REWARDS

I feel that rewards are both necessary and beneficial for students in an elementary classroom.  Rewards are beneficial for everyone, for that matter.  Although we want students to be intrinsically motivated to complete tasks and meet learning goals, all learners need to be recognized for their progress and improvement.  Rewards can come in many different forms and do not have to be elaborate.

In my field experiences I have seen school-wide reward systems aimed at encouraging students to meet or exceed behavioral expectations in all parts of the school environment.  At West Lake Elementary, students are given different necklaces to wear when they exhibit positive behaviors.  I have also seen schools use ticket systems that allow students to collect enough tickets to trade in for a reward of their choice.  In many cases, these reward systems are very effective.

All reward systems will not work for every student.  Because of this, I think that it is necessary to have more individualized reward systems in the classroom for students who need extra encouragement.  Rewards should be based on the age of the students, their interests, and the set behavioral and academic expectations.  In the classroom, I feel like the best kinds of rewards are those that come frequently and let students know that they are on the right track and that you, as their teacher, are very proud of their effort and progression.  These small types of rewards and encouragements build students' confidence and help them to develop a sense of responsibility in monitoring their own behavior and learning in the classroom.

Rewards are great! But they have to meet the needs of individual students and help them take pride in their efforts and progress so that they will continue to strive to meet and exceed high expectations.

Self-efficacy

Throughout my lifetime and the multitude of experience I have had, I have developed a lot of confidence in my abilities to complete tasks and to do them well.  I have set goals for myself and been able to reach them.

That being said, this confidence in my own self-efficacy has not always been the case and has been hindered in the face of other personal characteristics, such as procrastination, and circumstances beyond my control. 

Still, in most of my life, I have set goals for myself and worked as hard as I could to achieve them.  I believe this comes from the people in my life who had faith in my abilities as well as the successes I had early in life.  In sports, I was able to succeed from an early age and continue to improve my skills in teamwork and leadership through voice and example. 

In school, I was always able to complete the tasks set in front of me.  I loved to read and write and unlike others of my classmates, those skills came more easily to me.  There were times, however, that I would fail to write a perfect paper or pass a pre-calculus test.  Even if I was discouraged in the moment, I had enough support from family, friends and teachers to hold onto a confidence in my abilities and work harder to achieve my goals.  

Things in life do not always go as planned.  I am well aware of that.  Sometimes, you have to take chances and hope for the best.  Following my graduation for UNC Chapel Hill, I was in need of a change of setting and experience.  I booked a flight and flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina for six months.  When I arrived, I had never felt so incompetent before in my life.  I could not understand the language, had no idea where I was going, and did not know a single person to help me find my way.  The entire experience of being in a new place, speaking a new language and feeling totally alone perhaps lowered my beliefs in my abilities at first.  But once I was able to successfully make friends, learn my way around the city using the subway and bus systems, and finally be able to carry on a full conversation with other people in passing, I felt like I had succeeded, regardless of all of the failures in between.  

Because of all of the experiences I have had, I know that teaching is not going to be easy.  But I also have faith in my own abilities to adapt to situations making the best of what is in front of me.  I think that we learn the most from our mistakes.  Self-efficacy is the measure of one's belief in their ability to reach their goals.  This does not mean that you do not fail.  It means that you persist through your failures, learning from the past to find success in the future.  

Bait and Hook

I have decided to let you in on my inner thought processes.  As you read this post, you will follow along with me as I think through the creation of a Hook Lesson in a unit on the structure of the United States government...

In order to get students excited about a unit on the structure of the United States Government, I have been going over several different approaches to grabbing their attention.

I have already incorporated movies, music, and theatre into other lessons for the unit.  For my opening lesson I have thought about having the students do a group activity that gets them thinking about the idea of 'checks and balances' so that they can later relate that to the structure of the US Government structure and the idea of 'separation of power.'

