What would you have done if you were in Sandra's shoes?
From being in a place where a host teacher was cruel to me and was unable to help me through things (to the point I almost quit), I am so torn with this situation. Part of me thinks the student teacher should have been given the opportunity to figure it out, after all, this would be her job someday. On the other hand, if it was truly out of control to the point that the student teacher had no hopes of regaining control, I do think it is okay for the host teacher to intervene. I think the part that bothers me the most is the way the host teacher handled everything. In the role of host teacher, you are there to mentor the student teacher. There has to be a certain level of compassion that goes along with mentoring. If I were in her shoes, I probably would have given her some advice for regaining control. I also may have told her that she may get better results if she tries the activity again. I don't necessarily think Sandra was in the wrong, I just don't think she handled the situation as compassionately as she could have.
Who do you think was at fault?
Again, I do not necessarily think either was at fault. The student teacher is learning, and the host teacher did her job as the teacher. I just think there was a certain level of compassion and understanding missing on the host teacher's part. With that being said, I also feel as if the student teacher probably could have handled the situation differently. As frustrating as it can be when you are trying your best and someone tells you it is not good enough, you must handle the criticism with some integrity. Yes, she was upset at the host teacher telling her she was not doing well, but she should have taken note of what the host teacher was saying, took the advice, and tried to move past it to improve the lesson next time.
What do you think teachers can learn from Sandra's story?
I think that teachers can learn that there needs to be an understanding between student teachers and host teachers that there is respect, but that criticism will also be part of the journey. I also think that teachers could learn that the situation should be very much like co-teaching until it is definite that the student teacher is ready to handle all aspects of teaching: planning, behavior management, instructing.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Case Study Reviews
Kaboom, Kaput!
What I learned the most from this case study is that even as teachers, we are still learners. I know that these were not full-time teachers, but I also know that this situation probably happens even with seasoned teachers. Anytime we are about to teach a new lesson, there is always going to be some level of uncertainty, even with a topic you know very well. We will never be fully prepared for all of the questions students are going to ask, and there is always a chance something may not go right.
Help! How Can I Teach Without Supplies?
This story, as sad as it was to read, shines a true light into the world of education. We are expected to teach and make a difference, but we are not given money to do so. We are expected to collaborate and share, but others are not held to the responsibility of doing the same in a respectful manner. This poor teacher did the work and used her own money to produce materials to form a meaningful learning environment because there were no funds given to her to do this. Then, items were returned broken, missing parts, or not at all. It is truly sad when you cannot trust your fellow teachers.
What I learned the most from this case study is that even as teachers, we are still learners. I know that these were not full-time teachers, but I also know that this situation probably happens even with seasoned teachers. Anytime we are about to teach a new lesson, there is always going to be some level of uncertainty, even with a topic you know very well. We will never be fully prepared for all of the questions students are going to ask, and there is always a chance something may not go right.
Help! How Can I Teach Without Supplies?
This story, as sad as it was to read, shines a true light into the world of education. We are expected to teach and make a difference, but we are not given money to do so. We are expected to collaborate and share, but others are not held to the responsibility of doing the same in a respectful manner. This poor teacher did the work and used her own money to produce materials to form a meaningful learning environment because there were no funds given to her to do this. Then, items were returned broken, missing parts, or not at all. It is truly sad when you cannot trust your fellow teachers.
Spider!
This study was about a teacher who made something out of a teachable moment. Sure, she could've calmed her students down and went back to the original planned lesson, but she decided to use something that happened, the spider in the bathroom dilemma, to teach her students something new. By doing this, she made the learning more meaningful because at that moment, her students were interested in spiders, not whatever she was planning on teaching, so therefore whatever she taught them about spiders most likely stuck with them.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Case Studies
Structural Problems
The only structural issues I have in my Library classes comes when I have another class using the computer lab in my room. The two areas are separated by a bookshelf row, but it is not very tall. I love to see my Library being used, so I will never "close" the lab. I just have to really monitor what I am doing that day with my own classes and where my students are focusing at all times.
