As I was compiling items for my electronic portfolio I was reminded of a time when it may have been useful to use the information I had learned during a faculty senate meeting. No more than a week after I had listened to a knowledgable speaker and had received the handbook "The Role of Educators in Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect" I was faced with a situation in which this information could have been useful.
It was 9:00AM and I was walking my class to their special for the day. Before we entered the gymnasium, one of the third grade boys stopped me. He said, "Miss Streets, I'm sad today." Knowing that this young boy is always in a good mood and more times than not the class clown, I knew that I had to inquire more about what was occuring in his life. I let the other students enter the gym to begin stretching while I talked with him. He had told me that his mother was crying last night. I in turn asked what was wrong and found out that his father was yelling at her and he heard things being thrown. I asked if he was okay and he said that he was. I walked him down to the guidance office; after hearing that the counselor wasn't there I asked him if he could wait to talk after specials. He said that he could and I went to my mentor teacher for guidance myself. Knowing the background of many students in this school, I was worried. The boy decided that he would talk to my mentor teacher about what happened. She reported the incident to the principal and then called his mother. His mother stated that it wasn't something that happened all the time like one may think she would say, but she insisted this. My teacher believed she was being truthful.
I had to go to my mentor teacher for help with this problem since I am still only a pre-service teacher. This situation gave me insight to what I will potentially have to handle when I have my own classroom. I will need to know the procedures of that school district in order to best help my students. Just like this handbook, I will hope to have somewhere to go for guidance.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Action Research
12/15/09
My action research is complete! I am now at the point where I am questioning if I have done enough technology, do I have enough data, how will I analyzw all the information I have, and when will I get everything completed!
12/10/09
It seems that research is winding down since it is my last full week in the school. I have given an interest survey to students about the classroom blog. I have not seen all of the responses, but I believe each student felt they gained something from it, whether it was enhancement in writing or bettering their typing. I have also been trying to figure out a way to best assess student writing. I have a rubric, but I am wondering if that particular one will work with each student. A lower level student may show improvement in my eyes, but not through the rubric. Another example would be an above level student who excells each week, but continues to have minimal errors to where you can not evaluate the improvement, if there was any.
11/10/09
The data I am collecting is piling up! I have not decided which students to focus on through my actual findings, so I have many many papers from all students. My next question is, how do I determine what students to focus on? I have determined I will use students who are involved in my spelling lessons. A backfall would be students that are not in my spelling class, but have shown progression each week. Do I use three students or ten? I must think this through within the final weeks.
09/06/09
This past week I began collecting samples of student work to use as comparison of their writing before and after teaching grammar with technology. I bought a file box for each students work and have already filed their work thus far.
We still do not have a whiteboard, but I still have time. We are however able to use the clicker system (which I love). The students respond well to it also.
I have also been typing my TAR journal.
Week 1
I have already started taking notes for action research. It hasn't been intense, but enough to keep me organized. I have talked with Mrs. Blickenstaff about my schedules of teaching (easing into and out of full-time teaching). I have set up a blog for our class journaling which will begin shortly. I hope to use this blog multiple days before my integration of technology, for comparisons to use in my study. I was stressed before school began because I found out that we did not have a SMARTboard in our classroom. Since my AR is based on technology and grammar, I need this! Mrs. Blickenstaff has been working very hard to get a whiteboard for her mimeo and has been easing my worries!
My action research is complete! I am now at the point where I am questioning if I have done enough technology, do I have enough data, how will I analyzw all the information I have, and when will I get everything completed!
12/10/09
It seems that research is winding down since it is my last full week in the school. I have given an interest survey to students about the classroom blog. I have not seen all of the responses, but I believe each student felt they gained something from it, whether it was enhancement in writing or bettering their typing. I have also been trying to figure out a way to best assess student writing. I have a rubric, but I am wondering if that particular one will work with each student. A lower level student may show improvement in my eyes, but not through the rubric. Another example would be an above level student who excells each week, but continues to have minimal errors to where you can not evaluate the improvement, if there was any.
11/10/09
The data I am collecting is piling up! I have not decided which students to focus on through my actual findings, so I have many many papers from all students. My next question is, how do I determine what students to focus on? I have determined I will use students who are involved in my spelling lessons. A backfall would be students that are not in my spelling class, but have shown progression each week. Do I use three students or ten? I must think this through within the final weeks.
