Getting Situated: Week #3

There's a bug going around the school and it's not the kind we're learning about in my Pest Management unit! Everyone is catching the nasty cold and flu this week so we've had to be diligent about hand washing and personal space. Many were out sick, and I definitely caught it too... gah! Despite all of this, I was able to push through the week and make the best out of it. The students are real troopers!

I'm really starting to feel situated in my placement now. While I don't have a full class load yet, I am comfortable with my students. I am starting to find that flow as well, and I think the students can feel more comfortable because they see that I am a little more relaxed as well.

Students in Mrs. Pontius' Food Science class doing an experiment

Time savers

One of my issues is that everything takes much longer than anticipated to complete. I don't mind going at the pace the students need, but I worry sometimes that the application or the "fun stuff" is also getting pushed to a later time. In some cases, they cannot move on until they understand the content, so it's challenging for me make it more interesting. For example, today I wanted students to go through a powerpoint and take some notes about weed characteristics about specific weeds. Following this, I was going to try a party host moment with them where they would pretend to be a weed. They would introduce themselves as the pest and would ask questions about the other. For example they might ask, so do you come here annually, biennially, or perennially? It was supposed to be kind of cheesy but kind of fun!

The issue is that we didn't even get through the whole powerpoint today. We did do something else before hand but if I didn't do that, that would have meant we would have spent the whole class period on just the powerpoint.. a big no no!

One suggestion for me was to have guided notes for them where they could fill in the blanks instead of recording all of the notes. Mrs. Pontius said that even though I told them several times that they didn't have to write everything word for word, there are still some of those high achieving students that will do that. Writing everything down from the powerpoint takes a lot of time. Guided notes would have saved that time while still addressing my concern of making sure they were engaged while I was presenting. 

I need to begin thinking of more ways to save time and work for students so they aren't worrying so much about writing everything down, and rather, just practicing, identifying, and otherwise learning. 

Discipline and management

I really truly enjoy my students, however kids will be kids! I haven't really had too many discipline issues, but this week I did start seeing some really minor things. In plant science, I had given students a little research activity on insect pests and they were to present their insect to the rest of the class. We didn't finish the research portion the first day, so I gave them about 5 minutes the next day to work on it and then present. There was one group that had finished it the day before, but their friend who was absent that day had their packets. So they couldn't present that day. 

Classroom Expectations, Procedures, and Consequences

I should have done a better job walking around and making sure students were prepared, but they also didn't care to address this issue with me before hand nor did they attempt to re-look up any information to help solve the situation. It was a pretty informal presentation, but still certainly not fair to the other students who put in the effort. There wasn't much I could do except wait until the next day for them to present. I realized afterwards that it would have been such a great time to point to my expectations posters behind me and remind them of the preparedness expectation! But I thought about it after the class was over so it was an opportunity missed, unfortunately. Either way, I now know to be more diligent with that and to not pair certain students together if they cannot complete that assignment. 

Wrapping up this week

Overall, I think there was a lot of learning for both myself and the students! Another hurdle I will need to tackle is catching up students who have missed two or three days! That's going to be a challenge, however I'm hoping that I can work through this and get them back on track soon.

In other news, I guest taught in the Spanish class today. I spoke about my experience in Mexico (because I can never talk enough about that!). I even used a little bit of Spanish and had them practice some key vocab words. While it is not teaching in the formal sense, I enjoyed getting in front of students and sharing my knowledge. It was really a confidence booster and now hopefully I've made a connection to those students who are in my other courses. I think it goes to show that teaching doesn't always need to be formal.. they can learn through experiences of others. Learning can happen by simply sharing the wealth and engagin in discussion. 

Going forward

Going forward from here, my goals next week are to work on grades and putting grades in the grade book. In this, I plan to sit down with my cooperating teachers and have them show me how they do it and have a conversation about assessment, etc. 

Another goal is to catch up students who have been behind. Hopefully they will all be healthy and back in class by Monday so we can start from there. 

Next week in plant science I will be finishing up with weed pests and do a hopefully brief lesson about diseases. Then I will assess students with their pest ID quiz. Following this, I will get into pesticide application and usage. 

In small engines, they are just wrapping up on tool identification and they will move on to talking about what small gas engines are and then into parts identification.

In welding, students will be talking about safety and will make a safety poster presentation. My hope is to complete the safety portion next week, but they meet every other day, so I will need to be adamant about connecting concepts from two days before!

