School Days

Today I was reminded of how little training we actually receive regarding behavioral modification of our students. Some of us were required to take Larry's class (EDU 537), which helps for most students. I would love to have a class (or seminar) about dealing with the behavior of smaller children. Although I have a child of my own, I have not dealt with all of the behaviors that a child can exhibit. I believe a technique class would be very beneficial to all pre-service teachers. I would like to hear the opinion of others on this topic.....

This week in education

I am happy to be through with the facilitation of my journal article. I hope the information you received will be helpful in the future. I did do some searching on-line to see what these manipulatives looked like prior to my presentation. I have included the link of the website I viewed for your enjoyment:
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

I also wanted to include an update about the new student in the classroom where I work. Not only is she a cutie-pie (remember, I work in a Kindergarten classroom as a Teachers Aid), she is smart! She is getting along very well with the rest of the class. One of the children that I care for has had a couple of hard days, but we handle each day as it comes. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work in this classroom this year. I am learning how to deal with the many issues that teachers deal with everyday in a controlled setting. My PDE (as I think of her!) is excellent. She is experienced and loving, yet in control of her classroom. The students know that they will not get away with anything on her watch. I hope that I will learn enough this year to help me during my first year as a classroom teacher.

Facilitating a discussion

I am a little nervous about the discussion facilitation in our next class. As many of you may know, I get very nervous talking in front of others (especially people I don't know). For some reason (thank you, God!), this does not occur when I am with kids.
I will be happy when my part of this facilitation is over. I think that everyone who has completed their facilitation thus far has done a great job! I wish I could be as confident that I will follow in their footsteps.... Until Monday....

A new student

As many of you know, I am a Teacher Aid in a Kindergarten classroom in Peru. The teacher that I work with informed me today that we are getting a new student transferring in after our vacation. When the first student transferred out of this classroom in October, the teacher stated that she hoped we didn't become a "revolving door" for transfer students. Well, we may be on our way to becoming just that! We welcomed a new student in November (she just transferred out last week).

For those of you working in schools, enjoy your week of vacation! Hopefully we can build our immunities back up during the break!

Article review #2

My second article dealt with technology involved in current assessment strategies. Some of the technologies discussed include online access to student scores, computer-based norms reporting, web-based assessment, recreational reading management, and computer-based portfolio systems. These new tools have been created to increase efficiency and effectiveness of assessment recording. The web-based assessment involves students taking exams on-line. This procedure is used most commonly to assess new students coming into a district.
I really like the recreational reading management program. Teachers create a list of students and record the books that the students are reading (the system has an extensive list of books to choose from). The students read the books and then complete a short quiz about the book. There are several versions of quizzes for each book. If the student is unsuccessful with the quiz, another version is chosen for the student to take. The results of the quizzes are recorded in the system for the Teacher's review. There is a record for the teacher to see what books and levels students are choosing and the scores of the quizzes.
This article was also very informative. Most of the assessment technologies mentioned can be used in any grade in a school. They are versatile and easy to use.

Balajthy, E. (2007). Technology and current reading/literacy assessment strategies. The Reading Teacher, 61(3), 240-247.

Article review #1

As I was searching for articles to review, I stumbled upon two that I thought I could relate to. The first is discussed in this blog.
New Literacies Instruction in Teacher Education discussed the importance of using technology in the classroom. Teacher blogs were encouraged as a form of modeling our enthusiasm about using technology for our students. Blogs can intrinsically motivate our students to read and write. Students can participate in an on-line community by writing on an educational blog. This experience can provide the students with a real audience and can expand their perceptions and perspectives by corresponding with people around the world. Other topics discussed are internet workshops, virtual literature circles, and video conferencing.
This article was very informative and helpful in understanding new technologies. I think most of these new additions are better suited for late elementary school through high-school.

McPherson, S. (2007). New literacies instruction in teacher education.TechTrends, 51(5), 24-30

A Painful Lesson

Yesterday I learned a painful lesson about teaching- letting go! I am a Teachers Aide in a Kindergarten classroom. A new student transferred into our room in early November. Her level was lower than our lowest student at the beginning of the school year. Since she came to us, I have helped her every morning with the bell ringer and as needed throughout the day. Her mother is moving the family back to the school she transferred from. Saying goodbye to her yesterday hurt far worse than I thought it could. I pray that this child continues to receive services- she is a bright little girl. She has a lot of potential. I know that as teachers, we will encounter this numerous times during our careers. Just a warning to everyone- you will love your students more than you thought possible! Enjoy them while you have them.