Describe different ways (strategies) the teacher presents material to the students.
When Ms. Sorensen likes the students to understand where things came from so they don’t just understand what it is, but they also understand the history behind it. For example, their one vocabulary word is gyp. So she looked up and informed the class how gyp sounds like Gypsy and how in 16th century England, Gypsies were known for tricking people out of money.
Also, when she assigns or presents something she always tries to make it relatable to the students. For example, weeks ago when the earthquake in Haiti occurred which suffered the loss of a about a couple hundred thousand people. Ms. Sorensen had was trying to get the students to understand just how large of a loss it was, but they weren’t understanding the analogies she was using. So I jumped in and related it to where most of the children live which is Park Ridge. I said that there are about 36,000 people in Park Ridge; therefore, it is about 6 cities of Park Ridge that would be lost and then it clicked and they were like “Oh wow!” I feel it was easy for me to be able to make that comparison because I had been watching Ms. Sorensen make each lesson relatable to the students.
She also always has a hand out. Giving the students a handout is a good strategy because the handouts allow the students to be able to look back and check if they forgot. She has them store the handouts usually in their binders or composition notebooks to look back at for future reference.
What type of student groupings does the teacher use? (one-on-one, pairs, small groups, whole class?)
Ms. Sorensen uses a variety of different groupings. She often has the students work in small groups at their table. Each table has three to four students. However, she often has students work as a whole class. The only time she works one-on-one with the students is when she discusses their goals for their reading logs every other Friday.
Ms. Sorensen says that she likes having the classroom set up with four students at a table because then she can have assigned seats and have them working in small groups without them having to get up and form groups which they most likely would form with their friends. I have noticed that by having the students work with the kids at their table, the assignments get done faster.
What techniques are used to assess and evaluate learning? Describe any assessment technique you have observed.
I have seen many assessments. Ms. Sorensen has given out quizzes, homework, reading logs, and journal entries. Some of the assessments are graded were as other assignments are just checked off to see if they’re completed. For example, the journal entries are sometimes graded with a point scale; however, other times she just checks off if they wrote something.
What are you learning about this age group?
From observing I have learned that these 7th graders are very concerned about minor details. For example, if they forget something in their locker, they are very concerned and need to run out to their lockers right away. I think that is interesting because Ms. Sorensen is very relaxed and always allows the students to go in the hall to get something they forgot.
Also, I learned that kids are very concerned about their friends. I have observed several cliques and some kids who are more loners. When I asked them what they like to do outside of school all of them said hang out with friends. Also, one student Gary said one of the main reasons he likes coming to school is because he gets to see his friends. Furthermore, I thought it was interesting that some of the students have been caught texting in class, and some of the students have talked about how they are on Facebook. I feel like they should be too young to be texting their friends and too young to be on Facebook. I guess I just have to accept that times are changing as technology advances!
What do students enjoy and dislike most?
When I went around interviewing students the majority of them said that overall they like English class, but they don’t like everything about it. They really like to read and tell the class about the outside books they’re reading. Michelle said that she likes to read because of the reading logs assessment. She said that she probably wouldn’t read as much as she does if it wasn’t for the reading logs. They dislike the vocabulary quizzes and some of the journal entries. This girl Alex said she finds the quizzes and journals to be overwhelming. “Sometimes Ms. Sorensen assigns too many words and it’s hard to remember all of them. And then she also has us do journal entries and it’s just really overwhelming,” said Alex.
Outside of class students have a variety of activities they enjoy doing. One girl Michelle is on the volleyball team. Another boy Tim just got the lead part in the school play.
Do you see technology being used in the classroom?
No, since I started observing I haven’t seen Ms. Sorensen use technology at all. Emerson is a very fortunate school with a lot of technology. Like I said in my first journal, the classroom has computers, television, and projectors. Therefore, I feel that in a way it is disappointing that Ms. Sorensen hasn’t incorporated any technology into her lessons. Even the whiteboards and chalkboards aren’t ever used. Her lessons are very basic and very routine. She often has handouts that the she or the students then go over aloud.
From observing in Ms. Sorensen’s room I have learned a lot about teaching and the instruction. Ms. Sorensen has a lot of teaching experience and knows a lot. She has great lesson plans that are well prepared. When I went around the room talking to students all of them had good things to say. None of them said they felt completely lost or confused. All of them believed the lessons were planned well and that they felt like they were prepared for a test, project, or even just a simple homework assignment. When I talked with Ms. Sorensen about how she is able to achieve this I understood that it all relates to how she teaches her class. I have observed and learned that she does a lot of what Maniates discusses in the text Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom. First of all, Ms. Sorensen keeps the student’s engaged. Like I stated previously, she makes the assignments or discussions relatable to the students. Maniates’ writes: “Children’s interests and need to know motivate learning and their lived daily experiences and natural curiosity give the teachers open avenues for making classroom work meaningful” (83). Furthermore, Ms. Sorensen asks “probing questions” (87). When working on D.O.L if a student has trouble she doesn’t just give up on the student after the first try. She continues to ask them questions about it or questions that will give answers that will help to solve the problem. Furthermore, when other students try to chime in and give the answer, she reassures the class and the student that is having trouble that she believes in them and that they can do it on their own.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Online Resources for Photo Editing
Along the left hand side of my blog I have listed three links to great online sites to edit photos. They are:
* https://www.photoshop.com/
* http://www.pixlr.com/editor/
* http://www.splashup.com/
I chose these three sites because they were all different than each other, but they were all simple to use and had many great features.
