Describe how your understanding of culture was enhanced or changed by your reading of chapter four in Schmidt.
I love just about everything about culture, so I was excited to read Schmidt's fourth chapter about that very topic. The first concept that stuck out to me was her blunt explanation of the two responses a teacher can take to children with various cultural backgrounds.
She noted that teachers can either:
1. View their cultures and practices as assets OR
2. View some students as burdened with deficits and by extension, burdens to you, their teacher
I found these two options convicting as they describe quite clearly the feelings of teachers I have observed as well as my own, at times. I like how Schmidt calls this out and shows readers how damaging the latter response can be to an entire classroom.
Schmidt continues on to discuss the opportunity to view a class through culture-colored glasses in order to expand your own cultural awareness. Questions such as these can help teachers discover new things about themselves and their students, ultimately creating an environment of students who value culture and diversity:
-Who am I?
-Who are my students?
-Who are we together?
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Classroom Confidential -- Chapter 2
What have you learned about eptness?
I love the idea of eptness as Schmidt describes it in chapter 2. I completely agree with her statement about not being able to change the culture of a school, but having the ability to alter and create a desired classroom culture. This chapter really helped me think about how I will be deliberately tailoring the atmosphere of my future classrooms.
In her second chapter, Schmidt describes this idea of eptness as an opportunity to help students feel smart and to realize their potential and abilities. I particularly liked her idea of creating a class resume by listing the contributions that each child makes to the group. I think this would be a fantastic way of showing students how valuable they are and how they have the ability to contribute to the classroom.
What three behaviors will you use and how will you use them?
Schmidt continues on to list ten behaviors that promote a sense of eptness in the classroom. I really liked her emphasis on expectations for students. I completely agree that students will rise to the expectations of their teachers so it's important to believe that your students can achieve a lot. I will use this behavior everyday in my classroom as it will frame the way that I teach and how I help students learn.
Encouragement is another big behavior that I will need to continue working on in order to use it effectively in my future classroom. I appreciate Schmidt's distinction between using encouragement appropriately and using praise. Looking forward, I will definitely need to continue tailoring my use of encouragement in the classroom in order to promote a positive, safe environment.
Finally, Schmidt mentions another behavior that can be used to create a sense of eptness in my classroom. She notes that challenging old behaviors is a way to evaluate procedures that have been used in classrooms for a long time in order to determine whether or not their purpose is promoting academic achievement and promoting creativity and innovation. I had never really thought of this before, but it is definitely something that I will strive to use in the future. As an educator, I need to be on the lookout for ways to keep classroom procedures fresh and exciting.
I love the idea of eptness as Schmidt describes it in chapter 2. I completely agree with her statement about not being able to change the culture of a school, but having the ability to alter and create a desired classroom culture. This chapter really helped me think about how I will be deliberately tailoring the atmosphere of my future classrooms.
In her second chapter, Schmidt describes this idea of eptness as an opportunity to help students feel smart and to realize their potential and abilities. I particularly liked her idea of creating a class resume by listing the contributions that each child makes to the group. I think this would be a fantastic way of showing students how valuable they are and how they have the ability to contribute to the classroom.
What three behaviors will you use and how will you use them?
Schmidt continues on to list ten behaviors that promote a sense of eptness in the classroom. I really liked her emphasis on expectations for students. I completely agree that students will rise to the expectations of their teachers so it's important to believe that your students can achieve a lot. I will use this behavior everyday in my classroom as it will frame the way that I teach and how I help students learn.
Encouragement is another big behavior that I will need to continue working on in order to use it effectively in my future classroom. I appreciate Schmidt's distinction between using encouragement appropriately and using praise. Looking forward, I will definitely need to continue tailoring my use of encouragement in the classroom in order to promote a positive, safe environment.
