Reflective Journal 7

Describe:

            Classroom management is essential for any and all effective teachers. The reading this week talked about what effective classroom management looks like and how to properly combat, manage, and prevent misbehavior.

            According to the text, “the most effective approach to classroom management is effective instruction,” (Slavin, p. 316). The theory behind this is that if students are constantly busy with activities and are engaged at all times, the opportunity for misbehavior or getting off track is avoided. There are still those students that will misbehave even when class time has been planned for effective instruction, but teachers must be prepared for these students with strategies for discipline and intervention.

            Time is one of the most important factors to consider when planning for instruction. Teachers must be sure to not waste time and utilize every minute that they have with their students in order to teach and give instruction and learning opportunities. According to Slavin, “if you find excuses not to teach, students might learn that learning is not a serious enterprise,” (p. 319). Teachers must seek to minimize interruptions, prevent lost time, and maintain a rapid pace of instruction. Another aspect of good classroom management is having consistent and well understood routines and procedures. When students know what the expectations are, they are better able to perform well.

            Expectations have to be set at the beginning of the year and teachers must be consistent in their delving out of consequences. Slavin recommends setting rules as a class at the beginning of the year and really discussing expectations. If students help to create rules, then they are more likely to understand them and hold themselves accountable for following them. Slavin also recommends starting the year out right by using a few different proven techniques (p. 327). Here we learn that effective teachers and classroom managers teach students specific procedures, have students get right to work on the first day of school, and immediately put a stop to misbehavior. Slavin recommends not interrupting class to put a stop to misbehavior, but using subtler methods and maintaining composure. According to the principle of least intervention, one should always begin by preventing misbehavior with engaging activities. If a students’ misbehavior persists, one should move onto nonverbal cues, followed by praising other students’ correct behavior, then verbal cues, then giving repeated reminders, and finally providing consequences. Misbehavior should be dealt with calmly and rationally with minimal disruption in the flow of the class. If serious misbehavior persists, the teacher should invoke applied behavior analysis. In this behavior analysis, the teacher tracks the behavior of the student. This tracking should not be sneaky, it should be known to the student in order to help the student to become more self-aware of their behavior and to help them to become more self-accountable.   

           

Analyze:

            Classroom management always just sounds like common sense, however it takes a lot of will power to be consistent in the classroom and to create a procedure for everything. Good classroom management is so critical to learning, however, that it must be done and it must be executed effectively. This means going over rules and procedures time and time again, and it also means consistently applying consequences. At the beginning of the year, students should know the expectations that the teacher has for them and the teacher should hold the students to those standards. It is easy to let things slide, especially in the beginning, but it is important that the students know that rules are to be respected and the classroom is a place of learning, not disruption.

            This week’s discussion focused on struggles that we have had or witnessed with poor or poorly-executed classroom management. I have had minimal experience, but I do know that I want my classroom to be a place of mutual respects and understood standards. I have taught with teachers that constantly yell at children (five year olds!!!) for misbehaving. It is my personal belief that one should never yell at a child and if the student had known what to do in the first place, then there would not be an issue for them to be yelled at about. In my grade level, it is so important to have patience and understanding. These students are just figuring out how to be with other kids and how to follow rules. It is an environment that is not easy for them, as all they really want to do is play. I have to constantly remind myself that I am their first experience with school and I want my influence to be positive so that they will love and enjoy coming to school. Those students that are yelled at are only learning to dislike school and treat others unfairly. My colleague, Pam, wrote about her experience witnessing a teacher put down the same student every day. She told about how when she got to know this student, his home life was terrible and he was responsible for so much more than a 14-year-old should be responsible for. When he got to school, his teacher treated him harshly and did not give him any sort of encouragement or care. This reminded me of how important it is not to just teach standards, but to get to know students because in the end, they are so much more important than test scores. A student who is experiencing pain may exhibit foul behavior in the classroom, but the teacher has no right to name call or hurt that student. The teacher should try to figure out what the problem is and help the child.

Reflect:

Significance of the concept concerning this concept my classroom…

            Effective classroom management is critical within my classroom. When I get my students, I am their first experience with school. They have no prior knowledge of lines, waiting their turn, or how to tie their shoes. Having a procedure is completely essential for absolutely everything I do, and clearly communicating expectations and rules is something that has to be done on a daily basis in order for my classroom to run smoothly and for my students to learn.

