Cooperative Learning

             On Tuesday, class was focused on cooperative learning. It was definitely a very fun class that I enjoyed being in. It was weird being at RIC but I think that this lesson was perfect for a day that we didn’t go out to the field because it was really informative and we had to move around the classroom a lot. That is something we can’t always do at CF. Cooperative learning includes group goals and in this lesson, I really liked the two activities that we did in class to learn about cooperative learning, Fan-N-Pick and “Let’s Make Squares”. 

            “Let’s Make Squares” was really interesting. It was a lot of fun and somewhat stressful because we were competing with the other groups in the class. At times it was really frustrating to want to move other people’s strips of paper but not being able to move it, because it was against the rules. If the group member didn’t know where to move it but I did I found myself getting anxious while trying to talk them through it. I now know that I would have to slow down in order to effectively talk the person through it. It was a great teambuilding activity because as we succeeded and reached the goal we all got really excited. Also, as the activity went on everyone began participating more and more. Having jobs for each person in the group was also a way to make sure participation was equal. In my Sped 433 class, we have also learned this aspect with cooperative learning. Assigned roles/jobs provides students to be more accountable in the group. One of my favorite roles is definitely the question commander. I like this job because having one student ask the questions or get the teacher’s attention in each group controls the class more than if each student is yelling at the teacher.

            I also really liked the Fan-N-Pick activity. I thought I could incorporate it into a science class by having the questions be review questions for a quiz/test that the students could work in groups to answer. I also think giving an opportunity for all the students to have discussion for a short period of time after the student answering the question is finished speaking. Also, since students are sometimes nervous about answering questions I think it is effective to have a student be a praiser. This can be a confidence booster for the students. This and the other activities included in the packet on cooperative learning that we have received in class will be very helpful in any class.

Observations at CFHS: So What About New Students?

            Since I’ve finished my observations about two weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about what to blog about. I left all four of my observations with knowledge, advice, new ideas, but some questions. However, due to a busy schedule and some procrastination, I haven’t been able to blog until now. I was able to observe three different classes: an honors Biology class, a Biology class for students who are English Language Learners, and two Environment and Society classes. The Environment and Society class is an elective. It seemed very interesting and reminded me of an Ecology course I have taken at RIC. I was able to observe this class when it was first period of the day and last period of the day. My cooperating teacher expressed to me both times that although there are not many students in this class, it is sometimes difficult to reach all students because they are all very different learners and every student’s background knowledge on the subject is different. In the time that I had observed this class (on a Thursday and the following Wednesday), there had been a new student added to the class. This is when I learned that new students have been added at various times throughout the semester. So what I am asking now and what I have been thinking of since I completed my observations is, what is the best way to handle new students being added to a class, many times throughout the semester/school year?

            Having new students added to class is something that I am positive I will experience in the future as a teacher. I can remember new students being put into my classes in all grades. In college, that has definitely changed. Of course, the first two weeks it happens but after that the class basically stays the same. With this being what I have been used to I hadn’t given much thought to how teachers handle having new students added to their class mid-semester/mid-year/any time throughout the school year. After observing two classes where about seven out of the ten students have been added since the beginning of the third quarter I have definitely been thinking about this. My cooperating teacher had told me during my first observation of this class that there were originally three students in the class. She had said that it is an elective but as other electives filled up or were over capacity students got added into this one. If new students come to CFHS (which I have seen happen throughout the semester) and their elective period is the same time as this class then they are added to it as well. The entire time I kept thinking: how does she reach all the students who are at various levels/grades with all different background knowledge on the subject? Also, how does she reach the students who are entering her class mid-unit?

            Something that I noticed is that Mrs. W’s units are not always built off of each other, so a new student could adapt easier when need be. She also expressed to me that this class is a little more flexible and she has more freedom teaching it. I think that works toward her advantage with the number of students who have came into her class late in the semester.

I have also been thinking of some strategies I would put into place when new students are added to my future classes. I think a good way to handle this is also to make sure handouts are available to all new students and that they are easy to understand. Also, in a class where units are built off of each other, it may be ideal to provide basic summary sheets of the information that is necessary for the unit a new student has entered. Of course, providing extra assistance and time after class can be helpful as well. This way, newer students can ask questions that can help clarify something that has already been learned but they have missed. In my special education class we learned about peer tutoring. In the example provided new students that were English language learners paired up with a student who spoke their native language. The tutor and teacher worked together to help the new student understand the material being taught. This was also a good way for new students to make a friend right away in their new school. I think this can also be an effective strategy with any new student. It may not be the student in class with the highest GPA; it should be the student who is most helpful and would be an effective peer tutor.

            I didn’t really think of strategies for helping new students until my observations. However, I am glad to have been given the opportunity to really think about this. Overall, I think it is very important to monitor new students and make sure they have equal opportunity for success. Being a new student in the high school setting is not easy and not all students are willing to ask for the extra help. Having these strategies aware to all students at the beginning of the year/semester is something that I would definitely make sure of. I would also make sure the new students know of these strategies when they enter the class. With these strategies will also come more work for me before a new student even arrives but I do still think it is necessary. Of course, I anticipate learning new strategies between now and when I receive my first teaching job but I do feel as though I have more knowledge on this topic than I did before. 