Photoshop.com is by far my favorite. You can join for a free simple trial version and it provides you with so many different options. You can make your picture a sketch or there is even a button to pick out one color from the photo to stand out. It is really cool and fun to use!
* https://www.photoshop.com/
* http://www.pixlr.com/editor/
* http://www.splashup.com/
I chose these three sites because they were all different than each other, but they were all simple to use and had many great features.
Photoshop.com is by far my favorite. You can join for a free simple trial version and it provides you with so many different options. You can make your picture a sketch or there is even a button to pick out one color from the photo to stand out. It is really cool and fun to use!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Journal #3-Domain #3- Teaching and the Curriculum
How is the day planned? What is the teacher’s daily schedule? How does it relate to the age level of the group?
The 7th grader’s schedule is composed of homeroom, then three elective classes, a gym class, lunch, then their four core classes (Math, English, Science, History). Also, Ms. Sorensen informed me that after the first semester the school used to have the students switch their electives with their core class from in the morning to in the afternoon. Meaning, the student’s day would be the opposite as above. They would have their four core classes in the morning, and then their electives and gym in the afternoon. Unfortunately, they don’t do this anymore and the students strictly just have their core classes in the afternoon. I think having their core classes in the morning would be more conducive to this age group because I have noticed that the students get very antsy and restless in the afternoon.
Furthermore, the way Ms. Sorensen plans the day and runs the classroom relates well to the age level of the group because she provides the students with structure, but also flexibility and independence.
My observing teacher, Ms. Sorensen, teaches one elective class in the morning called SPFY (pronounced spiffy). It stands for Speak For Yourself which serves as the student’s speech class requirement. Also, she has meetings on Wednesday. While school normally ends at 3:00, on Wednesdays the students get done at 2:10 because all the teachers have meetings to go to.
How is the classroom time used?
Class time is used very well. There are always things to do and time is never wasted. Ms. Sorensen always fits in a lot into the class period, but it never seems rushed. The teacher has the students read a little bit at least every day of the week. Monday through Thursday, the work on reading some of Freak the Mighty. Friday, they do their silent reading with the book of their choice. The daily schedule for each class period is different on different days. On Mondays, they go over the new vocabulary for the week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays they work on D.O.L (Daily Oral Language) at the beginning of class. Also, every Friday they have a vocabulary quiz.
What preparations were made to start and conclude various activities?
To introduce the activities, Ms. Sorensen often has handouts and worksheets that she passes out while she starts explaining what the students are expected to do. To conclude the activities, she has them do a journal entry on the activity or homework questions so that when they are at home they can continue thinking about the lesson.
Can you identify the purpose or objective of each activity?
Usually, the purpose is very clear and it ties in with things they are doing in the English class, and sometimes the activity ties in with what they’re doing in other classes. For example, she created a handout that was titled “Restating Questions.” She gave the students a list of questions and they had to answer them by restating the question in with their answer. The questions didn’t just pertain to English class, but their other classes as well. For example, “How did WWII provide opportunities for women in the workplace?” This activity had several objectives. One was to improve their writing, and it was also a preparation for the ISAT exam that the students will be taking in a couple of weeks.
How are cultural differences considered and needs met?
Like I stated in my last blog, Polish is the biggest culture at Emerson; however, there are only a few students who are actually English as a Second Language Learners. So Ms. Sorensen doesn’t really need to accommodate her lessons around cultural differences. She basically teaches everyone to the same high standard. If there are any students who need extra help they can attend and work on their homework in the Resource room. Resource is for students who are slower learners or if they have any type of learning disability. However, Ms. Sorensen does have the students work at different levels for their reading logs. Their reading logs are weekly worksheets that keep track of books they’re reading and have their parents sign them. Ms. Sorensen informed me that they used to require the students to read at least two hours every week. However, reading wasn’t getting completed and students really weren’t pushing themselves. Now they have a set goal of how many pages they want to read every week. Every student has a different goal and every two weeks Ms. Sorensen meets with each student to see if they want to increase their goal. She told me that every student always increases their goal. The only time their goal might decrease is if they read a more challenging book.
