The End

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     When I read the last chapter of the book I was very happy when I saw that they agreed with what I said in my last blog post.  For those of you that didn't read it, I said that as teachers we must understand that there are different types of reading that all need to be taught how to read all of them.  I was happy that there was an emphasis on this concept.
     When this chapter said that students tend to think that reading is a natural gift; either you get reading or you don't, I felt that this was something that I went through as a student.  When I was little my younger brother was a few grade levels ahead in reading, while I was at grade level. This made me self conscious and I didn't really like to read.  I had gotten to a point where I didn't want to read because I knew that I wasn't as good as he was and it seemed hopeless to try.  To this day I don't read much other than what I need to read.  I want to, but I just get frustrated when I see how much slower I read than other people.  I think it would have been helpful if I had been helped to develop better reading skills rather than just being told that reading would help me, I may have been able to gain more motivation to read on my own.  Also, teaching students how to read all the different types of text it important because if a student finds that they enjoy a certain type of writing like academic articles in science, that they wouldn't have encountered in English class.  So that may help them to become a reader on their own.  Therefore, anywhere a student can be taught how to read will open doors for them and their learning potential.

Chapter 11

 

     So reading this chapter was one of those that seemed like it should be common sense, but isn't.  I think that it was at least.  I am a person that may take more time than others to read what we are expected to read, but I am a decent reader.  There was this time in middle school that we had a substitute in our literacy class and three of us were chosen by the regular teach to read the book aloud to the other students in our class.  We would read two pages at a time and then the next person in the rotation would read.  Well I was taking too long in my class mate's  opinion, so she cut me off after I was done with one page.  Well you can imagine how self conscious that made me feel.  So, to me it makes sense that a lot of behavior problems would start with people's difficulty with reading.  This skill is something that we take for granted and when we see when someone slips up, it can be so easy for peers to point it out.  Being able to read is a skills that umbrellas many different subgroups.  The different types of text that we all read is so vast that it can be forgotten that people can be good at reading somethings, and have difficulty with reading other types of text.  Then when we have difficulty with one thing, we don't want to admit it, so to avoid being vulnerable, people act out.

     So we want to avoid those issues, obviously.  So we should be teaching the students how to read the types of material that will be read in our class before expecting a student to read something out loud.  In every subject we focus around knowing that the students should be able to read.  Where, maybe we shouldn't be.  For some we should   breakdown everything for them, and the other students who may not need that lesson, would still benefit from it being taught.  So I think it is important to demonstrate to the students how to read math articles and how to read word problems.  I would think this could be done while demonstrating how to do the problems, in the actual lesson.  I think that teaching the students how to read is something that can be quickly taught, and can make the year much more successful.

Book Club Styles and Inquiry Units

     These chapters weren't as exciting as the other chapters that we have read, but  were very important none the less.  I really appreciate how this chapter set up how to do the lessons effectively.  Timing can be so difficult when planning a lesson especially while we have very little experience to judge with.  So I love the suggestion of the amount of time we should give them in a reading workshop.  I found it extremely important that they stressed the conclusion of a unit or reading group.  The students want to see that we are having do things that matter, so it is important that we tie together their readings.  When we have them conclude with a project we have something to evaluate their understanding and it gives the students something to work towards.  However, we don't want to restrict their investigation so that they loose their intrinsic motivation for looking for things to learn.

     With so many of the projects I did for school I did not feel motivated to look for any extra information than was specifically asked for in the rubric.  Although that may have been because I never really had a choice of what type of project or the topic of the project.  Allowing the students to choice is what I think will help to eliminate lack of interest.  But, I do want to specifically make sure that I set up the rubric so that I don't restrict the students in anyway.  

     I also want to acknowledge the list of online tools they provide.  I currently use Google docs, but the one that I am most interested in getting to know Glogster.  This sounds very useful because of the ability to demonstrate the different dimensions of the processing done by the student.

