This past week I was able to experience teaching in a completely new light. My host-teacher was unable to come in for the entire week due to illness, and the substitute that came in had just graduated college with her degree in physical education. She told me the first day that she was originally in elementary education but she decided that it would be way too much for her to handle on a daily basis. So, I told her that I would take over the classroom and ask for her to help with discipline, keeping the students focused and on track, and I would need her help with small group instruction during reading and math.
Although the substitute was a great help, in all honesty I feel that I was in charge and running the classroom from the moment the first student walked through the door in the morning until the last student walked out to go home on the bus. Now don't get me wrong, it was a very stressful week! But we also had no water to drink and could not wash our hands. So this was a whole new experience for the students. Also, there were several behavior issues that arose each day but as a whole class the students did a superb job. Due to this change in behavior, it made me realize that I am getting better with my classroom management skills. I know I still need to work on some areas of it, but so does every teacher, even if they have been teaching for 30+ years. Classroom management is something that is forever changing on a daily and yearly basis. It all depends on what kinds of students you have within your room.
This week, I also began to see myself grow as a teacher. I became more confident in my teaching and I felt as if the students began to see me as a teacher as well. At times it had felt as if the students saw me as an aid or a classroom helper, but now I feel that the students trust me and come to me for information and they look up to me as an educator. I also feel that I got to know the students even more this week. I graded their papers, interacted with them the entire day, and I feel as if the students began to open up and participate more because they too felt more comfortable with me instructing them.
So, all in all, despite the few stressful moments that I had endured this past week, it was by far one of the most eye opening and rewarding weeks I have had so far during my internship. It allowed me to see that when I do get a classroom of my own, I will survive! :) And that is a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders, because now I know that I can do it! And I will be able to make it on my own when that day arrives when I have my own students. Such a relief!! :)
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Week 5 Reflection
For me this week, my biggest eye-opener was parent-teacher conferences. In most of my education courses at the university, I have heard horror stories about parent-teacher conferences. However, my first experience was not that bad. Yes, there were a few parents that were not as approachable as others, but there were no horrifying experiences that occurred that would discourage me to speak up or fear telling the parent something that may be a shock, or worrisome to them about their child. Regarding conferences, I also learned that the preparation for parent-teacher conferences can take up a lot of your time. My host-teacher prepared a conference sheet for herself so that it would guide her in her conversation with the parents. This is definitely a technique I am going to try in my future teaching career because it is something that will allow me to remember everything that I need to say, and it will also help me concentrate on what is important for the parents to hear. It also helps serve as a form of parent communication which is important.
Overall, this week was not so bad. Yes, there were several behavior issues and some challenging moments, but I always take it with a grain of salt and continue to keep on teaching. My own personal patience is building every day, and I continue to try to learn how to connect to my first graders. However, I have discovered this year that I can connect more with the upper elementary students than I can with the younger ones. I absolutely love and adore all 19 of the students, but as far as content and teaching methods go, I have discovered that my comfort level and my own lesson planning abilities relate more to 3rd through 5th grade. It has been very difficult for me to think of how to teach a lesson or even go over a simple worksheet. Since most of my time at Mason-Dixon has been spent in the upper elementary classrooms, this part of teaching has been a very difficult transition to make, however it is slowly getting easier and I am learning to automatically think this way as I am instructing the students.
This Friday, I managed to start my action research with my students. I am conducting a study on using Touch Math with students who struggle with math. I was very pleased with how the first day went with my group of 7 students. They picked up on the method quite well, and they seemed to be excited about trying out something new. I am very anxious to see how this study goes over the course of the next 5-6 weeks. And I am even more anxious to see how this method of math affects the understanding of these students once addition and subtraction are introduced.
Overall, this week was not so bad. Yes, there were several behavior issues and some challenging moments, but I always take it with a grain of salt and continue to keep on teaching. My own personal patience is building every day, and I continue to try to learn how to connect to my first graders. However, I have discovered this year that I can connect more with the upper elementary students than I can with the younger ones. I absolutely love and adore all 19 of the students, but as far as content and teaching methods go, I have discovered that my comfort level and my own lesson planning abilities relate more to 3rd through 5th grade. It has been very difficult for me to think of how to teach a lesson or even go over a simple worksheet. Since most of my time at Mason-Dixon has been spent in the upper elementary classrooms, this part of teaching has been a very difficult transition to make, however it is slowly getting easier and I am learning to automatically think this way as I am instructing the students.
