Last night, when I should have been catching up on endless piles of homework and studying for my impending midterms, I decided to blow it all off and play on the internet- just for a little while. Well, a little while turned into almost two hours once I discovered a video documenting the first year of a new teacher. What an informative, terrifying, motivating and enlightening little piece of cinema that was!
It followed a first year teacher through her new teacher training, planning, first day with students, meeting parents, observations, school at various points in the year, new pregnancy (yes, what a surprise that was for her to have an unexpected pregnancy thrown in there!) It reminded me that no amount of preparation can really calm the nerves and jitters of that first year.
I became so engrossed in her nervousness just watching it that I was relieved when I was able to float back in my body and remember that I still have 2+ more years to prepare for that moment.
This girl seemed like such a good teacher, but she ultimately ended up leaving the profession for a while to stay at home with her baby. There was a lot of talk throughout the film about teacher retention and how many new teachers don’t make it in the field because it just wasn’t what they were expecting. This girl was certainly not disillusioned, in fact she reminded me a lot of myself. She was also fortunate enough to have an extremely supportive school district. I couldn’t believe the extensive support network and resources provided to new teachers. I can only hope I am so lucky as to have that support my first year!
I just can’t help but wonder why she left teaching though? I suppose that much of it has to do with being a new mother, and maybe that is what gets to me- since I am waiting to have kids myself until after I finish my degree. Will I also feel this way? From my perspective now, I know I need to work in order to help pay the bills, and I have always thought teaching will provide me with much more time with my kids than my current career, since I will have holidays and breaks that coincide with my childrens'schedule. But will this practical thinking get tossed out the window once I hold my own baby for the first time? Maybe age has something to do with it. The girl in this video is only 23, where I am several years older and would like to get moving with my career before its time to retire (and while I still have time to save for retirement!)
And speaking of parenting, I also have a new teaching anxiety- parents. I am sure that as I get to know some of the parents, this anxiety will dissolve a bit, but as district taxpayers, they all will essentially be my boss, and on top of that, the most precious person in their life will be in my care. I don’t know, but I think parental anxieties might trump all my other anxieties at the moment! I am trying to think of some things I could do before starting to teach where I will get some experience communicating with and working with parents in an educational setting. Any suggestions? Would tutoring give me this opportunity? Or maybe volunteering to help out with local school events?
I am glad I stumbled upon this video though; I hope I can find some others like it. It gave my the inside perspective that I am always looking for. If there are any other ELED students reading this, I highly recommend watching this documentary for a very candid representation of what to expect that first year.
Showing posts with label Virtual Learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virtual Learning. Show all posts
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Virtual Classrooms
Benefits of online learning:
1. Formulating your own idea- the conceptual understanding of the information being given is not censored or colored in any way by the person teaching it. The student must strive to create their own conclusions.
2. Research skills- Since questions can not be answered simply by asking someone the question, research becomes the medium for finding answers. The student must learn to wade through the plethora of information available to determine what is legitimate and unbiased.
3. Time management skills- Pacing yourself to stay on task and adhere to an abstract schedule requires disciplined use of time.
4. Self Assessment- The student learns to question one’s own understanding of the course content and adjust their focus accordingly. This creates an awareness of the student’s own strengths and weakness and allows for learning to take a meaningful direction.
5. Quality over quantity- Students learning on their own can pace the class according to their own needs as opposed to the classroom environment where classmates understanding or lack of understanding dictate the pace of the course.
Drawbacks of online learning:
1. Autonomy- Hours in a virtual classroom often leave a student feeling lonely and disconnected from the peer-student and teacher-student component to learning.
2. Lack of validation- Validation is an important component to staying on track. Without outside validation, the student may be unaware that their conceptual understanding is not on track.
3. Inside the box thinking- Sometimes students need a fresh, objective explanation to see outside of a self imposed box of thinking in order to pass on to a higher level of thinking.
4. Monotony- Online learning is hard to differentiate. Students must devise their own creative use of content in order to appeal to Multiple Intelligences.
5. Distractions- It is easy to allow distractions to break the pace of learning. In a traditional classroom setting, the student is committed to a time and place devoted to the study of course content. In a non-traditional setting, the student has to manufacture an environment and maintain a schedule despite many opportunities to fall of task.
