Low Performing Schools and Models of Integration

EDUC 350

This week in EDUC 350 we discussed low performing schools! This was directly connected to the NC Report Card! We got the opportunity to go and visit a low performing school for the entire day! It was so interesting to see how this school operates compared to other schools. This school was more concerned with growth rather than learning the actual material. 

EDUC410

This week in EDUC410 we discussed the Models of Integration. There are 3 different models of integration. These are the interdisciplinary model, the problem-based model, and the theme-based model. All three of these models affect our students within the classroom. We are hosting 3rd graders on campus soon, and they will be using the problem-based model. This means that they are not only using their problem-solving skills but also using other skills from different subjects to help them. This is something that is so important within education! We have to be using integration every day to make sure we are fitting all the standards into our curriculum throughout the year. This is directly related to NCTCS 3- specifically, teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines. Each teacher needs to know the NC Standard Course of Study and be able to make connections between grades and subjects. This is so important throughout education! 

Outside Research

This week for outside research I found an article that discusses all the different types of integration within the classroom! This was so interesting to see and read about, because there is so many! It is crazy to think about how many different types of integration there actually is. This article specifically dealt with integrated curriculum within the classroom.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103011/chapters/What-Is-Integrated-Curriculum¢.aspx

Future Classroom

In my future classroom, if that is at a low performing school or a performing school, I want to make sure that every single one of my students needs are being met. I think that is something that is so important! My students need to be learning and growing from the previous years. Also, i want to make sure to be using integration within my classroom. 

MTSS & Formative Assessment

EDUC 350

This week in 350, we had a guest speaker! Our guest speaker was Dr. Mitcham! She used to be a special education teacher, but now teaches at a university! She discussed Exceptional Children and MTSS. MTSS is Multi-Teared System of Support.  This is going through multiple tears to teach children that are struggling.   This deals with TIPS (Team Initiated Problem Solving). These are groups and centers that are going to collect and use data to get down to the root of the problem. It was very interesting to see how if a child is still not understanding a topic after the core instruction, the MTSS adds more time with that specific child to see if they will understand the material! I had never heard of these systems, so it was really beneficial for me to learn about this! The one thing that really stuck with me was the quote "When you teach to the heart the mind will follow." I absolutely loved this quote. I think that is something that is so important for us to strive for as teachers. We have to be the one caring for each and every student. We have to be meeting each and every student's need. We have to make sure that we are providing the student with what they need. We are teaching students, not teaching the curriculum. 

For my outside learning this week, I decided to go into more detail from a Sinek Ted Talk about leadership. He explained that majority of the time, most people know what they do, some know how they do it, but barely anyone knows WHY. He explained that successful leaders and organizations all know why they do it. Then work from inside the circle to outside the circle. In education, our why is so important. Every teacher needs to understand WHY we are doing what we are doing. Why we are teaching certain material over other, why we are doing this lesson plan, why teach children in the first place. The why is the most important aspect of a leader, and we are the leader of our future classroom- we have to make sure we know our why.

https://startwithwhy.com

EDUC 410

This week in 410, we discussed formative assessment within the classroom! We discussed how formative assessment should be seamless within the classroom. Our students should not know when we are assessing them. They should feel comfortable in their answers and not nervous about having to know the information. Assessment is a crucial part of our education system. Without assessment, we would not have data. Data is important to make critical decisions about where to go in the future with our lessons. This deals with specifically NCTCS 5: Teachers reflect on their practice, specifically teachers analyze student learning. Taking formative assessment throughout the lesson and day will allow you to analyze student learning. This is something that is so vital to our classroom! If we do not analyze our student's learning, we will never fully know if they are understanding the material or not.

Future Classroom

In my future classroom, I want to make sure that I am teaching to the hearts of my students by fully knowing my why. I want to make sure that every child is being assessed throughout the day, and that my assessment is so seamless that my students do not realize that they are being assessed. I want to make sure that my students know that they are important, and cared for. I want them to know that their needs will be met. I want to make sure my classroom is a safe place for every single student that enters through my door. 

