9. Learning to identify allies

Speak to school personnel (teachers, paraprofessionals, etc) regarding collaboration between schools and community

Collaboration is an important component when it comes teaching student effectively. When dealing with special education, it is crucial. There are many faculty members that are involved. I observed a special education teacher who teaches students with learning disabilities for eight hours. We discussed how many members of faculty have had a positive effect on how she teaches. The other faculty including the special education, school pathologist, principle, and school psychologist are very involved in her teaching. They all need to be notified when a general education teacher needs help getting assistive technology, alternative websites for students to use, or if they have a language mastery difficulty that needs special assistance.

Collaboration also can involve attaining help from other school districts. While observing, I realized the important of making sure you are in contact on good terms with other schools. There was a student that was being transferred that had an IEP and some behavioral outbursts in class. His current general education teacher and the special education teacher did not know if the new school should be informed of this outburst or not. They ultimately came to the conclusion that they needed to be in communication with the school. The principles went out to lunch and they discuss the best options for the students.

The paraprofessional also talked about many of the difficulties or misunderstandings that come along with collaboration. She talked about her parental interactions. Most of the time, the parents are the most influential part of the students life. She said that parents really are not as involved as they should be. It is the parent’s job to encourage their students at home, and make sure that their children are getting their homework done. It is also their responsibility to make sure their children are getting their medication. She told an interesting story about family involvement. She had a parent who did not want to communicate with the school. The school eventually found out that the sibling was the one who was helping the child at home. They had a meeting with the student’s sibling then, and they were able to make progress.

I think all teachers can agree that it is important for students to feel like their school is a community. I definitely got the sense of that when I was observing. All of the teachers interacted with one another in a positive way. The teachers treated all students as if they were their own. The parents seemed to have a relationship with not only the teacher but the other school personnel. In order to have a school-based management, shared decision making, and involvement of parents, there needs to be constant collaboration between everyone involved.

Find a personal mentor & meet with them regularly

Tyron Edwards once said “People never improve unless they look to some standard or example higher and better than themselves.” I believe this quote to be true. I think it is important to find someone that you look up to and that will help better you as a person. I believe this also to be true of an educator. I think that both observing and meeting with other teachers and learning from them is what makes a teacher truly great. I also think that finding a mentor that can give you advice and help you learn from your mistakes is equally as important.

I have had the privilege of being related to one of my mentors. My aunt, Anita has been my personal mentor and I do meet with her weekly. She was an educator for many years in many diverse settings. She has taught in a general education setting, an emotional disabilities class, and as a college professor. She had to learn how to effectively teach those with special needs based on her own experiences. She did not take a class that taught her strategies and effective ways to “reach” a student with emotional needs, and she certainly was not taught disciple strategies.

Meeting with her and listening to her experiences will make me a better teacher. Learning from someone that was a successful teacher and has a passion for teaching is a great experience. She has also been able to help me in many frustrating situations, and has given me advice on healthy relationships with other teachers. I think that having a mentor will help me feel more comfortable with myself as an instructor and that I will feel more confident when I have to be a student teacher.

I have also started compiling a list of academic contacts:
College Professors:

• Christie Bonfiglio
• Kevin Gary
• Kathy Meyer-Reimer
• Greg Imbur
• Annetta Ropp
• Linette Young

Previous Teachers:

• Nancy Haarstad, Bent Elementary School, 4th grade
• Connie Satchwell, Oakdale Elementary School, 5th grade

Field Placements while studying at Goshen College:

• Deanna Fetcher, Chandler Elementary School, kindergarten
• Alma Hernandez, Chandler Elementary School, 1^st grade
• Allison Kirkton, Chandler Elementary School, 1^st grade
• Mike Olian, Hawthorne Elementary School, 3rd grade
• Mrs. Tugman, Beardsley Elementary School, Kindergarten
• Brooke Walls, Eastwood Elementary, Emotional Disabilities
• Martha Wenger, Chandler Elementary, 1^st grade
• Linette Young, CCYC, Kindergarten

Get involved in a professional group related to your content area

I have been attending Grade Level Team Meetings during my student teaching semester. The purpose of these meetings is to enhance communication between teachers across the district, to serve as a professional learning community for staff development, and to coordinate efforts at implementing our three commitments:
1. Building Background Knowledge
2. A System of Formative Feedback around Learning Goals
3. Ensuring Effective Teaching using High Probability Strategies

During this time, we have a chance to talk with the mentors and instructional collaborators about our learning goals. All of the teachers are considered active participants and team members so we are all treated like equal role models between the school and community.

10. Study Effective Teachers

May 9, 2008

Study the Organizational Pattern of the Room
I have been observing the pattern of my classroom, and have come up with many positive and negative attributes of the room.

The first thing that I noticed about my room was the way the furniture was set up. I noticed that desks were arranged in rows that were facing the dry erase board and other displays. I find that this is the most convenient way to arrange desks because it also helps the teacher to learn the student's names. The desks are in rows of about three, which allows for walking space around the student's desk. There is never any unwanted congestion because she left ample space for students to get around. I also noticed that the teacher has the student's who tend to be more disruptive, sitting in the first couple of rows. It seems like she put a lot of thought into who was going to sit by who because there are some students in the class that are disruptive when they are sitting by each other, and they do not sit by each other in class. She also makes sure that the desks are not near doors or windows because she said that these tend to be distractions for her students. They want to look outside constantly or see who is walking down the hallway. She also has necessary materials like glue or extra pencils at the front of the classroom. This allows for easy access, but also so that the teacher can monitor what they are taking.

