Observation #1

Today I observed my first of four observations of my assigned teacher's class. I arrived at the school at 8am, and stayed for the first period class which lasted 70 minutes. The class I was observing was an ELA inclusion class that consisted of 12 tenth grade students. There was also another teacher present who was there to assist with students who had IEP's. When I arrived I sat down at a desk in the back to blend in the classroom. The class begun with the teacher handing out worksheets that contained sentences that were taken from the novel The Lord of the Flies. Students were told to try to find the meaning of each underlined word by using context clues or a dictionary. I noticed that the teacher explained the directions first to the students, and then did the first question with the students. I thought this was well executed because it allowed students the chance to fully understand what they were being asked to do. The students then took about 15 minutes to finish up the worksheet while one teacher coached students one by one on the sentences. While observing the class, I noticed that student engagement seemed high, which was exciting. Every student seemed to be on task completing their work. I also noticed the room was arranged in a horseshoe shape, which I liked because I was able to view every student in the room’s face, with the exception of the two students sitting in front of me.

            After each student has finished their assignment, the teacher took the time to go over the sentences as a class. She read the sentences out loud one by one, and then asked students to share their answers. I thought this was nice because it gave students a voice, and I noticed that almost the entire class had taken a turn to speak by the time the worksheet review was over. There were a couple of shy students, but the teacher sought them out and had them share their answers just like the rest of the class. This was nice to see because it enabled each student to learn because every student was expected to speak, everyone was required to be alert.

After the worksheet review was finished, the teacher had students read the novel The Lord of the Flies aloud, with each student having a different character to read. This started off well, but then I noticed that only three students had the opportunity to speak at this part of the book. I noticed that during the 20 minute reading session, two students had their hands down on their desk and their books closed. Another student was drawing a picture and had his book away. Other than three students, the class seemed to be engaged in the text. I also noticed that the teacher would stop from time to time and discuss what was being read, and would stop and ask predications before reading a new chapter. This ties into the pre-reading and during reading activities, and this teacher was doing well keeping most students engaged with the text. After finishing up the chapter, the books were closed, and the teacher quickly gave out homework instructions before the bell rang. I think this class over all went smoothly. However I think there is room for improvement with the read aloud assignments because I believe every student should have a line to say during each class in order to stay alert and engaged in the text.

http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200303/ReadingAloud.pdf 

Chpater 5 & 7 Subjects Matter

This week’s reading of Subjects Matter Chapter Five provided many examples on how to implement pre-reading, during reading, and after reading strategies into the classroom. Some of the exercises listed I was already familiar with, but the majority of them were new to me. I was intrigued by all the different strategies, and I could definitely see myself using many of them in my future classroom. Other than the multiple examples provided, one point I took from this chapter is that it is critical to work with students before, while, and after they read in order to help them understand the material. Just assigning students a text without any guidance or discussion is not enough. As teachers, we need to use activities and guided questions to help students make sense of what they are going to read, are reading, or are finished reading.   

            I also found Chapter Seven equally as important in this week’s readings as Chapter Five. In Chapter Seven, Daniels and Zemelman stress the importance of having a community in the school. I highly agree with the idea that the classroom news to be a home to trust, where students can feel comfortable going to their teacher for questions and concerns. It may not sound like much, but I have found in my own experiences that this can determine whether or not I enjoy a class. I remember having teachers in middle and high school where I did not understand something, but I was terrified to ask them for help because if I did they would get mad that I did not understand it the first time. As teachers, we must understand that not every student will understand everything we teach, especially not the first time we teach it. We need to have patient and make sure that students feel comfortable enough to come to us with questions. I think one way of doing this is to encourage students to talk to other students or their teacher if they have any concerns or questions. This is an important part of learning, and as teachers, we should be very understanding of students who may need extra help; part of our job to make sure we are reaching all of our students.   