           

Handling a situation differently based on this learned information…

            Based on this week’s reading, I will definitely try to follow the principle of least intervention. It is so easy to get off track when dealing with a behavior issue, but having a set way of handling it would be very beneficial.

             

My learning confirmed my knowledge about teaching…

            This week’s reading confirmed that having procedures is essential and that the life of a teacher is made much easier by clearly communicating expectations and having consistency in the classroom. Dealing with behavior problems can be tricky, but if you know how to handle a situation and you have a set way of handling it, then life becomes much easier.

How I feel about the concept…

            I feel that many teachers leave the teaching profession because they do not have a clear understanding of the importance of classroom management. It is one thing to put rules up on a wall and it is a completely different thing to communicate procedures, consequences, and expectations to students. Teachers have to teach rules and expectations at the beginning of the year just as seriously as they teach content or else their classrooms will be in complete disarray and their lives will be chaotic and they could very well wind up hating their jobs.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (10th ed.). Boston, MA

Reflective Journal 6

Describe:

            Educational psychologist John Carroll published an article in 1993 titled “A Model of School Learning.” In this article, he describes the elements necessary for effective teaching. He proposed that effective teaching was a combination of time spent learning and the time needed to learn. Slavin analyzed Carroll’s work and transformed it into a workable model in which the quality of instruction, appropriate levels of instruction, incentives, and time balance to provide effective instruction. This model, referred to as QAIT, focuses on elements within a teacher’s control.

            Grouping students is done in order to ensure that each student receives the instruction that he or she needs. There are many different types of grouping that can be done in schools and classrooms, and in this chapter Slavin (2012) discusses different types of grouping strategies and their levels of effectiveness. Students are usually placed into groups based on their abilities. Between-class ability grouping places all students of similar ability level into the same class. While in theory this sort of grouping is effective, in practice it is quite the opposite. Often in between-class grouping, students in low ability level classrooms receive low expectations and are exposed to few positive role models. Within-class ability grouping is much more effective because students are placed into mixed-ability classrooms. Mixed-ability classrooms expose students to all sorts of achievement levels. Students are placed into smaller ability groups that have homogenous skill level, but the students are not placed in a situation in which they may have decreased self-esteem because they have not been cast out. Students can see one another fail and succeed and the teacher can determine goals for each student.

            Differentiating instruction is critical in the classroom. According to Slavin (2015, p. 259) differentiating instruction is how we can tailor instruction to each student’s needs. It adapts the content, level, pace and products of instruction so that each student can succeed. Students who are special needs or at-risk benefit from this type of instruction a lot because often they need more help, more explanation, or more encouragement.  At-risk students also benefit highly from individualized education programs in which they have set goals that they work to achieve. Slavin (2012) states, “children who are at risk can succeed if we are willing to give them high-quality instruction and intensive services early in their school careers,” (p. 266).

            Technology in the classroom can also increase effectiveness. There are many different ways in which to incorporate technology and support learning through technology. It is not only helpful for teachers to include technology in their lessons, but the students also benefit because their world is so infiltrated by technology already. Students must understand how to use technology and teachers need to use technology that is available in order to help make their jobs easier, more effective, more interactive, and more fun for everyone.

           

Analyze:

            This week’s readings reinforced my knowledge about effective teaching. It is so important to have a balance for the use of time in the classroom and the QAIT model is an excellent resource that I could use in the future for planning lessons. I enjoyed reading about grouping and learning what works and what doesn’t work. In my own experience, I have used both mixed-ability and within-class ability grouping. Both seem to be very effective and are dependent upon what skills I am working on in the classroom.

            This week’s discussion was excellent and I enjoyed reading the ways in which different teachers develop good rapports with their at-risk students. For me, personally, I think it is important to be those students’ cheerleaders and to encourage them because sometimes they don’t receive encouragement from anywhere else. My sentiments were reflected in Kasey’s post. Kasey wrote about how she not only gives one-on-one feedback to each of her students, but she makes it a point to go to her students’ after school activities and support them outside of the classroom. I thought that this was a great idea and I would love to do this for my students. Many of these students need someone to just believe in them and I hope to be that positive influence in my students’ lives.