Leaving Thought

"Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds" -- Unknown 

Lab Trial #1: First Day of School

Question or Problem

How do I create an engaging first day of school lesson plan identifying student interests, instructing classroom management procedures, and engaging students in their first taste of the content for the first unit of instruction? (Added Challenge: How do I create the inviting and comfortable learning atmosphere I desire based on my teaching philosophy?).

getchemistryhelp.com

...doing research on activities and classroom procedure practices... hypothesizing that students will enjoy planned activities and walk away with understanding of the course...

Testing the experiment

wallsheaven.de

In lab on Wednesday I had my students do a bellwork activity by writing some information down about themselves. Following this, I went over the objectives, and led them in an icebreaker. There was much more to my lesson, however this was what could fit in the 10 minute time period for the lab.

Analysis and results of data

I really enjoyed planning and facilitating this lesson plan! My students (classmates) had some strong characters as they acted out different types of students. One had a cell phone addiction, and others shared inappropriate comments or put-downs that I had to correct. After watching the video of the lab, I think I did a good job of paying attention to the behavior of my students. There were only a few behaviors that I didn't notice that I should have taken care of. (Still growing those eyes in the back of my head, I guess). Despite those few unnoticed behaviors, I think walking around the room, engaging with students, and approaching them as soon as I noticed the misbehavior helped.

On the other side of this, I know I need to work on managing those students once I've caught them. After hearing some very helpful and supportive feedback from my peers, the biggest thing I got was to be more stern, and serious from the second an issue happens so students immediately know that I'm not playing around when it comes to misbehavior. 

stephaniemulac.com

It always seems to be the case that I think of good responses after the fact but in the moment, I'm never quite sure what to say. I think this is difficult because each student reacts to a response in different ways. While one student may be receptive to a "teacher stare", another might need to be pulled out into the hall way 2 or 3 (or more) times before they get their act together. Knowing that there are many options and that they differ from student to student make discipline difficult for me. Especially when I have to do it in the moment.

Conclusion

I truly welcomed the suggestions of my classmates because I think their perspective and honesty helps me more clearly see where I need improvement as well as see what my strengths are. Discipline is the key area I need to improve! 

Otherwise, I felt very good about being in front of the room, leading the activities, and transitioning. 

Leaving Thought

"If it's both terrifying and amazing, then you should definitely pursue it"-Erada

Part 2: Reflection on Summer Reading

Part 2: Reflection on Summer Reading

My insight on the book Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students By Their Brains by Louanne Johnson

I loved reading part 2 which encompasses chapters 5 through 8. The instruction and suggestions provided are areas in which I know I had many questions and I will definitely try to implement her ideas into my teaching. I will share a few highlights from part 2 below.

Start with a smile and greet at the door

This idea seems pretty standard to me (and for someone like myself who smiles a lot anyway, you wouldn't think this would be one of my highlights). BUT I smile because I think it's important, and I know a smile can go a long way. As I design my classroom to a place where I establish comfort and rapport, smiling is one of the small and free ways to do that. I believe this goes hand in hand with standing at the door and many other small gestures that show students you care. Being able to greet students as they enter the classroom is a goal I hope to do as much as I can, if not, every day.

Grab your students by their brains

blog.emilysuess.com

This is the title of the section for the second highlight I wish to share. The author explains the science behind a surprised brain and how if students are surprised, they are "more likely, biologically, to follow the suggestion". I thought this was really interesting. It reminds me of something I had learned from the session for National Teach Ag Day when Dave Burgess spoke at Penn State. He used an excellent example of a "gift" that had arrived in his classroom. He continued to unwrap it very slowly, not giving the students the immediate satisfaction of knowing what this object was. When he finally pulled it out of it's wrapping, it wasn't what the students expected at all. In fact, to them, it was very random and weird... It was a burned bra! He used this to speak about the women suffrage in history. Once he explained why he was showing it to them, the light bulb lit up. They understood this connection to the mystery object, and were most likely able to remember that lesson better than anything else that day because of how peculiar it was. 

Groups that laugh together, cooperate better

thehealthnut.com.au

Comedy is not one of my strong suits. Sure I generally have a good sense of humor and enjoy laughing a ton, but to make others laugh... that's where I fall short. However, Johnson says that "groups that laugh together develop a quick rapport, and they tend to cooperate more quickly and efficiently". I want to be able to provide an outlet for my students to enjoy themselves and laugh. However I recognize my specific skill set may not allow them to do this. Instead, I will try to incorporate videos, pictures, stories, and small group discussions where I can get them laughing with me instead of at my cheesy and most likely lame jokes. I mean, if there are some students that like lame jokes then I'd be perfect for the job. But I'll let the professionals do the talking and the students do the laughing. 

