Blog Three
I can hardly believe that we are halfway finished with this semester. The last few weeks of EDUC 250 have been both busy and exciting! So many things have happened, both in and outside of the classroom. I am excited to reflect on these experiences and share all I have learned.
Two major learning experiences I have had in EDUC 250 in the last few weeks have been Hands-on-Halloween and attending a School Board meeting in Gaston County. Hands-on-Halloween took place on October 31st during class time. Our class and other classes within the School of Education were given the opportunity to work with a group of third graders from Boiling Springs Elementary school. While volunteering, I got to observe an activity where students worked to pick out the key details in a text. It was amazing to see students’ faces light up when they got something right or when they understood something. It reminded me of Standard 1a of the North Carolina Teacher Candidate Standards. This standard talks about maintaining a classroom culture that both empowers students and encourages them to collaborate. What I observed on Wednesday truly exemplified what this standard means. In my future classroom, I hope to create a culture where students feel empowered and want to learn, not just in my class but also for the rest of their lives. The School Board meeting in Gaston County was also a learning experience. While at the meeting, I noticed that several teachers and principals were in attendance. For me, this exemplified the essence of leadership in a school system (Standard 1 of the NCTCS). By choosing to attend and stay informed, the teachers in attendance showed that they are leaders both in their school and community. A group of teachers and their students were also recognized at the meeting. Students from Ms. Heather Wilson’s class at Mount Holly Middle School were recognized for their participation in the “Build Your Own Boat” challenge. The students worked together to build a boat out of various supplies before its durability was tested on various bodies of water, including at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. This activity encouraged students to think critically and creatively as they worked together to solve a problem (Standard 4e of the NCTCS) while also helping students develop leadership qualities as they worked together (Standard 4f of the NCTCS). Witnessing the teacher’s pride in her students’ accomplishments was inspiring, and it made me start thinking about my own classroom. In my classroom, I will develop activities that encourage my students to think critically and work together so they will develop valuable problem-solving skills that will serve them throughout their life.
Other learning experiences I have had that have been related to coursework I have completed have included the assessment task and working on my lesson plan. The assessment task first made me begin thinking of ways that I could integrate an assessment cycle into my own classroom by encouraging me to think about different practices that could apply to formative and summative assessments. Standard 4h of the NCTCS says that teachers use multiple ways to assess and evaluate student growth and progress. In my classroom, I will use a variety of assessments within my units as a means to assess my students’ growth and progress, correct misconceptions, and help students gain a better understanding of concepts. This understanding of assessment has also aided as I have made revisions to my lesson plan. I have begun thinking of ways to integrate formative assessments into my lesson plan, assessments that are meaningful and will collect data that will reflect the students' understanding of the concept I plan to teach. I will integrate such assessments into the lesson plans I make in my own classroom, which will give me a chance to analyze my students’ learning (Standard 5a of the NCTCS).
I have also had several learning experiences outside of EDUC 250. A couple of these experiences have been in the context of my Educational Psychology class. I completed an assignment recently that allowed me to interview a teacher and get their perspective. I was able to ask questions about how she motivated students to learn, her satisfactions and frustrations, and what she believed was important for future teachers to learn while still in college. The interview was both eye-opening and inspiring. One thing she said has stayed in my mind: “If you treat students the way you want to be treated and you’re fair to everyone, they will work hard for you and they will give you their best.” To me, this demonstrates the essence of Standard 2 of the NCTCS. By treating students as individuals and maintaining high expectations for everyone, students will know that their teachers care. My future classroom will be a place where all of my students are treated as individuals, where I will recognize the potential of each student and not let their backgrounds hold them back. Another experience I have had in Educational Psychology was preparing a presentation on individual practice. My research allowed me to read about several strategies that will make the independent practices I use in my lesson plans more effective. I plan to use these skills in my future classroom by taking them into account as I make assignments and lesson plans. I will also continue to do research to find ways to improve my both my assignments and instruction. In doing all of these things, I will strive to be the best teacher I can possibly be, while also providing my students with an environment where they can learn and grow.
