Apparently I'm mean. Or so I am told. Hysterically enough, one of my English classes told my English teacher that I was 'mean'. When she asked them what they meant, they told her that I got after them for talking and packing up early and therefore I was 'mean'. This was by far the highlight of my week. She told me that she laughed when they told her this and then told them that she also did that all the time and much worse! It was a good lesson to me that first must come the relationship and then comes the respect. The students respect my teacher and have a good relationship with her and therefore do not complain when she gets mad at them, but when I do it, they are hurt. This was a funny moment for me, but my teacher reassured me, "It's better to be mean, than a pushover."
Something that surprised me this week was how diverse the same lesson can be for two different class periods. I always knew that lessons would vary based on the different students in a class but I figured out this lesson even more this week when i was leading a discussion for each class period. Some discussions were incredible and needed very little prompting from me. Other class periods couldn't get passed the first question without needing assistance. This taught me how to be flexible and move with the class the way that it needs to move. For some periods, it is success if they have simply read the chapter. In other periods, it is success if they can analyze the author's purpose behind the chapter and so on and so on. I was able to learn, rather quickly, not to expect the same thing from class to class. I truly had to treat every class like its own entity.
One thing that I saw this week that I would like to adopt is having students read their books outloud as a class. We had the option of either having just the teacher read, having them read in groups, or having different students take turns reading aloud and the last one was definitely the most profitable. We were able to read more, discuss more, and the students had a better knowledge about what was going on. This definitely took up the entire class period and was more work as the teacher, but if the students are gaining more from this style then I think it is the right one. We also changed our styles of reading the book from period to period. We differentiated the instruction based on what the students truly needed. This was good for me to see because it helped me to realize that everythingt doesn't have to be planned out the same way nor do we have to cover the same material from period to period. As long as the students are learning what they are supposed to be the end of the year, then the structure of the class isn't applicable.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Field Experience Summary
Summary of Field Experience
I feel very blessed to be in the position in life that I am currently in. Teaching is becoming a habit and a continued state of living. The more time I spend in the high school, the more comfortable I am there and the more desire I have to stay there. This quarter’s field experience has not been the easiest quarter for me, but has definitely been the most educational. There was many times where I felt inadequate and unwelcome. This was mostly because of the students and their ability to test and try me on a daily basis. I learned more about myself and my goals and desires as a teacher than I did about content areas or teaching patterns.
I have learned the impact that teachers can have on their students. Positively or negatively, each teacher has the power to mold their students, whether they know it or not. All teachers have different teaching styles and I have learned that I need to figure out exactly what teacher I want to become. I am learning more about myself as a teacher and through the positive and negative examples of teachers that I see around me, I am developing a clear picture of how I want to be seen as a teacher.
I have seen that as a teacher you have many different hats to wear. You are the teacher, the friend, the counselor, the disciplinary, the coach and always a role model. I have seen teachers jump quickly from one role to the next and it is eye-opening to see just how much of yourself you have to put into your teaching. You simply cannot teach the content and expect that that is all you will do. Even though gaining knowledge through the content is one of our primary objectives as teachers, it cannot be all that is focused on. I have seen teachers who focus simply on the content and fail to relate it to their student personally. This could be an easy overlook in the daily learning objectives but it has helped me to see that I want everyone lesson to have a real-life applicable meaning. I have also learned that teachers are not perfect. They make mistakes, as I did many times. They don’t have every detail of every day planned out but if they have the knowledge and passion for what they are teaching then the messages will be heard in a positive light. I truly believe there is no greater calling in life than to be a teacher.
Even on my most difficult days teaching I still was able to grow as an individual and a teacher. I learned that I can push myself further than I thought possible. I have always felts that my content in some areas are not as strong as others, but I have learned that through patience and perseverance I can teach any subject, as long as I have the dedication and desire to do so. It was the times where my teacher would encourage me to take over a discussion, even though I felt I didn’t know how to direct it to a good path, when I gained a sense of self and independence as a teacher.
I have always wanted to be a teacher and have never questioned that logic or thought process. It always seemed like such a sure thing. There were definitely days when I thought, “Why am I doing this?” There seemed to be no logical explanation as to why I had even taken this path. As I have been working more with Elementary aged students at my job I have also begun to wonder why I chose secondary aged students from the beginning. Through this quarter I have remembered why I chose this profession. I am in it for the challenge. I want to watch students of all ages and levels grow into the best students and individuals that they can become.
I want to be the teacher who wouldn’t quit when everyone else did. I want to be the teacher that inspires and motivates students to do and be better. At the end of the day, I could care less whether or not my students know how to properly use a comma or can recite the health and skill related components of fitness. I simply want my students to learn; to learn about life, to learn about them, and to learn how to make a difference. I am proud to be a teacher and proud to be at the high school level. They stretch me on a daily basis and teach me things that I never would have known otherwise. There may be a day in the future when I get my Elementary Ed license and choose to teach younger ages but for now I am very happy with where I am and wouldn’t change it for anything.
The school itself demands a certain level of respect from you as a teacher. All schools vary due to students, environment, teachers, and specific curriculum taught. As teachers we associate ourselves with a specific school, school district, principal, etc. As members of that society, it is our job to uphold the characteristics or a teacher both on and off the campus. I have learned that a school is far more than a building that you learn or teach at. Being part of a school is like being part of a family. You all need to work together to make the family functional and successful. I haven’t had a lot of time to really engage into the school activities and become a part of the Lewis & Clark family but I fully intend to this Fall, as I will have much more free time on my hands.
There are many lessons that I have learned through this past quarter, but the one that I would pass on to another student is to not be step out of your comfort zone and build personal relationships with students. I have gotten close to some students near the end of the quarter, but it took me far too long to learn names or gain relationships. This could be due to the fact that my life is insanely busy but regardless building those relationships is what makes you a better teacher. I wish I would have spent more time getting to know my students. Looking back it is hard to even think of times I would have had free to do this, but I know that making the time and effort to do it would have made all the difference.
