Describe different ways (strategies) the teacher presents material to the students.
At this point in the school, the kindergartners are very familiar with their tasks. A lot of the lessons that students are learning fall in line with previous lessons. With that, Mrs. Simala is able to activate prior knowledge to introduce most of her new subjects. For children this young it is very important that an idea does not seem too far fetched for them to grasp.
The students will have some subjects that they have no prior knowledge of. In this instance, Mrs. Simala will put the activity up on the calendar just as she would with any other schedule. She will also tell the students that they will be doing something new later in the day. This will give the students a chance to grasp the idea of a change in their schedule.
The students are learning new things everyday; it is just the format of how they are learning that tends to stay very similar. It seems that with children this young, the more of a routine you can have means the more time for learning you can have. The students take a long time to transition from one activity to the next. When the children know what they are getting themselves into they are less hesitant and therefore get themselves ready sooner.
What type of student groupings does the teacher use? (one-on-one, pairs, small groups, whole class?)
Mrs. Simala uses all types of groups in her class. There are times when students are working with two or three other children, times when students will work on their own, and times when the whole class will be involved in a lesson.
The most common size group is about four. During team reading and writing this is the usual size of a group. This is also the size of groups for the activity called centers which I have talked about in previous posts.
While the students are given opportunities to work on their own, it is almost always encouraged that they ask their neighbors for help if needed. Some students are able to finish most of their work on their own while others will most often be found working with their neighbors.
The day usually has at least one all-class activity. Sometimes this is math, reading, or even the science lesson that I led.
What techniques are used to assess and evaluate learning? Describe any assessment technique you have observed.
There are a few main techniques that I have seen Mrs. Simala use to assess her students. There have been a lot of recent assessments going on in the class to track progress. Children take tests on just about everything they have learned so the school and parents know where they stand. There have been oral tests of word recognition, writing numbers 1-100, and many others that will show where a child’s skill set may be. These are summative assessments of the children’s knowledge.
What are you learning about this age group?
I have been working with young children for a long time, but I have still learned a lot about kindergartners in my short time at Everett School. I have learned that there is such a large gap between the students who are excelling and those who still are not getting the concepts. These children are five and six years old so there is still so much development ahead of them. I have learned that kindergarten involves so much more than kids learning their ABC’s. These children are really pushing the envelope with the types of learning they are doing. The advanced children in Mrs. Simala’s class have truly impressed me with their skills. It is crazy when you hear some of these children read aloud and talk to you because they sound so much older than their age. While the oral component will always impress me, the written components will always remind you of how young they really are.
What do students enjoy and dislike most?
It is kind of hard to answer this question because of the age group that I deal with. The students are not very open about disliking anything because they still have so much respect for their teacher. To be honest, the majority of the group seems genuinely enthusiastic about most of the activities that Mrs. Simala leads.
Do you see technology being used in the classroom?
I do not see a large amount of technology use in the classroom. There is a document camera which I actually used in my lesson. It is pretty simple but it projects anything that is out under the camera onto the projector screen. It is really convenient because no copies are needed to be made and no transparency sheets are involved.
The children do some work on computers in the library once a week where they will do activities to practice their word wall words.
In relation to the text…
I feel that these questions relate to chapters six and seven the most. When Mrs. Simala is presenting material to her students she is trying to engage them in the activities and lessons. She is often bringing up past lesson trying to get the children to remember what they have learned in the past. This is activating prior knowledge which is a very good tool for getting children engaged in a current lesson. She also has groups split into different sizes for different activities because she knows where her students learning zones are at this point. She knows that some topics will make the children a little uneasy and they will not give it their best effort. That is why they are put into groups sometimes, so they can support each other. The students are also split by ability for a few of the lesson because the students will have similar skill sets and learning zones. This maximizes potential learning and makes differentiated learning, which we have talked about in class, a little easier.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
ELE300-Journal #3
How is the day planned? What is the teacher’s daily schedule? How does it relate to the age level of the group?
The schedule is jam packed in a kindergarten class. From the moment these children enter the classroom to the time when they are walking to the bus, these students are constantly engaged. In a half day kindergarten class, there is no time to waste.
The children have memorized the general schedule of each day. On different days the students go to different specialized classes. Depending on what day of the week it may be, the students will go to wellness, music, or the library. These are gaps in the day that Mrs. Simala plans her curriculum around. There are also daily activities that involve other faculty or even parents. Team reading and writing are done with the ladies from the reading center. Every kindergarten class has time allotted for team reading with the reading center faculty. There are also days when parents will come in to focus on a certain subject with a small group of students. The activity is called “centers.” In centers the students will have a half hour at one of four subjects: math, language, art, or building. In one day each student spends a half hour at two centers. Centers occur twice a week. Mrs. Simala has to plan her other curriculum around the special events and classes. What is nice for her is that these other activities and classes are always at the same time so the schedule is always very similar. This is a very important element for a classroom of six year olds.
