Month Two
Time is going insanely quickly and I have a feeling that it is going to keep going even quicker! February has been a great month, and I have learned so much throughout this month. We have discussed edTPA, started our experience at Washington Elementary, and got our clinical placements for the semester! I have learned so much throughout this month and I am so excited for the months to come. Next month the education department is going to D.C (SO EXCITED!!) and also we have spring and easter break! Time is going to keep flying by, and it is so crazy to think that in a year I will be student teaching! I am so excited and so ready for this journey!
Washington Elementary
This month we started our experience at Washington Elementary! During this experience, we are able to go to this school and help out within a classroom. I am in a first-grade classroom and I love my classroom as well as my teacher! I go to the school on both Monday and Tuesday morning and I am able to really connect with the students during this experience. On Monday, I am able to lead a group during WIN (What I Need) time. During this time, I am able to lead a group through a math lesson that the teacher has planned. So far, it has been dealing with knowing what a group of ten is and knowing the difference between tens place and ones place. This has been very eye opening to be able to help those individual students that are struggling with a specific topic. For my outside learning I read an article from Vanderbilt University and Cynthia Brame said, "The small groups are essential to this process because students are able to both be heard and to hear their peers, while in a traditional classroom setting students may spend more time listening to what the instructor says" (Brame). This shows how important this time is! On Tuesday, I am able to be a part of guided reading groups. This is another time where the students are grouped based off of ability and they are able to participate in different events. This is something that is crucial within the classroom! These students need to be able to interact and learn with students that are in the same ability as they are, this way they are reading a passage that is on the same level as everyone in the group. I love being able to see how these groups work and see how each individual student is able to do something that fits their needs. I love my experience at Washington and I am so excited to continue to learn throughout this experience.
edTPA
During our class time this semester, we have been discussing in detail the requirements of edTPA. These conversations have been great! I love learning about the requirements that we are going to have to pass while we are student teaching. I think this is something that is SO important because we are required to do this by NC and we have to pass! I am happy to be learning and going more in-depth to each individual rubric and knowing how to get a 5 on each rubric! I think this is something that is beneficial that all incoming teachers are required to do this. I think it is important for us to formulate our thoughts into words and how to fully be able to understand why we are teaching what we are teaching. I think this deals with NCTCS 2, and I think it can go in depth to each individual substandard in NCTCS 2. I think the purpose of this is to make sure we are teaching to meet the needs of all individual students. It is important to know how to meet each and every need of the students and that I am teaching in a way that does meet this need. Each individual student is different and each individual student struggles with different skills. As a teacher, I am going to have to meet all of these individual needs within the classroom.
Future Classroom
In my future classroom, I want to take advantage of guided reading groups and have the ability to do WIN time with my students. This is a time that each student's needs are being met and they are able to do work that is on their individual level. I also want to make sure that I am meeting the needs of all of my students. I want to make sure that every student knows that they are important and that their needs are important. I want all of my students to feel welcomed into my future classroom. During student teaching, I am going to make sure that I am aware of all of these needs so I can meet every individual need of all of my students. I am going to be aware of why I am teaching what I am teaching and have the ability to formulate that into words. I am so excited for the future and what I am going to be learning throughout the semester!
Works Cited:
Brame, C.J. and Biel, R. (2015). Setting up and facilitating group work:
Using cooperative learning groups effectively. Retrieved [todaysdate] from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/setting-up-and-facilitating-group-work-using-cooperative-learning-groups-effectively/.
Using cooperative learning groups effectively. Retrieved [todaysdate] from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/setting-up-and-facilitating-group-work-using-cooperative-learning-groups-effectively/.
Bailey,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you in the fact that it is unreal how this semester is flying by. Which makes our time in the schools so crucial. I loved hearing about what you do in your classroom and Washington. I do similar thing but it is nice to hear the variation from teacher to teacher in the 1st grade. I too agree the our conversations about edTPA have been very helpful and useful as we soon approach student teaching. I think having a WIN time in your future classroom is a great idea. I have actually thought of that myself!
I agree Bailey, time is flying by this semester! Maybe it is because we are staying so busy. Before we know it this semester will be behind us and we will be reflecting on all of our clinical experiences. I think it is great you help groups of students during WIN time. That is a neat way to set aside time for what students need. I think that would be something we can use in our future classrooms to make sure each student is able to work on something they need to improve on. Great post!
ReplyDeleteBailey,
ReplyDeleteThis semester really is absolutely flying by! I feel like it just began and we are already nearly on Spring Break! Experiencing guided reading groups is such a wonderful experience for you! It is a great opportunity to see how teachers must modify their instruction to meet various needs in the classroom. I am so glad to hear that you plan to use guided reading groups in your future classroom. I have always heard success stories of students having their "Aha!" moments and really getting the help they need. I also LOVE that you used the phrase "why we are teaching and what we are teaching" to explain what we are doing through EdTPA. It really does push us to think deeper about the what, discover the why, and explain the how. I am glad your experiences are teaching you a lot so far! It's great to hear everything you are doing and learning! Enjoy your break! :)
Bailey,
ReplyDeleteI can't begin to tell you how bittersweet my experience this semester has been. More specifically, the overwhelming demands of edtpa are driving me insane. It seems like the deeper we dive into the topic, the more confused I get. Fortunately, my clinical educator is nationally board certified in literacy and seems very confident about my student teaching experience under her supervision. This semester is flying by. I just keep telling myself that we are more than halfway to the end. I love the fact that Washington Elementary has the WIN program. The acronym is very catchy! Small group instruction is indeed phenomenal. It is the most effective approach to teaching. It provides students with a more individualized approach to instruction.
Bailey,
ReplyDeleteYes, this month was a very full month. I am very proud of the connections you have made! Keep this mindset as you move into the final phase of teacher education. I applaud your efforts for using the experience at WES to plan for things you want to have in your future classroom - Keep on observing guided reading techniques so you can be ready to have this time be effective for students every day.