Mathmatical Difficulties

My break is over and school is back on. One of my classes is the second half of a math for elementary school teachers course. This section is also twice as long as the summer section was, so I have been excited that I will have the time to really think about what I am learning and ask myself, “How will I apply this in the classroom?” instead of just flying through in order to test on time.
After one week, my excitement has already begun to wane. I feel massive frustration right now. The content itself is nothing difficult. What causes me problems is the method. I just can’t believe how much math has changed since I originally learned. I keep reverting to old ways, and I can’t seem to internalize the new techniques, even though they are probably much more efficient and easier.
Furthering my frustration is the fact that all the classroom sections of this course are during the day, when I am at my full time job, so I had to take it independent study. I did meet with an instructor to discuss the issues I am having and she basically told me not to worry about if I get the problems right or wrong. It's only about the method, focus on learning the methods to have as a tool for teaching different learners. But how am I supposed to teach it to someone else if I don't understand it myself first?
I’m freaked out right now about teaching math someday. I'm not clear at this point why so much emphasis in this course is placed on using the specific methods outlined in the text. Does the curriculum dictate the specific method that you have to teach, or do teachers have the leeway to teach any method as long as the objectives are accomplished?
I need to find a way to just let go of my preconceived ideas of how to do this and try to put myself in the place of a student learning this for the first time. How would I want the teacher to explain this to me? I even went to the extent of buying a white board so that I could work through it as if I was explaining it to a class; sometimes teaching something helps me understand it better myself.
Letting go of the way I think things should be taught (based on the way it was taught to me) is something I need to work on, its one of my weaknesses and its not going to help me in the classroom at all- especially because the world has changed significantly since I learned, just take technology for example, I didn't learn on computers in elementary school. I need to be prepared to deal with all different kinds of learners and situations.
Maybe a good way to approach methods class is to go through the Multiple Intelligences and determine how I might teach single concept to the different types of learners. Or maybe I should create three or four imaginary students, with different learning challenges, that I can use as a practice model throughout my course. What ever I do, I think I need to place some focus on learning about differentiated instruction to help me to break out of my own patterns of thinking.
What kinds of challenges have you encountered with differentiated instruction in your classrooms?

Inspiration is Any Where You Want it to Be

I’ll admit that I am strangely intrigued by ghosts. I watch every supernatural, ghost hunting show I can find. But recently, I found one that has taught me something about teaching- I can and do find educational opportunity in the strangest places!
I was at the library and came across a DVD of a show called Psychic Kids. Basically, the show is about parents who contact a famous psychic/medium and his psychologist associate because their child claims to be seeing ghosts or having some experiences of a paranormal nature that has been affecting every part of their life and their family’s life and they don’t know where else to turn for help.
Each show takes three families who are in a somewhat geographically similar area, and has them meet at a central location, which also happens to be a “paranormally active” location, for a weekend retreat. The psychologist works with the parents and the kids to help sort out their frustrations and fears and the psychic helps the kids learn how to deal with their sixth sense and confront their fears. All the while, the children are encouraged to form a bond so that they can develop relationships with other kids their age who understand them, since bullying is often a problem for these children among their peers.
I used to think that being a parent instanty made you a good teacher, something that concerned me because I am not yet a parent. But when I watch the parents in this show, confused about what their child is experiencing, frustrated about their inability to “make it better” and desperate for any help they can get, I realize that being a parent and being a teacher are two different things. While they may contribute to some areas of the other, they are essentially different entities.
In this show, the psychic (who can be compared to a teacher) has the unique challenge of setting the children free to explore their sixth sense (new knowledge) in an environment which provides them ample opportunity to interact with their psychic ability (the classroom). The children (students) sometimes let their fear and anxieties take over and they become terrified and want to run (refusal to learn, behavior management problems). The psychic (like the teacher) realizes that the parents, being emotionally attached, may comfort the child rather than give them the push they need to confront their fears and anxieties and move past them and that he/she needs to take on a stricter role which empowers the child rather than removes responsibility.
But most important of all is validation. On the show, once the child moves through their fear, the psychic validates that fear but express pride in their ability to move past it and builds their confidence by focusing on their accomplishment of moving past the fear (reward through positive reinforcement). He always does this with the parents present, which makes the child feel more validated and more confident (having the student present for parent-teacher conferences).
So in a nutshell, what I learned is that as a teacher, I need to remain somewhat emotionally detached so that I can do the difficult job of being tough enough to challenge students to move past their fears and discover their potential. After they complete the challenging task, I need to validate the original fear and follow it up with recognition of accomplishment to make the child realize that some things in life will require that we push ourselves further than we think we can go, but that the rewards are lasting and worthwhile.
I also learned a little something about dealing with parents. On one of the episodes, the parent of one of these children held very strong religious beliefs that conflicted with what the psychic does and caused him serious concerns over whether he could help the child the only way he knows how with out disrespecting her mother’s beliefs. It reminded me that I will likely face parents of different belief systems than myself. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to be the more flexible person, the more open minded person. I have to be prepared to work within the comfort zones of those parents whose cultural beliefs may differ from mine, regardless of what my personal feeling is about that, my professional responsibility is to educate myself on their beliefs and teach that child within those beliefs to the best of my ability.
So there you have it! I have turned my guilty pleasure of watching ghost stories into a rich, educational experience. I no longer have to feel bad about indulging in it (when I probably should be working on homework instead!)

