities to practice the language such as picture cards.
Many of the resources would be great to help students really grasps the idea that there truly are a number of cultures that make up the world. This would even be helpful in planning the current UBD unit that my second graders are working on. The unit is on culture and immigration.
Many of the resources would be great to help students really grasps the idea that there truly are a number of cultures that make up the world. This would even be helpful in planning the current UBD unit that my second graders are working on. The unit is on culture and immigration.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
110: Assignment 1
In many ways, “The Silenced Dialogue” stands in direct contradiction to material we learned in REACH 106 and through the GLAD program. Often times, when criticism of “progressive liberal” approaches arouse, it felt like many of the approaches to classroom management that we’ve acquired came under direct fire. This was most clear in the discussion in the article over authoritarian approaches to classroom management. The article explained that in dealing with African American students it is important to understand the culture in which those students are raised. He/she went on to explain that in such a culture, students are told explicitly what to do. Instead of giving the students directives such as “are you making a good decision?” in order to get them to perform a certain behavior, they should be told what that behavior is and demanded to do it since that is how, for many of them, they are directed to do things at home. In 106 and through the GLAD strategies, we are taught to offer the students more choices. Although we are taught through GLAD and reach that directions should be very explicit and that behavioral expectations should be clear, the enforcement of those expectations should be done authoritatively, rather than authoritatively.
This brings a number of questions into play, especially in regards to the particular community that we teach in. It appears that the point of the article is not to say that “authoritarian approaches” are best, but that approaches should be tailored to the community where you teach. Essentially, there is no one sized fits all approach to classroom management or instruction. In order to truly understand how to approach these situations in your classroom, you have to know and understand where your students come from. Although I’ve gone on numerous home visits and have participated in community functions, I am generally unsure of how parents handle my students when they go home.
I also wonder if there is a way to effectively balance being authoritative, with being authoritarian. Is there a way to provide students with choice in African American and similar communities but still express your power as the instructor? Is there a way to issue directives that are painstaking clear?
One particular area of the article that I think ties in closely with material that we’ve learned so far on reach, focuses mostly on direct instruction:
“The teacher’s role is to maintain the full attention of the group by continuous questioning, eye contact, finger snaps, hand claps and other gestures and by eliciting choral responses and initiating some sort of reward system”
I feel like through REACH, we’ve all become strong at direction instruction and generally maintaining engagement through repeated questions, choral responses and acknowledgements of student success. I also feel as if the strategies we use are inline with the article in terms of allowing students to be experts on areas they already know. I feel like I often learn from my students, as much as they learn from me. A somewhat off-topic example is with Spanish. Often students help me when I need to translate. Although that Spanish isn’t incorporated into instruction, it provides them an opportunity to share what they know.
This brings a number of questions into play, especially in regards to the particular community that we teach in. It appears that the point of the article is not to say that “authoritarian approaches” are best, but that approaches should be tailored to the community where you teach. Essentially, there is no one sized fits all approach to classroom management or instruction. In order to truly understand how to approach these situations in your classroom, you have to know and understand where your students come from. Although I’ve gone on numerous home visits and have participated in community functions, I am generally unsure of how parents handle my students when they go home.
I also wonder if there is a way to effectively balance being authoritative, with being authoritarian. Is there a way to provide students with choice in African American and similar communities but still express your power as the instructor? Is there a way to issue directives that are painstaking clear?
One particular area of the article that I think ties in closely with material that we’ve learned so far on reach, focuses mostly on direct instruction:
“The teacher’s role is to maintain the full attention of the group by continuous questioning, eye contact, finger snaps, hand claps and other gestures and by eliciting choral responses and initiating some sort of reward system”
I feel like through REACH, we’ve all become strong at direction instruction and generally maintaining engagement through repeated questions, choral responses and acknowledgements of student success. I also feel as if the strategies we use are inline with the article in terms of allowing students to be experts on areas they already know. I feel like I often learn from my students, as much as they learn from me. A somewhat off-topic example is with Spanish. Often students help me when I need to translate. Although that Spanish isn’t incorporated into instruction, it provides them an opportunity to share what they know.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
108: Assignment 2, Differentiated Assessment
For the unit that your Lesson Study lesson plan is situated in, what are your student outcomes (unit topic, understandings, knowledge, skills) and your end of unit assessment? How does your planned instruction & formative assessment for the lesson plan move your students toward that goal?
