I enjoyed how the class helped me to not think in a "traditional" education way. As a special education teacher I am constantly thinking outside the box, to best support my students needs. This session helped me to identify how this type of thinking and educating is helpful for all students. I also enjoyed reading and hearing how students want to be involved in their school communities. I currently have a student who made it to student leadership and he is so proud of himself. He gets to help organize school functions, fundraisers, assemblies, etc and he is so happy to share that he is apart of this! My goal is for all students to help safe, needed, wanted, and cared for at school. I want school to be a place where students go to learn (not just about education), but about life experiences as well. I believe it is never to early to teach students to be self sufficient and be their own self advocate in life.
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I love how the speaker compares educational events with farmers market. He mentioned that when you get there (event or market) you're excited to be there, and there is so much to look around and learn, but when you get home nothing has changed. I totally understand this comparison because I (like the speaker's wife) enjoy farmers markets. I love to purchase vegetables and learn how to cook them with new recipes, but when I get home I am not always ready to use them. I put them in the fridge and sometimes I forget about them. This is very true with educational events that I have attended. I am interested in learning new ways to inspire and encourage students, but when I get back to my classroom sometimes I forget about everything that I learned, and put the materials aside. Then later on in the year I find them in my cupboard and I realize that I forgot to use them! I am inspired by how he explains the development of technology in our world and how it changes employment over time. I believe it is important to understand that some jobs may not be around in the future, but new jobs “most likely” will be created. My students and I discuss employment careers monthly. Even though my students are in elementary school I see the importance of talking to them about their future. I am also realistic with them. I discuss and show my students why it's important to recognize and know their letters, sounds, numbers, because this is information that they need today and in their future. I believe in learning my students strengths in today's technology and showing them how they can use it in their future careers.
Which of your teachers had the biggest positive impact on you, and how were they role models? Were they outliers in the education system?
I went to a private school my whole life (from preschool to college). I had some wonderful mentors and some teachers who did not understand the way that I learn & process information. When I was in highschool I had a Bible teacher who never judged me, and was always willing to listen to me. He would mentor me and take time out of his day to listen to my struggles (family, work, and friends struggles). He would give me advice on how to look at situations from a different perspective, but never put my feelings aside. He would know when I was having a difficult day and would always provide a safe space for me. Although he knew academics were important he never pushed them on me, or made that a priority in his classroom. Every day he would start class with topics that were happening in the real world. Then he would show how those topics can be related to what we were learning in the classroom. He made class fun, even at times when it should not have been fun. I always remember him and his kindness. I hope to show that character to each of my students that I work with on a daily schedule. I enjoyed creating a mind map to show how certain things work together. I believe there are certain layers that create a healthy environment/school for teachers and schools. As a special education teacher I know that there are many people who are involved in the team. We all have a job to do to help support each other. When one area starts the crumble the whole team can fall apart. But when we support each other we can offer the best support to the student/school site. Students want to be involved, they want to be heard, and they want to be involved in their education. For the students who may be dismissive, or disrespectful toward others we have to remember that this doesnt mean that they dont want to be involved, they just may need another approach. We as educators need to do the best we can to model students how they should act, respond in the classroom and toward their peers.
I really enjoyed collaborating with other peers in class about supporting students inside and outside the classroom. I love hearing about opportunities to get the community involved with students. My school started a mentorship opportunity this year. People from the community come once a week and are matched with a student who they felt have similar strengths and challenges in their childhood. The students feel that they have a moment to leave class and talk to someone who isnt their teacher or their parent, but hopefully someone that they can open up too. I think this mentoring is a great moment for student to learn how to communicate to someone who is new to their life, and another person to care for them. This is also a great time for people in the community to get involved in their local school.
1. What are your thoughts about technology in the classroom?
I think technology is a wonderful tool for all students to utilize in the classroom. Technology can be useful for students who need assistance with writing sentences, spelling, and communicating with others. Our society and education continues to grow utilizing technology. It is important for our students to understand how to access technology. The downside with technology is students can become distracted and obsessed with technology that they can have a hard time transitioning from accessing it to putting it away. 2. How could blended resources help personalize students in the classroom and community? Every student has strengths and weaknesses. Blended resources can be positive for both teachers and students. They make the classroom become more personalized and individualized for each students needs. I can see the importance of a flipped classroom; such as: items that students do at home (homework) they would do it in the classroom. The lessons that are taught in the classroom would be done at home (online modeling). The downside for the flipped classroom is online learning can be hard for engagement. I love the station rotation model because it reminds me of a kindergarten classroom. With students rotating between different areas of the classroom really supports engagement opportunities, and smaller group settings. This type of settings can help teachers to provide more attention to each student. Chapter 7
1. Name three reasons why a parent would be interested in, or even excited about, being involved in their child’s education. I believe a parent would be interested in their child's education to see what they are learning in school, how their child acts around their peers/adults, and how the school functions day to day. Each school district is so different than the other. My children's schools have an assembly on Fridays. The students listen to fun music and can dance. Each grade receives an award for something they have worked for that week, and the students get a chance to cheer each other on. The teachers also get to be involved and they perform, act and get to be silly in front of the students. As a parent I love going to their assemblies, and being able to see this fun side of my schools education. 2. Now name three ways a school could engage this parent. Schools first priority is on the students, but a second and also important is engagement of parents. Parents need and should be involved in their children's schools. A challenge with this is the process of getting parents involved. Before I started teaching full time I was at home with my children. There were times that I could get involved, but there were a lot of times that I was not available. Parents who work fulltime also have the challenge of getting involved. I believe three ways schools could engage parents could be 1) including parents in assemblies - let the parents show their fun side in front of students too! This may help parents who work in the afternoon or evenings have that free time in the mornings. 