Friday, November 11, 2011
Struggling Student
I am in an eighth grade math class for my 75 hour clinical. The math classes in this school are block (none of the others are). The teacher has 3 classes consisting of 19, 14, and 13 students. There is a boy in one of her classes who is truly struggling. This student does very little work, even in class, and does poorly on tests. I have seen the teacher (and I have as well) stand directly in front of the student and ask him a question. Sometimes it is as if he doesn't even hear you and others he looks right at you but does not seem to understand what you are saying. This student is very quiet but does have other students that he talks to. Even with step-by-step procedures for writing down and solving a problem the student does not do it. The counselor and teachers have been trying to get the student tested for special education eligibility for a few years now. They keep getting told they need more data on the student before anything can be done. Based on the student's reaction to work, class notes, and responses, it seems as if there is some type of processing issue in the student's brain. Sometimes you feel as if he does not even realize you are speaking English to him. According to the learning style survey the students took, this particular student is a kinesthetic learner. The teacher uses various teaching methods and activities in the classroom, however, nothing seems to work. So far we have been unable to hook onto a method that keeps the student's attention, interest and understanding for any amount of time. I did my PBL the other day with that class. The students were creating scatter plots in excel. As I read off the data they needed to input into their spreadsheets, this student entered every piece correctly and right along with me. I thought, yes he is going to do this assignment. Wrong! He tried a couple of things on the graph, lost his data twice, and then completely lost interest. Finally I stepped in to help. Together we reentered the data a third time and we talked through what needed done and how to do it. All of the other students in that class as well as another had gone in and changed the color of their plots to something they liked and some got very creative with the overall appearance of the graph. This boy did not want to add color or anything. He did what was completely necessary and then was finished! I am at a loss for what to try on this student next. How do I pull him into the lesson and get him to do something. I don't feel as if it is because he just doesn't care I truly think he just doesn't know! He doesn't know what to do, how to do it, where to start, how to keep going, or if/how he should ask questions.
Teacher Questions Verbatim
How did you come up with that answer? Explain it to me.
Whe you go to the mall, what are some of the things you can do?
What are we going to be studying?
What are integers?
What type of numbers?
What does your book say they are?
Look at the graph. If you have the expression x + 2 to find the y point, for what value(s) of x do I need to make sure I land above the x-axis?
What values of x do you need for x + (-3) to be above the x-axis?
How did we get 3 when we have 5 + (-2)?
Whe you go to the mall, what are some of the things you can do?
What are we going to be studying?
What are integers?
What type of numbers?
What does your book say they are?
Look at the graph. If you have the expression x + 2 to find the y point, for what value(s) of x do I need to make sure I land above the x-axis?
What values of x do you need for x + (-3) to be above the x-axis?
How did we get 3 when we have 5 + (-2)?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Double Entry Journal #12
3 Things I Learned:
1. The construction of any "institution" implies that communication is taking place between various people for a common purpose. I never thought of an institution in this manner before.
2. Language communicates control. I have thought that language and communication is powerful but I never considered language a way to show, establish, or communicate control.
3. "The three-part sequence of teacher initiation, student response, teacher evaluation (IRE) is the most common pattern of classroom discourse at all grade levels.
2 Things I Found Interesting:
1. The IRE structure of discourse set up an imbalance of power in a number of ways. First because everything is teacher initiated showing that teachers can speak at any time but the students must wait on the teacher to let them speak. It also says that the teacher knows what knowledge is important and what will be learned.
2. Characteristics of effective questioning:
clear
purposeful
brief
natural and adapted to the level of the class
sequenced thought provoking
1 Question I have:
How can we best balance a teacher initiated questioning format with a student centered approach to create the best learning situation?
1. The construction of any "institution" implies that communication is taking place between various people for a common purpose. I never thought of an institution in this manner before.
2. Language communicates control. I have thought that language and communication is powerful but I never considered language a way to show, establish, or communicate control.
3. "The three-part sequence of teacher initiation, student response, teacher evaluation (IRE) is the most common pattern of classroom discourse at all grade levels.
2 Things I Found Interesting:
1. The IRE structure of discourse set up an imbalance of power in a number of ways. First because everything is teacher initiated showing that teachers can speak at any time but the students must wait on the teacher to let them speak. It also says that the teacher knows what knowledge is important and what will be learned.
2. Characteristics of effective questioning:
clear
purposeful
brief
natural and adapted to the level of the class
sequenced thought provoking
1 Question I have:
How can we best balance a teacher initiated questioning format with a student centered approach to create the best learning situation?