This Friday, I managed to start my action research with my students. I am conducting a study on using Touch Math with students who struggle with math. I was very pleased with how the first day went with my group of 7 students. They picked up on the method quite well, and they seemed to be excited about trying out something new. I am very anxious to see how this study goes over the course of the next 5-6 weeks. And I am even more anxious to see how this method of math affects the understanding of these students once addition and subtraction are introduced.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Action Research
Day 1
I successfully completed my first session of Touch Math with my group of 7 students. This group of students are among the lower leveled students in the subject area of math. However, there are a few students who are more than likely higher but they do not apply themselves. The first thing I did with the Touch Math method today was allowing the students to investigate their foam Touch numbers that I created for them. In each bag, I created the numbers 0 through 9 and I put whole punch size dots on each number where the Touch location is found. The 6 and the 9 look identical, therefore I knew this would be a difficult concept for the students to understand. So, in order to help alleviate the confusion, I made the 6 in every child's tool bag a different color than the remaining numbers. This was something that one of the students commented on right away.
The students were asked to observe the contents within their bag without opening it up and putting all of them on the table. By doing so, they discovered that the numbers had dots on them, and some of those dots had other dots (or paint as they called it) on others. So, I had them all think about this and tell me why they think the dots are on the numbers. To help them with the concept, I brought out the numbers in the correct order, smallest to largest, and the student counted the amount of dots on them. The numbers 1 through 5 have their exact amount of individual dots on them. However, 6 through 9 have dots with the painted dots on them as well. So together as a whole group, I discussed with them that if there is a paint dot on the foam dot, then they will need to touch that dot twice. I was slightly worried about how the students would understand this concept, but to my dismay the students picked up on the concept really well. Before I knew it, the students pulled out their foam numbers and they were lining them up in the correct number order. Then they were investigating the dots that were placed on them. While they were investigating, I decided to ask one student at a time to touch the dots/points on a few numbers. I used 5 and 7 for this part, and the students really understood what was going on. One student struggled with it, but he was touching the very first dot 7 times instead of moving, so at least I know that he understands the number concepts.
Overall, this first day experience was fantastic. I cannot wait to get started on the rest of my study. I truly feel that this method is going to help this students and allow to soar once they start addition and subtraction. So...let the study begin!
I successfully completed my first session of Touch Math with my group of 7 students. This group of students are among the lower leveled students in the subject area of math. However, there are a few students who are more than likely higher but they do not apply themselves. The first thing I did with the Touch Math method today was allowing the students to investigate their foam Touch numbers that I created for them. In each bag, I created the numbers 0 through 9 and I put whole punch size dots on each number where the Touch location is found. The 6 and the 9 look identical, therefore I knew this would be a difficult concept for the students to understand. So, in order to help alleviate the confusion, I made the 6 in every child's tool bag a different color than the remaining numbers. This was something that one of the students commented on right away.
The students were asked to observe the contents within their bag without opening it up and putting all of them on the table. By doing so, they discovered that the numbers had dots on them, and some of those dots had other dots (or paint as they called it) on others. So, I had them all think about this and tell me why they think the dots are on the numbers. To help them with the concept, I brought out the numbers in the correct order, smallest to largest, and the student counted the amount of dots on them. The numbers 1 through 5 have their exact amount of individual dots on them. However, 6 through 9 have dots with the painted dots on them as well. So together as a whole group, I discussed with them that if there is a paint dot on the foam dot, then they will need to touch that dot twice. I was slightly worried about how the students would understand this concept, but to my dismay the students picked up on the concept really well. Before I knew it, the students pulled out their foam numbers and they were lining them up in the correct number order. Then they were investigating the dots that were placed on them. While they were investigating, I decided to ask one student at a time to touch the dots/points on a few numbers. I used 5 and 7 for this part, and the students really understood what was going on. One student struggled with it, but he was touching the very first dot 7 times instead of moving, so at least I know that he understands the number concepts.