I want to relate the idea to science and the concepts of balance and equilibrium.  For example, in order to balance a scale, both sides have to have equal weight.  In the same way, each branch of the United States government carries the same amount of weight.  They each have powers but those powers are kept in check by the other branches so that one does not out weigh the other.

There are three branches of government.  In math we have the equilateral triangle.  All of its sides are the same length and all of its angles measure 60 degrees.  This could symbolize the equal distribution of power within the government.

I Googled these ideas.  Separation of powers, checks and balances, balances of force, triangles....and wouldn't you know it, someone has thought of an activity that incorporates these ideas.
checks and balances

I am still unsure of how I will design the lesson exactly but at least I have a place to start.  The students will be divided into three groups.  Using a rope attached at the ends and divided into three equal sections marked with different colors, students will simulate the checks and balances of government by playing a three way game of 'Tug of War.' They will see how one team has to apply the same amount of force as another in order to keep the triangle balanced.  They can then discuss the measure each branch of government may take to override the decisions of another branch or keep them in check.  They will also see how it is important that their be equal force of pull distributed throughout the triangle in order to keep its shape.  If one team lets go, the shape falls apart.  If one team pulls with greater force than the other, the shape will begin to skew and it will no longer be an equilateral triangle.
I am hoping that this lesson will be engaging and entertaining for students as well as educational.  They will simply be introduced to the idea of checks and balances through the metaphor or symbolism of a balance, an equilateral triangle, and the concept of force and motion.

There are two sides to every story...

..and often times, more than that.

My educational experience of history has been mainly guided by textbooks.  I have had teachers that have taken our engagement outside of the text to work in groups on projects of different kinds, however, all of the content has always been guided by the textbooks.  Because of this, I have found that the 'history' I have been taught is the history of the majority.  The textbooks tell us about the major players in important events.
But who has decided that the events written about in history books are the only important events that have taken place? Who has decided which events to include and which to leave out?
And then, I think its important to remember that just like any other written text, a textbook is filled with the words, ideas, and opinions of one person or group of people.  It cannot encompass all of the different perspectives and view points of any and all events in history.

I feel that this is one of the most important things that teachers can discuss with their students.  Students need to know and understand that every text should be analyzed under the context in which it was written.  Students need to know that it is ok to disagree with others or to bring different perspectives on an issue into a discussion.  In order to teach and reinforce the concept of different perspectives to my class, I will spend time discussing how any event can involve many different people and each one of those people will have their own interpretation of what took place.
In discussing perspective, I will be sure to involve the students in my classroom from all walks of life. Students with disabilities and who's native language is not English  may offer a new way of thinking about old topics.
Textbooks are a source of basic content.  In order to involve my students in critical thinking and analysis of history and culture, I will use a multitude of resources that provide many different perspectives on a particular topic.  ESL students and students with different needs will be able to use the resources that best suit their learning so that they can be a valued part of any class discussion.  Students will go beyond the textbook to look at original sources, listen to personal accounts, research topics online, read stories from the perspective of different people.
In teaching history, I would do my best to create an environment that values all traditions and perspectives.  As I teacher I would do what I can to provide information to my students that develops concepts and events through the lens of different perspectives.  Then, it is up to the students to decide what they think and how they feel.

Integrated Curriculum

An integrated curriculum is one that brings different subject matters together in meaningful and relevant ways.  It uses cooperative learning that goes beyond the textbook to relate content to real world contexts.

The only concerns I have about implementing this type of teaching is that is not necessarily parallel the types of testing that students are given.  However, I believe that using this method of teaching will help to deepen students understanding about multiple concepts related to a range of subjects.  It will take a great deal more planning at the beginning of the year but I feel that in the long run, it will help to save time in the classroom and allow students to spend more time investigating and discussing the content material with their peers.  Without structured time slots for individual subjects, content related to multiple subjects can be taught, analyzed and reviewed throughout the day.

I feel that the reason we do not see more of this type of teaching in schools is because it does not teach to the test.  Teachers are under so much pressure to have their students perform well on standardized tests that they are more inclined to teach the material for reading, writing and math, and let other subject areas fall to the wayside.

