Today I went to the private Special Ed school. It was a completely different experience. The entire day was organized and structured and the children are incredibly calm & well behaved considering that they have ED and/or Autism. There were two teachers in a classroom of six children. Both teachers are 20+ year veterans and I really learned a lot of great lesson on content delivery and classroom management. They had great transition structure and clear and defined rules.
The entire school is high security. When I first arrived, I almost felt as if I was visiting a prison. I had to get let in by a staff member at the front door because it’s locked with pass code entry. Then I was questioned and had to sign in. I was given a visitor tag to wear and was escorted to the room.
The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way is that after months of planning this with the principle, when I arrived, he seemed to have no idea who I was or why I was there and had nothing set up for me. I decided for this reason that I am not going back. Although the teachers were great and the observation extremely educational, I spent the majority of the time just sitting there and I don’t think that I will see much of anything different tomorrow. I feel much more productive and comfortable at the public school. I know what is expected of me and my role and they really need the extra help. Plus, I kind of missed the kids; I think I may be getting attached to them a bit after having some small breakthroughs that really touched that inner teacher in me.
There were a couple students I bonded with today and got to teach math and vocabulary to a couple of the students. Also, since there were two teachers, I spent a lot of time getting background info on the kids and understanding of the goals of the program.
I don’t regret having this day at the private school at all, I think I really needed that different perspective, but as far as the rest of my hours, I’m anxious to go back to my crazy and chaotic classroom!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day Six
Today was pretty good. I am finally starting to get used to the kids, although I only have one day left with this group and I think that some of them I might really miss now :(
Tomorrow I go to the new school. It’s a private school for IEP students only. I think it will be different and interesting. The day is much longer, however I imagine that they have a much more structured program which is probably geared more specifically to each disability and I expect to get to see several different therapies in action as well. I am at this other school tomorrow and then two days next week and my hours will then be complete (cue the “Hallelujah” music.)
This experience has been interesting to say the least. There has been far more involvement than I ever anticipated and I am getting a crash course in Special Ed for sure! I must admit that despite the fact that I am using my vacation hours for this work, I enjoy being outside and around the kids. They make me smile and laugh several times a day and that is one of the things I really look forward to more of in the future. I am no longer exhausted by the end of the day. My body has acclimated to the extra activity and chaos.
The potty mouth child was out today and without his behavioral issues, all of out activities seemed to last a little longer before the crowd lost interest. It was interesting to see the change in the classroom dynamics without him. One of the kids who does have some behavioral issues did seem to act out more today, and all were very wild, but we were able to get all of them to spend a significant amount of time engaged in learning play, which was nice. One of the kids wanted me to read with him, which was awesome. We read about 5 books together. After we finished one, he would go and get another. It made me feel really good because I have been paired up a lot with this child and helping him with his computer reading program. I have been trying to encourage him to slow down and read things, sound out hard words and cheer him on. It felt really good when he chose to read with me. I felt like in some small way, maybe I had something to do with his excitement to read books! And another wonderful thing today, our resident grumpy kid smiled at me and wanted me to work with him. So all in all it was a pretty good day.
Tomorrow I go to the new school. It’s a private school for IEP students only. I think it will be different and interesting. The day is much longer, however I imagine that they have a much more structured program which is probably geared more specifically to each disability and I expect to get to see several different therapies in action as well. I am at this other school tomorrow and then two days next week and my hours will then be complete (cue the “Hallelujah” music.)
This experience has been interesting to say the least. There has been far more involvement than I ever anticipated and I am getting a crash course in Special Ed for sure! I must admit that despite the fact that I am using my vacation hours for this work, I enjoy being outside and around the kids. They make me smile and laugh several times a day and that is one of the things I really look forward to more of in the future. I am no longer exhausted by the end of the day. My body has acclimated to the extra activity and chaos.
