Posts Tagged Technology in Education

Internship Reflection – Week 4

March 27, 2011 at 11:13 pm · Filed under L1: Learner Centered, L2: Classroom/School Centered ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Reflection: Week 4
Review the textbooks and curriculum resources that your mentor teacher has to support his/her teaching. What seem to be the general beliefs about the best methods of teaching? Is the expected role of a teacher a transmitter of information, a group facilitator, a resource person, a source of intellectual stimulation, a coach, a social worker or counselor, a task master, or some other role? What roles are learners expected to play? How has this been influencing your first teaching experiences as an intern? Do you feel that this is in agreement with your philosophy of teaching?

The social studies department at Tahoma High School (THS) utilizes a variety of different resources to support the teaching within the department. My two mentor teachers are both a part of this department and use a wide variety of resources. Textbooks are a tool in both of my mentor teacher’s classrooms; they are not used every day by either teacher. Instead, outside resources are utilized. For example, both of my mentor teachers have adopted units from the Choices Program for social studies teachers. In American Politics and Global Issues, we have been working on a unit from this curriculum called Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East. My mentor teacher and I have altered the unit to fit the class’s needs and have included additional notes on Islam and articles about the recent protests in Middle East. In American Studies, students recently participated in a mock debate over the idea of Lend Lease using the Choices Program’s Between World Wars: FDR and the Age of Isolationism material. Both of my mentor teachers also use a lot of technology in the classroom. Students in Mr. Peter’s classroom are constantly working on their researching skills using the Internet on the social studies department’s netbooks. Mrs. Muller also uses films from The Annenberg Foundation instead of relying on direct instruction all of the time. These films are well made and cover the information in depth. In addition, teachers in the social studies department share their own knowledge and resources with one another. This is helpful for teachers taking on courses they have not yet taught but their peers have. While each teacher places his/her own twist on things, it is useful to have a foundation to build from.

During my experience at THS during the staff development days before the school year started, the principal went over recent research in education and discussed how THS teachers are expected to incorporate best practice teaching methods in their classrooms. Mr. Peters and Mrs. Muller use cooperative learning on a regular basis, have opportunities for reflections, use entry tasks, and are constantly checking for understanding. From attending staff development meetings, it is clear that THS makes it a priority to use teaching methods that have been found to be successful by current research.

Teachers are expected to take on multiple roles in the classroom. In my reflection for week three I discussed how my mentor teachers take on the role of coaches as they support and encourage their students to succeed in academics. Both teachers also take on the role of group facilitators, a role that they choose for themselves because they choose to incorporate so much cooperative learning in their classrooms. Students are often working in groups and rely on Mr. Peters and Mrs. Muller to help facilitate what is going on. Mr. Peters and Mrs. Muller also act as counselors in their classrooms. They have both shown me that they are deliberate about investing in the lives of their students, showing the students that teachers do care about their students. By doing this, the teachers have gained the trust of their students and the students then seek guidance and advice from Mr. Peters and Mrs. Muller, about academics, college, and other aspects of their lives. In the midst of all of these roles, Mr. Peters and Mrs. Muller still take on the role of being a source of intellectual stimulation. One thing I find so exciting about the social studies field is that there really is something for everyone in it. Teachers can help students find what interests them and encourage them to pursue that interest for further learning. In addition, Mr. Peters and Mrs. Muller encourage intellectual growth by using different types of lessons and probing at the students’ interests by sharing new knowledge. In the midst of all of the roles that the teachers take on, students must act as sponges that absorb the knowledge. They are responsible for actually taking in the information that their teachers share with them. Mr. Peters and Mrs. Muller’s students must act as social scientists. They use researching skills, writing, reading, and technology to take charge of their own learning. These students are not sitting in a desk working silently for ninety minutes at a time; instead, they are collaborating and discussing their learning with their peers, which often makes for a noisy classroom.