Holistic Element 5- The Most Important Quality Comes From Positive Intention

The official definition of tone (according to the MSN Encarta online dictionary anyway :) is “the general quality or character of something as an indicator of the attitude or view of the person who produced it.” I think it sums up perfectly the idea of what teachers want to convey with the careful planning and setup of their classrooms each year. In therapy, tone refers to the emotional atmosphere of a person or space. Much like teachers preparing their classroom, therapists carefully plan and prepare their space as well. Both have the same purpose, to create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere in which to accomplish a particular set of goals. These last few posts have represented the thought process that I went through when creating my therapy room and an exploration of how I can use those same ideas in my new career, when I am preparing for my first classroom full of students.
I’ve never viewed anything as being one dimensional when I was a therapist. I always believed that everything was comprised of several layers that work together to create the big picture of an experience. I strived to reach my clients on all those layers so that at least for that moment they would feel that all the aspects of their being were nurtured and respected. I think that is the same thing that teachers want for their students.
The entire train of thought, which was all triggered by a simple statement about using red pen to grade papers, in a book I was reading, reminded me that I need to bring my therapist qualities with me into my teaching career, because all the qualities and knowledge I acquired from that experience can be translated into different areas of life and help enhance my teaching on a different level than the education I am receiving in school now. It adds another layer to my education that I am fortunate to have and another set of tools I can use later- A reminder that no experience is without purpose.

Holistic Element 4: The Art of Mood Manipulation Through Sound

I have been thinking a lot about sounds in the classroom because I have been exposed to mixed views about it. In several books I’ve read, and some blogs, teachers talk about how they play classical music, or relaxation music, in the background of certain classroom activities. Others use active and uplifting music to wake up an under stimulated group. Both these ideas appealed to me.
I remembered how, back in my therapist days, I would very carefully choose the music I would use depending on what type of therapy I was conducting, and/ or the specific client I was seeing. The rhythm and sounds of certain music had a profound effect on the outcome of the session. Some people needed certain music to achieve a level of comfort and relaxation, such as a soft acoustic guitar, Native American flutes or a harpsichord. Sometimes I needed a certain flow or sequence to carry out a specific therapy and would chose music with appropriate movement and fluctuation to mimic the movements and timing of the technique I was using. Sometimes either my self or the client felt anxious or stressed, and required the steady, rhythmic percussion of tribal drums to center oneself. Choosing the right sound became an art that enhanced the outcome of the therapy.
Now, as I attempt to pull experiences from my former career to see how they might apply in my new one, I wonder if sound can be used in a similar fashion to enhance the learning experience. I myself would probably have a tendency to use the same genre of music that I used during my therapy career since I have studied and experienced how the various sounds and vibrations of the music are supposed to effect the listener. I imagine that understanding this could be a useful tool to have in the ‘teacher’s toolbox” for certain days when you just don’t know what else to do to help calm children and get them to focus; or alternatively, how to get them to wake up and participate!
All relaxation music is made with a specific purpose in mind. For instance, percussion sounds are earthy and grounding. In therapy, they are used to bring the mind and the body back into harmony, as we have a tendency to become too much in our head. Soft percussion in the background might help with daydreaming students who can’t seem to focus on the lesson, or might also be good for activities during logic based subjects such as math and science.
Native American flutes and string instruments have a lulling effect. In therapy they are used to induce reflectivity, and disconnection from problems associated with the physical realm, the idea being to connect the person with the bigger picture of life. On days when kids are wired and wild, this type of music playing softly in the background might help calm them down and stimulate intellectual thinking. Also, it might be good music to have playing at the very beginning of the day as children enter the classroom, get situated and start working on their beginning activities- as a method of helping them release any problems that they could be bringing with them from home that morning.
There are also many complex scores of music in this genre that consist of many different instruments and sounds, and fluctuate in intensity but maintain a constant flow from song to song. In therapy, this type of music is used to create a sense of unity and cohesion throughout the entire session. It marks a distinct feel of coming full circle, a beginning, middle, and end. In the classroom, this could be useful during a specific activity that can help fuel creativity and provide a constant sensory indicator to help keep the children on task from beginning to end.
Are any of you already using music or sound to enhance learning? If so, I would love to hear how you use it!