That being said, I think that there is a place for integrated curriculum in the classroom.  This type of teaching gives the time and attention to other content areas that is otherwise lost.  Teachers can still cover all the necessary math and language arts skills their students will be assessed on at the end of the year, but they will be providing meaningful experiences for their students through science, technology, and the arts.  I understand why integrated teaching has been lost in schools but I do not feel that it is something that should continue to be ignored.

If we as teachers are really trying to be the most effective we can be and set our students up for success, why not teach through engaging and relevant tasks that relate to their own lives? It may take more time and planning on our part, but I am confident that the resulting change in student learning will be well worth it.

Meaningful, Well-Planned Social Studies Lessons...

What does these look like? 

Well...
This week we have been looking at the 'backwards design' model for lesson planning.  This model focuses on three major steps: 
  1. Identifying desired results
  2. Determining acceptable evidences 
  3. Planning learning experiences and instruction accordingly

In this process, teaches will set clear learning goals and expectations.  These expectations will be formed around specific and meaningful performance tasks.  Teachers will guide their students in the inquiry of genuine issues, problems, and questions.  Through instruction, important ideas and processes will be uncovered by exploring essential questions and through the genuine applications of knowledge and skills.  Learning activities will vary to accommodate learning styles, skill sets, and interests.  Through this type of active learning, students will work to make sense of complex content.  Finally, students will be given assessments based on the specific learning goals and expectations met in performance tasks.  Throughout this process, teachers should be constantly responding to students needs and revising tasks so that all students can be successful in meeting set goals. 

(McTighe, J., Wiggings, G. The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units.  Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.)

This framework can be used to create an effective lesson plan in any subject area.  It focuses on student success through Understanding a particular concept.  

In applying this framework specifically to Social Studies it is important to look at the attributes of a dynamic and interdisciplinary lesson.  Social Studies can be related to any number of subjects and content areas ranging from English language Arts, Math, and Science to Music and theatre.  It contains functional content as well as a respect for the diverse cultures and societies around the world.  Each Social Studies lesson should help studies construct background knowledge about the world, past, present and future.  In these lessons students should develop skills in organizing data, locating specific areas, and finding directions.  Students will begin constructing core values and beliefs based on civic principles, democratic values, and the interactions between social structures like families, communities, and countries.  Using the different aspects of dynamic Social Studies, meaningful and well-planned Social Studies lessons will identify distinctive learning goals and expectations and develop appropriate performance tasks for students to seek the answers to pertinent questions and demonstrate necessary skills.  

Integrating Social Studies and the Arts

As the summer moves along, I am beginning another course in the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Meredith College.  During the next six weeks I will be learning about instruction using interdisciplinary experiences in teaching social studies and the arts.

So, in preparation for all that, here is what Kevin Spacey has to say about the arts...

Course Meta Reflection

       Looking back over my previous blog posts and relating the information there to what I have learned in this course on technology makes me realize that I have indeed learned quite a lot.  I have been introduced to many new tools that I can implement in my own classroom in the future and I have been able to work with those tools, developing useful skills and understanding of those websites, apps, and Web 2.0 tools.
       In my blogs I feel like I tried to share the ways I went about creating pages and sharing information through these new forms of technology.  Often times it is overwhelming to learn a new skill, and learning to navigate new technologies is almost like learning a new language.  I decided to use my blog to try and help others in their journey by providing step-by-step instructions of how to navigate these different tools.  In doing so, I was able to grow my own understanding of the tools and how to maneuver them as well as become more proficient at using these tools in an effective, creative, and engaging way.
       Of course, I learned about many more different new tools and strategies to use in the classroom over the semester than are posted here in my blog.  I feel like each post is representative of the things I found to be most useful, most engaging, and most inspiring for both teachers an students.  I know that I have been inspired to continue my own education in technology and to use my new discoveries to enhance my teaching in the classroom.
       Over this course I have moved from someone who used technology for social and research purposes but never truly saw myself using these technologies in the classroom.  Now that I have had experience using tools designed specifically for educators and seen them used effectively, I am encouraged and inspired to stretch past my own comforts and capabilities to find new tools and work within the realms of technology in my classroom.  As the world continues to move forward, it is our job as teachers to be leaders and motivators for our students to grab hold of the new inventions and discoveries being made and use them as tools to create a better future.