Finally, Schmidt mentions another behavior that can be used to create a sense of eptness in my classroom. She notes that challenging old behaviors is a way to evaluate procedures that have been used in classrooms for a long time in order to determine whether or not their purpose is promoting academic achievement and promoting creativity and innovation. I had never really thought of this before, but it is definitely something that I will strive to use in the future. As an educator, I need to be on the lookout for ways to keep classroom procedures fresh and exciting.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Surviving a Substitute
Well, today we had a substitute.
In any other classroom, at any other school, this statement might not mean much. Maybe a slightly altered schedule, with slightly more behaviors. But at this school, subs often cause problems. Well, let me clarify. It's not the subs that cause the problems, but the lack of a regular teacher.
Anyway, despite this situation, we had a solid day -- no major behaviors and even a successful swimming session. Even though I'm new to the classroom, I think I've gained a basic understanding of what the paras and my cooperating teacher consider a 'good' day. I was thrilled that today could be one of those :)
I also got to help a bit when students transitioned from swimming to the classroom or from there to recess, etc. I still don't quite know how each child will respond to certain prompts but I noticed today that the amazing paras in my room needed just a little bit of extra help due to the absence of my cooperating teacher.
I also got to see my first large group 'lesson' today. It was a Bible lesson about Moses parting the red sea. It was interesting to notice that instead of the cognitive knowledge of the story itself, the lesson seemed to teach skills such as asking for a turn to handle the white board, following directions, and sitting quietly to listen to friends' responses. This type of lesson is still new to me and will probably take a while to get used to. I'm glad I've been able to observe the paras in the room to see how they interact with each child.
So, despite my anticipated uncertainties about today, I learned a lot and enjoyed seeing a full day in the classroom.
In any other classroom, at any other school, this statement might not mean much. Maybe a slightly altered schedule, with slightly more behaviors. But at this school, subs often cause problems. Well, let me clarify. It's not the subs that cause the problems, but the lack of a regular teacher.
Anyway, despite this situation, we had a solid day -- no major behaviors and even a successful swimming session. Even though I'm new to the classroom, I think I've gained a basic understanding of what the paras and my cooperating teacher consider a 'good' day. I was thrilled that today could be one of those :)
I also got to help a bit when students transitioned from swimming to the classroom or from there to recess, etc. I still don't quite know how each child will respond to certain prompts but I noticed today that the amazing paras in my room needed just a little bit of extra help due to the absence of my cooperating teacher.
I also got to see my first large group 'lesson' today. It was a Bible lesson about Moses parting the red sea. It was interesting to notice that instead of the cognitive knowledge of the story itself, the lesson seemed to teach skills such as asking for a turn to handle the white board, following directions, and sitting quietly to listen to friends' responses. This type of lesson is still new to me and will probably take a while to get used to. I'm glad I've been able to observe the paras in the room to see how they interact with each child.
So, despite my anticipated uncertainties about today, I learned a lot and enjoyed seeing a full day in the classroom.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Hand Washing 101
Not many people get to say they spent four hours today learning about how to properly stay flu-free.
Lucky me, right?
Looking back, it actually wasn't that bad. It was just a long day of listening. And watching. And basically waiting. I got to observe in my class again, though. It's so fascinating. I think I could watch this class forever and find new things to consider and wonder about everyday. Like why certain students behave the way they do. Or how music can have such a big impact on a student who definitely can't sing, let alone dance (and yet, that's one word that he repeats constantly).
Yeah, I definitely did a lot of thinking today. And I have a lot to learn. And remember. And just know.
It's crazy how real everything is now -- no more memorizing definitions or trying to stay awake to a video, or role-playing with classmates (my favorite, right?). And yet, despite my initial feelings of inadequacy and insecurity in this kind of classroom, I just keep remembering that everyone has to learn these things. These settings take time to get used to because you have to know the students, really know them, before you can interact with them effectively. You have to know what they understand, how they might respond, how they will communicate, what they like to talk about, etc. It's a process. And I'm going to have to take it slowly -- maybe painfully slowly -- whether I like it or not. And I'm going to learn from this experience. A lot.