There is often a stereotype that a social studies classroom is boring: full of students memorizing the names and dates of important people and dates in history. My mentor teachers and their classrooms are examples of how this stereotype is not always true. These examples continue to make my experiences as an intern full of new learning. I am constantly learning new ways to teach lessons to the students because of my mentor teachers. My classroom management skills are improving based on how I have seen my mentor teachers model classroom management techniques in a wide variety of circumstances. I appreciate how Mr. Peters and Mrs. Muller care about their students not only in academics, but also in life, they want their students to succeed academically and in the rest of life. This all falls right in line with my philosophy of teaching. I believe that teachers and students need to be on the same team to help students learn. Learning cannot take place to its full capacity with just a teacher or just students; it needs both teacher and students working alongside one another. I also believe that a teacher cannot be as effective in the lives of his/her students if he/she does not know his/her students. It is important that teachers show their students that they care about their students as individuals. When students know that they are cared for in a classroom, they will put more effort into the work being done in that classroom. All of this makes for a classroom that is inviting and promotes learning.

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Internship Reflection – Week 2

March 15, 2011 at 2:03 pm · Filed under L1: Learner Centered, L2: Classroom/School Centered, L3: Family/Neighborhood Centered, P2: Reflective/Collaborative/Professional Growth-Centered, T4: Technology ·Tagged , , , , ,

Week 2 Reflection:
By now, you have had the opportunity to observer many different lessons, either with the same, or different, groups of students. What characteristics of these lessons have been memorable, intriguing, or surprising to you? Why has this been the case? What characteristics do you deem worthy of emulating as you develop your own teaching style?

Psychology, leadership, American studies, and American politics and global issues. These four social studies courses are so different from one another and it is beneficial for my internship to experience so many different social studies courses. My mentor teachers have both taught the whole gamut of social studies courses offered at Tahoma High School, some by choice and some because there was not anyone else to teach them. This has taught me to be mentally prepared to teach the whole spectrum of social studies courses. Fortunately, interning with two teachers and having four different subjects to prepare for gives me the opportunity to see a wide range of lessons.

Jigsaws are a teaching tool that Mr. Peters enjoys using in his classes. The social studies department at Tahoma has multiple netbook carts to share and Mr. Peters has a set of laptops in his classroom. When a jigsaw assignment is given, students will use the laptops and netbooks to research their topics to prepare for the jigsaw. Mr. Peters has found that instead of having the students teach their lessons in small groups and rotating, the students do better presenting their lessons in front of the class. This way he can also help correct or add information so the rest of the class understands everything and gets the information they need. In psychology, the students are preparing a jigsaw lesson to teach to the class on different parts of the brain. They have been researching in groups and will present their lessons beginning on March 17. What makes these jigsaws different from regular class presentations is that the students have to make it like a mini lesson that a teacher would do. The class has learned that students retain more information when they participate in their own learning, so that is what will be happening during this jigsaw. The students have been working hard on their research and are getting creative in their lessons which will make this an exciting learning experience. I think that this method of cooperative learning is beneficial for the entire class. It also builds research skills as the students use the Internet to find credible sources for their information. While I am student teaching I will have access to the netbooks and laptops, but I know that I may have to modify this lesson if I get a teaching position at a school that does not have the same resources.

The American Studies students have just finished up a CBA (Classroom Based Assessment) that I think was done very well. Once again, the netbooks and laptops were utilized for the students to build blogs through Puget SoundOff. This CBA reflected sustainability in different industries that the students picked themselves. The students researched their industries and built their blogs which they shared with the rest of the class. I was impressed with the students’ skills in designing their blogs; a couple of groups incorporated video, some of which were made by the students themselves! While the blogs were group grades, students were also responsible to make comments on their classmates’ blogs for individual grades. However, the information they shared is now open to viewers of the Puget SoundOff (2007) site which “provides youth with a forum for discussion, artistic expression and action as a way to empower and encourage you to have a strong voice.” This project is worthy of emulating because the students are taking a stand on an industry that is important to them. Each blog contains an Action Plan that the students design in order to help make our world more sustainable. The students not only research information but they also provide a solution. After listening to their presentations on their industries I find myself thinking more carefully about things. This assignment shows students that they can impact their communities.

Not every day is filled with exciting new lessons in every class. Students still work from the textbook occasionally, study maps, watch videos, and take notes while the teacher lectures. These are not bad lessons though; I believe that there is a balance to be found in the use of each type of lesson. Since students have different learning styles, teachers need to use a variety of lesson types to meet the needs of all the students. This is a skill that I hope to develop as I continue on this journey. I already know how I learn best, but that is not the same as many of the students in my classes. The lessons that I have observed have incorporated a lot of technology and have provided students to model their knowledge in ways that are as creative or as straight forward as they choose. When the students get to make their own decisions with their learning, they show ownership of it, which is exciting to watch.

