The main theme that jumped out to me was making connections. Connect what students have taken initiatives of learning on their own and advance on it in anyway possible. Also, relate material to things outside of the classroom to make it more understandable to students.
Literally go beyond the classroom. Get outside and apply the learning that was discussed in the classroom. Being able to see instant results of their learning is really gratifying to students. Showing the meaning of lessons and that its not just a waste of time can really open their eyes and make them more open to learning.
Conveying meaning of what is learned in the classroom and applying it to real life is something I will look to do often. I don't want my students to sit there and say "Why are we even doing this?" I want them to see the fruits of their labor in the real world and not just get used to seeing letter or number grades.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Chapter 9: When Things Go Wrong
The clear message lies at the end of the chapter. Don't give up. A lot is going on in the lives of young teenagers. They are trying to find out who they are and what they stand for. Not to mention juggling class work with it. It can be overwhelming and every person handles it different, but as teachers we can never give up on a student no matter the situation.
As rebellious as teenagers can be, they want to get to know adults. If you are real with you class then you will gain their respect. If you are understanding of their lives they will do the same for you. To get respect you have to give it. Make it worth their while being there not just for academics, but for life lessons as well. Be the role model everyone is looking for.
I really enjoyed this chapter. i think it is important to never give up on students. Teachers and students will all have good and bad days. But being there for one another through the good and the bad it what its all about. Mixed in with some fun and interesting academic work, the school comes together as a mini community.
As rebellious as teenagers can be, they want to get to know adults. If you are real with you class then you will gain their respect. If you are understanding of their lives they will do the same for you. To get respect you have to give it. Make it worth their while being there not just for academics, but for life lessons as well. Be the role model everyone is looking for.
I really enjoyed this chapter. i think it is important to never give up on students. Teachers and students will all have good and bad days. But being there for one another through the good and the bad it what its all about. Mixed in with some fun and interesting academic work, the school comes together as a mini community.
Chapter 8: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English
Respect is the one big reoccurring word in this chapter. A lot of ELD students have cultures that a founded upon respect. They want to be respected and not treated like children trying to speak for the first time ever. Just because they are from different background and can't speak English well doesn't mean they should be treated any differently.
A lot of ELD students want to make friends, but don't know how. If they attempt to talk to people whose first language is English they get laughed at or shied away from. Teaching an ELD student is very challenging, but you can't hand them anything they didn't earn and they wouldn't want it any other way. Sometimes, ELD students take higher level classes just to hear extensive vocabulary so they can learn the vocabulary and not necessarily the material.
I can slightly understand their situation. i took Spanish for eight years and I had friends whose first language was Spanish. I learned more from hanging out with my friends than I did in class. I could learn five vocabulary words each class or fifteen from hanging around with my friends all day.
A lot of ELD students want to make friends, but don't know how. If they attempt to talk to people whose first language is English they get laughed at or shied away from. Teaching an ELD student is very challenging, but you can't hand them anything they didn't earn and they wouldn't want it any other way. Sometimes, ELD students take higher level classes just to hear extensive vocabulary so they can learn the vocabulary and not necessarily the material.
I can slightly understand their situation. i took Spanish for eight years and I had friends whose first language was Spanish. I learned more from hanging out with my friends than I did in class. I could learn five vocabulary words each class or fifteen from hanging around with my friends all day.
Chapter 7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material
Encouraging active learning to help break through barriers of difficult material. Don't forget that everyone learns in different ways. Even when new material is slowly introduced it can be difficult to understand if their learning styles are not met.
First, don't assume students are total blank sheets on certain topics. Find out what they know and the results might be surprising. If the material is especially difficult then break it down as many times as necessary until everyone understands it properly. Try multiple activities to teach to every type of learner. Also, make connections between older material and new material. Using examples of how it can be connected to everyday life is helpful as well.
Breaking down difficult material until everyone understands it is necessary in my mind. Even if that means you didn't cover everything you planned on I would rather have my students concretely understand everything they learned than have a vague concept of everything taught. Presenting hard information in a variety of different ways can make it easier for struggling students to understand and not be left behind.
First, don't assume students are total blank sheets on certain topics. Find out what they know and the results might be surprising. If the material is especially difficult then break it down as many times as necessary until everyone understands it properly. Try multiple activities to teach to every type of learner. Also, make connections between older material and new material. Using examples of how it can be connected to everyday life is helpful as well.
Breaking down difficult material until everyone understands it is necessary in my mind. Even if that means you didn't cover everything you planned on I would rather have my students concretely understand everything they learned than have a vague concept of everything taught. Presenting hard information in a variety of different ways can make it easier for struggling students to understand and not be left behind.
Chater 6: Motivation and Boredom
The last page of the chapter really summarized everything rather well. The few things that really stood out to me in order to keep students interest and motivation high were being passionate about your material and work, make connections to real life, show pride in students good work, and provide good exemplary roles models.
If you don't show interest as a teacher in the subject being taught, then why in the world would the students be? Also, things become a lot more interesting and important to learn when students feel like they can use whatever it is they are learning and connect it to their everyday lives. No one is going to sit and listen to something they think is going to be a waste of their time. Whenever students do well we should show how proud we are and this will keep their confidence and motivational levels high. Providing roles models whether they are local or celebrities can show students why it is important that they are learning whatever it is they are learning.