Holistic Element 3- Classroom Color Therapy

In my opinion, color & light are so prominent that I think I could probably write and entire book about all the ways they could be applied to the educational field alone! I never understood, although I can fathom it has something to do with cost and efficiency, why schools always seem to have that horrible overhead fluorescent lighting which is known to cause stress and anxiety. I also will never understand why they don’t build all classrooms with windows. But again, it probably comes down to money and some would probably say that the people who design the buildings don’t really know anything about creating an ideal environment for learning, which is why teachers have to work so hard to create one :)
There are multiple theories about colors, but when I worked in the holistic health field, I was predominantly interested in color as it relates to the stages of development and life force. For the new age familiar, the foundation for this was the chakra system. In this system, color was tied to specific states of beings which people naturally pass through and revisit at certain points in their life and in ideal circumstances, all these elements would be functioning simultaneously and completely in balance- but we don’t live in these ideal circumstances. Behind this theory is the idea that with a trained eye (and maybe a certain intuitive sense) that one could find where the imbalance is and certain various techniques can help bring balance back to that aspect. One of the methods of bringing balance back involves the use of the color associated with that state of being. Here is a brief explanation of what each color relates to and an example of how I think it could apply to the classroom:

• Red- relates to our basic, primal instincts related to survival. Depending on the stage in ones life, these instincts have a tendency to change- something to be considered when using this color in the classroom. The younger the child, the more dependent they are on adults to fulfill basic needs, so this color, for young children, could represent a fulfillment of those needs and provide them with a sense of security and comfort where with older kids, say middle- high school, this color could evoke more aggressive behavior.
  
• Orange- relates to the primary social group- family. The color orange can create a real sense of belonging, but again, age is a factor- too much orange with high school kids, because of their maturity level, could induce a natural instinct to procreate.
  
• Yellow- relates to expanding out into secondary social groups, the confidence to become more independent. This is something positive that I would want to bring into a classroom environment, but too much yellow could make the environment too socially oriented. This is where color usage can get specific. For instance, during a group discussion, having a solid yellow screen saver projecting behind you or using yellow paper for a group activity can help set the mood for class participation and sharing of ideas.
  
• Green- relates to qualities associated with the heart- the capacity to care deeply and feel love and compassion. Green is a good color to use if you have a special area of the classroom designated for children to go and settle disputes. If you have a “time-out” desk, it might be helpful to have a painting or picture taped to the desk that has a lot of greens (and blues which I explain next) for the child to look at while they are taking the time out as these colors calm emotions and encourage healthy communication.
  
• Blue- relates to communication. Blue is a good color to have regardless of the group age since communication is so vital to just about anything.
  
• Indigo (basically a deep purplish blue)- relates to understanding and encourages those “aahaa!” moments where you really “get” the meaning. This color would make a good background for educational bulletin boards, construction paper cutouts to use for math to demonstrate concepts, carpet, or pillow colors for a reading area- to name some ideas I have had.
  
• Violet- relates to wisdom and the acquisition of knowledge. Every classroom should have a generous amount of violet throughout (in my belief).

The possibilities using this system of belief are really only limited by ones own imagination. There are so many ways to apply this, even the color the teacher chooses to wear that day could have a profound effect and the way a certain child reacts on that particular day, or on the group’s ability to concentrate and how well they absorb the lessons. It would be interesting to experiment with this!

