This week hasn't been very eventful for me in my school. My students have had BOG testing which is similar to the EOG, only it is taken at the beginning of the year. I have also been talking with my CE this week about classroom management. One thing that they use in their classroom is Class Dojo. This is the first time I have really worked with Class Dojo and it is a big hit with my students. They respond really well to earning Dojo points and has really helped my CE with classroom management. Since I have been looking at my CE's classroom management style, I have done some outside research on this as well. I found a great website on classroom management strategies.
Teachervision.com has lots of different videos and tips based on scenarios and common occurrences. Like standard 5 states of the NCTCS, teachers must function effectively in a dynamic and complex environment. Being a pro at classroom management is one way to help make that happen!
The thing that brought me the most satisfaction this week was going in the ECLC on Tuesday and Thursday and seeing our ecocolums finally growing. I will admit that I was doubtful about the goldfish at first since I've never been very good at keeping them alive, but seeing them along with my plants sprouting up was a really neat thing to witness and very satisfying.
This week, I have really struggled with trying to stay on top of all of my schoolwork, as well as keep up with things outside of school. It has been difficult to not get overwhelmed, but I am proud of myself for not stressing out too much and actively trying to get back ahead. I know that the steps I need to take next week are to start sooner and work harder at staying on track.
It was hard to contribute to the overall class this week since we only met once, but I do feel that I contributed by working well with my partner on our collaborative math lesson. I hope that in the future we can work together again because we worked really well together!
This week, my current event was 9/11. It is so strange to me that something I am still so familiar with is such a foreign concept to my students. It reminds me of what Dr. Parker says to us all the time. Today's kindergartners were born in 2012. We normally think of that and only think of the technology that they are used to, but this week I was reminded that there are other reasons why it is so important to remember the year they were born. My CE has said that she sometimes struggles talking to her students about 9/11 because it is something that just happened in the history books for them. I know it is something I will definitely have to think about with my future students as well.
Top Tweets:
My first tweet this week talks about how students don't learn anything from teachers they do not like. I couldn't agree more with this statement because I know from personal experience. Students learn better when they have a good connection with their teacher. As teachers, we should strive to build a good relationship with all of our students.
This tweet reminded me of what we have been discussing in math methods. We have all kinds of learners in our classrooms and this link created a good way to help the visual learners in our class.
My last tweet was a great idea that a teacher posted. She asked students what they loved about science and what they hated about science and gave students the ability to be completely honest. I feel that if we did this with our students for all different subjects, we could gain a really good insight into how our students think, and possibly make them more excited about learning.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you like your classroom! Your students must be stressed with the BOG, that's always an intense test for them. I love Class Dojo! Every student that is entered into the school's system is kept, along with progress. When they move up a grade, the next teacher will already have information on them! It seems good to record progress and struggle areas. In accordance to your event 9/11 it feels strange that this was an event in history, years before they were born. We remember this awful event as part of our lives, not an historical event! I love your tweet giving students the option to say what they like and dislike, then we can figure out how to get them liking that science topic.
Megan, That's right - it is our job to help students understand the big world they live in - remember to reference the hyperdoc info from now on.
ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteI too have been struggling with staying aboard this week, but we will get through it. BOG are always a tough test for the students, but it is way to start off. I am glad as well, that you were satisifed by the ecocolums. I think they are turning out very well. It's always something new and exciting when we check on them. And I love your first tweet. It is so true, how are students going to learn if they do not have that connection with the teacher. You want to make school and learning fun, so you have to like it. Great post!