Week 7

This was my last week at my first placement. It was an awesome experience and I am truly going to miss the students and staff. I continued teaching full-time this week, and I am happy that I got the exposure to as much teaching as possible. I had previously discussed the topic of paraprofessionals in one of my firsts posts. Ms. S came to the conclusion that some of the paraprofessionals that are assigned to be with a particular student for the ENTIRE school day were simply dropping the student off and leaving because I was there. She believes that they figure that I serve as an "extra hand." There is one student that has little movement and control with her fingers, and I spent some time helping her. Her para came in once to check on her and then left again. If this para had stayed the entire class and helped her assigned student, I could have used that time to help the other students who were also in need of assistance. Out of all the challenges that come with student teaching, I feel that it is a shame that a situation like would occur.

On another note, I completed my last edTPA recording this week as well. I think that the learning segment was smooth and the students seemed to really enjoy making their mandala prints. I feel relieved to have the video portion of it done, and now the writing portion shouldn't be too bad.

Throughout this entire experience I have learned quite a few things that I would like to mention relating to the art room and teaching in general.

*Standard 9-Professionalism, Leadership, and Advocacy: The competent teacher is an ethical and reflective practitioner who exhibits professionalism; provides leadership in the learning community; and advocates for students, parents or guardians, and the profession.

 

Learning Points

Positive/Good/Helpful   

• Color-coded tables
• Art Helpers-Every week a different table is in charge of passing and collecting materials. I found that the students really look forward to this job. (Sense of responsibility, pride, valuable help to others)
• Sink Monitor
• Tape on floor to signal where the students line up (entering and leaving classroom)
• Large Easel/Dry Erase Board
• Substitute Work organization by days of the week and teacher's name
• Cabinet organization/labeling by material name
• Student work storage space  

Areas that need improvement 

• Classroom management- I don't think that Ms. S's technique worked for me. I am still trying to figure out what does work for me. I have been doing some research online and looking for books to get more ideas on different methods other teachers use. 
• *Returning of Work/Student Job- This is something Ms. S had a major problem with. She would get so caught up in teaching and at the end of the class period the main concern becomes having the students clean up and get ready to go. I suggested that we make it a student job and assign a student from a table to remind the teacher that it is time to return work. I am not sure if she liked the idea, but I think that it would be pretty neat. I would like to try it in my own classroom one day.
• *Passing/Collecting Work- The students did not have anything to do while their work was being passed out. They tended to get loud and it is normal that they become bored just waiting for their name to get called. I suggested to Ms. S to have a clip that would be color-coded according to the table it was in or have the students make a color-coded mark on the back of their paper. This clip would hold the students work together and would make it easier to pass out the work according to table color.
• Substitute Work- The work left for the Sub to pass out would take the students only 10 minutes to complete. There were coloring sheets and math related work that involved numbers/coloring. I think that it would be best to leave work that would take longer or actually leave the Sub a simple lesson plan that could be followed and taught. For example, a sketching or drawing exercise or lesson plan involving clay. In this way the students will be more engaged and hopefully decrease behavior incidents.   

 

 Schmidt - Chapters 8 and 9
1. Even if you don't teach Social Studies or the Arts, what are some ideas you could glean from Schmidt chapters 8 and 9 for your own teaching?

I am very interested in trying an immersion approach, like the Madera Method. In many ways I would be using similar ideas that were discussed, like paintings and photographs, artifacts relating to the project, and sections of literature as historic evidence. The arts "Give students a way to communicate without speaking or writing" (pg.190).  In my own teaching I would like to always include some tie in to art history and cultural aspect relating to the project.

2. What types of authentic assessment have you seen? How could you use it?

Some of the authentic assessments that I have seen include reading and dramatic performances, quilts about a historical figure, and picture books. I really liked the idea of creating a class quilt. One of my former Cooperating Teachers made one with her students and each quilt piece was a portrait of a historical figure. It was hanging inside the art room and I thought it was a great way to involve the students in a large-scale project. There are many other topics these quilts can be made around, like artists, art elements, famous paintings, etc.  

Week 6

"Welcome to being a teacher."

This past week I slowly began to loose my voice. I learned that it is common for student teachers and teachers in general to get sick after being exposed to many germs on a daily basis. I tried to wash my hands more often and use hand sanitizer every time I sneezed or coughed. I made it through the week and also had my second observation done by my College Supervisor. I recorded my second lesson for the edTPA, which was the lesson observed teaching. It went well, and I am excited to see how the students' work turns out.  