In the text Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom by Maniates she talks about how it is important to “Provide Time to Process and Reflect” (77). From observing in Ms. Sorensen’s class, I have noticed that she incorporates this idea in her lessons. Usually after she teaches a lesson she hands out a journal prompt that reflects on the lesson, but also allows for the students to be able to right freely about their opinions. Furthermore, from observing another thing I learned about Teaching and the Curriculum is that teachers need clear guidelines and expectations for her students. Maniates writes, “Teachers must be clear about the quality work they expect” (67). Ms. Sorensen has always given out clear guidelines for each assignment. Also, at the beginning of the year they received a handout for what was expected from each assignment. For example, all work turned in must be written in black or blue pen and there must be a heading in the upper right hand corner of their paper. Also, when the students have a paper Ms. Sorensen makes sure they are well prepared and clearly understand the requirements. She accomplishes this by handing out a rubric with the requirements and grading scale on it when the paper is first assigned.
The 7th grader’s schedule is composed of homeroom, then three elective classes, a gym class, lunch, then their four core classes (Math, English, Science, History). Also, Ms. Sorensen informed me that after the first semester the school used to have the students switch their electives with their core class from in the morning to in the afternoon. Meaning, the student’s day would be the opposite as above. They would have their four core classes in the morning, and then their electives and gym in the afternoon. Unfortunately, they don’t do this anymore and the students strictly just have their core classes in the afternoon. I think having their core classes in the morning would be more conducive to this age group because I have noticed that the students get very antsy and restless in the afternoon.
Furthermore, the way Ms. Sorensen plans the day and runs the classroom relates well to the age level of the group because she provides the students with structure, but also flexibility and independence.
My observing teacher, Ms. Sorensen, teaches one elective class in the morning called SPFY (pronounced spiffy). It stands for Speak For Yourself which serves as the student’s speech class requirement. Also, she has meetings on Wednesday. While school normally ends at 3:00, on Wednesdays the students get done at 2:10 because all the teachers have meetings to go to.
How is the classroom time used?
Class time is used very well. There are always things to do and time is never wasted. Ms. Sorensen always fits in a lot into the class period, but it never seems rushed. The teacher has the students read a little bit at least every day of the week. Monday through Thursday, the work on reading some of Freak the Mighty. Friday, they do their silent reading with the book of their choice. The daily schedule for each class period is different on different days. On Mondays, they go over the new vocabulary for the week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays they work on D.O.L (Daily Oral Language) at the beginning of class. Also, every Friday they have a vocabulary quiz.
What preparations were made to start and conclude various activities?
To introduce the activities, Ms. Sorensen often has handouts and worksheets that she passes out while she starts explaining what the students are expected to do. To conclude the activities, she has them do a journal entry on the activity or homework questions so that when they are at home they can continue thinking about the lesson.
Can you identify the purpose or objective of each activity?
Usually, the purpose is very clear and it ties in with things they are doing in the English class, and sometimes the activity ties in with what they’re doing in other classes. For example, she created a handout that was titled “Restating Questions.” She gave the students a list of questions and they had to answer them by restating the question in with their answer. The questions didn’t just pertain to English class, but their other classes as well. For example, “How did WWII provide opportunities for women in the workplace?” This activity had several objectives. One was to improve their writing, and it was also a preparation for the ISAT exam that the students will be taking in a couple of weeks.
How are cultural differences considered and needs met?
Like I stated in my last blog, Polish is the biggest culture at Emerson; however, there are only a few students who are actually English as a Second Language Learners. So Ms. Sorensen doesn’t really need to accommodate her lessons around cultural differences. She basically teaches everyone to the same high standard. If there are any students who need extra help they can attend and work on their homework in the Resource room. Resource is for students who are slower learners or if they have any type of learning disability. However, Ms. Sorensen does have the students work at different levels for their reading logs. Their reading logs are weekly worksheets that keep track of books they’re reading and have their parents sign them. Ms. Sorensen informed me that they used to require the students to read at least two hours every week. However, reading wasn’t getting completed and students really weren’t pushing themselves. Now they have a set goal of how many pages they want to read every week. Every student has a different goal and every two weeks Ms. Sorensen meets with each student to see if they want to increase their goal. She told me that every student always increases their goal. The only time their goal might decrease is if they read a more challenging book.
In the text Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom by Maniates she talks about how it is important to “Provide Time to Process and Reflect” (77). From observing in Ms. Sorensen’s class, I have noticed that she incorporates this idea in her lessons. Usually after she teaches a lesson she hands out a journal prompt that reflects on the lesson, but also allows for the students to be able to right freely about their opinions. Furthermore, from observing another thing I learned about Teaching and the Curriculum is that teachers need clear guidelines and expectations for her students. Maniates writes, “Teachers must be clear about the quality work they expect” (67). Ms. Sorensen has always given out clear guidelines for each assignment. Also, at the beginning of the year they received a handout for what was expected from each assignment. For example, all work turned in must be written in black or blue pen and there must be a heading in the upper right hand corner of their paper. Also, when the students have a paper Ms. Sorensen makes sure they are well prepared and clearly understand the requirements. She accomplishes this by handing out a rubric with the requirements and grading scale on it when the paper is first assigned.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Blogs, Wikis, Nings
Blog, Wiki, and Nings are all forms of communicating with other people online. A Blog is like a diary or a journal. Someone can write down what they’re opinions or feelings; as well as information and observations. A Wiki is a social network. It can be compared to like a “Facebook.” A wiki allows for online community interaction. A Ning is what you can use to create a social network. So you would use a Ning to create a Wiki.