Our last assignment was to create a global classroom project.  Our group decided to work through a non-profit organization called Kids to Kids International.  While this project is not the most technologically advanced, it is still inspiring.  It allows students here in the United States to make connections to other children across the globe through the most basic forms of communication, pictures and words.  It is an opportunity for children to develop an understanding of what it means to be human, to be a student, and to be a leader in the world.
We were unable to show our full video in class so I have decided to post it here for any of you that are interested.

http://www.ktki.org/

“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.” 
― T.H. White, The Once and Future King

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” 
― William Arthur Ward

“Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.” 
― Aristotle

“You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.” 
― Galileo Galilei

“True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their
own.” 
― Nikos Kazantzakis

“I never teach my pupils, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” 
― Albert Einstein

Animated Messages from fodey.com

Flipping The Classroom With FIZZ: Katie Gimbar & Dr. Lodge McCammon at T...

This TED talk with Dr. Lodge and Katie helps explain what it means to "Flip" a classroom, how it works, and what it does to create a more effective learning environment.

Last week, Dr. Lodge and Katie came to our classroom at Meredith College to discuss "Flipping the Classroom," answer many of our questions and talk about how this classroom model might look in an Elementary school classroom.

After watching several of Katie's videos on YouTube and hearing what she and Dr. Lodge had to say while sharing with our classroom, I am convinced that this model for teaching is far more effective than they traditional classroom model and offers more flexibility for what a teacher can do with their time in the classroom.  The biggest point made in the advocation for using the "Flipped Classroom" is that is opens up valuable class time for differentiated instruction and investigative activities.  Students will now be able to spend the majority of class time working with their peers to practice and implement they major concepts they have been introduced to with video lectures outside of class.

I do not believe that this classroom model will necessarily be easy to put into place.  It will take time and experience to create and upload videos that I can take pride and confidence in.  It may take time to convince parents, students, and administrators that this model works and will benefit both students and teachers in all subject areas and at any age.

As a pre-service teacher, I am excited to learn more about the different technologies out there that will allow me to teach smarter, not harder.  I believe that the "Flipped Classroom" is an effective teaching structure for combating many of the challenges teachers face in meeting the needs of each individual student.  I plan to take a course to learn more about putting the "Flipped Classroom" in place and am hopeful that I will be better prepared for teaching in today's ever changing world.

For more information and questions on how the "Flipped Classroom" works, you can find more of Katie's videos on YouTube.  Flipped Training

Glogster....?

This week we were asked to make and infographic about communication with parents, colleagues, and supervisors.  I decided to try out Glogster.  I made this decision because several of my fellow classmates had used the tools on Glogster for other presentations and I was curious to see how it worked.  I have to say, it was not my favorite.

As I was working on this project, I became very frustrated with the maneuvering of the site.  I felt as though I could not create the layout or design exactly to my own personal specifications.  I had a picture in my head of what I wanted this infographic to look like and I spent a vast amount of time trying to size the fonts and individual graphics on my page.  Still, it never turned out the way I had envisioned it.  I was only given the option of enlarging and stretching the text or set frame.  I had trouble placing each thing in the position I wanted it to be in and working through the overlapping of different ideas, graphics and pictures.

There were a few templates to choose from and that seemed to be the easiest way to procede. However, had I had the time, I would have created my page from scratch, placing in each graphic exactly as I wanted.

For those of you wanting to create a quick informational page, I suppose Glogster would be helpful.

I guess what I really felt is that there was little room for creativity and diversity in the layout and design of your page.

