How do you ensure you are teaching the essentials? What role does the textbook play in your teaching? What role does
technology play in student learning? Do you ever “bring in the music”? If so, how? If not, why not? Do you see yourself as a
coach rather than a teacher? If so, how? If not, why not? How do you [or could you] have your students “prove the learning”?
How do you [or could you] “discuss the grades” with your students?
I ensure I am teaching the essentials by looking at the standards for my grade level. I make sure my lessons meet my grade level. I do use my textbook the way the author suggested. I use the part of each lesson in the textbook that teaches the standards I am covering. If it is fluff, I skip it. What role does technology play? My students have a computer special once a week with a computer teacher. In my classroom, students use the computer about 10 minutes a day to play a reading game that reinforces the lesson taught in our reading intervention lesson. Do I use music in the classroom? Yes, I feel that music helps students remember information. I try to create little songs set to familiar tunes to teach sight words. Are you a coach or a teacher? Both. At the kindergarten level, students need more structured lessons than an older child. So in that instance, I am a teacher. I am a coach when students are completing work independently. My favorite time to coach is when students are writing in their journal. It is so neat to see students implement their skills to write a sentence on their own and draw a picture to match.
ReplyDeleteWe use a textbook plus online resources to build our curriculum and pacing. The curriculum is based online and accessible to students anywhere, at school or at home. Teaching "Customized Learning" I do sometimes feel more like a coach, just monitoring and "nudging" students. The classroom is very independence based, with many mini lessons to supplement the curriculum. None of the students daily work is graded, so they must "prove their learning" on the tests. And they are allowed to re-take a test to prove they have learned, if they wish to go back and relearn what they missed.
ReplyDeleteIn our curriculum, we have a YAG that tells us the essential skills we wish to master as a district. We use the YAG to map out when and what we teach. I actually do not use the textbook very often because it does not match up perfectly with our YAG. I use technology often as a resource for students. We use Google Classroom, NoRedInk, Quizlet, and Gimkit. I use it primarily to showcase work and to study skills we have already learned together to reinforce learning. I always have music in my classroom in one form or another. I enjoy playing classical music while students read and/or write. I like thinking of myself as a coach. I believe I do that best when students are doing writing and grammar. I like to have them attempt a task and struggle while I walk around and coach them on what may be a gap in their understanding. We have been working on having students prove their learning. My co-worker created a Google Sheet where students have to paste evidence of their learning for different tasks. I have not used it yet. I think I would rather meet with students individually and have a discussion. I am going to have to reflect on this some more. I always welcome students to discuss their grades with me. I have had those discussions on individual assignments, but never on their grade as a whole. I think I could do an exit interview for the course. That would be interesting.
ReplyDeleteHow do you ensure you are teaching the essentials? What role does the textbook play in your teaching?
ReplyDeleteI use our state standards to ensure that I am teaching the essentials. My district just purchased new curriculum that uses textbooks and tons of experiments/ labs to go along with the standards. This year is the first year using this curriculum and I am following it pretty closely to see what I need to omit and bring in. Once I have gotten through the whole thing once, I will "mine" it. I already know that there are a few of the lessons that I will need to cut and a few that I will need to add to make sure that my students have the basic science skills that they will need as they move to the high school next year.
What role does technology play in student learning?
I use technology when a lesson requires it or if it makes the learning more clear or fun. I also use it to provide a daily agenda and resources that the students will need in Canvas. We use Online quiz games to review, and Google docs, slides, and sheets to foster collaboration between both students and staff. We just used an app to test the students' hearing since we are talking about how sound waves work and how they can damage our ears. We also use technology to make sure that everything is accessible for those with learning disabilities to make sure they have access to the information in a way that helps them.
Do you ever “bring in the music”? If so, how? If not, why not?
Yes, I often will use music in my classroom. I will use it for transitions or to play in the background during quiet work time. I will also sometimes use songs to help the students study a specific topic.
Do you see yourself as a coach rather than a teacher? If so, how? If not, why not?
I do sometimes see myself as a coach rather than a teacher. I often notice this the most when the students are working on a task independently or when they are completing a lab. I often will walk around the room or call students to conference with me while the rest of the class is working.
How do you [or could you] have your students “prove the learning”?
