On Thursday, I really enjoyed the topic in Mr. Gmerek's Calculus class, so I stayed in there both periods instead of going to Mrs. Horne's. I even stayed during my free period afterward, because I actually had the time. This was really good for me because it gave me a look at what it's like to do the same thing for hours. I've often wondered if I'd truly enjoy teaching the same topic to different students over and over all day, but I definitely enjoyed myself Thursday. I don't think I'll have any problem with repetition as a teacher, if anything I just got to see how you adjust in later periods to how early periods react and learn. You get better throughout the day, and I like that. Overall, it was a very insightful week of observations for me.
This week, I had a couple of interesting experiences. To start, on Tuesday, I saw that Mrs. Horne engaged her students through the classroom environment to teach about various graphing techniques. When the students walked in, there were different stations around her classroom labelled "Transformation Town", "Piecewise Pool" and so forth. The students moved from each station to the next as they went through different graphing variations in worksheets and discussions with her. The adjustment from the normal atmosphere was a bit more engaging and interesting I think, as well as a great memory device. Now, when the students try to remember when to use each strategy, they can think back to where they were in the classroom when they saw a similar question. If they can remember they were in Piecewise Pool, then they know to split the graph in to a piecewise function. Though the idea of work centers is predominantly considered for elementary school use, I think it was very appropriate and useful in this context.
On Thursday, I really enjoyed the topic in Mr. Gmerek's Calculus class, so I stayed in there both periods instead of going to Mrs. Horne's. I even stayed during my free period afterward, because I actually had the time. This was really good for me because it gave me a look at what it's like to do the same thing for hours. I've often wondered if I'd truly enjoy teaching the same topic to different students over and over all day, but I definitely enjoyed myself Thursday. I don't think I'll have any problem with repetition as a teacher, if anything I just got to see how you adjust in later periods to how early periods react and learn. You get better throughout the day, and I like that. Overall, it was a very insightful week of observations for me.
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This week, I also learned a lot of the students' names, so I felt pretty good about that. The students are more comfortable with me now because I've been around a while; at first they were unsure since I'm just a high school student like them. Overall, I saw how much I enjoy working through topics that even I didn't like before, when I was learning them. I just really like walking through and simplifying concepts so that people can understand them, no matter what area of math it is.
I've watched Mrs. Horne give a full-class lecture that included a lot of student involvement through whiteboards on their desks, and I've also seen Mr. Gmerek allow his AP students to grow as they become more and more used to directing their own progress through a topic. It's really interesting to compare and contrast their styles, though when it boils down to it, the two classes are drastically different and thus can't be evenly compared anyway. I also touched base with Steven's new and old teachers to see where he stands and if my assistance could be used. We'll find out pretty soon here if he can test out of Algebra 1, and then they'll decide what I'm needed for. I'm looking forward to see where my observations go this year! Essentially, I spent time watching a couple of math teachers instruct their classes. During free work time, I wandered the room and assisted students when they were stuck. It was very interesting to see the major differences between an Algebra 2 class and a Calculus class. Not only did the teachers have different teaching styles, but the students behaved very differently. Mr. Gmerek teaches his Calculus lessons through a lot of self-guided worksheets, because Calculus students are more independent by the time they reach his class, and they are more self-driven. He is mainly there to introduce the first part of a concept, and then just to clarify whenever there is confusion over a part of an assignment. In Mrs. Horne's class, she provides similar problem sets to Mr. Gmerek's, but she has a larger role in the students' learning because they aren't as good at figuring things out on their own yet. There was definitely a lot more full-class instruction in the Algebra 2 class.
As I went around the room helping students in Algebra 2, I was also shocked to realize just how poor of an understanding some students have of basic arithmetic. They can be learning about manipulating variables to alter a graph, all the while still struggling to add fractions or subtract negatives. It was a bit of a challenge to go over those concepts with them when they asked for my help, because I was completely unprepared for that. I expected them to struggle with the Algebra, but any algebra struggles they had were only on account of the gaps in their prior learning experiences. It will be interesting to see how my mentor teachers take different approaches to resolve these issues with their students, and I'm also going to try to improve my skills in explaining arithmetic. I'm so used to describing abstract concepts that I often forget how many kids still struggle with 5th and 6th grade material. This year should be good for me, as a bit of an eye-opener toward student development. The last two weeks were interesting as I got to see the teachers of three different Math courses teach in their own unique ways. While the general method was to explain a concept on the board while the students listened and took any notes they needed, it was interesting to see how the teachers just explained everything differently. They each have their own personal shortcuts and philosophies. Then of course there was free work time, where I could try to help kids when they needed it. My second week of observations was completely free work time with teachers going over questions as students got stuck, because it's exam review time. As I'm typing this, those kids are taking their Algebra or Geometry exams.
