Journal #3-Domain #3- Teaching and the Curriculum

How is the day planned?  

Mrs. Jones starts every day with a science starter to improve observation or assess the children's learning. Today she planned a video to introduce polymers and how they can be found everywhere in the environment around us, even at the Olympics. She then asked all the students to get into a previously assigned group and to get a laptop from the closet in the room. She then assigned a worksheet to coincide with a website about polymers. Mrs. Jones made sure that there was a link to this website on her home page. This came in handy at the end of the day when one boy explained that he missed class for band practice. She gave him the worksheet and told him that the link was on her homepage. This planning helped the day move along faster, so there was no time wasted.

What is the teacher’s daily schedule?  

There are nine periods in a class day along with an advisory (homeroom). The first period Mrs. Jones does not have a class so she uses the period as a planning period. The next two periods she teachers science for mixed levels of six, seventh, and eighth graders. She has one more planning period before her lunch. The last three periods are used to teach science again.  

How does it relate to the age level of the group?

The activities that Mrs. Jones plans are based on things that the students can identify with, like the Olympics.

Also Mrs. Jones uses differentiation to help the different age groups within one classroom. For example she planned two different homework assignments. They were different based on the different learning levels and age groups of the children.

How is the classroom time used?

Mrs. Jones starts the classroom time right away. She doesn’t waste time on figuring out what to do; she plans and prepares the assignments before the students arrive. Every day she starts the day with a science starter that engages the children while they are settling in to their seats.

She reserves some time to help the children write their assignments in the assignment notebook.

The remaining time is used to teach which she does by showing a video and then having the children utilize a website to learn information on their own.

What preparations were made to start and conclude various activities?

Science starters and exit slips are used to introduce activities and ideas or used to assess learning.

Today Mrs. Jones used a video to start an activity about polymers. The video was ready and uploaded on Mrs. Jones computer before class so that no time was wasted.

Can you identify the purpose or objective of each activity?

Yes, I have not seen Mrs. Jones host an activity that was just for busy work. The website was used as a resource to teach the students what polymers are, how they are made, and to realize that they are everywhere in our environment.

How are cultural differences considered and needs met?

I could not see any examples of how different cultural differences were considered and met.

The school puts more emphasis on different learning standards than on cultural differences.

what you learned about Teaching and the Curriculum.

While i was observing, I could see how Mrs. Jones would utilize her time to teach the students about her subject matter. She does not show disrespect to the students by making them do busy work, but instead, tries to engage the children in authentic learning experiences. In class we learned that a good teachers implements a respectful curriculum. She did this by preparing all activities before the class started. She used her planning periods to set up the classroom and prepare the assignments. And all the activities that are planned relate to her specific age level group. She plans activities on things students can identify with, like the olympics. She also differentiated different assignments depending on her children's learning level or age.

 

 

Journal #2-Domain #2 and #5 -Teaching and Students / Teaching and the Profession

What is the student body diversity and how is cultural diversity recognized in the school?

At Lincoln Prairie, you will find mostly caucasian students roaming the halls, after that, the most noticeable race is Indian. But there are students of other races too. A true diversifying aspect of the children are their age group. The classes that I am observing have six, seventh, and eighth graders all together in the same class.

To be quite honest, diversity is not really recognized that much in this school. The school's biggest mission is to recognize and meet different learning styles. The teachers in the teacher lounge said that they do have a multicultural club which meets after school that children are welcomed to join if they want.

How are children involved in the classroom; how do they relate to one another?

During my first observation, I noticed that Mrs. Jones uses many labs in her science class. This allows the students to get involved and learn through experience. She also asks questions frequently to involve specific students and help the class teach each other. 

At this age, the only thing students are interesting in are themselves, and other students. Mrs. Jones directs this intrigue into something useful by having the children sit in groups. This allows them to work together and help each other out. I think that sometimes it is hard for the older kids to relate to the younger ones, but they really do work together well. For example; during a lab a sixth grader asked how they were going to find the iron in their lab experiment, so the eight graders explained the process before they proceeded. 

How are the needs of students with exceptionalities met in the classroom and at the school?

Almost every period has a child with special needs. Most of these children are autistic. Each of these children have a personal aid that travels with them from class to class. 

There have not been any other exceptionalities that I have observed.