The potty mouth child was out today and without his behavioral issues, all of out activities seemed to last a little longer before the crowd lost interest. It was interesting to see the change in the classroom dynamics without him. One of the kids who does have some behavioral issues did seem to act out more today, and all were very wild, but we were able to get all of them to spend a significant amount of time engaged in learning play, which was nice. One of the kids wanted me to read with him, which was awesome. We read about 5 books together. After we finished one, he would go and get another. It made me feel really good because I have been paired up a lot with this child and helping him with his computer reading program. I have been trying to encourage him to slow down and read things, sound out hard words and cheer him on. It felt really good when he chose to read with me. I felt like in some small way, maybe I had something to do with his excitement to read books! And another wonderful thing today, our resident grumpy kid smiled at me and wanted me to work with him. So all in all it was a pretty good day.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Day Five- Pass the Tissues Please
Welcome to the teaching profession, here’s a nice bacterial infection to get you off to a fine start! My gift from the children is a terrible cold which left me bed ridden pretty much all weekend. Ugh! I can’t afford to miss any time, but I did have one hour too many scheduled, so I took off an hour early to take care of this cold today. I have decided that the longest hour must be that last one, because leaving early, the day went super fast. I pretty much sat out most of the morning, so as to not infect anybody with my sickness and just helped with the big stuff, like bus duty and recess. Nothing special happened today, although I am so hopped up on cold meds to get me through the day that I don’t think I’m qualified to even be writing this blog. I guess this comes with the territory.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Day Four (and the last day for this week- phew!)
Today was a pretty good day in the multi-needs room. It left me a little time to reflect on what important things I am learning by being there (besides triage!) I feel like I should really be absorbing the lessons I am learning about behavior management and engaging students.
Behavioral management is something that I have had much anxiety over and it is something that is of great focus in job interviews (as I am told) and that it is one of the reasons that many teachers quit the profession in their first couple years. All this makes the obvious point that behavior management is a large factor in successful teaching so with that in mind, I think this experience could hold great value.
I would have to say that the behavior management that is being used at my clinical site is working, but is not efficient or consistent enough. During group work, treats are used to lead involvement and deter distractions. Bad language or inappropriate actions are not directly addressed (we are supposed to ignore first) unless it escalates to the point where is becomes dangerous for other students and then behavior specialists are called to take over the situation. I don’t really know what that consists of too much since the child is removed from the room, but what I have seen is that the child is separated from other students until he/she is able to calm down and address their feelings appropriately. If hitting doesn’t stop, the behavior specialist holds the child in a way that mimics a straight jacket so that they can not hit or throw objects. They BS works with a partner, one restraines while the other talks to the child. I imagine that they have some particular techniques they use to calm the child but I have not been able to see. This is obviously only in extreme cases, something I may not ever encounter or if I do, it will likely be rare.
In class, things like “no thank you,” “use your nice words” and the old stand by of taking away something fun, like recess, or choice time is used. Most of the time, with the ED kids, these things escalate the child, but with the others, it works just fine.
I have been trying to decide if a classroom full of children who are all developmentally delayed and behave badly several times a day as a manifestation of their disability, or a classroom full of non-disabled students with maybe one or two children who misbehave, but have the capacity to plot and scheme their actions, is worse. It’s a tough call, but I think that it’s been difficult trying to discipline kids who are motivated by a factor (their disability) beyond their control. Discipline is a huge part of keeping the multi-needs room safe and under control. Today we managed to do that pretty well. I think that today was successful due in part to a couple of factors (and also maybe some beyond our control too). Today we used a healthy balance of compassion and dominance. Rather than smile or show vulnerability to something incredibly adorable, yet slightly mischievous the child may do, we used ignoring, and the disapproving glare. That might be something that if I was a parent, or had spent more time around kids, I would have known to do right away. However, I have learned over the last four days that just because I think it’s adorable, doesn’t mean I want it to keep repeating over and over and over again, so its best to keep it to myself. After 17 times in a day, that same adorable behavior becomes particularly irritating and wastes a lot of time that learning could be taking place.
“Winging it” with behavioral management just does not work. This is something else I’ve learned. The most important thing I can do as a new teacher is have a strong and clear plan, and to also have a strong and clear plan B, and plan C because I can’t expect that plan A will always work with a particular group, and what if plan B doesn’t work. I have to have several options in place and ready to be enforced. I also need to have emergency plans for special situations, and those must be consistent as well. Also, these plans can not be based necessarily on my own personal philosophies, since I don’t have enough experience to rely on my philosophies. These plans must be based solely on what works.