My video-tapped lesson occurs during our multiplication and division unit. The unit combines three of the major standards on multiplication and division, including Number Sense 3.1 and 3.2 which involve the use of repeated addition and subtraction, counting by multiples, and grouping to solve multiplication and division problems. The unit also covered standards that require students to know their 2, 5 and 10’s times tables.
The goal of the unit was not necessarily for students to have a firm memorization of multiplication and division facts (eg: 6 x 6 = 36), but for students to develop a deep understanding of the concepts of multiplication and division and to learn how to apply those understandings to real life situations and story problems. Ultimately students should be able to score a 90% or higher on the end of unit assessments, which test them not only only being able to solve problems like 6x6 but also on how to choose the correct operation in story problems and how to choose/implement the taught strategies to arrive at an answer.
The particular lesson which was video-tapped introduced students to a strategy for solving division problems, the strategy is known as repeated subtraction. This tied into the unit goals in two ways. First, it added to student’s previous knowledge of what division is. Students already understood that in division you start with how many in all then split them equally into smaller groups. This lesson expanded upon that knowledge and allowed them to view division through a different lens. In multiplication we use repeated addition because in most cases we are trying to find how many in all, consequently the number will increase. In division, we use repeated subtraction because we know how many in all and usually need to find a smaller number. The lesson also provided students with an additional skill. Previously students could only draw pictures to solve division problems, now they have another strategy at their disposal.
The instruct for this lesson was mostly direct, but portions asked students to put their head together to discuss what repeated addition is and why they think we use it for division. It attempted to help students construct knowledge which would in turn promote their deeper understanding of division. The formative assessment, which was a worksheet, was a sheet of story problems with the division problems listed. This assessment not only gave them a chance to practice the newly aquired skill but also gave them more real world context for when to use division.
The challenge activity for early finishers gave students math problems for which they were asked to write division problems. This activity was aimed at promoting critical thought amongst the students.
The differentiation in this lesson for the small (lower) group attempted to lay more scaffolding on how to set up repeated subtraction problems based on a certain division problem. It focused primarily on teaching students the skill so that the students would be able to solve division problems using the skill on their own.
My video-tapped lesson occurs during our multiplication and division unit. The unit combines three of the major standards on multiplication and division, including Number Sense 3.1 and 3.2 which involve the use of repeated addition and subtraction, counting by multiples, and grouping to solve multiplication and division problems. The unit also covered standards that require students to know their 2, 5 and 10’s times tables.
The goal of the unit was not necessarily for students to have a firm memorization of multiplication and division facts (eg: 6 x 6 = 36), but for students to develop a deep understanding of the concepts of multiplication and division and to learn how to apply those understandings to real life situations and story problems. Ultimately students should be able to score a 90% or higher on the end of unit assessments, which test them not only only being able to solve problems like 6x6 but also on how to choose the correct operation in story problems and how to choose/implement the taught strategies to arrive at an answer.
The particular lesson which was video-tapped introduced students to a strategy for solving division problems, the strategy is known as repeated subtraction. This tied into the unit goals in two ways. First, it added to student’s previous knowledge of what division is. Students already understood that in division you start with how many in all then split them equally into smaller groups. This lesson expanded upon that knowledge and allowed them to view division through a different lens. In multiplication we use repeated addition because in most cases we are trying to find how many in all, consequently the number will increase. In division, we use repeated subtraction because we know how many in all and usually need to find a smaller number. The lesson also provided students with an additional skill. Previously students could only draw pictures to solve division problems, now they have another strategy at their disposal.
The instruct for this lesson was mostly direct, but portions asked students to put their head together to discuss what repeated addition is and why they think we use it for division. It attempted to help students construct knowledge which would in turn promote their deeper understanding of division. The formative assessment, which was a worksheet, was a sheet of story problems with the division problems listed. This assessment not only gave them a chance to practice the newly aquired skill but also gave them more real world context for when to use division.
The challenge activity for early finishers gave students math problems for which they were asked to write division problems. This activity was aimed at promoting critical thought amongst the students.
The differentiation in this lesson for the small (lower) group attempted to lay more scaffolding on how to set up repeated subtraction problems based on a certain division problem. It focused primarily on teaching students the skill so that the students would be able to solve division problems using the skill on their own.
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