How have you demonstrated Integrity and Responsibility this semester?
When the end of a semester nears, I often think of similar questions to this one. I like to take a step back and look at my individual performance across the board to rate myself on my professionalism. Butler University has four Core Values; however, I believe the most important of these values is Integrity and Responsibility. This Core Value deems students at the utmost level of responsibility and integrity in practicum experience, every day interactions, and with our peers. I chose the prestigious Butler University because of their accelerated education program and their ability to place pre-service teachers in the field immediately. If this isn't motivation to be the best teacher I can be, then I don't know what is. Block B has opened my eyes to the plethora of resources for teachers in grades 3-5 classrooms. It is my responsibility to incorporate these newly-acquired resources and use them to my advantage. When looking more specifically at the integrity and responsibility aspect of education, I have always demonstrated enthusiasm for teaching and learning. It is a part of my philosophy of teaching to allow students the opportunity of finding the joy in teaching. I aspire to be the kind of teacher who has a class that strives discover new knowledge. When I was at the Butler Lab School talking to third graders about our trip to the Children's Museum to talk to NASA astronauts, the students didn't really know how to react. They were not aware of what a momentous event this was going to be. The minute myself and my peers changed our expressions and voices to a more exciting tone, the students were elated! This kind of thrill is what I want in my classroom all the time. Seeing this instance change of mood has helped me become a better teacher.
What specific strengths did you bring to Block B and how have you grown?
When I came to Block B, I was a blank canvas. In my eyes, being a blank canvas was advantageous because my canvas could only be filled with colorful, innovative knowledge. I did not bring with me any misconceptions. I did not doubt anything I was learning. I was just a sponge ready to soak up all of the teaching strategies, theories, beliefs, and resources for teachers. I had only seen effective workshops at the Lab school in the younger grades; in addition to, only seeing three workshops (math, reading, writing). I have grown to love the workshop set up. I saw my first science workshop at Sycamore. I conducted my first Social Studies lesson at Central Elementary. And I assessed a child in mathematics for over 5 weeks during Problem Solving Buddies. It is so neat to see the growth within me. I was confident making plans for a student over sessions and building on her knowledge. It was stellar to see a student grow significantly with her math skills. An area where I see improvement in myself, is collaboration with co-teachers. I have learned how crucial it is to work with another teacher of equal or greater teaching strategies. I have seen how important it is to take the back seat sometimes and observe a peer teaching, rather than becoming completely engulfed in a lesson with no variation or collaboration.
I have learned that it's encouraged to teach more than one content area in a lesson. Before my ED418/ED317 class, or Teaching Science and Social Studies Methods, I didn't think of how easy it was to combine two content areas in a lesson However, I think about all I have learned this semester and it would be hard to teach one without the other. Science has a rich history. History makes up in science. I don't understand how this wasn't evident to me before Block B. It's simple moments and noticings like this that make a world of a difference.
I have learned that it's encouraged to teach more than one content area in a lesson. Before my ED418/ED317 class, or Teaching Science and Social Studies Methods, I didn't think of how easy it was to combine two content areas in a lesson However, I think about all I have learned this semester and it would be hard to teach one without the other. Science has a rich history. History makes up in science. I don't understand how this wasn't evident to me before Block B. It's simple moments and noticings like this that make a world of a difference.
Have you encountered any major incidents that spurred your professional growth?
I had experienced one significant incident in Block B that has definitely changed how I see Big Picture planning. First and foremost, I now know that it is important to have a big picture plan for a period of lessons. For our six Enrichment sessions at Central Elementary, I co-taught with Lucy and Sayeh. We had an amazing group of five children that were very passionate about other countries and their ways of life. Here are a few of our minor slip-ups that were "common mistakes for beginning teachers":
1) We misread the standards and did not address the standards across the unit.
2) Our teaching methods don't match our intentions. An FQR chart allows one to go deeper into the reading, but it doesn't support text organization or comparison/contrast.
3) Your topic is not focused. You spent the first day "fishing" to find out the students' interests instead of going in with a provocation that would gauge their interests within a pre-determined topic and set of standards. On day four, you took a comment from a child and changed your focus to a comparison between Australia and England, but you did not show the children how to do a direct comparison using the same topics across the two countries. There was no equivalent day to boomerangs in your study of England, for example.
Oh boy! It was a reflective time for me to figure out what was really wrong with my instruction and how I can ensure that this doesn't happen again. We found activities to fill the days on related topics, but there was no focused teaching of a reading process as expressed in the standards. We had standards, but never really talked about them or a teaching point. We tried so hard getting students to learn more information from informational texts that we lost track of the reading and writing aspect of it all. We focused too hard on trying out things we've observed in Block B that we never took a step back to reflect and observe our path. These are very important things that I would like to remember when I go into student teaching because I will not have much room for error. In some ways, I am glad this slip-up has happened because I will not let it happen again! I so look forward to the day I get to make a Big-Picture lesson again.
1) We misread the standards and did not address the standards across the unit.
2) Our teaching methods don't match our intentions. An FQR chart allows one to go deeper into the reading, but it doesn't support text organization or comparison/contrast.
3) Your topic is not focused. You spent the first day "fishing" to find out the students' interests instead of going in with a provocation that would gauge their interests within a pre-determined topic and set of standards. On day four, you took a comment from a child and changed your focus to a comparison between Australia and England, but you did not show the children how to do a direct comparison using the same topics across the two countries. There was no equivalent day to boomerangs in your study of England, for example.
