Field Update...

This week I primarily worked on our advocacy project during our class time, but I was able to sit with Mrs. Patterson during leveled reading groups. Each week the students get a book that concentrates on one letter and a few high-frequency words. Our class is on the letter "Gg". I was really surprised to see that the font they use in the books is typing text, not the way in which the students would actually write the letters. I think this has to be really confusing to the students. They are told to write lower-case 'g' a certain way, but when they read words that contain it, it looks completely different. I really enjoy working on literacy instruction with the children and using various techniques such as choral and shared reading, helping them to make predictions by looking at the pictures or reading around a word they don't know to see if the rest of the sentence will give them a clue. It makes me think that if I continue with my education after graduating, I would like to talk additional literacy courses.

The topics covered this week in the Grant book really interested me, primarily because I think we are all going to encounter students who are either homeless, experience violence or neglect, or have or are living with someone that has a chronic disease. Every situation is different, but its really helpful to discuss hypothetical scenarios in class. It reminds us that we really have to take into account what is going on in a students life or what a parent is dealing before we place blame on them. Many times people are justing trying to survive, especially in an economy like today.

1.5 Hour Lesson

This week I taught my hour and a half lesson. I was really excited about teaching this lesson because I created four centers in the classroom where the students got to sort various objects by attributes. One center the students were independently sorting cylinder and squares by color, at another they sorted various sized and colored attribute shapes, with the lead teacher they sorted coins, and at my center they sort all different kinds of buttons. I remembered sorting the buttons in Dr.. Nabors class and was lucky enough to borrow them. This week I read about Lemov's technique, "Change of Pace". This is such an imperative technique to use with young children as their span of attention is so short. The way I set up the lesson was for the children to concentrate and work on one skill, but it various formats. My hope was that the transitioning between centers would feel like starting something new although they were still practicing the same skill but with different manipulatives.

I think the activities themselves were good, but I felt the lesson did not go smoothly because the classroom was so chaotic. 27 kindergarten students in one room! Unfortunately, that is many teachers realities in public school. I really needed to create tighter transitions, which was hard to explain given the 1.5 hour time frame. I haven't observed any routine transition behavior in the classroom, otherwise I would have used that. It got me thinking, what might I use in my classroom to help transitions between activities run smoothly. Each table that the students work at needs to clearly be marked. I have seen colored chair covers, which I love. Other ideas I though about were adhering colored shapes to the chairs of table (one table would be the triangle table, one could be the circle table). Identifying the tables by a skill the children need to learn, such as shape identification, is a great learning tool. You could switch it up periodically throughout the year. In my lesson revision, I created specific instructions for when the students are doing activities where they have to move from table to table. I though it seemed a bit "strict" while writing it, but my hope is that it would become a habit over time for the students. I would have a wind chime, bell, or some sort of noise making device that the students automatically associated with changing tables. As soon as the students hear this, they put what ever they have in their hands down, stand up, push their chair in, and quietly move to the next table. I've been reading a book on classroom management and I think its really important to establish these habits with your students at the beginning of the year to help class run more smoothly and create an atmosphere that is easier to learn and teach in.

Observing Running Records

This week I was given the opportunity to see my professor perform running records with some of her students. We haven't talked about them too much in our classes, so it was really nice to see how it is done (or have a refresher) because it is something that all teachers do. I saw this done last year in a first grade class, but I found it very interesting to see how it was done in Kindergarten when the majority of the class can read very few words. From what I could see at this point in the year, the teacher is really looking for the students' understanding of concept of word and the decoding skill of looking at the illustrations to help identify words. Mrs. Patterson explained that most of her students currently are at a level one, some are at the very beginning stage of level 2. By the end of kindergarten, all students are "supposed" to be reading at a level 3. What she told us next shocked me... at the beginning of first grade students are suppose to be reading at a level 8! So somehow between the end of one school year and the start of another, the students reading ability is suppose to rise by 5 levels. There seems to be a loop-hole here. Many of these kids regress during the summer too. I selected Kindergarten as my grade level for clinical practice in the Spring. Although I will be be other students, I feel it will be very useful to me to see what students start off knowing at the beginning of the school year and what they know by the end.