Holistic Element 2: Smells That Stimulate Learning

Aromatherapy is a branch of holistic health that studies and practices the effect of smells on our physical and emotional health. This for some reason has been a controversial subject in the healthcare field. I happen to believe that smell does affect mood & functioning for a couple of very practical reasons. 1) Senses tend to trump one another. For example, when I try to read a book and someone has the t.v. abnormally loud, I have a hard time focusing on the visual input of the words from my book because my audio input has taken over control and is dominating all my senses; it makes me very frustrated and irritable. This really can apply to any of the senses- if one is being stimulated at an abnormal level, all of our energy seems focused on that stimulation and it takes conscious effort to neutralize this and direct our focus someplace else. 2) Have you ever eaten something you loved when you were sick, then later, when you are healthy, the smell of that same food makes you feel horribly ill? This is evidence (in my opinion) that smell triggers a memory. For some people, certain smells may be linked psychologically to a traumatic experience, something I experienced with clients as a massage therapist.
With respects to the classroom environment there are a couple applications that I might consider: 1) avoiding scents that may cause distraction or trigger negative response and 2) using subtle smells to trigger a desired response.
Something about smells though that tend to be overlooked is their origin. Most commonly encountered is “fragrance” which is full of man made chemicals. I suppose I would say that I have a tendency to believe that these chemicals are far more harmful that we think. With Autism, ADD and ADHD and learning disabilities on the rise, my thought is that these “fragrances” would fall under the first group of scents mentions, those that may have a negative response or become distracting. This would mean that commercial, scented products should be eliminated from the classroom as much as possible. Imagine the heavy chemicals that are already used to wash the school surfaces! Those we can’t do anything about but we can eliminate any other synthetic scents and even avoid wearing perfumed body products as well.
True Aromatherapy, on the other hand, might be a useful tool for establishing mood. Pure essential aromatherapy oils which are created from a very specific distillation process of plant oils, are subtle (almost undetectible even) and can stimulate certain parts of the brain that increase academic functioning, increase concentration, or calm hyperactivity. For instance lavender can be both calming and refreshing, sandalwood helps with focus, ylang ylang can ease tension and anger and both rosemary and peppermint bring concentration and mental clarity. What I am not sure of is school policies however aromatherapy is quite subtle and there are very safe means of utilizing it, such as a diffuser fan.
The oil is dropped onto an absorbent pad and a small fan gently blows the aroma out. Unconventional, but it could help to set the mood in the room for learning.

Holistic Element 1: How's the Classroom Chi?

When considering the elements of the environment one should think about the placement of objects and movement of the room and how that effects concentration for a child. Teachers already struggle with using their space in the most effective manner, but applying some of the concepts of Feng Shui could help by maximizing the effects that special arrangement has on the demeanor of its occupants. Traditional Feng Shui could be practiced if you’re a purist, but there are ways to pull some of the main concepts without knowing very much about the traditional practice. There is as much value in the idea as the practice. The idea I am focused on has to do with appealing to the senses and creating ease of movement within a room. One of the first thing a student, parent, administrator or another teacher experiences upon entering your classroom is likely to be visual. I like to imagine standing at the threshold of a classroom and seeing it as a whole, much like viewing a painting, we first look at the collectiveness and then allow the eye to be drawn to certain specific elements. In designing a room, we should consider what it looks like as a whole and where the eye is naturally drawn. Is it a pleasing experience, or does it feel forced or disturbing in some way? Do I sense obstacles, imbalance or obstruction or does my eye flow naturally from one location to the next with ease? This is a small detail that can have a giant impact.
It is well acknowledged by most that a clean and orderly space allows for mental clarity as well. I personally can not think clearly or function smoothly when my own home is in shambles, but when it is clean and organized I am able to carry out other tasks with ease. Cleaning and organizing can be somewhat of a spiritual experience. Students also need a clean and organized environment in order to focus on the task at hand.
Creating a compositionally balanced space, it helps to think in terms of that space, regardless of shape, as a circle; because that is how you want the visual elements and the energy of the room to move. Take it a step further and you could arrange your activities of the day to follow that same circular pattern, giving students a sense of “coming full circle” by the end of the day. As with all circular patterns, the circle has a center point off which everything else is based. What would you want the center point of your classroom community to be? In my own classroom (someday) I would want the center point (inner circle) of my community to be its people- myself and the students, the medial ring to be our individual work areas, arranged according to when and how they will be used, and the outer ring being the culmination of all our work (bulletin boards and decorations). I would probably organize my displays so that the work displayed behind a work area is representative of what was accomplished in that area, and the most important general community information located in the front, behind the central point. My hypothetical room might be arranged something like this:



Depending on how much time and interest you have in creating an energetically appropriate space, you could include some of the traditional elements, including having certain relics in the room, placed strategically, having certain areas face in specific directions, hanging mirrors to create openness. A book on this topic might be good summer break reading! The point is, by setting up the environment with these unseen forces in mind, whether you believe in them or not, could help set a calm and peaceful atmosphere in the classroom that has an unexplainable effect on the students. It’s worth trying!