Overall I feel like I have a better handle at classroom management. A funny thing happened where I started using a different method of docking points without really planning it. Ms. S's method is to "reward" points as the class goes along. There are some classes that are really tough to manage, and it is mainly the Kindergarteners and a few 4th and 5th graders who are starting to go through puberty and becoming defiant. In a moment of chaos I would say, I changed the point system. I announced to the students that every table had a point to begin with. Then, as the class went along I could either add more points or deduct based on their behavior and manners. The minute I deducted the last point standing, the entire table would be on NUMBER ONE. NUMBER ONE is the consequence Ms. S gives for unacceptable behavior, which involves putting the student's initials on a board and marking it on her grade book. I found that it worked for me and the students responded well to it.
*(Standard 4-Learning Environment–The competent teacher structures a safe and healthy learning environment that facilitates cultural and linguistic responsiveness, emotional well-being, self-efficacy, positive social interaction, mutual respect, active engagement, academic risk-taking, self-motivation, and personal goal-setting.)
  
This week I also attended a PBIS Meeting (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports). There are a group of teachers who are part of it, and they organized a Valentine Craft Party on Friday for the students who had no referrals to the office. "Cool Tools are lesson plans that teach behavioral expectations in different locations of the school (hallway, classroom, bathroom, etc)." The Cool Tool that they chose was "Classroom Behavior."  

Ms. S was surprised to see one student back, who is now in the ED (Emotionally Disturbed) class. She said that the prior school year, he was very disruptive and all over the place in the classroom. There is a lot of documentation that is collected before a student is put into a specialized classroom. I am glad to see that he is now getting the help that he needs. Next week is my last week at this placement. Next, I will be working at a private high school setting, which will be a very different experience for me. I look forward to learning and growing more as a professional educator.      

Week 5

If I could sum up this week in a nutshell I would say that it was the most stressful, shocking, and uncomfortable week I have had since the beginning of student-teaching. Never during these past 5 weeks had I been put into such uncomfortable situations as I was this week. The funny thing about it is that it had nothing to do with "actual teaching."

It is common sense to know that not every person that you meet will be nice. However, I never thought that I would encounter people who would go to the extent of disrespecting the character and teaching of fellow teachers right to my face. I would agree that it is best to stay away from the teacher's lounge because that it where most of the gossip takes place, but also to learn how to choose who you form good relationships with.

My classroom behavior management has improved, and I feel much more comfortable with the students. I am still following Ms. S's behavior management plan, but I have found that it is not very effective for me. When teaching how to do the project, I guide the students step-by-step. I do not give the directions of the entire project all at once. I have found that doing this works and allows me to check on the students' progress.

The main thing I struggle with is getting every student's attention while explaining the next step. I see students still gluing, cutting, or talking. I have to repeatedly say, "Put the glue, pencils, markers, etc. down please." The strategy Ms. S uses is saying "My time," and the students are to pay attention right away. It does not always work for her either. I have personally tried the "1-2-3 eyes on me" and found that it works sometimes. I also tried having the students put their hands on their shoulders. I like this strategy and will try it more to see if I keep getting the same response from the students.

On a different note, the second graders are working on adding texture to value paintings they created. The texture is added according to the type of line they choose. For example, if they choose a zig-zag line, they can make it out of yarn. I provided the students a handout that explores types of line and shapes. One of them is geometric shapes. As I was passing around evaluating the progress of every student, I notice that one student drew a heart next to the geometric shapes. I told her, "Good job! The heart is a geometric shape too." She gave me a blank stare, and I asked her if she had done it intentionally or not. She said that she was just drawing on the paper and found a space for it.

This week was also my first time differentiating a lesson for students with specific learning needs. There are about 5 students in a first grade class that have autism. They each have a paraprofessional that aides them in the classroom. Ms. S told me that she usually has them make something different than the rest of the students because they have a harder time following. The rest of the class was working on making the "Magical Snowman," so I created projects for them that related to the snowman theme.

(Standard 1: Teaching Diverse Students: The competent teacher understands the diverse characteristics and abilities of each student and how individuals develop and learn within the context of their social, economic, cultural, linguistic, and academic experiences. The teacher uses these experiences to create instructional opportunities that maximize student learning.)