I agree with all of this information. I didn't pay attention or put my full effort into anything that I thought was going to be irrelevant to my life. I want to make real life connections with anything I teach to better capture students attention. I will always tell my students when they have done a good job. Nothing would make me happier than to praise my students good work all day long!
If you don't show interest as a teacher in the subject being taught, then why in the world would the students be? Also, things become a lot more interesting and important to learn when students feel like they can use whatever it is they are learning and connect it to their everyday lives. No one is going to sit and listen to something they think is going to be a waste of their time. Whenever students do well we should show how proud we are and this will keep their confidence and motivational levels high. Providing roles models whether they are local or celebrities can show students why it is important that they are learning whatever it is they are learning.
I agree with all of this information. I didn't pay attention or put my full effort into anything that I thought was going to be irrelevant to my life. I want to make real life connections with anything I teach to better capture students attention. I will always tell my students when they have done a good job. Nothing would make me happier than to praise my students good work all day long!
Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group
Having different levels in one class is the one thing that really stuck in my mind on this chapter. A classroom is full of students with different potential and capability. Some might be highly motivated and intelligence and some might be lazy, but highly intelligent. There are many different combinations.
We have to be careful to not make our students feel insignificant or dumb. If we call on a student who doesn't know the answer, we should ask anyone else in the room if they would like to help answer the question. It's better to get help from a peer than be told you're wrong by the teacher followed by the teacher lecturing about how wrong the student was. Also, don't use the one student who raises their hand all the time. They become a crutch that the rest of the class differs to if they don't want to participate.
I couldn't agree more with this concept. I used to be lost in all my math classes and my teachers would do a lack luster job of making sure I understood the material. I think they were catering to much to the higher level kids in my classroom to ensure they didn't become bored. That didn't help me at all come test or quiz time. As a teacher, I'd rather work on something that everyone can master than just a handful of students in my classes.
We have to be careful to not make our students feel insignificant or dumb. If we call on a student who doesn't know the answer, we should ask anyone else in the room if they would like to help answer the question. It's better to get help from a peer than be told you're wrong by the teacher followed by the teacher lecturing about how wrong the student was. Also, don't use the one student who raises their hand all the time. They become a crutch that the rest of the class differs to if they don't want to participate.
I couldn't agree more with this concept. I used to be lost in all my math classes and my teachers would do a lack luster job of making sure I understood the material. I think they were catering to much to the higher level kids in my classroom to ensure they didn't become bored. That didn't help me at all come test or quiz time. As a teacher, I'd rather work on something that everyone can master than just a handful of students in my classes.
Chapter 4: Creating a Culture of Success
One thing that jumped out at me in this chapter is letting your students know its okay to fail sometimes. It is really great when a student knows they don't have the right answer, but isn't afraid to participate. I don't think enough teachers make this clear enough for their classes.
In this part of the chapter it talks about getting students to take risks. The risk of being wrong shouldn't ever stop a student. It's our jobs as teachers to make students feel comfortable no matter what to participate in their own learning. If they get something wrong we should work through it with them in a non demeaning way until the answer is clear.
I choose this part because I never felt comfortable enough to participate in school unless I knew I had the absolute correct answer. That's not a good learning environment to be in. Everyone should have confidence within themselves and as teachers we should be fueling that confidence, not smoother it. It's alright to be wrong because everyone has been wrong at some point in their lives.
In this part of the chapter it talks about getting students to take risks. The risk of being wrong shouldn't ever stop a student. It's our jobs as teachers to make students feel comfortable no matter what to participate in their own learning. If they get something wrong we should work through it with them in a non demeaning way until the answer is clear.
I choose this part because I never felt comfortable enough to participate in school unless I knew I had the absolute correct answer. That's not a good learning environment to be in. Everyone should have confidence within themselves and as teachers we should be fueling that confidence, not smoother it. It's alright to be wrong because everyone has been wrong at some point in their lives.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Chapter 3: Classroom Behavior
In chapter 3, what really jumped out at me was the fact that even if students act like they don't want you to ask about their problems, they really do want you to. It's difficult for a teacher to approach an apprehensive student knowing the strong possibility of being totally reject, but simply asking them shows that you care and respect their feelings. Treat students with respect and understand they they have a lot going on in life.
I think this jumped out at me because I've always been unsure on what to do with those students who show on the outside that they don't want help, but on the inside they really want and need it. I want to be able to distinguish that type of emotion. I will always ask a student how they are doing every once and a while, but I also know there are times when students really don't want to talk about something. Finding that proper balance is something I really want to achieve. I think it's worth getting attitude every so often from someone who doesn't want help in order to discover those who really want the help. I just don't want to put anymore stress on a student's situation that isn't needed.
I think this jumped out at me because I've always been unsure on what to do with those students who show on the outside that they don't want help, but on the inside they really want and need it. I want to be able to distinguish that type of emotion. I will always ask a student how they are doing every once and a while, but I also know there are times when students really don't want to talk about something. Finding that proper balance is something I really want to achieve. I think it's worth getting attitude every so often from someone who doesn't want help in order to discover those who really want the help. I just don't want to put anymore stress on a student's situation that isn't needed.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)