Due Date: September 26, 2011 (due Monday at 7am)
This week’s blog is based on the following standards,
best practices and education program learning outcomes.
Best Practice – Using Authentic and Real-World Problems and Tools
When students are engaged in solving real world problems they are more invested and engaged in the learning. Students need to learn how to make decisions and solve problems for today’s world. Using authentic and real-world problems clearly establishes the classroom as on that can affect students direct; they are motivated to learn and discover new ways of solving problems.
Best Practice – Collaborating with Colleagues and Experts
Giving students’ opportunities to collaborate together and with experts in the field provides ‘real world’ learning experiences. Allowing students to collaborate with colleagues and experts is innovative and allows for authentic feedback.
Goal Setting: Last week you set two goals. Reflect on those goals and where you are in achieving them. Also describe your conversation with your cooperating teacher regarding your goals. Set 2 goals for yourself. Write one goal regarding collaboration for the rest of the semester. Consider: what is your relationship with your cooperating teacher, other teachers, and para-professionals which whom you interact frequently? Share your goals with your cooperating teacher.
1. Last week I set two goals relating to my teaching method to achieve success in teaching to different learning styles. I feel that this specific goal is always on going, but in this past week I was able to utilize many different methods of teaching. Since my students are starting a fitness unit, they are in many rooms. In each of the rooms are dry erase boards where I write the specific information I want them to learn. Additionally, I demonstrate the different skills along with being able to have them practice themselves. In this case, the students not only learn the information visually, but kinesthetically, and through their sense of hearing. The students who are more of a visual learner really excel from this type of teaching because they not only can read the information provided, but also see the skill demonstrated by myself or through a peer. I feel like I am more conscious about how I can incorporate more of these learning methods, but as usual it is always a continual growth.
2. Two goals this week are:
a. To continue to speak with my cooperating teacher daily about the activities I will be performing the following day.
b. To continue to speak with nurse’s, counselors, and other collaborative staff to make sure my students are receiving supplemental aid beyond their academics.
Reflection/Analysis: (Complete at the end of the week)
- Write one word that best describes your teaching experience this week. comfortable
- Summarize your experiences this past week based on the following:
- Knowledge: What have you learned that about incorporating the community and experts in the field in the classroom? What have you learned about using authentic and real world problems in your lessons?
a. Even though I have not utilized community experts into the class, I feel that if I did this real-life situation with my students they would benefit from it immensely. Especially in my PE course, telling the students why we are practicing these skills and telling them how they can utilize these skills in life are so important because it can give meaning to the information provided. In the past, I feel that I have more respect for teachers who give me reason for why I am learning this information. Essentially, all individuals should understand why they are learning the information teachers are giving them because when the time comes to be functional and responsible members of society, they can function at their full potential. In sports, I like to give game-like situations and have students provide answers that solve the situations I give. By doing so, I am utilizing higher-order thinking questions and providing them with game-like situations in which they can utilize in the future. Even so, in my leadership class, we do team-building activities. After struggling or succeeding through the activity, we always debrief. In our debriefing sessions, we always ask the question, how does this activity relate to life? In doing so, we give the students the ability to apply the skills they learned about from that day in hopes they utilize it in the future.
b. Overall, I find that using authentic and real world experiences in class not only keeps the student’s attention longer, but also provides them with functional education that can be applied in many settings beyond just the classroom.
- Performance: Describe your strength(s) and/or challenges that you or your teacher experienced in your ability to integrate the community or experts with your students. What ideas do you have for ways real world problems or experts to be used in your classroom?
a. I feel that the strengths of NCHS within the PE department are definitely their ability with their resources in their ability to have equipment available just as it would be in the community. The department really strives to provide the students with games in which need minimal equipment and can be played from a variety of angles. Additionally, the school provides so many choices, that students are able to achieve success based on their own personal choices and strengths. The teachers at NCHS specifically teach in their area of expertise and often teach the same things. I feel this is extremely beneficial for the students because they can get expert advice to truly achieve full understanding of the sport. Additionally, the fitness project that the freshman takes part of is extremely large; however, it lays the foundation at which the students can achieve fitness for a lifetime. I feel this strength is so important and more profound than any other PE department within the area. A challenge for NCHS is their ability to get in other community members to help the students, but I feel like the teacher are such experts in their area of teaching that involving a community leader will be similar to what they are teaching to begin with. However, it probably would be beneficial to have another person come in because something new could always be learned. I like that students also have the opportunity to write their own personal fitness program. In doing so, the students have the ability to learn how to work on their personal fitness and learn how to specifically develop it for the sake of learning and for teaching others as well. The students are able to incorporate the area in which they want to workout and to achieve their own goals. Their fitness programs they are working on now are just an example of using real-life scenarios to understand fitness concepts.
- Performance: Describe the ways in which you collaborate with your cooperating teacher, other teachers in your department/grade, and other professionals in your building (special education teachers, OTs, PTs, curriculum coordinators, social workers, or assistant principals).
a. My cooperating teacher and I have a great communicating relationship. We are always conversing on ways to improve what we are teaching, how we are going to approach the students, and how to incorporate activities that are most meaningful to the students. After every class I teach, I always talk to her about how it went and also suggest ways in which I can improve and she will do the same. The students are our first priority and with that being said we are continually collaborating with other staff members to learn new games or learn new approaches for teaching the material. Cooperating with the nurses is probably our best option. If a student gets hurt, we immediately go down to the nurse’s office not only communicate with the medical staff, but also to be sure the student is okay. I find that my cooperating teacher always goes beyond what the “typical” teacher will do. She is such a great teacher that I am so blessed to have her as my cooperating teacher.
b. Additionally, we make sure students are not on Free lunch care and always ask for students because we want them to have the proper attire for PE. We have found that some students that have not dressed for PE are on this free lunch program and we have dealt with the students individually so that they receive the proper attire. I continually communicate with parents giving them a head-ups on the unit we are on and what they will need to have.
c. Also, a lot of my students have additional personal situations in which we talk with our social workers to make sure they are getting the proper care they need in order to function in class. I have to say my cooperating teacher has taught me a lot to make sure the students are receiving the support they need in order to succeed also within the classroom.
d. We additionally talk to the head of the department for medical notes, to have him follow up with the doctors to make sure students to see what they can do.
e. Overall, I feel I have learned how to communicate with just about anyone and following up on how students are doing is so essential. I have see a student who was extremely disrespectful to me turn around in a day because we showed them how much we cared by giving him a PE shirt for free. He was only acting out because of his family finances and his inability to dress for PE. This turnaround is just the beginning at which I could improve my communication with staff and students.
Communication with your College Supervisor:
1. Describe anything in particular you want your supervisor to know or to help you with.
a. I feel comfortable with my teaching. I feel I have improved a lot and as usual look forward to any criticism that will help me when you come and supervise.
2. How well are you doing in managing your class so that you have more time on task?
a. Right now I am teaching four different classes. At times I am overwhelmed especially because I am teaching gymnastics, but normally I feel good about it because I talk with my cooperating teacher to make sure my safety cues are on target with the gymnastic unit. Also, I make sure with all my class that what I’m teaching is well known and I make sure each day the class runs smoothly so that my students are engaged in their activities for the entire period!
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