Involvement with ELL’s

I liked how the reading this week brought up the idea that different cultures have different ideas. Different cultures have different ideas of what is expected for respect between people, and how they should be involved in education. I think the idea of interpreters in high need communities are a great idea. I wish I had interpreters in my school so that I could more easily communicate with some parents. I specifically liked the idea of a sign-in sheet for the parents at curriculum night (Curtin, 2009, p. 238). My mentors did not do this during our curriculum night this past year and I think it would help a lot in reaching the parents. Many of the suggestions the book gives are about incorporating parents in the classroom by asking them to volunteer. In high school classes, there is not a lot of opportunity for parents to help out. I was unsure of how to use this idea in my classroom, unless we go on a field trip and need drivers. Maybe I can involve parents in homework activities and projects, but I cannot foresee any reason to have them in the classroom during school hours. The book also talks about home visits. I do not feel that this is really appropriate. As high school teachers, we have 150+ students. It would not be possible to visit all of these parents. I never had teachers visit my house, even when my brother nearly failed out of eighth grade. I’m just not sure how appropriate this is.

Curtin, E. M. (2009). Practical strategies for teaching English language learners. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

Meta-Reflection: Standard L: Knowledge of learners and their development in social contexts

I feel that I have continued to learn and gather evidence to fulfill this standard this quarter. In taking over both chemistry and both biology classes, I have learned so much about my students and how I can help them succeed in my classes. Coming into student teaching, I knew dealing with high school students was going to be a completely new experience. From fall quarter, I saw the huge difference in maturity between sophomores and juniors and seniors. I also saw a difference in maturity between my two sophomore biology classes, probably because of the difference in the other classes the students are taking (those in IB math or block and those who are not). I have learned that different techniques are needed to handle the different classes, and I must keep in mind how much I can expect each class to be able to do without guided instruction.

My biology classes, for example, have a hard time with a lecture when it lasts all period, no matter how many attention grabbers, or stories I insert into the lecture. Therefore, I try not to lecture all period, rather lecture for half the period, and then do an activity or worksheet for the second half. Even if this means splitting up a lecture, I think the students will learn more if they are focused throughout the lecture, rather than spacing out or getting bored. When I do need to lecture for an entire period, I try to give the students a break in the middle of class. The break is usually to do yoga with the students, or to talk about an upcoming event (such as HSPE testing, or a track meet). I find this helps keep them on task while giving their brain a break. If I give them a chat break, I find that it is really hard to bring them back in to the material.

In my chemistry classes, the students can handle a little more lecture during the period. Of course I still use practice problems, stories, demonstrations and video clips to break up the lecture, to hold the students’ attention. I try to begin a unit with a lecture that begins with a somewhat relevant video clip (see power point links below) from a TV show that the students recognize and possibly watch. I feel that this helps relate the material to their lives outside of school. In addition, I try to present a chemistry cartoon that relates to the material I am presenting that week, every Friday. I also put pictures, animations and cool backgrounds into my power points (1, 2), with not so much text, so that the students can focus without getting bored with tons of text.

This quarter, both my chemistry and biology classes had a design lab project (biology experiment). This means that they were given a research question, and they needed to work with a partner to develop a procedure to answer the research question. All periods were given in-class time and needed to get checked off before they could start the experiment. During the experiment, the students needed to work together in order to come up with a procedure and then work together to complete the experiment. This project required the students to collaborate with their peers and work well with their assigned partner. At the end of the chemistry experiment, the students had to individually write a letter to a ceramic company, recommending the glaze that the students found during the experiment. It was meant to show students how to appropriately communicate with members of the community in a business setting, and from a peer’s perspective, rather than from a student’s perspective. In addition, the letter helped the students explain in their own words why they designed their experiment the way they did. The students could explain how they came to the conclusion that they did, as these students did (1, 2, 3).

I have had many parent conferences this quarter, in e-mail, on the phone and in person. I have learned a lot about how to talk to parents. It is always good to show them that you care about their student’s success by giving ways to help their student succeed in your class. It is also good to start off with something positive about their student, so that they can feel that their student is doing something right in your class, and that you have not written them off as a bad egg. I like to encourage parents to help their child with homework, especially with labs and studying for exams (flash cards are very helpful to students and parents can quiz their child with them!)

