Performance in the classroom

I just wanted to comment on today's class. We were talking about a lesson can differ each year or even each class. I do agree with Dr. Luongo about how the environment can affect a student. I know when I was sitting in class and it was so hot, I just couldn't wait to get out of there. I wouldn't pay attention as good as I would have if I was comfortable in the classroom. Also, the lighting can affect students because if it is a little dark students will start to get sleepy, but if its too bright it might cause headaches and cause students not to pay attention.
I also think that the time of day affects a student. When I was doing my student teaching I had three classes, one at 8, one at 9:30, and one at 12:30. Each class was a little different. My first class was an honors algebra 1, the second was pre-algebra, and the third was accelerated algebra 1. So my first and last classes would eventually be learning the same material but one lesson would go better in one class rather than the other. My first class never talked, it seemed like they were still sleeping when they came to my class. It was so hard to get volunteers. My second class was very antsy because lunch was right after class. So they would start off quiet but halfway through the class they would get very loud. I learned I couldn't start to begin the next section if I had 15 minutes left because no one would pay attention, they were to worried about getting to lunch on time. Finally, my last class was right after lunch so they were all very hyper. They would come into class laughing, joking around, and non-stop talking. But they were probably the ones that wanted to learn the most because they had the energy. They were always asking questions and volunteering. Maybe that was just because they needed to get up and talk!
I just think every class will be different because of the weather outside, the atmosphere in the classroom, and the time of day you have that class. Each thing has a different impact on the students performance in the classroom and every teacher needs to be aware of this. Just because your lesson doesn't go well in one class it may in another.

Reflection

I am still a little unsure how much I really like the blog. I like the fact that we can just write whatever is on our minds and whenever we want to. But the one thing I did not like was writing two every week. I know that's not a lot but for me it was because I would forget and then have to catch up and that was kind of hard. Also I was having trouble coming up with ideas to write about. If someone told me write this in your blog it would have been a little easier for me, but I know that wasn't the point.
I don't know if I will use the blog in my classroom because I think it would be kind of tough in a math class. I could just introduce it to them and have it optional for them to write what is on their minds about school. I did like reading and watching different articles and videos of educational topics.
I do think the blog would be very beneficial in an English or Social Studies class. You could do projects, or just have students write their feelings towards a certain subject they are learning in class. It is just really hard for me to incorporate this with math. I did enjoy learning about this during the semester. I thought it was a great idea to do in this particular class.

Graduating

I can not believe that its already the end of my college years! The past four years have gone by so fast, especially this year! I can not even explain how much fun I have had. I know that this is not the most exciting school here but I have met the best friends ever and I loved being so close to the city.
I can't believe that I have to go into the real world so soon. I hope that I am ready to be a good math teacher. Actually, I really hope I can get a job first! I know that I am confident and comfortable to be a teacher. All my teachers here have made me feel like I am ready to start my career. I am very excited about graduating but also very sad. I am going to miss all my roommates, teammates, and classmates! I know everyone is probably excited and can't wait to graduate, but make sure you make the most of your time here! I can't believe I am graduating so soon!!!!!!

Grading Policies

I had to read this article for my class and I thought it was a intriguing. It was about giving out zeros as a grade? We have to start thinking about the way we want to grade our students. That is one thing I do not think we cover enough of in our classes for education. Grading is very important and we need to learn what kind of teacher we want to be. Are you going to be the teacher that only gives grades based on class participation? Are you going to be the teacher that only has a few tests and based on the grades you get is your overall grade? Are you going to be the teacher that has many tests, quizzes, homework's, participation and uses all these to grade your student? Or are you going to be the teacher that does not believe in grades?

This article gave many good reasons why teachers should not give students zeros because they missed class, turned in an assignment late, or turned in an incomplete assignment. I agree with the article. Grades are suppose to represent how much and how well the students understand and learned the material. A test, paper or project shows the teacher, parent and student their academic performances. Giving a student a zero does not measure how much a student has learned. It also can discourage them from recieving a higher grade in that class because once they get a zero it will be very hard to get all high grades. Some students may think its an easy way out. If they don't do their work and still get some kind of grade on it they won't care.

The article made a good suggestion about giving zeros. The article has the students if they do not finish their work or do not do it at all or missed class they will have to make it up after school or on Saturdays. This will allow the teacher to measure how much a student actually learned in class rather than just giving them a zero and saying they didn't learn anything. I think this is fair because it won't ruin a student's grade just because an assignment is late and it makes the student's do their work.

