First taste of the real thing

Today we went to Boiling Springs Elementary School to observe a second grade classroom for the first time. We have spent the past month talking about and hearing about what our lives are going to be like as teachers and what we are going to have to do. Today we got to see a glimpse of what we will actually be doing and what it looks like to be a teacher in a classroom.
    When we first got into the classroom the kids were just switching classes and getting ready for math. As the students were coming in and getting settled, I noticed that some kids were fooling around, taking a long time to get ready for class and didn't have all their materials out that they needed. One girl was in her seat, had her note book and pencil out and was ready to go. I liked how the teacher noticed it and said "kaylen (not really her name) thank you for being prepared and ready to go, you can go get a piece of candy out of the bin; guys you do this every day, you know what you need out on your desk, why can't you all be like kaylen." The teacher had a bin of candy that was sitting on her desk that she gave to kids when they did something good. I think this is a great way to reward a student. This will motivate the students to work hard, pay attention, and cooperate. This was also praising the student who was ready to go and instead of yelling at the kids that were not prepared, she just asked why can't you all be like kaylen who is prepared and ready to go.
   When the teacher was teaching the math lesson, she first did review problems and everyone was just answering out loud. Next she would write down a problem and say okay now you solve this on your own and then she would walk around the class to see how the students were doing. Next she would go back to her desk and call on people to help explain how they got the answer. I really liked how she did this and it really showed how she is applying the common core because not only is she teaching her students but she's reviewing so it re-jogs their memory and then she gives them problems to do alone and walks around the classroom so she can see how each of them are doing, not just as a class, but how they are personally doing.
  The last thing they did was split into three groups. One group was playing math games on the iPods, one was playing a card game, and the other was working in a group with her. She had a small group setting so she could really see who was understanding it and who wasn't. This gives her more time to work individually with each student and allows her to help the students who need more work than others.
  I was really surprised by how they actually used the iPods to play math games on them and they knew exactly what they were doing. Maybe all this talk about technology is actually real :/ Another thing I found crazy is that the math the students are learning now, is what we are learning in our math class right now. It confuses me so I can't imagine how confused the second graders must be especially since they learned a whole different way of adding and subtracting last year.
   This was a really good experience and I am glad we got to see how a teacher runs her classroom with the common core. I am really excited to see how the middle school and high schools visits go!

Jumping In

   This week we have been talking about and getting prepared to go into the school districts and talking about what student teaching looks like. When Dr. Clark was telling us about her student teaching schedule, not going to lie I was a little overwhelmed trying to take in all of this information. When she told us her work days were from 6-5 then had to grade papers and plan lessons for the rest of the night, reality set in really fast. As I was sitting in class trying to take it in I was starting to stress out.
    After class I started to process the information we had just been told and realized that this is what my teaching career will look like in the future. I am going to have to keep track of about 25 students, grade all their work, attend to each of their needs, and give them each the individual teaching they need. Although it is a lot of work and very overwhelming since we do have other classes and work to get done, it is just preparing us for the future.
   I am very interested in and excited to go to the schools for the next three weeks to observe different classes. I am excited to see how different teachers teach and their styles of teaching. Hopefully after observing different teachers, I can get a better idea of the ways I want to teach and run my classroom. I can pull different ideas from each teacher that I like and use them for when I am a teacher. I think this will be very beneficial and look forward to the next couple weeks of class!