How is classroom time used?
Almost all of the classroom time is used for learning. The only time in the classroom where the children are not focused on learning is during snack time. The rest of the classroom time is filled with learning activities. There are usually activities that will keep the students busy enough that the ones who need a little extra assistance can get that from Mrs. Simala or the teacher’s assistant.
What preparations were made to start and conclude various activities?
At this point in the year the students are very familiar with what they need to do in every activity. They know that different subjects require different materials, and most of the students are prepared in a very timely matter for the activities. Other children may require a gentle reminder of what they are supposed to be doing at a given time. So as far as getting the students prepared, it is as simple as asking them to get ready.
Mrs. Simala puts in the time before hand so her activities do not involve stalling and searching for missing materials. It helps that she has been teaching kindergarten for seven years, but she seems to be prepared for all of her activities. There are always options for differentiated instruction. All of her in class activities has extended work for those who are excelling, and she always has ways for those who are not getting the concepts to complete the work to their ability. This is a direct result of the preparation Mrs. Simala has put into the assignments and activities. I know from discussing lesson plans with her, her preparation involves a lot of assessment of her current class on past assignments, and past classes on a particular assignment.
Can you identify the purpose or objective of each activity?
All of the activities in Mrs. Simala’s class seem to have specific purpose. They all fall pretty well in line with the standards of the district which all fall in line with the state standards. The students are given a good amount of games to play, but I have not seen one game that was not teaching them something important. Usually games are used to cement a new technique or lesson into the class.
How are cultural differences considered and needs met?
This question does not really pertain to either the morning, or afternoon class. There are not enough cultural differences in this class that would cause for anything out of the ordinary to occur. Every student is from an English speaking home.
In Relation to the text…
I believe that Mrs. Simala’s use of classroom time goes very well with the goals of our text. It seems that the last few chapters have focused on getting the most out of your students. That includes budgeting your time so as to not be flustered in front of the class. Other factors are finding where your students excel, and catering to those areas of learning. One aspect of Mrs. Simala’s curriculum is that the students are always engaged in the lessons. Whether that is during centers, or during one of her lessons, the students are never without an activity. This is especially important in Kindergarten but as the book shows us, it is very important at all levels.
The schedule is jam packed in a kindergarten class. From the moment these children enter the classroom to the time when they are walking to the bus, these students are constantly engaged. In a half day kindergarten class, there is no time to waste.
The children have memorized the general schedule of each day. On different days the students go to different specialized classes. Depending on what day of the week it may be, the students will go to wellness, music, or the library. These are gaps in the day that Mrs. Simala plans her curriculum around. There are also daily activities that involve other faculty or even parents. Team reading and writing are done with the ladies from the reading center. Every kindergarten class has time allotted for team reading with the reading center faculty. There are also days when parents will come in to focus on a certain subject with a small group of students. The activity is called “centers.” In centers the students will have a half hour at one of four subjects: math, language, art, or building. In one day each student spends a half hour at two centers. Centers occur twice a week. Mrs. Simala has to plan her other curriculum around the special events and classes. What is nice for her is that these other activities and classes are always at the same time so the schedule is always very similar. This is a very important element for a classroom of six year olds.
How is classroom time used?
Almost all of the classroom time is used for learning. The only time in the classroom where the children are not focused on learning is during snack time. The rest of the classroom time is filled with learning activities. There are usually activities that will keep the students busy enough that the ones who need a little extra assistance can get that from Mrs. Simala or the teacher’s assistant.
What preparations were made to start and conclude various activities?
At this point in the year the students are very familiar with what they need to do in every activity. They know that different subjects require different materials, and most of the students are prepared in a very timely matter for the activities. Other children may require a gentle reminder of what they are supposed to be doing at a given time. So as far as getting the students prepared, it is as simple as asking them to get ready.
Mrs. Simala puts in the time before hand so her activities do not involve stalling and searching for missing materials. It helps that she has been teaching kindergarten for seven years, but she seems to be prepared for all of her activities. There are always options for differentiated instruction. All of her in class activities has extended work for those who are excelling, and she always has ways for those who are not getting the concepts to complete the work to their ability. This is a direct result of the preparation Mrs. Simala has put into the assignments and activities. I know from discussing lesson plans with her, her preparation involves a lot of assessment of her current class on past assignments, and past classes on a particular assignment.
