In my third or fourth week of teaching, once the honeymoon period had come to an end, I lost my temper with my talkative 1B class. The class began as normal, pledge of allegiance in the morning, announcements, and a Think-Write. I could already tell that the class was worked-up, but I began the lecture as normal expecting them to be well behaved, as in weeks past. I was wrong.
Throughout the entire lecture the kids talked amongst themselves, interrupted me, and were louder than I knew a group of twenty-two 16 year olds could be, if once can imagine. They wouldn’t listen to me, calm down, or give me any respect. I tried everything I could handle that morning to calm them down but by the time class was ending I lost it.
I put their homework assignment on the board, and was reading it aloud to them. I noticed that not one student was paying attention; even the best behaved students were talking and being disruptive. I said in my normal teaching voice, “This is your homework, if you don’t get it, its not my problem,” and dismissed the class.
Once they left, I felt horrible about my adversive attitude. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was create an environment where it became “me versus them.” I made a point in the following class to watch my behavior, remain positive, and understanding.
While the class’s talkative nature still serves as an issue, my attitude toward their behavior has improved greatly. I try to be extra upbeat and positive everyday they come to class. I have found that my attitude greatly effects theirs’; the more upbeat I am, they better they pay attention to me. I have also developed the skill of telling a student to be quite without interrupting the lecture entirely. By catching one student quickly, it prevents the talking from becoming a huge issue. Overall, things are improving nicely.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Classroom Management Plan
The primary issues I am facing in my classroom currently are those of excessive talking, disorganization, and finishing the material too early. All of these are issues I feel I can control through the process of successful classroom management.
To contain the unnecessary talking I can establish rules for the students. What I plan to do is express to them that while class is in session talking is inappropriate, however; if they remain on task throughout the note-taking and activity time, I will give them the last five to ten minutes to chat. This way, I am compromising with the students and letting them know that I understand school is a social experience, but I am also letting them know that what I am teaching them is important and requires their attention. I think that through using this method the students will feel respected and therefore give me further respect in return. If this does not work, assigned seats will serve as my back up option.
The disorganization I find primarily has to do with the fact that I am a student teacher and therefore do not have my own desk or area to keep materials. This forces me to keep up with all materials while bringing them home every night and back to school every morning. To remedy this, I will approach my cooperating teacher about possibly acquiring more of an area in the classroom that I can take over as my own. This way I will be able to leave items that would be best left in the classroom at school overnight. If this turns out not to be a viable option, I think I will simply have to make do since this situation is somewhat out of my control.
Regarding the issue of finishing class early, I will need to better plan for my daily lessons, “over plan” if you will. I will also set aside two or three activities I can always call on to fill class time. This will allow me to always have a back up plan ready to go if I finish material too early. I do think that my plan to allow the last five to ten minutes of class to be “student chat time” will be beneficial for filling this time as well. I do not mind finishing a bit early as long as things to do not get out of control, ninety minutes is intense for a single class in my opinion. If I can get a solid seventy to eighty minutes of quality work out of my students, I do not see the harm in giving them ten minutes to clear their head before their next excessively long class.
I feel as if these methods will aide me in having better classroom management. By working on these things I will build a stronger relationship with my students, accomplish more in class, and feel more in control of the class environment. All of these strategies I feel will be beneficial.
To contain the unnecessary talking I can establish rules for the students. What I plan to do is express to them that while class is in session talking is inappropriate, however; if they remain on task throughout the note-taking and activity time, I will give them the last five to ten minutes to chat. This way, I am compromising with the students and letting them know that I understand school is a social experience, but I am also letting them know that what I am teaching them is important and requires their attention. I think that through using this method the students will feel respected and therefore give me further respect in return. If this does not work, assigned seats will serve as my back up option.
The disorganization I find primarily has to do with the fact that I am a student teacher and therefore do not have my own desk or area to keep materials. This forces me to keep up with all materials while bringing them home every night and back to school every morning. To remedy this, I will approach my cooperating teacher about possibly acquiring more of an area in the classroom that I can take over as my own. This way I will be able to leave items that would be best left in the classroom at school overnight. If this turns out not to be a viable option, I think I will simply have to make do since this situation is somewhat out of my control.
Regarding the issue of finishing class early, I will need to better plan for my daily lessons, “over plan” if you will. I will also set aside two or three activities I can always call on to fill class time. This will allow me to always have a back up plan ready to go if I finish material too early. I do think that my plan to allow the last five to ten minutes of class to be “student chat time” will be beneficial for filling this time as well. I do not mind finishing a bit early as long as things to do not get out of control, ninety minutes is intense for a single class in my opinion. If I can get a solid seventy to eighty minutes of quality work out of my students, I do not see the harm in giving them ten minutes to clear their head before their next excessively long class.