I would also say to not be afraid to make mistakes. I am a perfectionist and struggle with this on a daily basis, but when I was able to admit my faults to myself and to my cooperating teacher about my teaching, I was truly able to learn and grow. My cooperating teachers have both been wonderful to work with. They ask for my input and allow me to lead discussions or games when possible. I also have learned that I can contribute positively to my cooperating teacher’s career as well. I would say don’t be afraid to offer up ideas and new teaching styles. Teaching is an evolving profession and it is something that we can easily contribute to and make better. I have a lot of fun ideas about physical education and ways to improve the structure of the course at Lewis & Clark. I have been able to bring up my ideas with my cooperating teacher and hopefully I will be able to incorporate some of it throughout my student teaching. As long as we have the passion, knowledge and dedication, we cannot fail. Teaching is what we make of it and I for one want to be innovative and make a difference not only in my classroom but in the field of education as a whole.
I have also learned a lot through my opportunity to be observed. Both observers that I had gave me excellent feedback and were extremely positive and uplifting. You are able to learn so much more about your teaching when you can discuss it with someone who knows the ins and outs of the profession. I love constructive criticism and I know that I can continue to get better and better if I lean upon those fellow teachers and mentors that I have surrounding me. Like I mentioned earlier, being a teacher is being part of a family, an extremely smart family for that matter. We can constantly build on one another’s wisdom and discover the best ways to teach our students.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Winning the Game..Weekly blog #7
A highlight for me this week was being able to successfully lead a discussion in my English class. My teacher told me ahead of time that I would be teaching on Thursday and that she would let me know what I needed to do for it. Thursday morning rolled around and I had still not received any notifications of my teaching. I was extremely nervous as I walked through the school absolutely unprepared. She decided I would just be leading a 15 minute discussion, which eased my brain quite a bit. I was still quite nervous during each of the discussions because I wanted to make sure I sounded intelligent and like I knew what I was doing. Each class period got progessively better and my teacher complimented me for my ability to mold to each class and ask continued leading questions. This was a huge confidence builder and I thorougly enjoyed it.
I have pondered a lot this week about questioning during a discussion. Many of the teaching strategies presented last week were on questioning and I found myself noticing all of the positive and negative aspects of my own questioning strategies. I think being aware of what we are teaching and how we are teaching it is extremely vital to our success as teachers and our students sucess.
I was observed today and it was a fun experience. I had taught two previous periods before I was observed so I felt prepared but every class is different so there was still some anxiety. My students were very supportive and contributed great to the lesson. While visting with my observer he said something that I will never forget. He was a coach and an adminstrator throughout his career so he knew a bit about motivation. He talked about how you always need to motivate your students in order to win the game. He said, 'Teaching is like playing a different ball game every period, and of course you want to win. When the students learn you win, and they win.' I loved this approach to teaching and I will always remember it during my teaching career.
I have pondered a lot this week about questioning during a discussion. Many of the teaching strategies presented last week were on questioning and I found myself noticing all of the positive and negative aspects of my own questioning strategies. I think being aware of what we are teaching and how we are teaching it is extremely vital to our success as teachers and our students sucess.
I was observed today and it was a fun experience. I had taught two previous periods before I was observed so I felt prepared but every class is different so there was still some anxiety. My students were very supportive and contributed great to the lesson. While visting with my observer he said something that I will never forget. He was a coach and an adminstrator throughout his career so he knew a bit about motivation. He talked about how you always need to motivate your students in order to win the game. He said, 'Teaching is like playing a different ball game every period, and of course you want to win. When the students learn you win, and they win.' I loved this approach to teaching and I will always remember it during my teaching career.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Inadequacies & Admirations...Weekly Blog #6
This week I have been dealing with a lot of personal thoughts of inadequacies. My English teacher asked me if I wanted to direct the discussion during one of our periods and felt completely inadqequate due to a lack of content knowledge and shear fear. I don't fail at many things in my life. I am a perfectionist and always trying to excel and be better. I was shocked at my own self-doubts and was saddened by my lack of ability. I know I am capable of teaching but my inadequacies in my content areas make it very difficult for me to overcome some of my self-destructive thoughts and fears. I told her that I wasn't quite comfortable with the content at this time. She was very supportive and didn't try to push me at all. During that period she had a discipline issue that she had to deal with and I told her I could take over. It was a great opportunity for me to prove to myself and her that I am and was capable of taking over if she needed me to. I was very surprised that I have even been having feelings of inadequacies, because I am usually extremely confident. It is good to know that I will always be able to learn and grow from where I am.
The highlight of my week came from my interactions with my students. One of my 9th graders who is in both of m P.E. and my English classes came up to me and told me that I am her favorite student teacher she has had. She said she ususally hates them because they are 'annoying' and 'don't know how to teach' and I was very relieved to hear her say that. Building relationships with the students is my favorite part and they are definitely the reason that I love teaching.
I was able to practice the standards based grading system that my English teacher uses in her classroom. She gives them a 1-4 rating and then changes it to display a letter grade (A,B,C, etc.) Students need to be at least at an 85% to receive an A and she makes sure that they know and understand where they are at and why. I really like this practice of teaching and I think it is a good way for students and parents to understand why the student has the certain grade that they have. This way if she has any problems with parents she can simply tell them this is what they have proved to me that they know and can do and this is where they are at in terms of the standard. I think it is a great practice to get in the habit of because standards-based grading is the future wave of education.
I was perplexed this week by the lack of school dress codes within the school. I can't remember if I have written about this yet but it appears to be no dress code at the school and it bothers me constantly. The things that my girls come in wearing are completely distracting and innapropriate. I don't know if there is anything I can do or say but I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a male teacher.