This weekend, I will be doing some thinking about how I am going to approach the class next week. Now might be a great opportunity to test my own mettle when it comes to behavior management.
Behavioral management is something that I have had much anxiety over and it is something that is of great focus in job interviews (as I am told) and that it is one of the reasons that many teachers quit the profession in their first couple years. All this makes the obvious point that behavior management is a large factor in successful teaching so with that in mind, I think this experience could hold great value.
I would have to say that the behavior management that is being used at my clinical site is working, but is not efficient or consistent enough. During group work, treats are used to lead involvement and deter distractions. Bad language or inappropriate actions are not directly addressed (we are supposed to ignore first) unless it escalates to the point where is becomes dangerous for other students and then behavior specialists are called to take over the situation. I don’t really know what that consists of too much since the child is removed from the room, but what I have seen is that the child is separated from other students until he/she is able to calm down and address their feelings appropriately. If hitting doesn’t stop, the behavior specialist holds the child in a way that mimics a straight jacket so that they can not hit or throw objects. They BS works with a partner, one restraines while the other talks to the child. I imagine that they have some particular techniques they use to calm the child but I have not been able to see. This is obviously only in extreme cases, something I may not ever encounter or if I do, it will likely be rare.
In class, things like “no thank you,” “use your nice words” and the old stand by of taking away something fun, like recess, or choice time is used. Most of the time, with the ED kids, these things escalate the child, but with the others, it works just fine.
I have been trying to decide if a classroom full of children who are all developmentally delayed and behave badly several times a day as a manifestation of their disability, or a classroom full of non-disabled students with maybe one or two children who misbehave, but have the capacity to plot and scheme their actions, is worse. It’s a tough call, but I think that it’s been difficult trying to discipline kids who are motivated by a factor (their disability) beyond their control. Discipline is a huge part of keeping the multi-needs room safe and under control. Today we managed to do that pretty well. I think that today was successful due in part to a couple of factors (and also maybe some beyond our control too). Today we used a healthy balance of compassion and dominance. Rather than smile or show vulnerability to something incredibly adorable, yet slightly mischievous the child may do, we used ignoring, and the disapproving glare. That might be something that if I was a parent, or had spent more time around kids, I would have known to do right away. However, I have learned over the last four days that just because I think it’s adorable, doesn’t mean I want it to keep repeating over and over and over again, so its best to keep it to myself. After 17 times in a day, that same adorable behavior becomes particularly irritating and wastes a lot of time that learning could be taking place.
“Winging it” with behavioral management just does not work. This is something else I’ve learned. The most important thing I can do as a new teacher is have a strong and clear plan, and to also have a strong and clear plan B, and plan C because I can’t expect that plan A will always work with a particular group, and what if plan B doesn’t work. I have to have several options in place and ready to be enforced. I also need to have emergency plans for special situations, and those must be consistent as well. Also, these plans can not be based necessarily on my own personal philosophies, since I don’t have enough experience to rely on my philosophies. These plans must be based solely on what works.
This weekend, I will be doing some thinking about how I am going to approach the class next week. Now might be a great opportunity to test my own mettle when it comes to behavior management.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Day Three
Today seemed to go much quicker, however the behavior problems were horrible. Two of the students had some serious problems with fighting, destruction of the classroom and swearing. One was pulled out of the room twice and both had to be restrained at one point by the behavior specialist. The nice thing is that it is usually only one or two a day that cause problems, not all of them at the same time. We also had a new student.
I feel like I am learning so much and yet nothing at the same time. I am definitely learning about the public school environment and procedures. I am also learning how to deal with young children. I am not, however, learning how to appropriately handle children with behavioral disabilities. The reason I say that is because I found out today from one of the aides that the teacher and both the aides are not trained to deal with kids that have severe behavioral problems. I knew they were struggling with this, but now I realize that they are feeling similar to the way I am, which is inadequate and under prepared. What they do have, however, is experience with autistic children and with teaching, so they are doing the best that they can with the situation that was given to them.
I haven’t learned anything much about teaching, though, which is disappointing to me because I was hoping to get some insight on how to make inclusion work in my own classroom someday. There are 2 work periods on the schedule everyday, however work time is when things really get out of control. The kids don’t want to work, they are all at completely different developmental stages. When one see what another is doing, then jealousy and fights begin, when the fights begin, the autistic children get upset and then everything is complete chaos.