09/06/09
This past week I began collecting samples of student work to use as comparison of their writing before and after teaching grammar with technology. I bought a file box for each students work and have already filed their work thus far.
We still do not have a whiteboard, but I still have time. We are however able to use the clicker system (which I love). The students respond well to it also.
I have also been typing my TAR journal.
Week 1
I have already started taking notes for action research. It hasn't been intense, but enough to keep me organized. I have talked with Mrs. Blickenstaff about my schedules of teaching (easing into and out of full-time teaching). I have set up a blog for our class journaling which will begin shortly. I hope to use this blog multiple days before my integration of technology, for comparisons to use in my study. I was stressed before school began because I found out that we did not have a SMARTboard in our classroom. Since my AR is based on technology and grammar, I need this! Mrs. Blickenstaff has been working very hard to get a whiteboard for her mimeo and has been easing my worries!
Week 1 Reflection
Wow, week one is already complete! I have helped Mrs. Blickenstaff set up the rest of her classroom, which wasn't as much as I would have expected to do; she was on top of the students' first few days of third grade. We laminated so many things for the students including homework folders, management stars, and their first writing/get to know me activity.
I am lucky to be in this classroom not only for being with a teacher who utilizes technology as much as she can, but also because I know many of the students already. I have worked with some students once in my tutor year, others from my tutor and participant year. Now that I am in the third grade, I have some students for a third time! I believe this will help me when I begin full time teaching because I know strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, and behaviors. I am very excited to begin learning the few students that I have never worked with, as well.
To go off of a blog prompt, I read Mrs. Blickenstaff's classroom management plan that was given to the students. Her plan is based off of the school wide C.L.U.B. charts. When students disrupt the class based on one of the descriptions for a letter, this letter is marked on a calender-like chart. Students receive one star for each day that they did not receive a letter. For students to attend the end of the year field trip they need to acquire 140 stars. Mrs. Blickenstaff also encourages students to keep their stars because she keeps a jar in her room for students to fill with marbles. Each day that all student receive their stars, the class gets a marble in the jar. We will soon brainstorm as a class what their reward will be for when the jar is half way filled. I like how the students have the positive reinforcement and something to look forward to.
I am now ready to begin easing my way into lessons this coming week.
I am lucky to be in this classroom not only for being with a teacher who utilizes technology as much as she can, but also because I know many of the students already. I have worked with some students once in my tutor year, others from my tutor and participant year. Now that I am in the third grade, I have some students for a third time! I believe this will help me when I begin full time teaching because I know strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, and behaviors. I am very excited to begin learning the few students that I have never worked with, as well.
To go off of a blog prompt, I read Mrs. Blickenstaff's classroom management plan that was given to the students. Her plan is based off of the school wide C.L.U.B. charts. When students disrupt the class based on one of the descriptions for a letter, this letter is marked on a calender-like chart. Students receive one star for each day that they did not receive a letter. For students to attend the end of the year field trip they need to acquire 140 stars. Mrs. Blickenstaff also encourages students to keep their stars because she keeps a jar in her room for students to fill with marbles. Each day that all student receive their stars, the class gets a marble in the jar. We will soon brainstorm as a class what their reward will be for when the jar is half way filled. I like how the students have the positive reinforcement and something to look forward to.
I am now ready to begin easing my way into lessons this coming week.
Week 2 Reflection
I want to reflect this week on the rapport I have thus far with my students. I have felt in previous semesters that students are always pushing their limit to see how far they can go with their new "teacher". The more I taught though, the more I felt they understood where I stood in the classroom.
This past week I began teaching Language Arts. I do believe the students were mostly aware that I am in a teacher position...until I wasn't teaching a lesson anymore. Whether it was during bathroom breaks or watching over them while they took a test, I felt they were testing the waters.
I have been continuing Mrs. Blick's management strategies and I feel that they are working, but how do I get a child to want to do their school work even though I am not their regular teacher? I had one student say that he didn't have to do his work, which in turn made me feel it was because I was the one in the classroom at that moment.
I am hoping that since I will be teaching more this coming week that they will see the trend that I will be teaching them and that I am their teacher, too. Mrs. Blickenstaff gave the students a short talk about the position I hold in the classroom- the same as hers.