Overall, this first day experience was fantastic. I cannot wait to get started on the rest of my study. I truly feel that this method is going to help this students and allow to soar once they start addition and subtraction. So...let the study begin!
Week 2 Reflection
Today was day 1 of week 2 in my first grade classroom, and it is getting better! The students are beginning to realize that first grade is not the same as kindergarten. They are learning that there is no rest time, working diligently is a requirement, and there is little free play. However, there are still a select few students who continue to try our patience, lack motivation, and have no willpower to try to do their work. On a good note though, I have learned that just by being with these students for a mere 48 hours of instructional time, I have already discovered a great deal of information about them. I have learned about some of their strengths and weaknesses, I know who cannot stand in line with one another, and I have gotten to know their personalities. It is these discoveries that make me so passionate about teaching. You never know what child will walk through your classroom door on the first day of school, and that child may be the most inspiring child you will ever meet. Although I am teaching the students a lot of information, those students are teaching me countless information as well.
______
Today is Thursday, and the only thought in my head at the moment is….exhaustion! Those little ones sure can tucker a teacher out when they’re not used to it. However, despite the exhaustion, I have learned countless things this week. I have learned that discipline is something that you gradually have to implement into your classroom, although it is important to get to the true problem-children early on in the year. My host-teacher also gave me a great idea earlier this week regarding how to report poor behavior to parents. She said to me, “If a child is interrupting my time, then I will interrupt the parents’ time by calling them in the evening during family time.” This statement made so much sense, and I think it is a great strategy to think about using in my future teaching. Parents/guardians will be more apt to talking to the child right after that phone call, than if a phone call is made earlier in the day. Therefore, that statement is something I will definitely remember as I start my first year of teaching.
This week I also learned valuable lessons about myself as a teacher. I learned that no one is perfect, and as a teacher I will make mistakes. For instance, calling a student by their older siblings name more than three times in the same day, or miss-stating a line in a book and the students immediately catch it! The young minds in this classroom cease to amaze me. I learn something new every day from them all; whether it is information from the student interviews, or simply just having a brief conversation with them when they first get into the classroom. This has taught me that it is extremely important to get to know your students as quickly as possible. Already I can sense when one of the students is upset, or not feeling well, or if they seem to be having an off-day.
Another valuable lesson I learned this week is the fact that a teacher may try to plan ahead, but in some way, shape or form, something in those plans will be changed. For me, these plans have been involving my action research topic. I have had 3 different topic ideas, and there seems to be a bump in the road ahead causing me to have to turn around and go back to where I have started. However, it has taught me to assess the entire situation in a new light. I have learned that no matter what, I will choose something that will benefit these students in some way. Even if it does not work for all of them, I am bound to help a few of them in some way. Therefore, I will continue to ponder about my topic ideas and I know one day soon I will know exactly what to do for this project—the students may even give me the answer in their own way.
________
One other lesson I learned this week is…always wash your hands and use sanitizer frequently throughout the school day. Especially in the beginning of the year! This is true because the germs are flying all across the school in the beginning and teachers are bound to catch some type of bug! Also, a note to my own self for the future is to remember to take that vitamin C to build my immune system!
Week 3 Reflection
During my third week of full-time teaching, I have learned a great deal about myself as a teacher. It still amazes me how much those little first graders teach me on a daily basis. One thing is for sure as well, in the teaching profession, there is not one day that goes by that at least one child within your classroom makes you smile. Lately school, work, and planning a wedding have been stressing me out. I feel as if I do not get enough sleep, my mind is just drained, and there are some mornings that it is a struggle to get myself in my car for that 60 minute drive. However, once I walk into Mason-Dixon and see the welcoming faculty members and that first student walks into the classroom, all of those worries, anxieties, and stressors just seem to vanish. I do not know if this is because I know that the students need me to be at my best in order to learn the most, or if it is just the fact that I love teaching so much it makes life a little bit better, but all in all that feeling is priceless!