Schmidt, Chapter 11

1.  How did Schmidt's chapter 11 inform your thinking about communication? 
•   It is important to keep constant communication with the parents of the students, and let them know important things that are happening in the classroom. It got me thinking about different ways I would like to establish and maintain communication in my classroom. For example, I would definitely send a welcome newsletter at the beginning of the school year. I also would like to write a newsletter describing units or projects that we are working on.
2. From reading chapter 11, how will you be better prepared for parent teacher conferences? 
• Knowing the students and their cultural backgrounds as much as possible is one of the main ways that I would be better prepared for parent teacher conferences. I would also have an Information Sheet given out beforehand. These would give me a rough idea about what to expect from the parent. Student Self-Surveys and Parent's Student Profile are also great ways of getting to know the perspectives of both the parent and student.
  

 

Week 4

Overview of this week's projects by grade level

K- Penguins in the Snow

1- Snowman, Shape and Form Clay Lesson

2- Snowflake Wall Hanging, Intro. to Value and Texture Lesson

3- Snowscape/Winter Collage

4- Pacific Northwest Native American Masks, Sketching Lesson

5- Cartoon Design

Daily Summary
Monday, January 27 - No School

Tuesday, January 28 - No School

Wednesday, January 29

KDG

    This particular Kindergarten is a tough group. There are more than 3 students with behavior check-out folders and the class size is over 25 students. There were quite a few things that went wrong with the lesson. Part of my lesson included that I show the students a quick video about penguins. I had the projector and video up and tested it out beforehand. When the time came for us to view the video, it would not play. It kept showing an error message. Therefore, I had the students go back to their seats and created our own discussion about penguins. Next week I will definitely attempt to show them the video again.

    Another thing that did not go accordingly was the fact that I was not clear enough about the work staying in the classroom. As the students were lining up some of them were taking their work with them. I told them to put it back, but it created a little bit of a chaos. I learned to keep a closer eye on the clock so that I can have enough time to say what I want to say, give the students time to calm down, and have enough time to clean up. Ms. S suggested that with extra time left of class I can play a quick game with them or tell a story.

1st grade

    I taught a one-time lesson for the 1st graders because Ms. S will be observed next week by the school administrator. There are a few things I need to improve on for this lesson. For example, creating a table perhaps may help the students understand what 2D and 3D is a little better. I got blank stares when I tried making a connection between the shapes and math class. I had to rephrase the question, and then the students answered correctly. I need to do better with my timing and pacing and make sure that the students have enough time to regroup. A strategy that I have found really suits my style is having the students put their paper up so that I could cross-check their progress.   

2nd grade

    I am still using the side notes on the board to help guide me in the lesson. I reviewed the concept of VALUE and provided more examples for this group. The lesson went very well and I can see that they really do understand the material. The next time I see them I will review once more and call on a few students that do not raise their hand to make sure that everyone is on the same page. 

3rd grade

    Ms. S taught this class and I simply walked around and assisted her and the students.

4th grade

    Some of the students are taking the ACCESS test, and more than half of the class was missing when they came into the art room. Therefore, I could not teach the lesson I had in mind. I had to think on my feet and decided that we were going to do sketching exercises. The students loved it and I get to see where they stand artistically when I go through them.

    

Thursday, January 30 (Observed by my Supervisor)

KDG

    Today we get to see most of the KDG. They are definitely a handful at times. Ms. S and I  tried our best to keep their attention and have them follow directions. One thing that really seemed to work with this group was the point system by table. Points are awarded depending on how well the students are listening and show me that they are ready to move on.

1st grade

    My supervisor came to observe me teach this lesson. I think that it went pretty well. Prior to teaching it, I practiced myself making the shapes out of clay by following my new directions and descriptions. I think it was much better than the first time I taught it. There were still maybe 4 students that were struggling, and I tried my best to get to everyone. I seem to ignore one side of the room a little more, therefore I will try to work on my acknowledgment and assistance to all tables in the room.

4th grade

    I taught the sketching exercises lesson to this group as well. They did really well with it, and were very comfortable looking around the room to find objects to sketch. One thing that I found would have worked better would be if I had started with basic sketches of things they saw in the room and then move on to images or things that they would have to recall from their memory. 

Friday, January 31
2nd grade

    All of the 2nd grade classes started to work on their Value / Texture Lesson. Most got to start painting. I feel much more comfortable addressing the students and explaining what needs to be explained. I do think that I am improving on my command of the classroom as well. The students love painting, and I think that they really enjoyed the lesson.

4th grade

    This 4th grade class is very behind compared to most of the other classes. They are still in the process of painting their Native American masks. Most made a lot of progress. The next class will be the last day spent on working on the masks, and then we will be moving on to the next project I have already planned.