The highlight of my week came from my interactions with my students. One of my 9th graders who is in both of m P.E. and my English classes came up to me and told me that I am her favorite student teacher she has had. She said she ususally hates them because they are 'annoying' and 'don't know how to teach' and I was very relieved to hear her say that. Building relationships with the students is my favorite part and they are definitely the reason that I love teaching.
I was able to practice the standards based grading system that my English teacher uses in her classroom. She gives them a 1-4 rating and then changes it to display a letter grade (A,B,C, etc.) Students need to be at least at an 85% to receive an A and she makes sure that they know and understand where they are at and why. I really like this practice of teaching and I think it is a good way for students and parents to understand why the student has the certain grade that they have. This way if she has any problems with parents she can simply tell them this is what they have proved to me that they know and can do and this is where they are at in terms of the standard. I think it is a great practice to get in the habit of because standards-based grading is the future wave of education.
I was perplexed this week by the lack of school dress codes within the school. I can't remember if I have written about this yet but it appears to be no dress code at the school and it bothers me constantly. The things that my girls come in wearing are completely distracting and innapropriate. I don't know if there is anything I can do or say but I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a male teacher.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Teaching: A Sitting & Waiting Game..Weekly Blog #5
This week I have learned a great deal of patience in my teaching sphere. In my English class I was able to read and grade essays for three straight periods and do the same grading a test in my Health class. At times this seemed very trivial and boring to say the least but it was really great for me to experience what teaching will be like. And after I had an attitude adjustment I began to really enjoy reading through the essays. Granted they were all very similar but it was fun to see what they had to say. Even if the grammar was terrible and the language was far too casual for an essay I enjoyed finding the diamonds in the rough. The essays that weren't perfect but for that specific student, were incredible work. Students are so varied in their likes, dislikes and abilities and I loved being able to get to know them a little better through their writing.
I have been perplexed on how to teach something that I am not passionate about. This may be because of the mere fact that I have been asked to teach some classes in P.E. and in Health where I am supposed to use my teachers information and I don't necessarily enjoy some of the activities within the lessons. I know this is something that will be very different once I have my own class but it has been a challenge trying to figure out how to be excited about teaching mental illnesses when I can't do it in an engaging manner. This has definitley been food for thought lately.
My patience has begun to get stretched very thin as of late. My P.E. students are getting used to having me around and are giving me a lot of attitude during class. This could be simply because I am a student teacher but I am learning how to have an 'appropriate' attitude back to them. What I want to do is yell at them and ask them why they think their allowed to be a brat but clearly that wouldn't be an appropriate way to handle the situation.
The higlight of my week was watching one of my students rise above and be a good example. This student is an 11th grader and is surrounded by a lot of younger students in our P.E. class. He is popular and athletic and gets along well with everyone. There are days when he is defiant but I think it is more the 'cool factor' than anything. While playing sideline soccer this last week I was truly impressed by his kindness. I have another student in the class who is extremely autistic. He hardly ever participates in the activities and enjoys walking rather than being in contact with any of the students. On this particular day, this student started playing sideline soccer. There was an area that got really congested with students and he ended up falling down. I was nervous as to what type of reaction this would elicit. I have seen this student begin crying and run away simply for forgetting to dress down so I was nervous as I was the only one in the gym with my class. This other student, my cool 11th grader went and helped him up and made him feel like it was perfectly normal and that he was proud of him for playing. I was so impressed and I will forever look at this student differently. I hope that I can find ways for all of my students to be advocates for one another and look for ways to be examples of kindness. I will always learn new and wonderful things from my students.
I have been perplexed on how to teach something that I am not passionate about. This may be because of the mere fact that I have been asked to teach some classes in P.E. and in Health where I am supposed to use my teachers information and I don't necessarily enjoy some of the activities within the lessons. I know this is something that will be very different once I have my own class but it has been a challenge trying to figure out how to be excited about teaching mental illnesses when I can't do it in an engaging manner. This has definitley been food for thought lately.
My patience has begun to get stretched very thin as of late. My P.E. students are getting used to having me around and are giving me a lot of attitude during class. This could be simply because I am a student teacher but I am learning how to have an 'appropriate' attitude back to them. What I want to do is yell at them and ask them why they think their allowed to be a brat but clearly that wouldn't be an appropriate way to handle the situation.
The higlight of my week was watching one of my students rise above and be a good example. This student is an 11th grader and is surrounded by a lot of younger students in our P.E. class. He is popular and athletic and gets along well with everyone. There are days when he is defiant but I think it is more the 'cool factor' than anything. While playing sideline soccer this last week I was truly impressed by his kindness. I have another student in the class who is extremely autistic. He hardly ever participates in the activities and enjoys walking rather than being in contact with any of the students. On this particular day, this student started playing sideline soccer. There was an area that got really congested with students and he ended up falling down. I was nervous as to what type of reaction this would elicit. I have seen this student begin crying and run away simply for forgetting to dress down so I was nervous as I was the only one in the gym with my class. This other student, my cool 11th grader went and helped him up and made him feel like it was perfectly normal and that he was proud of him for playing. I was so impressed and I will forever look at this student differently. I hope that I can find ways for all of my students to be advocates for one another and look for ways to be examples of kindness. I will always learn new and wonderful things from my students.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Language..the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly.Weekly Blog Post #4
The highlight of my week was being able to lead a discussion with my students while my teaching was not able to be there. We were discussing controversial topics and I was able to direct the discussions and lead students through an appropriate or away from an inappropriate path. Some students controlled the discussion and other students wouldn't respond to any of the prompts. It was a challenge being able to control the students comments so that they don't completely control the conversation and being able to prompt new students to participate. I loved having the opportunity to be in the lead and find positive ways for students to learn and express their opinons. It is always different per class that you are in, but I was really proud of my students and the positive ways they were able to express their opinons and understanding of the topic at hand.