For those of you who have used Glogster before, what do you think?

Am I missing something?   Not using it right?

I would love to hear about how others have used this program and figure out how to create something more personalized and unique.

Voice Thread

I have listened to everyone's threads and comments on the VoiceThread conversation started by Dr. Gleason.  I think you all made some great points about how blogs, voice threads and other asynchronous tools can be used with students in the classroom.  They are useful for sharing information across space and time and in a way that provides all contributors the time to read, think about, and respond to particular ideas.  With so many different types of tools to facilitate discussion and the sharing ideas, I have become interested in figuring out how to link all of these things together.  In doing this, information can be shared through several different portals and can be accessed through any given site.


https://voicethread.com/share/4589481/

Above, I have posted a link to our VoiceThread.  I am working on embedding the thread to a blog post.  Once I have figured that out, I will detail instructions below in hopes of guided others of you to use your own VoiceThreads as part of a multimedia blog discussion...












UPDATE: Voila!
Embed your VoiceThread in a few simple steps...








1. Once you have arrived in the VoiceThread site, go to your "My Voice" page.

2.  Click the gear tab at the bottom right hand corner of your VoiceThread that says 'menu'.

3.  Click on 'Edit'
4.  At the bottom of the page you will see a tab to 'Embed.'  Click it.

5.  You are only given short cut options to embed to Facebook or Twitter so you will need to look down to the Embed code, find the 'Copy This' button to the left of the code and click.  The code has now been saved to your clipboard.

6.  Now you will return to Blogger.  Create a new post to start.  At the top left of the post you will see that your are now 'Compose' ing your post.  To add the HTML code of the VoiceThread you wish to embed click on 'HTML.'  This will change your screen to HTML coded instructions.

7. If you have already written in your post you will see other HTML codes and commands.  Press 'enter' to return to a new line and Paste the copied HTML code to the document.

8.  Look to the top right of your screen and click on 'Update.'

9. To check and make sure you have embedded your thread correctly click on 'View blog' at the header of your post.  (It will be just to the right of the Blogger Logo)

10.  You should be Embedded and ready to continue posting!


*Please let me know if any of the instructions are unclear!

Here is a YouTube video detailing similar instructions.  However, this post was made in 2010 and the Blogger layout looks slightly different.  The commands are all still the same but you will be looking for some of the tabs in different locations of your site page.
       ps.  I am not partial to this man's voice so if you feel the same way, I apologize. Still, a good visual for learning to embed your VoiceThreads to Blogger.

RSS in Plain English

So, I am new to the whole blogging thing.  I have been playing around with everything here and have been trying to figure out how it all works.  I realize that there is a recommended book for us to read,

Richardson, W. (2010).  Blogs, wikis, podcasts, & other powerful web tools for classrooms. 3rd ed.  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin Press 

However, I have found that it is often much faster and easier to follow along with videos posted on YouTube when trying to learn a new skill.  
The RSS feed.  What is it?  This short video helps explain that to you.  Still, it does not apply directly to Blogger.  So, if you are posting to Blogger as well, here is what I have found out.  

If you log into Blogger and come to your home page, you should see a place for your blogs at the top and underneath, a tab that says Reading list.   

Now, what you want to do is look down underneath reading list where is says 'Add'.  This is where you will add the blogs and news sites you want to follow.  This is just like the Google reader discussed in the video but it is directly on your blog.  Click on 'Add'...

If you have created a Google reader already, you can import your reads from there.  If not, simply copy the URL address from the page you want to follow, paste it in the box next to 'Add from URL' and click the orange box at the bottom that says 'Follow.'

And that's it!

It will take a moment to save the pages you have chosen to follow but then you will have a feed of all the latest posts from that page.  As you add more pages to your reader, there will be posts from all of those pages intermittent with the most recent posts listed first.  

At the moment, I am only following the posts from Punya Mishra's web page as suggested by JMG.  Above is what my feed looks like for now.  