I’ve been thinking that this group may be an exception to the norm, but I ran into one of my classmates who is also working there, but in the early education multi needs room and she looked about as overwhelmed and stressed as me! Everyday though, I feel quite a bit more confident with interacting with the children, which in and of it self is good. I love children, but I am one of the youngest in the family, so I haven’t had very much experience with kids. That worried me a little when I decided to go into teaching, but I know now that I will be just fine in that respect.
I feel like I am learning so much and yet nothing at the same time. I am definitely learning about the public school environment and procedures. I am also learning how to deal with young children. I am not, however, learning how to appropriately handle children with behavioral disabilities. The reason I say that is because I found out today from one of the aides that the teacher and both the aides are not trained to deal with kids that have severe behavioral problems. I knew they were struggling with this, but now I realize that they are feeling similar to the way I am, which is inadequate and under prepared. What they do have, however, is experience with autistic children and with teaching, so they are doing the best that they can with the situation that was given to them.
I haven’t learned anything much about teaching, though, which is disappointing to me because I was hoping to get some insight on how to make inclusion work in my own classroom someday. There are 2 work periods on the schedule everyday, however work time is when things really get out of control. The kids don’t want to work, they are all at completely different developmental stages. When one see what another is doing, then jealousy and fights begin, when the fights begin, the autistic children get upset and then everything is complete chaos.
I’ve been thinking that this group may be an exception to the norm, but I ran into one of my classmates who is also working there, but in the early education multi needs room and she looked about as overwhelmed and stressed as me! Everyday though, I feel quite a bit more confident with interacting with the children, which in and of it self is good. I love children, but I am one of the youngest in the family, so I haven’t had very much experience with kids. That worried me a little when I decided to go into teaching, but I know now that I will be just fine in that respect.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Day Two
Day two- another hectic day in the multi-needs room. This morning started out pretty bad. A couple of the kids got in a fight, I heard several words that should never come out of a child’s mouth. Even more surprising is that the child is unable to learn basic concepts such as word sounds and the alphabet, yet knows exactly how to use the “F” word and many others in the derogatory context that they are meant. Hmm, it makes me wonder things about his home life, yet as an observing student, I don’t feel it’s appropriate to ask the teacher personal questions about the student-or is it? It’s hard to determine my place exactly in this situation. When I am there, I am helping and working as if its my normal job, because it needs to be done that way, but I try to ask questions when ever I can, since I am a student and there to absorb as much about the students and the environment as I can.
I feel like for an introductory course, of which all teaching candidates, not just special education majors, are required to take, that 40 hours is completely excessive. This experience has thrust me into very serious classroom environment of which I feel completely under prepared. I think I am doing well considering the circumstances, and maybe the circumstances have a lot to do with it. The class may not be organized and divided as it would during the regular school year, since it is ESY. There are kids in the class, particularly the Autistic kids, who couldn’t learn in that environment if they wanted to. The amount of sensory input is ridiculous with all the stuff thrown about and the screaming and hitting that the children with behavioral disabilities inflict; one of the autistic children tried running away 3 times today to escape the noise, and his ears have soars from him pushing them forward in attempt to block the noise. I can’t help but wonder why this kid doesn’t have earphones or plugs or something to help drown out sound. Where is the assistive technology? I am glad that I will have another school as a comparison because I really want to know if this is the reality of special ed, or if this is an atypical classroom because its summer.
I give the teacher and aides much credit for handling this room everyday. I often feel completely lost on how to educate anyone in this environment, and when violent behavior begins, I don’t know how to handle it, and when the autistic children are “on” as they say, I don’t know what to do about it. I am learning a lot, but I really feel very, very inadequate when I am working with a child and don’t know anything about their disability, what level they are performing at, what their goals and objectives are, ect. I am quickly getting comfortable in the school environment in general, comfortable with interacting with children, it’s just handling the manifestation of the disability that I struggle with.