Reflect:

How is this concept significant concerning the context of your classroom?

            This is important to the context of my classroom because I want to be an effective teacher. I have to remember effective grouping strategies and always be considerate of the at-risk learners in my classroom. I teach at a Title I school, and so it is very likely that my classroom will be filled with at-risk students.

Postive aspects

            This week’s reading and discussion had many positive aspects, but my biggest take aways came from reading my colleagues’ discussion posts. I think that it is so important to learn from other teachers and this week I have done just that. They have given me several ideas of how to come along side at-risk learners and help them to succeed.

Meaning for me

            This week’s reading had a lot of meaning for me. I am very passionate about making sure that each student succeeds and that no student falls through the cracks. Making my teaching more effective by using strategies like QAIT, and grouping students within the classroom can help me to be a better teacher.

Beliefs about teaching

            I believe that every student should have the opportunity to succeed and that is what this chapter was all about. Using new technology resources and incorporating individualized education programs can help students to get the help that they need. I want to always be aware of what each student needs and what they are struggling with, and knowing strategies for teaching effectively can help me to do just that.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (10th ed.). Boston, MA:

Reflective Journal 5

Describe:

This week’s reading focused on constructivist learning theory. This theory suggests that “learners must individually discover and transform complex information if they are to make it their own,” (Slavin, p. 218). Constructivist learning strategies are known as student-centered instruction because responsibility for learning is placed in the hands of the students and the teacher serves as a facilitator who relinquishes control of most classroom activities. The chapter also focuses on cooperative learning methods and their importance for student development.

Constructivist thought is based on principles developed and researched by Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget. These theorists believed that learning is a social activity and should be done in groups that promote conceptual change. Four key ideas from Vygotsky influence what is modern constructivism. These ideas include: social learning, the zone of proximal development, cognitive apprenticeship, and mediated learning. Slavin goes on to introduce instructional approaches that support these pillars of constructivist thought. Top-down processing, cooperative learning, discovery learning, self-regulated learning, and scaffolding are all approaches to teach that keep the learner at the center of instruction. All focus on critical thinking and the teacher simply serves as a guide.

Slavin also introduces appropriate constructivist approaches for the content areas. In reading, Slavin suggests a reciprocal teaching method. It can be thought of as scaffolding for the development of critical thinking about a text. The teacher starts out by modeling questions that they think of that can deepen their understanding of the text they are reading, and gradually the responsibility for coming up with guiding questions is placed into the hands of the students. In writing, Slavin suggests using specific strategies. One example could be using the Lucy Calkins model of writing in which students plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their writing. In this process, the students are checking their own work and are learning what works and doesn’t work by finding mistakes in their work and the work of others. In the area of mathematics, Slavin suggest many different ways to incorporate student-centered learning, these include: Supporting Ten-Structured Thinking, Conceptually Based Instruction, Problem Centered Mathematics Projects, and Cognitively Guided Instruction. In science, teacher should offer opportunities for discovery and hands-on learning.

Cooperative learning places students into groups in order to learn from one another. Most of the time, these groups are made up of students with different ability levels. This way of grouping challenges students’ communication skills and ways of thinking. Skills that must be taught along with what is learned in cooperative groups is how to question, listen actively, give thorough explanations, and not put each other down (p. 230). In these groups, students must work together and have independent accountability for their own learning. The teacher serves as a guide and helps students to learn, but ultimately the goal is for students to learn from one another.

Analyze:

Constructivist learning theories are highly beneficial for students, however in the age of standardized testing that we ae currently in, it is difficult to use the approaches associated with the theory. I believe that students learn best through exploration, asking critical questions, and thinking ‘outside the box,’ and that is what constructivist theory is all about. The teacher in the classroom should not drone on and on and expect students to learn. For students to truly understand material, they must interact with it, question it, and hear the thoughts of others. Often times teachers give information from one side and students are not challenged in their thinking but are expected to agree with the teacher. I think that this chapter makes it plainly visible that students do not truly grow to understand material in this manner. The best way for students to learn is from being challenged within their own zone of proximal development.