This week I have learned a lot about the relationship that I have with my students and how it can be positively or negatively impacted. My students recognize me more often and even say hi to me outside of class. It has been fun to get to know them better and enjoy their presence more and more. The biggest thing that I have struggled with my students lately is how to control the language that both they and I use. I battle between finding too formal and too informal forms of language to use. I am young and therefore they associate with me but I also struggle with hearing the language that my students use. They have the smallest form of vocabulary and their favorite words to use are highly inappropriate four letter words. I understand that there is not much we as teachers can do to control their language but I hope that I can teach them more appropriate forms of language to express themselves through so that they can be less offensive.
I have been perplexed with how to handle my teachers talking badly about their students. I know it is normal to have difficult students and is so easy to talk badly about them when they have caused you so much grief. But I want to keep a positive attitude about my students and always try to help them regardless of their previous behavior or difficulties in my classroom. Hopefully this is the type of attitude and behavior that my students will pick up on and be able to emulate throughout their personal affairs with other people.
This week I have learned a lot about the relationship that I have with my students and how it can be positively or negatively impacted. My students recognize me more often and even say hi to me outside of class. It has been fun to get to know them better and enjoy their presence more and more. The biggest thing that I have struggled with my students lately is how to control the language that both they and I use. I battle between finding too formal and too informal forms of language to use. I am young and therefore they associate with me but I also struggle with hearing the language that my students use. They have the smallest form of vocabulary and their favorite words to use are highly inappropriate four letter words. I understand that there is not much we as teachers can do to control their language but I hope that I can teach them more appropriate forms of language to express themselves through so that they can be less offensive.
I have been perplexed with how to handle my teachers talking badly about their students. I know it is normal to have difficult students and is so easy to talk badly about them when they have caused you so much grief. But I want to keep a positive attitude about my students and always try to help them regardless of their previous behavior or difficulties in my classroom. Hopefully this is the type of attitude and behavior that my students will pick up on and be able to emulate throughout their personal affairs with other people.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Teacher Crush..Weekly Blog #3
This week was amazing!! I finally got to work with my new cooperating teacher in the English department and I am slightly in love. She has so many of the qualities of a teacher that I admire and seek after. From the moment I met her she was friendly, outgoing, valued and asked for my opinion, involved me in her classroom and made me feel welcome. She is passionate, fun, and has a fantastic management ethic. She is in charge and lets her students know it. She does not let them walk over her and yet she is still able to gain strong relationships with her students and create a positive atmosphere conducive to learning. To sum it up, I definitely have a 'teacher crush' on my new cooperating teacher and her teaching style.
I learned this week not to judge my students or predispose them to any specific expectations. I got to interact and meet three new periods of students for my ninth grade english class. I had already met a few of them in my health and fitness classess but many of them were new to me. They were working on a project to introduce the book To Kill a Mockingbird. They were choosing controversial statements and then within their groups either agreeing or disagreeing with them. This project was brought into a group discussion for the whole class. Students were able to add on to other group topics and it became a healthy discussion. I was very shocked by some of the students who were very studious and came up with clear and concise arguments. We talked about being prejudice and what is meant and how it fits into the world that they know and I was very impressed with the ideas they were able to form and the confidence they were able to share personal and intimate opinions and experiences with.
Like I mentioned before I have already learned a lot from my cooperating teacher. I will adopt her sense of presence within the classroom. She demands respect from her students and will not continue talking if they are interrupting her or being disrespectful. She does so in a very commanding and specific way. She knows her students and how to best manage them specifically. She differs her instruction from class to class and knows which topics to avoid and which ones to magnify per each classes overall abilities.
I am very confused as to why there are not set aside activities for the P.E. department at my school. Maybe there are set aside activities per each day and week that I am not aware of, but I feel that each day is just thrown together last minute. Students are not actively engaged and often get bored with what they are asked to accomplish. I want to add suggestions but am nervous as to how the students will respond. I think they are getting too used to being able to opt out of the activities and 'just walk'. I am very disappointed with the amount of activity level that is going on with the young women in my class. Even when we do play group games there are maybe 4-5 girls in the whole class that are actually trying to play. I am going to suggest adding different opportunities for the girls or any boys who would want to participate such as zumba, pilates, yoga, kickboxing or step aerobics and hopefully we will be able to participate in some of these activities. I think that it is our job to provide physical activities that all students can associate themselves with.
Overall this was a great week and I learned a lot from both of my cooperating teachers! I love having the opportunity to associate with different teachers in different environments. Ninth graders are a fun bunch to be around and I learn something from them everyday!
I learned this week not to judge my students or predispose them to any specific expectations. I got to interact and meet three new periods of students for my ninth grade english class. I had already met a few of them in my health and fitness classess but many of them were new to me. They were working on a project to introduce the book To Kill a Mockingbird. They were choosing controversial statements and then within their groups either agreeing or disagreeing with them. This project was brought into a group discussion for the whole class. Students were able to add on to other group topics and it became a healthy discussion. I was very shocked by some of the students who were very studious and came up with clear and concise arguments. We talked about being prejudice and what is meant and how it fits into the world that they know and I was very impressed with the ideas they were able to form and the confidence they were able to share personal and intimate opinions and experiences with.
Like I mentioned before I have already learned a lot from my cooperating teacher. I will adopt her sense of presence within the classroom. She demands respect from her students and will not continue talking if they are interrupting her or being disrespectful. She does so in a very commanding and specific way. She knows her students and how to best manage them specifically. She differs her instruction from class to class and knows which topics to avoid and which ones to magnify per each classes overall abilities.
I am very confused as to why there are not set aside activities for the P.E. department at my school. Maybe there are set aside activities per each day and week that I am not aware of, but I feel that each day is just thrown together last minute. Students are not actively engaged and often get bored with what they are asked to accomplish. I want to add suggestions but am nervous as to how the students will respond. I think they are getting too used to being able to opt out of the activities and 'just walk'. I am very disappointed with the amount of activity level that is going on with the young women in my class. Even when we do play group games there are maybe 4-5 girls in the whole class that are actually trying to play. I am going to suggest adding different opportunities for the girls or any boys who would want to participate such as zumba, pilates, yoga, kickboxing or step aerobics and hopefully we will be able to participate in some of these activities. I think that it is our job to provide physical activities that all students can associate themselves with.