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EDU 6135: Meta Reflection and Professional Growth Plan

December 9, 2010 at 9:40 pm · Filed under L3: Family/Neighborhood Centered, S2: Curriculum Standards/Outcomes ·Tagged , , , , ,

          It is difficult to begin describing all of my learning from this course because I have gained so much in just one quarter. There is the logistics side where I have learned how to use the Seattle Pacific University (School of Education, 2007) Lesson Plan Template, navigate through the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs), their Components, and Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) for the social studies; as well as organize a lesson plan to fit into Madeline Hunter’s Instructional Theory Into Practice plan or Bruner’s Discovery Lesson plan format. Then there is the learning that I have gained through new experiences. For example, planning and teaching mini lessons, watching my colleagues give mini lessons, providing those colleagues with feedback, and reflecting on the feedback I received to revise and make my own lessons better. Throughout this learning process, the goal of this course, General Teaching Methods, was to meet Seattle Pacific’s Residency Certification Competencies II and III in addition to Washington State’s Certification Standard S2. However, through this course many of the standards have been touched on, all in the effort to improve my ability to be an effective teacher through competence, character, service, and leadership.

Competence

          General Teaching Methods has been an opportunity for me to continue to become a more competent teacher. To be a competent secondary teacher, one must know “about effective secondary teaching practices… plan, deliver and evaluate lessons appropriate for secondary students… [and have the] ability to use technology for instruction and assessment” (T. Williams, course lecture, November 29, 2010). The four miniature lessons that each of us taught over the quarter gave us the opportunity to gain competence. I used these opportunities to try different instructional methods that I have learned about in the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s (2001) text, Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement has been a valuable resource in my lesson planning. The authors include a variety of instructional techniques that are all backed by research to improve student learning. This same text was even referenced in the teacher in-service meetings I went to during the September Experience. In creating my lessons, I often used techniques from this book, including note taking, homework, practice, nonlinguistic representations, cooperative learning, setting objectives, and advance organizers (Marzano, Pickering & Pollock, 2001). The variety in these lessons helps to meet the different types of learning styles to help all students learn.  
     Setting objectives and sharing them with students puts everyone at the same place at the beginning of class; this allows for everyone to learn the objectives together and is an important tool to ensure learning. Those objectives all came from the EALRs and GLEs in my lessons. Standard “S” part ii is “aligned with curriculum standards and outcomes” (School of Education, 2009, p. 44). My competence has improved because not only am I learning how to ensure that students learn what is desired in the objectives, but to also make sure those objectives are derived from the EALRs and GLEs, which are concepts students are supposed to be learning. In addition, it is not enough to teach to the standards unless there is assessment along the way. The SPU Lesson Plan Template includes a column for formative and summative assessments to be included along the way. Formative assessments took place in all four lessons, including many strategies included in Ellis’ (2001) Teaching, Learning, & Assessment Together: The Reflective Classroom. Summative assessment is where I gained the most knowledge and hope to gain more. Wiggins and McTighe (2005) suggest using a model called GRASPS for summative assessments because they tie learning to real life application. Students demonstrate their learning in a way that is relevant to the specific content area. Summative assessments intimidated me at the beginning of the quarter; however, after planning a summative assessment for my Showcase Unit Plan as well as one for the reading and writing course I took this quarter as well, I feel better prepared for creating summative assessments. I know now that as I make summative assessments I will continue to revise and improve them after I watch how they work with actual students.
          Teachers also need to be competent with technology because they are expected to teach those skills to students. The miniature lessons allowed us to show that we were “informed by technology” (School of Education, 2009, p. 44), which is part iv. of Standard “T.” Two of my lessons required my students to conduct some research for historical skits and for a debate, instead of giving the students packets or relying on textbooks, I utilized using the Internet for research. The first time I tried using the Internet for research, my peers gave me some great instructive feedback that it is difficult for students to be successful doing Internet research without giving them some suggested websites, especially when they are required to only use credible sources. I mentioned this feedback in my bPortfolio reflection, Lesson 2: The Bill of Rights. Feedback from my peers proved to be valuable throughout the quarter, whether it was in regards to my use of technology or other parts of my lessons.