Can you identify the purpose or objective of each activity?
All of the activities in Mrs. Simala’s class seem to have specific purpose. They all fall pretty well in line with the standards of the district which all fall in line with the state standards. The students are given a good amount of games to play, but I have not seen one game that was not teaching them something important. Usually games are used to cement a new technique or lesson into the class.
How are cultural differences considered and needs met?
This question does not really pertain to either the morning, or afternoon class. There are not enough cultural differences in this class that would cause for anything out of the ordinary to occur. Every student is from an English speaking home.
In Relation to the text…
I believe that Mrs. Simala’s use of classroom time goes very well with the goals of our text. It seems that the last few chapters have focused on getting the most out of your students. That includes budgeting your time so as to not be flustered in front of the class. Other factors are finding where your students excel, and catering to those areas of learning. One aspect of Mrs. Simala’s curriculum is that the students are always engaged in the lessons. Whether that is during centers, or during one of her lessons, the students are never without an activity. This is especially important in Kindergarten but as the book shows us, it is very important at all levels.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
ELE300-Journal #2
In Everett School, there is not much diversity. Students learn about other cultures in their classes, but the truth is that there is not very much diversity in the school. In the two kindergarten classes that I have been observing, all but four children are white.
In Mrs. Simala’s classroom, the children are encouraged to work with each other frequently. The students are often working in different groups depending on which subject they are involved in. This is of course late in the year, but the children are very good at staying on task in the classroom. The students are young so it takes a little prying on the teacher’s part, but the more advanced students have shown the ability to help the students who may be struggling.
Both the morning and afternoon sessions have children with special needs. In both classes there is one student with extreme needs. They both have an aid that shadows them throughout the entire day. This aid is able to help with the other students when it is needed. In the morning class, there are a lot of students who are behind in a lot of the subjects. Those students have already started getting extra help during class and some have even started sessions after school. Mrs. Simala stated to me that it is unusual for students to have an IEP so early in their school career and she has multiple students who will be receiving them. I guess people try to wait and see if the student will get the concepts with time, but these particular students will fall too far behind if action is not taken.
Mrs. Simala works with a lot of the faculty everyday. As stated earlier there is a teacher’s assistant in both classes. Also, reading specialists come into the classroom two or three days of the week and work in small groups with the children. Mrs. Simala prepares the children for their sessions with the reading specialists with the knowledge of what they will be learning. This collaboration between the faculty occurs mostly at meetings.
Families are very involved at Everett School. Parents are frequently involved in the classroom, often assisting Mrs. Simala in small group lessons. This is a great benefit of working in a community like Lake Forest where you actually have the luxury of parents who are willing and able to help.
In a recent discussion with Mrs. Simala about her students with special needs, she showed me some charts which tracked students’ progress. These charts showed students scores on reading tests. In these tests, the students are shown words and their assignment is to read them out loud. The chart that I was shown displayed the individual students’ score along with the range and average scores of the rest of the class. There were scores from the beginning of the year and from their more recent assessments. She also showed me some charts marking the improvement of her past students. She did this to display to parents the benefits of students receiving extra help. Apparently there have been a lot of parents who do not want any extra help for their children. Mrs. Simala wanted to track the improvement of those who did and did not receive extra assistance so parents could see the benefits.
In Mrs. Simala’s classroom, the children are encouraged to work with each other frequently. The students are often working in different groups depending on which subject they are involved in. This is of course late in the year, but the children are very good at staying on task in the classroom. The students are young so it takes a little prying on the teacher’s part, but the more advanced students have shown the ability to help the students who may be struggling.
Both the morning and afternoon sessions have children with special needs. In both classes there is one student with extreme needs. They both have an aid that shadows them throughout the entire day. This aid is able to help with the other students when it is needed. In the morning class, there are a lot of students who are behind in a lot of the subjects. Those students have already started getting extra help during class and some have even started sessions after school. Mrs. Simala stated to me that it is unusual for students to have an IEP so early in their school career and she has multiple students who will be receiving them. I guess people try to wait and see if the student will get the concepts with time, but these particular students will fall too far behind if action is not taken.
Mrs. Simala works with a lot of the faculty everyday. As stated earlier there is a teacher’s assistant in both classes. Also, reading specialists come into the classroom two or three days of the week and work in small groups with the children. Mrs. Simala prepares the children for their sessions with the reading specialists with the knowledge of what they will be learning. This collaboration between the faculty occurs mostly at meetings.