Overall this was a great week and I learned a lot from both of my cooperating teachers! I love having the opportunity to associate with different teachers in different environments. Ninth graders are a fun bunch to be around and I learn something from them everyday!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Assessment Strategies in P.E.
Physical education and assessment strategies are always a tough act to balance. There is a need for assessment in P.E. and a need for more research within this field. How do we assess whether a student is learning the skill? Not all students are athletically inclined and so this can be a difficult task for them to excel in. You also can't test a student by BMI or bad fat percentages because they often are innacurate and invasive assesment tools. So What is the best method?
In this article: Integrating assessment into physical education teaching from the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, they emphasized the importance of discorvering what your intent behind assessment was before deciding what type of assessment should be done. Students should be assessed on specific criteria that is measurable and shows improvement. Students do not need to exceed greatly within that specific criteria but if they are showing improvement that is an important aspect to learning. The following three points were emphasized within the text.
I also liked the fact in the article that the students can help with assessments. By grouping students together we can assess small groups faster than a whole group. Students can also share their portfolios and do small assessments as the quarter goes on to help each other improve. It is hard to put a measureable number on the assessments as to what the student should be able to do by the end of the year. I think the biggest part about teaching physical education is teacher students the importance of daily personal improvement.
It is hard to find good research on assessment strategies for physical education because there are so many varied viewpoints. I learned that I need to learn more about myself as a teacher and what type of assessments I want to utilize and which ones will be of the most use to me.
In this article: Integrating assessment into physical education teaching from the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, they emphasized the importance of discorvering what your intent behind assessment was before deciding what type of assessment should be done. Students should be assessed on specific criteria that is measurable and shows improvement. Students do not need to exceed greatly within that specific criteria but if they are showing improvement that is an important aspect to learning. The following three points were emphasized within the text.
- By having students work with partners and in small groups the high student/teacher ratio is reduced creating some time for teacher based assessment
- Teacher can and should have students be evaluated on what they have learned by other students and themselves and also reflect on what they have learned through authentic assessment opportunities
- The way of teaching physical education is changing dramatically and we will be held highly accountable for what our students are learning, therefore have students keep a portfolio through the year is a way of determining what students have learned and documenting student learning.
I also liked the fact in the article that the students can help with assessments. By grouping students together we can assess small groups faster than a whole group. Students can also share their portfolios and do small assessments as the quarter goes on to help each other improve. It is hard to put a measureable number on the assessments as to what the student should be able to do by the end of the year. I think the biggest part about teaching physical education is teacher students the importance of daily personal improvement.
It is hard to find good research on assessment strategies for physical education because there are so many varied viewpoints. I learned that I need to learn more about myself as a teacher and what type of assessments I want to utilize and which ones will be of the most use to me.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Walking the Line...Weekly Blog #2
This last week was a great week for me to interract and build relationships with my students. In my health class we have been learning about alcohol use and abuse. On Friday we got to spend time with the fatal vision goggles (drunk goggles.) Students got to participate in a variety of activities with and without their goggles. They had to walk the line, throw a ball into a bucket 3 feet away, balance on one foot, and try to pick up a pencil on the ground 3 feet away from them. I got to work with a group of 8 students as they went through each activity. This was definitely the highlight of my week. We laughed and joked together and they even got me to 'walk the line' with my goggles. It was a lot of fun to gain a personal relationship with them. I still feel that I have a long way to go but I feel that I am on the right path. I will have to make the effort to create opportunities to associate myself with the students because there aren't a lot of activities where we get to interact.
I have noticed that often times teachers look for the easy way out of teaching. I do not want teaching to ever become a burden for me. I know that teaching will not always be easy but it should be enjoyable. I witnessed too many teachers in my life who simply recite information and expect it to be regurgitated back to them. I want my students to prove their knowledge and things that they have learned through fun and engaging activities. Too much of schooling has gone to the way of lecture, lecture, review, test. Repeat. This is something that I am working on how to deal with. I do not have the power to change the system and process right now but hopefully I can be influential when I do teach and have a lasting impact.
One practice that I liked that I observed this week was the way that the students were broken up into groups for their different activities. We had space to provide three different groups with the fatal vision goggles activity which made it fun for the students to have ample amounts of time to feel possible affects of drinking. In P.E. students also had the opportunity to choose whether they wanted to play Full-court basketball or team handball. Being able to break the students up into teams made for more student interaction. The smaller teams you are able to have in P.E. the more likely you are to have every student actively participating. I was in charge of the basketball group and I got to be the referee as well as jump in and play when someone was tired.
This week was also exciting because I finally got placed into an English classroom. I will start in a 9th grade English room on Thursday. I have been very nervous about being in an English classroom because it is extremely different than a Health or P.E. setting. I am so excited about how much I will be able to learn. The teachers at my school are great and so welcoming. Every time I go into the P.E./Health teachers offices sections they all say hi to me and ask me about my background and how I am enjoying my student teaching. I am very grateful for the things I have been able to learn and will continue to be able to learn. None of the teachers that I interact with are 'perfect' but neither am I. There is always something to take away from every lesson and every day spent within the school. I learn more about the teacher I want/need to be and the teacher I will work hard never to let myself become.
I have noticed that often times teachers look for the easy way out of teaching. I do not want teaching to ever become a burden for me. I know that teaching will not always be easy but it should be enjoyable. I witnessed too many teachers in my life who simply recite information and expect it to be regurgitated back to them. I want my students to prove their knowledge and things that they have learned through fun and engaging activities. Too much of schooling has gone to the way of lecture, lecture, review, test. Repeat. This is something that I am working on how to deal with. I do not have the power to change the system and process right now but hopefully I can be influential when I do teach and have a lasting impact.
