My experience was very informative and really fun. For a long time, I was under the impression that being a middle or high school teacher was tougher than elementary because the material is harder. Tutoring after school the last couple years started to slightly chip away at that as I realized that elementary concepts have little to no context to go off of; It's far more difficult than saying "those two are equal because of a rule you learned last year". Still, I never really stopped thinking that high school education was harder. However, just two months of first grade observations has completely blown the idea of elementary simplicity out of the water. Mrs. Smiley has to keep track of SO many things with each student. She may only have 1 class of 25 students, but she has to keep track of their progress in ALL subjects, and she has to really stay on top of everything. She's constantly staying after school for conferences with parents to help with the home aspect of education, and it's really just amazing how dedicated an early elementary teacher has to be. I never realized it, but first grade (and I would assume Kindergarten too) is probably the hardest to teach out of anything. I really enjoyed working with each of the kids on their reading, writing and arithmetic, but the 3 R's is where the old style methods end. I saw so many new methods for learning that even I never used in first grade, just ten years ago. The kids were using iPads and iPods, playing online educational games like Starfall, and even building towers with cups as part of their own Genius Hour. I really liked working individually with kids on reading/writing most, and I guess my least favorite thing was really just saying goodbye. I learned a lot, and it makes me wonder if there's a chance I'll want to teach elementary in the future instead of high school math.
What was your elementary experience like? Be specific. Add pictures to your blog. What did you like the most about your observation time? What did you like the least? What did you learn about teaching and learning from your 6 weeks of elementary observations?
My experience was very informative and really fun. For a long time, I was under the impression that being a middle or high school teacher was tougher than elementary because the material is harder. Tutoring after school the last couple years started to slightly chip away at that as I realized that elementary concepts have little to no context to go off of; It's far more difficult than saying "those two are equal because of a rule you learned last year". Still, I never really stopped thinking that high school education was harder. However, just two months of first grade observations has completely blown the idea of elementary simplicity out of the water. Mrs. Smiley has to keep track of SO many things with each student. She may only have 1 class of 25 students, but she has to keep track of their progress in ALL subjects, and she has to really stay on top of everything. She's constantly staying after school for conferences with parents to help with the home aspect of education, and it's really just amazing how dedicated an early elementary teacher has to be. I never realized it, but first grade (and I would assume Kindergarten too) is probably the hardest to teach out of anything. I really enjoyed working with each of the kids on their reading, writing and arithmetic, but the 3 R's is where the old style methods end. I saw so many new methods for learning that even I never used in first grade, just ten years ago. The kids were using iPads and iPods, playing online educational games like Starfall, and even building towers with cups as part of their own Genius Hour. I really liked working individually with kids on reading/writing most, and I guess my least favorite thing was really just saying goodbye. I learned a lot, and it makes me wonder if there's a chance I'll want to teach elementary in the future instead of high school math.
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The best way to determine the credibility of a website is usually just checking the URL. Anything ending with a .com is questionable, but can still be accurate. The best informational sites are .edu and .gov, and even a .org doesn't hurt to use every now and then. A website should cite its sources for referencing (shows confidence in information), and when using a site that anyone can post to (Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, etc.) you should always copy and paste the information you find in to a search engine to see what it pulls up. If multiple results exist that agree, you are probably safe. With Wikipedia, chances are that someone literally copied the text of another site, so it's typically easy to cross-reference. If you can't find any agreeing sources, I would think twice before using the questionable information. Lastly, articles written for various sites have different credibility. The Huffington Post, for example, has a reputation as a very credible and respected source of information, while a site like nationalenquirer.com is probably not a good starting point. Or ending point. Or any point at all. Just look for the credentials of the author at the end of the article. If it says "Jill Smith, Inquiring Writer", you've found no credentials. If it says "Jack Waters, Ph.D MD..." etc. you've probably found somebody who knows what they're talking about.
Prompt: What is the definition of rapport? Describe how your teacher develops rapport. Give specific examples of what they do. How do the teachers show an interest in their students’ lives? How does the teacher ‘be real’ and genuine with the students? How does the teacher connect with the students? Give examples of how trust is built in the classroom.
Response: Rapport is just a relation or connection to others, specifically a sympathetic relationship where you understand each other. Coincidentally, the Dictionary.com example was this: "A teacher trying to establish close rapport with students." My observation teacher shows in interest in everybody's lives constantly. The students have a show and tell time everyday, and when they have Writer's Workshop, she has some of them share their stories with her and the class before they write. This develops rapport not only between her and her students, but between the students themselves. Everybody is getting to know each other constantly. They even have a bulletin board in the room where kids can post family pictures and drawings they've made. Mrs. Smiley frequently mentions her personal life when providing examples in order to create a more personal experience for the class. I've seen many of the kids randomly go up to her and hug her, and they've done the same with me. Everybody is comfortable with each other in the class, which is crucial to a safe learning environment. The first graders in Mrs. Smiley's class use technology quite frequently. When they have their "workboard" time, there is a computer station in which they use learning programs called Starfall and ST Math. They also use various flashcard apps and so forth on both iPods and iPads. It's crazy. These kids know more about Apple products than I do. Additionally, the teacher has an ELMO projector that students use to share their work with the class, and a SMARTBoard to teach lessons from.
The kids are taught to take turns with the computers, as there's not usually enough computers to go around, and with the handheld devices, the kids have been walked through the basics so that they know how to use them effectively. 1) Read through the PPT: Classroom Management Tips
2) Select one classroom management tip to use in TGIF on Friday 3) Describe the management tip and how you plan to "try" it out with your TGIF group https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17X6HboD2TWXBgRmh9xFuGCD91aD5U0IboNBlu1rdonU/edit?usp=sharing I really liked the idea of asking the students questions about their personal lives. It makes a bond with the class and shows my own interest in their lives, making them more willing to listen to me and communicate about issues and questions. I will probably start out the session asking everybody how they're doing individually and what interesting things they have going on soon. I'll want to remember this stuff so I can ask how it went during the next session.
Prompt:
What are you thoughts on this article? How could you use this in the future for TGIF or your future class? https://app.schoology.com/link?a=58001266&path=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.teachingchannel.org%2Fblog%2F2014%2F10%2F02%2Fclassroom-management-3-things%2F Response: I thought that was pretty informative. I actually remember a couple of teachers who specifically followed each of those ideas. Classroom habits and procedures can be a bit demeaning to the students if you overdo it, but these tactics are pretty useful in classroom control. I'll definitely have to pay attention to how I address the students during Genius Hour, because I want it to be fun, but I also have to establish control. I may need to appear more stern when I speak to the entire group, and speak more personally when I'm with one or two students. This is especially important since there are multiple age groups involved here, so each kid needs to be treated very differently. |
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