In my biology class, my mentor has a set of activities to help the students learn the structure of DNA, and how the molecule replicates. The students work in pairs to first make a model of one DNA molecule out of string, two different types of pasta, and four different colored pipe cleaners. They have to answer given questions, study the different parts of the molecule and how it is put together. After they feel they are ready (they know the molecule backwards and forwards), they come up to me and must pass an oral quiz. The students must get every question correct, or they must go study and come back up again. Each time they are sent back to their seat, they lose one out of five points. This encourages the students to learn and master the material quickly, so that they only have to get quizzed once. I try to change up the questions each time because nothing prevents the students from telling their friends all the questions I asked them. I also do not want the students memorizing the questions I asked them in their first try so that I know that they are actually learning the material, rather than memorizing the minimum material. We go through the same routine for replication of DNA, with another oral quiz.

For my Standards-based Assessment class, we had to complete a project that involved assessing what the students have learned up to a point, re-teaching, and then giving another assessment. I gave the students a formative assessment (pop quiz) on new material right after I lectured and gave examples on the material. Then, I helped them practice the material over the course of the week, with homework problems, warm up problems, having students answer orally in class, and partner work. At the end of the week we had another quiz. In my project, I attached the work of five students, showing their improvement over the week. I had students answer reflection questions, including any strategies they used to solve the problems, or learn the material. It was interesting to compare student performance to whether or not they had a strategy for solving the problems. The students who had strategies for learning the material, and actually understood how they learned were the most successful.

Students all learn differently, and it is important for a teacher to understand that when he or she is planning lessons. It is also important for students to understand their own learning, both what they have learned and how they have learned. It is really important to put learning in context for the students in terms of the community, get them involved in the classroom, and get their parents involve in their learning. Students have individual needs when it comes to learning a good teacher knows how to meet those needs.

New technologies, new issues to worry about…

This week’s readings revolved around new ideas that we must consider in light of new technologies that are now used in today’s world. Most teenagers today (this includes most junior high and all high school students) surf the web on a daily basis. Many of these teenagers are participating in social networking sites, such as facebook.com, twitter.com and myspace.com, and various chat rooms. The internet opens up a whole new way for teenagers to communicate, aside from their constant text messaging. The fear is that if they do not know how to be safe on the internet, they could put themselves into very dangerous situations. Most teenagers do not see the real consequences of giving out personal information on the internet, nor do they see a problem with meeting someone on a social networking site or in a chat room and then proceed to meet them in person. We need to make sure that our students understand that information is not safe on the internet, and the potential dangers of not knowing who one is interacting with online.

One thing I have learned from previous experience was reiterated in one of the article assigned for reading this week. Parents (and teachers) should help students stay safe online, but not overreact when a teen has been exposed to inappropriate content or has not been following the rules (Internet Education Foundation 2008). Teens do not usually respond well to authority figures trying to control what they believe to be something completely safe. I know I got really upset when my dad took away my e-mail in junior high because my friend was sending me inappropriate chain letters. I had already tried asking my friend to stop sending the messages and deleting them as they came into my inbox. My dad blamed me for the e-mails, even though I had tried to get out of the uncomfortable situation. I should have asked for help in preventing the e-mails, but the sender was my friend, so I was not sure what to do. I think I would have responded much more positively to my parents (or teachers) trying to help me deal with the problem rather than get mad at me for something I felt that I could not control.

I think teens have heard many internet safety talks over the course of their childhood, so another information session would probably not do very much. Students could review the FEMA Online Safety Rules, discuss why certain safety precautions might be important on the internet and then give a few examples of what might happen if students are not careful (real-life examples, not fabricated examples). Students could also go through the PBS Web License site, which is formatted much like an online quiz through ten categories of web access. Another activity could be showing students how easy it is to create a fake profile on a social networking site. It would be easy to incorporate lessons about technological safety into the classroom, especially if the class will be using the internet frequently in the class. By requiring students to use the technologies listed above, including academic research on the internet, it is also a teacher’s responsibility to teach students how to safely and effectively use these technologies. It would be silly to allow a child to play with fire before teaching him, or her, the dangers and safety precautions to use around fire. This is essentially what we would be doing if we asked students to use the technologies provided through the internet without first teaching the students how to use the technologies safely.

References:

Federal Emergency Management Association. (2009). Online Safety Rules for Kids. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/kids/on_safety.htm.