                                          

Cookies and Rubrics?

            Learning how to write rubrics is something I don’t have much practice with. In a way, I am intimidated writing them because it can be tricky to make sure they are very specific but easy for students to read and comprehend. When I am completing an assignment, having a rubric is very helpful. In order to help us learn how to write rubrics, class included a cookie activity that was fun yet effective.

            When we began the activity, I didn't expect it to be the way it was. I was anxious because I was teaching my first lesson right after our class so my mind was a bit preoccupied. We were told to write a rubric on how we would score a chocolate chip cookie on a scale of 0-4. This activity reminded me of when I was in elementary and middle school and we were told to write instructions on how to make chocolate chip cookies in order to practice writing procedures. I felt this was a great way to introduce rubric writing because it felt easier to write a rubric on chocolate chip cookies than anything in a subject area (at least in class that day). Unfortunately my group didn’t finish our rubric. We tried to make sure it was very specific and we had trouble coming up with categories that were sufficient. I was definitely just over thinking because we ended up having very similar categories to the other groups.

            The class became very laid back when we were actually instructed to try 7 different cookies and score them using another group’s rubric. However, I felt bad that one of the groups had an incomplete rubric (sorry guys!). Eating the cookies was a nice treat that actually helped me learn a lot about rubrics. I had learned rubrics have to be very specific. You need to know what you are expecting from your students, essentially, what you want to be turned in. There is a lot of room for gray areas especially if it includes “good chocolate to cookie ratio”. This can vary among the people grading. Something that is good to me is not good for everyone else. It also has to be consistent throughout each category. Also, one of the most important factors is that the rubric has to line up with the objective. These are all things that I learned first hand by completing the cookie activity. I know that the first rubric I write will still not be the easiest thing in the world, but I do feel more confident than I did before this class.

Classroom Management: A Constant Learning Process

            Something I’ve been really nervous about while going through the education process to become a teacher has been classroom management. It has really been taught to me until this class. Listening to the teacher panel speak about classroom management led me to learn some things that I did not know before, however, I still have a lot to learn.

            I think classroom management is something that will always be changing. Something that works for one class may not work for another. It’s something that I will probably always be learning. For example, teachers did not always have to deal with students using their cell phones in class. In this day and age a lot of students have cell phones and many students use their cell phones while in class. Some of the teachers on the teacher panel spoke about what they do when students are using their cell phones. Many schools have their own policy, sometimes even a zero tolerance policy. This policy doesn’t always work. I really liked when one of the teachers on the panel said that she spoke with her administrators and came up with her own policy of having a set number of warnings then assigning community service for the students when they are out of warnings. She said that it really worked this quarter and that she will be using it next quarter. I think that’s great because she thought outside of the box and went to her administrators to see if they would allow her to do this. This proves it’s very important to be in contact with the administrators and that it’s also key to know your students.

            Another point that stuck out to me is something that is obvious but is sometimes forgotten and that is respect works both ways. This includes the way a teacher handles a situation. If a teacher calls out a student in class for the way they are acting, embarrassing them, they will not have respect for you. I agree with the panel that taking the student out of classroom, writing the student a pass to take a five-minute break, or simply giving the student a gesture is more appropriate than yelling at the student. I also think that the students will have more respect for the teacher if this is how the situation is handled. In high school, there were times when teachers called out students in class and at that time everyone in class would stop what they were doing and begin paying attention to that individual student and the teacher, and not class. After this, the teacher had to work to get the entire class back on task. I want to make sure this does not happen by handling the situation in the manners described before.

            Overall, I think classroom management is still something I have a lot to learn about. From the teacher panel I learned some techniques but I will also talk to my cooperating teacher when I teach to hear about some techniques she has. This panel was informative and I am eager to learn more in the future.

           

           

Tuesday, April 1st: Learning how to Lecture

            Tuesday in class, we learned about growth=happiness, questioning, and lecturing. All points are very important in a classroom. However, the portion of class that I enjoyed and benefitted most from was when we learned how to lecture.

            Lecturing is something that did not seem easy to do. I have been very nervous to lecture in the future and had not learned how to do it in past education classes. In most of my classes, a lecture is class every day. I’ve probably sat through every lecture one could imagine. Some have been very exciting and informative while others have been extremely boring and dreadful. Lecturing is something I plan on doing when I have my own classroom. I mean in order to have a class that will fulfill all learning styles I definitely think it is necessary. I also think that although activities are fun for class, there needs to be variety in how class will go to cater to every learning style and learning the correct way to lecture can make these classes fun as well.

