August 31, 2017

{EDUC 410}

   This class is already easing a lot of concerns that I had about being a teacher, which is a blessing.

       

 In class on Tuesday, we talked about standards:

• Standards that we have as teachers: North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards
• Standards that we have to teach our kids: NCDPI K-12 Standards
• Standards that we have to make sure that we are integrating technology: NCDPI Digital Teaching and Learning

On Tuesday I learned that it IS possible to tie all 4 subjects (Math, Science, English Language Arts, and History) into one lesson. This is what makes it possible to get through most of the standards for the grades that we teach. Thank goodness, because there are oh so many standards! It is easiest to tie all these subjects together if you start with History and Math or Science, because you can tie Language Arts into just about any lesson. Sometimes you won't be able to tie all the subjects together, but you can always link at least 2 subjects together into one lesson. This aligns with Standard 3c, "Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines."

Today, we had our first seminar. I went into the seminar a little bit nervous and wondering how it would go. I wondered if I would have enough to say in it, but after, I was amazed at how good it went and what our class had accomplished! We all came to the agreement that standards are essential in education. They are essential to education because standards help keep everyone on the same page and "level the playing field." Furthermore, we also decided that it is crucial for the teacher to write the standard and objectives of each lesson on the board every day so that students will know what they are trying to learn and accomplish in each lesson. I also learned the meaning of the word "scaffolding," which is important in education. This is the idea that as children get older, they should become more independent and responsible for their own learning. In order for this to happen, I (as the teacher) should encourage them as they get older to take more responsibility for their own learning-- rather than me helping them so much with their work. This aligns with Standard 4a, "Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students"

So what does this mean for my future classroom??

• I'll stick to the standards! I want my kids to be on a level playing field in their education as other kids their age. I don't want to cause them to lack in any subject or concept because I didn't teach the standards.
• I'll write the standards and objectives of each lesson on the board every day so that my kids know what their goals are and what they need to accomplish for each lesson. This is to benefit them.
• I'll integrate as many subjects as possible into one lesson in order to help my students gain a deeper understanding of concepts and how each concept and subject can be connected.

~Nifty Teaching Tricks I Learned This Week~

• I can go to Lowe's and ask for shower board, which is only $20-$30 per sheet, and there I have my dry-erase board!
• I can also ask them to cut the shower board into individual squares, and each of my students can have their own dry-erase board.
• I can look on Pinterest for cute ways to decorate the boards.

August 31, 2017

{Education 350}

        The deeper that we dig into this class, the more I like it! This class is making me really excited to create my own classroom culture and teach a diverse group of students confidently. I learned that it is my responsibility as the teacher to create a positive classroom environment and set the mood for my classroom culture. This aligns with Standard 1a, "Teachers lead in their classrooms." This also aligns with Standard 2b, "Teachers embrace diversity in the school community and in the world." I'm already learning more about diversity and culture and issues that might arise in my future classroom as a result of this, but I am also learning techniques that will help me solve these issues. For example, I learned that if I assign my students homework that might go against their religious beliefs, I can assign an alternate homework assignment that they may do instead. This way, all my students are completing homework relevant to what we are learning in class, and there should be no conflict.

        On Monday, we were assigned reading about Multicultural Curriculum and Teaching Diverse Learners. This reading helped expand my knowledge on bias curriculum and the importance of making sure that my lessons are free from bias. I also learned the importance of discussing inequality with students at a young age, but keeping the discussions age appropriate. This aligns with Standard 4a, "Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students."

        In order to gain a better understanding of diversity that we might face in our future classroom, we made a list of various types of diversity. They include gender, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion, community, disability, beliefs, political status, citizenship status, learning styles, level of education, occupation, home life/family makeup, language, age, sexual orientation, culture/customs, and physicality. There are probably more items that we could add to the list. I didn't realize that there are so many factors that play into diversity, but by making this list, it helped me see the importance of being ready to teach a classroom of diverse students!

        So what does this mean for my future classroom??

• I will establish my classroom's culture, because as the teacher, that's my responsibility!
• I'll be ready to tackle classroom diversity with confidence and embrace it.
• I'll know how to talk about things such as diversity, inequality, etc. on a level that is age appropriate for my students, and at appropriate times.

EDUC 350/410 August 24, 2017

EDUC 350

In our first class, we came up with our own definition of the word "culture" as a class. This topic and its definition was so much more deep than I had ever imagined! Until our discussion, I did not realize how many aspects of culture there are and how essential each one is to the definition of culture. Here are some aspects of culture that we decided are essential to its definition, as a class:

• social norms
• the arts (this includes music)
• cuisine
• apparel
• beliefs
• traditions

In our class definition, we said that culture is the growth and development of all of these things put together in our society. One thing that we did not include in our definition that I wish that we would have is that it isn't just the growth and development of all of these things, but also, simply the existence of these things. To me, culture is social norms, the arts, cuisine, apparel, beliefs, and traditions all tied together into their existence. I don't think it necessarily has to be the growth and development of all of these things all of the time, but it can just be what it is and how it exists.

It's very important to integrate culture in the classroom. This is because of diversity. There will always be diversity in the classroom, and it is our job as educators to approach it in a friendly way and make all of our students feel like their culture is valued when they step into our classrooms!

EDUC 410

In our first class, we discussed the syllabus and the semester at a glance, but we really talked about what this class is really all about-- integration and assessment, their importance, and how they go hand in hand. Integration is SO IMPORTANT in our classrooms. We learned an example of integration when we played baby blob in class. We had to tag each other, and each time someone was tagged, they joined the blob. The last person that had not been tagged at the end of the game was the baby blob. We could use this one simple game in the classroom to integrate physical activity, to integrate science by teaching students about the spread of germs each time someone was tagged, and integrate math using multiplication, adding, and subtracting using blobs and how many individuals make up the blobs. There are so many creative ways to use integration in the classroom, and every teacher should use integration because it adheres to the NCTCS standards-- one specifically being that "Teachers facilitate learning for their students."