Minding your manners

In my book, I specifically circled this section about gratitude. Johnson says to always say thank you to your students. It might sound a little over done, but I think students need to hear that they are appreciated. More than this, she assures readers that by thanking good behavior, students have an example of what they need to do to earn respect and receive a "thank you" as well. It's not tricking your students. It's showing that good behavior does not go unnoticed. 

Discipline and Rules

Johnson brought up some really good tips for one of my most dreaded responsibilities--disciplining students that are misbehaving. I hope and pray that I will never have to ever do it, but I'm realistic enough to know that it's inevitable. I'll simplify her philosophy on discipline. Basically, she believes that instead of yelling, embarrassing, blatantly ignoring, or whisking students away when they misbehave, a teacher must be firm but show care. She suggests pulling students aside and 

• Make the student accept responsibility
• Allow the student to back down gracefully (don't put them in a hard place where they are forced to fight back to save face)
• Seek solutions instead of assigning consequences
• State your expectations for future behavior
• Don't hesitate to give positive feedback when behavior improves
• Wipe the student's slate clean (if the problem is resolved, don't hold it against them. Show them that you believe they can change and they will)

enlawyers.com

When all else fails, she says that teachers should step out of their room to cool off and have another teacher or staff come and watch the classroom. Alternatively, have the student sit outside the classroom to cool off and think. Johnson says that as a last resort, send them to the principals office. But it's better to resolve the problem within the classroom unless it's something serious that needs administration attention. Even if you don't send the student to the office, though, you can still talk to the administration to seek help if you are struggling. 

One final note on discipline that caught my attention. She also mentioned to call the student directly, as in by telephone. A story she shared was her intent to call the parents about the behavior but when the student picked up the phone, Johnson spoke directly to her student. From then on, she noticed a change in that student's behavior. She senses that it is because the student doesn't have an audience and the teacher and the student can have a private conversation about the issue as adults. I may have to try this!

Reading and Lighting

The final two chapters in part 2 talk specifically about reading and lighting problems. To summarize, these two seeming small things can cause huge issues for students. 

Students who struggle to read usually do not like to read in front of other students and will avoid doing so at all costs. Johnson stresses that instead of forcing this student to read, let them volunteer when they are ready, if at all. Like a turtle coming out of it's shell, let them do so when they feel most comfortable and feel they will not be judged. Instead of having them worry the entire class knowing they have to read only to not retain anything from the reading, let them just listen and give them that opportunity to absorb. Letting them do this at their own pace doesn't make them lazy or bad students. It just means they may take a little longer to understand or feel ready to participate in readings.

groupon.com

Additionally, poor lighting can cause issues. Not even poor lighting, necessarily but florescent lighting can be irritating to some student's eyes. Johnson suggests allowing students to read by natural light. Some students also cannot read on the harsh contrast of black and white paper because it makes the words seem unclear. Although they may be tested and have 20/20 vision, those students may have a condition called Irlen syndrome. I can't articulate the exact science behind it, but Johnson speaks about it and explains that having a colored transparency to place over the page can do wonders for students eyes. Purple, blue, green, whichever color specific to that student's needs can mean the difference of reading at their grade-level pace or not. 

One final note on time

Several times throughout the book, Johnson mentions slowing things down for the students. Some students are slow processors and know the answer but just need more time. I've often noticed this in myself growing up. I couldn't understand how students read a packet so quickly or how certain answers to open ended or complex questions came to them so quickly. Sometimes the answer was on the tip of my tongue. And if I wasn't confident in the subject area then jeopardy was a tough game for me. I get so anxious about getting to the answer quickly that I don't actually think about the question logically and often only skim the surface of the answer. If I had only had a few more seconds where I could think, I'm sure I would have gotten more things right. If I had had more time to take tests, I think I would have done better. If I had more time to read assigned readings, I think I would have saved myself the frustrations and struggles of comparing myself to other readers. 

timeanddate.com

I'm not diagnosed with anything that would suggest an issue. I don't say that to save face. I say that because if I never needed a diagnosis but still had minor struggles, I can't imagine how many students are like me that don't need the diagnosis but yearn for more time. Even harder for me to imagine, then, are the students that are diagnosed and fight every day for a few more seconds to grasp concepts. 

Time is such as valuable resource, and sometimes, teachers need to spend a little more on their student's brains, for the students' sake, instead of rushing through to accommodate the teacher's own agenda. I hope that I will be able to do this for my students and recognize when they just need a little extra help and time. 

Leaving Thought

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid"--Albert Einstein 

^p.s. this is my favorite quote so it will probably reappear many times ;)