Importance of Community in a Classroom

Parent Panel

 

Last class (2/24/14) I enjoyed having the opportunity to hear what parents would like to see from their children’s teachers. Going into the education field, I have always had slight anxiety when thinking about the fact that I am required to communicate with parents. I am not saying that I don’t think communicating with parents is important, I am simply saying that I have been nervous about the possibility of my teaching not pleasing parents, or not having parental support in order to help students succeed. Last week’s class helped me to address these repressed fears, and I now feel much more comfortable with the idea of working collaboratively with my students’ parents. The parent panel helped me to realize something that should have been obvious to me, parents simply want what is best for their child, just as I do for my students. I really liked hearing that parents prefer to have a relationship with their child’s teacher, and that they would like to be able to communicate freely with each other. The idea of teachers contacting parents to update them on how their child is doing, whether good or bad, is something that I never had during my years of public school. My parents were never contacted by any of my teachers, simply because I always did my work and I never was in danger of failing a class. Looking back, I believe it would have been beneficial for both my parents and I if my teachers contacted my parents to tell them about my success. I know this would have not only made my parents proud of me, but it also would have made me feel more confident in my work, and allowed me to form a better relationship with my teacher. Being a future educator, this is something I definitely would like to apply to my practice. The idea of calling two parents per day is not an unreasonable request. It also will be beneficial to my practice because it will allow me to gain parental support. If parents know what we are doing in the class, they will be more likely to push their child to complete their work in order to succeed. Although I do believe the negative phone calls are also essential in order to help a student from falling behind before it’s too late, I think the positive phone calls will also be beneficial, and also much easier to make as a teacher. The parent panel was a great experience and I hope to apply all of their advice to my future practice as an educator.

 

I found this article which gives pointers on how teachers and parents can communicate: http://theeducatorsroom.com/2013/01/scripting-a-parent-phone-call-a-skill-all-teachers-need/

 

Central Falls Scavenger Hunt

 

4.      How many schools are in the city?

When doing my scavenger hunt around the city, I was able to locate several schools. Since I use to live in Central Falls, this was fairly simple. In Central Falls there is only one high school, and one middle school named Calcutt. I was surprised to find that what formally was known as Calcutt Too, is now instead a charter school called The Segue Institution for Learning.  Next to Segue is a public elementary school named Veterans Memorial Elementary. There is also several other elementary schools I located around the city, these include; Robertson Elementary, The Learning Community Charter School and the Ella Risk school. The fact that I found six schools for a city that is only one square mile is surprising. This indicates the dense population of the city.

 

6.      Where is the satellite office of one of the oldest Child Welfare agencies in the city?

  This question was one I didn’t know off hand. I did some internet research before going out to do the actually scavenger hunt, and I found that the oldest Child Welfare agency in Central Falls is called Administrative Offices and Family Support Center. It is located on Summer St, which is off of Dexter St and only down the street from the high school.

 

8.      Is there a post office in town?

The post office is located down the street from the high school between Dexter St and Summer St. This was fairly easy to find since I have driven by it every Tuesday since class has started.

 

9.      Is there a fire station? A police station? How are fire emergencies handled? What crime statistics are available for the community?

There is a police station and a fire station and they are located besides on another. They are located on Illinois Ave, between Darling St and Garfield St. When I arrived I went into the police station and asked the officer behind the counter about how fire emergencies are handled. She seemed surprised and just answered by telling me “Residents call 911, and then dispatch is sent out as needed.” When I asked about crime in the community I was told that she didn’t have information available for me. Not really the answers I was expecting, but she seemed irritated by my line of questioning so I did not pry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.  Are there public parks?

Jenks Park is the most visited park in the city. It is located behind the high school and features a small playground, open space and a beautiful clock tower. I visited the park right as it was getting dark out so I was able to see the beautiful lights coming down from the tower.

14. I spoke with a resident about a local newspaper. She graduated from Central Falls High school last year. She informed me that Central Falls does not have a newspaper, but she mentioned that the high school use to have its own paper. I could not find any other information about a local paper but I found that Pawtucket, the next town over, produces its own paper called The Pawtucket Times.

15. One monument in Central Falls that is well known is the Jenks Park Cogswell clock tower. The tower is named after Caroline Cogswell. The tower was built in 1904. It has four clocks on the top, one facing each direction of the city. The tower itself stands 70 feet tall, and stands on Dexter’s Ledge. Dexter’s Ledge was used in 1675 during King Phillips war to look down at the valley below. The tower itself was built much later, but for has over a century remained the defining symbol of Central Falls. The clock is also visible from the highway and has recently been relighted.

