MLE 502 Blog Response
A teacher characteristic
I would like to develop/strengthen is organization!
What…Create
a highly effective organization system for my classroom, and lesson plans.
Why…Being
organized will help me feel less stressed. Having a “home” or place for each
item in the classroom will help keep things clean and tidy. Additionally,
students will learn the importance of putting things back where they found
them.
How…I
will start with having a binder for each unit, color coded with lesson plans,
handouts, assignments, and rubrics. I will research different blogs to see how
other teachers organize their lesson plans and classrooms to help me piece
together a system that will work best for me.
A teacher characteristic I would like to develop/strengthen is patience!
What…Patience with faculty, students, parents, and myself
Why…At times teaching may feel overwhelming whether it's dealing with frustrated parents, a principal that doesn't approve of non-traditional teaching styles, or a defiant student. In all of these situations, patience is needed. Patience will help me handle these situations rationally and logically.
How…I will research and read different articles in health journals and books about why patience is important and how to master the skill. The 5 second breathing exercise that Dr. Mee shared with us, is a great start to re-focusing and being patient.
A teacher characteristic I would like to develop/strengthen is spontaneity!
What…Spontaneity
Why…Especially for middle school students, the classroom needs to be a fun and exciting place to thrive in. I believe adding some impromptu spontaneity in the classroom when appropriate will help foster a better learning environment and will promote more "pondering".
How…When I see my students getting tired, or loosing focus we'll to a 10 minute spontaneous activity! I will have a jar of different 10 minutes activities and pick one randomly. Some could include charades, jumping jacks, going for a quick walk outside, making a card for soldiers, etc. I would also like to have my students fill out a slip of a spontaneous activity they would like to do in the classroom.
Views
My views of teaching and learning
include:
Meaningful connections and experiences in learning happen when…students are engaged and homework doesn’t feel like work.
Students learn when they feel supported and encouraged. I also believe, that a
teacher’s relationship with the student also influences how they learn. From my
past experience, I felt if a teacher really cared about my learning experience,
I tried harder. As a student, I wanted to show my teachers I cared about my
work, and knew the reflection of my progress was a reflection of their
teaching. Check out Rita Pierson’s Ted Talk for a more elaborate explanation on
why human connection in education is important. Also, I think learning happens
when we can show students how this applicable in their day-to-day life.
A constructive learning environment occurs when…both teacher and student are respected and well understood. A
learning environment needs to be bright, colorful, and enticing. Boring white walls
with no décor does not foster creativity. It makes school feel more like a
prison than an educational building. Students should feel comfortable asking
questions and proposing ideas to make the curriculum more applicable.
Obstacles
The top 5 obstacles facing middle
level teachers…
1.
Unmotivated
students who just don’t want to participate or try in school
2.
Limited
creativity and time to ponder in the classroom
3.
Classroom
management, unruly students who distract other students
4.
Job security: if
they meet state standards/if their students are progressing
5.
Understanding
their students and how today’s culture is influencing them (We should never
say….well when I was your age….)
The top 5 obstacles facing young
adolescent students...
1.
Bullying: Classmates can
be extremely hurtful in middle school. Insecurities are high, and often times
students pick on each other to make themselves feel better or popular.
2.
Worry: Young
adolescents worry about many things, but school is definitely one of them. Are
they fitting in? Have they made a good group of friends? Are their teachers
going to be nice or mean? Are they going to get good grades? All of these
questions, if not more run through a middle schoolers mind.
3.
Dealing with parents: Young
adolescents are at an awkward age in their life, where they are trying to find
their independence and learn about who they are. Sometimes they feel like their
parents just don’t understand them.
4.
Puberty: Going through
body changes can be uncomfortable; clothes fit funny, acne starts up, and they
are constantly checking to see how they look.
5.
Failure (safe): Middle
Schoolers will experience some of their first failures. Not doing well on a
test, getting dumped by a middle school crush, not making the volleyball or
basketball team. These failures to them will seem like life defining moments.
The top 5 things that you think young
adolescent students need to know...
1. Their
teachers care about them and want them to succeed
2.
The information
and curriculum we are teaching you is important and will help you build life
skills
3.
No question is a
stupid question, teachers will always listen and help you
4.
Part of learning is making mistakes, don't be so hard on yourselves!
5.
Teachers like
hearing what ideas you have to make the classroom and curriculum more fun and
exciting—don’t be shy!
WOW! Great job! Very complete and thoughtful. Good luck on your goals -
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
Sara,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your blog! It’s amazing how much we can learn from others, even those within our own classroom! I was really happy to read some of your teacher characteristics that you want to develop / strengthen because some of yours were ones that I didn’t even think about, particularly patience and spontaneity. I definitely like to think that I’m a very patient person, but that does not mean that I will never be in situations where my patience will be tested. Also, teaching should encourage a multitude of spontaneity within the classroom, something that I believe is definitely lacking in our nation’s schools. The action plans you created for both of these characteristics were great and I’m going to try and use some of those strategies too! Thanks for the ideas!
I am also really happy to hear you bring up Ted Talks within your discussion. I don’t think I watch nearly as many as I should (I would really like to change this) but was pleased to hear that there is one that talks about human connection in education. I think that human connection, more specifically having a strong student-teacher relationship, is extremely important within schools. I plan to watch Rita Pierson’s talk, thanks for bringing it up!
I’m right there with you on your obstacles and top five things you think young adolescent students need to know. Bullying is a huge obstacle they face and they do need to know that their teachers care about them. Students should be able to come to school without the fear of being bullied by others and knowing that their teachers have their best interests at heart. I know there have been anti-bullying and cyberbullying programs within schools, some of them are very affective, but others are not. Just a general ponder, if you were given the chance to create an anti-bullying or cyberbullying program within your school, what would you do? How involved would the community be? What kinds of activities would you do with the students?, etc.
Again, really great blog! I really enjoyed reading it!
-Mr. A
I must agree with Mr. A...your characteristics are not ones I normally think about, but are ones you truly need in the classroom, school and just life in general. I find that patience takes time and if you are creating the space with your students, it becomes much easier. And spontaneity is CLUTCH! I remember back to when I was in high school, although an A-typer personality, there was always the teacher that threw the lesson plans away for the day and just talked about what was coming up for us. Those are the teachers you remember. The ones that are willing to hear what their students need in the moment.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of pondering...I often ponder about the concept of bullying. About what it was like when I was in high school because I wasn't a part of it; wasn't observant of it. Where does it begin? Why does it begin? What social media does it cross these days? How and can we really stop it? It's really actually heart breaking.
Overall, I loved reading this. I know that our class can be a bit on the downer side when it comes to finding jobs and such, but I can tell it's in your heart that this is where you're committed to being. That's all you really need, more than anything. You will be successful. And you will be a teacher that your students remember. Good luck!
Hi Sara,
ReplyDeleteI love your blog site. Your inspiration quotes, and font make it pleasurable to view. I enjoyed reading your Characteristics, View & Challenges blog, as you had some good ideas I might borrow. The 10 minute activity jar is a great idea, especially with student input at the beginning of the year. The mention of Rita Pierson's Ted Talk reminded me of another great venue for ideas and inspiration. I will check her's and others out soon. Your ideas for color-coding are right-on to make it easier to navigate your classroom's challenges. You have a great foundation for the beginning of your new education and career choice.
Thanks everyone for your encouraging and positive feedback! I have really enjoyed getting to know all of you and class. I sure have learned a lot from each and everyone of you.
ReplyDelete