I feel like for an introductory course, of which all teaching candidates, not just special education majors, are required to take, that 40 hours is completely excessive. This experience has thrust me into very serious classroom environment of which I feel completely under prepared. I think I am doing well considering the circumstances, and maybe the circumstances have a lot to do with it. The class may not be organized and divided as it would during the regular school year, since it is ESY. There are kids in the class, particularly the Autistic kids, who couldn’t learn in that environment if they wanted to. The amount of sensory input is ridiculous with all the stuff thrown about and the screaming and hitting that the children with behavioral disabilities inflict; one of the autistic children tried running away 3 times today to escape the noise, and his ears have soars from him pushing them forward in attempt to block the noise. I can’t help but wonder why this kid doesn’t have earphones or plugs or something to help drown out sound. Where is the assistive technology? I am glad that I will have another school as a comparison because I really want to know if this is the reality of special ed, or if this is an atypical classroom because its summer.
I give the teacher and aides much credit for handling this room everyday. I often feel completely lost on how to educate anyone in this environment, and when violent behavior begins, I don’t know how to handle it, and when the autistic children are “on” as they say, I don’t know what to do about it. I am learning a lot, but I really feel very, very inadequate when I am working with a child and don’t know anything about their disability, what level they are performing at, what their goals and objectives are, ect. I am quickly getting comfortable in the school environment in general, comfortable with interacting with children, it’s just handling the manifestation of the disability that I struggle with.
Monday, June 15, 2009
One Down, Nine To Go
Today was my first day of ESY observations; although I shouldn’t really call it observation because I was highly involved in the classroom experience.
It may have been the longest three hours of my life, although it was not because it was boring! The class consisted of only 6 kids, which was actually two less than normal. The disabilities ranged from moderate to severe, Autism, behavioral problems, Down Syndrome and development delays. Today, according to the teacher and 2 aides, was a mild day. I happened to have found it chaotic and draining. I just arrived back at my regular job an hour ago and I feel as if it should be 10pm. I am so completely exhausted and drained, and I just dosed up on ibuprofen to deal with the tension headache that has formed.
My exhaustion aside, it was a very rich learning experience. I worked individually with each child and really enjoyed the time with each of them. We did crafts, read books, matched pictures and studied the alphabet and letter sounds. Some of the kids did real well, others I struggled just to keep their attention on me.
I really am certain now that choosing to be a regular classroom teacher was the best choice for me. I originally had an interest in special education, but changed my mind when I did more research. The reason I changed my mind then is exactly the reason that I feel the same after experiencing it first hand. There were many moments where I felt just like we were filling time with anything we could. The environment doesn’t seem to suit some of the students, and they do really well at things they already know, but the next developmental step could take all year. Most of the time, I was quite certain that some of the students didn’t have a clue what I was saying or just didn’t care. I think it takes a special individual to have the patience and perseverance to get through to these kids. Plus, it’s heartbreaking to know that you may never get through to some of them. I felt restricted and frustrated. That was after only 3 hours mind you, and I have an entire career ahead of me. I also think that I definitely need to work with 2nd grade or higher, I don’t think that kindergarten or early childhood education would fit me as well. First grade, I think I would do alright but I know that I am drawn to a higher developmental stage.
So tomorrow, I will be more prepared, but I know that I did alright today. My plan was just to watch for a day, but there was no way I could just stand there and not be involved and help. There was clearly too much happening around me, and the teacher and aides need the extra help! Each child requires individual attention, not one of them was independent enough to work alone.
It may have been the longest three hours of my life, although it was not because it was boring! The class consisted of only 6 kids, which was actually two less than normal. The disabilities ranged from moderate to severe, Autism, behavioral problems, Down Syndrome and development delays. Today, according to the teacher and 2 aides, was a mild day. I happened to have found it chaotic and draining. I just arrived back at my regular job an hour ago and I feel as if it should be 10pm. I am so completely exhausted and drained, and I just dosed up on ibuprofen to deal with the tension headache that has formed.
My exhaustion aside, it was a very rich learning experience. I worked individually with each child and really enjoyed the time with each of them. We did crafts, read books, matched pictures and studied the alphabet and letter sounds. Some of the kids did real well, others I struggled just to keep their attention on me.