How do teachers and other school personnel work together? Well as I said before, there are aids that help out in almost every class. Even though these aids are specifically there for their students, they also help out around the classroom when needed.

A great way that the teachers work together in this school is through their weekly staff meetings. Every wednesday the teachers meet in small groups for staff development. This allows the teachers to offer advice and ideas when needed and also to discuss students.

How are families and other community members involved in the school Lincoln Prairie is a very small school compared to the rest of the schools in the district. Parents need to apply in order for their children to get in. I feel that because of this, the school has created a small, close-knit-community in which the parents play a large role.

Parents are in charge of the different bulletin boards found around the school, they set up committees and clubs for the students, they help with the eight grade fund raiser, and they also volunteer to bring in hot lunches once a week (there is no cafeteria in the school).

How does the teacher keep track of student progress? Keeping track of student progress and assessment is very important for Mrs. Jones. She has over one hundred students; all at a different learning level. A big way that she tracks her students progress is with science starters and exit slips. She starts the class with a science starter to see what the children already know, what they learned, and what they still need help on. Exit slips are also important to see if the students grasped what was taught.

Mrs. Jones also asks questions frequently to gauge were children are at. She then rights her notes on a spreadsheet containing the children's names and little notes.

What extra duty tasks does the teacher perform? (meetings, bus duty, etc.)

Every other week, Mrs. Jones has bus duty. Along with this, she also attends weekly meetings and IEPs when needed.

what you learned about Teaching and the Student and Teaching and the Profession

I don't think the school does a very good job meeting every cultural need, but the teacher does help involve every child. This school is very interested in diversifying their teaching based on levels and learning abilities. They put more importance on different learning styles than on difference in culture. For example, Mrs. Jones has a science buddy program which is like the idea mentioned on page 47 of our text book. Like the book states, this strategy promotes respect across grade levels. Another strategy that is mentioned in the book that is also done in the school is the "warm fuzzy". Children throughout the school are being taught "authentic kindness". I really like this idea, because the kids can pretend to be kind or pass out warm fuzzies for giggles, but the teachers were emphasizing being authentic.

Journal #1-Domain #1-Teaching and the Environment

Before I moved to Hoffman Estates, I taught preschool for about 4 to five years. I really felt comfortable working with the younger children. Because of this, I really wanted to observe in a setting that was out of my element. I am blessed enough to observe a well respected 6 to 8th grade science teacher at Lincoln Prairie School in District 54. Her name is Mrs. Jones.
I used this first observation as a chance to get to know the teacher and classroom that I will be observing a little better.
Mrs. Jones has been teaching science to upper level children for over ten years.
Her classroom is a typical science class, filled to the rim with materials that are used for the different labs Mrs. Jones will guide her children through.
How is the classroom physically organized?

Mrs. Jones desk, laptop, filling cabinet, and books are found in the corner of the room. In the back of the room are all the different science text books and dictionaries that will be used for the next three years. Because it is a science room, there are resources here that are not found in other classrooms. For example there is a sink and emergency safety rinses. These are located next to the door, across from the teacher's desk. The children's tables are located in the middle of the room. They are large tables set in groups of eight. In the middle of the each of the tables are boxes with pencils and any other materials that students might need.

One of the eight tables contains the materials that are being used in this day's activity.

Do children seem to know where things are?

As far as I could tell, the children knew were the materials were located. When one student needed a ruler for he lab, he stood up and got it from the back of the class without asking Mrs. Jones. Then when it was time for a new activity, the teacher placed all the materials needed on a desk and explained everything to the students so that they could become familiar with the materials. 
How do learners and teacher’s use the classroom space?

The room seemed kind of cluttered because all the materials are stored inside the classroom instead of some other storage space. It seemed that the materials not being used took up a lot of classroom space. In the meantime though, Mrs. Jones saved space by having the children work in groups, by putting the tables together. 

Is the room more child-oriented or teacher-oriented? Give examples.

It is hard to say if it was either-or. The children seemed to know where the work materials where located. They were well organized for easy access. But all the other materials, such as beakers were located in the corner of the room in a locked closet. Everything else was kind of piled on top of each other, not labeled, just for the teacher. 

What resources are in the room? How do children and adults use them?