5th grade  
Ms. S taught this class and I simply walked around and assisted her and the students.

Classroom Confidential, Schmidt

1. From Schimdt Chapter 2: What have you learned about Eptness?

    Every child has special abilities that you can see and learn from in your classroom. As the classroom teacher, you should facilitate these talents and abilities to shine through your guidance. If there is not very good communication between you and your students, then the classroom climate and student success is affected. Also, the way in which the students interact with one another is a reflection of your character in the classroom and the attitudes that you push for. The 10 behaviors that promote Eptness are: approximations, expectations, encouragement, feedback, input, model being a learner, model risk taking, challenge old habits, never too late, and do nothing for students that they can do for themselves. 

2. Explain three behaviors you will use and how you will use them.

1. Feedback - By providing feedback you help the child feel smart. As I am walking around the room, I will provide positive feedback to each student and use different words (i.e. amazing, picturesque, and insightful).
2. Model being a learner - By modeling being a learner you break up the misconception that students have of teachers. Students seem to believe that the teacher knows everything, but that is not true. I would mention certain things I did not know and happened to find through research during the introduction of  a new lesson.
3. Do nothing for students that they can do for themselves - The only way that students are able to learn how capable they are of doing things is by simply letting them work through it on their own. During projects, I would definitely do this.     

Week 3

Overview of this week's projects by grade level

K- Penguins in the Snow (mainly taught by me/Co-teaching)

1- Pine Tree and Winter Birds, Snowman

2- Snowflake Wall Hanging and Enrichment Project, Intro. to Value and Texture Lesson

3- Snowscape Collage

4- Pacific Northwest Native American Masks (mainly taught by me/Co-teaching), Bad Hair Day Lesson

5- Cartoon Design

Daily Summary 

Monday, January 20 - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, January 21 - ABSENT

Wednesday, January 22

1st grade

    Ms. S taught the class of 1st graders and they are currently working on their "Magic Snowman." The students got to paint and made an oil pastel relief. I mainly assisted Ms. S, and helped pass out and collect materials.

KDG

    This group started to work on the "Penguins in the Snow" project. Today they got to stamp snow on the entire paper with corks and white paint. I introduced the lesson, talked about prints, and did a demonstration. I repeat the steps out loud very often, especially for the younger grades, so that they know exactly what is expected of them. They all did a great job, and I admit that I was nervous when I was up there teaching. Some students like to roam the classroom after washing their hands and play at the sink. A way that I could maybe help change this is if I assign a student to be the Sink Monitor. The Sink Monitor would be in charge of making sure that the students wash their hands appropriately, pass out napkins, and makes sure that the line keeps moving. Students love having the responsibility of doing something, so I will give this a shot.   

2nd grade

    I introduced a Value/Texture lesson to this group. It was a project that Ms. S and I came up with together, so it is new to the both of us. The students got to paint today, and I introduced the concept of value to them. They caught on right away after I gave them the examples of values, but when I moved onto separating the paper into thirds, that's when I got blank stares. I re-explained the process in 2 different ways and as I was assessing their work when I was walking around, I saw that most of the students did a good job. I definitely will go over the concept of value, show more of color mixing, and have more examples the next time I see them. At the end of the project, I will be assessing their ability to distinguish value (dark, medium, and light) and naming different types of line.

    Ms. S suggested that I try to find another way of maybe explaining the process. She also suggested that I keep a little piece of paper outlining key points that I would like to say to help me remember them while teaching. Other than that, Ms. S thought the lesson was fine. 

3rd grade

     I mainly just observed and assisted Ms. S and the students for this period. They are currently working on their "Snowscape Collage."

4th grade

    I introduced a new lesson to this group called "Bad Hair Day," where the main focus is line. I took attendance and called the Art Helpers to pass out crayons, pencils, and markers. I started a discussion about line and asked the class to name the types of lines that they already knew. I received interesting answers, and some of them even made up their own name for a line. I then moved on to the demonstration and showed them three examples showing the different stages of the project and a completed one. After the demo, I asked the students what would be a good title for this project, and one of them interestingly said "Bad Hair Day."

    While the students were working, they asked me if they could add a mustache or earrings, I got the class's attention and announced that they were free to add things on the face and body and such after they were done with the hair. I reminded the students to focus on their drawing because it would be due by the end of class. Overall the lesson was successful! 

Thursday, January 23

4th grade

*Standard 7 Assessment - The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student.