My name

I just wanted to let you guy know for future reference that I spell my name Alix.  My full name is Alexandra but I change it in my nickname.  My mother did it so I have always liked it.  Thank you!

Chapters 5&8

     Before I get to what I want to say, because we are doing the textbook analysis right now, I want to talk about how it was cool to see the different strategies that the authors used to make the book easier to read.  For example the bold stars that they use in chapter 5 to emphasize the strategy they are focusing on.

I found this on Facebook a long time
ago I'm not sure who's photo this is.

     Okay, so I really appreciate the tools that are starting to fill my tool box with these chapters.  Having a tool box of different activity ideas will help to start our classes with valuable activities.  In math I think that it will be especially important to have prereading activities because of the complex vocabulary that can be involved.  It also helps, because math builds upon itself, to review and check the understanding of the known concepts that are needed for the material.

    I think that it would be really cool to use the dramatic role-play activity.  This activity would get the students moving around and it would get the students to think of different ways of visualizing the material.  At times math can be really dependent on the 2D, paper visual, but to bring math off the paper and to have them express this in a brand new way, I think would help the students to see that there are actual connection in the world to math.  It would also be an activity to help them to learn how to be social with one another while getting them up an out of their seats.

The Amazing Chapters 6&7

     So I really liked these chapters!  First of all I really appreciated that the first chapter acknowledged that math, in particular, seems to get a lot of hate dished out towards it.  Second, I really liked the concept of the Guide-O-Rama and the word sorts.  The Guide-O-Rama seems like it will be a great way to get the students to focus on what they need to pick up from each section.  It also shows the students that you have actually read through the section and that there is a purpose for them to read the section.  The word sorts seems like a great way to introduce the terms to them and to get them thinking about what they are about to read.  Before they even have to touch the book, they have already become invented in and curious about the assignment.
    My favorite part of this reading was chapter 7.  I got so excited when I read about the 11% score gain that correlated with the education of social skills!  As we were exploring last class, learning through social interactions can be a valuable method.  I have also learned, from my involvement with The Student Leadership Training Program (http://www.sltp.info/) ," of the quote by Theodore Roosevelt "Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."  I feel that this is explained and demonstrated in this chapter.  I believe that the explanation expresses why all of the concepts that we have read about in the previous chapters is so important.  The concepts demonstrate intentionality which lets the students know that you put time into what you prepared for them and it shows them that you care.  Therefore, the students will be more receptive to what you are teaching them.  I appreciate all of the suggestions for making the class as a community and I can't wait to try them out.

Strong Chapter 6

Photo from moviepilot.com

     I really enjoyed the visual of Darth Vader in the beginning of this reading.  It provided a great mental image.  We don't want to let Darth Vader win in his campaign to ruin the student's educational experiences.  Like the other methods that we have learned about in the readings, this one requires preparation.  These writing assignments that are created in the RAFT format are tasks that will take the students extended time to complete because of the creative nature of the tasks.
     I have never been a fan of busy work.  As a student, to receive busy work I used to think that the teacher was not competent.  I felt disrespected and that would, in my eyes, ruin the relationship with the teacher. I was never disrespectful to the teacher, but I cannot say the same for my classmates.  I don't remember where I saw this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlDt0PX4rVg but it is a video that I believe expresses how the students who receive busy work feel.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the student was very respectful in this video, but I understand how he felt.  To avoid these feelings we need to make sure that the students understand that we respect them, and we should respect them.  They are not all going to be perfect students, but neither were we when we were growing up.  Using the RAFT format for framing an assignment can insure that we express that respect to the students.
    Then to use the RAFT to assess textbooks sounds like it would help to focus the evaluation.  With such a large text that the textbooks tend to be, anything to help narrow the search is appreciated.  It also makes sure that it covers the things that we might not intentionally think of when reading the text, so why would we rate the text based on that.  RAFT makes you think of the bias that everyone has and doesn't mean to express.