Accountability & Rubrics

EDUC 350

This week in 350 we learned about laws that keep us accountable to every student as teachers. One huge law that governs accountability within the school is IDEA. This is Individual with Disabilities in Education Act. This directly deals with students with disabilities, and how to include them within the classroom. We focused on the LRE during class, which is the least restrictive environment. There are 4 settings for LRE. Step one is inclusion, step two is resource, step three is self-contained, and step four is separate setting. Step one is the least to the most restrictive. Inclusion is when the student is still involved in daily activities. Then separate setting is when the student is in a completely different school that is specialized in handling children with disabilities. This directly deals with NCTCS 2- Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs. Teachers need to make sure that they are meeting the student's needs. That is the biggest thing that I took away from this week. No matter the circumstances or no matter the situation, we as teachers have to strive to meet our student's needs. I think that is so insanely important within our future classroom. 

EDUC 410 

This week in EDUC 410 we discussed how to use rubrics effectively within our classroom. We have to make sure that we are giving our students rubrics so they can effectively know what is being required of them. This also gives the student specific guidelines to follow while doing the project, assignment, or homework. Without a rubric, the student would not have clear guidance and not have concrete evidence of what they were doing wrong. Also, using a rubric allows for the teacher to have less bias while grading. It allows the teacher to double check how they are grading the assignment to make sure that the grading is being consistent throughout all of the assignments/homework. 

I found an article that discusses how when using rubrics teachers need to focus on what was actually taught. Rather than putting things in your rubric that was never taught or learned to the classroom. This article also states that rubrics help with students being able to know what the desired performance is on a specific project or assignment. I believe that both of these are important when dealing with making and assigning rubrics. 

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/112001/chapters/What-Are-Rubrics-and-Why-Are-They-Important¢.aspx

Future Classroom

It is so important within my future classroom to understand the law when it comes to having disabled students. I have to make sure that every single one of my student's needs are being met. No matter what disability, they need to have their needs met. I also want to make sure that I am using clear rubrics for assignments, projects, and any sort of homework. This way my students are aware of what is expected of them and what they are going to be graded on. I also want to make sure that my rubrics still have room for creativity. That my students still have the abiliity to put themselves inthe project and get excited about it. 

C'est La Vie and Assessment

EDUC350

In class this week we played a really neat interesting game! The game was called C'est La Vie and it was a game that gave you preexisting conditions that each individual person could not control. Some examples of this are the money that your family has, or if you are heterosexual or bisexual, or what social group you are in. These are all things that a student can not control; a student can not control if their parents are wealthy or poor. The whole point of the game was to make important decisions that would affect your life for the future. These decisions were easier to make for those in the higher classes that had more money. These families were better off when major life events happened, like a huge illness taking over. The whole point of the game was to survive and get wellness points and avoid debt and sickness. The individual who won the game was someone whose family had a lot of money. 

This game was such an eye-opener! It was so interesting to see how these conditions can really affect a child for the future. Especially when a child has no control over those certain conditions and they can make or break that child's future. This directly connects NCTCS 1 where it says teachers demonstrate leadership. Especially the point where teachers advocate for their students. As a future teacher, I am going to have to make sure that I am advocating for those students who may not come from wealthy families. 

EDUC410

This week in class we discussed what assessment more in-depth. We really looked at students having the opportunity to use self-assessment within the classroom. This way the students are understanding what they can currently do well, what they are not able to do yet, and where to go from there. I think that is something that is so important to remember. This way, the student is invested and apart of the learning process. There is an old quote that states that everyone is their own worst critic. I believe that it is SO true. When the students are explaining what they believe they did wrong, it is an amazing opportunity for the teacher to either agree with the student that they are doing something wrong or give the student praise saying they are actually doing this correctly. This is a great way to make sure that the student and the teacher are on the exact same page. I think this is something that is so crucial in our future classrooms.