Human Relations Problems
Because I see the entire 5th and 6th grade (about 400-500 students) throughout a school year, I see a lot of students with IEPs. Sometimes it becomes difficult to accommodate to everyone, but I always try my very best to do so. Another issue is that sometimes the IEP does not specify anything for specialists, but I know the student is not able to work at the same level my other students are. In these cases, I simply adjust my lessons to what I think will be plausible for these students.
Political Problems
I have one of my nieces in class, and while she is a pretty good student, she is still a 5th grade girl, and she gets ornery at times. I have such a hard time disciplining her because she is my brother's child. I know this is awful, and I have to treat her like everyone else, but it can be a struggle.
Symbolic Problems
I honestly thought and thought about this one, and I could not think of anything...I am stumped. We do not have a hat issue in any of my classes, and I cannot think of an instance where something triggered a memory. I do know that every once in a while, I will be teaching a lesson and I will have a student think of something that happened to them and they want to share the story, but that is all I can think of.
I decided to make a concept map of a Library Media Specialist, instead of a Science Teacher.
Oh, the lessons I have learned from books...
I have learned so many valuable things from reading, and a multitude of my knowledge comes from Harry Potter books. I think the greatest lesson I gained from an Albus Dumbledore quote is:
It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities."
My School Days
My story actually travels from high school into college. I had an extremely tough English teacher in high school, but I loved the class and the teacher. I was the only one who ever seemed to ask a question in our class, and she sort of scared me. Anyway, 2 years after I graduated, I came back to visit her. She was asking me about my classes in college, and I told her I was nervous for my upcoming Chemistry class. Science was just never my thing...it actually made me want to cry several times. She looked at me and said, "Jessie, you are a good reader, so therefore, you can make it through anything." From that moment on, I never felt intimidated about a class because I always go into it thinking, "I am a good reader, so I can get myself through this."
Right now, I teach Library, but I want more than anything to be an English teacher.
I have always wanted to be an English teacher, and while the pressure attached makes me a little apprehensive, I know I want the challenge, and that I am ready!
The only structural issues I have in my Library classes comes when I have another class using the computer lab in my room. The two areas are separated by a bookshelf row, but it is not very tall. I love to see my Library being used, so I will never "close" the lab. I just have to really monitor what I am doing that day with my own classes and where my students are focusing at all times.
Human Relations Problems
Because I see the entire 5th and 6th grade (about 400-500 students) throughout a school year, I see a lot of students with IEPs. Sometimes it becomes difficult to accommodate to everyone, but I always try my very best to do so. Another issue is that sometimes the IEP does not specify anything for specialists, but I know the student is not able to work at the same level my other students are. In these cases, I simply adjust my lessons to what I think will be plausible for these students.
Political Problems
I have one of my nieces in class, and while she is a pretty good student, she is still a 5th grade girl, and she gets ornery at times. I have such a hard time disciplining her because she is my brother's child. I know this is awful, and I have to treat her like everyone else, but it can be a struggle.
Symbolic Problems
I honestly thought and thought about this one, and I could not think of anything...I am stumped. We do not have a hat issue in any of my classes, and I cannot think of an instance where something triggered a memory. I do know that every once in a while, I will be teaching a lesson and I will have a student think of something that happened to them and they want to share the story, but that is all I can think of.
Oh, the lessons I have learned from books...
I have learned so many valuable things from reading, and a multitude of my knowledge comes from Harry Potter books. I think the greatest lesson I gained from an Albus Dumbledore quote is:
It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities."
My School Days
My story actually travels from high school into college. I had an extremely tough English teacher in high school, but I loved the class and the teacher. I was the only one who ever seemed to ask a question in our class, and she sort of scared me. Anyway, 2 years after I graduated, I came back to visit her. She was asking me about my classes in college, and I told her I was nervous for my upcoming Chemistry class. Science was just never my thing...it actually made me want to cry several times. She looked at me and said, "Jessie, you are a good reader, so therefore, you can make it through anything." From that moment on, I never felt intimidated about a class because I always go into it thinking, "I am a good reader, so I can get myself through this."
