The most important thing I've learned during my fieldwork observation is that in order to be an effective teacher you need to be passionate about your job. With all the stresses and challenges thrown at you as a teacher, if you are not passionate about helping your students grow and learn, you will be doing them a large disservice.
Sometimes things meant to help students (No Child Left Behind) end up causing educators to have to jump through hoops. This can cause teachers to have to spend a lot of their own personal time working. While unfortunate, it's imperative to the success of our youth, and therefore important to have the passion to drive you.
I feel I do have a passion for teaching, guiding, and helping our children, our future. I'm grateful to be able to pursue a teaching degree at this time and am extremely grateful for what my fieldwork experience has taught me. I am also grateful to have a friend in Amy Reid, the teacher whose class I work in.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Blog Entry 7
There are several ways that help the classroom run smoothly. I'll mention a few I've seen.
In the class I work in the teacher has a card system to help children monitor their own behavior. Each child has a pocket with different colored cards in it. I believe the cards go in order from green, to yellow, to orange, to blue, to red. Green is good to go. Yellow is a warning. Orange means they spend 5 recess minutes pondering or discussing their behavior. Blue I believe is a visit to the principal's office, and red is a parent call or meeting.
I do like in the module how the kids have the option to work their way back to a good status during the day, as the teacher I work with doesn't have this option, that I know of.
Proximity is a big one! It's amazing with some kids how just having an adult/teacher presence close by can help them remember to listen and be calm.
Routine is another big one. It's important for the kids (and teacher!) to have a basic schedule to rely on.
In the class I work in the teacher has a card system to help children monitor their own behavior. Each child has a pocket with different colored cards in it. I believe the cards go in order from green, to yellow, to orange, to blue, to red. Green is good to go. Yellow is a warning. Orange means they spend 5 recess minutes pondering or discussing their behavior. Blue I believe is a visit to the principal's office, and red is a parent call or meeting.
I do like in the module how the kids have the option to work their way back to a good status during the day, as the teacher I work with doesn't have this option, that I know of.
Proximity is a big one! It's amazing with some kids how just having an adult/teacher presence close by can help them remember to listen and be calm.
Routine is another big one. It's important for the kids (and teacher!) to have a basic schedule to rely on.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Blog Entry 6
I've seen the teacher, and her student teacher, use many, if not all of the strategies in this module.
Physical Movement: The students trace letters in the air with their fingers, use their bodies to put numbers in order, and draw letters in sand.
Involving as many students as possible: The teacher will have a book projected on the overhead and each student gets a turn to come up and use a pointer to read the next sentence.
Provide opportunies for students to interact and discuss: Often the teacher will group the students into partners for an assignment or allow the students to pick partners themselves, so they can learn how to work together and help one another. They also learn how to do this in bigger groups when they go to "Centers".
The teacher uses songs, poems, and games to help students learn and remember a concept.
I have also seen scaffolding, prompting, feedback, wait time, withitness, and closure all used repeatedly in the classroom.
Physical Movement: The students trace letters in the air with their fingers, use their bodies to put numbers in order, and draw letters in sand.
Involving as many students as possible: The teacher will have a book projected on the overhead and each student gets a turn to come up and use a pointer to read the next sentence.
Provide opportunies for students to interact and discuss: Often the teacher will group the students into partners for an assignment or allow the students to pick partners themselves, so they can learn how to work together and help one another. They also learn how to do this in bigger groups when they go to "Centers".
The teacher uses songs, poems, and games to help students learn and remember a concept.
I have also seen scaffolding, prompting, feedback, wait time, withitness, and closure all used repeatedly in the classroom.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Blog Entry 5
I think the most important role teachers play is that of advocate. Every child is different. They have different circumstances, life experiences, home environments, needs, learning modalities, etc. A teacher has to be sensitive and observant in order to do their best at understanding each child and their needs.
Sometimes you may need to speak to administrators, other children, or parents on behalf of a child, to help them be and do their best. There are many wonderful things about our public school system but there are also many ways for a child to get "lost in the system". Teachers must strive their best to not let this happen.
Sometimes you may need to speak to administrators, other children, or parents on behalf of a child, to help them be and do their best. There are many wonderful things about our public school system but there are also many ways for a child to get "lost in the system". Teachers must strive their best to not let this happen.
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