Blog #8: What I Learned From Classmates

I looked at Jana's blog and she posted a really good quote from the book: "The more willing we are to take the risks, the better the lives of our students are likely to become, and the greater the fulfillment we are likely to feel at the end of the day."
I really like this quote because it gives me the motivation to feel like I really can be an effective teacher if I'm willing to put in the effort and try new things. If I try something new and it doesn't work there are always other things I can try without giving up on my students and assuming they can't learn it.

I also looked at Lance's blog. One thing that he wrote about was deciding what groups students will be in before class. Sometimes teachers just decide on groups at the moment they need the kids in groups. When you do this, students might not be in the best possible group for them. You might put 2 friends in a group that like to talk a lot to each other or you might put a student a group where they feel behind and stupid so they won't feel comfortable saying anything. Sometimes it's okay to put students in random groups, but I think the teacher should be very aware of who is in each group, how they work together, and if students will learn the best in that group.

Blog #7: Differentiation Strategies

I can picture myself using a lot of the strategies presented in class but the one I would try first is Learning Menus. I loved the examples the group showed us in class and I think the kids would have so much fun with them. It seems like a very simple way to differentiate the assignments. It would be a very good strategy to use for Social Studies. For example, if I was teaching about World War 2, I could come up with a variety of assignments, some that all of the class would do, and some that they could pick two or three from a list. If I wanted my students to learn about the holocaust, I could have one of my choices be to learn about Ann Frank write a letter to her comparing her life with theirs. Another choice might be to learn about a holocaust survivor and do a project about that. All students would be learning about the holocaust but they would be approaching the topic differently and learning about different aspects of it. In the end, each student could present their projects, so they would be teaching the other students about the parts they had learned. Students would be able to choose projects that helped them learn best whether through writing, drawing, putting on a play, etc.

Blog #6: Differenting Readiness or Interest?

I think that it's important to use both in that classroom. I think if the topic seems like it might be something that is tough for the kids to get, differentiation for readiness would be a good idea. Students need to be scaffolded up so the task doesn't seem so daunting and intimidating. I think that differentiating for interest can be done anytime that it fits. For example, if you are giving a writing assignment you could give the students a list of topics to write about. They are still writing and all doing the same assignment, but they are able to choose something they are interested in to write about. Sometimes you can differentiate for both. For example, using the Think-Tac-Toe model. Students are able to choose 3 choices out of 9. Some choices are less complex than others. Some choices allow students to work with partners, other choices are individual. I think by switching it up the kids will learn best. Sometimes by differentiating for readiness, other times for interest, and sometimes for both.

Blog #5: Commnunication in the Classroom (pg. 42-44)

1) Make it a point to teach metacognitively. Explain to students the thinking behind your plans and decisions. Model for students the kind of thinking you want them to do with their own work.

2) Have students complete personal profiles to help him/her understand how they see their particular strengths. Graph and display results. Discuss with students how you can help everyone build their strengths and weaknesses.

3) Establish goals, guidelines, and routines for the class and assess their progress in those areas.

4) Use "windshield checks". Ask students if their windshield is clear (they understand the topic enough to move on), there's a few bugs on their windshield, or their windshield is completely muddy (they don't understand).

5. Hold goal-setting conferences with students. Look at students work, discuss strengths, and help students set goals to improve.

6. Use dialogue journals. Students can write anything they would like to tell or ask the teacher about.

7. Use teacher talk groups. Have a small group of 3 to 5 students meet and discuss with you how well they are understanding and allow them to ask questions. Students who don't want to speak up in class may open up in the small group setting.

Blog #4

A1: I was not there for the the guest speaker but from what I've learned about morning meetings so far I think that they are a really good idea and would be very beneficial in the classroom. I will definitely try to implement morning meetings into my own classroom. The students will be able to feel a stronger sense of community among their classmates and I think it will help those that are normally shy to feel comfortable speaking up. Once they feel comfortable speaking in morning meetings, hopefully they will feel comfortable sharing their ideas in class as well.

B1: 5 specific ways a teachers can respond to students needs:
1) The Response of Invitation
2) The Response of Opportunity
3) The Response of Investment
4) The Response of Persistence
5) The Response of Reflection

I like how it talks about making the student feel like he/she is important and valuable to the classroom. Showing interest in the child and wanting to get to know them helps them to feel like they are important and that you want them in the classroom and they have something valuable to contribute. I think this is really important because so many kids feel like teachers look right past them for whatever reason. They feel like it doesn't make a difference whether they are there or not. I have had teachers like this and it didn't make me want to come to school or to try to do well in the class. By making a child feel welcome in class they know that they will be missed when they don't show up and their attendance is important to the teacher, not just because of grades, but because they are a person the teacher cares about.

Blog #3: Inventories and Pre-assessment Ideas

1) Thinking About my Reading: This has different questions about the books they've read and the books they like/dislike, etc. I really like it and would use it in my classroom because I think it would help me as the teacher to get to know my students better. I would know what things they did and didn't like reading so I would be able to differentiate my curriculum based on the interests of individual students. I could use this form in other areas as well if I changed the questions. For example, in Social Studies I could find out what each of my students liked or disliked the most, what things they already knew a lot about, etc.

2) 6-Trait Guide to Revision: This paper has a checklist for students to go through as they are revising something. I think a lot of students have a hard time revising a piece of writing because they don't know what they should change. This checklist would give them a good place to start. It asks them if they have a beginning, middle, and end, if their main idea was clear, etc. This would help students at any readiness level because everyone can do something to improve a piece of writing. Based on their understanding of the items on the checklist, they can improve their own piece of writing and make it better. This checklist could be used for any type of writing piece - fiction, non-fiction, etc.

3) Picture of Art Pallet: This asks students to draw a picture of something they liked in the story and write a couple of sentences about it. I really like this because we learned last semester that pictures are a child's first writing. I would use this in my classroom to help get kids thinking and visualizing what they read. Some students learn better by drawing a picture first and then writing about it. By using this I would be differentiating for my students based on the students readiness to write. I could also use this in other subjects such as Social Studies. The students could draw a picture of something we learned that they thought was interesting and then write a sentence or two describing what is happening in their picture.

Blog #2: Readings-Ch.1 and 2

One of the quotes that I liked from the book comes from Ch. 2 towards the bottom of page 19: "...because students...differ so greatly, the premise of differentiation is that while students have the same basic needs, those needs will manifest themselves in different ways, depending on the student's gender, culture, general life experiences, talents, interests, learning preferences, affective development, cognitive development, and support systems".

I agree with this because even though all students need to be challenged, have purpose, be affirmed, etc., they will need to have these needs met in different ways. For example, challenging for one student might be too challenging for another or not challenging enough or not even a kind of challenge that the student will respond too. When I was in elementary school, I did like any kind of challenges that put me on the spot or that were competitive, but for other students, making things a competition will encourage them to do better. For a shy student, something challenging might be more individual, like a competition against them self. So, although all students need challenge, as a teacher I'll have to figure out what kind of challenge motivates each of my students and what makes them shut down and not want to try.