The differences between all three are very distinct. The differences are somewhat stated in their definitions. A blog is more personal and one person’s point of view. A wiki is more public with interactions between a group of people. A ning is the forum for where you can allow for interactions between group of people.
All three can be used in education. A teacher can use a Ning to create a social network (aka: a Wiki) for her own classroom. Each of the students can then posts blogs in their wiki to communicate with the teacher and other students in the class.
The differences between all three are very distinct. The differences are somewhat stated in their definitions. A blog is more personal and one person’s point of view. A wiki is more public with interactions between a group of people. A ning is the forum for where you can allow for interactions between group of people.
All three can be used in education. A teacher can use a Ning to create a social network (aka: a Wiki) for her own classroom. Each of the students can then posts blogs in their wiki to communicate with the teacher and other students in the class.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Journal #2-Domain #2 and #5 -Teaching and Students / Teaching and the Profession
What is the student body diversity and how is cultural diversity recognized in the school?
There is not much student body diversity at Emerson Middle School. The school is located in a middle to upper middle class neighborhood and I would say about 90% of the students are white.
Polish is the largest culture group at Emerson. There is a class called TPI that is offered for “English as a Second Language” learners. One girl, Peppy, in Ms. Sorensen’s class is in TPI. She is Bulgarian. In TPI she learns basics of English words, grammar, and sentence structure. Even though she is in TPI she is still in the regular English class as well. Peppy told me that “without TPI school would be very different” and that she probably wouldn’t like school at all. Even though English is her second language, her favorite class is English because “I love reading and thinking of stories and writing paragraphs. It’s a lot of fun.”
How are children involved in the classroom; how do they relate to one another?
In the classroom children are involved in various ways. They are asked to pass out papers or collect homework. Also, before group reading sometimes one student from each table would go up and get the chapter book, Freak the Mighty, for his/her table. Furthermore, students sometimes take the recycling bin to the main recycling bin of the school. Many students like taking out the recycling. There are always a couple kids every time I’m there asking Ms. Sorensen if they can take out the recycling.
How are the needs of students with exceptionalities met in the classroom and at the school?
Emerson is very accommodating to students with special needs. Emerson has special education resource rooms for each grade level and a self-contained special education classroom. The resources rooms are used for students with a variety of needs. Some students have specific learning disability, speech-language impairment, deaf-blindness, emotional disability, or traumatic brain injury.
Ms. Hess is in charge of the self-contained special education classroom which is called STRIVE. She explained to me some differences between a resource room and the Strive program. It originally started as a resource room; however, the students needed more of a self-contained classroom to benefit their needs. The students that are placed in Strive are low incidence. They can have Down syndrome, Fetal Alcohol, mental health impairment, or various other disabilities. They try to pre-teach the children. Meaning the purpose of the Strive program is to try to teach them what they will need to know need to know before they can teach them required information. This includes working on educating the children in social and life skills before supplying them with information regarding educational skills. The program is direct instruction teaching, but they also incorporating supplemental teaching as well.
How do teachers and other school personnel work together?
Teachers work in teams of four and it is called their “core.” Emerson is made up of grades 6-8. In 7th grade students are assigned to a core (that has four teachers: one English, one Math, one History, and one Science teacher). They keep those same four teachers for two years—all through 7th and all through 8th grade. The core teachers work very closely with one another. They often have lunch together as well as meetings. However, all the cores work together, too. Two of the cores are even having a competition with one another for which core can raise more money for Haiti. All the core teachers of 6th meet together to make sure they all on track and doing similar activities and all the 7th/8th grade teachers meet for the same reason. Also, there are meetings for individual subjects. Meaning, all English teachers will meet one day and all math teachers will meet another day. Emerson functions really well because all the teachers are very helpful and very welcoming to one another.
How are families and other community members involved in the school?
Families and other community members are involved in the school in numerous ways. Just the other week, Emerson had open house which was open to the parents. The parents and students were able to come in one night talk with the teachers, look at the students work, and play activities in the gym. There are also parent teacher conferences where the parents come to school and meet individually with the teachers. Furthermore, there are parent organizations call PTO and parents are also used as chaperones for the school’s socials. Also, Emerson has a basketball team called the Emerson Eagles. They play other schools in games and Emerson’s main rivals are the Lincoln Lions. Community members often come to watch the games.
How does the teacher keep track of student progress?
Students have binders that are divided into vocabulary, quizzes and tests, grammar, rough draft, final draft, writing handouts (vivid verbs, more on transitions, words for feelings, ways to say said), reading logs, miscellaneous). Also the students have composition notebooks which have vocabulary in them and journal entries. These are two big portions of the course that keeps track of their progress.
