Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Week 7 Response
What I still need to know about tiering lessons for "readiness" is more in the "readiness" part of things. I'm still struggling with the concept of "readiness" and how exactly I can determine the "readiness" of all of my students for every lesson. I guess you could say I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. And, I want my cooperating teacher to know of my want to differentiate my lessons. I'm scared I won't be able to do this correctly for the lack of knowing the students. Again, I am overwhelmed.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Week 6 Response
1.
-Teachers who create a warm and supportive classroom environment tend to be more effective with all students.
I believe that everyone learns better in a place that feels safe and calm. A supportive environment leads to confident students.
-Effective teachers carefully establish classroom routines that enable them and their students to work flexibly and efficiently.
-Effective teachers carefully establish classroom routines that enable them and their students to work flexibly and efficiently.
Every time I hear or see the word routine, I think of my daughter whom I am trying to get on a nightly routine so she can fall right asleep. Like this routine I am trying to establish, routines take a little time to be effective. But, once they are set in place they work wonders.
-Effective teachers are more concerned with student understanding of meaning than memorization of facts.
Who cares if your students can memorize something, but have no idea of the meaning behind it? Memorization without content knowledge will soon be forgotten.
-Students achieve at higher rates when instruction focuses on meaningful conceptualization and builds on their knowledge of the world.
I believe the more the students can relate and find interesting the curriculum, the more motivated and successful they are at learning it.
2.
The metaphor of McNulty and his mother's gravy makes sense to me. I would however change the metaphor just a bit (I think I changed it...)
How comes it seems that when Mom makes a sandwich, or anything for that matter, it tastes a lot better than when you make it on your own? Is it because there is love behind the making. A love for being a mother and doing things for her children. The same is with a teacher and his/her students. When a teacher teaches with "love" behind it, it "tastes" more appetizing to the students.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Week 5 Response
1.
-"Student's in schools, classrooms, and educational systems that teach less and teach it better score higher on standardized measures than students in schools that seek coverage of massive amounts of information with little emphasis on understanding. In other words, curriculum that is a mile wide but only an inch deep is ineffective in producing real learning."
It is so amazing to me that even with this information, some teachers/schools/districts choose to ignore this fact. It seems so common sense to me. But, all I can do is keep in mind this information and change the ways in my own classroom. Also, doesn't it seem like the higher the grade the shallower the water?
-"...Teachers must struggle against 'coverage' and strive for 'uncoverage' of meaning..."
This part of the bullet point really stuck out to me as going hand in hand with the first bullet point I quoted. The word "struggle" particularly stuck out as it was a clear indication that it will take effort to eliminate some of the content we had planned. Yet, allowing this idea to play out in the classroom will result in our students contracting a deeper understanding of the content.
2.
"Take time to be human with your students and give them time to do likewise" (pg. 73).
This quote is when Tomlinson is talking about giving students examples of things from your (the teachers) life. I believe that doing so would put a real life meaning on the content. It also makes the students feel safer with the teacher because the teacher is willing to share, and is modeling that sharing is not threatening in his/her classroom.
"There are students whose handicaps make some tasks daunting, if not impossible. There are too many students whose home circumstances are unthinkable and impose great stress in their lives" (pg. 81).
This quote makes me sad and it makes me think. It is so true. I think about all the terrible things that we hear going on in the news and it makes me sad to think that the children of these people have to go to school with horrible things on their shoulders. Students need differentiation!
-"Student's in schools, classrooms, and educational systems that teach less and teach it better score higher on standardized measures than students in schools that seek coverage of massive amounts of information with little emphasis on understanding. In other words, curriculum that is a mile wide but only an inch deep is ineffective in producing real learning."
It is so amazing to me that even with this information, some teachers/schools/districts choose to ignore this fact. It seems so common sense to me. But, all I can do is keep in mind this information and change the ways in my own classroom. Also, doesn't it seem like the higher the grade the shallower the water?
-"...Teachers must struggle against 'coverage' and strive for 'uncoverage' of meaning..."