A Holistic Approach to Teaching

So much emphasis is placed on method and classroom management that it didn’t occur to me to view teaching from a holistic perspective. What triggered this train of though was something I read in The New Teacher Toolbox : Proven Tips and Strategies for a Great First Year by Scott M. Mandel (which incidentally is an excellent book- well organized, with simple tips and strategies that can easily be integrated into your own personal style of teaching.) It was a section about grading papers using red ink pens and the negative association we have, as a society, for certain colors and symbols. Also, the cultural considerations regarding colors and symbols, which need to be considered as classrooms become more culturally diverse. This information added an entirely new layer of considerations to be made when creating a classroom community.
From a previous career of mine in massage therapy, I have a tendency to consider the many unobvious forces which have an effect on people. Put aside for the moment those we can not alter too much such as the constant bombardment of invisible electrical stimulation from our wireless world, or the toxic fumes that have permeated the air we breath (those things have to have some effect on our physiological functioning, and concentration!) There are those that we can control in the classroom environment though. After a bit of contemplation, I realize that the same considerations I made when manufacturing an environment conducive to physical and emotional healing with massage and bodywork can also be the foundation for creating an environment conducive to learning- the five elements of a holistic classroom:

1. Arrangement of elements in the environment (Feng Shui)
2. Smells (Aromatherapy)
3. Light & Color (Aura)
4. Sound (Vibration)
5. Tone (Emotional Atmosphere)

I think the ultimate goal of most teachers each year is to have a classroom full of engaged students, who are happy to be a part of the community and eager to participate and learn. I hear teachers constantly looking within themselves wondering if they have done all they can to create this environment- “Are the lessons interesting and engaging?, Do I have the necessary materials?, Do I have the appropriate knowledge? Have I planned carefully? Do I model the behaviors I expect? Do the students respect me?” But sometimes there are other elements that are not obvious and not considered that effect the way a person feels. I want to explore this topic a bit more. I already know from previous experience that the application of these elements is more extensive than you would think, so I have decided to write a separate in-depth post about each element- a holistic classroom series.

Modern Day Considerations

I’ve decided to challenge myself a bit when it comes to literary analyses. Part of my education to be an educator required that I choose a concentration area. As much as I wanted to fill the great need for math and science teachers, humanities has always been my passion and strong suit, so I chose English as my concentration.
I do love my reading and writing, probably in a different way than many others. I have long time been a big fan of the non-fiction genre, as my desire to learn overpowers my desire to escape into a good novel, although I also enjoy the latter. As a result of my obsession with non-fiction reading (and believe me, it goes way, way back- to childhood really) I am not well read in the fiction genre, and less well read in many of the classic junior novels that will likely be part of the curriculum I will someday teach.
I decided that in order to familiarize myself with popular junior novels, despite my lack of time for recreational reading, I will start getting books on CD from my local library and listening to them when I am in the car. While listening to them, I can begin to think about questions I might use in discussions with my students, if I were to teach this book.
I started this yesterday with “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. I am only a few chapters in but I already have some great ideas of critical thinking questions that I might pose to my class. But one thing I didn’t expect was to have all kinds of thoughts regarding the actual experience of listening to audio books as opposed to the experience of reading them. Back when I was in school, cliff notes were the only cheater we had to reduce the work of actually reading a book (now I relish in the thought of reading for homework!) But in this day and age, there are so many new ways for children to access information that I feel it necessary to ask myself, “how would I handle this in my classroom- if children choose to listen to books instead of read them.” It also makes me wonder how teachers are already dealing with this situation.
I can see that there may be both positives and negatives attached to audio books.
The first positive that pops into my mind relates to accommodation for disabled students. If I get to choose a book to use for a lesson, it would be beneficial from an inclusion perspective to choose books which are readily available in audio format.
Another positive would be to utilize the audio format in collaboration with the text to help students integrate the material with both visual and auditory sensory input.
On the negative end, the experience of listening to the audio book tends to color the readers perspective of the characters, much the same as watching a film about a book does. The reader on the audio book adds his/her own voice to the characters and reads in such a way that the listener begins to model the character to match the readers voice, instead of using the tone, imagery and characteristics of each character to create an impression of their own.
Also on the negative end is the affect on technical details, such as becoming more fluent and learning new vocabulary and synthesizing the material, lack of retention and the ability to “space out” or get distracted when not focusing visually on the text.
In the age of technology, there are many other considerations to make when developing lessons and assignments in order to ensure students do not short change their education by using technology as a shortcut. Even reading has become techno-fied (yes, I made that word up).
On the other hand, for teachers, all this technology can be an incredible time saving method of staying fresh and current on the curricular material and obtaining new perspectives and ideas on how to approach discussions with students.