For my outside research, I found an article from Edutopia. Within this article, they shared a rubric to give to each individual student that shared with the students the standards, subject matter, and how they believed to be doing in the classroom. I believe that this could be so beneficial within my future classroom! I think that is something that every teacher can utilize. It is a really neat little tool that we can use that can easily show exactly where our students are at within the assignment.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/self-assessment-inspires-learning-lori-desautels

FUTURE CLASSROOM

In my future classroom, I want to make sure that all my students feel comfortable. I do not want my students to feel like they can not be themselves in my classroom. I want to make sure that I am advocating for all of my students. I want each one of my students to have the belief that they can achieve anything in the world that they want to. I do not want my students to feel like they are not going to graduate high school because nobody else in their family has. I also want to make sure that my students are having the opportunity to assess themselves throughout the learning process. I want to make sure that each student understands how to assess themselves and how it can be beneficial to the learning process. I am so excited to continue to dig into assessment and learning more about how diversity can affect our classroom. 

Data Assessment & Poverty In the Classroom

EDUC 350

This week in class we discussed how poverty can have a huge impact on our future classroom. Poverty can hinder the classroom in so many more ways than you originally think. Poverty can affect the classroom by having the students ill prepared for the class. This could be dealing with no pencils, paper, or other classroom materials. This is only just one of the ways poverty can affect our classroom. Another way is if a child's parents do not have the financial way to feed them, the child will not be focused on the schoolwork that is presented in front of them, because they are going to be focused on where their next meal is coming from. Another way is if they are not dressed properly for the weather conditions, the student will be distracted and more concerned about other things. These can all affect how our students are behaving, and understanding the material in class. This can be directly related to NCTCS standard 1- Teachers advocate for their school and students. As teachers, I feel like it is our responsibility to advocate for our students that may need more materials, and other help throughout the school year. We have to take a stand for our students that can not take a stand for themselves. 

In my outside research, I read  an article that discussed how poverty can affect the classroom and what we can do about it. It brought up the issue of vocabulary, and I had not even thought about that being an issue. The article discussed how students are at a huge disadvantage with vocabulary, and that leads them to have a higher risk of academic failure. This is because vocabulary is the brains "tool kit" for learning as the article states. I think this is something that is easily forgotten, but we have to remember that within our classrooms. We have to make sure that we are working with these individuals so they are not left behind and do not feel like they are left behind.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may13/vol70/num08/How-Poverty-Affects-Classroom-Engagement.aspx

EDUC410

This week in our class we discussed data and how it can be used and beneficial in our classroom. Data can come in so many different forms, but it is all so beneficial for our classroom. We use data to assess our students. We also can keep this data for information throughout the year. As teachers, we need to make sure that we are keeping track of our student's growth throughout the year. We need to make sure that our students are actually understanding the material and are growing in their learning throughout the year. Data is so much more than just numbers on a page, we have to use data to be an amazing teacher. We have to be able to take data, record it, and assess it in order to make sure our students are excelling where they should be. This data can be used for multiple things throughout the classroom. It could be used for deciding group center learning, and it could also be used for assessment documentation. The important thing I realized is that data may look different for every teacher, but it is so extremely important to take data and assess the data. After we assess the data we have to make decisions and actions based off of the data. For example, if an entire class missed the section of quotation marks on the test, but got everything else correct. That data is important to realize that I need to go back and reteach quotation marks to my classroom. This is only one way that data can be beneficial. Data directly relates to NCTCS Standard 5, when it states that teachers analyze student learning. We use data to analyze our students learning! I loved learning about this and all the different ways we can use and gather data. 

Future Classroom

In my future classroom, I am going to have to deal with students with poverty and use data within my classroom. I am going to have to make sure I am an advocate for those students who do not have enough, and my be lacking in specific areas. I am going to have to make sure that my students all have the basic needs for success while they are inside of my classroom. Also, I am going to make sure that I am assessing my students and collecting data. This will be beneficial in analyzing my students learning throughout the year. I want to make sure that my students are learning and growing throughout the year. 

Prejudices and Assessment

EDUC350

This week we are discussing the levels of prejudices and how to deal with certain circumstances within our classrooms. I think this is something that is so important, because in our world today there is so many issues within our diverse world. There is issues with prejudices that have been either the norm or passed down within a family that could brought out in our class. In class we got to role play situations and I loved being able to role play certain situations that may come up dealing with prejudices. This was a great way to show NCTCS standard 2, which is teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. Specifically point 2 where it states "teachers embrace diversity in the school and the world." As teachers, we have to make sure that we encourage and embrace diversity within our classroom. Role playing these situations gave us an opportunity to embrace it within our classroom. Everyone has prejudices even if you don't realize it, and as teachers it is something we must be aware of. We have to create a safe learning environment for every single one of our students.