Throughout this week, I began to feel even more comfortable with the students and I continue to learn more and more about them every day. Each child fascinates me with how their little mind thinks! Some of the sentences they come up with during our “word of the day” discussions truly amaze me. Some of those sentences are even beyond anything that I could think up of in a given amount of time. I am really looking forward to reading some of their writing stories based on the sentences we hear on a daily basis.
I have also learned a valuable lesson within the classroom regarding perseverance. Although there will be some students within the classroom that struggle on a daily basis, it is my job as an educator to not give up on these students. I also learned that when these students begin to pick up on the lesson/concept you have been trying to teach for a few days or weeks, it is the most amazing feeling once they accomplish it. You feel so proud of that child for accomplishing the task that you just smile from ear to ear! It is these kinds of teaching moments that I live for!
Not that this particular thought has to do with my first grade classroom or my internship per se this semester, but one other event that occurred this week that was eye-opening, was involving our tutor orientation. There are 5 upcoming tutors for Mason-Dixon and we had two separate orientations for the group. Both days, as I sat in on the meeting portion of the orientation, I could not believe how much more confidence and knowledge I have gained in regards to education. I could see the nervous, scared and uncertain look within the eyes of those tutors. Instead of myself being a part of the “listening” group, now I was in the seat in which I was the “professional.” The tutors were asking me for my insight and thoughts, and it finally hit me that I am at my final step before I become a teacher and have my own classroom. And for the first time since I have been at Mason-Dixon, that thought did not scare me. I know that I have the abilities, the knowledge, and the experience to have my own classroom. This made me feel so much better about myself in terms of teaching, and it also made me see how far I have become since I myself was sitting in that chair at tutor orientation. What a great feeling that was!
Throughout this week, I began to feel even more comfortable with the students and I continue to learn more and more about them every day. Each child fascinates me with how their little mind thinks! Some of the sentences they come up with during our “word of the day” discussions truly amaze me. Some of those sentences are even beyond anything that I could think up of in a given amount of time. I am really looking forward to reading some of their writing stories based on the sentences we hear on a daily basis.
I have also learned a valuable lesson within the classroom regarding perseverance. Although there will be some students within the classroom that struggle on a daily basis, it is my job as an educator to not give up on these students. I also learned that when these students begin to pick up on the lesson/concept you have been trying to teach for a few days or weeks, it is the most amazing feeling once they accomplish it. You feel so proud of that child for accomplishing the task that you just smile from ear to ear! It is these kinds of teaching moments that I live for!
Not that this particular thought has to do with my first grade classroom or my internship per se this semester, but one other event that occurred this week that was eye-opening, was involving our tutor orientation. There are 5 upcoming tutors for Mason-Dixon and we had two separate orientations for the group. Both days, as I sat in on the meeting portion of the orientation, I could not believe how much more confidence and knowledge I have gained in regards to education. I could see the nervous, scared and uncertain look within the eyes of those tutors. Instead of myself being a part of the “listening” group, now I was in the seat in which I was the “professional.” The tutors were asking me for my insight and thoughts, and it finally hit me that I am at my final step before I become a teacher and have my own classroom. And for the first time since I have been at Mason-Dixon, that thought did not scare me. I know that I have the abilities, the knowledge, and the experience to have my own classroom. This made me feel so much better about myself in terms of teaching, and it also made me see how far I have become since I myself was sitting in that chair at tutor orientation. What a great feeling that was!
Week 4 Reflection
This week I must admit, things went a little more smoothly than the past few weeks. Now, don't get me wrong, there were definitely some behavioral issues and some trying moments during my instruction, but the students really seem to be understanding and comprehending the materials that we are teaching! This is such a great feeling!
I did have one new challenge this week though...I taught my first real social studies unit. Last semester I taught two consecutive lessons on the census, but this week I was asked to write the lessons for the first unit within the first grade social studies text. I taught the students about schools, school workers, rules in our school and the world, schools around the world, schools from today and years past, and lastly the students learned about our president and the Constitution for Constitution Day. Since I had not seen a social studies lesson ever taught before, this was a challenge for me, especially in a young, first grade classroom. However, I was quite pleased with how it all turned out.