It's Never Too Early...

Veteran teachers and principals advise applicants to be ready for some common questions that will be asked during a teaching interview. I am quite a ways away from the interviewing process, but it's never too early to start preparing for those inevitable questions. The hardest for me has always been the one where I am required to gloat about myself (I'm actually quite humble) so I have compiled a list of some of my positives that will be useful to teaching. Hopefully I will have more to add to these later.

5 personal strengthes that will help make me a great teacher:

1. I am passionate about learning- I just can’t seem to stop myself. This is evident in the fact that I have 3 more years until I can even begin teaching yet I already have been reading and planning for my first job. What can I say, I like to be prepared!

2. I’m middle aged- occupationally speaking. I am at this beautiful point in my working career where I am young enough to bring excitement, fresh ideas, and energy to my career yet experienced enough where I have a solid work ethic, multiple life experiences to draw from, collaborative experience and last (but certainly not least) a strong sense of responsibility and accountability.

3. Personal experience- As a returning adult student, I know the importance of education and the pursuit of knowledge. I understand the value and purpose in encouraging children to seek higher knowledge and the challenges they face if they don’t, therefore I have incentive to help them make good choices.

4. I am equally practical as I am creative- I can balance my perfectionist with my artist to develop learning experiences which are engaging and yet very structured.

5. When it comes to Multiple Intelligences, I score (equally) highest in interpersonal and intrapersonal skills giving me a strong understanding of myself and others, a natural ability to read people, and a natural tendency toward critical thinking skills. Understanding oneself is a prerequisite for helping others grow and develop.

Teacher Moment

Last night as I was reading a book about creating quality lessons, I had a teacher moment. I envisioned myself teaching a literature lesson. We were having a whole class discussion about a book and I was trying to pull examples of themes, found in the book, from my students. I imagined asking one of my students to recall what a theme is and share it with the class. Then I would elaborate on that definition and ask for students to share their thoughts about what themes may be present in the book, as I create a brainstorm model on the board with their answers. I imagined a student responding with a portion of the plot and me replying with appropriate feed back: “that is an excellent observation Jimmy, however rather than a theme, you shared a portion of the plot.” Then I would differentiate the definition of a theme and a plot and suggest we use Jimmy’s plot observation as a platform for building on to find the theme. I would use a visual model of the building blocks of a story, say a pyramid.

I would then use Jimmy’s example (a small fragment of the whole) to find the individual elements involved in that portion of the plot, then as a group, determine what we think the theme to that segment of the story could be. Once I felt the students understood, we would then start brainstorming other themes present in the novel. At the end of the instruction portion, I would encourage any questions and ask students to write the models from the board in their writer’s notebook, as reference for their assignment.
The assignment would be to use the themes present in the story to find a angle in which the story is relatable on a personal level and write about it in their journals. What I would be expecting is identification of the chosen theme, and explanation of why that theme was chosen, 2-3 valid comparisons between the story and the personal experience as it relates to the chosen theme and a conclusion which states at least one valuable insight that the student can grow from that was discovered while analyzing the similarities.
This of course was just an imaginary account of how I might approach a lesson on literary analyses of theme and teach children how they can find deeper meaning within works of literature. This is an example of why it would be great to work with 4th- 8th grade because of the possibilities for more complex lessons and assignments.
Since I haven’t gotten into any methods courses yet and have nothing to go on except some basics on educational theory, I often feel as if my path is blocked by a giant question mark. I have a good general understanding of administrative structure, educational policy, educational style/approaches, theories on teaching diverse learners, inclusion, classroom management, room set up and the general responsibilities of teachers. But vary rarely do I get any sense of what executing any of this is actually like, how does it all come together into a meaningful experience for students? What will I say when I am standing at the front of the room with all those eyeballs focused on me? I really try to put myself in as many imaginary situations as I can but when there is missing knowledge and no understanding of curricular requirements, those teacher moments don’t feel complete. I have so far to go yet, but at least it’s a vision that I can hold and build on, something to bring me closer to closing the gap between theory and practice.