    This is the group that I have chosen as my Focus Group for the edTPA. I had them fill out a Student Survey while I took attendance. This class has some students that are deaf and have IEPs. It also has a few students that are in Gifted Art. Today I taught the "Bad Hair Day" project, and I actually made a little list for myself and posted it on the side of the board for me to follow along. I helped me A LOT having that sort of guide there. I will definitely continue to put little notes in a place where I can see them while I teach until I feel comfortable without it. Before the end of class, I had both 4th grade classes fill out an Assessment sheet, which would let me know which lines they used, assess their ability to differentiate among the different types of lines, and help me evaluate their ability to transfer those onto their drawing (Standard 7 Assessment). 

    One thing that I decided to change for this lesson was to give the students a minimum amount of 5 different lines to show on their drawing. I noticed that with the previous group of 4th graders, not having this requirement led some students to cover the head with a hat and only show one kind of line. Therefore, I think that this group was able to explore line a little more. Another thing that I think affected this group of 4th graders was that I did not add the line on my person when I was demonstrating on the board. Ms. S told me at the end of class that it did not seem to affect many of the students, but that it is always good to demonstrate doing the entire project despite the grade level and then let them do their own thing.

KDG

    Kindergarten classes continued working on their "Penguins in the Snow" project, and they have moved on to making the parent and baby penguin. I started off class by talking a little bit about penguins and asking the students basic questions about them. Then, I had them get up and move to the side of the room to view a short video about penguins on the projector. After the video, they returned to their seats and  I continued with the lesson and making the penguins.

    One major thing I learned was that Kindergarteners need a lot of redirection and consistent repetition in order to stay on track. They are young and need more structure than an older student would.   

***I videotaped the second KDG class as my First Video/Reflection. Given that the school principal has not gotten back to me or Ms. S about showing the students on video, Ms. S only videotaped me teaching.

1st grade

    I mainly just observed and assisted Ms. S and the students for this period. They are currently working on their "Magic Snowman."

Friday, January 24 - Parent/Teacher Conference (No School)   
The students got to stay home today, but all of the staff and teachers were still required to be there. Today was dedicated as a time for parents to talk to their child's teacher, whom they believe is at risk of failing or having serious issues at school. Ms. S and I made a list of the things we wanted to accomplish, and we got to work right away. I have realized that as a teacher there is never a "boring" moment. There is always something that needs to get done, but I like this active lifestyle.

    Among the things that I got to do was grade projects, and one was one of my own lessons ("Bad Hair Day"). I used the rubric that I created for it and made it worth only 50 points given that it was a one day lesson/project. All of the students did great on it and earned an A or B. I also helped Ms. S grade the Native American Masks. She showed me her method of how she organizes the work left for a Sub, and I think I would adopt this strategy myself. She prints out worksheets that are still academically related (e.g. counting, patterns, etc), and stacks them by the day of the week. For example, the first stack is labeled Monday and each individual stack in this column is labeled by the name of the teacher and grade level.  

    I realize the importance of documenting to start putting together my portfolio, so I will take my camera with me to take pictures of the students' work on Wednesday. Ms. S gave me good pointers about how to prepare for an interview and having a physical portfolio.

    Ms. S and I discussed how we can improve a few things in the classroom. She seems to have trouble remembering to pass out graded papers, and so have I. When it is time to clean up in those last 5 minutes of class, there is so much moving going on and you constantly watch the clock. I came up with having colored clips that correspond to the table's color. When the students are done with their work, they can stack and clip their work and leave it on one side of the table for easy collection. When students have work which needs some time to dry, I suggested to have columns on the ground separated by tape and table colors, so that the students know where to lay down their work. Ms. S loved these ideas and will give them a try.   

Classroom Confidential - Schmidt Chp. 4 

1. Describe how your understanding of culture was enhanced or changed by your reading of chapter 4 in Schmidt.

    After reading Chapter 4, my understanding of culture was deepened. "The game plan is simple: Prepare kids to succeed in school, jobs, and life" (pg. 73). Despite a student's culture, there are crucial skills that they should know to succeed in life and the work force. Art educators could take this approach in their classroom as well. Thinking out loud is a great way to show the students how there are multiple ways of thinking through things. Your way of thinking may be different than how maybe their parents or a close relative would go about it. Therefore, they can begin to realize the diversity in thinking and learning and not just the diversity in people (e.g. races).   

