Week 10- Going Strong

     I officially started full-time teaching and the implementation of my action research. I have learned a lot already. After planning my first week of 30 minute whole group instruction, 30 minutes of English grammar, and differentiated stations, I can tell you it is no small task. In particular, it has been a struggle to correspond both stories together so that students can find things to talk about. The 6 students that are pulled for intensive instruction with a special education teacher are reading a story that is on their Lexile level but has the same theme and vocabulary words as the story that our class does. I feel that although it is a struggle to try and tie the stories together, it is important that they gain confidence within the general education classroom.
     Part of the instruction is to complete an independent activity that is on their instructional level and to then use "chat" questions to discuss the themes of the stories with a member from their heterogeneous group. The problem that I have encountered this far is that although they do share the same vocabulary words, they do not have the same events. However, all students are researching social studies and science themes that emerge between both, such as conservation and protect of resources.
     I also am having students complete exit tickets that have participants identify strategies used and how they could use the techniques learned in the future. The problem I'm encountering is that during station time, we are also pulling students by homogenous groupings for required grammar lessons that take about 30 minutes. This disrupts learning from the stations and then students have a difficult time trying to gain focus on the original task. Students are not completing those activities within the first rotation, so a second rotation is required for many students to finish. However, by that time, some of the students are finished and do not have something to do. I'm struggling to identify which activities to grade because students are always at different places in their learning, which is fine, but hard to assess and keep everyone working.
     I'm thinking that since we stay on the same story for 2 weeks, their first take will be to finish the original, then to have students complete a smaller independent activity, or pull students for grammar that have finished activities first, giving the others time to complete an activity.

Field Trip to NASA-Despite the Government Shutdown

Today we had our first field trip of the year! It took a while to set up, and even more time to check to see if we would actually get to go. NASA sponsored "A Day at the Park". We had everything planned out to notify parents and students, however, this was before the government shut down. We were then notified that we were not able to go since NASA is a federally funded program. We sent the notifications home a day before we left, which caused some parents to become annoyed and frustrated because they were not told sooner.

We were not sure what really to expect when we went to the field tip, except that it would deal with space. We did believe that there would be some sort of interactive component to the experience. We arrived late because the event started at 9am, but our school does not begin until 8:30am and students are not considered tardy until 8:50am. It was a toss-up as to whether some students would be able to go due to their consistent tardiness. Everyone was present today and did get to participate in the field trip.

When we arrived, the welcoming speech was already in progress, but students were excited and enthusiastic about being there. We were placed in the back of a large auditorium on the floor, which made it difficult for some students to see. The speaker, a pilot astronaut, was there to speak about keeping student dreams alive and answering all of the "random" questions that students may wonder about when they think about astronauts in space. The speaker was animated and had many pictures and video from their space mission involving how they ate, slept, traveled, showered, activities, etc.

After the speaker, there were two demonstrations involving students. One demonstration involved saving biomes and habitats, like the North Pole and rainforests, and was included technology and recorded experts. This tied in really nicely with our science unit that my 5th graders are working on. We have spent a lot of time identifying biomes and how to save our planet. Next, the demonstration involved flying gadgets as the evolution of animals and transportation (off the ground) occurred. There were models for each type that were remote controlled. Students were then allowed to volunteer to test the models out in front of the entire presentation group.

Towards the end of the field trip, students became bored. There was not an interactive component for all students to partake in at one time, only one, or at most 4 students, in a group of over 1,000. Also, two students become scared of the loud noises and began crying/anxious and asked to leave the room. It's interesting to see how small things like participation and even noises affect student engagement and enjoyment. I believe the experience could have been better if the demonstrations were broken up into stations or groups so students would have more of a chance to participate. Instead, many of the demonstrations or examples did not reach the back of the room (where we were) so students could not see up close, which caused frustration and disinterest.

Fieldtrips are a great experience for students to listen, explore, and learn new information in a different setting and from people who are experts in that particular area. This has shown me that students could benefit from visitors coming to our school to give presentations or activities when those adults are in that field of study. Giving students as many perspectives on a topic or situation can encourage them to have an open mind and continue learning and striving to reach their goals. For a while, even I wished I could experience some events as astronauts do. 

Week 8-What makes students motivated?

