Education Reform

Robinson states that “you cannot improve education by ignoring the essential focus on personal development”. I would agree with Robinson and say that education can be improved by allowing personal development of students. The challenge presented though is just how educators will allow students to focus on their personal development. For now, national education standardized are set in place ensuring that students across the United States are learning, preparing, and ready to compete for a higher education or in the work force. My student teaching experience in middle school this semester has presented to me how challenging students’ personal development can be. Many of the middle school students are at a stage in their lives where they believe they now what is best for them. This may be true for a selective few students but from my experiences and observations many do not. Any reform in education is going to have to start with the educators. It will be our role to incorporate the standards in the curriculum yet make time for the personal development of students.

Earth Day

Has anyone made any teaching plans for Earth Day?

GEOSCIENCE RESOURCE!

Hey everyone,
I was just searching for a soils lesson plan on www.lessonplanet.com and found this website:
http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/index.html
It specifically pertains to Geoscience/ Earth Science, so it may be more helpful to some more than others but I thought I would post it because you never know what might come in handy!
I hope you're all doing well!
P.S. I'm still searching for a soil lesson I like; so if you have any ideas, please pass them along : )

Education Reform

Well, this is a hot button issue. Yes, we need education reform. I do not have all the answers on how it should be reformed. However, Sir Ken Robinson does point out an interesting fact. He states that students are "systematically prevented from finding their true talents". I have to agree with this statement. I come from an educational system that was very misguided. The reason I agree with this statement is that from the time I was in the 7th grade through my high school career I was set on a systematic track. In my county, teachers decided in 7th grade what kind of math and English you were capable of taking in the 8th grade. The math is very crucial. You took either 8th grade math or algebra 1. And if you were told to take 8th grade math instead of algebra 1, the next year your teacher then chose whether or not you took algebra 1 in parts (like algebra 1 part 1 in 9th grade, algebra 1 part 2 in 10th grade). I was considered "smart" so I took algebra 1 in the 8th grade and was able to take AP calculus my senior year of high school to help prepare me for college. But to the kids who weren't considered smart took 8th grade math, algebra 1 in parts and geometry in parts. That meant they graduated high school without ever taking algebra 2, trigonometry, or calculus. Unfortunately, I had a cousin graduate with these minimal math skills, and he was told by the guidance counselor that he wouldn't be able to go to college. Well, I convinced him otherwise and he is now attending community college. It took him 3 years (due to having to take extra English and math classes to catch up to the college level) but he will graduate this spring with an associates degree. He plans on attending either longwood or jmu in the fall.

It broke my heart to hear the guidance counselor told someone that they couldn't go on to college. But, from where I am from, it is very common to graduate high school and not go on to college. People in the area were never really taught how valuable an education is. I saw so many kids fall through the cracks at my high school because teachers did not want to take the extra time to help the student excel in the classroom. They just told the student that they should take the subjects in parts and not try as hard. It bothers me so bad that there are teachers out there like that. Teachers who do not care what happens to the student; they just want the student to pass and move on.

So I guess the education reform that I think needs to happen is that there need to be teachers who care about their students and how well their students are succeeding in the classroom, and not just how well they are succeeding on the standardized tests. I'm not saying that all teachers are heartless beings. They aren't. I know that everyone in this program is becoming a teacher because they love the profession and want to make a difference in the world. The whole reason I became a teacher was to help motivate students and show them that they can do anything. I just wish more teachers were like that. Students should be told that they can go to college. Students should be told that they can be anything they want to be. Students should be taught that the future lies in their hands. Students should know that they are the future doctors, nurses, lawyers, policemen, teachers, congressmen, engineers, scientists, etc. of the world. And if they aren't educated enough to take care of this planet, then who will?

Motorcars? Um...

From skimming a bunch of the blogs, pretty much everything has been said so warning: I'm just going to go and sorry if I repeat.

Have any of you experienced a time when, while reflecting on life, you come to the conclusion all Americans think the same way? Yeah, neither have I. Look how divided we are on political issues, religion, etc! If we were motorcars, then we would all be exact replicas, and anyone can see this is not the case.

Yes people have jobs they're not much concerned with. If we look at reasons for that, is the education system to blame? Perhaps it's a boring job, but they make a lot of money. Maybe they inherited the family business. Or maybe it was established when they were born they would be working for the community industry (e.g. mining). It's a complicated "problem".

I agree with Jay. The arguments for educational reform are trite because we all know that a radical transformation would take money and resources that aren't available. In an ideal world, we'd have a 1:1 teacher-student ratio and students would constantly be challenged the perfect amount. Not going to happen.

Yes schools are focused on certain abilities, but look at what's important in a society. I don't need to delve into the importance of citizens being literate and able to do math- it's obvious.We learned from the atomic bomb that science is power, so obviously schools will expose students to that field. Many students are good at soccer and football, but very few will play professionally, so should everyone do it? Having a nation where 50% of the population are artists won't help us stay on top. Sorry.

He also mentions competition. This, again, I feel is not the fault of the school systems, but rather the growing population. You can't have a 3.5 and have Tech be your backup school anymore because there are more people with higher GPAs who can fill those spots. Students aren't stressed because of standardized tests (at least the ones at my high school aren't) because they don't care. The ones who do care are stressed because of the pressure to attend college, not because they feel their education isn't liberal enough. Besides, in high school, we were given 3 elective courses to take what we wanted.

I want to see where he got his statistic about "more people..dropping out of education." Doing minimal research shows that the dropout rate is decreasing, and 2007 was the first year the drop out rate was less than 9% (www.nces.ed.gov). Dumb.