Chapters 3&4

  image from: www.dreamstime.com


       The concept that I enjoyed the most in these chapters was "mirrors and windows."   The fact that students should be able to see themselves represented throughout the classroom.  The students must know that everything about them is an important part of the classroom community, so even though the book stresses that a students heritage must be represented, I also say that should see different genders, sexuality, socioeconomic statuses, ages, etc.  As far as the "window" part of this concept goes, I think that it is necessary for everyone to see different people in the society being represented.  This helps to create acceptance between different people in the community.  By demonstrating how important the different types of people are to the society.  This will help to work towards a world without racism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination.  There are many things that we can include in our classrooms to show them that everyone is a valuable member in the community. Again this is will take time, but I truly believe that it will be worth the time.
        As we keep reading these chapters the thing that always seem to be the overall concept is being intentional, and within that, each chapter discusses different things that we need to be intentional.  Teaching is not something that you can thrown together if you want to make sure that you teach the lessons that you intend to teach.  It can't be thrown if you want to do it correctly, and if you aren't going to do it correctly, what is the point in doing it?

UBD Reading

     I am excited for backwards design.  I think this style of teaching really fosters intentionality, and as you know from my previous posts, I love intentionality.  This style of teaching demands thoughtful preparation.  It incorporates what we have read in the book so far because it requires us to not follow the textbook's structure, but to go along the path that you find to be best, and to use the textbook only as a support.  In my experience, the students can tell when a teacher is teaching to the textbook, and they get frustrated by that.  It is nice for the students to see a teacher who takes their own path.  The students can feel that there is preparation behind what they are being taught, and they appreciate the lesson more.

     Not only with the benefits that it brings to the students, it helps the teacher to be prepared.  When you have put as much thought behind the lesson as it takes for backward design demands, there is nothing to worry about.  You don't have to worry about fears of not being familiar enough with the material because you had to get familiar with it to plan out the unit successfully.  You also have all the activities planned out for the unit and the materials have been gathered for your lessons.  When you teach in a way that makes the lessons personal and intentional, a lot of the stress can be eliminated because of how much thought has been put into what is being taught.  Therefore, this style of teaching is a win for both the teacher and the students.


image from: www.mycutegraphics.com

Chapters 1 & 2

     When I was reading this, I had a lot of different emotions.  At first I was really excited because it was awesome to see students getting passionate about what they are being taught.  Then I got nervous about how to be able to incorporate this.  I grew up in the Coventry school system (www.coventryschools.net) and the only time I can really think of the teachers working together was in middle school.  Even then, it was rare to have projects that were connected between classes.  And the way that my high school was set up, would make this really difficult.  We were all separated by our level and any student could have any combination of classes and teachers, so in order for the students to be able to have multidisciplinary projects would be for the whole school to coordinate together.  Which I also tough because it is a huge school.
     I agree that this type of focused reading is much better for keeping the students captivated than the textbooks.  When I was in high school I was told to read the textbook in my math classes but I never did.  Math is not a passion for me, it is something that comes easily to me and it is a skill that I chose to teach through.  I believe that the textbooks should be there to provide extra support if needed, but it should not be relied on to teach the subject.  It will take some out of the box thinking to find students things to read that will keep them interested, but I know I can figure it out.