The discussion board this week was filled with many different responses. Most teachers had concerns about their students not staying on task during cooperative learning activities or worried about some students not doing their own work and taking credit for the work of their peers. My colleague Pam talked about how she has been incorporating more problem-based learning in her classroom and suggested that each student be held accountable through the use of peer-review rubrics and team incentives. I think that both of these ideas are great for helping students to self-regulate and maintain motivation.

Reflect:

Significance of the concept concerning the context of my classroom…

            My classroom is where learning all begins. In pre-k, students are stepping into a learning environment for the first time and are being introduced to new concepts by the hour. In my classroom, I can use constructivist learning theory in loads of different ways. I hope to incorporate more opportunity for discovery learning and questioning in my classroom because I believe that this will drive students to become life-long learners. Having their first experience in a classroom be one of critical thinking will set the foundation for quality learning later in their school careers.

           

Handling a situation differently based on this learned information…

            After reading this chapter, I was reminded of the importance of scaffolding in the classroom. It is essential to use scaffolding in every area of my classroom- from learning how to play with others to learning letter sounds. I hope to be able to assess each student and offer them the proper amount of support while also allowing each student to become more and more responsible for their own learning.

My learning confirmed my knowledge about teaching…

           

            This week’s reading confirmed my understanding of the importance of student-centered learning. I cannot force every student to learn everything that I present, but if I provide students with opportunities and tools for thinking on their own, I am giving them a better shot at developing their own abilities to learn and understand. Student-centered learning places the focus where it should be- on the learner.

How I feel about the concept…

           

            I feel that it is critical to incorporate constructivist learning principles in the classroom. Without these principles, students can become dependent upon teachers to give them the right answers. Students must learn to think for themselves, to ask questions, and to communicate with their peers. It is not only the job of a teacher to help students understand information, but it also our jobs to prepare students for success by giving them the tools they will need in the real-world. Those skills do not include being expectant upon someone to always give the answer, but they do include learning to think for oneself. This process should begin at an early age. Children should be challenged to answer those critical questions and think critically as well!

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (10th ed.). Boston, M

Reflective Journal 4

Describe:

This week’s readings focused on the creation of effective lessons. Within the chapter, Slavin (2012) details direct instruction as well as whole and small group discussion. Direct instruction is a teaching style in which the teacher presents information to students. The teacher is the main focus of the lesson and controls all conversation. Direct instruction is best used when teaching standards and factual information that students must learn.It is the easiest way that teachers can get information to students. Slavin (2012) presents several components of direct instruction that are most effective. The first is stating the lesson objectives. It is important for students to know what they are expected to know before they are presented information. Second, teachers must review prior knowledge. If the teacher discovers that there are misconceptions contained within students’ prior knowledge, this is his/her chance to help them correct their thinking. In order to learn new information, students have to be in tune to what they already know about something. The students are then able to build their schema on the subject instead of getting confused or lost by trying to develop an entirely new schema. After reviewing prior knowledge, the teacher can introduce new material. It is critical that the teacher has a clear and well-organized plan for presenting this new material, and that they are prepared to correct any misconceptions and answer any questions. In order to help students learn, teachers should conduct learning probes as they teach new information. Learning probes can take many different forms, including questioning, quizzes, and even acting out. All of these forms of probes help teachers to know where students are struggling to understand, and they also help students to process information.

            After presenting the information, teachers should then give students independent practice. This practice can be done in many different ways, but no matter what form the practice is in the teacher should always provide feedback on it. After looking at students’ work and providing necessary feedback, the teacher should again address misconceptions. After misconceptions are addressed, students should be given more opportunity to practice. This practice can also take different forms and may include homework.

            Once students have grasped the objective and are able to demonstrate their understanding of a concept, it is time to move on. According to Slavin (2012) we often spend too much time on one concept. It is important that when students are ready to move on that they indeed move on. Spending too much time on one thing can make the students bored and disinterested.

            Direct instruction is the most in depth planning that teachers do. In direct instruction, teachers present information to the class in a way that is organized, makes sense, and keeps the students’ attention. Another approach to teaching and lesson planning is through discussion. Discussion is a way to shift focus off of the teacher and basic information and place that focus on questioning, critical thinking, and student interaction. During whole group discussion, the teacher acts as a moderator and leads students through discussions about material. During small group discussion, focus is completely on the students and their interactions. The teacher may provide questions, but it is the job of the students to answer, respond, and learn from one another’s ideas.