I agree there are some small changes that could occur, but a radical change isn't what we need.


http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=16

Education Reform

Alright, this guy has obviously never observed C-burg High school. While he makes a lot of great points about students who are actually trying, he fails to address the students who gave up before they walked through the door on the first day of school. About 1/3 of my AP Chemistry class (well technically Dr. G's) and less than 10 students in my other two Chem 1 classes are motivated. And honestly I might just be hoping for those results. Dr. G's AP Chem students have done so poorly on there last few exams that he had no choice but to give re-takes because he could not bring himself to fail over 80% of the class. There is no one in there stressed enough to commit suicide over our standardized tests. One student who was failing did not care to try until her father took her car, cell phone, and credit cards, and then gave her a curfew. She came up to me the next day asking me what she could do to get a D--- just to get her stuff back. So standardized tests have no influence on students in this area. My Chem 1 students are only concerned with getting me to give them the chemical formulas for cocaine, crystal meth, and ecstasy so they can make them at home. Standardized tests are not the problem its the so-called parents of these students. They have no respect for authority, barely ever come dressed descent for school, and do not give a crap about a single grade. Their aspirations in life are selling drugs to high school students and catching a buzz.

With all that said, I can definitely see how standardized tests could put some unnecessary pressure on studious students, but you will have to find them somewhere else. I agree that teachers need to focus their attention on students strengths and help guide them into a career that is right for them, but that won't happen until parents start taking some of the responsibility.

Education Reform - JR

Sir Ken Robinson has some good talking points. Unfortunately, I think he loses me beyond that. It's very easy to judge and to point the finger, but it is very difficult to act and create a solution. Sure it would be wonderful to educate students only in the things they really love, but that leaves them woefully ignorant of many things that play important roles in our lives. I mean, I would have hated to take art in general. I probably would not have taken it at all (I am an awful artist in just about all fields... I can't even sing well!), but I am glad that I did because I have enjoyed being exposed to a wide variety of cultures, traditions, and artistic styles. And although my example is not particularly necessary to leading a successful life, like say basic math skills, it still has had an impact on my quality of life.

Improving our education system has been a goal for many, many years. The successes and failings of that goal are judged by a wide array of experts and regulars joes including students, teachers, parents, and politicians. This will always lead to a place where there are those who are discontent and it means there will constantly be a desire to alter the system. I am not saying that I am completely happy with how things are now, but a lot of the arguments leading in one direction or another seem to push for consideration of techniques or processes with a history in some educational setting or another. Interestingly, most of these practices have been abandoned in favor of some that we have in place now.

Anyways, before I ramble for too long, I want to talk about what I think the most important part of the video/article was. Sir Ken Robinson stated that the environment must be right for plants to grow. I would challenge that. It is my job as an educator to try my best to get students to a place where they can learn successfully, and this includes building a learning environment that is appealing to students. However, if the students have no motivation within themselves, in their own lives, to truly take advantage of the situation before them, how can they learn? You can change the system, the teachers, the subjects, the methods, and the scale, but if the student chooses not to, they won't learn. Plants grow because they must to survive. Students do not have such a harsh reality facing them, so the street is two ways.

My personal goal is to never stop trying. I will continue to reach out and try my hardest to encourage students to learn. Whether they choose to reach back is up to them. I hope that my classroom will truly engage and excite students, which in theory will motivate them to learn. In addition, I think that educating the students towards mastery will allow them to pass the tests that are put to them without compromising their education. It would be nice if I can move towards that goal while still meeting the expectations of the system that I am currently teaching in.

And who knows, maybe I'll get bold and go into policy later. Then I can try to find solutions in addition to griping about all the problems...

Education Reform

I personally think school is a place where students get their common sense/basic knowledge from. Nowadays, most of students take the fact of getting higher education very granted. However, even now, not everyone who's graduating from high school is going to go into college. If a person starts working right after their high school graduation, or if they drop out, high school would be the last education he/she gets in their lives. Throughout their lives, they will learn something new, but the education would only come from physical experiences. As an educator, our goal would be to let our students realize what they like and what they don't like. That's where the hands-on lessons come into the place. Unless students actually have a chance to feel what it is like to do something, they'll never figure out if they like it or not. Not every occupation just match up with the subjects that we have in schools. However, studying certain subjects give the students feel for what they would enjoy. Covering core contents will give all of students (ones who will be going into the college and ones who are planning on working after high school) somewhat of an idea of what they would enjoy doing.

What I've found from teaching this semester is that students are extremely lazy and getting them excited about the topic, motivating students to actually do some work in class and getting them to think about life beyond high school is one of the most important task of the teacher. When students can relate anything they learn in class to something in their daily lives, the students will be interested. Even a simple thing like classification, when I asked students how they sort music on their iPod or how they sort their clothes, they were excited to tell me their stories. It's hard to draw every lesson relevant to the students' lives, but every now and then students need that to engage themselves into the learning.

Education Reform

Gosh that was a great video, and I was definitely in need of some inspiration today!! I am noticing throughout all my classes that my students are stifled. They are terrified to make mistakes, which leads to them demanding answers instead of taking responsibility for their own learning. It kills me when I ask them to hypothesize or tell me what they think about something, and they won't say anything because they might be wrong. The classroom just seems like a place where students are on a one-way path toward the goal of getting a good grade, and not interested in actually developing and growing. The video said it correctly, education is preoccupied with certain types of abilities, and that type of education is failing. Students cannot like science if they are so stressed into memorizing information that they can't make relevant to their lives. It is sad!