But, I'm looking forward to that part :)
Lucky me, right?
Looking back, it actually wasn't that bad. It was just a long day of listening. And watching. And basically waiting. I got to observe in my class again, though. It's so fascinating. I think I could watch this class forever and find new things to consider and wonder about everyday. Like why certain students behave the way they do. Or how music can have such a big impact on a student who definitely can't sing, let alone dance (and yet, that's one word that he repeats constantly).
Yeah, I definitely did a lot of thinking today. And I have a lot to learn. And remember. And just know.
It's crazy how real everything is now -- no more memorizing definitions or trying to stay awake to a video, or role-playing with classmates (my favorite, right?). And yet, despite my initial feelings of inadequacy and insecurity in this kind of classroom, I just keep remembering that everyone has to learn these things. These settings take time to get used to because you have to know the students, really know them, before you can interact with them effectively. You have to know what they understand, how they might respond, how they will communicate, what they like to talk about, etc. It's a process. And I'm going to have to take it slowly -- maybe painfully slowly -- whether I like it or not. And I'm going to learn from this experience. A lot.
But, I'm looking forward to that part :)
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Classroom Confidential -- Chapter 1
In Classroom Confidential, Schmidt refers to multiple intelligences. What intelligences do you hope to use in your teaching and why?
In my classroom and teaching, I hope to use all nine of Gardner's intelligences. While this would be difficult, or impossible, to do in each lesson, I would strive to use as many as possible, or just keep switching off so that each learning style and intelligence is being taught in order to reach more students. I know that all students learn differently, so my goal is then to teach in such a way as to help students learn in ways that they respond best. More importantly, I would find ways to promote students to use their areas of intelligence in the classroom so they can build on their strengths and apply what they're learning to their lives. This would help them better retain the information.
Schmidt asserts that "activity without cognition is just a way to keep kids from smacking each other...Idle hands may be the devil's workshop, but clueless hands aren't much better...before you switch on the hands, you must ease the brain into gear and keep it running" (p. 15). Are there ways you will use Schmidt's "full brain learning"? Explain.
I really like the way in which Schmidt describes this. Allowing students to move around and engage actively without effectively connecting the movement to any type of skill or information is unfortunately futile. Students need to be able to make connections -- from what they know to new information especially. I will definitely be using this philosophy in my own classroom.
I believe that it is important for students to understand why they engage in activities when they are learning; otherwise, there is little learning actually taking place. I will try to be extremely aware of how I'm teaching in order to help students make connections. This might mean that I review thoroughly any material covered the previous day in order to illustrate to students how the information relates to what was learned. Or, this might take the form of carefully planned transitions. Regardless of how I enact this process, students need to know that the material they're learning is relevant to their lives.
In my classroom and teaching, I hope to use all nine of Gardner's intelligences. While this would be difficult, or impossible, to do in each lesson, I would strive to use as many as possible, or just keep switching off so that each learning style and intelligence is being taught in order to reach more students. I know that all students learn differently, so my goal is then to teach in such a way as to help students learn in ways that they respond best. More importantly, I would find ways to promote students to use their areas of intelligence in the classroom so they can build on their strengths and apply what they're learning to their lives. This would help them better retain the information.
Schmidt asserts that "activity without cognition is just a way to keep kids from smacking each other...Idle hands may be the devil's workshop, but clueless hands aren't much better...before you switch on the hands, you must ease the brain into gear and keep it running" (p. 15). Are there ways you will use Schmidt's "full brain learning"? Explain.
I really like the way in which Schmidt describes this. Allowing students to move around and engage actively without effectively connecting the movement to any type of skill or information is unfortunately futile. Students need to be able to make connections -- from what they know to new information especially. I will definitely be using this philosophy in my own classroom.
I believe that it is important for students to understand why they engage in activities when they are learning; otherwise, there is little learning actually taking place. I will try to be extremely aware of how I'm teaching in order to help students make connections. This might mean that I review thoroughly any material covered the previous day in order to illustrate to students how the information relates to what was learned. Or, this might take the form of carefully planned transitions. Regardless of how I enact this process, students need to know that the material they're learning is relevant to their lives.
