Teeth and Gums: PBS LearningMedia

: PBS LearningMedia

Content Standard F: Science in personal and social perspecitves.
Grade(s): 4-6

Objective(s): Personal Health: Individuals have a responsibility for their own health. Students should engage in personal care that include dental hygiene, cleanliness and exercise. These maintain and improve an individual's overall health.

Blog #8

Blog #8

My initial response offered by reflecting upon the question asking what the most important thing I have learned during my field work is the word passion. Passion for a career in teaching is the essential path towards being a remarkable educator, who fosters the “burning zeal” for life-long learning. I have learned by observation, there is an army of challenges a teacher encounters daily. Many of the daily tasks teachers meet I believe are skills an individual can be taught and cultivated through practice. Examples of the skills I’m thinking of would be organization, multi-tasking, collaboration, systems, and methods for best teaching application. I truly feel these are skills good teachers have or learn through time, but inhabiting passion for that which you apply yourself to comes from within. This I sense is what sets the good and the great teachers apart from one another. And passion, it cannot be learned.

As I continue to consider myself a pre-professional in education, I know that in order to achieve teaching in the remarkable, memorable ways I was once taught, I will have to make a personal commitment to myself. The commitment comes in the form of positive self-talk. My logical senses discourage my chosen path to teach because of the financial consequences teaching provides. But my “self-talk” also comes from my heart. It reminds me that I love the role of teaching and leading. The passion I have discovered by teaching inspires my “self-talk” to accept the journey the heart leads.

Blog #7

There are so many classroom rules. In fact, I think the teachers add rules throughout the day. For example, once the teacher sees a behavior or action they don’t want the students to repeatedly doing they say, “Remember! That’s a rule (what the child is doing or not doing); in our class we do not do …” Some of the rules I’ve frequently heard reiterated are to keep the chairs on all four feet, keep your hand to yourself, respect one another, be on time to your seat, self-start, stop talking when the teacher uses a cue word or hand signal, no candy in class, keep money in your pocket, no whistling in class etc.

The eternal list of rules is impressively enforced two specific reward systems. One is the “Star Chart,” the children are given wet erase, written stars on a card as the follow rules and maintain on-task (averaging 4-12 stars daily). When the students Star Chart is filled up, they get to move their dinosaur (school mascot is a raptor) from one cupboard door to another that rewards them with Free Time on Mondays. This Star Chart is allocated from grades K-6 and the product demonstrates the desired behavior from the students.  The other reward system employed by the grade classrooms are “Class Bucks” Each student has a handful of laminated green paper pretend bucks, when they are caught off- task; bucks are taken away or paid to the teacher, and when caught on-task the students are awarded bucks. Each week on “Fun Friday,” the students get to make purchases from the class store with their class bucks.

Cleary, there are copious, measurable benefits from exercising rewards systems. I have observed the students actively participating in learning objectives purely by the use of this extrinsic motivational tool. Adversely, I feel the continuous routine of rewards negatively charges the generation towards an entitled state of mind. I wonder if now-a-day kids have an innate sense to do “Good” for the “Greater Good”, rather than just for the means to the end….

 

 

Bog #6

Strategies for active engagement I have seen in the classrooms are often exemplified by abundant opportunities for group work, instructional “equitable distribution and prompting.” Even though these are foundational strategies for fostering active engagement, I am still looking for teachers to deliver models for physical movement when improving active engagement participation.

It seems as though the group work strategy is the universal default method for active engagement. They use group work during journal entry writing and sharing, while expanding insight in language art lessons of reading and sentence structure awareness. Group work is also exercised during reading buddy sessions, math groups, and lab experiments in the science lessons. The groups are pre-arranged by table seating, the students’ desks are organized in groups of 5 desks and even titled “Group 1, 2, 3 etc.” with rotating group leaders. Sometimes the table’s group leader is the speaker of the group but other times each student gets to speak and represent their individual ideas (which I would identify as “equitable distribution”). Prompting is also another powerful strategy utilized for additional cueing and measurement of the student’s individual level of comprehension.