Families are very involved at Everett School. Parents are frequently involved in the classroom, often assisting Mrs. Simala in small group lessons. This is a great benefit of working in a community like Lake Forest where you actually have the luxury of parents who are willing and able to help.
In a recent discussion with Mrs. Simala about her students with special needs, she showed me some charts which tracked students’ progress. These charts showed students scores on reading tests. In these tests, the students are shown words and their assignment is to read them out loud. The chart that I was shown displayed the individual students’ score along with the range and average scores of the rest of the class. There were scores from the beginning of the year and from their more recent assessments. She also showed me some charts marking the improvement of her past students. She did this to display to parents the benefits of students receiving extra help. Apparently there have been a lot of parents who do not want any extra help for their children. Mrs. Simala wanted to track the improvement of those who did and did not receive extra assistance so parents could see the benefits.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Blogs, Wikis, and Nings... What?
At least these are normal names, right?
From my understanding, blogs are websites in which people can respond to your postings. These posting will only show up on a specific postings page and others cannot edit your posts. A wiki is similar except viewers can edit your actual posts. So what you post may change very soon after. I think that a ning is intended for people to post questions about a particular interest. In education nings, a teacher could ask a question and other teachers could respond with their expertise.
In education, these could all have their place. A class blog would be a great way to inform your students and parents about what is happening in your classroom.
A wiki would be a great way for your students to work on group projects together. This way they could be interacting and working together from home. With different family schedules, this is a pretty good alternative to meeting in person.
A ning is a great tool for a teacher and the student. As a teacher, it is a great way to get advice from someone who may have more expertise than you. It would also be a great way for students to ask questions when they are home for the day. On the ning, students and you could respond to these questions.
From my understanding, blogs are websites in which people can respond to your postings. These posting will only show up on a specific postings page and others cannot edit your posts. A wiki is similar except viewers can edit your actual posts. So what you post may change very soon after. I think that a ning is intended for people to post questions about a particular interest. In education nings, a teacher could ask a question and other teachers could respond with their expertise.
In education, these could all have their place. A class blog would be a great way to inform your students and parents about what is happening in your classroom.
A wiki would be a great way for your students to work on group projects together. This way they could be interacting and working together from home. With different family schedules, this is a pretty good alternative to meeting in person.
A ning is a great tool for a teacher and the student. As a teacher, it is a great way to get advice from someone who may have more expertise than you. It would also be a great way for students to ask questions when they are home for the day. On the ning, students and you could respond to these questions.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
ELE300- Journal #1
I was able to start my observations this week at Everett Elementary in Lake Forest, Illinois. I have been placed in a Kindergarten class. There are two half-day sessions, but I only observed the second half on Thursday. I will be observing both classes on Wednesdays in the future.
When I walked into the classroom, it was the first time I met my cooperating teacher Lyndsey Simala. The first thing she said was, "Oh I am sorry it is such a mess in here. Organization is not my strong suit." But it was not exactly messy in the classroom. Actually, it was very well organized in the classroom. I truly saw this when the children came into the room. They all had organized cubbies to put their clothes in. The students also knew to head to their assigned desks and grab their work out of their pouches on their chairs. When it was time to do group work, all of the students knew where they should sit and with whom they should be sitting.
The students were very aware of where all their resources may be. They had a great sense of belonging in Mrs. Simala's classroom. What I saw on Thursday was probably a result of the students being in the classroom for five months at that point. I'm sure with Kindergartners it is hard for them to become acclimated to their new setting. That is why it is probably most important to have routines for the students to become comfortable.
I think part of the reason that the students are so comfortable in Mrs. Simala's classroom is because of her tone with the children. She has a very calm tone that lets the kids know that she is here to help them. She has rituals that allow her to maintain her calm demeanor. When it is time to switch stations, Mrs. Simala will announce that there is one minute left of a certain activity. She will then turn the timer on, and when the buzzer goes off all of the students switch stations. She will also do the routine of, "If you can hear me clap your hands." This way, the students on the other side of the room will notice the other children clapping and they will turn and listen.
I noticed many things around the classroom that were mentioned in our text. There were words all around the classroom that have been used in different lessons from the year. This was called the word wall. Also, the students names on located on their desks, and their cubbies which gives them a sense of belonging and community. They have displays from all of the different lessons they have learned, and they also have a mini library full of books that relate to their current curriculum.