I am curious and ready to see how things progress this week.
This past week I began teaching Language Arts. I do believe the students were mostly aware that I am in a teacher position...until I wasn't teaching a lesson anymore. Whether it was during bathroom breaks or watching over them while they took a test, I felt they were testing the waters.
I have been continuing Mrs. Blick's management strategies and I feel that they are working, but how do I get a child to want to do their school work even though I am not their regular teacher? I had one student say that he didn't have to do his work, which in turn made me feel it was because I was the one in the classroom at that moment.
I am hoping that since I will be teaching more this coming week that they will see the trend that I will be teaching them and that I am their teacher, too. Mrs. Blickenstaff gave the students a short talk about the position I hold in the classroom- the same as hers.
I am curious and ready to see how things progress this week.
Week 3 Reflection
First, I would like to say that the more I am teaching, the more I feel like a teacher. The time I spend knowing the students more and feeling out how comfortable I am becoming in front of my students is making a world of difference. I have branched out this week and have been teaching spelling lessons along with grammar.
I did hit one wall this week, which Mrs. Blick had already mentioned. We had a substitute Wednesday. I walked into the classroom seeing only the back of a head and assumed Mrs Blickenstaff had gotten highlights. Well, the blonde in the hair in fact was not hers. I met Miss Snider and reviewed with her how the morning usually works. I didn't feel nervous about a substitute at first. As the students piled in, I was asked many questions about where Mrs. Blickenstaff was and why I wasn't the teacher.
After introductions and journaling the students left for specials and we conferenced about the schedule for the rest of the day. We mixed up the schedule for better transitions and less chaos. Unfortunately, the chaos still occurred. Students continued to talk and not work throughout the day. Our usual method of classroom management did not work that day. I cannot even count the number of times I had to use "fingers up, mouths closed." I feared moving stars down to loss of recess because half the class would have been in detention. I hate to admit this, but I wondered how I could do this in my own classroom if two of could not handle it together.
But...I survived! This was just one learning experience I have overcome. The rest of the week was more normal when Mrs. Blick returned. I did feel the students liked my spelling review and my visualization grammar lesson. I am ready to see how my next week will be with teaching at 50%.
I did hit one wall this week, which Mrs. Blick had already mentioned. We had a substitute Wednesday. I walked into the classroom seeing only the back of a head and assumed Mrs Blickenstaff had gotten highlights. Well, the blonde in the hair in fact was not hers. I met Miss Snider and reviewed with her how the morning usually works. I didn't feel nervous about a substitute at first. As the students piled in, I was asked many questions about where Mrs. Blickenstaff was and why I wasn't the teacher.
After introductions and journaling the students left for specials and we conferenced about the schedule for the rest of the day. We mixed up the schedule for better transitions and less chaos. Unfortunately, the chaos still occurred. Students continued to talk and not work throughout the day. Our usual method of classroom management did not work that day. I cannot even count the number of times I had to use "fingers up, mouths closed." I feared moving stars down to loss of recess because half the class would have been in detention. I hate to admit this, but I wondered how I could do this in my own classroom if two of could not handle it together.
But...I survived! This was just one learning experience I have overcome. The rest of the week was more normal when Mrs. Blick returned. I did feel the students liked my spelling review and my visualization grammar lesson. I am ready to see how my next week will be with teaching at 50%.
Week 4 Reflection
This week I would like to talk about a lesson that went well. I began by handing each student a song to help them with rounding. I sang a little so they could hear the beat. They joined in for the rest of the song. This was followed by an introduction to rounding.
One thing that I want to do in my teaching is to get students out of their seats. So, instead of a rounding worksheet for this particular session, I found and tweaked an activity called "In the Neighborhood". I created houses for the tens, hundreds, and thousands (10, 20, 30.....100, 200, 300....1,000, 2,000...) I also created a skateboarder who was given a number and did not know which family he needed to visit. For example, I wrote 18 above the boy and the student needed to come to the board and move him to the family (20) that he needed to visit. I also had students explain how they knew the right house (by looking in the ones place). When they were ready to move on we went to the hundreds then the thousands.
I felt that the students enjoyed this lesson. They liked that he was a skateboarder and we even joked about how tired he must be from visiting all of those families.