They can prove the learning by writing a Claim Evidence Reasoning, often after making a data table, graphing their findings and analyzing the data from a lab. They can also use concept maps, draw labelled diagrams or explain their thinking out loud when appropriate.
How do you [or could you] “discuss the grades” with your students?
I often will discuss individual grades on assignments. Sometimes I will have the students self assess their work and then we will conference about the grade and if I agree with their assessment. I have conferenced with students about their overall grade in the past and would like to do this more, however with only 38 minute classes, this can be very difficult to get accomplished in a timely manner.
How do you ensure you are teaching the essentials?
ReplyDeleteTo teach the essential standards I use our district curriculum mapping guide that lays out essential and supporting standards and when they are taught throughout the curriculum.
What role does the textbook play in your teaching?
I utilize our reading textbook for about half of the activities I do in a grading period. I use the stories for guided instruction and applying spelling and vocabulary strategies. The other half of the activities I plan are the same topic of understanding but I find additional resources to support what we learn in the textbook.
What role does technology play in student learning?
Technology is used on a day to day basis in my current classroom. We utilize it to access our text books and students can navigate to links for supporting activities. We also utilize it for online libraries and individualized practice. At another school I worked at we used it to create individualized or group choice boards to show their learning throughout the week. At another school I worked at we had limited access to technology so it was seldom used. I do find that using it as an extension to learning is beneficial. The students respond well to being able to practice on sites that are paced at their level of learning but still be able to apply what we are doing in the classroom; they find their success in this. I also see my students connect with it when they are able to use it as an extended learning tool to further explore a concept. As much as they enjoy using the technology, it is also apparent when they have been on it too much and they seem to find comfort in going 'old school' and using paper-pencil in the classroom.
Do you ever “bring in the music”? If so, how? If not, why not?
I don't do it as much as I have in the past. Before, when I taught science, I was able to 'bring the music' a lot more when we would do chants to help us with a science skill like erosion. I'd like to find more ideas to bring the music into the reading classroom and think it would work great for things like figurative language. One training I attended over the summer was a course on AI and it gave an example of having AI and students work to create song lyrics for a skill they are working on in class.
Do you see yourself as a coach rather than a teacher? If so, how? If not, why not?
I think it depends on the activity and the timing in the year. If it's later on in the year I feel I have taught the expectations and take more of a step back to see them work independently or as a team and then coach them where necessary.
How do you [or could you] have your students “prove the learning”?
We do often use open ended questions for students to show their understanding. On summative assessments we require students to show their thinking on a separate piece of paper. This can be as simple as them writing down key words in a multiple choice question, writing down why something is correct or incorrect, recreating an anchor chart of PIE for author's purpose, or drawing a diagram to remember the weather cycle. No matter how they choose to show their thinking they are expected to do it for each question. We practice these strategies with students on their daily work to help them apply it on their test.
How do you [or could you] “discuss the grades” with your students?
I don't do much for discussion on grades currently but do a lot of reflection based off of test data with students. They keep a data folder to show their growth throughout the year on different assessments and skills. I enjoy celebrating the students growth with them when we do this. I usually only pull students to discuss individual grades if I notice a concern. I should probably do more individual checks with students especially when they show growth but I do teach them how to check their grades and give them time every couple of weeks to log in and check on their progress for that grading period.
How do you ensure you are teaching the essentials?
ReplyDeleteMy district has an instructional framework that we have to follow and I use that to do lesson plans and make sure that I’m teaching the essentials.
What role does the textbook play in your teaching?
I prepare with the textbook as there is a teacher script in the textbook.
What role does technology play in student learning?
Technology plays a small piece in student learning. In our district, we use two learning apps, Lexia Core 5 and Dreambox. Students use those to learning applications to support their learning in math and reading.
Do you ever “bring in the music”? If so, how? If not, why not?
In first grade, students have to be able to count to 120 and backwards from 100. I use YouTube videos to help with counting forwards and backwards.
Do you see yourself as a coach rather than a teacher? If so, how? If not, why not?
Depending on the time of the year, at the beginning of the year, I would see myself as a teacher. I’m teaching them the expectations and routines. Where are the middle and end of the year, students know the expectations and I can coach them where they need to be redirected.
How do you [or could you] have your students “prove the learning”?
I have students prove their learning by doing in class quizzes or during independent work time.