     Lessons that go really well for me in my class are those that are very interactive and hands-on. For example, we are studying landforms and reading topographic maps. While reading the text, students were unsure about some of the landforms and how they would be represented as a topographic map. To illustrate how different landforms could be shown through contour lines depicting elevation, I brought in play dough for each pod to build a mountain, then slice off layers to create contour lines. Once students made their own contour lines and traced them, they were able to see how a mountain would indeed look like the topographic we see in our textbook.  Students worked collaboratively and were exciting to discover. Even students who typically do not participate took leader roles in this activity.
     Students also interact well with technology. During the same lesson, students identified landforms and put together processes in order to recognize the types of destructive and constructive forces that shape our landforms. Student participation improved and attention was focused on the interactive lesson rather than fiddling with desks, sharpening pencils, bathroom trips, etc. I wonder what makes technology and hands-on activities so appealing to students in comparison to reading material?  Students interact with the world daily as well as encounter technology in our ever-changing world, so why would these things motivate students above the traditional method? How can we find ways to keep this motivation throughout the school day without always having a large project or interactive?
     However, I do realize that the activity mentioned  was mainly used to reinforce an idea rather than to teach it directly. I also understand that this is not possible, or even feasible for all aspects of teaching. At some point, very important and valuable information can be found and learned from textbooks and other text sources. This becomes the heart of our teaching because it becomes very time consuming and labor-intensive to set up explorations in every single subject, every single day. I think it is important to find a balance between depending on texts and searching for exploratory and guided discovery. Both have a place in the classroom.
      During my observation with my liaison, we discussed how important it was for students to be able to work independently or in groups without relying on the entire class to read all text orally. However, being in a class of 26 where almost half are recognized as "struggling readers" in a co-teach reading classroom, it becomes important to ensure all students have access to that information even if the text is not on their instructional level. This may bore some students, so I am currently searching for a way to improve my practice where students receive the text read orally as they need during instructional time, but still have a chance to feel confident, successful, and capable of learning, which I know that they all are. 
    

Maybe that's why teachers always save everything...What's important to assess?

     Throughout the course of the day, I feel that I am constantly assessing my students. I am always observing and listening in to what my students have to say to each other or to another teacher/myself. It's like an overload of information. To me, I become overwhelmed at what to assess and how to go about getting information explained/shown. Often times, I feel like I need to have students show their learning in a way that I can then show someone else, such as my mentor teacher, coordinator, liaison, or small group coordinator.

     Because of the position I'm in within the program, I feel that I must document everything and therefore I try to keep a paper record of all students learning. However, once I stop and think about how I assess my students, it becomes clear that I don't need to have them write everything down. Sometimes, a very useful and appropriate form of assessment cause be verbal through informal discussion or in groups. The biggest thing for me to realize is that "IT'S OKAY to show learning that way!"

     While teaching science and social studies for the last five weeks, I've had students complete journal activities, creative projects, presentations, and teacher made tests. I feel that it is important to see how each student best demonstrates their knowledge and then play upon those strengths to then build their knowledge in other areas. For example, I know that some of my students are very creative, so I let them demonstrate their learning in creative ways, such as drawing or artistic expressions. There are also students who love writing, so I have incorporated speeches, brochures, poems, and letters.

     I think it's best to work with the students, and not all forms of assessments have to be used. There is a time and place for different types of assessment. It really depends on what you are trying to assess and the learning goals that you have set for your students. The biggest thing that I've noticed so far is that assessment of my students shows me that they have accomplished the learning goals that I have set for them, and it doesn't always mean that those moments have to be captured and stored to share. Maybe that's why teachers always save everything...

Week 6- All about distractions

     Classroom interruptions unfortunately happen. Even more unfortunate is that they can occur more often when many of the students in your classroom are easily distracted. This not only can disrupt the learning of the student distracted, but also other students within the classroom who need to concentrate or listen to directions, peers, etc. I often wonder how students do learn with so many interruptions throughout the course of the day. Even something as small as an intercom message can completely disrupt the flow of the lesson and it's important to be able to pull attention back to the lesson.
     Sadly, a couple of my students are interrupting the classroom enough so the lesson needs to be completely stopped. This can mean students move physical locations within the room or even move to a new location within the school so the situation can be handled in the best way for the student. Those students who depend on schedules and the same routine everyday often find it difficult to continue working in a new setting. Even looking back at myself in elementary school, I know that I, too, did not like changes in routine. If it did occur, I felt that there was something "special" about that school day which meant that my focus did not need to be on the learning, but instead the assembly, field trip, meeting, or event that was occurring.
      Instead of dwelling over the change in events, it is always important to have back-up plans and be flexible enough to accept that just because the lesson did not begin or finish that day does not mean that the day is ruined. Instead, use this teachable moment to practice being flexible and encourage students to remain positive and as focused as possible during the occurrence. Instead of jumping right back in, give a direction that is small in nature to get them back and focused. If certain students are struggling to refocus, try nonverbal clues to let them know what you expect without calling attention of others.
     Also, it is important to try to eliminate as many distractions as possible, such as pencil sharpening or bathroom breaks. Currently, we have a bin that contains sharpened pencils for students to pick up if theirs becomes dull. This eliminates the noise of a pencil sharpener going off during instruction or quiet work time. One issue that I would like to work on within my current classroom is to regulate bathroom/drink trips so students did not use them as avoidance behaviors. Students now are constantly in and out of the room and it becomes very aggravating to myself and my mentor teacher because they ask during instruction and at staggered times. You feel really mean and crummy to tell them no because it's possible that they can't hold it but you never know who is using the excuse and who is being serious. Overall, distractions are something that is always going to be present in the classroom, but more exposure to these distractions can help us plan better ways to both avoid and handle the situations when they occur.