This was the first lesson that I have received an observation on, even though Mrs. Blickenstaff always gives me feedback. There were things I did not take into account that would need to be changed for next time. First, the noise level was too high during this activity. I had students call out answers, but in an open classroom setting this would need to be changed into volunteers to keep the level in control. Also, Mrs. Blickenstaff pointed out to me that the numbers on the houses needed to be larger for the students to see in the back. I was glad to have this feedback because I did not notice this. Since I had laminated these, I figure they could always be used in small group, when students are near the board.
She also gave me positive feedback which included how she noticed that the students enjoyed the song, it was a fun learning experience to begin the lesson, and that it was a great use of hand made manipulatives. Mrs. Blickenstaff alos pointed out how I call on a variety of students, encourage/recognize all of their responses, and how I walk around to monitor each student.
The observation for this lesson was great for me to not only realize things that I may overlook, but also to see the positive things that I am doing without even thinking about it!
One thing that I want to do in my teaching is to get students out of their seats. So, instead of a rounding worksheet for this particular session, I found and tweaked an activity called "In the Neighborhood". I created houses for the tens, hundreds, and thousands (10, 20, 30.....100, 200, 300....1,000, 2,000...) I also created a skateboarder who was given a number and did not know which family he needed to visit. For example, I wrote 18 above the boy and the student needed to come to the board and move him to the family (20) that he needed to visit. I also had students explain how they knew the right house (by looking in the ones place). When they were ready to move on we went to the hundreds then the thousands.
I felt that the students enjoyed this lesson. They liked that he was a skateboarder and we even joked about how tired he must be from visiting all of those families.
This was the first lesson that I have received an observation on, even though Mrs. Blickenstaff always gives me feedback. There were things I did not take into account that would need to be changed for next time. First, the noise level was too high during this activity. I had students call out answers, but in an open classroom setting this would need to be changed into volunteers to keep the level in control. Also, Mrs. Blickenstaff pointed out to me that the numbers on the houses needed to be larger for the students to see in the back. I was glad to have this feedback because I did not notice this. Since I had laminated these, I figure they could always be used in small group, when students are near the board.
She also gave me positive feedback which included how she noticed that the students enjoyed the song, it was a fun learning experience to begin the lesson, and that it was a great use of hand made manipulatives. Mrs. Blickenstaff alos pointed out how I call on a variety of students, encourage/recognize all of their responses, and how I walk around to monitor each student.
The observation for this lesson was great for me to not only realize things that I may overlook, but also to see the positive things that I am doing without even thinking about it!
Week 5 Reflection
Time has been my essential thing to reflect on this week. I have been realizing this past week the time it takes teachers in developing lessons outside of the classroom. Yes, there is forty minutes of planning, but many times that is for checking assignments, meetings, and copying materials. I have found it is becoming easier, now that I have a developed template and understand what essential questions to ask, though. It would be easy to give a worksheet each day and it would save a lot of time, but I do not want to do this. Therefore, time is taken in each percentage more that I teach.
I have also become more familiar this past week in the time to allot for each subject and each activity within the content area. I have to take into consideration the time it takes for students to write informaion as compared to them verbally telling me the answers. Third grade students are still working on spelling basic words and when that comes into play with writing, the time given needs to be acknowledged and taken into account. This is one area that I see myself needing to focus more on. I need to begin developing more lessons for when students complete a task quicker than expected.
Also, times change. In this past week we have switched subjects around to accomodate the necessary schedule. We used tech steps which took time to set up, use, and pack up. These lessons involved changing times of set lessons and making sure we had time to atleast hit the core subjects.
Finally, the time I have spent in the classroom as a whole has flown by! The more I am teaching, the quicker the day goes.
I have also become more familiar this past week in the time to allot for each subject and each activity within the content area. I have to take into consideration the time it takes for students to write informaion as compared to them verbally telling me the answers. Third grade students are still working on spelling basic words and when that comes into play with writing, the time given needs to be acknowledged and taken into account. This is one area that I see myself needing to focus more on. I need to begin developing more lessons for when students complete a task quicker than expected.
Also, times change. In this past week we have switched subjects around to accomodate the necessary schedule. We used tech steps which took time to set up, use, and pack up. These lessons involved changing times of set lessons and making sure we had time to atleast hit the core subjects.
Finally, the time I have spent in the classroom as a whole has flown by! The more I am teaching, the quicker the day goes.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)