One of my favorite things said during this class was that, "As a teacher you have to have empathy with what is going on with our students." I loved this quote.  Empathy is understanding and sharing someones emotions. With being a teacher, we have to understand and connect with what is going on with our students. For my outside research for the week I wanted to pull a quote from a book I am reading. The book is called "Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek. In the first chapter it discusses how leaders need empathy. It states, "empathy, is the single greatest asset he has to do his job." I think this is something that is so important to realize. Empathy can be the single greatest asset to being a leader. If you really think about that it is crazy because it isn't hard to be empathetic. It is something that can be so simple, but can be a complete game changer for how we are a leader in our classroom! 

EDUC410

This week in EDUC 410 we are going over assessment and the laws that govern assessment. I was unaware that there is so many laws that govern assessment! There are laws at the federal, state, and local level that govern assessment within schools. I really liked hearing other classmates perspectives on assessment and how their experiences on assessment were while they were in school. Every school and state is different on assessment, but it is something that is required to make sure our students are actually retaining the information. This is directly related to Standard 5 point 1- Teachers analyze student learning. This is something that is required of us as teachers, to make sure we are giving our students the best education possible.

Future Classroom

In my future classroom I want to make sure that I show empathy to every single one of my students. I want to make sure that my students and myself leave any prejudices at the door and do not bring them into my classroom. I want to make sure that all my students feel safe in my classroom. Also, I want to make sure that I am following all the laws of assessment for my students. This is going to be at all the local, state, and federal level. I want to make sure that my students are really understanding the material I am teaching them. 

Standards and Classroom Culture

EDUC350

This week in class we focused on creating our classroom mission statement, our goals, and our classroom norms. We went through this process by discussing as a class and then putting our ideas into one. Our mission statement is, "In EDUC350 we will become better educators through immersing ourselves in diverse populations to better meet the needs of our students by creating a sense of community inside and outside the classroom." I love this mission statement. I really like the fact that we will immerse ourselves into diverse populations by creating a sense of community. I think it is so important that my students feel at home and safe to speak and be themselves in the classroom. To create our classroom norms, we all wrote down something that we did not like that our fellow classmate or professors do. After we got through writing down a list of what we did not like, we were asked to turn these negatives into positives. These positive are what our norms came out to be. We expect each other to be respectful and open-minded and to contribute in all classes. One reason that I loved created norms is because Dr. Clark did not force our classroom norms on us. She allowed her students to create their own norms or rules. I love this, because it makes the students feel a sense of pride and commitment to their own norms, because they created them. The students are also more willing to follow and keep their other classmates accountable if they created the norms themselves. An article on scholastic.com states, "Students are more likely to buy into the rules if they have a hand in creating them" (https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/creating-classroom-rules-together/). I absolutely love this quote. It is so much easier to buy into something when you take part in creating it, rather than it being forced upon you. Having classroom rules and a classroom culture go directly with NCTCS 2, which is "Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of learners." Teachers have to make sure that all students feel that they are respected in their classroom, and that they are able to speak without worry about being judged or made fun of. I feel like a big subdivision of this one is that teachers should treat their students as individuals. Every student should be treated this way no matter their background, home life, disabilities, or any other difference they may have. In the future, I want to be like Dr. Clark in my classroom. I want to make sure that my students feel like they are able to have a say in my classroom and that they feel at home. I want to make sure that every students feels like they are just as important as the next, and that they feel a sense of community in my classroom.

EDUC410

In EDUC410 we discussed standards. We have all learned about standards in our previous education classes, but there was so many more that I did not even know about! I had no idea about the ISTE Standards and Standards for Information and Technology! There is also the Common Course of Study that has all the content that the students have to know in each grade. The point of looking through all these standards was to show us how many there are, and let me tell you THERE IS ALOT. To accomplish all these standards in one school year you have to use integration. This is when you combine multiple subjects into one lesson plan.