The technique I read about that I tried to use often in my 30-minute transition lesson was technique 48, Explain Everything. I can remember being in school and my teachers giving me short answers like "put your hand down", or "don't do that", which made me feel they didn't value what I had to say or that they didn't like me (I think 5 years olds feelings are very sensitive and they can pick up on negative energy). By explaining everything students learn what behavior is appropriate, what is not, and WHY. As Lemov says, "students understand the logic behind decision making and will be more likely to both believe that the systems are in their best interests and make rational choices on their own."

First Lesson Taught in the Field

This week I taught my first lesson.  I kind of felt silly, like I wasn't really teaching a lesson, because it was just a transition.  I got the kids lined up and took them to music and picked them up and brought them back to class.  However... I really learned a lot!  Rather than just having the students line up, I created a learning experience.  I told the students I was going to create a pattern as I tapped students lightly on the head to line up.  Once they were all lined up, I asked them to identify the pattern and what type it was.  Patterns are something that the students have been working on and this little lining up activity helped the students to practice the skill and allowed me to talk to them about it.  

Mrs. Patterson just got two new students.  She now has 27!  She explained that it happened unexpectedly and that you need to "just roll with it".  You can't stress out about having more students in the classroom, but rather make the appropriate adjustments and get them up to speed.  I have planned my lesson around 25 students and had to adjust it based on having two more.  I think being flexible and accommodating is an important skill to have as a teacher.

The other lesson that I learned through teaching my lesson is how difficult it is to watch an entire line of 27 students.  At one point we had made it to the end of the hallway and students were still coming out of the classroom.  I was really proud of the students for behaving well in the hallway and doing just as I asked... quite mouths, hands to yourself, and stay in a straight line against the wall so that other classes can pass.  I now realize how critical it is to have an aid in Kindergarten.  You really have to keep an eye on all the children and continually reiterate appropriate behavior.  Having one teacher at the front of the line and one at the back really helps.

I used some of the Lemov techniques that we have been reading about in class.  I used Call and Response and Pepper when talking about patterns.  I asked quick questions that built on each other, and alternated between asking specific students and the whole class.  I repeated the appropriate behavior I expected from the students while walking to music demonstrating the Tight Transitions technique.  Rather then telling the students "don't touch him" or "behave", I have specific directions and comments on how I expected the students to act with comments such as “remember, Emily, we are quiet when we walk by other classes so we don’t interrupt them” and "Quincy, we are walking in a straight line against the wall so that if another class needs to pass us they have plenty of room.”

I felt really good about my short lesson and am looking forward to teaching an hour long lesson next week.  From what I'm observed in the class, independent practice takes place in small groups, which rotate between the lead teacher, the aid, and working independently.  I think this will make the lesson planning challenging, but as a kindergarten teacher you have to be responsible for planning what all the students will be doing, even when they are at various stations.

Second time in new classroom at Spann...

I had another great day at Spann this week.  When we first arrived the students were in DI (differentiated instruction).  Students are broken up in groups based on level, where they might be on a on-going project, or randomly.  One group works with the lead teacher, one works with the assistant, one group works independently on something they are finishing up or a new task the teacher has given then after doing a small group mini-lesson and guided practice, and the other students who have finished their work can go into a center of their liking.  I really like this because it gives the teachers time to work more directly with children in small groups, while also giving other students independent practice on a skill they have been working on.  I worked with the group who was working independently.  They have been learning all about different apples the past few weeks and using apples across many content areas.  The students were finishing up counting books, 1 -10), where on each page they had to draw apples and write numbers.  Without being at this table watching the children work, many would have miscounted, written their numbers incorrectly, or rushed through their work without including much detail.  This makes me realize how hard it is to constantly watch each child to see that they are doing something correctly or understanding the concepts or skills you are teaching.  It also poses the challenge of having students do multiple activities in the class at the same time.

For snack, Mrs. Patterson made a homemade apple pie and gave each child a slice of red, yellow, and green apple.  The kids were able to try the three different kinds of apples they were talking about in class, as well as try something made with apples.  The kids loved this and it was a nutritious snack.  You could hear the students at each table discussing which apple they liked best, whether they liked, didn't like, or love the apple pies, etc.  After snack, Mrs. Patterson had all the students come to the carpet and sit on a circle.  She then created a graph based on which apple each student liked best.  The kids really enjoyed this and it was a great way to tie things together.