How do you [or could you] “discuss the grades” with your students?
In particularly writing, I have writing progressions that I have hung in my wall. Students are able to see where they are at and where they need to be. Before they start writing, I tell them what their goals are for today during writing time. I go through with them what is a 1,2,3, and 4 when I’m grading their work.
To ensure we are teaching the essentials, we follow the standards as our guide. Because our program has combination classrooms of 2nd/3rd and 4th/5th learners and is an advanced program, that means we aren't staying at grade level and that we move at a faster pace typically. Our report cards are standards-based and teachers keep track of how learners are working at those standards throughout the lessons.
ReplyDeleteWe do use text books for math and for some of reading, but not for other subjects. Instead, we use novels, articles, and other literary sources. We do use a pieces of different curriculums for science, but they are mostly hands-on. Students do read and research in science too, but not necessarily from a "text book." This is also true with socials studies.
Technology is used to type out writing pieces, research topics, and create projects and presentations. I do think learners are on technology more than teachers would like them to be at times, but it can also be a helpful tool in learning.
"Bringing the music" does happen in our program at school. The 4th and 5th graders do a Garage Band project with one of the novels where they select background music based on the mood/tone of five key passages they choose to summarize the plot. Then they record themselves reading each passage with the music to create a soundtrack. Several teachers like to have music playing while learners are working independently throughout the day as well. I used to use a few different songs to help learners remember things like math rules or steps to follow. The research in the book regarding music being able to reactivate the brain was powerful and I'd like to do more with music now.
In my role as an instructional coach, I'm definitely more of a coach. I feel like more of a coach in my send-out facilitating role as well. I only have 40 minutes with the learners so often they are presented with a challenge and some basic information and then it's their job to apply and try things with the rest of the time.
Proving the learning is done in our program with assessments, both summative and formative. I really liked Walker's statements about using more open-ended questions where students need to justify their thinking. Obviously this is a better way to see if the students really understand and can apply what they've learned. This would be an area to grow into more in our program, but I think we have a good start.
I personally don't discuss grades with students as I know longer grade learners, but teachers can discuss grades pretty easily when a rubric is involved. After going through the writing process with a piece, I've seen our teachers sit down with learners in a final conference to discuss the areas they've shown growth or met the standard and also the areas they need to continue to grow as writers.
When I was teaching, I ensured that I as teaching the essentials base on our state standards and I also would use textbooks as a guide. Sometimes I would follow a lesson from the textbooks and sometimes I would create material to integrate hands on learning or making connections to a theme that we may have been working on at the time.
ReplyDeleteKids love technology and seem to be motivated by it. I tried to add technology to the classroom as a tool to learn or research a question, as review with implementing games on a topic, offer as free time, earning time (so motivational) and I would encourage to use various sites at home to learn from while playing.
As I have mentioned previously, I used music all of the time in my classroom. I had many ESL students so attaching songs to motion or learning about anything such as the months of the year, the states or multiplication. If I could find a song that would support our theme of the week or unit, I loved to bring it in.
I do see myself as a coach but to me, a good coach is interchangeable to a teacher. I think that showing examples, guiding, setting the bar and then letting the students learn by doing is so important. One of the ways that I would have my students prove their learning is by doing, helping a friend or explaining to the class.
When I taught 5th grade, I gave the students a chart similar to a rubric that showed what they would have to accomplish prior to the semester starting. As the semester went on, we constantly referred to our own charts to check the box on what they had accomplished and what was still coming. I felt that the students initially looked at the chart and were a bit intimidated but once they started it, were super motivated to get the highest possible outcome. There may have been a little competition among the students, but I also noticed that some high achieving students also encouraged their classmates to achieve just as high and would help them if there was an instance of frustration or lack of effort. Using this form of grading, it was easy to periodically check in with the students to discuss where they were at grade wise and discussed any issues or concerns. Overall, I do think that the students felt like they were in charge of their grades.