17. I spoke to a man and woman about a place that they enjoyed dining at in Central Falls. They told me that they enjoyed eating at the local Columbian bakery called “Las Sorpresa”. I visited the bakery myself, which is located on Broad St next to Cumberland Farms. Inside they had an array of both pastries and fresh food. I tried an empanada, which the man and woman I spoke to told me was their favorite food at the bakery. It was delicious. They also served rice, chicken, and a variety of foods. 

22. The first mayor looks down at the students as they enter the high school. I never noticed this before. I asked a couple of students from the school if they have ever noticed the face above the entrance to the school. The students I spoke to informed me that they actually had never noticed it before I pointed it out. I found this strange, and it made me think that the school should make it a point to educate students about the importance of the remembrance and the history behind it.

 

24. Max Surkont (1949-1957), Jim Siwy (1982-1984), Charles Bassett (1884-1892)

26. This was Caroline Cogswell, who donated 50,000 to build the Cogsworth Clock Tower that was built in 1904.

 

 

Chapter four Response

I found chapter four of Subjects Matter to be very helpful in determining the way I should choose and assign reading in the classroom. I agree with the notion that as teachers we shouldn't only have students read text books to learn about the different content areas. I can think back to when I was in high school and I would be assigned reading for a text book, usually from subjects like science and math. Today, I couldn't tell you really anything that I learned from those books, and I remember often feeling frustrated and confused after reading directly from the book without teacher instruction. I think Daniels and Zemelman make a valid point that students should be assigned a wide range of readings, like magazines and articles, or even narrated non-fiction. This will allow the readings to be more engaging and students will be more likely to store the information into long term memory, rather than working memory.

Another point of the article that stood out to me was the comparison between teaching students’ classic literature and contemporary works. Thinking back to my years of schooling, I recall reading contemporary novels for most of elementary and middle school. However, once I was in high school, the novels assigned in English class shifted to much more dense classic literature. We read difficult classics like Shakespeare and Chaucer. Public schools are always required to assign these texts, yet students always question why they are required to read such old texts that contain dialects that are no longer used. We are never given a good answer to this question, and I liked that the authors of Subjects Matter stated that it is important to assign equally as much contemporary works as classics. I believe this is also important because we want our students to enjoy reading, and if we are only assigning hard old English texts, many students will lose their enjoyment of reading. We should continue to assign texts that students can relate to so that they will be life-long readers.  This also ties into the belief that hard readings should be assigned just as often as easy reads, so that students will be able to spend time reading things that appeal to them and not just texts that frustrate them.   

At the end of the chapter, Daniels and Zemelman include a lengthy section of suggested readings for students. I was impressed by the way each book mentioned was categorized by content and difficulty, and even provided a brief overview of the story. I think this list will be very helpful to hold onto for the future when I start to build up my classroom library. It will also be great in deciding which books I can assign to the class, or even individual students who are in search for a novel recommendation.  

 

Backward Design

I enjoyed this week’s readings on backward design and Module A and F. Out of the three readings; I preferred the chapter one reading on backward design because it was offered helpful information that we can use when we put together our lesson plans. Backward design involves three steps. The first step discussed was identifying desired results. As a future teacher, I can understand why this step would be valid to work with first. Teachers are responsible for conveying certain mandated information to our students. Before we teach a lesson it is important to first look at which state required standard we are fulfilling. Along with selecting these standards, it is also important to keep goals in mind. As teachers, we should know what information we want our students to take away from the lesson. The three rings described in the first chapter of Backward Design outline the three different types of learning that occur. The smallest ring consists of the information that we as teachers feel are the most important information for our students to understand. The second ring is important information to know / do, and the largest ring is information worth being familiar with. While reading about these different rings, I started thinking about how I can design lesson plans to incorporate these tips and focus in on the most important information to convey to my students. One tip that stuck out to me was that when teaching, we should be asking ourselves if the information we are teaching our students in class is essential and worth knowing. I thought this was a valid point, but it also lead me to ponder a scenario where I may be forced to teach a lesson that is mandated and I may not believe the information is essential or worth knowing. I wonder how often teachers do not agree with what they are teaching to their class.