Two major learning experiences I have had in EDUC 250 in the last few weeks have been Hands-on-Halloween and attending a School Board meeting in Gaston County. Hands-on-Halloween took place on October 31st during class time. Our class and other classes within the School of Education were given the opportunity to work with a group of third graders from Boiling Springs Elementary school. While volunteering, I got to observe an activity where students worked to pick out the key details in a text. It was amazing to see students’ faces light up when they got something right or when they understood something. It reminded me of Standard 1a of the North Carolina Teacher Candidate Standards. This standard talks about maintaining a classroom culture that both empowers students and encourages them to collaborate. What I observed on Wednesday truly exemplified what this standard means. In my future classroom, I hope to create a culture where students feel empowered and want to learn, not just in my class but also for the rest of their lives. The School Board meeting in Gaston County was also a learning experience. While at the meeting, I noticed that several teachers and principals were in attendance. For me, this exemplified the essence of leadership in a school system (Standard 1 of the NCTCS). By choosing to attend and stay informed, the teachers in attendance showed that they are leaders both in their school and community. A group of teachers and their students were also recognized at the meeting. Students from Ms. Heather Wilson’s class at Mount Holly Middle School were recognized for their participation in the “Build Your Own Boat” challenge. The students worked together to build a boat out of various supplies before its durability was tested on various bodies of water, including at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. This activity encouraged students to think critically and creatively as they worked together to solve a problem (Standard 4e of the NCTCS) while also helping students develop leadership qualities as they worked together (Standard 4f of the NCTCS). Witnessing the teacher’s pride in her students’ accomplishments was inspiring, and it made me start thinking about my own classroom. In my classroom, I will develop activities that encourage my students to think critically and work together so they will develop valuable problem-solving skills that will serve them throughout their life.
Other learning experiences I have had that have been related to coursework I have completed have included the assessment task and working on my lesson plan. The assessment task first made me begin thinking of ways that I could integrate an assessment cycle into my own classroom by encouraging me to think about different practices that could apply to formative and summative assessments. Standard 4h of the NCTCS says that teachers use multiple ways to assess and evaluate student growth and progress. In my classroom, I will use a variety of assessments within my units as a means to assess my students’ growth and progress, correct misconceptions, and help students gain a better understanding of concepts. This understanding of assessment has also aided as I have made revisions to my lesson plan. I have begun thinking of ways to integrate formative assessments into my lesson plan, assessments that are meaningful and will collect data that will reflect the students' understanding of the concept I plan to teach. I will integrate such assessments into the lesson plans I make in my own classroom, which will give me a chance to analyze my students’ learning (Standard 5a of the NCTCS).
I have also had several learning experiences outside of EDUC 250. A couple of these experiences have been in the context of my Educational Psychology class. I completed an assignment recently that allowed me to interview a teacher and get their perspective. I was able to ask questions about how she motivated students to learn, her satisfactions and frustrations, and what she believed was important for future teachers to learn while still in college. The interview was both eye-opening and inspiring. One thing she said has stayed in my mind: “If you treat students the way you want to be treated and you’re fair to everyone, they will work hard for you and they will give you their best.” To me, this demonstrates the essence of Standard 2 of the NCTCS. By treating students as individuals and maintaining high expectations for everyone, students will know that their teachers care. My future classroom will be a place where all of my students are treated as individuals, where I will recognize the potential of each student and not let their backgrounds hold them back. Another experience I have had in Educational Psychology was preparing a presentation on individual practice. My research allowed me to read about several strategies that will make the independent practices I use in my lesson plans more effective. I plan to use these skills in my future classroom by taking them into account as I make assignments and lesson plans. I will also continue to do research to find ways to improve my both my assignments and instruction. In doing all of these things, I will strive to be the best teacher I can possibly be, while also providing my students with an environment where they can learn and grow.
Allyson, I absolutely loved reading your blog post! I completely agree that I noticed the students getting so excited when they got an answer correct, and were thoroughly enjoying the activities planned! It brought me so much joy to see them having so much fun!! I also found our teacher interviews very interesting! Being able to see our teacher's perspective outside of the class, helped me gain such a bigger perspective on the struggles they face every day! I really enjoy being able to take concepts from EDUC 250 to Educational Psychology! We hear repeatedly in EDUC 250, "the average student no longer exists," but we get to understand that on a deeper level as to why students are different in psychology!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Allyson! I absolutely loved Hands On Halloween. I agree it was fun to see the student enjoying all the activities while learning at the same time! I also talked about how EDU 250 and Educational Psychology go hand in hand in my blog post as well. Conducting a teacher interview was very eye opening for me. We asked them tough questions and received brutally honest answers, which is what we need as future teachers. I think every student would benefit from conducting a teacher interview!
ReplyDeleteWow, Allyson!!! I hope you will truly reflect and see all that you have learned this semester. Impressed!
ReplyDeleteGreat JOB! I loved hearing about your fun times int he halloween event and how you connect your phycology class with this class. very well said!
ReplyDelete