I feel as if these methods will aide me in having better classroom management. By working on these things I will build a stronger relationship with my students, accomplish more in class, and feel more in control of the class environment. All of these strategies I feel will be beneficial.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Association of Social Studies Teachers
This organization, abbreviated ATSS and UFT, strives to provide a network for social studies educators to advocate for Social Studies education. They also provide a basis for teachers to share scholarship, information, strategies, and other practices relevant to Social Studies instruction. ATSS develops these practices by providing workshops, publications and conferences, maintaining a website, and consistently supporting the rights of individuals and educators through the use of the professional committee. The most useful aspect of their website seems to be the “New Teacher” page where they have ideas for lesson plans, advice and stories from other new teachers, information regarding professional development, discounts to various teacher supply stores, and the like. These examples would be useful for student teaching, though I do not think that I will be joining the organization.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Improvements of Unit Plan...
My unit was over the Cold War Era. I intended for the plans to be used in a Global Studies Honors course, though they would also be applicable in U.S. and Western Civilization courses. While overall I felt as if the unit was strong, there is always room for improvement.
The aspects of my unit that I really enjoyed were those of experimental learning and cooperative or group work strategies. I think that with the students I am teaching this semester these strategies will work very well. My students are very social beings but they also stay on task, therefore the lesson on McCarthyism I think will be very successful.
In this lesson I will be allowing students to better understand the social mid-set of American people during the Nazi trials and vast fear of communism. This will also show students how fear and hatred can provoke people to do crazy or far-out things. I will then connect this back to the Nazis and look forward to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I think this lesson will be very successful and allow students to have time for reflection.
I began my unit by having students read actual documents from the conferences at Yalta and the like, but I do not think that these will be as effective. I think the use of primary documents and practicing reading skills is very important, however; I think that these lessons can be vastly improved. Instead of having them do individual reading and getting in expert groups to discuss the reading, I think there needs to be a variety of activities. Perhaps incorporate this method with another, allowing students to make a diagram or compare and contrast chart about differing opinions.
Also, I do not have easy computer access at the school at which I am teaching. Therefore, many of the lessons I planned within my unit will have to be changed. Maybe instead of having students create a Google Earth project, I will have them create there own timeline. I think that this would be effective and far easier to organize.
I am sure that as I continue my teaching and utilize other lessons from my unit plan I will find other things that can be enhanced. For now, I foresee these changes being very helpful and making sense for the students I have this semester.
The aspects of my unit that I really enjoyed were those of experimental learning and cooperative or group work strategies. I think that with the students I am teaching this semester these strategies will work very well. My students are very social beings but they also stay on task, therefore the lesson on McCarthyism I think will be very successful.
In this lesson I will be allowing students to better understand the social mid-set of American people during the Nazi trials and vast fear of communism. This will also show students how fear and hatred can provoke people to do crazy or far-out things. I will then connect this back to the Nazis and look forward to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I think this lesson will be very successful and allow students to have time for reflection.
I began my unit by having students read actual documents from the conferences at Yalta and the like, but I do not think that these will be as effective. I think the use of primary documents and practicing reading skills is very important, however; I think that these lessons can be vastly improved. Instead of having them do individual reading and getting in expert groups to discuss the reading, I think there needs to be a variety of activities. Perhaps incorporate this method with another, allowing students to make a diagram or compare and contrast chart about differing opinions.
Also, I do not have easy computer access at the school at which I am teaching. Therefore, many of the lessons I planned within my unit will have to be changed. Maybe instead of having students create a Google Earth project, I will have them create there own timeline. I think that this would be effective and far easier to organize.
I am sure that as I continue my teaching and utilize other lessons from my unit plan I will find other things that can be enhanced. For now, I foresee these changes being very helpful and making sense for the students I have this semester.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Reality to Match Vision...
My philosophy of teaching derives from my belief that every student is an individual. They learn in different ways, they have different strengths and weaknesses, and they need different things from you as a teacher. It is important for the classroom to be a positive learning environment, but it must also be a place where students can grow emotionally and broaden their perspective.
At the school where I am student teaching I have a very homogenous group of students. They are almost entirely white, lower middle class, southern kids. As a whole, they are polite, but unmotivated. They have trouble with their reading and writing skills, abilities I feel are extremely important for success both in and outside of the classroom. Therefore, I have decided to make this my mission, if nothing else, my students will be able to write coherent well thought-out essays by the end of this semester.
I want students to be able to write, but I do not want to make them feel uncomfortable in their attempts. I will engage in the following action plan to work toward the success of my students as well as myself as a teacher:
1. I will provide students with lots of multiple perspectives on whatever I am
teaching, regardless of my own personal thoughts or feelings.
2. I will create an environment where students feel comfortable to ask questions
and express opinions by never putting a child down or making them feel as if they
cannot come to me with a problem.
3. Students will write! Students will have daily writing assignments and essays on
every test. Though time consuming, I will provide them with thoughtful comments
and responses to their work.
4. I will give students many prospects for success. I will do this by assessing
their knowledge and skills in multiple ways, giving all students an opportunity
for success.
5. Above all, I will let students know that I care and respect them. Lots of my
students suffer from a lack of having a stable adult figure in their lives. I will
try my best to look out for and care for each one of them as individuals. Hopefully
by showing them that I have high expectations for them, their motivation to be
successful will increase.