 The second stage of the backward design is determining acceptable evidence. This stage uses a range of assessment methods. The stage involves using formal and informal assessments to determine if students understand what is being taught. I feel that this step is necessary because assessment is the way teachers can grade themselves on how their lesson turned out. If students do not do well on the assessment, the teacher should be aware that something in their lesson plans are not getting through to the students. I also liked how the article mentioned that both formal and informal assessment should be used to determine understanding. I feel that many teachers often assign a test or quiz that does not always accurately determine how much the student knows. Quizzes test if students know the answer to questions being asked, but students are not able to display information they know that is not being asked. For that reason, I think informal assessment is equally as important.

The third step in the backward design is planning learning experiences and instruction. During this stage teachers will plan activities that will equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to acquire. This step also involves determining what needs to be taught during the lesson. This would typically be mistakenly assumed to be the first step in designing the lesson plan, but the backward design lesson plan shows us that we should actually save this step for last. Once we are familiar with the standards that should be met, and the assessments that will be used, we can think develop a well-planned thought out lesson plan. 

Subjects Matter - Response to Chapter 1 & 2

Although I have only read chapters 1 & 2 thus far in Subjects Matter, I have already acquired an abundance of helpful information for teaching. Chapter 1 started with giving the example of Michael and Antonio, the two students who were helping others to understand the risks of eating fast food. The enthusiasm these students had for trying to make a difference in the world was remarkable. The book Fast Food Nation helped to spark the need for these students to take action and understand the truth about fast food. Reading this brought me back to my first semester at Rhode Island College. In my Writing 100 class, we were required to read Fast Food Nation and view the film Food Inc. I remember feeling the same passion that Michael and Antonio possessed for abandoning my previous consumption of meat. I became a vegetarian for six months, and spread the word to friends and family about the truth behind major food corporations. I learned a valuable lesson in that class. I have read plenty of books in other classes, and there are many that I have forgotten completely, even ones that I have read fairly recently. It was the multiple sources and days spent on Fast Food Nation and other related articles that has kept me able to recall the information as if it happened yesterday. Just as Subject Matters touches upon, I believe it is extremely important to assign “real” readings in school. That is, readings that involves current world issues or affairs. According to the text, as teachers “we need to start making reading a more meaningful, effective and long lasting learning experience.” I would love to be able to teach my students lessons, or assign books that they can become passionate about. As far as I am concerned, these sorts of meaningful experiences will be the ones that stay with students for years down the line.

            Chapter 1 also stresses that at the secondary level, students are assigned too many textbook readings, and often do not comprehend what they are reading. This also brought me back to the past. I remember in high school being required to read multiple history and science textbooks. During these assignments, teachers did not guide me to understand what I was reading. I can say for sure that I have forgotten at least ninety percent of the information I read in those textbooks all those years ago. This is a big part of the problem that Daniels and Zemelman are addressing in chapter 1 and 2. If we only assign reading and do not teach it, most students will not fully comprehend what they have read, and more than likely will forget the information in the future. Chapter two studies this issue even further and reveals that prior knowledge is the main factor of comprehension. Students need to connect what they are learning to existing schemas to be able to understand what they are reading. This information was very helpful to learn, and I have already been brainstorming ideas on how I can incorporate activating student’s schemas into my lesson plans. Discussing information on a topic with students before diving right into the reading seems fairly simple, and necessary to assist students in the best way possible.

            One of my favorite lines from chapter 2 was the bit about the importance of not just assigning reading, but instead teaching reading. This concept seems simplistic, yet I know from personal experience in classes that teachers do not always live by this motto. The same applies for writing. Too often students are assigned papers to write, but are not given any form of writing instruction. I speculate that this may be because teachers at the secondary level assume that students have already learned how to do this. As a future educator, I will not assume that my students already have all the writing and reading skills required to be successful.  I will also strive to teach reading and writing rather than merely assigning it. So far, I have enjoyed this book and I hope to learn more helpful tips on teaching in upcoming chapters.