I really am certain now that choosing to be a regular classroom teacher was the best choice for me. I originally had an interest in special education, but changed my mind when I did more research. The reason I changed my mind then is exactly the reason that I feel the same after experiencing it first hand. There were many moments where I felt just like we were filling time with anything we could. The environment doesn’t seem to suit some of the students, and they do really well at things they already know, but the next developmental step could take all year. Most of the time, I was quite certain that some of the students didn’t have a clue what I was saying or just didn’t care. I think it takes a special individual to have the patience and perseverance to get through to these kids. Plus, it’s heartbreaking to know that you may never get through to some of them. I felt restricted and frustrated. That was after only 3 hours mind you, and I have an entire career ahead of me. I also think that I definitely need to work with 2nd grade or higher, I don’t think that kindergarten or early childhood education would fit me as well. First grade, I think I would do alright but I know that I am drawn to a higher developmental stage.
So tomorrow, I will be more prepared, but I know that I did alright today. My plan was just to watch for a day, but there was no way I could just stand there and not be involved and help. There was clearly too much happening around me, and the teacher and aides need the extra help! Each child requires individual attention, not one of them was independent enough to work alone.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I May Be In Over My Head
I started another class this week. It’s a part 1 of the math for elementary schools teachers’ series. I have my schedule very tightly mapped out so that I can get in the 2010 registration for the NLU School of Education, however if I could go back in time I think I would have planned this differently. I only have two courses right now, but they both are in accelerated format because the summer term is only 8 weeks long, rather than the 16 weeks of the fall and winter term. Plus, they don’t offer the math courses at any time when I am able to attend a traditional classroom class, so I had to sign up for Independent Study. I think it would be fine except, whoops! Didn’t know that the only times the teacher is available for guidance during hours that I am not at work happen to be the two nights that I am at my other class. And, there are only two evenings that I can take tests on because of my other class. Unfortunately they don’t give you this information until orientation so it was a bit of a shocker to me. I’m feeling very nervous now.
I am very capable of doing well in math, however it doesn’t come naturally and I have to work very hard at it. It’s too late now to change my schedule so I just have to push through.
When I was doing my placement tests, I was able to refresh my memory on algebra and geometry through the use of several fantastic websites that are available (yet another reason why I love, love, love! the internet.) But I can’t seem to find anything quite appropriate for teaching me how to think like a mathematician. Most of what I am learning is logic and problem solving technique. Once I see how the problem was worked out, it makes perfect sense, but I know that I wouldn’t have come up with that method on my own. I would have re-read and pondered the question until my brain hurt, then started guessing for a half hour until I got an answer that worked. Obviously, I am going to have to learn some better methods to teach my students or they will be a very confused, so I think that this class will be good for me, but I really wish I had planned it better so that I had more time for this first course. Oh well. Now I have to come up ways to help me think like a mathematician. I’m trying to ask myself how I might help students with understanding and approaching word problems. Here are some thoughts I’ve had on this:
A. Use a worksheet format: create a work sheet where each step is broken down and there are questions to guide the student, and spaces to help organize the information in a functional and visual manner.
B. Use manipulatives to help the student visually organize information.
C. Breakdown the word problem word by word, to help identify what the important information is, then deal with each piece of information separately, such as identifying what is unique and can be said about that individual segment. Then determine which techniques can utilize those uniqueness’.
D. Make more complicated word problems easier by substituting the subject with something more relatable to the students to help them grasp the idea (the same way people often use the pizza analogy when dealing with fractions.)
E. Draw pictures that are memorable & meaningful to represent variables (rather than letters).
So my plan, as I am trying to work through the problems for my course, is to use some of these techniques for myself and see if they help. Hopefully I can make it through this term, right now I am feeling the weight of everything. My own fault, though, for not taking care of this when I was young and didn’t have to work or pay bills!
I am very capable of doing well in math, however it doesn’t come naturally and I have to work very hard at it. It’s too late now to change my schedule so I just have to push through.