Through these steps I earnestly trust that I will be able to create the environment I desire for my classroom. Though it is very challenging to step into another teacher’s class and change things, I think by implementing tasks gradually and showing that I am fair and consistent with my feedback, students will respond positively and be open to the change.
Wish me luck.
At the school where I am student teaching I have a very homogenous group of students. They are almost entirely white, lower middle class, southern kids. As a whole, they are polite, but unmotivated. They have trouble with their reading and writing skills, abilities I feel are extremely important for success both in and outside of the classroom. Therefore, I have decided to make this my mission, if nothing else, my students will be able to write coherent well thought-out essays by the end of this semester.
I want students to be able to write, but I do not want to make them feel uncomfortable in their attempts. I will engage in the following action plan to work toward the success of my students as well as myself as a teacher:
1. I will provide students with lots of multiple perspectives on whatever I am
teaching, regardless of my own personal thoughts or feelings.
2. I will create an environment where students feel comfortable to ask questions
and express opinions by never putting a child down or making them feel as if they
cannot come to me with a problem.
3. Students will write! Students will have daily writing assignments and essays on
every test. Though time consuming, I will provide them with thoughtful comments
and responses to their work.
4. I will give students many prospects for success. I will do this by assessing
their knowledge and skills in multiple ways, giving all students an opportunity
for success.
5. Above all, I will let students know that I care and respect them. Lots of my
students suffer from a lack of having a stable adult figure in their lives. I will
try my best to look out for and care for each one of them as individuals. Hopefully
by showing them that I have high expectations for them, their motivation to be
successful will increase.
Through these steps I earnestly trust that I will be able to create the environment I desire for my classroom. Though it is very challenging to step into another teacher’s class and change things, I think by implementing tasks gradually and showing that I am fair and consistent with my feedback, students will respond positively and be open to the change.
Wish me luck.
Monday, January 19, 2009
This I Believe...
I believe in the power and importance of travel and breeding new experiences. Experience, rather it is good, bad, fun, exciting, strange, or scary, is always new and it is always unique to that individual. From experience one learns, grows, and advances their thinking; it can come from anywhere, be derived from anything, and produce results that are life changing.
I grew up in a manner believed by most to be out of the ordinary. Both my parents worked for environmental protection and awareness and traveled often, fortunately for me, I was able to accompany them. By the age of ten I had been to four of the seven continents, even living in Palau, Micronesia for some of my fourth grade year. By age 19 I had been to all but Antarctica. I had done things and seen places that made it very hard to relate to my peers. I grew conflicted over my unusual upbringing, feeling as though I was far more complex internally than I wanted to be. My experiences had set me apart, yet they had shaped me in a way so profound I have yet to fully understand their meaning. These experiences are invaluable to me.
I wish, as a future teacher, that I could compile every student in America and take them on a trip. A trip anywhere, as long as it was outside of their comfort zone. Through these experiences, I would hope that the children would realize how values, morals, and emotions are universal traits shared among all people of all backgrounds; realize how hatred and fear are learned and resultant from the dying of innocence; realize that there is more to the world than where they were born, but also realize that it is ok to love and appreciate home. From this, so much I would hope for, so much experience I would want to give to these children.
I will forever believe that travel and new experiences, conducted with open mindedness by the youth of today, could earnestly lead to the peace of tomorrow. I will never stop having faith in this power, I will never consider myself anything but a wanderer at heart, and I will always believe in the influence of youth. My principle lies in the words of Sir Francis Bacon, “travel, in the younger sort, is part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.” So I encourage all- get out there, try something new, get your feet wet, and appreciate every moment. This I beleive.
I grew up in a manner believed by most to be out of the ordinary. Both my parents worked for environmental protection and awareness and traveled often, fortunately for me, I was able to accompany them. By the age of ten I had been to four of the seven continents, even living in Palau, Micronesia for some of my fourth grade year. By age 19 I had been to all but Antarctica. I had done things and seen places that made it very hard to relate to my peers. I grew conflicted over my unusual upbringing, feeling as though I was far more complex internally than I wanted to be. My experiences had set me apart, yet they had shaped me in a way so profound I have yet to fully understand their meaning. These experiences are invaluable to me.
I wish, as a future teacher, that I could compile every student in America and take them on a trip. A trip anywhere, as long as it was outside of their comfort zone. Through these experiences, I would hope that the children would realize how values, morals, and emotions are universal traits shared among all people of all backgrounds; realize how hatred and fear are learned and resultant from the dying of innocence; realize that there is more to the world than where they were born, but also realize that it is ok to love and appreciate home. From this, so much I would hope for, so much experience I would want to give to these children.
I will forever believe that travel and new experiences, conducted with open mindedness by the youth of today, could earnestly lead to the peace of tomorrow. I will never stop having faith in this power, I will never consider myself anything but a wanderer at heart, and I will always believe in the influence of youth. My principle lies in the words of Sir Francis Bacon, “travel, in the younger sort, is part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.” So I encourage all- get out there, try something new, get your feet wet, and appreciate every moment. This I beleive.
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