As far as models for promoting physical movement when cultivating active learning engagement, I have yet to witness this strategy. I feel the lack of applying this method is saddening. In my opinion, I believe the kids are dying for physical movement during their school day. The students get 2 recesses daily, but the duration is a microscopic 10 minutes each (no recesses given during lunch break either). I just don’t see that as enough wiggle time to promote the commitment to increased focus for learning. What are the strategies that provide physical movement during active learning in the classrooms? Maybe, I need to ask the teachers about this method in order to gain the understanding I’m looking for…

 

Bog #5

Oh man! I think the most challenging role for sure is creating a vivacious balance of all the demands of being a great teacher. One needs to indeed be knowledgeable, have an infinite hunger for expanding your knowledge, and be present! It’s difficult for me to express one answer, I feel there are many answers to each question and each question goes hand-in-hand with one another. I sense the most important roles will always be the most challenging. But even within that assumption, I get excited. As if there’s a burning fire deep within that ignites the drive to tackle the challenges of teaching.

I really can’t choose one role as the most important or most challenging, however I could discuss practicing presence as the main role equally challenging. As a teacher, presence allows you to actively respond to the students, and the classroom environment. But to ultimately practice teaching in presence, you must be prepared. Prepared for the daily lessons and prepared for the Plan B’s, this way you can effectively flow with the progression of the day.

 

Blog #4

 

From my observations, the teachers accomplish assessments by numeral means. During my classroom service time, among the assessment applications I have observed are Pre-tests, Criterion referenced tests, Explicit and Null curriculum and lastly the summative method for assessment.  Placement, pre-test and summative assessments seem to remain similar to education methods used when I was in elementary. I think they’re precisely habitual and render valid, reliable and progressive results.

 I have not witnessed much authentic assessment application in comparison to implicit and null curriculum. I left out the explicit curriculum comparison because, I haven’t seen the teachers use a tangible outline or plan for their instruction (except in the resource room, they are extremely methodical and organized). It’s interesting, these concepts just brought up another thought or tangent in my mind…there’s multiple ways to assesses the students learning and comprehension level for further classroom educational progression, but what assess the teachers skills of efficient teaching? Oh, an answer came to me as I asked myself the question…likely that would reflect in the students’ performances on their assessments.  I ask that question, because I see the teacher’s “improvising” often (which sometimes leads them astray), which I completely understand, but where’s the organized back-up plan or plan B? Their instruction just doesn’t seem as organized or tangibly planned out as I see it in my mind to be…

Blog #3

The effects of the Federal Law IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), are evident by the student’s individual accommodations established while in their homeroom class and by the opportunity for those learners to practice learning at their specific level in Resource.

I have witnessed early intervention and related services to students of each grade from kindergarten through sixth during my “in the classroom” service hours. The majority of the interventions I've observed occur during the students’ resource classroom participation. Although, adaptations for Section 504 plans fostered within the classes appear to transpire as increased exceptions or exemptions for those individuals. One prominent modification I have noticed for inclusion is the exercise and participation of peer-tutors. The peer-tutors’ level of maturity by leadership skills, composure and communication; captivatingly surprise me as I learn from them!

Without a doubt, there are so many tasks to manage all while teaching simultaneously! I find myself in my head often, reflecting on the many methods and by what means one can successfully accomplish these tasks. When identifying the answer to myself I find my reply is found in the word experiential (but not as in observation, more so by way of doing).

Blog #2

Wow! I am happy to express how delightful my recent classroom experiences have been. I changed elementary schools and have been in the classrooms at Thunder Ridge Elementary in Saratoga Springs. Within the past two weeks, I have spent eleven hours in Ms. Decker’s 5^th grade classroom and also four hours in Ms. W’s Resource classroom. I must say, this Administration and the teachers have exceeded my expectations. They truly welcomed me into their school. Each of these inspiring individuals has invited me to “jump” right in, and actively participate in my volunteering experience. Already there are so many fun things I’m excited to write about. But this week I’ve choose one special day full of sweet moments with the students who just melt my heart.

At 8:30 am on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 I entered Ms. W’s Resource room. To my surprise, upon entry Ms. W smiled and embraced my presence within her classroom. Right away (couldn’t even hang my jacket quickly enough), Ms. W put me to work. I worked with small groups of 3 children or one-one-one during this time. The kids I had the opportunity to work with were from Kindergarten through 6^th grade and it literally was too much fun.