Becoming Bilingual -- A Whole Different Language
CIP. FBA. IEP. BIP. The list could go on.
Today I spent my day surrounded by these acronyms. Tons of them. Luckily, I've been studying these for the past four years, so I wasn't entirely thrown into shock. Still though -- learning concepts in school is proving to be vastly different from applying them to a 'real world' setting. Using these three letter combinations became exhausting as I attempted to translate sounds and letters into complicated ideas, processes, and plans in a matter of seconds before I fell quickly behind in the conversation around me.
Today was my second day of training at Elim Christian Schools. I spent six and a half hours with fourteen (or so) other cool people learning about restraints and Functional Behavioral Assessments. Despite the lecture-type setting, our instructor found ways to get us out of our seats and participating in role plays (my favorite, insert sarcasm please), demonstrations, and other hands-on experiences. Despite my internal complaints, I actually learned a lot and had a bit of fun in the process.
Two years ago, I would've rather visit the dentist than be forced to partake in role plays with a dozen strangers; but, I've grown a lot lately so I sucked up my poor attitude and put a smile on (a fake one, obviously, but you get the idea).
Turns out, you get to know people pretty quickly when you feel anxious and embarrassed around them. So, hey, we all became good friends. But really. You bond pretty quickly when you're yelling at someone about putting on a coat or writing your name on a piece of paper. The exercises taught us how to verbally work through a student's feelings of anxiety (be supportive), defensive behaviors (be directive), acting-out (use the nonviolent physical crisis intervention), and tension reduction phase (utilize therapeutic rapport). While the concepts sound weighty, we reviewed them so much that the ideas are probably plastered in my head for a while now. A good thing, I guess.
Anyway, despite the uncomfortable role plays, I'd say it was a successful full day of training. I'm thankful to be learning so much from people who really know their stuff. And I'm looking forward to spending some time in my classroom tomorrow (instead of doing role plays).
Maar serieus.
Today I spent my day surrounded by these acronyms. Tons of them. Luckily, I've been studying these for the past four years, so I wasn't entirely thrown into shock. Still though -- learning concepts in school is proving to be vastly different from applying them to a 'real world' setting. Using these three letter combinations became exhausting as I attempted to translate sounds and letters into complicated ideas, processes, and plans in a matter of seconds before I fell quickly behind in the conversation around me.
Today was my second day of training at Elim Christian Schools. I spent six and a half hours with fourteen (or so) other cool people learning about restraints and Functional Behavioral Assessments. Despite the lecture-type setting, our instructor found ways to get us out of our seats and participating in role plays (my favorite, insert sarcasm please), demonstrations, and other hands-on experiences. Despite my internal complaints, I actually learned a lot and had a bit of fun in the process.
Two years ago, I would've rather visit the dentist than be forced to partake in role plays with a dozen strangers; but, I've grown a lot lately so I sucked up my poor attitude and put a smile on (a fake one, obviously, but you get the idea).
Turns out, you get to know people pretty quickly when you feel anxious and embarrassed around them. So, hey, we all became good friends. But really. You bond pretty quickly when you're yelling at someone about putting on a coat or writing your name on a piece of paper. The exercises taught us how to verbally work through a student's feelings of anxiety (be supportive), defensive behaviors (be directive), acting-out (use the nonviolent physical crisis intervention), and tension reduction phase (utilize therapeutic rapport). While the concepts sound weighty, we reviewed them so much that the ideas are probably plastered in my head for a while now. A good thing, I guess.
Anyway, despite the uncomfortable role plays, I'd say it was a successful full day of training. I'm thankful to be learning so much from people who really know their stuff. And I'm looking forward to spending some time in my classroom tomorrow (instead of doing role plays).
Maar serieus.