    Schmidt made me better understand how my culture has an impact on my teaching and how my students' culture affects the way they learn and how much they know. I answered the questions under What's my culture? and I feel like I have a better understanding on the kind of teacher I want to be and the kind of culture I would want to have in my own classroom. A student survey definitely helps you get to know your students, and I would use that as a way to help me build my curriculum. I agree with Schmidt and I believe that integrating culture into your curriculum would be ideal.

Week 2

*From this post and on I will be referring to my Co-Op as Ms. S

Overview of this week's projects by grade level

K- Penguins in the Snow (mainly taught by me/Co-teaching)

1- Pine Tree and Winter Birds, Snowman

2- Snowflake Wall Hanging and Enrichment Project

3- Snow-scape Collage

4- Pacific Northwest Native American Masks (mainly taught by me/Co-teaching)

5- Cartoon Design

Daily Summary

Monday, January 13

• Today went by really quick.
• I met a new set of students.
• The first class of the day is Gifted Art (4th and 5th grade)
• These students are very talented, and they are pulled from their regular class to attend.
• Standard 1 - Teaching Diverse Students*
• In the 1st grade class, Ms. S had mentioned to me that there is one boy that does not have a para with him, but he needs assistance. He has autism, but he can do the work and just needs a little direction to know what is next.
• I didn't know who this student was, but as I was walking around observing and helping the students, I was able to figure out who she was talking about.
• Some of this classmates sitting in his table were also trying to help him, which I think is nice of them.
• I approached the student and offered to help him.
• He is definitely able to do the work. He has difficulty in understanding what to do next, and I guided him through the steps of the project. 
• After class, Ms. S told me that she was happy and thankful that I did that.
• Ms. S asked if I wanted to lead the last lesson of the day, and I said yes! (4th grade)
• I took attendance, called out Art Helpers, and explained that this was the last day to work on their masks.
• It went pretty good.
• I punched holes into the masks, directed the students where to put their masks for storage, and modeled how to transfer their sketches onto their masks and then paint over it. 

Tuesday, January 14

• Ms. S and I went around the primary and intermediate schools before school started to post posters up to spread the news about Pajama Day on Friday.
• Ms. S believes that it would be more appealing for the students to participate in the event being advertised if they see that their own classmate designed it.
• Pajama Day on Friday the 17th
• The posters are made by the Gifted Art class.
• During my tour of the buildings, I noticed how different every building looks.
• Numerous students (both Spanish and non-Spanish students) have asked me if I speak Spanish, and I can see that they feel a connection or a sense of comfort to know that I do.
• The school has Dual Language classrooms, which I think is AWESOME!
• In this kind of class, the teacher teacher half of the day in English and the other half in Spanish, therefore all of the students learn both languages.
• It is a choice to be a part of this kind of class and the students need parents' permission.
• It makes me think how great it would be for all children to be immersed into this kind of curriculum school-wide. 
• A child approached Ms. S and asked if she could come after-school and help out the room a little bit. She said yes!
• Ms. S later told me that her home is not stable, and she feels like she may need a female role model.
• Students look up to you as a teacher and there will be times when they confide certain things to you. I think there is a fine line here and if there is something terribly wrong, it is our job to try to help out the student in the best way possible (i.e. refer to counseling). 

Wednesday, January 15

• Today was a little CRAZY! Mentally/physically I feel drained. I never realized how tiring it would be to be on your feet for consecutive hours.
• We had 4 classes back-to-back and one hour break, which was spent preparing for the next class and talking about lesson planning.
• There was a major incident that occured in a 3rd grade class today.
• A boy pushed the tip of the scissors against a classmate's face, but the other student was not harmed at all
• The boy ran out, and Ms. S told me to go after him. He went into the boy's bathroom and I waited out in the hallway until he came out.
• I spoke to him and he told me what had happened.
• Ms. S called the office, and the principal came to get him because he did not want to go back into the classroom.
• The boy's classroom teacher came, and Ms. S talked to her and found out that he was diagnosed with ADHD
• Ms. S did not know this because she is not told and he does not have an IEP.
• I could tell that Ms. S felt responsible for what happened, but I think that as a teacher with 20+ kids in the room, you cannot control every child's actions.
• She thought that maybe she will not allow them to talk and will change the 2 students' seats the next time they are in her room.
• I taught 4th grade today and also prepared an enrichment project lesson for them.
• I took attendance for this class, and announced it was the last day.
• They finished painting, decorated it, and did my enrichment project.
• I was more nervous than usual when explaining the enrichment project, but the students loved it and even took some sheets home.
• Ms. S said to pace myself when speaking, but other than that I did great.
• I took advantage of the timer to make sure there was enough time to clean up the room on time.
• It is a great resource, and I kept my eye on the clock.
• Ms. S and I discussed the strange behavior of 2 paras who walked out once they knew I was the Student Teacher.
• It is illegal to not be everywhere where your assigned student goes.
• Ms. S decided to observe their behavior next week and if it repeats itself, she will talk to someone about it.

