Science Methods: Blog #3

Reflection

Throughout this week, I have worked on my edTPA learning segment for Science Methods. I am proud of finishing this learning segment and working with my CE to create a hands on activity that the students will be able to participate in while learning. I have struggled with formalizing what I am doing with the students into words and really explaining everything that I am supposed to within my lesson plans. To fix this struggle, I have been writing what I am going to be doing and saying throughout the lesson plans. What brought me the most satisfaction out of the month is working on the edTPA lesson and finishing this. It is a big component of this class, and I am one more step closer to finishing it! I now have to teach this learning segment. My action step to complete over the next week/month is to teach my learning segment and start working on the edTPA task 1, task 2, and task 3. This will allow me to finish this learning experience before Thanksgiving. 

Tweets

This tweet deals with how students can use identify different bacteria (candy) and then eat them! This is a fun activity that you can do around halloween with the upper grade levels.

This tweet is discussing a task that you can give students around halloween that requires the students to create the tallest and most effective scarecrow. This requires the students to brainstorm and interact together as a team to create their scarecrow. This is a good STEM activity that can also be used to teach durability and strength of materials. 

This tweet is a link to an article that discusses the edTPA helpful tips and guidance when dealing with analyzing student performance and how you can do this correctly.

Outside Research

For my outside research, I looked into teaching science effectively and principles that can be incorprated while teaching science effectively. One of my favorite from this article was discussing how you have to remove the misconceptions in order to fully teach the lesson. I think this is something that can be used not only in science, but in every other subject. Students need to get their misconceptions solved and corrected before the lesson starts.

Current Event

One current event that not many people may know about is the fact of this new robot has been created that can change its shape/body depending on the task at hand. This is something that has huge measure within the science environment. This shows that science and engineering practices are constantly changing and improving and even in our classroom, these things are going to have a huge affect on our students and our future classrooms.  In NCTCS 4d states, " Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction." This is something that is going to be very crucial within our future classroom and within our science instruction. This is what I learned about the NCTCS and this can affect my future classroom becase technology is constantly changing and as teachers we have to be aware of the new technology and how to incorporate this new technology within my future classroom.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/robot-autonomous-transform-shape-shift-modules

435 Blog Post 3

Learning Experiences 

Since the last blog, I have officially taught my edTPA learning segment and done my "mock edTPA"! I loved having the ability to have a peer reviewer and have the chance to read my partner's work and make corrections and for them to do that for me. I think that was the most beneficial part of the whole process because I got to see a point of view that I was not thinking about. The more practice I have with edTPA the more comfortable I am going to be with edTPA. I think this is so important, especially when we are going to be doing the real edTPA next semester! edTPA is all about explaining why you are doing the things that you are doing while you teach. It really makes you formulate into words what is happening within the classroom. edTPA encompasses so many NCTCS. Especially NCTCS 1, NCTCS 2, as well as NCTCS 4. All of these are about leading within the classroom, establishing a good/respectful learning environment, as well as reflecting on your teaching. These are all things that are encompassed within edTPA. 

Outside Research 

For my outside research this week, I looked up helpful edTPA hints. These hints can help us be successful while doing edTPA and doing these mock trials. I think all of these are important that could be helpful within our future classroom. 

https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/07/29/ctq_jette_edtpa.html

Future Classroom

In my future classroom, I am not going to be doing edTPA and I am not going to be focused on making a certain score at the end of the day. One thing that is true though, is that I am going to be focused on the principles of edTPA and what edTPA is addressing. For example, I am going to be aligning everything that I am planning to an assessment as well as reflecting on the work of my students. Taking data and analyzing the data to see what my students actually understood from the lesson. Make sure that I am creating a respectful learning environment for the entire class. I want to make sure that all my students feel respected and loved while they are in my classroom. I may not be fully judged every day like edTPA but I will be keeping myself to a high standard on these specific things every day. 

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Reference Learning 

During these past couple of weeks, I have done a lot of different projects that have been very beneficial to help me understand more about my school and about my own personal teaching. One of these projects was the leadership and collaboration project. Throughout this project, I had the ability to look at my school's NC School Report Card as well as data that can be found through the DPI North Carolina website. For this project, I had to analyze this data that I found and had to create a school improvement plan based off of this data. I was able to collaborate with teachers that are on the school improvement plan team as well as upper administration throughout the school. After looking at the school improvement plan and discussing, I have decided to create a parent night that deals directly with English Language Arts. The school I am placed at struggles with reading more so than struggling with math, therefore, my parent night is going to be focused on reading. Since I am placed in fourth grade, we are going to have an EOG Prep Night dealing specifically with Reading Comprehension. I am going to have the parents learn reading comprehension strategies that can help these students during the EOG. I am going to have a pamphlet with these strategies that the parents will be able to take home with them and continue practicing these strategies with their students before the EOG. This event will take place during parent-teacher conferences and have the ability to be a "session" that the parents will be able to attend. We planned this way so that I will have a larger turn out since parents will already be there for the conferences. Planning a parent night based off of the school report card and school data is directly related to all of NCTCS 2, especially NCTCS 2e which states "Teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in the lives of their students". As teachers, I am going to have to work collaboratively with families and anyone that has influence into the lives of the students. I want to make sure that I am creating a partnership that will be able to help each student prosper within education. I am super excited to actually go through with this parent night during student teaching and to continue to learn from all the teachers around me! 

Outside Learning

For outside learning, I researched a website on how to build a better parent night and how to create an event that is going to truly be successful. This website can be found at https://www.teachingforchange.org/how-to-build-a-better-parent-teacher-night

Future Classroom

In my future classroom, I want to continue to look at my school's data and report card and create parent nights that can be beneficial for all of the students within my classroom for short-term goals but as well as long-term goals. I want to make sure that I am being a leader in my classroom and fully being attentive to the needs of all my students. I want to make sure that I am working with everyone within the school to create a parent night that will be beneficial for all of my students and successfully planned and attented.