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Technology Survey
How many computers are in the classroom? One-teacher computer
Do they have internet access? Yes
Can you access Google tools? Yes
Do you have access to a laptop cart? Can they get on the internet? There is one laptop/media center but not a laptop cart.
Is there a computer lab? Do the computers have Internet access? Can you access Google tools? How to you reserve it? Yes, there are two computer labs. Yes, they have internet and you can access Google tools. There is a weekly calendar that you use to sign up for use of the computer lab.
How many of your students have computers with Internet access at home? 10 of the 11 students in the classroom have computer at home but only 9 of those computers have Internet access.
Are there locations in the community where students can access the computers and the internet? Students can go into downtown Fairmont and go to the Marion County Library to use computers.
Do they have internet access? Yes
Can you access Google tools? Yes
Do you have access to a laptop cart? Can they get on the internet? There is one laptop/media center but not a laptop cart.
Is there a computer lab? Do the computers have Internet access? Can you access Google tools? How to you reserve it? Yes, there are two computer labs. Yes, they have internet and you can access Google tools. There is a weekly calendar that you use to sign up for use of the computer lab.
How many of your students have computers with Internet access at home? 10 of the 11 students in the classroom have computer at home but only 9 of those computers have Internet access.
Are there locations in the community where students can access the computers and the internet? Students can go into downtown Fairmont and go to the Marion County Library to use computers.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Double Entry Journal #11
The first example of an exemplary PBL is in the authenticity area. *The problem or question has meaning to the students and *There is an external audience for the student work. The students were very interested in the Top 10 books and videos they had already seen. Also, they were choosing the animals and researching them. This project became very meaningful to them. Also, they presented their project to the school board and community and created a commercial for people to see.
The second example of an exemplary PBL is under academic rigor. *The project demands breadth and depth of specific knowledge of central concepts. The students did some very in depth research regarding the animals, their habits, and their habitats. Once this project had been completed these students knew quite a bit of information about those particular animals. Everything they learned (or almost everything) they found on their own which should hold more meaning for them.
The third example of an exemplary PBL is under applied learning. *Students use multiple high-performance work organization skills (e.g., working in teams, using technology appropriately, communicating ideas, collecting, organizing and analyzing information). The students are working together to create their lists and research the information. They are correctly using research methods on the internet to retrieve the information. Also, all of the information they used, they gathered themselves, they organized it into the categories, and then they analyzed it to decided how to rank the animals.
WV CSOS:
Reading and English Language Arts
RLA.O.4.1.1 identify and practice appropriate vocabulary:
•multiple meaning words
•synonyms
•antonyms
•homonyms
•content area vocabulary
•context clues
RLA.O.4.1.6 examine meaning clues to aid comprehension of content across the curriculum (e.g., pictures, picture captions, titles, headings, text structure, topic).
RLA.O.4.1.13 judge the reliability or logic of informational texts.
RLA.O.4.1.14 select and use a variety of sources to gather information (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, informational texts, electronic resources).
RLA.O.4.1.15 use graphic organizers and visualization techniques to interpret information (e.g., charts, graphs, diagrams, non-verbal symbols).
RLA.O.4.2.6 write to persuade using order of importance, classifying differences and similarities, classifying advantages and disadvantages.
RLA.O.4.2.7 develop a composition that demonstrates an awareness of the intended audience using appropriate language, content and form.
RLA.O.4.2.12 use strategies to gather and record information for research topics:
•note taking
•summarizing
•paraphrasing
•describing in narrative form
•gathering information from direct quotes, maps, charts, graphs and tables
RLA.O.4.2.14 use strategies to compile information into written reports or summaries (e.g., incorporate notes into a finished product, include simple facts-details-explanations-examples, draw conclusions from relationships and patterns that emerge from data of different sources, use appropriate visual aids and media).
RLA.O.4.2.15 critically evaluate own and others’ written compositions.
RLA.O.4.3.4 create an age appropriate media literacy product that reflects understanding of format, characteristics and purpose.
Science
SC.O.4.1.4 demonstrate curiosity, initiative and creativity by developing questions that lead to investigations; designing simple experiments; and trusting observations of discoveries when trying new tasks and skills.
SC.O.4.1.6 support statements with facts found through research from various sources, including technology.
SC.O.4.2.1 describe the different characteristics of plants and animals, which help them to survive in different niches and environments.
SC.O.4.2.8 construct and explain models of habitats, food chains, and food webs.