As one teacher, I can help my students deal with the issues facing them. I want so badly to take emphasis off getting the good grade, and place it where it should be--learning and growing from mistakes. Students should have the opportunity to correct their work...that's how science is done! Students should have the opportunity to deal with information in a variety of ways so they can find out what learning style works best for them. A teacher should be the gardener that he was talking about...creating the conditions in which growth can occur and then watching it happen. I have seen this week how teaching can be a thankless job, and I've left school a few times wondering if I can really do anything real for these kids. We have to remember that we're not stumbling into this profession, we're doing this because we're good at it and we care. And students might not be able to recognize the value of their education now, but they will some day!

Reform

I actually agree with this article/video clip. I think that students (they are kids let's remember!) are under an enormous amount of pressure to succeed. And not just get by, but really portray exemplary work with outstanding skills in all subject areas and ultimately make it to college. It is very stressful. I remember in my personal 4 years of high school alone, I was affected by at least 4 deaths. Three of which were suicide. With the speakers last statement, I totally agree. If increasing rates of suicide are the outcome, something is clearly wrong. I understand that not all of the pressure comes from a school atmosphere, that it CAN provide students with the exact opposite effect if they do not have a good home life, but I seriously doubt in most cases that it does not at least contribute to the stress of these children.
I also really liked the plant analogy the author drew upon. It is spot on! My cooperating teacher references Richard Feynman on a daily basis with his regard to education. Feynman says that you give students every opportunity to succeed with every bit of effort you can, displaying the content in multiple ways, reaching out to every student, and in the end the student decides whether they are going to use what you have given them to succeed in education or if they are going to sit on their hands. At some point, though it may be far fetched, a student must choose to learn. They must choose to succeed.
I do believe as the new generation of educators it is our job to help "reform" the education system. We are taught to move away from the traditional classroom setting, providing opportunities to students who express themselves differently and learn differently. I think this is the way we must turn over a leaf in the every day classroom. We can not control standardization or test scores or college admissions, so we must focus on the children as children and as students, making education relevant and exciting to bring out each individuals strengths and passions.
If at some point in our careers we stop caring about individual students, stop getting angry or upset about standardization/testing, and stop putting every bit of effort into our classrooms, we should probably stop teaching. On a lighter note, I have faith in all of us, both as new educators and as honest and caring people :)

Why teaching is not like making motorcars...

I love the analogies he used in his video clip. I agree that teaching should not be like making motor cars, but at this point in our education system, it tends to lean in that direction. But do teachers really have a choice not to work on such a mass production system? What I mean is, teachers have this standard we must reach. Principals, superintendents, they all have a certain goal for their teachers to accomplish, and that goal as we know, is to have the students pass the state test. Honestly, it's not even to get the students to pass high school. From what I can see, teachers are trying to save their own butts, and want to get their students to pass the SOL test so that they don't get fired. And all of this reform talk that Obama is doing isn't helping the situation. Why in the world would you fire all of the teachers at an under-performing school? It's exactly acts like this that cause fear in teachers to perform higher (get better SOL/state test passing scores) which comes right back to Ken's point about building motorcars. This gets me pretty fired up, because I'm about 95% sure that there was at least 1 teacher in that Rhode Island school that actually cared about the students and not the test!
It's pretty rough for teachers right now. We are in a lose-lose situation on our part. We can teach the way schools want us to, and conform, but keep our jobs, or we can inspire kids to find their passion and grow, at the risk of losing our jobs. I know that this is a very extreme statement and situation, but I think that we still need to find that middle ground. I believe that at Virginia Tech, the masters education program that we are all in, is preparing us for such a time as this. I can see the value of inquiry and getting students to think for themselves. It still gets the SOLs across, but we are breaking through the barrier and leading the kids away from the road to the bad neighborhood.

Reforming Education

I tend to agree with Robinson about certain things, especially the statement that the education system nowadays is like an assembly line. Every student takes certain classes and there is so much emphasis on standardized tests that students can become overwhelmed and wonder where they fit in. Some students just aren't built to succeed in this kind of environment. That is where we as educators can have a great impact especially in science where students can engage in hands on activities that reinforce ideas. Students may come to see that information that they get in the classroom can also be applied to the outside world. Being able to teach the same material in a variety of ways also may help students to become engaged and active learners. Just lecturing to a group is going to kill their enthusiasm so it is good to approach material in multiple ways. Letting students see that they can have fun and learn at the same time may motivate them and get them interested in a subject which could then allow them to find their true passion. The school system is so focused on scores and grades at this point that we as individual teachers may not be able to provide a reform to the system but we can start the reform inside our own classrooms.