More Great Ideas

Another great idea came from this blogger. To help first graders get in the reading mode, she is taking photocopies of the covers of all the books she reads to them as a group (and has multiple copies of each book in the class library) and hanging the pictures up so that the kids can identify which book it was that they remember and want to try to read on their own. I really loved this idea because children are so visual. They are much more likely to make the connection that “hey, that is that book the teacher read that I like” and then pick up the book themselves.
I also think that this concept can grow with students into a visual card catalogue. The photo copies of the covers can be stored in a binder by author and then have a simple color and or number coding system on the classroom shelf to help students make a visual connection with identifying books by author and title as they will encounter in the real world- libraries and bookstores. Plus it’s a great way to organize a classroom library and keep an inventory of what books have been collected over the years and which are student favorites. A check out system can also be created. Some organizational methods that can be built from this idea:

• Colored dots can be used to indicate reading level, then secondary to the color dot can be a letter/ number system similar to the dewy decimal system.
• A sign out sheet can be used, possibly a simple paper with columns for the week kept in a child’s work folder. Bingo daubers that match the color codes can be used and the number of the book to indicate what the child is taking home for the week.
• Items checked out can also be interwoven with writing lesson plans- ie, children must write an entry in their journal citing their thoughts on a book taken out that week.

There are a lot of benefits in creating a simplified mock library within the classroom other than just encouraging kids to read. It can also serve as an introduction to library skills and as a platform for writing.
There is also a great opportunity for teachers to collaborate on this so that the skills are built upon each year (of course this may once again be my perfect world in my student mind, do most teachers really even have the opportunity [or in some cases probably open mind would be more likely!] to collaborate?) I read about some schools where the teachers seem to work really well to make the transition from each grade smooth, but I imagine that many schools are also not that collaborative in nature. Hmmm, maybe something to consider when I am looking for a job someday.

Virtual Observation

Last night I had a bit of insomnia so I went online to watch some education videos. I love watching anything that puts me right inside the classroom during a lesson plan so that I can observe how the lesson plays out, how the teacher approaches it and what the response is from the students. From these videos, I get some great ideas of lessons that I would like to implement someday.
Since English is my concentration and I look forward to working with young writers, I loved this lesson on “Lifting a Line” using student journals. I am a big proponent of journaling. Maybe that is why I love blogging! A journal is a great way to sort through thoughts, order priorities, track goals and deal with the complexities of life. With respects to writing, it keeps a constant creative flow that can help young writers find meaningful topics from every day experiences. I definitely plan to use journaling a lot during my teaching career. A video posted here shows how to clearly explain the concept of “Lifting a Line” to students. I also like how the teacher pulls something from her own journal which is a bit personal because I think it shows kids that their journal can be a safe outlet for their feelings and that writing can be a therapeutic process as well as a creative process.
Another video I watched last night demonstrated a collaboration of a group combined with the delivery in a game show format. I was impressed with how excited the kids were, literally on the edge of their seat! I also vaguely remember a game like this when I was in elementary school and could relate to the sense of anticipation and excitement that the students are clearly feeling during this lesson. This would be a great game for review prior to a test or to leave for a sub if you know that you will be absent.
I also love seeing the different teachers, how their personalities translate to the classroom, what their techniques and styles look like and how the children respond to them. This teacher (video- "Managing Literacy") has a great style to learn from. I love the rhyming instructions she uses that appeal to children, and the animation in her voice. I also notice that she repeats what she says then asks one of the children to repeat the instructions, but she does this all in a way where they feel like they are helping her rather than being told to do something. She has a very kid friendly character she uses in the classroom and the children are completely fixated on her every word.
The videos really put me in a comfortable frame of mind, where I can see what day to day operations in the classroom are like and how real children react. Not that I don’t learn a lot from all the reading I do, but this gives me a concrete experience to relate to.