The rest of the class we spent in grade specific groups and we looked up standards in science, math, social studies, and language arts. We had to start creating a lesson plan that connected the standards of all four of these into one lesson. This was really challenging, but we were able to get it accomplished. It was a really good experience and first practice at how we would be using integration in the classroom. I think it is going to be really hard at first to use integration, but as we use it more and more as educators it will get easier. This directly relates to the NCTCS 3, because it is teachers know the content they teach. A subdivision of this is to know the interconnection between grade levels in the Standard Course of Study. This is something that is going to be so beneficial, because you are able to use your time more wisely.

Future Classroom

In my future classroom I want to make sure that my students are able to feel a sense of community. I also want to make sure that they feel safe and respected within my classroom! I also want to be able to use integration in my classroom. I want to make sure I am using my time wisely and making connections where connections can be made! I can't wait to be able to start using these practices within my classroom soon! 

Culture

YAY for new classes! 

Today was my first day in the class Diverse Populations in 21st Century School! I am so excited for what I am going to learn in this class and how I am going to grow as a person. Today was mostly an introductory day, but we got on the topic of what culture is. To me at first I felt like everyone knew what culture was. I thought that culture could be something that is easily defined and something that mostly everyone truly understood already. Today I learned that culture is SO complex. I learned that it is not something that is can be easily defined and what one person thinks culture is could be completely different than the next person. 

What is culture? 

After about 30 minutes of discussion, our class created a definition of what we believe culture is. Our definition is that culture is the growth/development of human characteristics and social norms through the integration of beliefs, values, and traditions based on place and time, shared by a group of people. I love this definition because it really encompasses what I believe culture is. Culture is going to have a huge influence in any classroom! It is directly related to the NCTCS Standard 2, because in order to create a safe learning environment we have to make sure that every child (and the culture that they have) feels safe to speak out and to engage in activities. Every student will have a different cultural experiences and every child will be different, making my future classroom very diverse. I will have to make sure that every single person feels safe within my classroom! 

Future Classroom

While researching the topic of how culture affects the classroom I found a quote from tolerance.org. The article was about teaching with tolerance. The author stated, "To truly engage students, we must reach out to them in ways that are culturally and linguistically responsive and appropriate, and we must examine the cultural assumptions and stereotypes we bring into the classroom that may hinder interconnectedness" (https://www.tolerance.org/culture-classroom). This quote is so awesome to me! It really resonated with me, because it discusses how teachers have the power to hinder progress of students in the classroom based on our own stereotypes. I think that is something that is huge and something that I never want to happen in my future classroom. I want to make sure that every child feels safe, and that I am doing everything I possibly can to make sure that each student is receiving the best education they can possibly receive.

EDUC 410

In our first day of EDUC 410 (Integration and Assessment) we played tag! Now it was not just any specific game of tag, it was called baby blob! How you played was by having one person as "it" first, and that one person tries to tag someone, and once they tag someone they link arms. This creates a giant "blob" and that blob then goes and tries to tag another person. Everyone the blob tags someone, that person becomes apart of the blob. You do this until you have one person left and they are the baby blob! I thought this was such a fun activity to get started with. Once we were back inside, Dr. Clark asked if could connect anything to that game. I immediately thought of germs, because once one person spreads germs it just continues and spirals till the germs have reached as many people as they can. This was one example of how to use integration in the classroom. Although we were simply being active, during the game we were using teamwork and communication skills. Also, we can connect the game to different subjects like health and discuss germs. I thought this was such a great introduction into integration and assessment! This connects to NCTCS 4 and 5, which are teachers facilitate learning for their students and teachers reflect on their practice. To integrate multiple lessons into one really helps with facilitating learning in the classroom. As well as assessment can be apart of teachers reflecting on their practice. A teacher needs to make sure their teaching style is what is working for their students and they can check that by doing assessment. 

It has only been one day in both classes, and I already have learned so much! I already love being in both of these classes, and they have both been so interesting already! I can not wait to see what else I learn during the semester!