SC.O.4.3.4 given a set of objects, group or order the objects according to an established scheme.
SC.O.4.3.7 use an appropriate engineering design to solve a problem or complete a task.
The second example of an exemplary PBL is under academic rigor. *The project demands breadth and depth of specific knowledge of central concepts. The students did some very in depth research regarding the animals, their habits, and their habitats. Once this project had been completed these students knew quite a bit of information about those particular animals. Everything they learned (or almost everything) they found on their own which should hold more meaning for them.
The third example of an exemplary PBL is under applied learning. *Students use multiple high-performance work organization skills (e.g., working in teams, using technology appropriately, communicating ideas, collecting, organizing and analyzing information). The students are working together to create their lists and research the information. They are correctly using research methods on the internet to retrieve the information. Also, all of the information they used, they gathered themselves, they organized it into the categories, and then they analyzed it to decided how to rank the animals.
WV CSOS:
Reading and English Language Arts
RLA.O.4.1.1 identify and practice appropriate vocabulary:
•multiple meaning words
•synonyms
•antonyms
•homonyms
•content area vocabulary
•context clues
RLA.O.4.1.6 examine meaning clues to aid comprehension of content across the curriculum (e.g., pictures, picture captions, titles, headings, text structure, topic).
RLA.O.4.1.13 judge the reliability or logic of informational texts.
RLA.O.4.1.14 select and use a variety of sources to gather information (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, informational texts, electronic resources).
RLA.O.4.1.15 use graphic organizers and visualization techniques to interpret information (e.g., charts, graphs, diagrams, non-verbal symbols).
RLA.O.4.2.6 write to persuade using order of importance, classifying differences and similarities, classifying advantages and disadvantages.
RLA.O.4.2.7 develop a composition that demonstrates an awareness of the intended audience using appropriate language, content and form.
RLA.O.4.2.12 use strategies to gather and record information for research topics:
•note taking
•summarizing
•paraphrasing
•describing in narrative form
•gathering information from direct quotes, maps, charts, graphs and tables
RLA.O.4.2.14 use strategies to compile information into written reports or summaries (e.g., incorporate notes into a finished product, include simple facts-details-explanations-examples, draw conclusions from relationships and patterns that emerge from data of different sources, use appropriate visual aids and media).
RLA.O.4.2.15 critically evaluate own and others’ written compositions.
RLA.O.4.3.4 create an age appropriate media literacy product that reflects understanding of format, characteristics and purpose.
Science
SC.O.4.1.4 demonstrate curiosity, initiative and creativity by developing questions that lead to investigations; designing simple experiments; and trusting observations of discoveries when trying new tasks and skills.
SC.O.4.1.6 support statements with facts found through research from various sources, including technology.
SC.O.4.2.1 describe the different characteristics of plants and animals, which help them to survive in different niches and environments.
SC.O.4.2.8 construct and explain models of habitats, food chains, and food webs.
SC.O.4.3.4 given a set of objects, group or order the objects according to an established scheme.
SC.O.4.3.7 use an appropriate engineering design to solve a problem or complete a task.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Double Entry Journal #10
Kid Watching: A Critical Practice
Kid watching is learning about children by watching how they learn. Kid watching is an important practice because it allows you to get to know the students, how they learn, and what they are interested in. For example, in the reading, Jacob said he didn't like reading about anything. The teacher used kid watching to observe this and his responses to reading, then she gave an inventory of the students and learned that Jacob liked soccer. This allowed the teacher to find material on soccer and suddenly Jacob started reading. You have to do something with the information you gather from kid watching so taht it can benefit the students.
Cultural difference theory is when the teachers and students are focused on their cultural "blind spots." By using the kid watching, teachers can overcome this blind spot and misunderstanding by observing the students, talking with them, and gaining a better understanding of who they are and what they know.
Retrieved from Getting to know students
Kid watching is learning about children by watching how they learn. Kid watching is an important practice because it allows you to get to know the students, how they learn, and what they are interested in. For example, in the reading, Jacob said he didn't like reading about anything. The teacher used kid watching to observe this and his responses to reading, then she gave an inventory of the students and learned that Jacob liked soccer. This allowed the teacher to find material on soccer and suddenly Jacob started reading. You have to do something with the information you gather from kid watching so taht it can benefit the students.
Cultural difference theory is when the teachers and students are focused on their cultural "blind spots." By using the kid watching, teachers can overcome this blind spot and misunderstanding by observing the students, talking with them, and gaining a better understanding of who they are and what they know.
Retrieved from Getting to know students
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