Admittedly, I didn't observe more than two periods this week because of Class Officer meetings and then my Calculus teacher launching rockets... I spent my math observations observing Calculus that day I guess, but that was definitely an excellent example of building rapport. Still, I got a good look at the differences between an Inclusive Math class and an Honors Math class, as well as the freshman dynamic that is always interesting. High school is definitely for me. I spent some time in three different teachers' classrooms this week, all high school math. There was Mr. Allen, who teaches Geometry to freshmen; Mrs. Hutton, who teaches Algebra I and Algebra II to freshmen and sophomores, and Mrs. Gmerek, who teaches an Inclusive Geometry class, also to underclassmen. Between Periods 3 and 4 this week, I've spent time in each room and seen each class at least once. While I don't have a major role in the high school classes like I did with elementary students, I still enjoyed the experience. No real behavior problems occured; we could just focus on the material, and have real conversations about what we were doing while occasionally drifting off and coming back after a side story or something. That's why I like the high school environment, there's a less tense atmosphere but it's still more sophisticated. I spent a lot of time just observing the different teaching methods between the teachers (and it was surprising how different they could be!), but I did get to spend some time helping students and help one teacher with a lesson. I'll be more involved next week because there will be less instruction time as they review for upcoming exams. I'm interested in how that will go in the Geometry classes, since I need a minute to refresh on all the material as they start on it. Still, I'm enjoying the experience and it's actually intriguing to see the different styles of three different teachers, one after the next all week.
One thing I find the most interesting about the gifted students is their personal quirks. Most gifted elementary students have something odd about them, whether it's an obsession with something they're learning, or an obsession with a movie/video game, or just insane hyperactivity. Some of them have very poor listening skills or a minimal ability to piece things together with context clues and common sense. But hyperactiviy is of course the most common. I noticed one boy who couldn't sit still on the carpet; he would constantly get up on his knees and kick his feet, then sit back down with his legs crossed and shake back and forth, always moving. I gave him a marker and told him that when he goes to sit down on the carpet with everyone else, he should start bringing a marker with him and leave it capped. Just rolling it between his hands was a good way to channel all that energy; he began to sit still right away. That was a method I learned from my own 3rd Grade Focus teacher, Mr. Weaver. He used to use that trick with us all the time when we couldn't sit still.
In my last week, I got to see them present large portions of their work this year. Students had been coding games and researching countries and so forth, it was amazing to see what they'd built and learned. They also had a paper airplane day where they analyzed throwing their planes different ways for different results. At first, they were going for distance, so they threw with the wind outside. Then they went for maximum time in the air... That was interesting because they still faced the same direction and just tried to throw straight up (with a few hypothetical modifications here and there). At the end, the kids wanted me to try, so I grabbed a plane and faced the wind. They all just looked at me and one boy actually said, "Hey you're going the wrong way", which was funny. I reminded them that creative problem solvers try everything, and that new ideas are never bad. Of course, facing the wind actually did help me because the wind created lift. My plane's time ended up being double the best kid's time with the wind, to that student's dismay. I tried to quickly explain Bernoulli's Principle to them, and I feel like that was a good kind of shock-and-awe lesson on thinking creatively and trying to know what you're getting in to next time; doing research and so forth before guessing wildly. Overall, I had a great time working with the Focus students and hope to do it again next year. I learned a lot from them, and I think they learned a lot from me. Focus observations were a great trip down memory lane for me, but also a good way to see things from the other side, as the teacher. Mrs. Keller's classroom is just a constant source of positive energy. The main idea of Focus is to teach the kids to look at life differently and understand that so much more goes in to every little aspect of life than they originally thought. Following this, every idea is supported in class, and at least given proper consideration if it's not applicable. There are signs all over the room about how to share ideas, how to listen to other people's ideas, and how to think positively. The students all know that failure is okay, and that especially in this class, it's almost considered a goal for them fail occasionally. Everyone is treated with equal respect, while additional support is provided for each student's individual ideas to allow for equity in their successes. Every student has what they need to succeed. There is also a chart for class jobs, putting the students in charge of small cleaning and maintenance tasks around the room throughout the day. This allows for the students to feel a sense of responsibility and group belonging. Overall, the classroom strongly promotes fairness in all aspects of the word, and the students actually feel more comfortable here than in their home classrooms.