Analyze:

            This chapter shows the importance of thinking through lessons and considering what is most effective for the students. The chapter showcases different approaches to teaching and what the teacher’s role is in each of them. During our discussion this week, I enjoyed reading my group’s responses. Whitney stated, “our preparation directly leads to a student’s success or failure.” I think that she is exactly right. Our level of preparedness always affects how much the students learn. It is critical that we always take our audience into account when planning and that we keep in mind how best they learn. If I had an older class, I might rely on whole group discussion and small group discussion to help students to develop deep understandings of concepts. As I teach Pre-K, it is most effective for me to use direct instruction and be sure to plan out most moments. I do, however, enjoy asking my students critical questions. I always have to be prepared for what answers they may give, what misconceptions they might have, how to best clear up those misconceptions, and what questions they may ask.

Reflect:

Significance of the concept concerning the context my classroom…

            In my own classroom, it is critical that I know exactly what I am going to do as soon as I walk in the door. I have to be prepared to answer questions and explain any and all misconceptions that my students may have in a given day. Having a layout for how direct instruction lessons should be taught will help to keep my thoughts organized and my teaching to flow better.

Handling a situation differently based on this learned information…

            This chapter helped me to remember that the activation of background knowledge is key. Sometimes I talk about things that my students do not know or understand. I then wind up backtracking and giving them background knowledge after I have already taught new information. After reading this chapter, I will be sure to tell students what is expected and inquire about their background knowledge before proceeding with new information.

My learning confirmed my knowledge about teaching…

            Reading this chapter confirmed that planning is essential. Even if the plan for the day is to have students in small group discussions or in discovery centers, it is important the the teacher has a plan and knows what they are talking about. Teachers must anticipate questions that students may have. They must also be prepared to smoothly navigate students through their misconceptions about concepts without explicitly telling them that they are wrong.

How I feel about the concept…

            I feel that students in higher grades most benefit from whole group and small group discussion. In lower grades, it is important that a teacher is there to guide thinking. The teacher must be there to constantly ask questions and help students to come to conclusions about their learning or exploration. In higher grades, students have developed the ability to think abstractly and see the view-points of others. Therefore, students in higher grades would most benfit from discussions and students in lower grades benefit more from direct instruction.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (10th ed.). Boston, M

Reflective Journal 3

Describe:

This week’s reading focused on information processing and cognitive theories of learning. These theories help us as teachers to understand the way that students think and learn. Information processing models help us to understand what happens in the brain when students are learning, and help us to better understand memory.

Everything that we learn first comes through the sensory register. The sensory register takes in all that is around us and holds on to the information for only a few seconds. If we decide that what is coming is important then it is added to our working memory. In order to make something important, attention has to be placed on it. Once something is registered as important and it is paid attention to, it is moved to working memory. The working memory has a limited capacity and is also known as short-term memory. In the working memory, information is held onto for a few seconds before it is either discarded or added to long term memory. The working memory needs repetition in order to move information to long term memory. Therefore, it is wise to not teach too much at once, but to teach a little, then ask questions and allow students “think time” in order to process information and add it to their long term data stores. Something important to remember about working memory, however, is that all people have different experiences and background knowledge. New information is placed into long term memory in what are schema. Schema could be thought of like categories, the way in which our minds separate and make sense of information. A well-developed schema is full of understanding and the more understanding a person has about something, the better they will receive new information and be able to hold onto it. A poorly developed schema does not offer much background knowledge, and so new information is more difficult to attain.

The long term memory is a fascinating web of the ways in which we see and remember the world. Different facets of the long term memory include episodic, semantic, and procedural memory. Episodic memory helps us to remember by reminding us of where and when something happened or what we heard or saw in a moment. Episodic memory is vivid, but is difficult for our minds to retrieve as much of what goes on around us is filtered out by the sensory register. Semantic memory is the closest to the way in which we learn in school. Semantic memory connects concepts and terms and places them into schema that are then easier to tap into because of associations. Procedural memory is the memory that we rely on when driving a car or riding a bicycle. It is what keeps our bodies from forgetting how to perform.