Reform

I have a big problem with the article/video and Sir Ken Robinson says. Of course education needs reform. Since the education system started we (society) has tried to make it better. That is how life works. The industrial revolution happened to make life easier, and things run better. This is where my next problem comes in. His comparison of educating people to making cars. You can not compare humans to machines or machine manufacturing. If something breaks in a shop it is easy to repair. There are set known solutions to construct/fix the machines that we use. Humans are not machines. We have many solutions to fix human problems but not every solution works for each person. Here enlies my next follie in his article. He sits there and blames the education system for not extending the growth of knowledge to our students and keeping them stimulated, but produces zero solutions. It is easy to sit back and say there are problems and point fingers, and much harder to come up with solutions. It is a long process to come up with ideas on how to engage students in learning. As an education system we need to stop blaming people, pointing fingers, firing people, and work as a unit to solve this problem.
From my time so far teaching, it is very difficult to stimulate my students as a whole. The biggest problem is the extreme laziness of the students. All mine do is wine about doing work. When we do get to do hands on activities they are fine, but when we ask them questions about those activities (challenging them to think, and prove they are learning) they complain about that. Students at my school want the information spoon fed to them in the easiest format possible. I have a small amount of students that are actively engaged and ask questions which is great. There are times where I can try to relate things to students on an individual basis, but becomes hard to do for each student, and becomes more than time consuming. Reform in our education system needs to extend beyond the scope of engaging students. Educators need to know that they are being taken care of in this transition time of reform. There are already more than enough pressures on teachers with SOL's, and other deadlines that it becomes a 24 hour a day job to keep on track with state requirements and find ways to help engage each student. For education reform to really take shape we also needs PARENTS to work harder. I am amazed at the attitudes I have heard already from students and parents. If the parents are not actively involved and helping to engage their child in education, how in the world are teachers supposed to?
Okay that is enough ranting from me. As for my plans to help reform education and engage my students, it is to spend as much time at the beginning of the year to not only get the students used to my classroom and high school, but also to get to know them. The more small talk I can have the more of their interest I can find out. Hopefully I will be able to compile a list of things that seem overall interesting to the students. Then when I am developing lesson plans I will try to relate my topics with these engaging issues that the students like. I am going to also encourage my students to talk and share their new knowledge with their parents as much as possible. If there are ever current issues pertaining to something in my field, I might take a day to cover that topic, even if it isn't that one we are focused on at the time. I want to also try to be involved in my students education as much as they are. If I hear of a students passion for something, I will try to steer them in the right direction, or help provide an appropriate person for them to talk to about that field. I want to make myself available to myself all the time in order to help them no matter what they need. If I can make strides to reform education in my classroom alone, then i am doing my part. If I find things that work well, I will more than share them with other teachers.

Don't let the pressures of reform change who you are as a teacher or a person. Be yourself, have fun, and be confident that we are going to make great teachers. Good luck!

Reform

To me it is simple: Students must come before content. I am very passionate about getting to know my students and treating them with respect. This is one way I plan to reform education. In my opinion, teachers too often become preoccupied with becoming the authority that they forget their students are people too! I think kids feel threatened by authority and a lot of them choose to shut down. I have found in my experience so far that kids who know their ideas are respected and valued are automatically more interested. Also, by showing interest in your students on an indiviudal level helps you find their strengths. Then as teachers we can plan lessons that will allow different students to shine. One of my top priorities as a teacher will be to empower my students, give them the confidence they need to succeed, and help them discover their strengths and interests. Basically, I think reform starts with creating a community of learners. This also relates to inquiry because I have also found that students really do enjoy "thinking." Inquiry stimulates children's minds and can make even the most boring subject interesting, because there is a probelm or puzzle to solve. Our students will often blow us away with their knowledge, ideas, and creativity if we let them. Teaching through inquiry is the second way I plan to help reform education. It is going to be a challenging road, but that is what makes our job exciting!

education reform

I find a problem with the very first line/ quote of this article! Showing this "mass production" idea wrong is the perfect example of what we can do as individual educators to help our students, even if we cannot overhaul the entire educational system. Though I love science and I want to share it with students, I also what them to be able to learn how to think for themselves and to find the courage to follow their passions! I do agree that the educational system tries to shove too many facts into kids minds without allowing them time to understand the process behind the ideas. It is important that teachers find as many opportunities to allow students to perform inquiry activities and to take the science as their own.
On the other hand, it is so hard to tailor education to the current interests of teenage students. I'm finding it difficult to convince students that certain things about Earth Science, such as the structure of Pangea, is interesting. I'm also finding that any hands-on experience does excite and engage students. This is more support that helping students to feel like real scientists will help them succeed and it might even help slowly alter the education system.

Reforming Education

I went to a conference earlier this fall where a man showed a ppt slide of a "sketchy" neighborhood with run down homes and pot holes in the road. He made the analogy that this was our education system. We keep repaving the road with our "reforms" but essentially the road still leads to the same bad neighborhood. Then today, I saw this on cnn.com.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/17/ted.ken.robinson/index.html?hpt=C1

Read this short article and respond to it on the blog. Perhaps you as a single teacher in a classroom may not be able to completely overhaul education - but what can you do to keep from just repaving the same bad road?

Speed of light in the microwave

My teacher occasionally allows students to do extra credit work for the class. These usually involve them researching a topic we discussed in class. Recently students were asked to research how scientists measure or calculate the speed of light. One student turned in his answer but also found this in his search and turned it in because he thought it was awesome. I too think it is incredibly cool! I passed it on to the Physics teacher, who was talking to the principle at the time. Our principle is a former Biology teacher and he thought it was cool. I figured you all might find it ridiculous awesomsauce too!

It looks like melted marshmallows are in my future!

Classroom Management

I have been having such a wonderful student teaching experience. A reason for this is because my cooperating teacher and I have very similar teaching philosophies. Respect is a major part of our classroom policies. Students know that there is zero tolerance for disrespect for yourself, others, and the rules. My ct is very adamant about following the rules and, by this time in the semester, if the rules are not followed then the consequence is an automatic lunch detention or referral depending on the severity of the action. I like the idea of resetting consequences at the beginning of the week; so I'm not fond of jumping straight to this consequence for repeat offenders, but I do understand that if the students know their record will be reset they may push the limits.
My ct is also the mother of 2 very young children and I feel this shows when her students are talking. She uses the sound 'shhh' a little absent-mindedly when she hears any noise in the classroom. This gives me a good opportunity to reflect on how I would like to control noise in the classroom.
The most beneficial aspect of my student teaching is that my teacher is VERY into inquiry and allowing students to take their education upon themselves. This is very helpful when planning my unit because my ct has helped me to adjust my activities to make sure they are tailored to convey the most important information. Even though her students have been exposed to this inquiry environment all year, they still struggle with the process because they do receive the spoon-fed answers from other teachers. I can say that in just the past 6 weeks I have already seen the immense benefits from scaffolding students to the correct answers. It may take a little longer but the scaffolding and confidence gained really help the students. Thankfully I have this time to observe my ct and become even more comfortable in how to successfully help students learn.

