Highlight

 

 

Week of April 29-May 3rd

This week at school was full of pleasant surprises. Students in my 2nd and 4th period english classes are doing a great job with their novel presentations. I've seen some creative work and detailed explanations of their projects. Most students have received full points on this assignment, some students have even scored bonus points for presenting their project on the very first day.Both English classes are also watching the film, "Schindler's List" This movie seems to reinforce the Holocaust and the novel, "Night" that students have been learning about for a better part of a month now. The highlight is definitely watching the students present their projects...and i got to grade them!!! After all....it was my lesson!!

I decided to ask my cooperating teacher for extra teaching opportunities in class. He is allowing me to teach a 4 day biography lesson. In this lesson, students will learn what a biography is and interview a family member on their past history. Then, students will write up a mini biography and type a 1 page report. Students will earn bonus points for presenting in class.

Cell phone usage still seems to be a minor problem in class. Students are always connected with their phones. it seems impossible to monitor usage...kinda feels like a broken record sometimes. One thing that I've learned is to not give students too many rules or guidelines for big projects. It's important for their imaginations to work and think freely to do a good job on their projects.

Student assessment Strategies

Student Assessment

Strategies

Source: jstor.org  "The Clearing House" Vol. 73, No. 4   2000.

This article speaks on behalf of the current push by government to mandate standards and raise student achievement by incorporating student assessment. School districts are faced with establishing appropriate student standards for performance in education. Assessment is used to help obtain school goals and student learning. Standards od assessment do the following: 1. They delineate what nearly all students should learn, not just what they should be taught. 2. They establish more challenging norms for acceptable levels of student performance. 3. They ensure all classrooms across all schools in a local system, teachers apply expectations. 4. They hold school systems accountable, as well as teachers, administration, and students.

I believe assessment is very important for student learning and achievement. It is a measuring tool that schools need to have to ensure student learning has taken place. I don;t believe that every assignment needs to have a rubric, rather some other type of measuring device, that you know student learning has taken place. It could be simple feedback from the students, questions, or formative and summative assessments. I believe that districts should most definitely hold their students accountable for learning. it is important to set the achievement bar high for all students...even those students who don't like attending school.

Weekly Update

Weekly Update

4/22-4/26

Monday- Today, I taught 2nd and 4th period English. I also observed 3,5,6 period History. Previously, I had made-up a vocabulary quiz for the students on their book, Night, by Elie Wiesel. The vocabulary quiz focused on 10 questions of multiple choice answers. I sent an email to my coop teacher with the formatted quiz to send out for copies. The copies came back in time for the quiz, however, the answer key was also attached to the quiz. Needless to say...I caught this mistake before the quiz and ripped off the entire back page, so the students didn't have the answer key. Everything worked out okay, but I should be more specific next time on my requests for copies, as they are sent out to the district copier via email.
   The highlight of the week was the Night projects. Students have done an incredible job with creativity up to this point. Projects are starting to take shape, a few students haven't started yet...but I anticipate they will very soon, as they are due next Monday for presentations.
Teaching lessons seems to be at a high rate of speed. I seem to have every detail planned for my lessons, but sometimes I don't remember to include all of my details and objective of the lesson. I know I need to do a better job of slowing down and processing all of my plans to execute them properly. I also need to remember to ask students if they have any questions on particular lessons.

Classroom management Article

A Classroom management program for the middle school

A model that accommodates the individual differences of teachers

 This article introduces an approach to accommodate differences in teacher's styles and philosophies by using classroom management that works for them. Management models were originally developed to solve the problem of classroom discipline. The most widely used models are Canter and Canter's Assertive Discipline Model, Glasser's Ten Steps to Discipline, and Gordon's Teacher effectiveness Training. However, too often, teachers are frustrated with the results from these management models, because they don't match the teachers needs. Each of the listed models offer valuable tools, but teachers work effectively with a model that fits their needs, instead of other teacher's needs.

More than any other level, the middle school students exhibit stages of physical, intellectual, social, and moral development. Classroom management styles vary greatly among teachers, but some schools are set with one particular model of management. This doesn't sit well for the students, parents, or teachers. Teachers should be able to select the model that best fits their needs, or selecting a combination of models, or parts of models that intersect with each other. Teachers are professional who are capable of analyzing complex situations, who can develop a model based on their classroom's needs. There shouldn't be a prescribed set of guidelines to follow to maintain effective classroom management. Behavior management should be up to the individual teachers.