I think there is also more that goes into classroom arrangement other than where the furniture is placed. My teacher says that it is important to make sure that in elementary classrooms, everything is in a particular spot. Many of the lessons and other activities have to do with routine at that age, so it is even important to make sure that all materials are in the same spot. She makes sure that the rules, safety procedures, assigned duties, calendar, and their names are on their designated walls. Those way students get familiar with where they need to look to find these resources. The windows have decorations on them, and the ceiling is used to hang space ships and other mobiles.

I find that my teacher’s method for arranging her classroom is very effective, but there are some negative aspects to it. I feel as though sometimes the amount of "stuff" is a bit excessive. I think that if most of the walls are completely covered with papers and data, there is a distraction. The classroom also has something that is always in motion. There is a computer running or music playing. The children seem to focus on this more than the lessons that are being taught throughout the day. I think that there is a need for decorations on the wall or in the corners, but sometimes too much does not seem to be a positive thing. I hope to take some tips from the current classroom that I am observing with me to my future classroom because I do believe that the best way to learn is from one another.

April 7, 2009

Study Classroom Management and Discipline

In most schools, the main objective for teachers is to provide students with a quality education. I think that most teachers just assume that this comes from following the curriculum and making sure that the teacher is conveying the information in the most effective way. I also feel that the classroom management and discipline are major components in providing a quality education to students. There is often much frustration that goes into making sure that there is respect for both the teacher and the students, and often times this is what creates a good learning environment. If there is disruptive behavior, there is usually some sort of discipline that goes behind it. I have been studying the discipline and classroom management in my current classroom, and have found some techniques that were effective.

I have noticed that my teacher does a good job of trying to prevent classroom disruptions. She does this by using positive reinforcement. This positive reinforcement comes in the form of verbal comments, as well as privileges and rewards. Each individual student has a punch card that they keep in their desk. Each time a student does something that the teacher views as positive; she punches a hole in their card. After a certain number of holes, they get a reward. The rewards usually starts with computer time, and end with extra recess time. This seems to be an effective approach because the students are rewarded with an activity they actually like doing. The class also runs around a "bone system." This means that every time that a student is respectful, an active listener, or responsible, they get a bone to put in their box. The students also seem to work well with this approach.

If the student begins to act out in class, there is usually some form of punishment that goes along with it. Acting out could include continual talking, or not keeping their hands to themselves. Usually the first time that the student is caught acting out, the teacher asks him/her what they are doing wrong. She will say, "Are you talking when you are supposed to be talking?" The student will usually recognized what they did wrong, and sometimes stop the behavior. The next step is to provide them with a warning. If the warning does not work, she will talk to them in private about the problem. I have not seen any situation go further than this because usually when the student has to talk to the teacher alone, they are afraid that talking to their parents is the next step, so they stop what they are doing.

I think that many effective teachers have some sort of an effective approach to handling classroom management and discipline. My teacher said that in order to make the disciple effective, you need to make sure that you are not neglecting the procedures, and not punishing the same student. It is also important to make sure that the teacher is the one that is setting the rules, and not the student. There are many different methods such as positive reinforcement that can be used to help maintain a positive and controlled classroom.
It is important for every teacher to decide what the best way for them to handle classroom disciple, and make sure that they are constantly modifying. There is not one way proven way to handle the classroom, and one size does not fit all. All teachers need to make sure that they are doing what is best for the student, and creating an environment where the students want to learn!

May 14, 2008

Study Effective Teaching Methods

I have been taking mental notes during my time observing in the classroom. I have noticed what types of teaching methods are effective, and which ones need some improvement. Of course, all children are different, and learn in different ways, but I think it is important to recognize the teaching methods that enhance the learning of the student. I observe a kindergarten classroom, and even though the children are young, they are already getting exposed to different teaching methods. The kindergarten teacher always has to keep searching for new ways to actively involve her students in learning. I think it is important for me to research and study teaching methods because I never know when these methods will appeal to future students of mine.

Involve the Student in planning- When the kindergarten teacher just stands in front of the student and talks about what the date is and what the weather is outside, the students immediately tune her out. She learned over her teaching years that the student needs direct involvement in what they are learning. She has a new student each day go look out the window and see what the weather is, and another student write the date up on the board. This gives the student a chance to take a risk and try to figure it out on their own. She also said that activities such as role playing are also key to having involving the student in what they are learning.

Tell the Student if they are progressing and how they are progressing- Positive feedback seems to be the greatest motivation to continue learning. When the students feel as though they are progressing, it makes it seem as though the goal is reachable. They also seem to put more effort into an activity if they know that they are improving. It is also important to ask the students how they think they are doing. If they are discouraged, it is important for the teacher to know. The student's feedback is more important than how the teacher thinks she is viewing how the student feels.

Accepting the student's specific learning style- I think it is important for the teacher to cater to student's preferred learning styles. For example, one child might be a visual learner, while the other child prefers to listen. The student is offered a better chance at success if the teacher is able to make it more enjoyable to learn. The teacher I am observing does a great job of this in her class. She usually reads to them but also allows them to look at what she is reading. She makes sure that the students understand the information in the way that is more effective for them.

There are many effective teaching methods that I have observed throughout my class. I think that effective teaching methods vary with each student and with each class. It is important for the teacher to be able to identify what method works best for the class and the student. Teachers seem to experiment and analyze, just as the children do with teaching styles. It is like my teacher said, "sometimes one method is not the best for all of the children."