I hate them teachers that use grades as a punishment. Especially in College with the absences. For example we are allowed six absences on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Thursdays, and some teachers may tell their students if they miss more they will lower their grade. I also hate them teachers that use grades against behavioral problems. I do not think this is fair at all to students. I think grades are suppose to help the students see how much they really learned and understand in their class. Read this article and what do you think about grading policies?

I am sorry but for some reason I can not get the website on here right now. I am going to see where my teacher got this article so I can post it. As soon as I get it I will post it.

Micro Teaching

After teaching on Tuesday, I felt very comfortable and confident that I will be a good teacher. I actually taught twice this week and every time I teach I feel like I am getting better. I really liked the way Dr. Luongo made the class more classlike with the behavorial problems. That is one thing that is hard to teach in a classroom. You really need to experience the problems as a teacher to understand what you should do. I really do think these micro teachings we do in class will help us in the future with teaching. The more practice you get the better you will become and I think that is the key for becoming a good teacher.
People think that teaching is easy but they have no idea how much work is put into being a teacher. You have to do so much work for just one lesson plan. I am not talking about a formal lesson plan, I am talking about one actual lesson. You have to know what you are going to teach, so you kind of have to learn it again before you can teach it. Then you have to plan how you are going to reach the students, what major points you will teach them, make worksheets and homework's. There is so much going into one lesson that no one really knows about. Teaching is not as easy as it looks or people say. You probably have noticed that is a lot of work by doing this micro teachings, or getting a unit ready. It takes a lot of time planning what you want to do. Then you may not be happy with your lesson after you teach it so you have to make changes. Even teaching these 15 minute lessons you have to put a lot of thought and organization behind it. Teaching is definitely a lot of work, but I will say I like doing this kind of work.

"A Different Kind of Student Exam"

I was reading this article and found it very interesting. It was about school districts who require Breathalyzer tests before entering the school for a prom or activity. Students in this article do not believe this is fair. They think it violates their privacy. I do not think it violates a students privacy. I can understand that the school districts want to watch the safety of their students. So many students are starting to drink at such a young age and schools really have to try to reduce this problem. And if giving Breathalyzer tests to students to reduce this problem then they should be able to do it.
Breathalyzer tests are not the only thing that is getting students into trouble. MySpace pictures are also a threat for underage students. If athletes have pictures of them drinking and they are underage they can be suspended from the team, and school. I know this was a major issue when I came to school especially when Facebook became popular. Its not even just underage drinking, but you are not allowed to be drinking during your season and if you get caught in pictures you can be suspended.
Read this article, it is very interesting. Give your thoughts about the Breathalyzer tests, and the pictures online. Do you think it is fair? Or do you think whatever you do outside of school is your own business and schools shouldn't interfere?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/30breathalyzerct.html?ref=education

Engineering

Last week in my education class we had a guest speaker about engineering. I thought it was very interesting because she was talking about incorporating engineering in classes. Many people do not think of going into engineering. Only 15% of Americans go into engineering, which i thought was very interesting. Engineers need background in math and science, so in school we should be introducing engineering in these subjects. We did an activity that could have been done in all grade levels. We had to make folders with construction paper, rulers, staples, and a piece of white paper. We had to make as many as we can in five minutes. We then realized it would be easier to make more folders if we worked together in an assembly line. This turned out to be true. This was to show how engineers are always thinking of different ways to improve their process.
After we did our activity we talked about how to incorporate this activity into a math class. This was good for me because I want to be a math teacher and I could definitely use this activity. It was good for learning measurement, finding your rate in a certain amount of time, or even graphing. But it also shows how math is used in everyday situations. I know my class had so much fun with it and we are in college so just imagine middle school or high school students. Hopefully, if I could connect this in my class students would want to look into engineering in their future.

