Reflection #4

Well, I think that every person, no matter the profession, is prone to stereotype others. This definitely happen in both primary and secondary classrooms. Part of the problem with secondary is that teachers and administrators become concerned with test scores, drop-out rates, and getting kids to graduate more than anything else. I, secondary certified, see this problem all the time. It's hard to build relationships with students when you shove them in and out of the classroom for only 50 minutes 5 days a week. This, coupled with a huge amount of curriculum to cover, creates no sense of identity for many students. Thus, they are lost in translation. I'm terrible with names and I feel guilty when I don't know someones. This reading has shown me to always check students names and know how to pronounce them correctly.

Don't ever EVER judge someone by name or looks! For example, I have a student whom is pregnant in one of my classes. She is a really good kid, and one of my best students. I did not treat her any differently under any circumstances and I think she really appreciates that. She doesn't want to be judge wrongly, but she doesn't want people to pity her either. I hope that she has appreciated how I have treated her. I'm not here to judge, I'm here to teach.

Reflection #3

In my student teaching experience I have had a good experience in spending my first placement completely in a inclusion classroom. This experience really gave me a lot of tools to address low-achieving students. Most importantly, I gained in my understanding of inclusion and the benefits and negative side effects of that kind of classroom.

The Times article titled "How to fix No Child Left Behind", written by Claudia Wallis and Sonja Steptoe explains, " that all kids (except 1% with serious disabilities and an additional 2% with other issues) must be proficient by 2014" (Steptoe & Wallis, 2007). This is a very high goal, one that is going to be difficult to accomplish. There seems to be so many students who struggle in both reading and math, and with my experience, I know a many are in the inclusion classroom.

Inclusion has it benefits and it's pit falls. I really do think that it is beneficial to English Language Learners. They need to not be segregated from other students because they can't speak the language. They already have a social block for this reason. I have seen ELL students mix with regular ed students in the classroom and it is really beneficial for both sides as relationships are formed and ELL students gain the language in a social context.

I really also think this helps regular ed students appreciate special ed students and also be grateful for their own intelligence. As Caroline Moore, Debra Gilbreath, and Fran Maiuri, Fran in "Educating Students with Disabilities in General Education Classrooms: A Summary of the Research" explain, "resulted in positive experiences and improved attitudes on the part of students, both with and without disabilities, and teachers alike" (Moore, Gilbreath, Maiuri, 1998). Inclusion is very beneficial for students with disabilities.


References:

Moore, C., Gilbreath, D., Maiuri, F., Western Regional Resource Center, E. R., & Alaska State Dept. of Education, J. v. (1998). Educating Students with Disabilities in General Education Classrooms: A Summary of the Research.

Wallis, C. (2007). How to Fix No Child Left Behind. Time, 169(23), 33.

Summation "Success of the Day"

This weeks posts make me feel a lot better about what success I am having in the classroom. I'm really glad that there are a few things that I know I am being successful at. I'm glad in particular that I am succeeding in my "Teacher Voice" and having a good wait time because both of these foster a positive learning environment and establishes good flow of activities. I hope to continue to grow in both of these areas as I finish Student Teaching and into my career. Student Teaching has definitely been a great learning experience thus far.

One thing that I think I need to grow in as time passes is spinning wrong answers. What I mean is taking a wrong answer and making it positive (and even correct) so students aren't afraid of being wrong. This is a problem I have experienced with students even at the high school level. I don't want my students to be afraid to speak up in class. If I succeed better at doing this then my students well grow in knowledge and confidence.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 25

The last day of "Success of the Day". One last thing that I think I am doing well is my "Teacher Voice". My coops have complemented me on this characteristic I have. My students listen when I talk and know I'm not messing around. I also don't have to repeat myself often because my student can't hear me. I also think this establishes good demeanor in the classroom because I am kind and respectful but my students know what is expected of them in my tone.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 24

On this fourth "Success of the Day", one thing that I think I am getting better about wait time. For example, today, when I was taking role (I'm in a new placement so I'm trying to learn students names), students talking volume increased after I had asked a few times to keep it down. I waited until they noticed I was waiting for them to quite down. I then reminded them that the longer time they take the less time they will have to review for the test tomorrow. This is a great way to establish command in the classroom and show students that every minute in the classroom is valuable. I think this is something I still need to improve on, however, I have noticed that I have improved since Student Teaching started.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 23