Our brains are made of complex neural networks and information is stored in many different parts of the brain. Some parts of the brain are harder to retrieve information from than others. We come into contact with so much information every day, it is no wonder that we sometimes forget where things are stored or how to get to a memory! Our brains are like super computers, so why do we forget things? We forget things for a number of reasons. We may not remember recently learned information because of interference from too much new information with no opportunity to rehearse the important new learning. Memories may also get pushed to the side because we categorize them as unimportant in order to make room for something that is important to us. Another way that we forget is through retroactive inhibition. During retroactive inhibition, we learn new information, but it may be confused with information we have already learned and so the new learning is inhibited by previous learning.

In order to best teach students, it is important to remember that the brain is complex. We must keep in mind that all students do not have the same experiences and so they do not have the same schemas in their minds. It is the task of the teacher, then to assess prior learning and to give background information when necessary. It is also the job of the teacher to help students to develop metacognition by offering them different ways of practicing with information until each student know how they best learn. There are many different techniques that teachers can use to enhance brain function and it is critical that different ways are facilitated often.

Analyze:

This chapter shows teachers that what goes on in the mind is more than just input and output. The brain is comprised of neurological pathways that contain and transmit information every second of every day. As students are developing, so is their style of learning. Each student is different and no two brains are constructed in the exact same manner.

My classmate Whitney wrote about how she often learns by using a paired-associative strategy. This means that she learns best when her mind uses more than one avenue for processing. This could be auditory and visual or aural and kinesthetic. Many students, I believe, have minds that work in a similar manner. It is to the teacher’s advantage and to the student’s benefit when teachers demonstrate learning and facilitate information in more than one way.

Reflect:

Significance of the concept concerning the context my classroom…

            I have always thought that the inner workings of the mind were interesting, but until reading this chapter, I did not fully understand how the brain worked. Although, after reading this chapter it is also evident that the precise ways in which the brain works are still not completely known. This concept of information processing is critical to my classroom. In my classroom, there are 22 four and five year olds. Each one of them is developing foundational skills and it is important that they develop a foundation of knowledge on which to learn and grow for the rest of their lives. The concept of background knowledge stands out to me the most. Because my students come into the classroom knowing virtually nothing but what goes on at home, I have to fill them up with background knowledge and help them to develop schema about numbers, places, people, letters, books, etc… Knowing that they learn in different ways will also help me to remember to not always teach information in the same way just because it is convenient for me.     

Handling a situation differently based on this learned information…

            Having an understanding of the way information is placed into long-term memory helped me to see that I need to give my students more wait time before asking them an answer or calling on a student to give an answer. It also pointed showed me that I may need to go back and summarize what has been learned more often. In order to help students process information into their memories, I need to have them repeat information in several different ways. This could mean saying it to a friend, playing a game with it, or acting it out. Pre-k students respond well to all of these sorts of information reinforcers.  

My learning confirmed my knowledge about teaching…

            This week, my learning confirmed that all students are different. I had not really thought about the brain’s connection to background knowledge and how more background knowledge enabled deeper learning, but it makes sense. If you have something to tie new information to and especially if you have an experience to tie information to, it makes it easier to learn, hold onto, and makes it more meaningful. I know that this is true for me as well. I spent four years of college learning Spanish. No one in my family spoke Spanish and the only people I knew who were Spanish speakers were only acquaintances. This made the language difficult for me to learn. In my senior year of college, however, I went to Spain and was immersed in the culture of Spain and I was able to use the language in a meaningful way. If students have no experience with a concept and it is completely foreign to them, then it is my job to give them something meaningful to connect their new learning to.

How I feel about the concept…

            I feel that it is important that teachers understand the complexities of the minds of the children that they are teaching and what needs to happen in order for them to truly learn something. All learning cannot be done in the same way, and this research proves that. Each child is different, and those teachers who are unwilling to try something new but are constantly frustrated with the results that they get from their students should try a different technique. The reading from this week gives many examples of the way in which we can engage students, their memories, and their thinking to benefit their long term memory. I feel that it is critical for teachers to try different techniques so that every child has the opportunity to learn in the way that they best connect with.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (10th ed.). Boston, M