            Some very important points I learned from Dr. Horwitz and her lesson on learning how to lecture was that a lecture shouldn’t be longer than 18 minutes. This is something I never knew but can definitely see how it is important because after that much information students tend to not listen as attentively. It is something I notice in my own classes now. I stop listening after a part of lecture. This means I would have to break up my class with some lecture, and maybe a small activity, worksheet, etc. for the other part of class. Another key point I learned was giving time for students to take notes. This is something I can see myself struggling with at first because I picture standing in front of the class and not speaking could seem awkward but it is something that is essential when lecturing because people need time to take notes. There’s nothing worse than when I am in a lecture and the professor goes so fast that I can’t keep up with writing and next thing I know my notes don’t make sense and the lecture was basically useless. I never want this to happen in my class. For a portion of my lesson that I will be teaching in CF I have planned a short lecture to introduce the topic and I think this will be the first time I will be stopping and giving the students time to write notes.

            Other important points about lecturing that I knew but was reassured with was that the tone of my voice cannot be monotone. I have to sound like I actually like what I’m talking about to get students attention. If I have a power point presentation I shouldn’t write everything I will be saying and it is also useful to provide students handouts to fill out as I am presenting. Here is a link to a site I found that provides some good strategies for lecturing in a classroom that is similar to some strategies learned in class but has some others as well: link!

This portion of class really helped me figure out how to lecture and will be something I use in the near future. After my lesson I will be reflecting back and thinking what strategies I used and how I can make it better for next time as well.

What a Day!

             Thinking back to Tuesday’s class all I can think is wow! There was so much information in such a short amount of time but that was perfectly fine because the information I did receive will be so useful. I felt for Dr. G when she shared her stories with us and am excited to have received the question handouts from Dr. Horwitz. One part of the class that was extremely useful and fun to watch was when Bob, Kim, and Buddy planned a lesson in front of us. 

            Being able to watch teachers create a lesson plan was interesting. It was so helpful to be able to hear a teacher’s thoughts as they plan. At times, I was asking the same questions that Buddy was asking and thinking some of the same things that Kim or Bob were saying. This made me feel confident that I have learned from the education classes I have taken. It also made me wish that I had a co-teacher and/or Dean of Pedagogy. I had obviously heard of co-teaching before but I found that the way they bounced ideas off of each other and asked each other questions seemed so helpful and their lesson evolved easily. Although it seems Kim and Bob work well together, I kept thinking what happens if co-teachers don’t get along. Personalities can clash and I think that if two teachers don’t work well together the class could suffer from it. What can one do if this happens in their classroom?

Specifically, when listening to the planning I learned that I would need to think of how to group the students. I have learned about grouping students in Sped 433 so I knew what they were talking about when they were choosing between heterogeneous and homogeneous groups. I also realized that it is extremely important to plan what I’ll be doing when the students are working, what I will do when students need extra help, and what I will do when students already understand the material. These are things that I have learned at RIC but being able to hear different examples of these aspects was very useful.

            Being able to see a lesson being planned out made me less nervous to make my lesson plans for this class. One of the most important things I learned is to know what I will be doing while students are working and to have extra things planned so that students don’t spend class time not being productive. Also, I learned that it’s okay to ask other teachers questions and to go to use resources when I need it. Most importantly, I learned that the skills I learn at RIC will prepare me for the future and that is very reassuring. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and feel I am definitely on the right track to succeed when I teach this semester.

Administrative Panel-Some New Advice For Success

            I thought it was really great that the administrators took such a long time out of their busy day to speak to us. I left that class with a lot of knowledge, reassurance, and advice to help me today and in the future. I was actually able to take two pages of notes stating some of the things that the administrators said to us. I will not go off on a tangent explaining every phrase that I was able to write down however, I do want to elaborate on a couple of points that were made.

            Something that was said that really stuck out to me was that it’s okay to make mistakes. As a college student who wants to be a teacher I am afraid to make mistakes. I think that any mistake I make when I get a job could potentially ruin my career. Getting a job is extremely competitive and I think having the reassurance that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as I grow from them and think, “What can I do next time” is very helpful and a relief. The next step is to actually work on improving from my mistakes (obviously), which could be asking for help, looking up other lessons, or even talking to my students. I also connected this statement with the able vs. willing graph that Mr. Laplante drew on the board. I agree with this diagram and will strive to be able but will most importantly to be willing to improve and do my best as a teacher.

            Another point, which I was unaware of before listening to this panel, was that the risk zone is where most learning takes place. It did remind me of Vygotsky’s Zone ofProximal Development and it made me think of how I learn. I never thought of learning in a risk zone to be the way we learn best because I would have thought that learning takes place in a comfort zone. However, I do see that most learning will occur in a risk zone. The way I think of it now is that students need to be challenged in order to learn and that the risk zone is where students are challenged but not extremely overwhelmed or unaware, like the danger zone. It also makes me think of times where I have tried learning advanced material that I do not have any prior knowledge. I am not learning because it is too difficult and confusing for me. I need outside resources such as the Internet or other texts for extra help so that I am out of the danger zone and can actually learn. When I create my two lesson plans for this class I want to observe what zone the students I teach are in. This will be the first time that I will be teaching high school students and it will be interesting to see if maximum learning is achieved.

            These are just a couple of points that I really liked from the presentation last Tuesday. I really enjoyed listening to the administrators speak and it was great to hear their own personal stories while they spoke to us. I also am very thankful that they took time out of their day to speak to us!