Internet Education Foundation. (2008). Online Safety Guide. Retrieved from http://kids.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/.

Public Broadcasting Services. (2007). Get your web license. Retrieved from http://pbskids.org/license/result.html?a1=n&a2=n&a3=n&a4=n&a5=n&a6=n&a7=n&a8=n&a9=n&a0=n&name=Steven&x=0&y=0.

Week of 9/21-9/25

My biggest successes this week was curriculum night. I felt that it went very well. I introduced myself and the class. I went over some of my policies in the class, and talked about what I expect of the students. I got feedback from a couple parents that their students have loved my class so far . I also was told that my enthusiasm for science was infectious and that one student had never liked science before, but is already excited about my class and science classes beyond it.

My biggest struggle this week was illness, both of my students and myself. I had a great many students absent between one and several days last week. My bio class had an exam and there was a quiz and a lab in my chem class. Then I was sick and missed the day before the exam. It was difficult to get myself back on track and try to get the students back on track. In bio, I had deal with students not being ready to take the exams due to absence and I had to deal with that while the other students were taking the exam. In chem, students knew they needed to make up the quiz, and the one student who could not take the quiz studied on the side. All the students know they need to make up the quiz, lab and exam within one week. Because of my illness, I had difficulty knowing when to stay home. I had only a head cold, but that is enough to get the students and other faculty sick. I felt ill on Monday, and still went to school on Tuesday because it was curriculum night. By the end of the day I realized what a bad decision this was because I was getting more fatigued by the hour. I stayed home Wednesday, and went back on Thursday. I know now, that even with a cold, I should stay home even when I have only a cold. That one day at home helped more than I thought it would.

Reflection on Class 8/19

First day of 20 minute lessons! Today was very fun, and I really liked seeing what everyone came up with for their lesson. I especially connected with Kaia’s acids and bases lesson, because it was so relevant to what I am going to be teaching. I thought the activity was great and very visually stimulating. I think students really like it when things change color, or react in some obvious way. One addition I would have made would have been to show a reaction between an acid and a base (we all know what happens when vinegar and baking soda are mixed). As long as you prepare for the overflow of the reaction, I think the students would really enjoy seeing it. Then maybe ask the students to go home and ask their parents if they can do the same reaction with baking soda and both lemon juice and orange juice, to see more examples of reactions. Then, you would be getting the students to perform experiments outside of class, and think about what science they can do at home, just for fun.

The Enhancement of Self-Concept Reflection

This reading really hit home how small things we do and say as teachers can affect our students. It is important to really think about how we talk to students, because if we, even unintentionally, make them feel like they are worthless in our classroom, it will be detrimental to their learning and their well-being. As a teacher, I hope to strengthen my students’ self worth, so it was helpful to read about small things we can do to help students feel good about themselves.

Especially in high school science (and math) classes, it is important for teachers to focus on increasing student self worth, because a student often comes in to a classroom with preconceived notions about him or herself as a student. If he or she has already decided, either because of past experiences or because of what people have told that child, that he or she is not “a science person,” they will not be able to learn as well, because they do not expect it of themselves. This reading actually went along very nicely with an article we discussed in our methods class today, which included student conceptions of a “smart” student, and how their conceptions of themselves can be detrimental to their own learning. If we, as teachers, can help students increase their own self worth, we can help them be the best learners they can be. We will be able to help prevent students not learning because they do not believe that they can.

Reflection- Think about a homework policy; what are the main elements?

My policy on homework would be pretty straight forward. I am teaching high school, so they will pretty much know what is expected of them. Of course, I will review how important homework is to learning the material. The homework I give will not be extensive, nor will it be busy work, as that is no help to anyone. Pre-labs will be assigned before every lab period; students will understand the importance of being prepared in lab, which will happen if they complete the pre-lab assignments. Reading may often be assigned, so students can become more familiar with new topics introduced in class. Late homework will be accepted, but only at certain times. Even if assignments are not completed on time, students will be encouraged to complete them and turn them in on a specified day at the end of the quarter, which will be announced once at the beginning of the quarter, and once a few days before that day. Parents will be encouraged to ask students about what they learned from their homework that night. By high school, students should have established a consistent place and schedule for their homework, but parents will be encouraged to help set this up with their students, if it is not already in place.