Character

          Developing character as a teacher will take time. However, I will enter the classroom with the firm belief that every student can learn and that every student deserves the opportunity to learn. This journey at SPU has been part of my character development. Standard “P” section ii includes a description that says “all students benefit from the professional growth of their teachers (School of Education, 2009, p. 44). I hope that my students will experience that very statement. As a component of the SPU Lesson Template, teachers are to plan how to provide accommodations and modifications for students who require them. This is an area where I specifically intend on growing as I continue making lessons. I believe that I can design lessons that meet the needs of students of all levels; however, I need more practice as I am exposed to a larger variety of needs. In the first miniature lesson that I taught I showed a Schoolhouse Rock video on the Preamble (http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=30OyU4O80i4&feature=related) with the intent of providing ELL students and other students with modifications copies of the lyrics of the video when we watch it as well as placing students closer to the screen for the playing of the video, if they were not already. It is important to me that all students have the opportunity to learn, but how I ensure that my classroom allows for this to happen is an area that I will continue to improve on, especially when I begin my internship. Classroom management is another area that will influence my classroom behavior that I hope to improve on. My peers who were my students during the miniature lessons all behaved well; I was not forced to use any classroom management skills. Dixie Dastis, a professor I had a course with in the summer of 2010, told us that the best classroom management is unseen (personal communication, summer 2010). One of my goals as a teacher will be to develop a classroom management strategy that allows the students and the teacher to enjoy being in the classroom together and where learning can effectively take place, regardless of the academic, physical, cultural, or any other differences that may be experienced in the classroom. In addition, it will be important for me to continue to study in my field. This will happen by being an informed citizen and by continuing my education in the social studies field. As difficult as it may be while I am teaching in a classroom, I hope to further my social studies education in the academic world. My students will see how I value education and that learning is a lifelong endeavor.

Service and Leadership

          The teaching profession is about investing and serving in the younger generations. Part of my philosophy of leadership is that real leaders are servant leaders. I hope that as a teacher I will model both service and leadership in the classroom. The SPU School of Education website (www.spu.edu) explains that the MAT program will instill an “appreciation of cultural and individual diversity,” and “advocate for education as a helping profession supported as shaped by the Christian worldview of [SPU].” Not only will I be serving my students, but their families as well. None of the families represented in my classroom will be the same, but I will seek to serve each family. Throughout the quarter we discussed how we can involve families in the learning. My miniature lesson on the Boldt Decision was going to be a debate. To involve families in this lesson, I wrote an email that I would send to parents a week before to briefly describe the assignment and what I would like their role to be. Instead of placing the parents in a position of pressuring their students to get the grade or constantly be checking up on them, my goal was to make parents a support cause for their students. I told the parents that I would like them to encourage their students and give them reassurance as they may be nervous for the formal debate. Family involvement is part of Standard “L” part iii. “family/neighborhood centered” (School of Education, 2009, p. 44).
          Service and leadership continue on from the family and into the classroom. Further, Standard “T” parts ii. “intentionally planned,” and iii. “influenced by multiple instructional strategies” are part of serving the students and modeling leadership. It is not beneficial for students to have a teacher who is not going to be deliberate in his/her lesson planning or who only recognizes one style of learning when there are multiple styles. Dr. Scheuerman often tells our cohort that teaching is a calling. The SPU School of Education website (www.spu.edu) explains that the MAT program will instill “appreciation of cultural and individual diversity,” and “advocate for education as a helping profession supported as shaped by the Christian worldview of [SPU].” Understanding of teaching being a calling, and recognizing that all students have different backgrounds and stories, means that the teacher will be sensitive to each student. As I get to know my students I will be able to think carefully about how lessons will go in my class and if the lesson will actually allow for all students to learn. If what I have planned is going to prevent learning from happening, I will redesign the lesson to a plan that will ensure student learning among all students. This is another reason why practicing lessons with my peers has been beneficial: they were able to tell me what I did that did not work well so I know what to stay away from and vice versa. Another skill that will help students learn better is the teacher’s ability to present lessons in a logical order. When I was teaching my four miniature lessons I ended up teaching them in an order differently than the way I ended up placing them in my unit plan because of the way that will make the most sense for students as they learn. This is another reason why it is important to design the entire unit ahead of time. Another skill that I have learned is to incorporate the community into the learning. This means that whenever there is the opportunity to bring in a professional who has an expertise in a topic my class is studying, I will allow students to hear what that professional has to say. As I continue to improve my teaching skills and learn more about managing a classroom, I will be able to serve my students more, but for now I will use the skills that I have gained so far to serve and model leadership to my students.