One practice that I liked that I observed this week was the way that the students were broken up into groups for their different activities. We had space to provide three different groups with the fatal vision goggles activity which made it fun for the students to have ample amounts of time to feel possible affects of drinking. In P.E. students also had the opportunity to choose whether they wanted to play Full-court basketball or team handball. Being able to break the students up into teams made for more student interaction. The smaller teams you are able to have in P.E. the more likely you are to have every student actively participating. I was in charge of the basketball group and I got to be the referee as well as jump in and play when someone was tired.
This week was also exciting because I finally got placed into an English classroom. I will start in a 9th grade English room on Thursday. I have been very nervous about being in an English classroom because it is extremely different than a Health or P.E. setting. I am so excited about how much I will be able to learn. The teachers at my school are great and so welcoming. Every time I go into the P.E./Health teachers offices sections they all say hi to me and ask me about my background and how I am enjoying my student teaching. I am very grateful for the things I have been able to learn and will continue to be able to learn. None of the teachers that I interact with are 'perfect' but neither am I. There is always something to take away from every lesson and every day spent within the school. I learn more about the teacher I want/need to be and the teacher I will work hard never to let myself become.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Classroom Management Strategies for Difficult Students: Promoting Change through Relationships
I read the article Classroom Management Strategies for Difficult Students: Promoting Change through Relationships. The article is based on strategies for improving classroom management in the middle grades-six through nine. These are the grades where students are more likely to develop declines in academic success as well as self-esteem. The title of this article really caught my attention because I believe that all students have the capabilities to be great students, they simply need the right attention and encouragement from a dedicated teacher who truly cares for their well-being.
The article addresses the extreme work-load and demands that are place on teachers. They are expected to know content, pedagogy, devlop engaging lessons for diverse students and use a variety of instructional strategies to keep students entertained. On top of all of this teachers are expected to have a one-on-one relationship with their students. At times this relationship may seem like the least important aspect on the never-ending To-Do list but it is truly the most important aspect to developing a positive classroom.
Some of the stratistics that I found interesting from the article were that teachers who had high-quality relationships with their students had 31% fewer discipline problems, rule violations and other related problems over the span of a year. These teacher put their students first. They focused on developing the whole person rather than one aspect of their students. The article also suggests that effective teachers do not treat all students the same. Instead they changed their management and relationship building style per each student that they have.
According to the article, successful teachers who are able to gain positive relationships with their students apply the following strategies: Understand the needs and beliefs of the students as they are, not as you think they ought to be, building empathy, admiring negative attitudes and behaviors, and leaving the ego at the door. The one that I found most interesting was the 'admiring negative attitudes and behaviors'. In this strategy teachers learn how to take a particular behavior that is not appropriate and turn it into a positive characteristic. An example was given of a student who is very manipulative. Instead of getting upset at the student who is manipulative and has a bad attitude, talk to them about how they have a great skill and they can use it for good if they choose.
Many students that we teach do not receive praise, admiration or love within their personal lives. As teachers we have the opportunity to extend to them the opportunity to receive these gifts. They all have worth and it is our job to discover what positive attributes they hold and how we can use them to better the class and their own lives. I enjoy working with difficult students. They are a challenge and I enjoy reaching that moment where I have connected with a student and instead of fighting me on a subject or disagreement we are simply able to discuss and learn from one another. I truly believe that creating positive relationships with your students is the best way to improve classroom management. This may involve changin pedagogy or content but there is no reason why we cannot adjust our teaching styles to include personal and positive interactions with our students. When we are actively engaged in their education and personal lives we can make a positive change for everyone involved. It is also our goal as teachers though to realize where the line is drawn when creating relationships. It is vital to become close to our students but we always must remember that we are first and foremost their teacher, an adult, and a professional that needs to be a positive influence in their lives.
The article addresses the extreme work-load and demands that are place on teachers. They are expected to know content, pedagogy, devlop engaging lessons for diverse students and use a variety of instructional strategies to keep students entertained. On top of all of this teachers are expected to have a one-on-one relationship with their students. At times this relationship may seem like the least important aspect on the never-ending To-Do list but it is truly the most important aspect to developing a positive classroom.
Some of the stratistics that I found interesting from the article were that teachers who had high-quality relationships with their students had 31% fewer discipline problems, rule violations and other related problems over the span of a year. These teacher put their students first. They focused on developing the whole person rather than one aspect of their students. The article also suggests that effective teachers do not treat all students the same. Instead they changed their management and relationship building style per each student that they have.
According to the article, successful teachers who are able to gain positive relationships with their students apply the following strategies: Understand the needs and beliefs of the students as they are, not as you think they ought to be, building empathy, admiring negative attitudes and behaviors, and leaving the ego at the door. The one that I found most interesting was the 'admiring negative attitudes and behaviors'. In this strategy teachers learn how to take a particular behavior that is not appropriate and turn it into a positive characteristic. An example was given of a student who is very manipulative. Instead of getting upset at the student who is manipulative and has a bad attitude, talk to them about how they have a great skill and they can use it for good if they choose.
Many students that we teach do not receive praise, admiration or love within their personal lives. As teachers we have the opportunity to extend to them the opportunity to receive these gifts. They all have worth and it is our job to discover what positive attributes they hold and how we can use them to better the class and their own lives. I enjoy working with difficult students. They are a challenge and I enjoy reaching that moment where I have connected with a student and instead of fighting me on a subject or disagreement we are simply able to discuss and learn from one another. I truly believe that creating positive relationships with your students is the best way to improve classroom management. This may involve changin pedagogy or content but there is no reason why we cannot adjust our teaching styles to include personal and positive interactions with our students. When we are actively engaged in their education and personal lives we can make a positive change for everyone involved. It is also our goal as teachers though to realize where the line is drawn when creating relationships. It is vital to become close to our students but we always must remember that we are first and foremost their teacher, an adult, and a professional that needs to be a positive influence in their lives.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Seeing the Gain through the Pain..Weekly Blog Post #1
This week in my school I spent all of my time with the Health & Fitness cooperating teacher. The students in the Health class were working on their presentations for the next unit of Alcohol use. They spent a day working in the library preparing their presentations and then presented them for two days. I also observed in the Fitness class where they are doing a Badmitton unit.