Grades

      The past two classes we have had some very deep conversations. Conversations that get you thinking what have you actually learned the past 15 years in school? To be honest there is not much I can say I have truly learned from school. As we talked about in class today, in today's society people are more concerned about grades than about actually learning the information and it is actually sad. I am 100 percent guilty of it too because that is what we have been taught our whole lives. Learn a unit get tested on it, learn another unit get tested on it. See how many facts you can cram into your brain for that one hour you have the test, then forget everything you learned as soon as you walk out of the room. If you didn't get a "good grade" you're "not smart or you didn't try hard enough" according to society. In reality that is not the case at all.
   I believe that everyone learns differently and just because you didn't get an A on a test does not by any means mean that you are dumb or not smart. Tests aren't for everybody and that is not the way students should be getting assessed on and decided if they are smart or not. Also in class today Dr. Parker gave a very good example about homework. His students one year made A's on their homework assignments but then all made around the C range for in-class assignments. That right there is a perfect example. Just because you made an A on your homework does not mean you understand the material because you could be getting help from a parent, friend, or the internet. In order to truly test a student I believe you have to observe them, understand them, question them and make them explain to you how and why they came to the conclusions they came to.
  The TPACK model is also another very great piece of information I learned in class today that I think will definitely help me in my future classrooms. This model consists of a teacher using technology, content, and pedagogy(which is knowing how to teach). These three aspects combined together will make a great teacher. Using just one or even two of these will not result in good, successful teaching, because you need all three to truly teach your students in a way that is helpful to them and in a way they can understand.
  Lastly something that stuck with me and I think I will actually use in my future classrooms is the saying Dr. Parker shared with us today. "Today I am...So I can...I know I understand it when..." This is great and I definitely think it will help you to know what you as a teacher have to teach and what you want your students to get from the lesson and it will give the students a better understanding of  what they are supposed to be learning from the lesson.

Brain explosion

     Well I think its pretty safe to say that I still have a headache and my head is still about to explode with all the information I learned today. Who knew that a kindergartener would know how to work an iPad, let alone own their own!! That is soooo crazy to me and I can not wrap my head around it. How about the fact that I was talking about having kids come up to the smart board and write out problems and Dr. Parker says "ohh no they all have their own iPads they can just write on them and click a button and have their work show up on the screen for everyone to see." Oh okay well theres that. I don't even know how to do that so it blows my mind that a 6 year old knows how to. Or how about that some middle schoolers aren't even going to school anymore, they are just doing all online work and online chats with their teachers. Now professors are having video chats instead of having actual meetings. PE can now be taken online??? Can it possibly get any worse?? CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY!!!!
   Now to be realistic... I do understand why we are switching over to technology somewhat. I understand that our technology is updated and we are preparing our students for their future. However I very strongly disagree with how much it is being used and how it is taking over person to person interaction. If people are sitting behind computer screens and doing all work online, they are not going to know how to communicate with people or have people skills for when they need them for jobs and their future. Children are not going to be able to form the kind of relationships that we have got to form with people if they are just sitting home doing their work. School was so fun, it was a time to see your friends everyday, hang out and have fun. I have 5 girl friends that I have had since 6th grade and we are all still best friends and do everything together. If children are sitting home looking at a computer screen how are they going to form these kind of relationships? I may be very old school with my whole pen and paper situation, but I do not agree with not having students actually come to the classroom.
   I can get used to students having iPads in class and being more technology orientated but I don't think I will ever agree with the fact that kids in middle school don't actually have to go to school. After high school then it is your choice if you want to go to college, not go to college, or take online courses, but I believe anytime before that students should get the experience of actually going to class.
 

5 Classes deep

Today we completed our fifth class of Education 250. Quite honestly it feels like we have just finished the fifth week of this class. We have taken in a ton of information and details and at points my brain feels like it is going to explode.
    The amount of different websites we have to visit, tests we have to take to enroll in the program and blogs we have to post and respond to is a bit overwhelming. I am definitely not a technology person, so it may be a little more overwhelming for me than for others. I am an old style pen and paper note taker and do not enjoy signing papers and taking notes online and always being on the computer. But guess what... I'm going to have to get used to it because I am going to be using technology for the rest of my teaching career.
   On the fifth day of class we are already studying, analyzing, and making infomercials on philosophies. That is something that is very advanced, however I do feel prepared and feel like we are ready to take on the task. Our professors have given us a lot of responsibilities, but in a good way. Once we become teachers in just a few years we will have even more tasks to preform and responsibilities to take on so they are just getting us prepared for the real world. Every day we get closer and closer to being in the real world which is exciting but also very scary in a way.