When I was doing my placement tests, I was able to refresh my memory on algebra and geometry through the use of several fantastic websites that are available (yet another reason why I love, love, love! the internet.) But I can’t seem to find anything quite appropriate for teaching me how to think like a mathematician. Most of what I am learning is logic and problem solving technique. Once I see how the problem was worked out, it makes perfect sense, but I know that I wouldn’t have come up with that method on my own. I would have re-read and pondered the question until my brain hurt, then started guessing for a half hour until I got an answer that worked. Obviously, I am going to have to learn some better methods to teach my students or they will be a very confused, so I think that this class will be good for me, but I really wish I had planned it better so that I had more time for this first course. Oh well. Now I have to come up ways to help me think like a mathematician. I’m trying to ask myself how I might help students with understanding and approaching word problems. Here are some thoughts I’ve had on this:
A. Use a worksheet format: create a work sheet where each step is broken down and there are questions to guide the student, and spaces to help organize the information in a functional and visual manner.
B. Use manipulatives to help the student visually organize information.
C. Breakdown the word problem word by word, to help identify what the important information is, then deal with each piece of information separately, such as identifying what is unique and can be said about that individual segment. Then determine which techniques can utilize those uniqueness’.
D. Make more complicated word problems easier by substituting the subject with something more relatable to the students to help them grasp the idea (the same way people often use the pizza analogy when dealing with fractions.)
E. Draw pictures that are memorable & meaningful to represent variables (rather than letters).
So my plan, as I am trying to work through the problems for my course, is to use some of these techniques for myself and see if they help. Hopefully I can make it through this term, right now I am feeling the weight of everything. My own fault, though, for not taking care of this when I was young and didn’t have to work or pay bills!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Priceless Resources
One reason that I am benefiting (rather than regretting!) going to college later in my life is that I now have the benefit of the internet as a resource. That is not to say the internet wasn’t around when I finished high school, but it was still a new concept to the public, most businesses were just beginning to advertise websites, so it wasn’t quite the networking resource it is now, and there certainly wasn’t nearly as much information to be found as there is now.
Teacher blogs and websites are some of my favorite places to peruse. Some experienced teacher’s have the best ideas for fun and engaging lessons, like this teacher who uses “Kung-fu Grammer” to teach the rules of punctuation, and this teacher who uses a book club format to get children to explore literature and engage in meaningful conversations about books with peers who are at the same reading level as them. What I love about these ideas is that they are both simple enough for a new teacher to use. I’ve seen some other great lesson plans that I just don’t know if I could pull off as a new teacher because of how meticulous of a process implementing it is. Somehow, I am expecting my first few years to be a bit overwhelming, so simple and effective is key.
Last night, I watched this video on the website that goes with my textbook. I think that this activity, although pretty intricate, would be a good activity for the beginning of the school year to help learn what kind of learner each student is so that I can plan more effective lessons. It uses the Multiple Intelligence theory and allows children to be active and creative. I love the fact that there are ideas in which they have to work, but no concrete rules, so you can provide the framework within which they can explore and come up with their own ideas.
Teacher blogs and websites are some of my favorite places to peruse. Some experienced teacher’s have the best ideas for fun and engaging lessons, like this teacher who uses “Kung-fu Grammer” to teach the rules of punctuation, and this teacher who uses a book club format to get children to explore literature and engage in meaningful conversations about books with peers who are at the same reading level as them. What I love about these ideas is that they are both simple enough for a new teacher to use. I’ve seen some other great lesson plans that I just don’t know if I could pull off as a new teacher because of how meticulous of a process implementing it is. Somehow, I am expecting my first few years to be a bit overwhelming, so simple and effective is key.
Last night, I watched this video on the website that goes with my textbook. I think that this activity, although pretty intricate, would be a good activity for the beginning of the school year to help learn what kind of learner each student is so that I can plan more effective lessons. It uses the Multiple Intelligence theory and allows children to be active and creative. I love the fact that there are ideas in which they have to work, but no concrete rules, so you can provide the framework within which they can explore and come up with their own ideas.
Friday, June 5, 2009
F.A.T. City
We watched The F.A.T. City Workshop in class last night. This wasn’t my first time viewing this film. I can’t even remember what course it was that I watched it in, maybe psychology or ethics, but what I do know is that it was back when I was a Business major and I remember finding it fascinating because of my interest in education (despite the awful '80's hair), but not taking it to heart the way I did last night.
