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Reflection #7: Phonetic Punctuation!

We watched a Victor Borge clip in one of my classes the other day because phonetic punctuation can be a fabulous idea to integrate into your classroom. It makes learning punctuation fun, and when you pair it with saying the name of the punctuation before the sound it reinforces the vocabulary. I've picked this video because it demonstrates the idea so well, and Dean Martin is a favourite of mine! Enjoy!

Reflection #6: Asking Questions

It appears to me that asking questions is a big element of teaching. This article emphasized the importance of asking questions in the classroom and the reasons why teachers do so. Teachers ask questions to check understanding. If the class is answering your questions correctly and with considerable thought this can be evidence of their knowledge of the content. The key, however, is to ask the right type of questions. The article mentioned something fascinating and something that I find to be true. Early on, students begin to grasp how they are viewed by those around them, whether it be "smart", "funny", or "indifferent" and they will act accordingly. When a teacher asks a question, some students may simply sit back, stop thinking, and let the "smart kids" answer. Similarly, some students stop thinking about the question as soon as a student is called on. One strategy that the article suggests is to ask a question and pause for 3 seconds to allow students to process the question and come up with an answer before calling on a specific student. This strategy can also be combined with a random popsicle stick system so that students are somewhat randomly selected to give an answer. Another article that talks about the "wait time" after teacher questions or student responses is Using "Think-Time" and "Wait-Time" Skillfully in the Classroom by Robert J. Stahl.



Credit: The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom by Ben Johnson

Reflection #5: Elementary School Observation

The other day I observed a first grade classroom in the afternoon. I observed many excellent methods that the teacher used in her classroom that I view as important to the structure and function of the class. These include the way she managed her class and made efficient use of their time. For instance, the teacher provided motivation for the students to model exemplary classroom behavior by reinforcing positive behavior with verbal encouragement and setting up a reward system for the class. She promoted an organized environment and orderly transitions in several ways, one of which was dismissing students by table whenever a task needed to be accomplished, including getting water after recess and getting their backpacks at the end of the day. When instructing the class she was very specific with what she was asking them to do. It is so important for a teacher’s expectations to be clear, and I could tell that she worked hard to make this happen by not only saying the instructions, but also having a visual model.

I would have to say that first grade is distinguished from other grade levels by the nature of the students. In my observations I noticed that they participated in a great deal of kinesthetic activity in their learning, as well as choral response. These two elements in particular are likely more necessary especially in the younger elementary grades because of their short attention span and level of distractibility. The teacher often brought the class back together by calling out a fun little rhyme, and the students had already learned the proper response. I look forward to asking the teacher more about how she integrates kinesthetic activity into her teaching, particularly in learning to read. I learned some valuable tips when observing her math lesson and it has inspired me to think more critically about different ways to integrate the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles into my own teaching. I’d also like to ask her how she initially teaches the class about how the classroom functions, including her different class rules and the general schedule of the day.

Reflection #4: High School Observation

I observed a freshman Honors English class and found it to be a great learning experience. What stuck out to me in particular about this class was the high level of organization and how attentive the teacher was to her students. First of all, the class was very orderly. There were whiteboards on almost every wall, some were used for upcoming school events and others were used to display the homework assignments for the upcoming week. The teacher had a slot of time specifically for students to write their assignments in their school planner. She also had the class period schedule posted on the wall next to the objective for the day. The teacher's organization and hard work conveys her desire for her students to have what they need to be successful. She was constantly moving around the classroom while they were working, assessing students and checking in with those who seemed disengaged. She integrated a journal prompt at the beginning of class, and after giving examples of a new concept would call on students for their examples. She would also put prompts on the SMART board for the class to easily refer to as they worked on their homework.

This class was different from the upper grade high school classes that I’ve observed. As it is their first year in high school they seem more industrious and focused on learning. They appeared to be very compliant and didn’t have as much attitude as some of the upperclassmen. The students were for the most part highly engaged in their work, working with one another when instructed to, and asking the teacher questions with great ease. I would be interested in asking the teacher more about her teaching strategies and how the multicultural nature of her classroom influences her lesson planning and the way she approaches the class. Overall it was a very informative classroom observation and I learned a lot from the way she organizes her class and the way in which she prompts the students to think critically.

