Advocation and a Breakout Session
Hello!
Hopefully you all are not becoming too overwhelmed at this point of the semester. I am fighting the good fight on this front, but it certainly is a tough one, right? In these moments of stress where the dark clouds move slowly into our line of vision, we need to remember what Dr. Nanney keeps telling us: we are meant to be teachers. If we're passionate and certain enough, then we will succeed and we will be great!
Struggle has definitely found me in EDUC 435, where I am having difficulty staying on top of assignments. I wasn't able to receive an tentative plan for teaching in October until a couple days ago, so now I am intensely working on our 5 edTPA lesson plans, which will be my action plan over the weekend as well as continuing to work on my SCED unit plan!
Dr. Nanney played the Rita Pierson Ted Talk video today, which is one I've seen many times before, but is a necessary reminder every now and then. I believe it is important to know we will be teaching little human beings, who deserve the right to a good and effective education. They come from various backgrounds, are on various levels, and learn in different ways. This is the whole reason NCPTS II exists: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. Students need to know they are cared for and like Ms. Pierson said, "...kids don't learn from people they don't like."
My CE allowed me to have more responsibility this week! I assisted in a "Breakout" session, led shared reading, and was in charge of a literacy station during Readers' Workshop. I was proud of all 3, but was the most satisfied with my literacy station. The value of working with each individual child is astronomical! Even if a student is excelling, it is so important to assess if they comprehend the material-because even if a child is AIG, it doesn't mean they will be in all areas all the time. This station consisted of 5 one-grade level children, and we went over the concept of a word, where the first word/last word in a sentence is, and how spaces help us determine one word from another. Even though there were only 5 students in the group, I could see how easy it is to let one "fall through the cracks." Going to each child and asking these questions allowed me to identify which child needed additional teaching.
If you haven't heard of "Breakout EDU", it is awesome! My mom first introduced the idea to me and actually practiced it on our family at Christmas (we weren't able to open our presents until we figured out the mystery, haha). Breakout EDU is similar to an escape room, but it causes students to use their problem solving skills to solve clues placed around the room. Students must find these clues to unlock 4-digit number locks, a lock with letters on it, and a lock with a key. The options are endless, as far as story-lines are concerned. This was the first time Ranking Elem. had used breakout boxed on a kindergarten class and it went pretty well! The assessment of which students had HOT skills and which ones struggled was clear, but all were challenged. Using this in your future classroom, whether science, literacy, or math, will greatly adhere to NCPTS IV.e, "Teachers help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills" and NCPTS IV.f, "Teachers help students work in teams and develop leadership qualities." Breakout EDU is great due to it being applicable for ALL grade levels and ages - even my 72 year old grandma enjoyed it.
My contribution to class this week was working on the text facilitation project for chapter 3. We found many resources to clarify the information presented in this chapter. We talked about Knowledge vs. Understanding, constructivism, scaffolding student learning, and misconceptions in science class. This video is great for clarification on constructivism.
Here are my tweets for the week:
Hopefully you all are not becoming too overwhelmed at this point of the semester. I am fighting the good fight on this front, but it certainly is a tough one, right? In these moments of stress where the dark clouds move slowly into our line of vision, we need to remember what Dr. Nanney keeps telling us: we are meant to be teachers. If we're passionate and certain enough, then we will succeed and we will be great!
Struggle has definitely found me in EDUC 435, where I am having difficulty staying on top of assignments. I wasn't able to receive an tentative plan for teaching in October until a couple days ago, so now I am intensely working on our 5 edTPA lesson plans, which will be my action plan over the weekend as well as continuing to work on my SCED unit plan!
Dr. Nanney played the Rita Pierson Ted Talk video today, which is one I've seen many times before, but is a necessary reminder every now and then. I believe it is important to know we will be teaching little human beings, who deserve the right to a good and effective education. They come from various backgrounds, are on various levels, and learn in different ways. This is the whole reason NCPTS II exists: Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. Students need to know they are cared for and like Ms. Pierson said, "...kids don't learn from people they don't like."
My CE allowed me to have more responsibility this week! I assisted in a "Breakout" session, led shared reading, and was in charge of a literacy station during Readers' Workshop. I was proud of all 3, but was the most satisfied with my literacy station. The value of working with each individual child is astronomical! Even if a student is excelling, it is so important to assess if they comprehend the material-because even if a child is AIG, it doesn't mean they will be in all areas all the time. This station consisted of 5 one-grade level children, and we went over the concept of a word, where the first word/last word in a sentence is, and how spaces help us determine one word from another. Even though there were only 5 students in the group, I could see how easy it is to let one "fall through the cracks." Going to each child and asking these questions allowed me to identify which child needed additional teaching.
If you haven't heard of "Breakout EDU", it is awesome! My mom first introduced the idea to me and actually practiced it on our family at Christmas (we weren't able to open our presents until we figured out the mystery, haha). Breakout EDU is similar to an escape room, but it causes students to use their problem solving skills to solve clues placed around the room. Students must find these clues to unlock 4-digit number locks, a lock with letters on it, and a lock with a key. The options are endless, as far as story-lines are concerned. This was the first time Ranking Elem. had used breakout boxed on a kindergarten class and it went pretty well! The assessment of which students had HOT skills and which ones struggled was clear, but all were challenged. Using this in your future classroom, whether science, literacy, or math, will greatly adhere to NCPTS IV.e, "Teachers help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills" and NCPTS IV.f, "Teachers help students work in teams and develop leadership qualities." Breakout EDU is great due to it being applicable for ALL grade levels and ages - even my 72 year old grandma enjoyed it.