Although elementary school is not likely to ever take place in a virtual classroom, it is likely that many students will, at some point in the educational process, be exposed to the virtual classroom, so it is important to find ways to incorporate some of the skills necessary for success in the virtual classroom in elementary education. Things like research skills, time management, self assessment and creative thinking skills are just some of the things that I want to instill in my students.
Sometimes I wonder, by the time this generation of elementary students reach college, will earning a degree through virtual classes will be the norm? I have seen, in just the past few years, opportunies for online classes, degrees and blended format programs become more readily available and accepted. What does the future hold? It is very likely that some of the skills required to succeed in the virtual classroom will make the difference between a student finishing college or dropping out.
Sometimes I feel inadequate to the challenge of teaching children in this new technology based society, which is still somewhat an unfamiliar world to me. My experience of teaching is going to be so different from my own memories of elementary school teachers. I am sure that many of you feel the same. Other times, I feel like putting off college until later in my life and getting to experience these virtual classrooms for myself has been a blessing in disguise.
For experienced teachers out there, how has the trend toward technology in the elementary classroom changed the way you teach? Has becoming a technology driven classroom been more a challenge or has it made teaching more fun and interesting? I am interested in hearing about your experiences.
1. Formulating your own idea- the conceptual understanding of the information being given is not censored or colored in any way by the person teaching it. The student must strive to create their own conclusions.
2. Research skills- Since questions can not be answered simply by asking someone the question, research becomes the medium for finding answers. The student must learn to wade through the plethora of information available to determine what is legitimate and unbiased.
3. Time management skills- Pacing yourself to stay on task and adhere to an abstract schedule requires disciplined use of time.
4. Self Assessment- The student learns to question one’s own understanding of the course content and adjust their focus accordingly. This creates an awareness of the student’s own strengths and weakness and allows for learning to take a meaningful direction.
5. Quality over quantity- Students learning on their own can pace the class according to their own needs as opposed to the classroom environment where classmates understanding or lack of understanding dictate the pace of the course.
Drawbacks of online learning:
1. Autonomy- Hours in a virtual classroom often leave a student feeling lonely and disconnected from the peer-student and teacher-student component to learning.
2. Lack of validation- Validation is an important component to staying on track. Without outside validation, the student may be unaware that their conceptual understanding is not on track.
3. Inside the box thinking- Sometimes students need a fresh, objective explanation to see outside of a self imposed box of thinking in order to pass on to a higher level of thinking.
4. Monotony- Online learning is hard to differentiate. Students must devise their own creative use of content in order to appeal to Multiple Intelligences.
5. Distractions- It is easy to allow distractions to break the pace of learning. In a traditional classroom setting, the student is committed to a time and place devoted to the study of course content. In a non-traditional setting, the student has to manufacture an environment and maintain a schedule despite many opportunities to fall of task.
Although elementary school is not likely to ever take place in a virtual classroom, it is likely that many students will, at some point in the educational process, be exposed to the virtual classroom, so it is important to find ways to incorporate some of the skills necessary for success in the virtual classroom in elementary education. Things like research skills, time management, self assessment and creative thinking skills are just some of the things that I want to instill in my students.
Sometimes I wonder, by the time this generation of elementary students reach college, will earning a degree through virtual classes will be the norm? I have seen, in just the past few years, opportunies for online classes, degrees and blended format programs become more readily available and accepted. What does the future hold? It is very likely that some of the skills required to succeed in the virtual classroom will make the difference between a student finishing college or dropping out.
Sometimes I feel inadequate to the challenge of teaching children in this new technology based society, which is still somewhat an unfamiliar world to me. My experience of teaching is going to be so different from my own memories of elementary school teachers. I am sure that many of you feel the same. Other times, I feel like putting off college until later in my life and getting to experience these virtual classrooms for myself has been a blessing in disguise.
For experienced teachers out there, how has the trend toward technology in the elementary classroom changed the way you teach? Has becoming a technology driven classroom been more a challenge or has it made teaching more fun and interesting? I am interested in hearing about your experiences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)