I am not sure if I am more stern than my cooperating teacher or if I simply do not look at certain situations with the right eye. There are many times when students are disrespectful and take up a lot of class time between transitions. For one example, students were doing their presentations this week and in-between each presentation, there wer three students who would do a clap war where one student would clap and then another and they wouldn't stop until the next presentation started. I didn't want to step on my teacher's toes so I did not say anything until it became necessary. I finally spoke up and told them not to be disruptive anymore. Often times my teacher will talk over the students while they are talking. I work with Elementary school kids and I demand respect from them to where when I am talking they are not. I try to implement this at the school as well but I worry that I am either being too stern or just looking at it from a different perspective.
I was really proud of myself this week and the things I was able to accomplish. I led the warm-up exercises in two fitness classes and was able to meet the Principle and have interactions with both him and the Vice-principle. I met with the Vice-Principle in order to try and secure an English placement. During one of these visits, she was meeting with the Principle and I took the liberty of introducing myself to him. We talked about my education experience and both of our backgrounds and it was a great chance get to know him and associate myself with the administrators.
I will adopt the generosity and kindness that my Cooperating Teacher uses. She is very understanding and listens to her students with respect and kindness even when they could be telling a lie or simply being unprepared. Especially during P.E. there are always students who fake injuries or illnesses in order to not participate. I have very little patience with students who fake injuries. I also have a hard time telling whether students are truly injured or just faking it. I have had both experiences and it never gets easier. The best thing I have observed from my teacher is to take everything with a grain of salt. She lets them rest if they need to or gives them ice or whatever they need but makes sure that she questions them about the experience and why and how they injured themselves. She also makes sure that she checks back with them on their recovery and progress.
This week was a good learning experience for me to learn about myself and what type of teacher I am and what type of teacher I need to become to better understand my students.
I am not sure if I am more stern than my cooperating teacher or if I simply do not look at certain situations with the right eye. There are many times when students are disrespectful and take up a lot of class time between transitions. For one example, students were doing their presentations this week and in-between each presentation, there wer three students who would do a clap war where one student would clap and then another and they wouldn't stop until the next presentation started. I didn't want to step on my teacher's toes so I did not say anything until it became necessary. I finally spoke up and told them not to be disruptive anymore. Often times my teacher will talk over the students while they are talking. I work with Elementary school kids and I demand respect from them to where when I am talking they are not. I try to implement this at the school as well but I worry that I am either being too stern or just looking at it from a different perspective.
I was really proud of myself this week and the things I was able to accomplish. I led the warm-up exercises in two fitness classes and was able to meet the Principle and have interactions with both him and the Vice-principle. I met with the Vice-Principle in order to try and secure an English placement. During one of these visits, she was meeting with the Principle and I took the liberty of introducing myself to him. We talked about my education experience and both of our backgrounds and it was a great chance get to know him and associate myself with the administrators.
I will adopt the generosity and kindness that my Cooperating Teacher uses. She is very understanding and listens to her students with respect and kindness even when they could be telling a lie or simply being unprepared. Especially during P.E. there are always students who fake injuries or illnesses in order to not participate. I have very little patience with students who fake injuries. I also have a hard time telling whether students are truly injured or just faking it. I have had both experiences and it never gets easier. The best thing I have observed from my teacher is to take everything with a grain of salt. She lets them rest if they need to or gives them ice or whatever they need but makes sure that she questions them about the experience and why and how they injured themselves. She also makes sure that she checks back with them on their recovery and progress.
This week was a good learning experience for me to learn about myself and what type of teacher I am and what type of teacher I need to become to better understand my students.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Context for Learning
The classes that I am observing are the Health class and the Intro to Fitness class. These classes are required for students to take. They need .5 credits of Health and 1.5 credits of Fitness. One semester class is equivalent to .5 credits. I will be observing these classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:30 to 2:30. I have spoken with the Vice Principle and she is working on finding me an English placement where I can fill in more of the required hours. As far as I can see this class is not any particular type. It does not have any Honors statuses and simply a requirement for students to graduate.
The official names of the classes are Health and Introduction to Fitness. These classes run in semester blocks. Each of these classes is 55 minutes in length on Mondays and Fridays. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays the classes run 50 minutes. The schedule runs the same classes each day but there are slight time adjustments due to a MAPS advisory schedule on Tuesdays where students meet once weekly with an advisor to answer any questions about the school schedule, experience, or graduation requirements for 30 minutes in a classroom setting. On Wednesdays students have a similar 30 minute period where they meet in a classroom for additional help and support for their school experience. On Thursdays there is teacher collaboration in the mornings and it is a late start for students.
There is not a specified Health book that students use for either the Health class or Intro to Fitness class. There is a curriculum that is set up by the District per the state mandated standards. My cooperative teacher teaches alongside this curriculum, adding in her own material to meet the needed standards. In the classroom there is an overhead projector connected o the computer- similar to ones used at Eastern. Students also go to the library often to use the computers there and work on group projects where they are able to collaborate with different students on presentations on certain subjects.
The class I am choosing to discuss the demographics of is my 5th period Health class. In this class there are29 students:21 male and 8 female. This class is intended to be taken during the 9th grade. However it is not a requirement that they take this class during this time so there are a variety of grades in one class. For this specific class there are 25 9th graders, 3 10th graders, and 1 11th grader. The school as a whole is quite diverse in both ethnic background as well as financial status. I am not 100% on which specific ethnicities certain students are but from what I could obtain there are22 Caucasian students, 3 Hispanic students, 1 Pacific Island student, and 3 Asian students.