As for what specifically occured this week, the kids basically had a "free day" on Tuesday because the Monday, Wednesday and Thursday groups didnt' come (PARCC testing messed up schedules too badly). The Tuesday group just spent the day doing various math and language logic puzzles, while also continuing their current projects a little. They watched a video on the creation of US currency and all the security measures that our Treasury uses, then planned some of their own currency for the micronations they've been creating. It's really fun to work with them and constantly come up with problems for them to solve, like economic nationalism and taxes and so forth. I'm looking forward to next week when I can see every class again! My students are learning about marketing and commercials, as well as the basis of forming a new country. Two very different topics. But anyway, the kids have been learning marketing so that they can figure out how best to sell their inventions. Their Invention Convention was Thursday night, and I had the opportunity of being a judge a the competition. It was so inspiring to see all of the kids' ideas, and also really entertaining when they describe the learning process. I really enjoyed it, and hope to do it again next year. In terms of the country formation lesson, the students are planning out a hypothetical "micronation" that will be just outside of any host nation of their choice. They're planning the economic and governmental setup, as well as natural resources, trading, and other aspects of creating a new nation. I like to just sit and discuss potential problems with them and see them problem solve. Overall, this has probably been my favorite set of observations so far.
Describe your classroom: who are the students, what are their disabilities, what are they learning? What are you learning about students with special needs?
My students are learning about marketing and commercials, as well as the basis of forming a new country. Two very different topics. But anyway, the kids have been learning marketing so that they can figure out how best to sell their inventions. Their Invention Convention was Thursday night, and I had the opportunity of being a judge a the competition. It was so inspiring to see all of the kids' ideas, and also really entertaining when they describe the learning process. I really enjoyed it, and hope to do it again next year. In terms of the country formation lesson, the students are planning out a hypothetical "micronation" that will be just outside of any host nation of their choice. They're planning the economic and governmental setup, as well as natural resources, trading, and other aspects of creating a new nation. I like to just sit and discuss potential problems with them and see them problem solve. Overall, this has probably been my favorite set of observations so far. As you observe in your classroom this week, answer the following questions:
1. Describe your classroom: who are the students and what are they learning? 2. Describe how your mentor makes the room/ environment physically and emotionally safe for their students. My first week of Focus Observations was great! I really love working with the kids and seeing all their fun ideas! Focus is a gifted services program for fourth and fifth graders, so most of the students don't really have any outstanding disabilities. There are definitely students who are hyperactive and inattentive, but that just comes with being a gifted student who is often ignored in the regular classroom. One boy even talked to me about this; he has an idea for a new classroom study tool that provides everybody a chance to speak in class so that both underperforming and overperforming students (like himself) can participate. His idea was part of his Invention Convention project, which is a Focus assignment for which everyone had to come up with an original, creative device/tool that could help people in whatever tasks the students chose. The "inventions" ranged from a newer water-purification system that focused on desroying carcinogens, to a pen that writes what you speak, to an RC squirrel with a built-in camera (to be used for security purposes "on the gang-ridden streets of LA"). While most of their ideas weren't fully planned blueprints, they were still partially thought out and surprisingly creative. The thing I like best about advanced elementary students is that they have the intelligence of an older individual, but the maturity and honesty of an elementary student. Therefore, they constantly say and do things that are so amazing or funny and way out of left field that every day is amusing. It's like watching a puppy grow in to its big paws, and it occasionally just falls over in the least dignified way. The classroom has comfortable work areas here and there (a big plush chair on the side, some computer work stations in the back), and is full of ideas about inspiration and ingenuity. Failure is encouraged, and trying new things isn't even a question in that class, it's an expectation. The students are eager to learn everyday, because they know Focus is where they can put their cognitive skills and creativity to the test, while Miss Keller will still be willing to help them when they are stuck. She is very supportive of everyone's ideas, and even when a student is blatantly wrong, she still commends their thought process. The students only see Miss Keller once a week (students come one day a week from 9:30-2:00), but they are still very close with her. I'm very excited to start the next week of observations, and hopefully I'll get to see more of their ideas and ingenuity. |
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