My contribution to class this week was working on the text facilitation project for chapter 3. We found many resources to clarify the information presented in this chapter. We talked about Knowledge vs. Understanding, constructivism, scaffolding student learning, and misconceptions in science class. This video is great for clarification on constructivism.
Here are my tweets for the week:
This is a current event which occurred on Tuesday. Though this is painful and traumatic for Mexico City, it would be an opportunity to discuss and explain how earthquakes happen. We just went through our "Question of the Day" with hurricanes, and asking how an earthquake happens is probably something we all will be asked. (here is a resource you could use)
In 435, we are unpacking the NCPTS and diving deeper to understand them. Colleen talked about advocating and being a leader inside and outside of the classroom. We are in charge of standing up for our future students and being their voice. Again, this circles back to Ms. Pierson's view on every child needing a champion.
The tweet above has been something I constantly do in my education. It has been difficult for me to let go of "I need to finish these assignments" and actually learn and become a better person/teacher because of them. When you think of it that way, the assignments do not seem so terrible.
My final tweet was more focused on EDUC 435. Next semester (and some of us might already be thinking this) we will face a difficult decision of breaking away from our CE's style of teaching or following what already works. The article is nice, because it made the point that the teacher might be doing a good job and you might look up to him/her, but you are your own teacher and we shouldn't be afraid to put our own personal pedagogy/philosophy in our teaching.
You all are wonderful and I hope you have a great weekend!
Gabrielle
Gabs,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog. I most definitely relate to the point when you said we occasionally need to be reminded why we do all the things we do. The Ted Talk was so powerful. I had never seen that before today, and it really reminded me that even if we have to jump through hoops or do unnecessary assignments, it is all worth it!! Your tweet about having your own teaching style is very intriguing. There is nothing wrong with being your own person, but it would certainly be hard to show your own teaching style when there is so much pressure. I feel certain that your teaching style will benefit those students at your placement site!!
Gabby,
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to the fact that I am feeling very overwhelmed this week as everything is piling on but the good news is is that we are all struggling together and can encourage and motivate each other to push through! I loved Dr. Nanney's thoughts today and they warmed my soul and brought me back to the reason why I am doing all of this work. That is so so great that you did a Breakout Edu in your kindergarten class! Even kindergartners need to be learning these critical thinking and problem-solving skills; it is never too early! I love your tweet about the "I'm done" statement. If students are just rushing through to finish an assignment (as we do with our assignments many times) then it seems like that is their sole goal and they are missing the purpose of the assignment. I believe that what we are learning now is beneficial and even though it is a lot and we are all so overwhelmed, it will truly prepare us for student teaching!
Hi Gabrielle,
ReplyDeleteI was introduced to Rita Pierson by Dr. Nanny. I loved the video when she shares her knowledge with educators. It gives me even more of an incentive to be a teacher because we will be our students' cheerleaders. I think the profession can be one of the most rewarding jobs if we put our whole heart into it. I looked up the "Breakout EDU" website. That is neat. I have never heard of the website before. Some of the programs would be great to incorporate into a later grades class. I also love some of your tweets. Especially the one with the quote, " I knew exactly what kind of teacher I wanted to be, but that's not how things turned out." It is so easy to observe a teacher instructing her class, however, it can be completely different when we are in charge. I am so thankful for knowing clinical placement a semester beforehand so I am familiar with the students and know some methods to use in the classroom. Awesome post. I hope you have a great weekend.
Gabby, it sounds like you are very busy and have a full schedule! 5 edTPA lesson plans sounds very overwhelming, but I’m sure in the end you will be an expert at writing lesson plans! That is very exciting that you have been able to get more involved in your clinical placement this week. I am glad you are able to work in small groups so you can realize how important it is to meet each students needs and not let any of them “slip through the cracks.” Keep working hard and it will all fall into place!
ReplyDeleteGabby, I loved the breakout edu idea in your blog! I had never heard of it before you mentioned it but this is a great way to expand problem solving skills. I love when Rita Pierson said "kids don't learn from people they don't like." This is so true because as a child, I never learned from a teacher who wasn't fun or a teacher who just lectured. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGabby, it was such a wonderful reminder to see hear the Ted Talk in class. I know that we were all beginning to get to the point of being overwhelmed. However, like Dr. Nanny always says, we know that we are called to be teachers and so we will be teachers! My favorite thing you mentioned in your blog was that you are beginning to see that these assignments are not just something that must be done, they are something that will actually make us better educators and better collaborators in the future. This mindset is one that I have just recently found myself moving towards, and my goodness, it is such a rewarding one!
ReplyDeleteGabrielle,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your clarity of thought here. Thank you for processing your week out loud - I can see you are making connections. 435 will calm down...promise...just be intentional to use every second in the classroom to intentionally prepare yourself for the student teaching experience!