Furthermore, Ms. Sorensen likes the old fashioned paper grade book. She says she feels more comfortable using this because she “doesn’t trust technology” and if something happens to the file she won’t lose all of her student’s grades. In her grade book she has dividers for homework, reading logs, quizzes, tests, and projects. If there is a circle that means the homework hasn’t been turned in, if there is a check then that means the homework was turned in, if there is a red check that means the student turned the homework in late. Also, the are students who are in resource (which is the school’s program for students with learning disabilities) are highlighted in yellow.
Emerson also requires the teachers to use PowerTeacher Gradebook. It is an online program (similar to Microsoft Excel) that the teachers post the grades in so parents and students can view the grades from at home. I think it is an awesome program. The teachers can post comments on each individual grade. Ms. Sorensen said she post comments on grades that are low or failing to explain to the parent and student that that grade received a low grade because it was turned in late or wasn’t completed.
What extra duty tasks does the teacher perform? (meetings, bus duty, etc.)
Every Wednesday after school Ms. Sorensen has to go to meetings. The meetings switch between Emerson Middle School and Lincoln Middle School.
Other teachers are chaperones for the school socials, on lunch duty, or run clubs such as yearbook. Furthermore, other teachers are in charge of the band or orchestra, coach sports teams, intramurals, or cheerleading. Bus duty is an extra activity that the teacher gets paid extra.
Since I started observing at Emerson I have learned a few things about Teaching and the Student as well as Teaching and the Profession. First of all, in regards to Teaching and the Student, it is necessary that students need to feel like they belong in school. Without this sense of belonging students will not succeed. Maniates, author of Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom, believes this can be accomplished by cultivating “respect for differences as well as similarities.” In the classroom I’m observing at, Ms. Sorensen has incorporated this idea through a journal assignment. In class we are reading the book, Freak the Mighty. One of the main characters in the book, Kevin, is born with Morquio Syndrome. So my teacher posed the question “Would it be better if only ‘perfect’ children were allowed to be born? Explain why or why not in complete, well thought out paragraphs.” She explained that they must choose one side and that there is no right or wrong answer. The students had very well thought out answers and even though another student may have disagreed with what someone said everyone in the class respected one another’s answers. Furthermore, from observing I learned about Teaching and the Profession and that teaching is not a simple, standard, or tedious job. A teacher has to be flexible and accommodating and vary his/her lesson plans for each class and sometimes for each student. In chapter 5 of Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom, Maniates discusses how to “Make Learning Explicit.” She writes about how teachers “speaking to the whole class explicitly about skills or strategies they want them to learn, or sitting beside students and pointing out problems a coach or coworker would. These teachers show students how what they are learning will further the purposes of their lives. Students respond well to be treated with respect, to not being patronized, and to not having the learning process or curriculum made mysterious to them” (64). Ms. Sorensen makes sure that when she is teaching her students she is teaching them things that will be beneficial for years to come. Her goal for her students is that when they are done with her English class her students will be able to walk away with a better understanding and a better knowledge of the English language.
There is not much student body diversity at Emerson Middle School. The school is located in a middle to upper middle class neighborhood and I would say about 90% of the students are white.
Polish is the largest culture group at Emerson. There is a class called TPI that is offered for “English as a Second Language” learners. One girl, Peppy, in Ms. Sorensen’s class is in TPI. She is Bulgarian. In TPI she learns basics of English words, grammar, and sentence structure. Even though she is in TPI she is still in the regular English class as well. Peppy told me that “without TPI school would be very different” and that she probably wouldn’t like school at all. Even though English is her second language, her favorite class is English because “I love reading and thinking of stories and writing paragraphs. It’s a lot of fun.”
How are children involved in the classroom; how do they relate to one another?
In the classroom children are involved in various ways. They are asked to pass out papers or collect homework. Also, before group reading sometimes one student from each table would go up and get the chapter book, Freak the Mighty, for his/her table. Furthermore, students sometimes take the recycling bin to the main recycling bin of the school. Many students like taking out the recycling. There are always a couple kids every time I’m there asking Ms. Sorensen if they can take out the recycling.
How are the needs of students with exceptionalities met in the classroom and at the school?
Emerson is very accommodating to students with special needs. Emerson has special education resource rooms for each grade level and a self-contained special education classroom. The resources rooms are used for students with a variety of needs. Some students have specific learning disability, speech-language impairment, deaf-blindness, emotional disability, or traumatic brain injury.
Ms. Hess is in charge of the self-contained special education classroom which is called STRIVE. She explained to me some differences between a resource room and the Strive program. It originally started as a resource room; however, the students needed more of a self-contained classroom to benefit their needs. The students that are placed in Strive are low incidence. They can have Down syndrome, Fetal Alcohol, mental health impairment, or various other disabilities. They try to pre-teach the children. Meaning the purpose of the Strive program is to try to teach them what they will need to know need to know before they can teach them required information. This includes working on educating the children in social and life skills before supplying them with information regarding educational skills. The program is direct instruction teaching, but they also incorporating supplemental teaching as well.
How do teachers and other school personnel work together?