There are 3 students in this class that are English Language Learners. This aspect of the class makes for interesting discussions as well as grading tests homework and handing out worksheets. I have taught lessons where the ELL students in my class took 15 minutes to answer 2 questions on a worksheet simply because of the language barrier. Even with my assistance they still had another student help them and speak to them in their own language. This makes for a very interesting dynamic but one that is helpful to my education experience. Almost 1/3 of my class qualifies for free and reduced lunch. My P.E. class has similar demographics but there are a few more students from different ethnic backgrounds. Each class I have taught varies in race, gender, and ELL students vastly from one period to the next. It sure makes for interesting lessons!
From my perspective as well as my cooperating teacher, there are no students who qualify as gifted in this class period. There are more students who are underperforming during their schooling. There are no specific students who qualify under the 504 section for accommodations. My teacher is very lenient with underperforming students and gives them many opportunities for growth and learning. She always works very closely with ELL to help them understand the content as best she can.
I really enjoy being at this school and learn a lot from the diverse group of students that I get to work with.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
TPA Lesson Plan Response
I have a lot of mixed emotions about the TPA Lesson plan format. For the most part, I feel that it is very beneficial information for prospective teachers to think about. It is vital for us as educators to be aware of the needs of our students and to be able to write lesson plans according to those needs. The TPA lesson plan engages the teacher in a personal narrative with their true teaching values. I like the lesson plan because it forces you to focus each individual lesson on the specific students that you will be teaching it to. It takes an ordinary lesson plan to an extraordinary one by simply being able to ask questions and dive into what the big idea or goal is for the students to learn.
A few segments of the TPA lesson plan that I really enjoy and know that I wouldn’t have engaged in without this format is the section on Academic Language, the rationale and the student voice sections. Many times during my teaching or planning portions I use words that are common to me and completely understandable but I often do not realize that my students will most likely not recognize their use or meaning. I didn’t understand that what I was using was academic language. Once I began working with younger children I became more and more aware of my own language and what words I needed to modify or explain if I was going to use them. This practice has helped me greatly in my teaching. I think the Academic Language portion of the TPA helps me establish what life skill or goal I want my students to understand from the lesson. This is often times the portion where I add in words such as advocate that can help students create positive behavior change as well as learn the content. If I can help students learn attributes, skills, and behaviors that will improve their overall well-being that I can feel satisfied as a teacher.
I also enjoyed asking myself the question, Why? Why are you teaching this lesson? Is it truly important? The rationale portion of this lesson plan format helps me establish what is most important about my lesson plan and what activities should stay or go. It the activity does not help to students meet their end goal or see the Big Idea behind the lesson, and then it is not an important activity to include. This has really helped me shape my lessons to be more united and holistic in an overall perspective.
My only begrudges with the TPA lesson plan is the time that is put into creating it. I enjoy the end result but struggle with the time that is required to complete the task. I often get confused with whether or not I am supposed to answer every question from the segments in the TPA format or do I simply need to summarize the questions in a paragraph form? Will I ever look at this lesson plan again and read through a paragraph to find the important info? I am a very visual person and I like my learning to be hands on. For this purpose I like bolded statements, charts, and graphs that help to organize how the lesson will flow and what important aspects need to be covered. If I am going to put time and energy into my lesson planning then I want to be able to use them again. I have to add in some type of table or timeline in my lesson to make it visually useful to me. So my difficulties with the TPA lesson plan come mostly through not knowing exactly what I need to add into it. There is a lot of information that they want covered and I am more than willing to go through every single question but if it is not required then I struggle with the value of it. Everyone does the TPA format differently even though we are all technically required to do it the same. I think I would just enjoy some reassurance of whether or not how I am doing my lesson in TPA format are accurate for the actual assessment that we will be doing.
A few segments of the TPA lesson plan that I really enjoy and know that I wouldn’t have engaged in without this format is the section on Academic Language, the rationale and the student voice sections. Many times during my teaching or planning portions I use words that are common to me and completely understandable but I often do not realize that my students will most likely not recognize their use or meaning. I didn’t understand that what I was using was academic language. Once I began working with younger children I became more and more aware of my own language and what words I needed to modify or explain if I was going to use them. This practice has helped me greatly in my teaching. I think the Academic Language portion of the TPA helps me establish what life skill or goal I want my students to understand from the lesson. This is often times the portion where I add in words such as advocate that can help students create positive behavior change as well as learn the content. If I can help students learn attributes, skills, and behaviors that will improve their overall well-being that I can feel satisfied as a teacher.
I also enjoyed asking myself the question, Why? Why are you teaching this lesson? Is it truly important? The rationale portion of this lesson plan format helps me establish what is most important about my lesson plan and what activities should stay or go. It the activity does not help to students meet their end goal or see the Big Idea behind the lesson, and then it is not an important activity to include. This has really helped me shape my lessons to be more united and holistic in an overall perspective.
My only begrudges with the TPA lesson plan is the time that is put into creating it. I enjoy the end result but struggle with the time that is required to complete the task. I often get confused with whether or not I am supposed to answer every question from the segments in the TPA format or do I simply need to summarize the questions in a paragraph form? Will I ever look at this lesson plan again and read through a paragraph to find the important info? I am a very visual person and I like my learning to be hands on. For this purpose I like bolded statements, charts, and graphs that help to organize how the lesson will flow and what important aspects need to be covered. If I am going to put time and energy into my lesson planning then I want to be able to use them again. I have to add in some type of table or timeline in my lesson to make it visually useful to me. So my difficulties with the TPA lesson plan come mostly through not knowing exactly what I need to add into it. There is a lot of information that they want covered and I am more than willing to go through every single question but if it is not required then I struggle with the value of it. Everyone does the TPA format differently even though we are all technically required to do it the same. I think I would just enjoy some reassurance of whether or not how I am doing my lesson in TPA format are accurate for the actual assessment that we will be doing.
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