Looking Back to the Future

Today...
This semester, I have been surprised by the literacy levels of my students. They are able to verbally communicate their understandings when I interact with them one on one. They need a little bit of coaching and confidence building to conjure up the confidence to communicate their understandings, but once they have this, they are able to verbally justify their processes. In contrast, my students struggle demonstrating their understandings in writing. Most of their written assignments are done independently and as a consequence, they are more unsure of their performances. This insecurity is evident when I assess their written work; the ideas and concepts they verbally communicate are not represented by the written work they turn in.

In the future...
September 30, 2013
My literacy rich classroom looks like...
Students have been given the opportunity to demonstrate their understandings through visual representations. Students have designed their visual representations creatively on their own or have filled in graphic organizers that I provided. These choices  seem to interest the students.

My students are engaged in...
Students have enjoyed presenting their vocabulary terms to the class. Students enjoy demonstrating their understandings in front of the class as a whole.

They are reading...
My students have been reading ahead of the classroom schedule. Students preview the material that will be covered in the next class session.

December 15, 2013
My literacy rich classroom looks like...
Students are able to demonstrate their vocabulary understanding through games like Funglish, Taboo, and Catch Phrase.

My students are engaged in...
Students are engaged in the lessons I present. They are continuously asking questions and wanting a further explanation and reasoning.

They are reading...
My students are reading and researching their homework online. When they misunderstand an assignment, they look online for guidance an support.

They are writing...
Students are able to demonstrate their understandings in written form. Students demonstrate their understandings during independent work, quizzes and tests. When students are unsure about what is being asked of them, they are quick to ask for direction.

They are discussing...
Students are collaborating outside of class. They are working together to complete assignments outside of the classroom. When they do not understand what a question is asking, they come into ask for help or work with a tutor outside of school.

May 30, 2014
My literacy rich classroom looks like...
My students are fluent Mathematicians. My students can verbally communicate and document their understandings. They enjoy listening to my explanations and actively engaged.

My students are engaged in...
My students are engaged in after school tutoring. My students have mastered communicating their Mathematical understandings and want to work with others who are still struggling.

They are capable of independent learning in the following areas...
My students are able to research, read independently, collaborate with one another, present to the class as a whole.

What is Brain-Based Learning?

     Florida Education Association addresses students do not need to spend more than 10-20% in random social groupings. Principle Strategy Number Two addresses student’s needs to engage in productive relationships. Students are given over 10% of their day to interact with peers in an unconstructive manner during lunch, before school, after school, and at breaks. This time is important, but too much of this kind of time could be destructive to their academic development. Poor social development results in fewer brain cells.

As a teacher, I plan to apply this teaching strategy to constructively use student’s time. I plan to keep students engaged in content and/or personal development. Some students might benefit from time to engage with one another or time to interact with me personally. Once I foster relationships with students by listening to them and their needs, they will be more likely to listen to me and what I have to offer.

Teaching in the 21st Century

Reading through the links attached to Learning in the 21st Century: Taking it Mobile! communicates the potential of student’s using personal mobile devices within the classroom. If students already have the device, why not use it for all it’s worth? If students were enabled to use their own mobile devices there would need to be a set of restrictions to keep them focused and on task. Students would also need to be willing to share their mobile devices with their peers who do not have such devices. Teachers would need to evaluate student’s interactions with one another to determine if the potential benefits outweigh the possible challenges.  

“Speak Up in Learning to Change, Changing to Learn” proposed many perspectives on the need to integrate technology into the classroom. The video proposed the reality that students continuously access technology outside of the classroom. Technology enables students to research, collaborate and therefore learn more efficiently. This evolution of technology has impacted the job industry and will continue to impact the job industry. Students must be guided and developed toward becoming technologically proficient. Students need to know how to use technology to market themselves. The information within this video reminds me of the importance of being open to the use of technology to market myself as an asset to my profession. I need to continue to be open to using technology as a mean to communicate with modern day students.

After reading through YouthTeach2Learn, I can see the benefits in empowering students to become teachers. When students are developing their educational perspective with an end goal in sight, they are able to become invested in their educational outcome. Education is important and students do not always understand the value of education. The responsibilities within teaching accelerate the process to develop perspective on the importance of education. Therefore, students should be given the opportunity participate in teacher training, research the value of education, and help others see the importance of education. 

Common Core

Creativity occurs throughout the lesson and into student’s independent work. As I conduct lessons in my class, I model creativity. Each example I use employs a different perspective. I model this way of thinking to build students up in their development. Creativity becomes apparent in Mathematics through the application of problem solving skills. Problem solving skills are necessary to come to any kind of a logical conclusion. Students attempt to facilitate these skills on their own through independent practice. As a teacher, it is important to foster this kind of developmental thinking through guiding questions and prompting discussions. The goal of creativity and problem solving skills is for students to think critically. Students need to prioritize the information they were given and apply the appropriate information to derive a logical conclusion.

To support and teach information literacy, I make students aware of the resources available to them for academic development. I inform my students on how to utilize their text book for support. I discuss the importance of reading the examples and working them out simultaneously. Students also need to be informed that the textbook aligns with online videos with actual demonstrations of each type of sample problem. Through informing students of this information they are given insight into the process of accessing resources outside of the classroom.

Media literacy is important for students to understand. I believe students specifically need to understand the importance of media delievery. When consumers are distracted by the format, they are can become coursed into beliefs that are not their own. For example, students need to be aware of the Golden Rectangle. The Golden Rectangle has been proven to entice the mind. This rectangle has been used in arts and propaganda to lure the onlooker. For this reason, I inform my students of this reality in hopes to foster their analytical development in regards to media.

 Technology becomes the most prevalent in my classroom when keeping students and families up to date on what is going on in the classroom. Through an online grading system, students and their families can stay reflect on their academic performances. Students evaluate their academic development and are therefore informed about their potential in the class. I find an online grading system is a great way to communicate organized student results.

Students are encouraged toward independence in my class as they are encouraged to set academic goals at the beginning of the semester. Students are then held accountable to make progress toward these goals. Weekly, they must reflect on their development. I then give them feedback about what they have done well and the areas I can see need redirection. This allows students to reflect on the academic experiences and become responsible for the end result.

In my class, students are encourages to come after school and tutor students below their grade level in a lower level of Mathematics. This allows students to see the value in getting help and helping others. When students participate in this activity, they are required to develop an accountability routine with the student they are assisting. They are required to set a standard of achievement they plan to meet by working together. The student receiving the assistance is also required to find another peer to mentor toward academic development. These relationships foster opportunity to work effectively with a diverse group of people.

G.I.S.T. TPE 4 Teaching Candidates address standards to provide comprehensive curriculum through relative materials, at the students' current level of achievement and needs.