Professional Growth Plan

          My time at SPU will be coming to an end in just a couple of quarters, yet my journey on becoming a professional educator is not anywhere near its end. I still have a lot to learn to become the master teacher I hope to become. Fortunately, the Residency Certification Standards provide a map for me to refer to for improvement. Within the SPU Residency Certification Competencies I think I have room to improve on competency II: challenging and responsive curriculum. Within my miniature lessons I am not sure that my lessons posed enough of a challenge for my students. I worked hard to accomplish my objectives, but I want to make sure I am challenging my students along the way. I believe this will actually happen in the upcoming quarters when I have a social studies methods class and in my internship. My mentor teacher is definitely a resource to make sure I master this competency. It is logical for this to be a process – learn how to meet the objective and then learn how to make the curriculum more challenging for students. Feedback from my mentor teacher and the observer from SPU assigned to observe my work will help me to assess my success at this competency. They will be able to help me evaluate my lessons to decide if they have met the EALRs, GLEs, and objectives while posing a challenging curriculum. I am confident that I can master this competency with the guidance of master teachers.
          Formative and summative assessments performed by my students will be another way that I will be able to assess my teaching and the students’ learning. Challenging lessons need to be offered; however, the lesson also needs to be sensitive to learners of different skill levels. Standard “T” mentions the need to plan lessons for all students. Even challenging lessons will need to be possible for students who require accommodations or modifications. Formative assessments along the way will be a way for me to ensure that all of my students are learning as we progress through the unit.
          Deepening my skill and practice as a teacher is important so that I can serve my students to the best of my ability. Technology and the resources available change so quickly that I am concerned that the tools I learned to use in my technology elective will not be relevant when I actually have a classroom of my own. During my September Experience though, I saw how one school is utilizing instructional coaches in technology. These are former teachers who work with current teachers to help them find the most appropriate technologies for their lessons. I hope to utilize these types of coaches when I am a teacher. In addition, it will be important for me to stay current on instructional methods and research. This will not be an easy task; however, a resource like the National Council for the Social Studies is one way that I can stay current on instructional methods. School districts also provide in-service meetings for teachers to better their instruction.
          Becoming a teacher is an exciting process. Sometimes it is intimidating because of the requirements, state standards, lesson planning, and internships, but it is for a great purpose. I am excited to be continually challenged to increase my content knowledge and my teaching abilities. Even more than that, I am excited to build a classroom environment where students enjoy being and want to come and learn. The journey will not always be easy, but I believe it is a worthy cause that I was created for.

References

Ellis, A.K., (2001). Teaching, learning, and assessment together: The reflective classroom. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollock, J.E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

School of Education (2009). 2009-2010 Residency teacher certification handbook: Service, leadership, competence, character. Seattle: Seattle Pacific University.

School of Education (2007). School of education downloadable forms. Seattle Pacific University. Retrieved from http://www.spu.edu/depts/soe/forms.asp.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (Expanded 2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

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Lesson 2: The Bill of Rights