Source:JSTOR, Middle school Journal Vol. 20 No. 2 November 1988

Weekly Update

April 15-April 19

The highlight of my week was introducing a vocabulary lesson and quiz for next week I get to teach). Also, I will introduce the Holocaust Project on Thursday. Students will be able to select from a list of pre-determined choices for their final project on the book, NIGHT. I will also entertain student inquiries if they choose an option rather than the project ideas that I have assigned for them to choose from. As I enter week 2 of field experience, I am becoming more comfortable with the students and they are asking me more questions about who I am as a person.
One approach that I will adopt into my teaching is being patient and listening to student needs. My cooperating teacher is very patient with the students. He allows them time to think through decisions and questions. He is very effective with sharing life stories that relate to curriculum, for example: he shared a story about a starving cat and compared the cat to the prisoners in concentration camps starving. It is well-noted that any pet or human being for fight for survival. Everything (lessons) feel at such a fast pace, that I have to remind myself to slow down and get the essential lesson rationale and objectives to the students by demonstrating patience.
I am starting to get used to the students having cell phones during class. Some listen to music on headphones and some look up information for assignments on Google.
There were no conflicting situations to speak of. Except, one boy in 6th period was told to leave the room. I was puzzled. It turns out that he had chewing tobacco in his mouth during class.

Weekly Update

Mt. Spokane High School

Weekly Update

This week 4/8-4/12, I observed 5 periods of classes during two separate occasions. My cooperating teacher has a very free flowing atmosphere in his classes. His classroom management is very relaxed, but seems effective. I have 3 periods of English and 2 periods of World History/Geography. The English classes are studying the Holocaust book, NIGHT by Elie Wiesel and narrative writings. The History classes are working on their CBA's (Curriculum Based  Assessments) on current events in the world. My cooperating teacher assigned me the opportunity to come up with a summative project for the English Classes, that includes a variety of choices for the students to complete an end of the unit project. He also had me construct a worksheet with vocabulary words that students were having a difficult time with in the book, NIGHT. This worksheet will be assigned to students next week as part of a mini lesson. I also received the "green light" to come up with a project for the history classes that relates to North Korea and the Korean War...I am still hammering out details for this project.

Context for Learning Assignment

 

Context For Learning

My placement for secondary education is at  High School, located in Mead, WA. This is a mostly rural school, however, there are many multifamily neighborhoods (suburban) in the district as well. My cooperating teacher  has been teaching for 20 years, mostly at  Colfax, WA. All 5 periods of this class are general education classes, except, he requests students for his classes that are struggling with school. These students are not quite resource room students, they just need a different perspective on learning. He has a "free flowing" classroom management style with his students. During my observations to this point, it seems to be effective, but there are often conflicting directions with the usage of cell phones in the classrooms. He allows the student to listen to music on their phones, but students quickly take advantage of this and start texting.

There is minimal use of a textbook in the classroom. The literature classes are reading, NIGHT by Elie Wiesel- a Holocaust survivor from the Second World War. This book seems to be engaging for the students. The History classes have just started working on their CBA's (Curriculum based Assessments) Students are researching in the library on the assigned current event topics and will ultimately write a 6 page paper on their findings.

I am teaching 3 period of English/Literature and 2 periods of History on Mondays and Tuesdays. Each class period is 50 minutes in length with one prep period that falls on the first period time slot. All students are pretty well grouped together as far as learning is concerned. Each of the students are struggling with school in some form or another, and just need extra assistance to get them to think differently with learning. The Avervision is used primarily with a document camera to display documents and videos for the students.

My second period English class has all 10th grade students in it. There are 32 students in this particular class. it is rather large compared to the rest of the class periods. There are 25 males and 7 females in the class. There are 2 ELL students. There are no students with IEP's or gifted students. There are no students with a 504 plan.

TPA Response

TPA Lesson Plan Response

The TPA Lesson Plan Framework is a good overall form for teacher candidates. However, I do think that there's sections of the TPA that are repetitive and unnecessarily lengthy.For example; it seems that the content objective category often intersects with the lesson rationale category of the TPA. I believe the classroom management section is essential, but parent and community connections can be difficult to navigate through, especially as a teaching candidate.There are many good things about the TPA...

The first section of the TPA with the reasons for the framework provides teacher candidates with some much needed background knowledge on the history of the TPA. The context for learning section describes the overall make-up of the students in the classroom. This helps both the candidate and the evaluator understand what type and how many students there are in each of the classes. The GLE's and EALR's are always a good starting point before you plan a lesson. I believe these are essential for the lesson because it helps direct the teacher in accomplishing curriculum goals. However, I also believe that it is important to put your own "spin" on the lesson too. Even if that means straying away from the GLE's to do so. I think that is what makes a teacher successful in lesson planning and execution.

I also agree with the Assessment section of the TPA. It is important that there are ways to measure student learning after a lesson is taught. Also, a rubric included with each lesson lets the students visualize what a quality paper looks like to earn full points. Formative assessments are great to keep students focused and on track with learning. Also, summative assessments may be included after a particular module or unit plan to gauge how student learning is achieved (sometimes in the form of a test.)

Differentiated Instruction is always a "tough" part of the TPA. As teacher candidates, we have the opportunity to know our current students just briefly, if- at all. It is difficult to measure DI unless you know your students very well for a lengthy period of time. Then, you will know what types of lessons are best suited for them...that are a little different from the rest of the class.

Mt. Spokane High School