The children would take turns reading within their group. I monitored their accuracy, fluency and offered guidance when needed. After completing their reading, I was able to work one-on-one with students while practicing vocabulary and spelling. With the familiar vocabulary words we played a game of “speed,” where a timer was set for 60 seconds and we would flip through the flash cards and see how fast and how many cards they could get through by reading out loud. When new words and vowels were proposed to practice we would say the letter, then what vowel sound it says, and follow that by reading the whole word. Also, they would recognize words that looked and sounded similar and group them to aid in visual comprehension. Another game we played to assist in this concept was “go fish.” As an example, we would each have 5 flash cards and take turns asking one another if that person had an “ee”(or other vowel) that says “E” (or the coresponding sound of each vowel), followed by making a “vowel match” or “go fish.” I am gleeful as I remember all the fun they were having as they learned vowels!

This particular experience exhibited, distinctly the application of teaching with each learning modality while instructing. It is quite impressive really. When I think of how it is imaginably achievable to accomplish such a skill, and then witness it not only transpiring but the effectiveness of the application; just blows me away. In addition to the application of learning styles Ms. W was creative and successful in adapting the curriclum by utilizing instructional stategies, materials, and curriculum content. For this example, after giving the students their spelling test (individualized words to meet their level), all the words were divided into three envelopes; "words I know," "words to practice," and "words for later." 

To top off the sweetness of all this fun, when I’m in the classrooms or the halls, children are remembering me and saying “Hi, Mrs. Marble.” They sure know how to make someone feel special…

Blog #1

Today was my first class room experience as a volunteer elementary school. I helped in the Resource room at Hidden Hollow Elementary in the Ranches. As I prepared to serve in the classroom I visualized what my experience would be like and possibly what expectations I had as a volunteer. Through my ideas, I anticipated a rather small room where one to five children would be working one-on-one with a teacher or an aid. Along my list of projections, I assumed the classroom and teacher would be principally friendly and overall pleased to have another helper. Lastly, I estimated the population of children in the resource room to have considerably more diverse developmental differences. I was mistaken.

To my surprise, what the actual experience presented me was eye opening in a number of ways. First, I was pleasantly surprised by the big, warm and efficient room. By the teacher and her aid’s response, I felt slightly uncomfortable when I initially walked into the room and throughout the hours I was present. It was almost as if my presence was not welcome and almost more of a disturbance to them and their classroom. After introducing myself, the teacher handed me a large stack of bubbled pre-tests to grade. I was happy to help out however she needed. Although, it seemed more as if it was a way for her to put me aside rather than being of service to her. While I was grading the papers, and as kids would come and go, the teacher and her aid would whisper to each other their personal conversations. Clearly, they did not want me overhearing them roasting a specific parent and their child. This was an uncomfortable feeling. Sitting there, grading her papers as if I’m a ghost not listening to their inappropriate and unprofessional conversation.

 As I focused on grading the pre-tests, I intended to concentrate on identifying the children’s abilities and differences, and how the teacher operated and responded to them. In doing so, I observed the children work in two groups of approximately six to one ratio (six children per one teacher/aid). These kids were all in 5^th or 6^th grade and the developmental differences were moderately minimal, where the grouped children seemed to have homogeneous learning disabilities in each subject except in reading and language arts. The developmental differences I witnessed appeared to be somewhat behavioral and focused attention challenges, along with reading comprehension and deficient spelling skills. When the teacher instructed them to work alone, some kids would ask her to read the passage to them out loud (indicating auditory learners). In addition, a few kids worked by themselves on computers to complete spelling and games (nurturing the visual and kinesthetic learners likely). I also found it interesting to observe how the teacher brings the kids attention back to her and the lesson when their attention drifts away. In this experience, the resource teacher would address the child by name, out loud and tell them to stop whatever it was they were doing. This appeared to be effective.   

In summary, I’d have to admit that my projections of what to expect may have been overestimated and unrealistic as far as the room, the participating children and the teachers. However, I feel the expectation of extending a welcome to a volunteer who is willing to serve and learn is an accurate expectation to maintain; Even though it was unconfirmed in this situation. While the social, adult environment was not ideal; I absolutely enjoyed observing the children and the instructional techniques to accommodate the developmental differences of each child.