Can You Say 'Nonverbal'?
Today I braved my third day of training and walked out three hours later feeling as though I had just earned a colored karate belt. While yesterday I learned about simple blocks and defensive moves that will help me protect myself should a ten year old ever become aggressive, today I learned holds and maneuvers to use in order to keep any child from hurting him/herself or anyone else. Anyway, it was a little exhausting and very overwhelming. If I thought I was stepping out of my comfort zone yesterday, today I was forced to get to know my fellow trainees in a whole new way, whether I liked it or not (they're all very nice people, of course).
Well, before I knew it, I was being put into positions in which I lost all control of my body. Strangely enough, I was extremely glad we were forced to do this because it gave me a better idea of how the students subject to our CPI training will feel. I have never before had a better understanding of how helpless it feels to have a disability or be subject to restraint. It was eye-opening to say the very least.
After three hours, we had been shown over 10 different ways to hold, transport, and restrain people of varying heights, strengths, and abilities. Needless to say, I felt a bit overwhelmed as I walked out of that class (with my CPI certificate pending, based on the results of a pencil and paper exam-- crazy, right?) knowing that I would be responsible for completing these restraint techniques if the moment should ever arise.
Well, that completed the third day of my training for student teaching. I left the room, my head swimming with maneuvers and CPI keywords, and walked into the Elim cafeteria feeling lost and out of place to find my cooperating teacher. I was told that my class had lunch at that time and was sent to find them with ultimately no direction or help. Anyway, I finally ended up in the right classroom, found my teacher, and ate lunch with her as we talked about the basics of the classroom.
Then, I met my students. There are seven of them; most are nonverbal, three are in wheelchairs, and all have varying disabilities and levels of cognition. After being introduced, I sat in the back of the room and observed the classroom, my teacher, the paras, the behavior specialists, speech pathologist, other therapists, and the resulting organized chaos of a typical Wednesday afternoon. So, as I sat, I began collecting the essential preliminary information that I need to know about these seven wonderful middle school kids -- bathroom schedules, communication devices, behavior difficulties, preferred activities, feeding needs, corresponding paraprofessionals, etc.
Essentially, as I climbed into my (family's) van at 4:03 today, I began discarding just about every assumption about what this semester would entail for me. I had made predictions about my responsibilities, curriculum, students, Elim, and just about everything else, but none of it seemed to apply to my situation anymore. While I was frustrated about this at first, I began to think about the possibilities and opportunities that God has carefully arranged for my spring semester at Trinity ultimately coming to the realization that I am blessed beyond belief to have been given this placement at this school with this teacher.
It's going to be a blast.
And I'm going to learn a ton. And I'm going to try to enjoy every single minute of it.
Aquí vamos!
Well, before I knew it, I was being put into positions in which I lost all control of my body. Strangely enough, I was extremely glad we were forced to do this because it gave me a better idea of how the students subject to our CPI training will feel. I have never before had a better understanding of how helpless it feels to have a disability or be subject to restraint. It was eye-opening to say the very least.
After three hours, we had been shown over 10 different ways to hold, transport, and restrain people of varying heights, strengths, and abilities. Needless to say, I felt a bit overwhelmed as I walked out of that class (with my CPI certificate pending, based on the results of a pencil and paper exam-- crazy, right?) knowing that I would be responsible for completing these restraint techniques if the moment should ever arise.
Well, that completed the third day of my training for student teaching. I left the room, my head swimming with maneuvers and CPI keywords, and walked into the Elim cafeteria feeling lost and out of place to find my cooperating teacher. I was told that my class had lunch at that time and was sent to find them with ultimately no direction or help. Anyway, I finally ended up in the right classroom, found my teacher, and ate lunch with her as we talked about the basics of the classroom.