Teachers work in teams of four and it is called their “core.” Emerson is made up of grades 6-8. In 7th grade students are assigned to a core (that has four teachers: one English, one Math, one History, and one Science teacher). They keep those same four teachers for two years—all through 7th and all through 8th grade. The core teachers work very closely with one another. They often have lunch together as well as meetings. However, all the cores work together, too. Two of the cores are even having a competition with one another for which core can raise more money for Haiti. All the core teachers of 6th meet together to make sure they all on track and doing similar activities and all the 7th/8th grade teachers meet for the same reason. Also, there are meetings for individual subjects. Meaning, all English teachers will meet one day and all math teachers will meet another day. Emerson functions really well because all the teachers are very helpful and very welcoming to one another.
How are families and other community members involved in the school?
Families and other community members are involved in the school in numerous ways. Just the other week, Emerson had open house which was open to the parents. The parents and students were able to come in one night talk with the teachers, look at the students work, and play activities in the gym. There are also parent teacher conferences where the parents come to school and meet individually with the teachers. Furthermore, there are parent organizations call PTO and parents are also used as chaperones for the school’s socials. Also, Emerson has a basketball team called the Emerson Eagles. They play other schools in games and Emerson’s main rivals are the Lincoln Lions. Community members often come to watch the games.
How does the teacher keep track of student progress?
Students have binders that are divided into vocabulary, quizzes and tests, grammar, rough draft, final draft, writing handouts (vivid verbs, more on transitions, words for feelings, ways to say said), reading logs, miscellaneous). Also the students have composition notebooks which have vocabulary in them and journal entries. These are two big portions of the course that keeps track of their progress.
Furthermore, Ms. Sorensen likes the old fashioned paper grade book. She says she feels more comfortable using this because she “doesn’t trust technology” and if something happens to the file she won’t lose all of her student’s grades. In her grade book she has dividers for homework, reading logs, quizzes, tests, and projects. If there is a circle that means the homework hasn’t been turned in, if there is a check then that means the homework was turned in, if there is a red check that means the student turned the homework in late. Also, the are students who are in resource (which is the school’s program for students with learning disabilities) are highlighted in yellow.
Emerson also requires the teachers to use PowerTeacher Gradebook. It is an online program (similar to Microsoft Excel) that the teachers post the grades in so parents and students can view the grades from at home. I think it is an awesome program. The teachers can post comments on each individual grade. Ms. Sorensen said she post comments on grades that are low or failing to explain to the parent and student that that grade received a low grade because it was turned in late or wasn’t completed.
What extra duty tasks does the teacher perform? (meetings, bus duty, etc.)
Every Wednesday after school Ms. Sorensen has to go to meetings. The meetings switch between Emerson Middle School and Lincoln Middle School.
Other teachers are chaperones for the school socials, on lunch duty, or run clubs such as yearbook. Furthermore, other teachers are in charge of the band or orchestra, coach sports teams, intramurals, or cheerleading. Bus duty is an extra activity that the teacher gets paid extra.
Since I started observing at Emerson I have learned a few things about Teaching and the Student as well as Teaching and the Profession. First of all, in regards to Teaching and the Student, it is necessary that students need to feel like they belong in school. Without this sense of belonging students will not succeed. Maniates, author of Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom, believes this can be accomplished by cultivating “respect for differences as well as similarities.” In the classroom I’m observing at, Ms. Sorensen has incorporated this idea through a journal assignment. In class we are reading the book, Freak the Mighty. One of the main characters in the book, Kevin, is born with Morquio Syndrome. So my teacher posed the question “Would it be better if only ‘perfect’ children were allowed to be born? Explain why or why not in complete, well thought out paragraphs.” She explained that they must choose one side and that there is no right or wrong answer. The students had very well thought out answers and even though another student may have disagreed with what someone said everyone in the class respected one another’s answers. Furthermore, from observing I learned about Teaching and the Profession and that teaching is not a simple, standard, or tedious job. A teacher has to be flexible and accommodating and vary his/her lesson plans for each class and sometimes for each student. In chapter 5 of Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom, Maniates discusses how to “Make Learning Explicit.” She writes about how teachers “speaking to the whole class explicitly about skills or strategies they want them to learn, or sitting beside students and pointing out problems a coach or coworker would. These teachers show students how what they are learning will further the purposes of their lives. Students respond well to be treated with respect, to not being patronized, and to not having the learning process or curriculum made mysterious to them” (64). Ms. Sorensen makes sure that when she is teaching her students she is teaching them things that will be beneficial for years to come. Her goal for her students is that when they are done with her English class her students will be able to walk away with a better understanding and a better knowledge of the English language.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Journal #1 Domain #1 Teaching and the Environment
How is the classroom physically organized? Do children seem to know where things are?
The classroom I was in was very organized. There were six large tables that sat four students. The tables were arranged in a “U” shape around the room. On the right wall there were two chalkboards and two white boards. The left side of the room had a row of computers.