October 27, 2010 at 8:27 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

          The second lesson that I taught in my small group for my social studies unit was on the Bill of Rights. The EALR that this lesson corresponded with was History EALR 4: “the student understands and applies knowledge of historical thinking, chronology, eras, turning points, major ideas, individuals, and themes in local, Washington State, tribal, United States, and world history in order to evaluate how history shapes the present and future” (Online Grade Level Standards & Resources, 2010). “Understands historical chronology” is the goal for the student in Component 4.1 and eleventh grade GLE 4.1.2 is “our foundations (1776-91)” (Online Grade Level Standards & Resources, 2010). The OSPI website suggests that one of the lessons for this requirement is to “explain how the ratification of the Bill of Rights defines the founding of the United States” (Online Grade Level Standards & Resources, 2010). I turned this suggestion into my objective and decided that if I actually use these lessons (or a variation of them) in a classroom I will make this second lesson the first I teach and the first lesson I taught in class the second lesson. This switch will allow for better progression through the founding of the United States. I found that making this second lesson was a little easier than the first lesson, but it was not without challenges; I still have a lot to learn as an aspiring teacher.
            I found this second lesson easier to plan because I am growing used to the School of Education’s Lesson Plan Template. This may only be a small technicality, but it helped me throughout the entire process. In addition, we had spent some time in class talking about how our objectives should be written and what a good objective includes. This is all part of the learning process and I am sure that as I continue planning lessons things will continue to go more smoothly. The biggest challenge that I faced in the planning process was being creative. I did not want to do twenty minutes of lecturing at the students, but I was also not sure how to have a real creative lesson within my time limit. I think time will always be an obstacle for me when I am a teacher; I have heard so many teachers say that there is never enough time and there will never be enough time. This is one challenge that I am going have to get used to dealing with. When I have my own classroom and a full-time schedule I am not going to have enough time to do everything to the standard I will want to complete it at, though I will still do my best.
            The lesson on the Bill of Rights went smoothly; however, I am not sure that the lesson accomplished the desired objective. The lesson began with an advance organizer that was a timeline of the United States from 1776-1945 (History Timelines, 2006). The students spent a couple minutes skimming the timeline. Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock explain that skimming is one way to use advance organizers effectively (2001). After the advance organizer, I explained the objective to the class and we talked about how the Constitution was the outcome of the failure of the Articles of Confederation. Then I broke the group into two heterogeneous groups. In a class of four people this meant co-ed pairs. I intentionally paired the students in these types of groups because Cruickshank, Jenkins, and Metcalf (2009, p. 252) explain that heterogeneous groups help “to make students feel better about themselves and to be more accepting of others.” Once in these groups, students used the Internet to research key events in the ratification of the Bill of Rights. After the research, the groups were to come up with creative ways to present these events to the rest of the class. Once each of the groups had presented, we closed with a Clear and Unclear Windows time of reflection. Ellis (2001, 74) explains that this reflective activity “will help you take your teaching to deeper levels of knowledge and insight.” If I were in a real classroom, I would use these reflections to direct the following lessons, keeping them on track if the lack of clarity would naturally be made clear with the future lessons or by taking some time to clarify parts that seem to be challenging several students. Before “dismissing” my class, I explained what I wanted them to discuss with their families that night, what they learned and what they were still confused about regarding the Bill of Rights.  
            At face value, the lesson seemed to go well. But when I stopped and talked to Dr. Williams after the lesson, I decided that the lesson did not really meet the objective I had set out to teach. While the students learned about how the Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution, I do not think that it was made clear why the Bill of Rights mark the official start of the United States. More time needs to be spent learning about how the states lacked unity under the weak federal government of the Articles of Confederation and then how the Bill of Rights and the Constitution really brought the country together. The lesson I taught can fit into this unit because they need to know about how the Bill of Rights were ratified; however, the connection was not made about it being the founding part of our country. Having learned this I will now go back to my lesson plan and revise it to make it more successful.
            My peers were very supportive of my lesson and had positive feedback for me. I now know that when I send students out to the Internet I should provide some possible websites for quality information, at least the first couple of times that they are doing research for social studies. If my peers were having a hard time finding quality sources, which they were, it is likely that my students will too. They also said that they would have liked to know key points to look up for their events, so they knew they were on the right track with what they were planning to present. I really appreciated these points and will keep them in mind in future lesson planning. My peers liked the creativity involved in the lesson plan and they all agreed that the timeline was a very useful tool to provide. A couple of people also said that my composure was good, that I spoke calmly and seemed comfortable in front of the room. While I am comfortable with my classmates, I am not sure that I will feel that comfortable in front of thirty high school students. Being able to talk about the lesson with my classmates following my lesson is something that I really appreciate and value.
            I have learned some useful information for my future teaching. I think one of the most valuable lessons was when I was forced to decide how I would arrange the first two lessons that I taught. This shows me how planning out a unit may actually take place, that I may plan lessons in different orders than I will actually teach them, and how I am likely to mix the EALRs from different social studies subjects. I had not intended to mix civics and history two weeks ago, but now it is what makes the most sense. Second, I have learned how to reflect on my own lessons to see if I am actually meeting my own objectives. Not only is it important for students to reflect, but I need to as well. If I do not meet my objective, I cannot simply move on to the next lesson when I am a teacher. I will need to go back and really hit the target I am aiming for, which will take time, but is necessary. Third, I am learning more about how much information I need to provide my students with. I need to make sure that I am really clear about my expectations for them and what I expect to see. Having realized and learned these things, I will be more critical of my lessons before I teach them and take more time to reflect after them. Lesson planning is something that is going to take continuous work, but as long as I continue to learn after each lesson, I am sure that my lessons will continue to improve and prepare me for my career as a teacher.