Week Five-The Week of Substitutes

     This week has consisted of a lot of substitutes. Our teachers are out for PLC or Professional Development, so there are many substitutes in our building. I always appreciate having a substitute that I know has been at the school before, known the procedures, and can not be "duped" by the students who try to trick them. Often times, it takes multiple encounters with students to know what they're really like and how to best meet their needs.
     So, what is it, then, that whenever there's a substitute, no matter whether it's someone from related arts or an outside person as a substitute, do students make poor choices and consequently, show poor behavior to the guest teacher and peers? Last semester, the students I had always were off balanced when we had a guest teacher. They would do things they knew were inappropriate. But why? To see what's it's like to actually do them? To see how far they could go without being made to stop? And how, exactly, are you supposed to stop them?
     In no way should a teacher ever touch or grab a student, which is understandable. So how could you get a student, who is completely and totally defiant, to listen to you? Substitutes, and even myself in the current situation, often feel inferior or a "bad teacher" if you need to call for help. To me, that means that I am unable to control the classroom that was left to me, and need someone else with more authority to do it for me. How do you, the substitute, intern, or other guest in the classroom demand respect from the students?
     I really do believe that all students can learn, but that it all depends on how to make that information available to them. Is it then, that substitutes or guests, do not know the culture of the classroom, or the way things are "usually" ran, so they do not expect as much as of students because they are not familiar with what they are capable of? What about the students who are special needs and need routine? Wouldn't this change or normal plan disrupt their potential learning? I believe it does. I've noticed that when things are out of order or not the "norm" of the classroom, students become easily distracted and even anxious about the change.
     In this way, I can see how some students do react poorly. I now see the importance of the "sub binders" that give guest teachers the "lay of the land" so that the day may go smoothly. It is also important that when at a school, you know who to contact for help. Just because you ask for help, doesn't mean that we are "bad teachers", it just means it can serve as a time for us to learn. One thing I've learned in order to ease my fears about "What Should I Do" scenarios that could occur in the classroom, ask a colleague or administrator. This not only alleviates any worry, but it also makes you more aware of what to do in new situations.

Week 4- My "first" assessment dos and don'ts

     Today I gave my first assessment in the fifth grade! It was a big moment so I thought I should share while I had it fresh on my mind. I remember reading that teachers should try to make as much feedback as possible positive. Because of this, I made sure I commented at least one good thing that a student did on every single paper. Instead of saying "This is wrong", I decided to ask questions about their answer so I could better understand it, rather than just saying "No, ____is the answer". I hope my students will receive this in a positive way so they know that I want to help them learn rather than just expecting them to regurgitate answers.
     The assessment was for chapter four in our science unit about ecosystems, population, and communities which included biomes as well as the food chains/webs. I decided to include part of my assessment from the text since students are so used to textbook assessments. This part of the "test" was all vocabulary based. It did include a picture where students had to identify three nonliving things within the ecosystems. Most students chose things like the sun, dirt, rocks, water, etc. while others wanted to include the plant life that was in the picture. I wonder if I misled them when talking about living and non-living things within an ecosystem. Maybe I wasn't clear enough that although plants do not have "body" parts, they are considered living things.
     The second page I created myself. Eight of my students needed modifications made to their test. All students were given a word bank, which I was debating over. All of the words were only used once and only the words on the sheet were given. I expected students, especially those without special needs to easily match these terms. If students missed a majority of the problems, they typically missed the matching vocabulary. I wonder what I could do differently so my students do know and own the vocabulary. This is part of what I want to work on in my action research during literacy stations.
     For my eight students, they had two open-ended questions relating to a map, where as the general education students had 3 open ended questions that asked not only to give an answer, but to explain why or how they know that. Many students wrote one part but did not answer why or how. I think this may be because students are often not asked to explain why they think what they think, but it is such a critical part of the learning process. This is definitely an aspect that I would like to continue with during my assessment techniques.
     I did have multiple 100's on the test and 9 that scored 90 or above and 8 that scored in the 80s. The lowest score was an 27%. For those students who did poorly, I contemplated giving their tests back and letting them fix their own mistakes. I wonder if students who do get the opportunity to fix mistakes would remember it more than those who do not get the opportunity. Is it fair to those students who did study? Some students misinterpreted the graph (i.e. they gave me the months where the temperatures were the same for each city). I definitely want to make sure I'm following all IEP regulations that are given for my students, and I know that means if certain students score below a set score they may retake it.
     Ideally, I would like to have more authentic assessments that students do throughout the chapter. However, I feel like with this group it is such a struggle just to read the text that it's almost impossible to then further divide a set amount of time into projects during each chapter. Perhaps I need to work on finding a balance...until next time...