Teachers

Today when I was in my philosophy class my teacher made a very interesting comment. He said even though he was a professor he would not be able to last two weeks as a high school teacher. The other students laughed and asked why. His answer was that being a teacher is a lot of work and he doesn't think he would be able to handle all the work they put in. I thought about this because so many people thinking teachers have it so easy. They always ask what is so hard about being a teacher when you have off summers and holidays. Teachers work so hard to prepare for classes the next day. Sometimes you will be up all night trying to put a lesson together or grade tests/papers. I wish people would understand how much work we are going to put in. I know this profession is not a high paying job, but it should be with all the work we will be doing.
While my teacher was talking about how much work a high school teacher has, he was also saying how much he admires high school teachers. Even though he doesn't think he could do it, he thinks its amazing that we can. We are making a difference in student's lives and it makes me so happy to become a teacher. This is definitely the most rewarding profession I think.
Last class we were talking about our dreams when we were little. I used to want to be a dolphin trainer, but I also wanted to become a teacher. I only wanted to be a trainer because I love dolphins and I thought it would make people happy watching me. But as I got older, I would take home my books at the end of the school year and I would pretend to be a teacher and my brothers were my students. I loved it and I loved helping them with their homework. Especially when they would do good on a test and I helped them. It is the best feeling in the world. I am so happy I chose this profession. I am excited to teach and help students!

Lesson Plans

I was just writing a lesson plan for another education class, and I was just thinking how detailed we make our lesson plans. I know that since I was in Aims I always learned to have every single detail in our lesson from the NJCCCS, materials, procedures, to the assessment. But all I have heard and even experienced, the public schools do not require such detailed lesson plans. I don't know about every school, but just schools I have been to and my friends have experienced. For example, while I was student teaching I asked my cooperating teacher how her lesson plan is set up, and how often she has to turn it in. For that school, each teacher is required to turn in one lesson plan for each month. On the lesson plan they just have to address the NJCCCS and what chapters they hope to cover. They also have to write the accomadations, and for their assessment they usually just write a quiz, and test for each section or chapter. It was nothing like what we had to write. I just thought that was really interesting.
Also, while I was student teaching Saint Peter's expects a lesson plan for each day, but that is also not a formal lesson plan they expect. They just wanted the topic, standards, procedure, and assessment, but this could all be written by hand. It didn't have to have a certain format. And I never had to show my cooperating teacher my lesson plan I wrote. We would go over the lesson the day before, but she did not need me to hand it to her. The principal didn't even look at any of my lesson plans. I am mentioning this because my roommate is student teaching now and she is basically taking over the class now and her school expects her to turn in a formal lesson plan for everyday. She has to show her cooperating teacher and give it to the principal, but this is a private school. I guess there is just different expectations when it comes to lesson plans for each school. So I would advise everyone to know their schools lesson plan formats when they go into student teaching. You do not want to get caught with no lesson plans and that principal is expecting them each week. You have to be on top of what that school wants.

Ok, so I was in class today and we were asked to do a few problems and raise our hands when we are done. It made me think of what we discussed in class yesterday about raising hands when you are done. I felt like I was pressured to finish my assignment fast and if I wasn't done and raising my hand the other students would have just stared at me waiting. I did not like this at all! I like the idea that you do something subtle so that you are not noticed if you did not finish.
It made me think about the way I would assess my class. I would not make them raise their hands I would probably do something like thumbs up, or cross your legs. Because I think that even when a teacher says when your done raise your hand, some students may not even finish their assignment and just raise their hands because everyone else is already done. They might just rush through it and not understand it because they don't want to be the last one. I do not think this is good. But doing something subtle would be better. I just thought I would tell you about my experience with it today and how I did not feel comfortable at all!

Make a Difference

The video we saw in class today got me thinking. Teachers are not there just to throw out the facts and make you memorize the material, teachers are here to help make a difference. The video shows us that as teachers we have to really know our students. We shouldn't favor anyone but sometimes we will have to give more attention to that student.
In my other education class, we just had a discussion on teachers getting to know their students the first week of class. Teachers should give surveys out or do something to see what interests the students. This is good because it gives the teacher an idea of the students personalities and that could affect how you teach. You can make your lesson around the students interests and maybe they would be more excited to learn. They also will realize that you do care about what they like.
At the end of the movie it shows that the teacher made such an impact on the students life just for paying attention to him. You could make an impact on a student but never even know you did until years later if he/she comes back to you. My middle school math teacher made an impact on me. She was the reason why I went for teaching math. If I needed help I knew I could go back to her. She didn't realize that she made a difference in my life until my senior year of high school when I told her. Teachers make differences.