* UPDATE: I am now following several of you from EDU 701.  This will be very helpful when we need to peer review each other's blogs or simply respond to posts.  There is an easy way to do this.  Simply copy each blog address from the list under discussion board.  Once you have copied an address, paste it into the 'Add from URL' box.  Then, click on the '+Add' to the right.  This will drop down another box for you to paste yet another URL address.  Continue doing so until you have added all the blogs you would like to follow.  Final click 'Follow' at the bottom of the screen.  

Once you have added all of your blogs, you can look at the updates from each blog one at a time, or if you click 'All blogs' the feed will show the most recent updates for all the blogs you are following.  

I hope this helps someone out there! 

Happy blogging!  

7 Skills students need for their future

Dr. Tony Wagner, co-director of Harvard's Change Leadership Group has identified what he calls a "global achievement gap," which is the leap between what even our best schools are teaching, and the must-have skills of the future: * Critical thinking and problem-solving * Collaboration across networks and leading by influence * Agility and adaptability * Initiative and entrepreneurialism * Effective oral and written communication * Accessing and analyzing information * Curiosity and imagination

"You need to lead by influence...the person who is most effective as a leader is not leading from positional authority anymore.  They are leading , rather, from their ability to engage others and to ask the right questions."  

“The formulation of the problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill.”

― Albert Einstein

Teaching in the 21st Century

I found this video on youtube and thought it was at least a good place to start thinking about what teaching should look like in the 21st century.

Give them Wings!

"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children.  One is roots.  The other is wings." 

-Hodding Carter Jr.  

21st Century Skills 

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed a vision for student success in the new global economy.  They have come up with a framework that describes the skills, knowledge and expertise students must master to succeed in 

work and life.  This framework is a blend of content knowledge, specific skills, expertise and literacies. 

First, students must build a core understanding of academic content from which to build on.  Then, students must be able to apply essential skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration to that core knowledge in order to be successful in today's ever changing world.  

In this model, interdisciplinary themes are interwoven into the core subjects students encounter.  These themes are Global Awareness, Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy, Civic Literacy, Health Literacy, Environmental Literacy.  Students need to have experiences that allow them to develop the particular skills to be literate in many different areas of life.  To be literate is to be competent and knowledgeable about a particular subject.  As educators, we should be striving to produce students who are "life literate" meaning they can work competently in many given situations using a base of essential skills ie. critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration.  With proficiency in these skills, any one person has the basic tools they need to begin conquering any task and solving any problem.   

As the world continues to advance, our lives and interactions with different people and social structures had been come increasingly more complex.  The 21st century skills framework has divided the necessary skills for success in a complex life and work environment into three parts. 

Learning and Innovation Skills

• Creativity and Innovation

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Communication and Collaboration

Information, Media and Technology Skills

• Information Literacy

• Media Literacy 

• ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy 

Life and Career Skills

• Flexibility and Adaptability 

• Initiative and Self-Direction

• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills 

• Productivity and Accountability 

• Leadership and Responsibility

Using this framework with the support of structures such as the 21st century standards, teachers can better prepare their students for success beyond the classroom.  If given the write experiences, environments and supports, students can go beyond the standard course of study and become the great thinkers of tomorrow helping to solve the problems of today.  

21st Century Standards

• Focuses on 21st century skills, content knowledge and expertise.
• Builds understanding across and among core subjects as well as 21st century interdisciplinary themes
• Emphasizes deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge
• Engages students with the real world data, tools, and experts they will encounter in college, on the job, and in life--students learn best when actively engaged in solving meaningful problems
• Allows for multiple measures of mastery

Here goes nothing...

This is my first entry into the blogging world so I hope it is successful!
For the past nine months I have been working on becoming a master of the art of teaching.  I have been learning about what students need to learn and how they learn in different ways.  I have been discovering new approaches to teaching in the classroom along with different strategies for meeting the needs of all students.  This summer, I hope to add to what I have learned thus far and share the new skills and tools I encounter with you here.