Oh boy! It was a reflective time for me to figure out what was really wrong with my instruction and how I can ensure that this doesn't happen again. We found activities to fill the days on related topics, but there was no focused teaching of a reading process as expressed in the standards. We had standards, but never really talked about them or a teaching point. We tried so hard getting students to learn more information from informational texts that we lost track of the reading and writing aspect of it all. We focused too hard on trying out things we've observed in Block B that we never took a step back to reflect and observe our path. These are very important things that I would like to remember when I go into student teaching because I will not have much room for error. In some ways, I am glad this slip-up has happened because I will not let it happen again! I so look forward to the day I get to make a Big-Picture lesson again.
What goals do you have for next semester?
For next semester, I would like to set a goal of successful Big Picture planning. I think it's important to try again with what we have failed to do the first time around. My focus is going to be on reaching one key standard per lesson with one teaching point. That way, I can say that I know a student has learned at least one new skill or concept from my lesson that they can take with them for future use. I want to be able to teach a process to students over a period of time that can move them through Routman's Optimal Learning Model. Furthermore, I want to remember key instructional methods that I have learned from Block B.
Collaboration with Families, Colleagues, and Community Agencies:
I have never been so immersed in a community in my entire teaching career than this semester. I have visited schools like Eastbrook Elementary, Central Elementary, Sycamore School, and the Butler Lab School. I have attended events at the Indianapolis Children's Museum, the Indiana State Museum, the Benjamin Harrison House, Lakeshore Learning Center, and many more places. I have absolutely loved being able involve myself with the community and make relations with professionals around Indiana. The amount of resources I have acquired this semester is innumerable.
In my placement at Eastbrook Elementary School, I worked with a third grade girl named Rubi. Over four sessions, I assessed her learning through a pre-test and post-test, worksheets, and conferencing. In total, I spent four hours in practicum work with Ms. Anderson, the classroom teacher who facilitated the sessions. After assessing our groups of students, we met with our teacher and discussed anything concerns, surprises, and things to note about these learners. This practicum work has instilled confidence in me to teach mathematics and has opened my eyes to the importance of noticing what students can do rather cannot do. There is way more to students than the number or letter grade they receive. Also, we need to have documentation to show the children's parents at meetings to show improvement or lack of improvement.
Over the course of my Block B experience, we have gone to several museums and other fun places, including the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Indiana State Museum, and the Benjamin Harrison Home. I greatly enjoyed visiting these places; however, I believe the CSI program at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum has been most advantageous for me. We worked closely with gifted learners from Sycamore School. There has been a mysterious leak in the museum. There are five possible places this leak could have occurred: the water clock, cannon, dock shop, pond, or aquarium. The only evidence of the mysterious leak is a stain on a blue piece of paper left over by the janitor. It is the job of the students to figure out which location is causing this leak at the museum. We asked students to make observations about the stain (white, grainy, crystallized, hard, odorless, circular, centered). They performed both density and temperature tests on specific liquid. This experience could not have been more engaging than at the world-renown Indianapolis Children's Museum. By setting up stations with various experiments focused around density and the scientific method, our students were able to make many different connections to what density really means, and what information they were looking for when they went to the museum. These gifted students were on their game as they used facts and deductive reasoning to solve the mystery.
In the future, my goal is to be in constant communication with my district, community, and parents. I aim to establish a routine communication system with the families; in particular, because parents want to be in the loop with things. In Mr. Garret's classroom at Central Elementary, he is comfortable having students call home from the classroom phone or sending daily e-mails to the parents. Attached to this page is a copy of the Newsletter I sent to parents of the third grade students at Sycamore School about our penny boat exploration. Having this strong relationship with them will lead to a successful classroom dynamic filled with trust. Furthermore, knowing the parents well will give me, as a general education teacher, more insight into why my students may behave the way they do.
In my placement at Eastbrook Elementary School, I worked with a third grade girl named Rubi. Over four sessions, I assessed her learning through a pre-test and post-test, worksheets, and conferencing. In total, I spent four hours in practicum work with Ms. Anderson, the classroom teacher who facilitated the sessions. After assessing our groups of students, we met with our teacher and discussed anything concerns, surprises, and things to note about these learners. This practicum work has instilled confidence in me to teach mathematics and has opened my eyes to the importance of noticing what students can do rather cannot do. There is way more to students than the number or letter grade they receive. Also, we need to have documentation to show the children's parents at meetings to show improvement or lack of improvement.
Over the course of my Block B experience, we have gone to several museums and other fun places, including the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Indiana State Museum, and the Benjamin Harrison Home. I greatly enjoyed visiting these places; however, I believe the CSI program at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum has been most advantageous for me. We worked closely with gifted learners from Sycamore School. There has been a mysterious leak in the museum. There are five possible places this leak could have occurred: the water clock, cannon, dock shop, pond, or aquarium. The only evidence of the mysterious leak is a stain on a blue piece of paper left over by the janitor. It is the job of the students to figure out which location is causing this leak at the museum. We asked students to make observations about the stain (white, grainy, crystallized, hard, odorless, circular, centered). They performed both density and temperature tests on specific liquid. This experience could not have been more engaging than at the world-renown Indianapolis Children's Museum. By setting up stations with various experiments focused around density and the scientific method, our students were able to make many different connections to what density really means, and what information they were looking for when they went to the museum. These gifted students were on their game as they used facts and deductive reasoning to solve the mystery.
In the future, my goal is to be in constant communication with my district, community, and parents. I aim to establish a routine communication system with the families; in particular, because parents want to be in the loop with things. In Mr. Garret's classroom at Central Elementary, he is comfortable having students call home from the classroom phone or sending daily e-mails to the parents. Attached to this page is a copy of the Newsletter I sent to parents of the third grade students at Sycamore School about our penny boat exploration. Having this strong relationship with them will lead to a successful classroom dynamic filled with trust. Furthermore, knowing the parents well will give me, as a general education teacher, more insight into why my students may behave the way they do.
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