Lock Down

Yesterday was one interesting day for Saint Peter's College. At first I thought a friend of mine was joking around about the lock down because he got a text message. I guess I should have read my email from campus safety to put my phone number on their list to get these kinds of text messages. I honestly did not even know that they did this. But anyway, my friend got this message but my teacher had no idea what was going on. Then I just thought it was another threat like last year where we had to go outside. That was the one thing that kept bothering me, that if it was a bomb threat why weren't we leaving the buildings. I realized then it must be something more. That's when I started to worry a little. I felt a little better knowing that the police were there and our school was taking such high precaution. I am actually happy it took a long time before we could go back to our rooms! It just amazes me what people are thinking when they make these threats. Why? I just don't understand how much anger someone has to do this. At least we are all safe now.
It never really hit me that this could happen to me or my school until now!! When I was student teaching we would have lock down drills, or evacuation drills to help the students incase something like this ever happened to them. You just never know.

Reducing the size of the classroom

I was just reading an article about classroom sizes. I thought it was kind of interesting because I think it is true that the size of the class can benefit the students. The NEA is trying to reduce the classroom size to make it a 15 to 1 ratio. I think 15 students in a classroom is better than having 25 because the smaller the classroom, the more students you will be able to reach.
As a teacher, you can spend more time with each student. The article also mentions that smaller classroom is better disciplined, and the students will learn more. I think that is why I wanted to go to a small college. I never liked the idea of being just another number in a class. I like the fact the the teachers here know their students. I also think that in a large classroom, students will try to hide from answering questions because they know it is hard for the teacher to call on every student if there is so many of them. A smaller classroom with be better for more interaction. I just thought this was interesting topic, and I believe that samller classroom is better for the education of our students.





http://www.nea.org/classsize/index.html

Assessments in the classroom

When I think of assessments I think of tests. Personally, I hate tests. I am definitely not a good test taker. I think tests are scary, and when I go to take one like the SAT or even the Praxis I blank out. As a future teacher, I want to try different ways of assessment because I know that a test can not prove everything you really know. Yes, I do believe to give a test at the end of a chapter, but it shouldn't be the only way to evaulate a students knowledge.
There are students who are great test takers, but do not understand the material. Then those who could tell you all the material before you go into the test, and then don't do well. I think there should be different assessements such as group work, activities, quizzes, etc. I would love to learn different techniques in assessments instead of just tests. Because most of the time students will take a test, but as soon as the test is over they forget everything, I am very used to that! We need to do things in the classroom for students to remember for years. Like I said in class, to learn the Preamble of the constitution our class had to make up a song and dance. This really helped me learn and remember.

Generations

In one of my education classes we looked at video on youtube. It was sort of like the video we watched about technology, but this video shows the diversity of America. I thought it was very interesting because I did not realize how much our world is changing. We as the future teachers need to know that we can not teach the same for every generation. Even today, I think that the curriculum and the expectations are different than when I was in elementray or middle school. The students are learning so much more at a younger age and the classrooms are more multicultural and this will continue.
Kids these days are smarter because they have the technology all around them to learn. Children TV shows are helping them learn at such a young age that when they go to school they are ready for more. So the curriculm now has to change and instead of learning just 1 plus 2 equals 3, the students will be learning that 2 is greater than 1. I know that even some of the work being done in middle schools today, I didn't learn until I was in high school, and that wasn't too long ago.
Take a look at this video. It is very intersting, and it makes you think about the education around the world. More and more new information is being developed everyday and as teachers we need to make sure our students will be ready for anything when they go into the real world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

Technology in the classroom

After our discussion in Tuesday's class about the use of technology in a classroom, it made me think of reasons why it would be beneficial. I am not that good with computers, but I can get by. The kids today know so much more about computers and its also interesting to them. Kids need to be intersted in learning and I think that using technology that they know will make them want to learn more.
As I did my student teaching last semester, I saw that using any kind of technology the students would get very excited and interested in my lesson. In the beginning of my student teaching I used mostly the overhead, and also the graphing calculator. Towards the end of the semester we got a smartboard in the classroom and I was able to use that in my lessons. The students were jumping out of their seats if I asked if someone could come to the board to show their work. They loved it. The smartboard is benefical because its very interactive. If a student did not understand a certain concept we were able to go to the internet, play games, or other activities. It is a great technology. Even though it is new the students were able to help my cooperating teacher and I set up the smartboard with the computer, and I thought that was great.
I think that using technology in a lesson is a great way to keep the students interested and having fun. Because they know they are not allowed to have their ipods and cell phones in class, and I think that if we did use that in our lesson they would get very excited. Hey, maybe they know things you can do with a cell phone or ipod that we don't know that could be very useful. Everyone learns something new everyday, and I think it is time for us teachers to learn more about using technology in a lesson.