Thursday, January 16

• Today was a good day overall; Thursdays we see the majority of the Kindergarten classes (4 out of 5).
• I introduced a new lesson to the Kindergarten classes called Penguins in the Snow.
• So far we only started the background, which was making snowballs out of the print of corks.
• The one boy who was misbehaving with the scissors last week had good behavior today.
• I think that he got back on track and remembers how to behave at school now.
• It is amazing how every class is so different despite if they are the same grade level.
• For example, there is always one child that is the leader of the group, and once they start talking out of turn, being loud, or wandering around, other students follow.
• I have seen it happen more so in the younger kids, like KDG and 1st grade.
• After school, Ms. S and I attended a PBIS Meeting which is a group of teachers from the primary and intermediate schools who come up with events for particular students that struggle with behavior and manners.
• During the meeting, which was led by one of the Vice-Principals, they discussed the upcoming Valentine's Day celebration party that they would have for the students and planned arts and crafts for that day.
• After the meeting, Ms. S and I returned to the classroom and talked a little more about planning and the edTPA/recording lessons.

Friday, January 17

• Today we had 3 consecutive 2nd grade classes.
• I learned that the day flows better when the classes are the same grade level because they are doing the same projects and you have all of the materials out.
• Ms. S had a show tonight. Wish that I could make it, but I can't.
• She makes jewelry, and has a Masters in metalwork.
• We have deep and insightful conversations during our breaks and I am very happy to get along well with Ms. S. I have learned a lot from her thus far and the school and she make me feel very welcome.

Classroom Confidential - Schmidt Chp. 3
1. From reading chapter 3 in Schmidt, what have you learned about behavior? Use specific examples from the book and from your student teaching experiences.

    The chapter taught me that all behavior stems from 2 basic instincts: to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. Both of these motivations may not always be so easy to see or recognize. Students can act differently and make physical, social, and cognitive accommodations to please you. Others may try to "camouflage" the fact that they cannot do the task at hand by being a class clown, wandering around the room, being convinced that they cannot do the task, being a charmer, and pretending to be the victim in a situation. Several strategies that aim to help minimize negative behaviors in your classroom include providing choices, changing formats, looking to the experts (your students), teaching self-encouragement, using body language, providing supportive redirection, devising alternative assessments, and re-energizing students.

    There are several students from each grade level that have behavior books. I noticed that the reason why the boy I talked about previously might have been acting out was because he did not know what was going on and was camouflaging his inability to perform the task. The student decided to act out and mock the teacher instead.

       

Week 1

Wednesday, Jan. 8th

I left my Co-Op teacher know ahead of time that I would be a little late this morning because I was going to get my TB results and physical forms signed and then turned in at the district office. She was fine with it, but unfortunately things were beyond my control and did not go as planned. Due to my doctor's lateness, being 2 hours behind with all of his patients, and overbooking of patients, I was not able to make it to the school at all today. I left a message for my teacher with the school's secretary, and I also sent her an e-mail letting her know that I would not be able to make it. I am terribly upset that I had to wait more than 5 hours to get my TB results and physical forms signed, but I understand that it is important and required for these forms, along with my background check, to be submitted before student teaching. Therefore, I am glad it is now done, and I went ahead and dropped them off at the district's office right after I left my doctor's office.

Thursday, Jan. 9th

Today was officially my first day at the school. I was very excited this morning. I arrived at the school at 7:30 a.m., and the security let me in. I went into the main office, and realized that  nobody was there. Soon after a lady walked in, and to my surprise it was the school's principal. I introduced myself and also met one of the Vice-Principals. They were both very nice and welcoming.

My Co-Op teacher was very understanding about why I could not make it yesterday. Today I mainly observed her 6 classes and helped individual students work on their projects. I helped her set up the tables, picked up materials, cut paper, supervised students, and did morning door duty with her. Every class has art only once a week. Today we had 4 Kindergarten classes, one gifted 4th grade class, and one 1st grade class. Every class is unique in every way. The behaviors of the students in each class sets a different mood. 