2) Parents who may be interested in becoming a para/teacher could receive more experience by working/volunteering in the classrooms - running small groups,reading stories, etc. 3) Let parents use their gifts/interests and bring them into the school site - photographers, artists, chefs. These parents can do a once a month activity and show their gifts with other students. Chapter 8 2. Do you remember a particular grade you received on a school assignment? Why do you remember it? What significance did it hold? I always struggled in school (academically). I remember the first time I received an F on an assignment. It was in 4th grade. I had to read an article about owls and answer questions about it. Unfortunately I did not do well, because I struggled with comprehending information. This was the first time I failed at something academically, and it went downhill after that. I never remembered teachers offering help for my parents. I just remembering a lot of information of what I could not do. In all fairness I went to a private school from pre-school to high school, and they really were not equipped to help students with learning disabilities. When I was younger I never felt that I was good or smart enough. I really gave up on trying and gave very little effort. Now as an adult I know what strengths I have and how I can utilize them when I am dealing with my challenges. This is the main reason why I became a special education teacher, because I want to support students who struggled as I did, and hopefully offer them a more supportive education experience. 3. Why don’t teachers traditionally give students other kinds of feedback besides grades? What other kinds of feedback would you have liked to have received as a student? I believe teachers traditionally give students grades because that is what educators have been taught. When students are doing great they get an A+, but when they are not succeeding they receive an F. I think some teachers may not know how to approach a student and or parent who may need extra help. Some students may take the information as critique and not support. I believe as an education we need to find strengths in all of our students work. Whether they only got 1 answer right on a quiz, lets praise that student for getting that 1 answer right! I think it is important to be honest with students on how they are doing. I believe it is important to tell them asap, and not wait until progress reports, or at the end of the year. Students want to feel supportive, and not on the defense. When I was a student I wish my teachers would have been honest with me, and not only reached out to my parents when I was not succeeding in my academics. Chapter 5
1. Imagine you’ve found out that a kid you know is really interested in astronomy (or cooking, or video games, or fashion, or baseball, or music, or police work, or whatever). How would you help her go into depth in this area? What might she learn by exploring her interest more deeply? I would praise my student for having a specific interest (in whatever career she/he pursues). I would help my student create a map of what it would look like to get to this career (eg: high school, college/career school, internship, experience, details of what the field actually pertains). I would really break it down (in the real world) and show it to my student. This would not be meant to be defeating my student from pursuing their interests, but so they can see what it really looks like. I would also invite a person from that career into my classroom to personally talk about their experience and let my student(s) ask questions. I would also use my students challenges in school as strengths towards this interest. For example if I had a student who struggled with writing I would help my student investigate/look up information, and use this to help the student write/format sentences. If my student struggled with reading I would encourage my student to find books/articles about this interest, and read more information to help with engagement. 5. Is there anything you always cut out, file, jot down into a notebook, or add to the pile on your desk? What is it, and why do you save it? I save information that helps my students be more successful in their education. This includes their interests (sports, animals, arts/crafts). I love to keep anything that I find on the internet (reading fluence passages, writing graphic organizers, math worksheets) that my students are actually interested in learning, working on , and completing. For example I have a student who loves hamsters and talks about them daily. I found a math addition worksheet that includes hamsters on the page, and my student was so happy I had never seen her so excited before. I have another student who loves football and currently plays football. He also hopes to play professionally when he grows up. So once a week we read articles about football (to help with his reading fluency), and to help with comprehension. Writing is also a struggle for him, so after we read the article and work on his comprehension, he will practice writing sentences about what he just read. I keep my information because it may help another student in the future who may struggle with similar challenges. Chapter 6 1. Why do so many students describe their educational experiences as boring? I believe that students describe education as boring because most of the time it is boring. Most curriculum is not engaging, and does not have any interests in students' lives. For students who struggle academically there is very little time for teachers to re-teach or re-explain that areas that were challenging. Classrooms are so crowded with students that teachers have a hard time focusing on everyones needs. I used to have a student who would "act out" every day and the teacher was so frustrated. It turned out that the student could not read so he had no idea how to complete any of the work. Since he was not able to do anything academically, he would cause a scene to keep himself entertained. As a special education teacher I also face a challenge of keeping my students engaged in my classwork. My curriculum can be very uninteresting and challenging at times. I take extra time in my day to include activities to help with their skills. For example most of my students have a hard time spelling. So we will play charades. First the students have to read the card/look at the picture and act the word out. (This also helps my students working on their team building and social skills). Once the player has acted the word out and another student has guessed the answer then they all practice writing the word. My students love it because its another way to work on their writing skills that keeps them entertained. 5. What would it take for you to want to be a mentor to a high school student two days a week at your workplace? Although I currently work in elementary, I may one day teach at a high school. I would love to be a mentor to a student who needed someone to talk to, listen with, and or just be present in their lives. When I was in high school I was a cheerleading, and my coach was like a second mom to me. She was always there when I needed someone to listen, talk, provide advice and or a shoulder to cry on. I really appreciated her friendship and it helped me realized that someone cared and believed in me. Because I had this amazing mentor in my life I would love to provide that to someone else. I would sing up for that if I knew that the student was interested, and wanted to be committed to meet. I also would want the student to be truthful and honest with me. I would always make sure my student knew that our times together were non-judgement, peaceful, and a stress-free environment. Students just want someone who will believe in them and provide them a safe place. |
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