Assignment #2

Students

Creativity and Innovation

The Sound Buttons game allows students to demonstrate their creativity by being able to create words through the computer and apply what they know to their work. Students can also work together in small groups to create words. For instance, the first student may select the beginning phoneme, the second student can select the medial phoneme, and the last student might choose the ending phoneme. It will require communication and cooperation between students to create a word that makes sense.

Communication and Collaboration

Students can work together to make words and change parts of words to make new words. Working together on this game will require students to communicate and interact with one another and students will have to contribute ideas in order for the group effort to truly be accomplished. This idea is strongly connected to the first standard because the students who work in groups will need to work creatively and cooperatively.

Technology Operations and Concepts

By interacting with this online computer game, students will be able to demonstrate their basic understanding of computers and can apply their previous knowledge of how computer games typically work. A working knowledge of how the SMART board functions and how the pen and shape tools work will also need to be learned if not already known.



Teachers

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers can use this activity to engage students in their learning of phonemes and their location, and encourage students to actively think about elements such as isolation and substitution of the different phonemes that make up a word. By introducing this activity into their class lesson, teachers push students to learn through creating and changing words independently and collaboratively with their classmates.

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

By using this activity on a SMART board or Activboard, teachers are not only incorporating the interactive board as a technological tool in the classroom, but also utilizing internet resources. This activity can also be customized to be challenging for all students depending on their level of need. Students who need more of a challenge could be asked to circle the medial vowel phoneme, whereas those who are having a more difficult time might be asked to only circle the beginning phoneme, which is more prominent and easier to recognize.

Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

During this activity, teachers will need to have a working knowledge of how to use the pen and shape tools on the SMART board. They will also have to be able to easily move objects around on the screen, and model and teach this skill to students unfamiliar with the SMART board. The way in which they communicate how the game functions and the content of the lesson will also need to be very clear and depends in part on the teacher's interaction with the SMART board and their presentation.

Activity: Sound Buttons Game Students are asked to create their own words independently and then collaboratively in groups of 3-4. Each student will take turns circling the beginning or ending phoneme and create a box around the medial vowel or consonant phoneme. The teacher can prompt students where they might need support and suggest words that would be more challenging for them.



The SMART board brings so many exciting possibilities to the classroom setting. It provides opportunities for students to be actively engaged in their learning. Students can physically interact with the board, solving problems or creating examples, all while demonstrating what they have learned. Teachers can easily model an activity for their class or bring up video or sound clips to integrate into their lessons. Teachers can create their own games or pull up any number of activities that are readily available on the World Wide Web. The SMART board also enhances students’ presentations making them more exciting for the rest of the class and more likely that the students will remain tuned in to the content that is being presented. The SMART board utilizes many tools and delves into the various visual, auditory, and kinesthetic areas making it the ideal teaching tool to make for an effective learning experience for students of all learning styles. I enthusiastically anticipate the opportunity to use the SMART board in my own classroom and explore the many ways that it can best enhance my students’ learning!

Progress on my Goal

This semester I decided I wanted to focus on my own growth as a student and as a future teacher. My desire is to discover engaging ways in which I can teach my students, and how I can incorporate technology into my classroom. My plan was to learn from others in the educational field and build a foundation of knowledge that will hopefully make my teaching both efficient and effective. Specifically, the National Educational Technology Standard that I chose to devote my time to was #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. You can read more about the details of my plan here.

This semester I have been reading many blogs by teachers and others in the educational field. They have a lot of helpful feedback! I've found many valuable resources through their websites; once you find a really good blog (one that goes in-depth and has a lot of "meat") you're likely to find even more great blogs that they follow. I've been keeping an organized document of all the helpful links and online tools that I'll likely refer to when I begin teaching. I cannot tell you how excited I get when I learn about a fabulous teaching idea! Additionally, at every classroom observation I've been conducting, I ask key questions of the teacher that I feel gives me a better idea of what to expect when I start teaching. I feel that I can learn so much from their experiences. Some of what I've learned I have shared here on this blog with my personal reflections on how I would use this information in my teaching. It will be interesting to see what else I learn this semester and what I can share with all of you!