Another thing I think I do well is help students learn for themselves. One of the biggest problems with Freshman I have found is that they want you to give them all the answers or to grade them really easy. Even after you explain to them that high school is not like that they still test their luck. Some students get angry and offended when you don't give them answer. You have to remind them that you (the teacher) are on their side through this whole process and trying to help them learn. We would be doing them a disservice if we didn't challenge them. Another great thing to do is respond to questions with a guiding question. This leads them to answer the questions themselves.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 22

Another thing that I do really well is redirecting students when they get off task. For example, when students are doing group work and get off topic in their conversations I can redirect them by looking at their work and asking if they have any questions. Most of the time they do so I answer them and they go back on task. I also walk around the room to monitor students work directly. This shows students that I really care about their learning and success in my classroom.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 21

One thing I think I do well is keep calm when things don't go well. If technology fails or when I messed up some copies, I was able to adjust to the situation and move on with the lesson without losing face. This also helps a lot in discipline issues because students should not see that their behavior bothers the teacher. By keeping calm I am able to dispense of the situation and move on. Students also really benefit from a teacher that has a calm demeanor.

Reflection #2

Part 1- I think that a huge issue with multiple choice tests and other common assessments is that they only look for one answer. There is no higher level of thinking or deeper thought processes being conducted. Students, from my experience, also only learn for a test, not for permanent knowledge. There is also a huge possibility that the chapters are not complete with information, which the poem alludes too. Students also don't gain any other skills by answer multiple choice questions.

Part 2-
a) There are a lot of great formative assessments that I can use in the classroom. Some of the aspects I have already included in Student Teaching are classroom discussion, group activities, and quizzes. I really like classroom discussion because it's a really easy grade for the students to earn and an easy grade to grade as a teacher. Quizzes are a great way to review the TEKS being tested to make sure students understand the concepts. Group activities promote great learning and cooperative skills which are essential for students to develop.
b) Summative assessments are a little more difficult to use in the classroom. I try to stay away from plain old chapter tests if I can avoid it. A great summative assessment I have used in Student Teaching is OER's (Open Ended Response). Students are able to answer a question in their own words. I also think long essays are a good summative assignment so students develop writing skills. Projects are also a good summative grade because they incorporate creativity and fun for students.
c) There are many reasons to have both. For one, it allows for more grades in the grade book because formative assessments are daily grades a lot of times. This also allows students many chances at success and hold them accountable for their work. Students are all different, and having many forms of assessment allow students to reach their maximum abilities in an assessment that plays to their strengths.
d) In the future, I would like to do more summative assessments with presentations. Students need to learn how to speak clearly in front of people. By teaching the class, students also learn more themselves. I would also like to incorporate 3-2-1 summery activities, which are quick, easy, and effective. I will also try and incorporate more bell ringers and exit slips as formative assessments. These are great ways to begin and end class and really allows me to measure student understanding.

Reflection #1: Introduction

My name is Amanda Wilhelm and I am teaching at CFC (Central Freshman Campus) this semester. I am teaching a 9th grade World Geography class. I hope to get a job teaching in San Angelo ISD after I graduate in December.

Roles of a teacher:
The first, and probably most important, role that a teacher plays is that of an educator. We have to teach these kids, if only for the basic fact that it is a very high probability that no one else will. This is what all these years of education have led up too and why we have taken all of these online classes. However, it is not only our content area that needs to be taught. Yes, knowing the Pythagorean theorem and the locations of countries is important, but these children need to learn life skills that will get them through life. These kids are out future and we showed pour every once of wisdom and knowledge we posses into them.

The second role of a teacher is that of a cheerleader. Many students need constant encouragement and reassurance as they progress through school. In today's time, many students don't have a lot of positive reinforcement from their home lives. Parents can be really tough, not have the time, or flat out not care how their child is doing in school. Teachers must step in and "cheer" these students on to show them someone does care about them and their accomplishments. I believe it is also motivates students to do better if they see a teacher that is rooting for them to perform to the best of their abilities.

The third role I believe a teacher plays is that of a coach. All of these "hats" tie together, however I think a teacher as a coach should still be defined in its own category. Coaches can set up strategies, plays, etc to help beat the other team on game day. They will explain this to the players and then put it into action at practice. The end game is fairly clear if it is done correctly, or if it is done incorrectly. Teachers need to show students the benefit of an education in a long term sense. If effort and heart are placed into it that it is a good chance students will walk out of high school ready to go to college or do whatever they choose to do. Teachers also need to provide the right material (or playbook) for students to do this.

mom, sister, me (respectively!)

I love softball! I played at ASU for 4 years and it was an honor to put on this jersey everyday!

This handsome fellow is my wonderful fiance! We are getting married this summer!