Classroom Magement Observations

My teacher Mr. M has been teaching for nearly 40 years. Being a very tall man with a *very* deep voice is his basic classroom management plan. When students get rowdy and off topic, whistling loudly and saying "HEY!" seems to quiet them. Students do not have assigned seating or lab partners, and in general it seems to work well enough. I have noticed many students whispering and talking frequently during the class when he is teaching. When it gets out of control he will move students in an attempt to limit the chatter.

When he lectures he general talks and expects students to take notes. He also writes the important points on the chalkboard so they can write it down. He is a TERRIBLE speller (worse than me!), but he uses it as an opportunity to interact with students. The first day of school he assigns one student to be the designated spell checker, but all students see it as an opportunity to correct the teacher.

As he is an older teacher, technology beyond the chalk board and occasional overhead do not feature prominently into his teaching style. His classroom also does not have a projector so it is not as if he is not utilizing his resources. Students also watch video clips not infrequently. I know that he enjoys doing labs and tries to have one every week. In general the labs tend to be very cookie cutter, but his discussion and conclusion questions do require students to think and draw conclusions from their observations.

LT's Classroom Management

So far I have noticed a HUGE difference between my eighth grade physical science class and my high school chemistry class - as well as the classroom management style of my cooperating teachers. Mr. W had a military style classroom which was very necessary at times, but boring at others; however, I do sort of miss it.
Dr. G is a phenomena teacher. He is extremely smart and creative with his lessons; however, I have not noticed much classroom management. Now, he has a great rep with the students and they never act out, but they are also left with down-time all the time! It is a little frustrating to watch so much precious time get wasted each day. At first I thought it was just his Friday routine - similar to how he lets his AP Chemistry students have coffee and donuts the first 15 minutes of the block. But it has not gotten much better. The students come into class without any direction or anything to do until after Dr. G calls roll. Most of the days I have been there the students have performed a lab, but a lot of them finish with 30 minutes left in the block and just sit and talk. This has given me the opportunity to get to know them, but they are going to be in for a real shock when I take over and they will start the bell with 'Do Now' problems and work up until the end of the block as much as possible.
As I mentioned, the students are not disrespectful or running around wild, but they have missed so many days of school I would have assumed Dr. G would take advantage of every minute. Maybe he will surprise me this week!
-Lauren

Classroom Management

In my opinion, middle school students are much more enthusiastic about learning and being in school than high school students. High school students don’t show that much interest in the presence of student teacher. When I went to the middle school last semester, most students came up to me and asked me what school I go to and stuff, but high school students are more interested in what’s happening in their lives. It definitely took little longer to get to know the high school students than the middle school students.

My cooperating teacher shows a lot of respect and expectation toward the students. She says “ladies and gentlemen” when calling out the class as whole. I think that alone shows a lot of respect to the students. My teacher doesn’t put up the agenda on the board; so many students ask the same question repetitively. When I have my own classroom, I would like to leave the agenda on the board, so I wouldn’t have to answer the same question over and over again. As students are going into the third quarter, my teacher doesn’t accept late work anymore for full credit. She still collects the work, but a letter grade is reduced everyday that the work is late. My teacher starts the class out by doing mini-quizzes.

Out of five periods that my teacher teaches, four classes are co-op classes. It’s just another name for inclusion classes. Most of the students in the co-op classes have learning disabilities. However, there aren’t any huge accommodations needed. Some students need the test read and some need the word banks when others don’t get them. I’ve read the IEPs for all the students who have disabilities. This will be something I should work with my cooperating teacher as well as the students when I start teaching.

The class starts out by 5 question mini-quiz. Most of the time, questions are multiple choice questions on PowerPoint slides. Due to some students with IEPs, my teacher reads the questions as well as the answer choices out loud. The mini-quiz starts students going in the beginning of the class. This is something that I want to implement when I start teaching.

There are about 26 students in each class and most students are 10^th grade. It’s somewhat more challenging to keep the students on task and get them motivated in learning Biology. However, I think this will be a great experience for me in the process of preparing myself for the real teaching job.

KD's Classroom Management

My first thought for this semester is that there is such a difference between middle school and high school students. I had 7th graders last semester and I have 10th and 11th graders this semester and the difference in their attitudes and behaviors is striking. The high school students seem a little less motivated to learn, but they are much more mature and less needy. Overall, both of the teachers I work with seem tuned in to what their students need and I feel as though I am gaining a lot by watching them.

Neither of my teachers have assigned seating, and while the students are definitely sitting next to people they are likely to talk to, it doesn't become an issue too often. In my biology class, there is a couple that sit next to each other! I don't think I would be able to handle that in my own classroom, but my teacher allows it and it really doesn't cause too much trouble. Both of my biology classes are pretty small, which allows for casual, open discussion. Students tend to call out and joke, but it does not disrupt instruction. My teacher in this class has definitely set a tone of openness which makes students more willing to share. I think this works for a high school classroom where it is a little harder to get students to participate.