Lastly, we broke all the students into three groups.  Each student got a small amount of shaving cream.  When I told my group of six students to go ahead an take both hands and rub the shaving cream so that it was smooth layer on the table.  They looked shocked and really EXCITED.  They loved getting their hands dirty.  I rolled a die and which ever number came up, the students had to write it in the shaving cream.  I've done this before in another class I taught it.  I've also done it in sand.  Kids love this and its a great way to introduce them to different mediums, while at the same time having them practice their writing skills.  With working with just a few students, I was able to watch each of them write their numbers and help correct them when they wrote them incorrectly.  I also was writing the numbers in shaving cream and as I wrote I talked about the different strokes that I was using to write the numbers.

A recent Lemov technique that really interests me is "What to do".  Often we give children abstract commands like "behave", or "pay attention", or "cut it out" or define the the behavior we want of the child with negative statements such as "don't get distracted", "the behavior was inappropriate" or "stop fooling around".  In early childhood, kids don't necessarily know what you mean by these statements, and it also leaves room for interpretation and defiance.  In order to be effective, the books says that directions should be specific, concrete, sequential, and observable.  If we tell the child exactly what we want of them, in order they know, there is no reason for them not to do it.  I'm really going to try to remember this in my own classroom, because it can become very easy and habit forming to use short commands that don't resonant with the students.

I really enjoyed the new book.  I read the first chapter and chapter 2.  Chapter 2 discussed each of the different systems of the ecological model in detail.  Being at Chicora this week and driving around the neighborhood, it is very apparent that the environment that the students live in effects how they behave in school and in general.  They may be  exposed to things, such as drugs and violence or have parent(s) who don't watch and shelter them as best they could.  These things all effect the well-being of the child and influences their behavior.  As a teacher, when a child is acting up, is consistently tired, or late to school, I'm not going to take it as the student being "bad".  I am going to try and consciously think on a higher level "is something else going on here that is effecting this child's behavior".  I really enjoyed the parent educators speaking with us about this.  

First Day in My New Kindergarten Classroom at Spann

This week Marisa and I started our first week at Spann. There is one last thing I will say about my experience at SES before putting it aside and moving forward. I learned that in my classroom, I am always going to acknowledge and make visitors feel welcome, whether it is a new student, a faculty member, or a parent. I recently was reading a book that a professor I am working with gave to me, "The Essential 55". One of the 55 rules discusses this. Children are very perceptive and can pick up on hostility and stress that a teacher is projecting. I want to make sure that I am creating a warm, nurturing, and inviting classroom for all that come in.

I got this immediate feeling when I went into my new Kindergarten classroom at Spann. My teacher walked over and welcomed us with smiles and excitement to have us in the classroom this semester. She also had the children wrap up early what they were doing and meet on the floor so that she could introduce us, explain what we would be doing in the classroom over the next few weeks, and so that they could introduce themselves and say one thing they have learned so far in Kindergarten. There is a lot of pressure for teachers to stay on schedule and to get everything covered that they have planned for the day. The reality when your teaching five and six year olds is that things don't always go according to plan and that you have to learn to "roll with the punches" or you will get so stressed out. Our teacher was explaining to us that they had had a fire drill in the morning which had thrown their schedule off, so rather than doing what they usually do after special area, they were continuing differentiated reading groups in the afternoon and that they would make up what they had planned to do within the next few days. I think this is an important lesson to learn as someone that is going to be a first year teacher next year. We want to make sure that all the standards are covered and the children learn what they are expected to, and the path getting their might take a few turns.

I was lucky to be able sit with our cooperating teacher as she worked with her low group of students in guided reading groups. She even felt comfortable with me working individually with a couple of the students, which made me feel confident that she trusted my ability. Two of the students in this low group are ESL students. Building these children's' vocabulary is very important. The students were reading a very predictable book that concentrated on the word "the" and taught the skill of looking at pictures to help decode what they are reading. After reading the book several times as a group, broken apart so that each student reads a page, and individually, Mrs. Patterson used the stretch it strategy. The book was written from the point of view of a little boy getting ready for school. Mrs. Patterson asked what other characters were in the story. The kids first looked confused, but after giving them a little bit of time the students soon realized that the boy's cat and mother were in each of the pictures of the book. She also asked where is the boy going. When a student said "school" she asked him how he know that and he said because their was a school bus in the picture. I thought this was a great way to get the children to think on a higher level. She also was able to integrate other content areas into the lesson by asking such questions as "what color is the school bus", "what shape is his lunchbox"...