The first class were 4th graders, and I was surprised to see a sign language interpreter there that interpreted what was said/taught for a few hearing-impaired students. I thought that this was pretty neat and an awesome accommodation for the students who really need it to succeed in the classroom.

There were some classes where the students were able to get the majority of their work done, but there were two Kindergarten classes where a few students displayed disruptive behavior. These 3 students each have a behavior folder, which is something new to me, that is given to every teacher they see throughout the day. It is the teacher's responsibility to rate the child's performance in 3 areas: respectfulness, following directions, and participation. These students did not have have a very good day so they did not get very good markings. There is a 1-2-3 scale that they use (1- not good, 2-OK, 3-Excellent).

One male student in particular had a really hard time sitting in his seat. He would get up and walk or run around the room with scissors in his hand, and my Co-Op teacher kept redirecting him to sit at his table. There came a moment where I did not know what to do or how to react. He took his scissors and I saw him try to cut another student's shoe laces off. I said his name out loud and my Co-Op teacher saw it as well. She took him to the side and spoke with him. The student still did not listen and continued being disruptive while she taught, so she asked me to sit with him and to try to help him get some work done. He played around with his sweater and ignored everything I was saying, until my Co-Op teacher showed him his behavior folder.

I realized that one student alone can really affect others' learning. Not much teaching was able to get done, and I felt bad. I am not sure how I would handle the situation if it had just been me in the classroom. Once things start to get out of hand in this way, where he could be a harm to others, I think I would maybe call the office. 

My Co-Op teacher and I started discussing how we could set up a schedule and plans of co-teaching, which I am very open to do. Tomorrow I will be attending a curriculum meeting with all of the district teachers (no school for the students).

Friday, January 10th

Standard 8 - Collaborative Relationships*Today was School Improvement Day, and the students got the day off. The entire district's teachers met at the school, including all of the principals. I was really looking forward to this day because I hoped to see 2 of my previous Co-Op teachers. My Co-Op teacher and I walked up to the table to sign-in, and there I saw my previous Co-Op teacher and the principal of that school. She re-introduced me to the principal, and she informed me that there will be a vacancy soon in the district and to make sure that I apply. I was very happy to hear that, and I will most definitely do that.

The time came where we each separated and went into our assigned rooms. There I met the soon-to-be retired teacher and one of my previous Co-Op teachers. It was very nice seeing them again and we talked for quite a bit. I did my best to network, and I feel like I have a good chance of possibly starting my career as an art teacher for the following school year.

During our time together we worked on developing a standard curriculum for the Art Department. It is a very hard thing to do because you cannot be too specific to the point where you "suck out all of the creativity of art." They came to a consensus and decided to do a general outline of units they each would teach and a rubric that could be used for report cards. It was a great opportunity for me to witness this and be a part of it.

Once the meeting was over, my Co-Op and I returned to her classroom and we sat down for an hour to plan and talk about the upcoming week. She actually had an outline of what she thought might be OK for me and I approved it. The outline is as follows:  

 

I love how my Co-Op teacher and I are able to get along so well and seem to understand each other. She is very kind and genuinely wants to see me succeed and I really appreciate that. I am learning so much from her already and I can see that she is interested to learn from me and know my thoughts/opinions about things as well. I will be doing some teaching this upcoming week. I am really looking forward to it!

Classroom Confidential - Schmidt

1. The multiple intelligences that I hope to use in my classroom are: visual, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and verbal. In art it is always important to discuss what we are seeing and to share our opinions with others. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to interpreting an art work, therefore students who are "verbally smart," would be enriched by openly being able to share their thoughts to class through class discussion. Art gives "intrapersonal smart" children the opportunity to see their artistic abilities in a different light and be able to analyze what their strengths and weaknesses are. Doing self-evaluations in the classroom helps in this particular area as well.

Being seated in groups gives the students that are "interpersonally smart" the opportunity to socialize, but also to talk about each other's work. These students could end up helping others out by explaining things and offering friendly advice. Last but not least, "visually smart" students would be the ones who complete extra steps before you even introduce them to the class. These students can complete a project by just looking at the example that you put up. I think that it is OK if this happens. These students seem to develop a sense of independence early on.  

2. There are some ways in which I will use Schmidt's "full brain learning." For example, I will provide my students with options of creating a project each having a different degree of complexity. Having students make up their own project also engages them in "full brain learning." While demonstrating how to do a project, I can model how to think through a process, technique, or problem and how to come up with solutions. I will also have the students take advantage of their seating arrangement (groups) to help them learn how to communicate their ideas and present them to the class.