The two chemistry classes I am in are honors classes. There is such a difference in these students. They are not necessarily behavior-problem free, but they are pretty self motivated. Being that this is a chemistry class, there is a lot of time where students are trying practice problems on their own. I have literally been shocked by their ability to stay on task even with a lot of downtime. When they are having discussions, most of the time it is about the chemistry problem. And when they ask for help, they are not the type of student that just wants the answer, they want me to probe them for their own knowledge and lead them to doing the problem themselves. My teacher in the chemistry classes is also very casual and laid back, and the class seems more like a college class than a high school class. The students are treated as equals, and they respond very well to that.

Overall, I am very happy with my classes and am very happy to be getting to know these students. I start teaching this week!

Class Management

Well now that I have a few days under my belt I feel like I can properly address this topic. I am currently in Co-Taught Biology classes which means there are a large proportion of special ed students in each class and there is another teacher in the class as well as my cooperating teacher. In a way this makes it quite easy to manage the classroom because the students are always in close proximity to a teacher. I think that the way in which my teacher manages the class is effective. She hasn't yet made a seating chart but has threatened to if students get out of hand. Just the idea of not getting to sit next to friends has been enough for the kids to settle down and not force the issue. I think that the school has an effective way of managing behavior as well. If a student gets to be to much trouble during any class period they can be set outside in the pod where there is always another teacher that can enforce more discipline. No student has had to be put outside yet but that is always an option.

The class sizes are also quite small which helps to keep the students from getting to out of hand. Students sit in groups at tables where they can interact and complete the labs that seem to be given on a regular basis. I think that one short fall may be that the students get a little loud at the beginning of the period and it seems difficult to get them on task. I think that this could be fixed with the entry question on the board or something like that, so students come in and automatically know that they have something to work on without being told. However, it might just be how the school is set up because it seems that no teacher has any kind of policy like that. I think that as I take over I may incorporate that and place SOL type questions so they can practice with that. All in all I think that the classes I have will be quite easy to keep on task and manage.

Classroom Management

Working with students in the 7th grade this semester is different than working with high school students. The basic principles of classroom management are still present but there are some small changes that are needed to properly manage the classroom.

My cooperative teacher from the first day was very clear that I would need to be strict and take control of the classroom right from the start to prevent losing control of the students. After observing him for the first day it became clear how he managed this. Students are expected to not talk when the instructor is talking. If the students are talking and off task the instructor simply holds his hand up and the students know to stop talking, pay attention, and listen to the instructor. This seems to be an effective method that prevents the instructor from always having to speak over the students. Students that continue to talk and have to be spoken to are either moved to another seat away from the other students or given silent lunch. The only time students are written up and/or sent to the office is if they disobey the instructor or curse at the instructor. The students have assigned seats that change weekly which allows the instructor to keep certain students away from each other that cause disruptions. Time management is important to my cooperative teacher’s management of the class. The instructor always makes sure there is more planned than what the students can accomplish in a days time. Transitions between activities are quick to prevent students from getting off task. From my observations and experiences thus far, my cooperative teacher’s classroom management works.

J's Classroom Management

My classroom is organized to be used effectively for both labs and lectures. The tables are arranged at the front of the classroom, leaving space to work on labs and activities at the counter in the back. The students have assigned seats, which change from time to time, but they are usually allowed to choose their own lab partners and lab stations. The seating arrangements keep the students on task and help to handle some of the behaviour issues in our classes during lectures. In contrast, keeping students working and on task during labs is up to the vigilance of the instructor. My cooperating teacher does an excellent job of actively moving around the classroom and monitoring the lab groups and their progress throughout the course of every activity.

As an observer, I realized that my cooperating teacher doesn't demand attention in the classroom the way that I would have expected. She speaks clearly and in a normal tone and expects the students to listen to her instruction. Sometimes they talk during her instructions, but they generally listen and stay on task and they appreciate that she trusts them to be responsible and accountable. I was pretty concerned about this because I associate good listening with a respectful learning environment. Now that I am co-teaching the class and participating more I have found that the students respond well to me asking them to be quiet and listen. They are attentive and understand that I am asking them to be quieter than my cooperating teacher sometimes does, but they respect that and are willing to do so. (We'll see how long this continues... haha).

My cooperating teacher also pushes really hard to use every possible moment of the class that she can. She has a "Do Now" activity on the board at the beginning of every class and she works to ensure that her activities take up the entire period. She can use the time the students are working on the "Do Now" problem to take attendance and take care of anything she needs to get in order before the class begins. If we ever end early, she expects students to work on practice problems that she has ready for each subject we're covering. She also tries to use any time that is remaining in classes to go over any off-topic questions the student had during the course of the activity/lecture. An example of this was discussing black holes at the end of a period during which we had been talking about our solar system and the milky way.

I am excited to begin teaching my own unit and seeing how the class responds, but I am also really happy to be working with my cooperating teacher because I feel like I have a lot to learn from her about how to successfully manage a classroom. Her style is very different from my own, but she manages to run her classes very successfully and the student seem to be engaged in their learning. This term will be a very interesting learning experience for me.