References

Cruickshank, D.R., Jenkins, D.B., & Metcalf, K.K. (2009). The act of teaching (5th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Dell’Olio, J.M. & Donk, T. (2007). Models of teaching: Connecting student learning with standards. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

History-Timelines (2006). American history timeline. Retrieved from http://www.history-timelines.org.uk/events-timelines/14-american-history-timeline.htm

Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollock, J.E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (2010). Eleventh grade – Unit Outlines. Olympia, WA.

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (2010). Social studies standards – Essential academic learning requirements: A recommended grade-by-grade sequence for grade level expectations – Grades k-12. Olympia, WA.

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A Lesson on the Preamble

October 13, 2010 at 8:59 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

“The student understands and applies knowledge of government, law, politics, and the nation’s fundamental documents to make decisions about local, national, and international issues and to demonstrate thoughtful, participatory citizenship” (Online Grade Level Standards & Resources, 2010). This is the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirement (EALR) for eleventh grade civics students that I chose to focus on for my first twenty minute lesson. That is EALR 1 and its first component is that the student “understands key ideals and principles of the United States, including those of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other fundamental documents (Online Grade Level Standards & Resources, 2010). Finally, the first Grade Level Expectation, or GLE, for that EALR is that the student “analyzes and evaluates the ways in which the U.S. Constitution and other fundamental documents promote key ideals and principles” (Online Grade Level Standards & Resources, 2010). I decided to make the focus of this lesson to be the Preamble to the Constitution, based on a suggestion from the OSPI website. Deciding what I wanted to teach the lesson on was probably the easiest part of this teaching experience. I faced many challenges in creating this learning experience.
After teaching a lesson last week about the importance of using cues, questions, and advance organizers, I decided that I should implement one of these learning opportunities. I opened the lesson with a question on principles that the United States of America is founded upon and allowed the students (five of my peers) to shout out answers as I made a list of them all on the board. Following the questioning, I introduced the idea of the Preamble and told the class we would be returning to the list we made shortly. I showed a film of Schoolhouse Rock’s Preamble cartoon, which was a fun way of refreshing the class and giving them a brief explanation of the Preamble (Schoolhouse Rock, 2007). As a group, we then read the Preamble together; each student had a copy of the Preamble in a packet I gave them. The class broke up into groups for a small Jigsaw activity, where the students broke down the meaning of the Preamble by looking at small commentaries that provided explanations of a few sets of words at a time. This was where my lesson faltered: due to the small group that I was teaching, the Jigsaw did not take as much time as I expected it to. I adjusted the lesson as necessary; however, by simply allowing the students to begin what I would have simply labeled homework. This homework assignment was a concept pattern organizer, a form of nonlinguistic representation, as suggested by Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001). This organizer was intended to demonstrate how the Preamble directs principles of the Constitution. I presented the homework as if the students were already familiar with this style of organizer. After giving the students a chance to start on the organizers, I closed the lesson by explaining how older primary documents, like the Constitution and the Preamble do not need to be intimidating, we simply need to take the time to break down what the authors said. While the lesson was finished for the twenty minute lesson, it was also assumed that the lesson would be continued for a little longer at the next class.
Since this was my first time planning and teaching my own lesson plan, I was intimidated and unsure of how smoothly the lesson would actually go. However, I was encouraged by the feedback that my peers gave me about my first attempt at a social studies lesson. All five of my peers agreed that my lesson flowed very well; that I was able to connect the different parts of the lesson well. I appreciated this comment because I thought the lesson might become detached when I jumped between discussing principles of the US and showing the Preamble video. Another part that they all seemed to appreciate was the showing of the Schoolhouse Rock clip. Schoolhouse Rock is an older cartoon, so I thought I was taking a risk by showing that cartoon; however, I think it was well-received. It was also interesting to hear how my group thought I did a great job using Medina’s “repeat to remember” principle of memory when I had not intentionally done so (2009). I was given some constructive feedback, although, not as much as I would have liked. One of my peers said that the instructions that I gave were not very clear for the concept pattern organizer. It had been assumed that the students were already familiar with these organizers, so that question may not have existed if my peer had actually understood how to fill out the organizer. Second, I was given some suggestions on how to make the Jigsaw run more smoothly, a task that I had found difficult since I was working with only five students. My peers really gave me great feedback, I appreciate what they wrote down on their response forms and I will definitely take both their positive responses and their suggestions for how I can improve into consideration when I make my next lesson plan.
Since it is highly likely that I will be teaching on the Preamble in the future when I am a teacher, I really think that I can apply this experience in the future. Even if I don’t use this exact lesson plan, the variety that I included in the lesson can be applied to lessons that I make in the future. This lesson included an opening activity that engaged the students and allowed for anyone to contribute an answer. The video provided for an entertaining but educational video aid as a visual learning opportunity. The Jigsaw got the class working in groups, giving them another opportunity to talk and work through the content together. Also, the concept principle organizer provided a chance to assemble the information that we had covered, an opportunity for assessment and a chance for the student to reflect on the information presented that day. I feel a little more confident in my abilities to create lessons since tackling this first one; I will work hard to continue to keep variety in my lesson-planning so learners of all types will be able to engage in the lessons.