When I walked into the classroom, it was the first time I met my cooperating teacher Lyndsey Simala. The first thing she said was, "Oh I am sorry it is such a mess in here. Organization is not my strong suit." But it was not exactly messy in the classroom. Actually, it was very well organized in the classroom. I truly saw this when the children came into the room. They all had organized cubbies to put their clothes in. The students also knew to head to their assigned desks and grab their work out of their pouches on their chairs. When it was time to do group work, all of the students knew where they should sit and with whom they should be sitting.
The students were very aware of where all their resources may be. They had a great sense of belonging in Mrs. Simala's classroom. What I saw on Thursday was probably a result of the students being in the classroom for five months at that point. I'm sure with Kindergartners it is hard for them to become acclimated to their new setting. That is why it is probably most important to have routines for the students to become comfortable.
I think part of the reason that the students are so comfortable in Mrs. Simala's classroom is because of her tone with the children. She has a very calm tone that lets the kids know that she is here to help them. She has rituals that allow her to maintain her calm demeanor. When it is time to switch stations, Mrs. Simala will announce that there is one minute left of a certain activity. She will then turn the timer on, and when the buzzer goes off all of the students switch stations. She will also do the routine of, "If you can hear me clap your hands." This way, the students on the other side of the room will notice the other children clapping and they will turn and listen.
I noticed many things around the classroom that were mentioned in our text. There were words all around the classroom that have been used in different lessons from the year. This was called the word wall. Also, the students names on located on their desks, and their cubbies which gives them a sense of belonging and community. They have displays from all of the different lessons they have learned, and they also have a mini library full of books that relate to their current curriculum.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
NETS-T
As a teacher, I believe that having a class blog would help you meet the National Educational Technology Standards for teachers. By developing a blog and sharing it with your students and parents, it would show that you are indeed fluent in technology. This all fits under the Model-Age Work and Learning standard. Blogs would allow you to collaborate with your students and their parents, from one spot. This way, if there are questions from students or parents, they can ask you through the blog. Another great possibility is that their questions could be answered just by looking at the blog. This would require you to be very thorough with the posts and links, which would also demonstrate your capabilities.
Through this blog, you could have links to lesson plans and power points. This is a great way for parents to know what is happening in their child's classroom. In addition to lesson plans and PowerPoint's, the assignments can be posted. I feel like this is still and example of Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, but nonetheless, it would be very helpful for parents and students alike. I know that I seemed to forget about my assignments as soon as a left school, and I'm sure my mother would have appreciated something like this to check.
Whether this is through the blog, or in a parent-teacher conference, Excel is a great way to show the students overall performance. I believe that this would fit under the Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments standard. Excel allows you to show the students grades, but it also allows you to do so much more. With Excel, you can record students progress in all of the different types of assignments. You can also attach charts showing students progress and performance versus the class average or class high. You can keep scores anonymous or have code names if you were to post these things on the blog.
I think it is very important to Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility in front of your classroom. A very important aspect that should be taught to students is citing all of your resources. In documents that you use for class, you can always add a bibliography at the end. It is very important to show the kids that it is okay to research, in fact it is encouraged, but you need to give credit where it is due. In PowerPoint presentations, you can always mention where you found some information and that will help the students when they are asked to do the work on their own. In addition to mentioning your resources, the bibliography staples the idea of copyright and plagiarism into their minds.
Through this blog, you could have links to lesson plans and power points. This is a great way for parents to know what is happening in their child's classroom. In addition to lesson plans and PowerPoint's, the assignments can be posted. I feel like this is still and example of Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, but nonetheless, it would be very helpful for parents and students alike. I know that I seemed to forget about my assignments as soon as a left school, and I'm sure my mother would have appreciated something like this to check.
Whether this is through the blog, or in a parent-teacher conference, Excel is a great way to show the students overall performance. I believe that this would fit under the Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments standard. Excel allows you to show the students grades, but it also allows you to do so much more. With Excel, you can record students progress in all of the different types of assignments. You can also attach charts showing students progress and performance versus the class average or class high. You can keep scores anonymous or have code names if you were to post these things on the blog.
I think it is very important to Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility in front of your classroom. A very important aspect that should be taught to students is citing all of your resources. In documents that you use for class, you can always add a bibliography at the end. It is very important to show the kids that it is okay to research, in fact it is encouraged, but you need to give credit where it is due. In PowerPoint presentations, you can always mention where you found some information and that will help the students when they are asked to do the work on their own. In addition to mentioning your resources, the bibliography staples the idea of copyright and plagiarism into their minds.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
First blog post
My name is Brett and I have entered the wild world of the internet. This blog is for my technology in the classroom course. I will be using this blog for my other education courses.
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