Classroom Management

One of the many strategies that my teacher uses to manage her classroom is through a seating chart. She makes sure that she places certain students next to others that can help facilitate learning. This is probably the most common way to avoid behavioral issues. This seems to work well for her class, and I can tell you that from a first hand experience. Today was my first day teaching at the school. It was the first time the new schedule was implemented since the situation at their old high school. My teacher had to leave during 4th period because of a previous engagement. Therefore, I took over today. I was really excited but I didn't really think about the seating situation. The new classroom doesn't have the same set up as their old room. When the students walked in, they sat down where they wanted to, next to their friends. I had a feeling this was going to be a bad idea, but I wanted to give the students a chance to prove themselves. There are 24 students in that class, with probably 15 having IEPs or 504s. I learned the hard way today, that having a seating chart is sometimes the only way for certain classes. Though I gave them an ultimatum, and told them that I would give the teacher a good report if they proved themselves, the students could not handle it. It was rough.
One of the best things my teacher does is to keep the students busy. She tries really hard to have the lecture be more of a discussion, bouncing ideas and cooperating. This way she can make sure that the students are engaged, and on topic. As for consequences, she is very lax. But there is a sort of unspoken agreement with the students and the teacher. They know that their privileges will be taken away if they act out. She gives the students the benefit of the doubt and the students know that this is a gift.
I know for me, the biggest deal is to lay down the law from the beginning. I need to be firm and demand respect and attention. It's so hard for me though. But today, I think i did a good job in class. I told them exactly what I expected and wanted from them. They seemed to listen, but I guess we'll see on Thursday when I have to teach that class alone again...

Lynn's Classroom Management

I thought I would take a moment to share with you about my teachers classroom management strategies. My teacher firmly believes in "purposeful" seating. She does new seating charts every six weeks. It is nice because the students expect this when the walk in the door. Every day my teacher takes the first 5 minutes to do attendance. As a result, the class is not using the full 45 minutes. The students know they can be tardy because the material does not start until the middle part of class. I feel if my teacher would make an adjustment here she could get through more of the "material" that she is stressing about. In addition, she does not use the last five minutes of class. She allows students to talk quietly at their desks during this time. Again 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there really add up to a lot of time.

My teacher does have a good homework system. The homework is due at the beginning of the period, no exceptions. Students know this and follow this rule to the best of their capabilities.

Something I might want to adjust from my teacher is her free range of the hall pass. Anyone during the class period can leave to use the restroom, go to their locker, see the nurse, etc. This can become very distracting for other learners and the teacher. At my school a hall pass must be signed my the teacher. Therefore the teachers stops what she or he is doing to sign the pass. I believe implementing a "not during instruction" disclaimer would be good. Many of the students show up 2 minutes before the tardy bell and ask to use the hall pass. This does not make sense to me, but maybe it is because I am a newbie.

My teacher has the students siting in a single file rows. This does help with classroom management. However, the number of students sleeping during class is quite high.

Overall, I am looking forward to implementing these strategies in my own classroom next year. I am sure I will gain a lot of experience from this semester to help me in my next endeavor.

Classroom Management

In all honesty, I have experienced a sort of "culture shock" at my cooperating school due to how different the classes are from what I experienced in high school. My first teacher, Mr. Magnetism, does not have to work hard at managing his class. There are only 15 students in the class, all of whom are attentive and motivated to work on their own. He keeps his door open (as does everyone at the end of the hall), so it is normal to have to listen to biology and chemistry lectures all during class. The class lessons are centered around the textbook, and though a few students are participating and answering questions, there has yet to be a day when at least one student isn't sleeping on his desk. Students in the back either don't pay attention or do homework for another class, and Mr. Magnetism does nothing to encourage them to participate. Although I've highlighted the negatives, the class is very enjoyable. The students are incredibly mature and Mr. Magnetism is able to make jokes with them and not get side tracked.

There is a HUGE difference in classroom management between my first block and second/third blocks. The main reason for this is because of the difference in student type in the classes. While my first block comprises of 15 college-bound upperclassmen, my Earth Science classes are quite a different story. Many of the students are on track to receive an IEP diploma, and more than one of my students are in the class for a third or fourth time. Overall, the maturity of the ES students trails significantly behind the maturity of my P students. My other teacher, Ms. Mesosphere, has a lot to work with. Though she has assigned seats, students still sit wherever they want. Students are often out of their seats doing things around the classroom, and I once saw a student yo-yoing instead of note-taking. I have to constantly be reminding students to do work and not get side-tracked, and boys are constantly tapping on the table or stomping their feet. Ms. Mesosphere does not have any problems with students listening to blaring music from their ipods while working on assignments, or playing on their ipods instead of working. I have talked with my teacher, and I think that after years of reporting bad behavior to administration with no results, she has given up. Again, I have highlighted the bad because my teacher does very little to manage her class, but I enjoy the students. The best way I have found to keep the students on track is to constantly be walking around the classroom and talking to individual students. The students, particularly in 3rd block, seem to need a lot of attention. By walking around the room, I've been able to meet all of the students and learn about them. It's hard to say what I would do because I feel that the class already knows what they can get away with. I have found that if I'm strict though, they will stop goofing off and do work.

Today while talking to a class, I inadvertently set myself up for a "that's what she said" joke. Ms. Mesosphere sent the student out into the hall who said it aloud, and I couldn't suppress my laughter, and naturally the class called me out for that. I'm learning that that is an aspect of classroom management that I had never put thought into, but that is something I'm going to have to keep an eye out for while teaching. It'll take practice.

Classroom Management

Hello all! I’ve noticed some major differences between the high school students and the middle school students. Besides the obvious age and size differences, the middle school students have WAY more energy. It’s probably a good thing that they have seven 45 minute periods a day rather than block scheduling. I think it would be difficult to keep the middle school students’ attention in a 90 minute block. On the flip side, I really love the energy these students have. They are constantly asking questions and seem eager to learn! Many of the high school students last semester were very quiet and not very excited to be in class.