Every student knew where everything was. For example, on the teacher’s desk there was a plastic divider that had a spot for each class period’s homework. At the beginning of class they were supposed to have their reading logs all done and ready to hand in. All the students knew to place their finished reading logs in the plastic divider that belonged to their class period.
How do learners and teacher’s use the classroom space?
From what I have observed so far, the classroom space really isn’t utilized that much. The children are mostly in their desks for the whole class period. The class space is utilized at times. For example, on Friday’s after their vocabulary quiz they are given silent reading time. During that time they are able to get up and sit wherever they want around the room. Another time the classroom is utilized is when they read aloud as a class they form a circle in the middle of the room.
Is the room more child-oriented or teacher-oriented? Give examples.
The room was both child-oriented as well as teacher oriented. The back half of the room was more child-oriented whereas the front half was more teacher-oriented. Meaning, the back wall had books and all the student’s binders. Also, there were pillows and cushions for the children to sit on and use during silent reading time. In the front of the room near the door was the teacher’s desk and behind her desk on the front wall were her teaching books, textbooks, dictionaries, and other books that belonged to her.
What resources are in the room? How do children and adults use them?
There are chalkboards and dry erase boards. There are also several dictionaries and many books that can be used for their silent reading time. Also, there is are several bins that hold markers, glue sticks, scissors, looseleaf paper, construction paper, and extra folders. So far from what I have seen, the teacher Ms. Sorensen, has not used the blackboard or whiteboards at all. The other resources such as the markers and glue sticks and things are for the students use only because the teacher has her own supplies. It is put there in case a student needs access to looseleaf paper that he may have run out of or forgot to bring to class.
What techniques are used to get students’ attention, to transition them from one activity or place, to another?
The teacher I’m observing, Ms. Sorensen, gives her students a lot of independence. Meaning, she explains the plan for the class period and what assignments are due; therefore, when students are done with one activity they can independently transition from one activity to another. When she does need to grab the students attention she usually just stands up at the front of the room silently until the students start to quiet down.
What examples of technology are available?
Emerson Middle School is a relatively new school and is located in a middle to upper middle class neighborhood. Therefore, Emerson’s classrooms are up to date with technology. They have a wall lined with computers, there are TV’s in every classroom, and overhead projectors. Also, there are SMART Boards in some classrooms. Unfortunately, the classroom I was in didn’t have one, but the room next door did. However, the technology is rarely used. One student told me that they only use the computers to work on projects.
From my observations I learned a couple things about Teaching and the Environment. First of all, resources are crucial and a key to the student’s success. However, these resources need to be organized and easy for the students to locate. Maniates, author of Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom, states: “A classroom that uses student investigation, projects, and student initiated activity needs to have clearly defined areas where students can find the materials they need and have space to work” (37). In the classroom I was in, students knew where the resources were in the room. This made class time flow easier and student’s got their work done a lot faster. For example, the students had a separate take home quiz and they were given time to complete in class. The quiz required the students to pick one of the five civil behavior words (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills) and one boy needed to look up a word so he went right over to where the dictionaries were and found the definition. Then when they completed their take home quiz they went right to the divider and found their class period and handed in their homework. If the classroom did not have resources or organization that simple assignment would have been hectic and stressful for the student as well as the teacher. Another thing I learned about Teaching and the Environment is that it is important to have students work displayed throughout the classroom. Besides organization and resources, students also need confidence. This can be accomplished by showing off their work. Maniates agrees and believes that “Displaying students’ names, photos, and work prominently throughout the room underscores their ownership of space.” The teacher, Mrs. Sorensen, must also agree with this statement seeing that in her classroom she had the students’ work hanging from the ceiling. When I asked a couple students how they feel about seeing their artwork out for everyone to see and one student, Kyle, said “It’s really cool because I feel like the teacher is proud of my work and that I am part of the classroom.” Therefore, showing off student’s work is a simple way for students to feel included in the classroom as well as confident and proud.
The classroom I was in was very organized. There were six large tables that sat four students. The tables were arranged in a “U” shape around the room. On the right wall there were two chalkboards and two white boards. The left side of the room had a row of computers.
Every student knew where everything was. For example, on the teacher’s desk there was a plastic divider that had a spot for each class period’s homework. At the beginning of class they were supposed to have their reading logs all done and ready to hand in. All the students knew to place their finished reading logs in the plastic divider that belonged to their class period.
How do learners and teacher’s use the classroom space?
From what I have observed so far, the classroom space really isn’t utilized that much. The children are mostly in their desks for the whole class period. The class space is utilized at times. For example, on Friday’s after their vocabulary quiz they are given silent reading time. During that time they are able to get up and sit wherever they want around the room. Another time the classroom is utilized is when they read aloud as a class they form a circle in the middle of the room.
Is the room more child-oriented or teacher-oriented? Give examples.
The room was both child-oriented as well as teacher oriented. The back half of the room was more child-oriented whereas the front half was more teacher-oriented. Meaning, the back wall had books and all the student’s binders. Also, there were pillows and cushions for the children to sit on and use during silent reading time. In the front of the room near the door was the teacher’s desk and behind her desk on the front wall were her teaching books, textbooks, dictionaries, and other books that belonged to her.
