It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . .

This statement describes just what it is like in today’s world of teaching, learning and education.  There are parts of education that are great, something to be proud of, such as, the use of technology, effective teachers and appropriate interventions.  But there are also parts that are not so great, things we are overwhelmed and stressed by.   More and more responsibilities being passed down to teachers, tougher kids, struggling families and diminishing test scores round out some of the challenges.

Response to reading:

            After reading Marzano’s article, What Works in Schools, I learned all about the criticisms of years past in the educational system.  He writes about how in previous studies, it has been found that schools have done little to lesson achievement gaps and that student achievement is mainly a function of student background.  While this may have been true in the past, I do not feel it is an accurate portrayal of our current system.  The educational system may still struggle with achievement gaps, but I think that effective schools work very hard to help kids overcome their backgrounds.  Every year I see kids who come from struggling homes and families and yet they manage to achieve amazing things at school, academically and socially.  They are the kids who we see them and say, “I don’t know how they did it!”

            Marzano goes on to write about how the system can have a tremendous impact on student achievement if we follow the direction research points us in. The difference is that effective schools provide interventions designed to overcome student backgrounds.  How do schools become effective?  One way is for the organization to include shared decision-making and delegated authority.  Marzano also writes that there are three factors affecting student achievement: schools, teachers and students.  I completely agree with this idea.  I think a lot of factors go into why a student may or may not achieve and that it cannot be based simply on one factor. 

            Overall, I feel that the educational system is at a fork in the road.  Do we want to continue down the road that leads to frustration, teacher burnout and lack of achievement or do we want to go down the road research directs us too?  The one filled with effective schools, happy staff and high student achievement.  I know which one I choose . . . .

Technology in the Classroom

As we move into the digital age, teachers are doing more and more technology integration into their classrooms.  I, too, am one of those teachers.  If I were able to integrate more technology into my classroom, my students, who are 21^st century learners, will benefit greatly.  More technology would mean more opportunities to learn in different ways and to reach more learners. 

            Some teachers, including myself, are a little apprehensive about all these changes to our classrooms.  It makes us nervous to try new things and we worry about taking on more work and how it will impact teaching and learning.  But like Marc Prensky says, “Feel the fear and do it anyway!”  That is the attitude we need to take when implementing technology into our classrooms.

            When I integrate technology into my classroom, I see student engagement increase greatly.  They are excited to learn something new or to interact with a new piece of technology.  They are teaching each other things and are excited by that.  You see light bulbs going off on students who maybe struggle with traditional learning.  You see creativity, collaboration and imagination. 

            One of the most recent things I have done with technology is to film my kids doing behaviors that are both on and off target.  They then worked in small groups to create a video using Animoto.  We shared these videos with the school during an “On Target” assembly.  They loved seeing themselves in front of the whole school.  This was a great opportunity for my students to plan, work together and come up with a shared project.  

Fall Conference

After attending St. Mary’s Fall Conference, and meeting with some fellow first grade teachers, I was inspired to try some new things in my classroom.  First, is a new way of teaching handwriting to my kids.  And the second is a way to incorporate math tubs into my classroom.  I am excited to incorporate both these new ideas and even brought them back and shared them with my grade level. 

I feel this process supported all of the AGAPE principles.  It supported Association because it was a collaborative learning relationship that allowed for learning with one another.  It supported Generativity because it was an opportunity to build knowledge together.  Adaptation was supported by creativity, collaborative problem solving and critical thinking.  Presence and Engagement were supported by togetherness and a fully engaged learning experience that focused on acceptance and openness. 

Overall, this process was a great learning experience and a way to connect with others from similar grade levels.  We were able to brainstorm issues and come up with new ideas for our classrooms.

Backwards Design Process

The Backwards Design process was first introduced to me earlier this year in my master’s program.  This was a completely new process for me and I was nervous about how it would work.  It was a struggle at first because it was so new.  But as I continued through the process, I began to realize how it actually made teaching easier. 

 By teaching with the essential questions in mind, I now am more focused and organized about what I am teaching and why as well as what I want the students to know and understand.  The process has guided me to ask higher level thinking questions and think differently about learning goals for my students.

1)   How do I separate enduring understandings, knowledge and skills – I feel very repetitive when planning a BD unit?

AR Abstract

How will changing the style of classroom management affect behavior?

The question guiding my research is as follows: How will changing the style of classroom management affect behavior?  A review of literature suggested strategies in areas of my practice that could help me bring about the changes I am seeking.  As a result of my literature review, areas I targeted for change in my practice includes 1) Whole Brain teaching rules and techniques and 2) community building activities.  Assessment of the ways these changes make a difference in classroom management and student behaviors includes 1) Class Dojo behavior tracking app 2) Take –A – Break log addressing when, where and why the student needed a break and 3) Teacher Observation/Field Notes addressing behaviors throughout the day.

At this point I have been doing some informal observations and notes and look forward to starting my assessments soon.  Some questions I have regarding my AR plan are as follows:

1.     How can I assume that my results are because of the changes I am making    versus the dynamics of my classroom demographics?

2.     What strategies can I use to better manage and organize my observations and field notes so that I am getting the data I need?

3.     How will I organize all my data so that I can make accurate conclusions about my research?