My teacher has several classroom management techniques that I like, as well as some techniques that I think could be improved. I like that my teacher does not talk over the students. If the students are talking when he is trying to talk, my teacher gives a verbal warning or stands silently at the front of the room. Both of these methods seem to be effective, although the silent method usually requires a little more time waiting for the class to quiet down. My teacher also does not dismiss the students until they are all in their seats and quiet. The students know this and self monitor each other so they can get out of class on time. This rule eliminates the issue of students packing up and standing by the door before class ends. Unfortunately, my teacher doesn’t have any rules or procedures in place for the beginning of class, so students can get a little rowdy waiting for class to start. I think there could be less commotion from the students if there was an activity or assignment on the board at the beginning of class. Also, if a student is misbehaving, my teacher sits the student out in the hallway. Personally, I think this does more harm than good. I think kids lose valuable learning time if they have to sit out in the hallway during class. (Plus, many of the kids seem to run around in the hallway once they are placed out there). I think other methods such as verbal warnings or an individual student conference could be used in replace of sitting the student in the hallway. That way the student isn’t wandering the hallway during class.

I haven’t seen my teacher conduct a lab or activity yet. The students have a classification activity on Thursday. I am interested to see how it goes. I think the kids will be easy to manage as long as the lesson plans are engaging and hands on. The kids like to move around a lot, so I hope to put their energy to good use!

Hey team. Im sure that everyone is happy to finally be in the schools full time. I have quickly realized the difference in my school from last semester to this semester. Even though my teacher has different methods for classroom management it isnt anything better or worse than I could have expected. In order to get the day started smoothly my teacher has a "Do Now" activity. This is just a simple question or topic for the students to write something down on in the beginning of class. This is a great classroom management plan to get the students thinking about science as soon as they walk in the door. This also gives my teacher time to do her housekeeping. The kids are talkative and my teacher doesnt do a lot to quiet them down. She occasionally will do the hand raising technique and when the rest of the students see her hand up they are supposed to raise their hands to show they are now paying attention. This works to get the students back on track. I have witnessed my teacher put a student in the hallway for misbehavior as well as hand out a few detentions. I havent witnessed any major disciplinary actions by my teacher or at the school. We have not done a lab yet while I am there so I hope to learn some new techniques once we get to that point. My teacher uses lots of powerpoint for notes, quizes, etc to keep the students focused forward as she walks around the class to discuss and watch over the students. I will use some of the same methods during my teaching and hope to come up with something else that my students can respond to. Good luck this semester!!!!

Class Management

Hi! I hope everyone enjoyed their first day of full time student teaching! This getting up early thing may take some getting used to! :)

My teacher has both positive aspects of classroom management and some areas I think could be slightly improved. There is always a daily agenda posted on the blackboard so that the students know the daily activities and can anticipate hw assignments. This keeps the students from asking over and over what the day has in store. He also has a website and moodle page that allows students to constantly have access to resources, materials, assignments, practice problems, etc. The students always know they can access these sites at home or after school. He also gets the students started very quickly. There is usually notes or something on the board that students can get started on before he quickly takes attendance. He is also very good about calling in absentees in the first few periods of the day. I think this really helps the office/administration stay on top of where students are at all times. My teacher takes the school rules very seriously which I think translates well to the students. He also has a great sense of humor and knows when to be silly with the kids, I think this is a necessity as a school teacher and plays an important role in managing certain attitudes in the classroom.

The one area I see that could be improved is when students have free time. There is always deliberate free time at the end of each period in which students can work on a variety of assignments for science class. I can see how this time would be beneficial for students to catch up on assignments and ask questions, but I do not think it is being used correctly by the students. They tend to just talk and do other things in that free time. I think maybe that privilege needs to be taken away if it is not used correctly, or students should only be allow to have science assignments out at that time. It seems like a difficult concept for my teacher as well because he wants to help them and give them time to do hw/assignments, but I think he thinks they abuse it as well. It is difficult to force students to do anything they have already decided they are not going to do. Any suggestions??

PS...Random tid bit...I saw a mouse in a school today, carrying a dorito.

Class Management

Hey Folks! After observing my teacher, I've noticed both positive and negative ways to handle classroom management. One strategy that my teacher uses is posting class rules. There are only a few rules, which helps keep things simple. The only problem is that they are not posted in a place that is easily seen. The middle school kids love to talk and be silly, but my teacher really likes a quiet orderly classroom. I like that he does not talk over anyone and demands attention when giving directions, but I think having more group activities and outlets for energy would help a lot in this classroom. Another suggestion I have would be to write directions on the board. A lot of time seems wasted at the beginning of class going over the day's activities, and I think the kids lose focus after a minute or two and forget what to do. My teacher is definitely "with it." The kids have a good understanding of appropriate behavior (whether or not the choose to practice it!) My only concern is that too much classtime is spent calling kids out or correcting behavior. I think it would make things more efficient if clear consquences were outlined for disrupting class. Overall, I don't forsee any major issues with classroom management during my student teaching. I am really trying early on to get to know the kids. They are already showing me they are beginning to trust me by asking for help! I think mutual respect and trust is one of the best thing you can do for managing a class, so hopefully things continue to go well.

Classroom Management

For the next two weeks, I would like you to post and respond to topics regarding classroom management. To begin, share some strategies in which your supervising teacher manages his/her classroom. Specifically, address methods used to avoid behavioral issues as well as consequences). Post your observations as a "New Post" and then respond/comment on others postings. You may submit approaches that are not working - and comment on how you might approach things differently as well.