Then, I met my students. There are seven of them; most are nonverbal, three are in wheelchairs, and all have varying disabilities and levels of cognition. After being introduced, I sat in the back of the room and observed the classroom, my teacher, the paras, the behavior specialists, speech pathologist, other therapists, and the resulting organized chaos of a typical Wednesday afternoon. So, as I sat, I began collecting the essential preliminary information that I need to know about these seven wonderful middle school kids -- bathroom schedules, communication devices, behavior difficulties, preferred activities, feeding needs, corresponding paraprofessionals, etc.
Essentially, as I climbed into my (family's) van at 4:03 today, I began discarding just about every assumption about what this semester would entail for me. I had made predictions about my responsibilities, curriculum, students, Elim, and just about everything else, but none of it seemed to apply to my situation anymore. While I was frustrated about this at first, I began to think about the possibilities and opportunities that God has carefully arranged for my spring semester at Trinity ultimately coming to the realization that I am blessed beyond belief to have been given this placement at this school with this teacher.
It's going to be a blast.
And I'm going to learn a ton. And I'm going to try to enjoy every single minute of it.
Aquí vamos!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Decisions, Decisions
I love culture.
Language, architecture, even art (sometimes -- on a good day). Visiting new places has been something that I have grown to love over the past few years. I believe that God has placed this passion on my heart and it's a love that I have been cultivating for a while now. Anyway, as my fellow Trinity classmates began their final journey here at college, I chose to take one last interim course -- to Italy!
That trip taught me a lot about history, culture, language, art, communication, leadership, cuisine, and especially about the importance of community.
Needless to say, by the time I returned to the United States, I was a little bit behind in Student Teaching. Since then, though, I have successfully completed my first day of training at Elim Christian School, the school for students with disabilities at which I will be spending the first seven weeks of student teaching.
Training was interesting but primarily consisted of topics that I already knew a lot about such as touring the building and becoming a mandated reporter for abuse. I'm excited to continue training this week and learn more about Elim, the procedures used there, and especially my class and cooperating teacher.
So I love traveling and I really love learning about new cultures and places, but I'm really excited about moving forward and starting my student teaching placement. It's going to be hard work and challenging in ways I have yet to experience, but I can't wait to see what kinds of opportunities God will provide for me in the next few months. And, I can't wait to see how God will use my passion for culture to impact and teach my students. According to the Illinois Professional Teaching Standard 3 Diversity 3, effective teachers understand "how student learning is influenced by individual experiences, talents, and prior learning, as well as language, culture, family, and community values."
This next (and final) semester at Trinity will be the most important for me in many ways. I will be learning new things every single day and working extremely hard to plan lessons and develop new ways to engage my students in the material introduced to them. However, I've decided to view these next seventeen weeks with a positive attitude. After all, with each new experience all you can really do is live and learn.
And I think I'm going to decide to look forward to that process.
C'est la vie!
Language, architecture, even art (sometimes -- on a good day). Visiting new places has been something that I have grown to love over the past few years. I believe that God has placed this passion on my heart and it's a love that I have been cultivating for a while now. Anyway, as my fellow Trinity classmates began their final journey here at college, I chose to take one last interim course -- to Italy!
While they were observing, learning names and teaching first lessons, I was exploring the streets of Venice, visiting cathedrals in Florence, standing beside the leaning tower of Pisa, and eating pasta in Rome.
Training was interesting but primarily consisted of topics that I already knew a lot about such as touring the building and becoming a mandated reporter for abuse. I'm excited to continue training this week and learn more about Elim, the procedures used there, and especially my class and cooperating teacher.
So I love traveling and I really love learning about new cultures and places, but I'm really excited about moving forward and starting my student teaching placement. It's going to be hard work and challenging in ways I have yet to experience, but I can't wait to see what kinds of opportunities God will provide for me in the next few months. And, I can't wait to see how God will use my passion for culture to impact and teach my students. According to the Illinois Professional Teaching Standard 3 Diversity 3, effective teachers understand "how student learning is influenced by individual experiences, talents, and prior learning, as well as language, culture, family, and community values."
And I think I'm going to decide to look forward to that process.
C'est la vie!
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