Some of the key lessons from the film that I want to take away for the future, whether or not the child is LD, are:
1. If a child is having difficulty answering a question, don’t push or embarrass them. Take the pressure off and move on to another question and maybe come back to them after they have had a moment to think about their answer. I don’t think that everything comes down to quantity. Sometimes quality is most important and in education quality should be most important, so taking a little extra time to allow a student to digest a question and think about his/her answer should be done.
2. Children who are having difficulty with class material will not be motivated by a prize. If I notice that the child is having problems, I just make a mental note and not put them on the spot. I can discuss it with him/her in private and help. Trying to get them to answer using material gain isn't helping.
3. The true definition of fair is that “every one gets what they need.” That’s just a good piece of info for anyone.
4. Use positive reinforcement- make a big deal about a right answer or a strong attempt rather than making a point of letting everyone know the child was wrong, which leads to…
5. Don’t purposely embarrass kids in front of their peers. Especially if LD is involved, pointing out their weaknesses is only going to cause them to shut out more and try less. As adults, we don't appreciate public humiliation, why should we think a child is any different.
I think a lot of these points are already behaviors that teachers are taught to avoid, alot has changed in education since then. I think back when the film was made, this type of treatment was far more common than now, but considering that part of my education was recieved back then, its still a good idea for me to consciously make the attempt to not revert to these behaviors which may be part of my psychological conditioning from my own childhood.
Some of the key lessons from the film that I want to take away for the future, whether or not the child is LD, are:
1. If a child is having difficulty answering a question, don’t push or embarrass them. Take the pressure off and move on to another question and maybe come back to them after they have had a moment to think about their answer. I don’t think that everything comes down to quantity. Sometimes quality is most important and in education quality should be most important, so taking a little extra time to allow a student to digest a question and think about his/her answer should be done.
2. Children who are having difficulty with class material will not be motivated by a prize. If I notice that the child is having problems, I just make a mental note and not put them on the spot. I can discuss it with him/her in private and help. Trying to get them to answer using material gain isn't helping.
3. The true definition of fair is that “every one gets what they need.” That’s just a good piece of info for anyone.
4. Use positive reinforcement- make a big deal about a right answer or a strong attempt rather than making a point of letting everyone know the child was wrong, which leads to…
5. Don’t purposely embarrass kids in front of their peers. Especially if LD is involved, pointing out their weaknesses is only going to cause them to shut out more and try less. As adults, we don't appreciate public humiliation, why should we think a child is any different.
I think a lot of these points are already behaviors that teachers are taught to avoid, alot has changed in education since then. I think back when the film was made, this type of treatment was far more common than now, but considering that part of my education was recieved back then, its still a good idea for me to consciously make the attempt to not revert to these behaviors which may be part of my psychological conditioning from my own childhood.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
It's All Starting to Make Sense
I now officially know what an IEP is. I read about them in blogs and I knew what the acronym stood for but now I know what it is and how it will effect me as a teacher. I am only 4 classes into this survey of exceptional children course and I have already learned so much about special education. This is new and fascinating information to me because I grew up in Catholic school so the IDEA laws did not apply. We had some students who received speech therapy and one or two students that were in a wheel chair who I am not certain even attended the school, but maybe just came for church which was located in the same building. The point is no one discussed those differences with us. It’s just something I remember seeing. So strict as this professor is, he is clear, concise and to the point. I know what it is that is important to learn and we don’t waste time on what’s not important. There is a lot I can learn from him as a teacher as well. I have had courses where I felt as if I had to fish through material to find what’s most relevant to my life and career, but then there are the few who make the presentation simple.
Still not completely set up with my 40 hours, although I have been in contact with a private facility where I think I will end up if I get the ok from the principal. I feel a bit nervous about the observation experience. My professor wants us to get as involved as possible, and this is a new experience for me both in the classroom and with disabled students. To be honest, I’m kinda scared! I’m sure that after a day I will feel more comfortable though. Supposed to start the 22nd if all goes well!
Still not completely set up with my 40 hours, although I have been in contact with a private facility where I think I will end up if I get the ok from the principal. I feel a bit nervous about the observation experience. My professor wants us to get as involved as possible, and this is a new experience for me both in the classroom and with disabled students. To be honest, I’m kinda scared! I’m sure that after a day I will feel more comfortable though. Supposed to start the 22nd if all goes well!
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