This part of the bullet point really stuck out to me as going hand in hand with the first bullet point I quoted. The word "struggle" particularly stuck out as it was a clear indication that it will take effort to eliminate some of the content we had planned. Yet, allowing this idea to play out in the classroom will result in our students contracting a deeper understanding of the content.
2.
"Take time to be human with your students and give them time to do likewise" (pg. 73).
This quote is when Tomlinson is talking about giving students examples of things from your (the teachers) life. I believe that doing so would put a real life meaning on the content. It also makes the students feel safer with the teacher because the teacher is willing to share, and is modeling that sharing is not threatening in his/her classroom.
"There are students whose handicaps make some tasks daunting, if not impossible. There are too many students whose home circumstances are unthinkable and impose great stress in their lives" (pg. 81).
This quote makes me sad and it makes me think. It is so true. I think about all the terrible things that we hear going on in the news and it makes me sad to think that the children of these people have to go to school with horrible things on their shoulders. Students need differentiation!
My life
Introducing to Dr. Peterson...
Little miss Zoey June Gray
5 months old and the 2nd love of my life.
Little miss Zoey June Gray
5 months old and the 2nd love of my life.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Week 4 Response
Isn't it funny that when you are asked to look for quotes that stick out to you, you start to think everything said is a inspirational quote? But, I found ones that were really, really meaningful to me. I know you said to find them "across these two chapters", but my very favorites were all found in chapter 3. Chapter 4 was good, don't get me wrong. But these were MOST meaningful.
(Page 29) A first year teacher named Esme Codell is telling about how she takes time with every student and is quoted saying, "...It takes a long time to get in the door this way, but by the time we are in, I know every kid has had and given a kind greeting, has had an opportunity to learn, and has tried to leave his or her worries on the doorstep."
This quote just hit me. How many times I wished that I could leave worries behind and just focus on the tasks at hand. This teacher really captured the true meaning of creating a learner's environment. A kind greeting and a symbolic stress reliever could change anyones day for the better.
(Page 32) "Their messages come not simply from slogans on classroom walls, but from living out their beliefs." (When discussing attributes of "invested" teachers.
Often times we get caught up in the appearance of things and how things look on the outside. But, it is what is going on in the inside that truly matters. Restating this quote in my own words: You can decorate your classroom with inspirational quotes, but a teacher that teachers from the inside is to be applauded.
(Page 35) "How could we issue an invitation to the risky endeavor of learning if it is a mass-produced invitation?" This quote was especially meaningful to me because it is how I want to base my final project. I have chosen to do a parent night of some sort and in this night/flyers/etc. is the task of explaining to parents how my classroom will be differentiated. This metaphor helps me understand more what differentiation is all about. I should put it on my flyer!
(Page 29) A first year teacher named Esme Codell is telling about how she takes time with every student and is quoted saying, "...It takes a long time to get in the door this way, but by the time we are in, I know every kid has had and given a kind greeting, has had an opportunity to learn, and has tried to leave his or her worries on the doorstep."
This quote just hit me. How many times I wished that I could leave worries behind and just focus on the tasks at hand. This teacher really captured the true meaning of creating a learner's environment. A kind greeting and a symbolic stress reliever could change anyones day for the better.
(Page 32) "Their messages come not simply from slogans on classroom walls, but from living out their beliefs." (When discussing attributes of "invested" teachers.
Often times we get caught up in the appearance of things and how things look on the outside. But, it is what is going on in the inside that truly matters. Restating this quote in my own words: You can decorate your classroom with inspirational quotes, but a teacher that teachers from the inside is to be applauded.
(Page 35) "How could we issue an invitation to the risky endeavor of learning if it is a mass-produced invitation?" This quote was especially meaningful to me because it is how I want to base my final project. I have chosen to do a parent night of some sort and in this night/flyers/etc. is the task of explaining to parents how my classroom will be differentiated. This metaphor helps me understand more what differentiation is all about. I should put it on my flyer!
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