After each lesson, I used the interactive whiteboard to write down the students' thoughts, ideas, and to gauge whether or not they were understanding the materials. The first day I created a set of classroom rules along with the students on the interactive whiteboard. Then the students had a quiet, imagination activity that I thought of at the spur of the moment. I had the students imagine what school would be like if there were no rules at all. I was really surprised with some of the responses I got when I asked the students to tell me what they saw in their heads. I was afraid that the students would think that having no rules would be an awesome thing, but every student said that it was a scary place and no one was learning anything. So, after this occurred, I was really impressed with how well the students caught on to the lesson itself, and I was also impressed with how the lesson went as a whole.
The next lesson I introduced a Venn diagram to the students. Many of them had never seen one before, so we worked on it as a whole group. However, by the end of the lesson, most of the children were able to tell me what a Venn diagram was, and they were able to put the thoughts in the correct category. So, now I know that the students will more than likely be able to handle this type of activity in the future, which will be very useful in my upcoming reading groups.
Beyond social studies this week, I was pleased with how well the week turned out. The students improved their math scores on the test this Friday, and their spelling tests seemed to be better as well. This shows that they are finally getting used to the routines and they understand that school is a serious matter; it's not always fun and games. It is amazing how much they mature in that light just in a few weeks, in comparison to their kindergarten days. I have seen so much growth in the students over the course of 4 weeks and it gives you such a great feeling knowing that you had a little part of that achievement. Even just seeing a student write their 5's correctly, or seeing them self-correct their b's and d's after you have told them countless times that they have reversed them is a rewarding feeling. This feeling alone excites me because I can only imagine how much these students will learn and grow by the time December comes when my internship comes to a close. I cannot wait to see the students' progress! I am enjoying every minute so far, and I honestly cannot wait to start my own teaching career soon...hopefully next year!
I did have one new challenge this week though...I taught my first real social studies unit. Last semester I taught two consecutive lessons on the census, but this week I was asked to write the lessons for the first unit within the first grade social studies text. I taught the students about schools, school workers, rules in our school and the world, schools around the world, schools from today and years past, and lastly the students learned about our president and the Constitution for Constitution Day. Since I had not seen a social studies lesson ever taught before, this was a challenge for me, especially in a young, first grade classroom. However, I was quite pleased with how it all turned out.
After each lesson, I used the interactive whiteboard to write down the students' thoughts, ideas, and to gauge whether or not they were understanding the materials. The first day I created a set of classroom rules along with the students on the interactive whiteboard. Then the students had a quiet, imagination activity that I thought of at the spur of the moment. I had the students imagine what school would be like if there were no rules at all. I was really surprised with some of the responses I got when I asked the students to tell me what they saw in their heads. I was afraid that the students would think that having no rules would be an awesome thing, but every student said that it was a scary place and no one was learning anything. So, after this occurred, I was really impressed with how well the students caught on to the lesson itself, and I was also impressed with how the lesson went as a whole.
The next lesson I introduced a Venn diagram to the students. Many of them had never seen one before, so we worked on it as a whole group. However, by the end of the lesson, most of the children were able to tell me what a Venn diagram was, and they were able to put the thoughts in the correct category. So, now I know that the students will more than likely be able to handle this type of activity in the future, which will be very useful in my upcoming reading groups.
Beyond social studies this week, I was pleased with how well the week turned out. The students improved their math scores on the test this Friday, and their spelling tests seemed to be better as well. This shows that they are finally getting used to the routines and they understand that school is a serious matter; it's not always fun and games. It is amazing how much they mature in that light just in a few weeks, in comparison to their kindergarten days. I have seen so much growth in the students over the course of 4 weeks and it gives you such a great feeling knowing that you had a little part of that achievement. Even just seeing a student write their 5's correctly, or seeing them self-correct their b's and d's after you have told them countless times that they have reversed them is a rewarding feeling. This feeling alone excites me because I can only imagine how much these students will learn and grow by the time December comes when my internship comes to a close. I cannot wait to see the students' progress! I am enjoying every minute so far, and I honestly cannot wait to start my own teaching career soon...hopefully next year!
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