Thoughts on Chapters 1&2 of Wilhelm

    This reading has proven to be very interesting.  I enjoyed the section that spoke about the theory of the "wide awake" teacher which forces the teacher to question when they teach anything.  They have to make sure that they are are very intentional with everything that they do.  I believe that when a teacher is intentional with their lessons they are demonstrating the greatest form of respect and it creates a new atmosphere where the students feel confident in the job that the teacher is doing.  Thus the students will be more willing to listen to what the teacher has to say, and the class will be more likely to be well behaved.
     I also appreciated  the learning-centered teaching model, I think that this model helps the students to become independent with the skills that they are being taught on a safe and success driven path.  When the students feel that there is hope in them being successful in accomplishing the task assigned, they are more likely to finish he task than if they feel the task is a hopeless endeavor.  When a student feels that they're in a hopeless situation, they are more likely to shutdown and just give up on the whole idea of trying.  So, it is very beneficial by using the teaching-centered teaching model.
     The other point the the chapters emphasized that I believe is import is to make sure that the students realize how the skills are applicable to the real world.  When I started tutoring, the thing that was a common for my students to say was that they didn't understand how they would use these skills in the real world, so what was the point in them learning what they were being taught.  I also remember this being something that frustrated me as I was going through school.  When the connection between school and the real world is not made clear, it is difficult for the students to feel that they are using their time wisely.  Which leads to students being less willing to pay attention to the lesson.  So I want to make sure that I make the connections clear for my students when I start teaching.

My Literacy in Dance

            Since I was in the second grade, I have been dancing, and throughout the years I have become very literate in the language and the way that the community acted together.  The first year I took only a tap class.  I learned what tap was through the participation in the dance class.  In the dance world, tap is the style of dance where you put on shoes that have metal plates attached to the heel and to the ball of the shoe.  With these shoes on your feet you make a rhythm, with or without music.  Since I took this class, I have learned to appreciate the beauty in the art of dance. 

             I have learned so many things throughout the large amount of time that I have dedicated to dance.  All of the literacy of dance that I have obtained was taught to me by my dance teachers and through the interactions that I had with the people that I danced with.  My slope of learning steepened even more when I went from being a recreational dancer to being a competition dancer.

            When I first started with the tap class, I had started because my mother wanted me to get some exercise and dance was one of the ways in which she chose it to accomplish that goal.  However, as the years went on, I started to love dance.  I loved being a part of the classes that in the end, put on what I though was a wonderful show at the time.  I loved the time that I spent with my friends, and in the end what I truly loved the form of expression that dance allowed me use as an outlet.  I even have learned to love the extremes that that the art pushes the body to reach. 

            Along with the love for dance I learned of the enormous vocabulary that encapsulates the world of dance.  I learned social skills that are necessary to participate in the community, for example one should clap whenever an award in announced, even if the person is on a different team.  This is because it is important to demonstrate good sportsmanship and to be happy for everyone.  I learned how to dress and how to have my makeup done so that it’s appropriate for the stage.  These lessons were taught to me through my participation in dance class, my social interactions with other dancers and the teachers, through my participation in the performances, and through my participation in competitions.  Being a part of the dancing community has changed my life immensely, in who I am and how I have chosen to live my life since I started to dance.

            I believe that dance even helped me to pick math as my teaching concentration.  There are many mathematical variables that come into light whenever there is a song or simple rhythm present.  I believe that the constant exposer to all of the math that surrounds the dance environment, has helped me to be more comfortable with mathematical concepts.  Even though most of the math that is involved in dance is not obvious, the constant exposure to rhythms, patterns, and many other related things, has made it easier for me to pick up and apply the more complex concepts.  When I started to look at being a teacher, I thought that I wanted to teach science.  I was good at science, but after a while I realized that I was only really good at the math within the science.  So that I how I picked math as my vehicle to teach.

              As I moved towards high school graduation, I started to be an assistant teacher at the dance studio, from this experience I knew that I did not want to be an elementary school teacher.  While the girls were adorable, a whole class of little girls was just too much for me; after the revelation I decided that I would teach high school and coach a dance team at that high school. 

            The literacy that I have gained will also help me to connect with the student that are involved with dance.  By being literate in dance, it will be easier for me to be able to find the connections between my lessons and my students’ lives.  Not only can I relate to the students that dance, I can relate, at least a little, to the kids involved with music, the students involved in sports teams, and others.  I have decided that I want to coach a dance team at whatever school that I end up teaching in.  Many schools don’t have a dance team and if I end up teaching in a school that doesn’t, I think that it would be very beneficial for that school to start one because of all the great things that dance can bring the students.  Dance has forever affected the person that I become and the teacher that I will be.