References

Cruickshank, D.R., Jenkins, D.B., & Metcalf, K.K. (2009). The act of teaching (5th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Dell’Olio, J.M. & Donk, T. (2007). Models of teaching: Connecting student learning with standards. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollock, J.E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Medina, J. (2009). Brain rules: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. Seattle, WA: Pear Press.

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (2010). Social studies standards – Essential academic learning requirements: A recommended grade-by-grade sequence for grade level expectations – Grades k-12. Olympia, WA.

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Journal 1

June 7, 2010 at 9:23 pm · Filed under P1: Responsibilities/Policies ·Tagged , , ,

Week 1: 5 May 1010
          As an MAT student at Seattle Pacific University, one of the courses that I am required to take is a technology in education course. The course I took in the fall of 2009 was a course focusing on different technological tools that can be used to enhance learning. As an MAT student in her first quarter of the program, this course gave me the impression that using technologies in the classroom as often as possible, so long as it is enhancing the required content, is most beneficial for the students in my classroom. However, Lowell W. Monke from Wittenberg University poses an opposing view in Evans’ (2008) book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Teaching and Educational Practice. While I am not taking Monke’s side entirely, he has made me think more critically about the use of technology in the classroom.
          School is a place for academic learning and occupation training, but it is also a place to learn how to interact with people. Monke (2006, p. 308) cites Dodici, Draper, and Peterson, who say “that face-to-face interaction is one of the most important ingredients in reading readiness.” Computers, television, and other technologies may provide some reading opportunities; however, they are causing the present generation of students “an estimated 30 percent fewer face-to-face encounters than the previous generation” (Hammel, as cited in Monke, 2006, p. 308). Not only can this hinder students’ reading abilities, but all of this technology use is limiting people from interacting with one another. Students use technologies at home and at school so often that we need to make sure they actually learn how to have real interactions with people. Schools need to make sure that children still develop morals, compassion, respect, and trust, ideals that cannot be taught with a computer (Monke, 2006). These are ideals that most people will agree should not be sacrificed so students can spend more time on the computer.
          So what is the solution? It is not to sacrifice making students technologically savvy, but rather to postpone that training for the higher grades in order to develop them as people first in the younger grades (Monke, 2006). This seems like a well-balanced idea; especially considering that technologies change so quickly it may not be worth trying to teach students the latest and greatest thing when they are in the first or second grade.
          We live in a technological world. Future generations need to know how to work with these technologies; however, they also need to be able to work with real people and be able to be a human who can positively contribute to society. These are things that are taught in a setting that is real and authentic, unplugged.

References

Monke, L. W. (2006). The overdominance of computers. In D. Evans (Ed.) Taking sides: Clashing views in teaching and educational practice (3rd ed., pp. 307-12). Boston: McGraw Hill.

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