Week 13
This past week we had parent-teacher conferences. Most, if not all, of the conferences went pretty well. For the first couple of conferences I observed and I took notes of how Mrs. E communicated with parents. Once I felt comfortable I started adding to the conversation. I noticed that Mrs. E started off by welcoming parents and saying something positive about the student. She then went over the report card and provided evidence of student work to justify the student's grade. If there was a concern she would then bring it up and ask parents what their input was. Then, she would ask them if there was anything else that they would like to know. I felt like I got to know the students on a more personal level and I definitely felt like I could relate to a lot of the parents since I'm a parent, myself. A lot of the parents mentioned that they really enjoy the pictures and videos we share on the application, class dojo.
On Tuesday, I also got observed by my supervisor. During a read-aloud lesson I read the book, What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? The students were really excited about the lesson. I felt like I had a difficult time managing the class on the carpet. However, my supervisor reassured me that I was being too harsh on myself. I am learning that sometimes first graders are going to be first-graders and they will be fidgety, or they might shout out answers, and that's okay, I just have to redirect them and move on with the lesson. I have to remember that they are 6 or 7-year-olds that are still learning how to control themselves and express themselves. I also learned that I can't possibly anticipate every single question or comment a student might ask. Many times I will be forced to think on my feet and all I can do is be prepared, but in the event, I don't know the answer to a question I can always be honest with the students and tell them I will research it later.
My supervisor recommended I use the class dojo reward system to help with class management. My host teacher agreed to the recommendation and we will be trying it this upcoming week. In addition, my supervisor recommended I change where I sit to give my lessons on the carpet. We already made that change and it's working out well so far. She also suggested I use popsicle sticks with names to call on students, that way everyone is included in the classroom discussions. One of my goals this week is to use the popsicle sticks recommendation and the dojo classroom rewards system. I'm also going to encourage academic language by providing asking and responding stems during classroom discussions.
CLASSROOM CONFIDENTIAL CHAPTER 1O
1. What's the big deal about social justice? Why are the ideas of chapter 10 important for a Christian teacher?
This chapter made me think of a particular lesson we had in class. We were learning about Veterans. We learned about the armed forces and five branches and then, of course, the topic of war came up. I anticipated the question, but I was definitely uncomfortable with the uncomfortable. After the word "war' came up so did the word "death" and "guns". I was unsure of how to navigate that type of discussion. So I kept it simple. I answered the questions the best I could without getting too specific, but after reading this chapter I think I could have done a better job facilitating that "touchy" conversation. I could have encouraged students to think about why countries have wars and I could have asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the act of war. We could have also discussed how children are affected by war. Schmidt says, when you introduce your students to social justice education, you encourage them to look at the real world inquisitively, boldly, and from various points of view to observe how other people, particularly children exist. This is incredibly important because like Schmidt says we are planting the seeds by helping students think more critically and ethically. Teachers are preparing students to solve more challenging problems they may face when they become adults. Arming students with that background knowledge will help students make better decisions not only for themselves but for the society that they will live in.
On Tuesday, I also got observed by my supervisor. During a read-aloud lesson I read the book, What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? The students were really excited about the lesson. I felt like I had a difficult time managing the class on the carpet. However, my supervisor reassured me that I was being too harsh on myself. I am learning that sometimes first graders are going to be first-graders and they will be fidgety, or they might shout out answers, and that's okay, I just have to redirect them and move on with the lesson. I have to remember that they are 6 or 7-year-olds that are still learning how to control themselves and express themselves. I also learned that I can't possibly anticipate every single question or comment a student might ask. Many times I will be forced to think on my feet and all I can do is be prepared, but in the event, I don't know the answer to a question I can always be honest with the students and tell them I will research it later.
My supervisor recommended I use the class dojo reward system to help with class management. My host teacher agreed to the recommendation and we will be trying it this upcoming week. In addition, my supervisor recommended I change where I sit to give my lessons on the carpet. We already made that change and it's working out well so far. She also suggested I use popsicle sticks with names to call on students, that way everyone is included in the classroom discussions. One of my goals this week is to use the popsicle sticks recommendation and the dojo classroom rewards system. I'm also going to encourage academic language by providing asking and responding stems during classroom discussions.
CLASSROOM CONFIDENTIAL CHAPTER 1O
1. What's the big deal about social justice? Why are the ideas of chapter 10 important for a Christian teacher?
This chapter made me think of a particular lesson we had in class. We were learning about Veterans. We learned about the armed forces and five branches and then, of course, the topic of war came up. I anticipated the question, but I was definitely uncomfortable with the uncomfortable. After the word "war' came up so did the word "death" and "guns". I was unsure of how to navigate that type of discussion. So I kept it simple. I answered the questions the best I could without getting too specific, but after reading this chapter I think I could have done a better job facilitating that "touchy" conversation. I could have encouraged students to think about why countries have wars and I could have asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the act of war. We could have also discussed how children are affected by war. Schmidt says, when you introduce your students to social justice education, you encourage them to look at the real world inquisitively, boldly, and from various points of view to observe how other people, particularly children exist. This is incredibly important because like Schmidt says we are planting the seeds by helping students think more critically and ethically. Teachers are preparing students to solve more challenging problems they may face when they become adults. Arming students with that background knowledge will help students make better decisions not only for themselves but for the society that they will live in.
I'm glad that you started to feel comfortable so that you could also contribute to the conferences. I like that parents had opportunity to provide information and not just listen. I would be careful with using Class Dojo for behavior management. I know that there are options that could publicly shame students, so I hope that you are very careful not to humiliate any student, but use this tool more as a way of praising and keeping parents informed.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you had a good opportunity to discuss some touchy issues. I know that sometimes you may not feel prepared to open up a can of worms, but you also want to take advantage of situations that arise where you can interject ideas of social justice.