What resources are in the room? How do children and adults use them?
There are chalkboards and dry erase boards. There are also several dictionaries and many books that can be used for their silent reading time. Also, there is are several bins that hold markers, glue sticks, scissors, looseleaf paper, construction paper, and extra folders. So far from what I have seen, the teacher Ms. Sorensen, has not used the blackboard or whiteboards at all. The other resources such as the markers and glue sticks and things are for the students use only because the teacher has her own supplies. It is put there in case a student needs access to looseleaf paper that he may have run out of or forgot to bring to class.
What techniques are used to get students’ attention, to transition them from one activity or place, to another?
The teacher I’m observing, Ms. Sorensen, gives her students a lot of independence. Meaning, she explains the plan for the class period and what assignments are due; therefore, when students are done with one activity they can independently transition from one activity to another. When she does need to grab the students attention she usually just stands up at the front of the room silently until the students start to quiet down.
What examples of technology are available?
Emerson Middle School is a relatively new school and is located in a middle to upper middle class neighborhood. Therefore, Emerson’s classrooms are up to date with technology. They have a wall lined with computers, there are TV’s in every classroom, and overhead projectors. Also, there are SMART Boards in some classrooms. Unfortunately, the classroom I was in didn’t have one, but the room next door did. However, the technology is rarely used. One student told me that they only use the computers to work on projects.
From my observations I learned a couple things about Teaching and the Environment. First of all, resources are crucial and a key to the student’s success. However, these resources need to be organized and easy for the students to locate. Maniates, author of Teach our children well: Essential strategies for the urban classroom, states: “A classroom that uses student investigation, projects, and student initiated activity needs to have clearly defined areas where students can find the materials they need and have space to work” (37). In the classroom I was in, students knew where the resources were in the room. This made class time flow easier and student’s got their work done a lot faster. For example, the students had a separate take home quiz and they were given time to complete in class. The quiz required the students to pick one of the five civil behavior words (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills) and one boy needed to look up a word so he went right over to where the dictionaries were and found the definition. Then when they completed their take home quiz they went right to the divider and found their class period and handed in their homework. If the classroom did not have resources or organization that simple assignment would have been hectic and stressful for the student as well as the teacher. Another thing I learned about Teaching and the Environment is that it is important to have students work displayed throughout the classroom. Besides organization and resources, students also need confidence. This can be accomplished by showing off their work. Maniates agrees and believes that “Displaying students’ names, photos, and work prominently throughout the room underscores their ownership of space.” The teacher, Mrs. Sorensen, must also agree with this statement seeing that in her classroom she had the students’ work hanging from the ceiling. When I asked a couple students how they feel about seeing their artwork out for everyone to see and one student, Kyle, said “It’s really cool because I feel like the teacher is proud of my work and that I am part of the classroom.” Therefore, showing off student’s work is a simple way for students to feel included in the classroom as well as confident and proud.
Monday, February 1, 2010
TIE 300 Homework NETS
So far in TIE300 I have learned about Word, PPT, Excel, and Blogs. Knowing this information will help me be able to meet the National Education Technology Standards (NETS).
Standard 1 (Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity) calls for students to use their own creativity and apply it to areas outside the classroom. This may deal with issues that are in their community or issues around the world. Blogs will meet NET standard 1 because blogs allow for links to websites or videos that can show news or other important information that is happening locally or globally. Also, with blogs students can express what they're feeling or share the information they know as well as be able tor ead what other people know and communicate with others by posting comments.
Standard 2 (Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments) basically expects students to become self learners. Microsoft Excel will meet NET standard 2 because Excel allows for students to keep track of their own progress, set goals, and be able to make graphs to see their progress.
Standard 3 (Model Digital Age Work and Learning) calls for the ability to share information with a group of people whether it is with other peers, parents, teachers, or community members. Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) will meet NET standard 3 because PPT allows information to be clearly portrayed through bullet points, graphs, or charts. Also, you can add links, videos, and pictures to the PPT to get information across to the viewers.
Standard 1 (Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity) calls for students to use their own creativity and apply it to areas outside the classroom. This may deal with issues that are in their community or issues around the world. Blogs will meet NET standard 1 because blogs allow for links to websites or videos that can show news or other important information that is happening locally or globally. Also, with blogs students can express what they're feeling or share the information they know as well as be able tor ead what other people know and communicate with others by posting comments.
Standard 2 (Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments) basically expects students to become self learners. Microsoft Excel will meet NET standard 2 because Excel allows for students to keep track of their own progress, set goals, and be able to make graphs to see their progress.
Standard 3 (Model Digital Age Work and Learning) calls for the ability to share information with a group of people whether it is with other peers, parents, teachers, or community members. Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) will meet NET standard 3 because PPT allows information to be clearly portrayed through bullet points, graphs, or charts. Also, you can add links, videos, and pictures to the PPT to get information across to the viewers.
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