The plus side of having all the materials in the room is that the teacher can access them whenever needed. For example, the magnets she set aside for an activity wasn't strong enough so she was able to look through her closet and find a better one. Another resource in the room is the sink. The children were able to clean up after themselves using the sink to clean their beakers. The room also has a projector and a white board which the teacher uses to post a "science starter". 

What techniques are used to get students’ attention, to transition them from one activity or place, to another?

Mrs. Jones used a transition which she called a "science starter" in order to start the class. These science starters allow the children to transition into class and start getting into the right state of mind. During the class, if the students are starting to drift off into their own conversations Mrs. Jones raises her voice and says, "Class Class". The students then respond, "Yes Yes". This helps all the students return their focus on the teacher. If they really start acting out, Mrs. Jones will turn off the lights to get every one's attention again.
What examples of technology are available?
Mrs. Jones has a laptop which she connected to the projector. The classroom also has a television with a DVD and VHS player. The classroom had electronic scales which they used in the activity. I also noticed a closet with many laptops that the students can use when needed. The last example of technology that i noticed was a document camera that was also connected to the projector. 

In a paragraph, reflect in an analytical manner, what you learned about Teaching and the Environment. You must integrate at least two ideas from class discussion or the text.

I really enjoyed being in the classroom and observing, first hand, how the different environmental strategies can be used. Mrs. Jones creates a classroom that conveys a sense of belonging by displaying the children's work on the closets and boards. The classroom also contains displays that children can use for learning, like the periodic table. An interesting aspect of the school that I learned when I arrived, is that they have multiple ages within one classroom. For example, in Mrs. Jones teaches science to six, seventh, and eight graders in one classroom. She uses this to her advantage though by pushing all the science tables together so that the students can collaborate on the labs and classwork. Arranging the tables this way also allows Mrs. Jones to save space in a crowded room. She puts the often used materials in a pencil box in the middle of the table. And then, any other materials like rulers and staplers are placed in a clearly labeled cabinet in the back of the room.

Wiki. Nings. Blogs. ....What's next

Because of technology, we have the opportunity to communicate with individuals we would never usually come in contact with. This is truly a blessing. And in order to facilitate these experiences, many different social outlets have been created. Nings, wikis, and blogs are just three examples of many.
Each of these social outlets are used to push information out into the world wide web. Each of the three mentioned above though, do this process a little differently.
For example, blogs are very one sided. They are a way for you to say what you want to say with no one changing it. Blogs are way a for you to push your information out there without having someone edit it or change it.
Nings and wikis are different because they are more collaborative.
Nings create opportunities to be collaborative, but do it is a social network setting.
Wikis are different because they are not as focused on socializing. Wikis are a way for people to collaborate information for learning.
Each of these sites can be used very efficiently in education. Blogs can be used to push information out to your students and also parents. For example a teacher can post assignments, syllabi, and links to necessary sites.
Nings and wikis can be used for students to work together on projects or assignments. Or even for a whole class to work together.
If we use everything in moderation they can become great tools to help students and parents.

ISTE reflectiont

1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.

what: this first standard says that teachers should use their knowledge, teaching ability, and technology in order to help the children gain experiences that will improve their knowledge of their environment around them, including the technological environment.

how: one of the ways that teachers can accomplish this is by helping the students reflect upon their understanding and thinking using tools such as technology. I think powerpoint is a great way for children to be creative in their self reflection. 

why: It provides them with an outlet were they can explain their understanding of the environment to themselves and others. 

3. Model digital-age work and learning

what: this standard says that teachers should display their work in a way so that they can collaborate with students, peers, and parents. Teachers should also use tools analyze and evaluate the work and other information.

how: I would use excel in order to accomplish these things

why: Because excel is an excellent way to showcase information and work. It also allows you compare your work with others.

4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility 

what: teachers should model social responsibility related to technology. Teachers should also help children become aware of the different cultures that are represented and can be introduced to on the internet. 

how: teachers can meet these standards by using different internet blogs and similar sites.

why: blogs and other similar sites provide teachers and students a way to communicate with the world. They can learn of the different cultures and people around the world, this also gives teachers an opportunity to model respect and tolerance. Teachers should also use these experiences to teach children caution and awareness of the dangers that accompany technology. 

my first blog

Hi,

This is my first blog for our Technology in the classroom class.

I decided to put up a picture of me when i was five holding my little sister just after she was born. 

(thats my dad in the picture)