This morning I watched the president speak on the state of education in this country on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. There are many things I could talk about from this conversation, but there is one that I will mention. A comment from a viewer mentioned the responsibility of parents. There is so much talk now about bad teachers and failing schools, but rarely do you hear about the parents part in this equation. Like may of the parents in the Weiss book, parents work really hard, often long and stressful hours. However, I feel that if your going to make the conscious choice to have children, part of your job, whether you are getting "paid" for it or not, is to take the time and help educate your children. Families talk so much less now then they used to. Simple conversations whether its at the dinner table or in bed settling down at the end of the day are opportunities for children to learn. I saw some of the children in the new class I'm in not know their colors or shapes, and honestly, I was quite shocked. These are simple things to reference throughout the time you are with your child starting very early on. Perhaps the parents don't know what their child should know at various stages of the early childhood? Who is responsible for educating them on that? The idea of having longer school years was another topic that interested me.

Day 2 in the field...

 

This week the lead teacher was in the class after having been out with a sick child.  The experience I had with her this week was very uncomfortable and disappointing.  Despite this, there was a lot of valuable “lessons: I learned.   Our teacher spoke to us a little about the format of the EDI lesson plan.  She told us that there was research saying that it was very effective, but it required a lot of work for her and the other teachers. When I received a copy of the document, I visually could see how much time and effort goes into it.  I love the idea of this type of plan where you access prior knowledge, teach a mini lesson, guide the students in practice, and allow them to try it independently. The flow of this type of lesson makes so much sense.  But seeing this document that is put together weekly, the daily schedule that is adjusted every day to state the specific standards being taught on that particular day, and the daily forms that the teachers have to fill out or send home reminds me of how much bureaucracy there is public school.  I feel that so much effort is put towards a “specific process” when a lot of it could be spent on really good teaching instruction.

 

Back to the EDI lesson plan…our teacher explained that each kindergarten teacher writes a specific section of the plan for the week.  So someone always writes all the phonics lessons, another writes all the social studies lessons, etc.  I think this is wonderful.  It breaks up the workload and forces all the teachers to really work as a grade team and be accountable.  However, I also saw the negative effects of this.  During a phonics lesson our teacher was reading off of the EDI lesson plan that had been put together for the week.  She got to a section in the plan that she did not understand and proceeded to tell the children that she didn’t know what she was supposed to do for that particular section and that she was going to have to contact the teacher that had written it.  I find this not only a waste of time, but also unprofessional.  I don’t feel a teacher should give her students the impression that she is unprepared or clueless of what is going on.  We’re supposed to be role models and leaders and this is not showing that.  If you are given a lesson plan before the week that you are teaching it, it is your responsibility to look it over and ask questions any questions you have.

 

On a more positive note, I saw what is so far my favorite Lemov technique work effectively in the classroom… Cold Call.  I saw it being used during a phonics lesson on blending initial sounds of words with the rest of the word and during a math lesson on ABB patterns. The teacher alternated by calling on students individually by first name, by the color row that they were sitting in, by their math group (pigs, fish, cow, horse), and as a whole class (mixing it with the call and response technique).  I saw that this helped to keep the students engaged in what she was doing, while at the same time kept the flow of the lesson moving a quick and effective pace.  The questions she would ask were required short, one or two word answers.  I am definitely going to use this technique in the lessons that I teach.    

 

Our teacher misunderstood the family assignment we have.  Instead, she would like for us to go to certain students’ homes and tutor them.  The students that she selected our ones that are very low academically, but also do not have a strong support system at home.  A particular student was being asked by the aid that she lived with (mama, grandma, great grandma) and the students could really answer her, which was really sad.  The aid was explaining to the student that she needed to contact someone at home, but this poor child couldn’t come up a person that she feels is her “real” guardian. I did not read the case study on Dionte, but his situation reminds me of how difficult it can be to work with a child or get that child the appropriate help he or she needs when the communication between the teacher and guardian is either minimal or non existent.  The other problem is when there is not a sole person, but multiple (mother, social worker, grandmother, etc) and not knowing to whom the channel of communication should go through to be effective. 

This week we are moving to a new Kindergarten class at Spann and I’m really excited!!