Right now, I teach Library, but I want more than anything to be an English teacher.
I have always wanted to be an English teacher, and while the pressure attached makes me a little apprehensive, I know I want the challenge, and that I am ready!
Sunday, February 7, 2016
The Fourth Way
The Path of Autocracy
"In the Path of Autocracy, "letting go: is seen as a sign of weakness, a kind of moral incontinence. Stopping to think, gathering others' opinions, and making midcourse adjustments are viewed as reprehensible failures to hold fast or get a grip when faced with doubt or difficulty" (Hargreaves 27-28).
This quote really frustrates me because it highlights exactly what is wrong with the world of education...don't go against the norm, don't ask the opinions of others, don't stray from your plans...it is so upsetting. These are all things that we as educators should be doing on a regular basis, and they surely should not be seen as failures.
The Path of Technocracy
"Achievement gaps reflect economic and social status gaps that exist around the world. Increasingly, though, teachers and schools have been made solely accountable for the persistence of these gaps" (Hargreaves 29).
Alas! One of the cruel realities that teachers are faced with. We are held to so much accountability for student achievement on student test scores that we do not have the ability to focus on new technologies or creativity. We have students that come to school every day with no food in their bellies, the same clothes on every day, and other painful realities that we cannot imagine. Instead of focusing on helping students with these kind of situations, government officials focus on blaming teachers for these students not succeeding.
The Path of Effervescence
"In a carnival of collegiality, this path solves the motivation deficits created by top-down standardization and market-based reforms by stimulating and spreading increased professional engagement and interaction. Teachers interact with teachers, schools learn from schools, and the strong help the weak. This is not only an empowering and effective way to approach improvement, but it's also lots of fun" (Hargreaves 41).
WE have all been there, I'm sure. The professional developments, the faculty meetings...we all get together and brainstorm the secrets to fixing our schools and helping our students. The problem is that in most cases, nothing ever leaves the room. We all make lists and set goals, and then we leave and go back to what we were doing before. In order to truly start implementing new strategies, particularly technology strategies, we have to start making intentions become more than that.
"In the Path of Autocracy, "letting go: is seen as a sign of weakness, a kind of moral incontinence. Stopping to think, gathering others' opinions, and making midcourse adjustments are viewed as reprehensible failures to hold fast or get a grip when faced with doubt or difficulty" (Hargreaves 27-28).
This quote really frustrates me because it highlights exactly what is wrong with the world of education...don't go against the norm, don't ask the opinions of others, don't stray from your plans...it is so upsetting. These are all things that we as educators should be doing on a regular basis, and they surely should not be seen as failures.
The Path of Technocracy
"Achievement gaps reflect economic and social status gaps that exist around the world. Increasingly, though, teachers and schools have been made solely accountable for the persistence of these gaps" (Hargreaves 29).
Alas! One of the cruel realities that teachers are faced with. We are held to so much accountability for student achievement on student test scores that we do not have the ability to focus on new technologies or creativity. We have students that come to school every day with no food in their bellies, the same clothes on every day, and other painful realities that we cannot imagine. Instead of focusing on helping students with these kind of situations, government officials focus on blaming teachers for these students not succeeding.
The Path of Effervescence
"In a carnival of collegiality, this path solves the motivation deficits created by top-down standardization and market-based reforms by stimulating and spreading increased professional engagement and interaction. Teachers interact with teachers, schools learn from schools, and the strong help the weak. This is not only an empowering and effective way to approach improvement, but it's also lots of fun" (Hargreaves 41).
WE have all been there, I'm sure. The professional developments, the faculty meetings...we all get together and brainstorm the secrets to fixing our schools and helping our students. The problem is that in most cases, nothing ever leaves the room. We all make lists and set goals, and then we leave and go back to what we were doing before. In order to truly start implementing new strategies, particularly technology strategies, we have to start making intentions become more than that.
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