I ensure that I teach the essentials by using a method book as a guide and choosing the exercises I think are necessary for my band in rehearsal and necessary for each student in lessons. I use our method book and choose which exercises to work on based off what the band or individual student needs to learn. I have an online program my students can use on their chromebooks at home to practice music appropriate for their level. As a band teacher, we make the music ourselves and often reflect on how we played it and how it sounds. I find myself in more of a teacher position during full band rehearsals, something I want to work on for the end of this year/beginning of next year. During individual lessons, however, I find myself in a coaching role. For my students to prove their learning, they must play their assigned exercises for me in their lessons making sure to perform any dynamics or articulations represented in the music. They must prove their learning in full band by being able to play through our music. I can check which students are proving or not proving as I am used to how they sound on their instruments and can tell who is playing at what level. I feel like their lesson time is a great way to discuss grades and I already to that to an extent. I ask them about their practice habits and discuss how if they are good or how they could be better. I also discuss how their progress is coming on their instrument and most of the time it is either fine or really good, but when a student is falling behind, I discuss how to correct the course. Generally, correcting the course involves more active participation during rehearsal or finding a time/space to practice their instrument.
ReplyDeleteI ensure that I am teaching the essentials because we have non-negotiables that we have to teach throughout the year. At the end of each school year, we go through our frameworks/curriculum to determine what the most important things are that need to be covered and we call those non-negotiables. Those are things we HAVE to teach throughout the year. We utilize our textbook a lot in English, mostly because that's where all of our non-negotiables come from. However, we do try to also do units that are not in the textbook. We do an entire unit over Greek Mythology that isn't in our textbooks and it ends up being student's favorite unit every year. Technology also plays a large role in our classroom. We utilize Google Classroom at least once a day, which is where many of our assignments are located. I do see myself as a coach rather than a teacher. Coaches show and then watch, and that is something that I try to practice every day. I think I am a teacher at the beginning of the year and a coach towards the end of the year. I try to have my students "prove the learning" through small group discussions and participating in class. I don't normally discuss grades with students, but I would like to try to implement conferencing with them more in the future. I think this would benefit students the most after essay writing so that they know what to expect with future papers.
ReplyDeleteI make sure that I am teaching all the essential by the progress that the students are making in foundational reading skills and math facts. I work on skills that the students need extra support on. When the students has met their goal we are able to move on to teach the next skill. I do not use a textbook for most of my teaching. I work more on interventions to I use a little bit from a lot of different resources. What role does technology play in student learning? I do use technology for my students to reinforce skills that have been taught. I use IXL, Core 5 and Read 180 for technology interventions with my students. I will sometimes bring in music but more so from you tube for my younger students. The younger students need to be able to move around and learn. They also need time to be out of their seat to get the wiggles out so when we do sit down to learn they are ready to listen. No, I see myself as more of a teacher than a coach. I am teaching my students to become readers. My students prove their learning by showing me how they read and are able to answer questions from the reading. I do not grade my students but I do talk to my students about their performance and how they are improving or not improving. I think it is important for students to know how they are doing and make sure they know that only they can change and make improvements if they want to. We as teachers can only do so much.
ReplyDeleteLisa Dresch
ReplyDeleteAs an art teacher, I can see myself as both teacher and coach. I do stick to the content standards and create mini-lessons, much like the workshop model in the Teach Like Finland book. We do a small "desk check" or mini project that prepares them for the content and skills needed for the main project. I also incorporate the active, independant working time called Studio Time. Students need time to practice and to create on their own pace. I have a stricter instruction time and then a more free studio time. I do play music daily! I have playlists that fit the theme of some of the projects for another layer of learning. I have taught advanced classes (drawing, painting) where we created work for art competitions so I have had that coaching role. In this role, I look for individual aptitudes and interests of students, then guide them in the creation process. Frequent feedback and dialogues are so important in this role, to support the student and to give them the encouragement to create in their own pace and style.
ReplyDeleteThis is Lisa Dresch
DeleteThis chapter made me reflect on how I need to focus on teaching the essentials more. I normally start by reviewing content standards and then look for ways to meet as many goals as possible through meaningful activities. As a retired art and social studies teacher now subbing and long-term subbing in 6th grade English, I’ve learned that what matters most is student understanding, not just coverage.
ReplyDeleteThe textbook is a guide rather than the main focus, while technology plays a bigger role. Students use Chromebooks and Google Classroom, which helps with organization and communication. Many teachers in the building I teach in use music in their classrooms and I have found it to be very calming. Students actually seem more focused when silent reading and completing projects.
I see myself more as a coach than a traditional teacher—guiding and supporting students as they learn. Students often prove their learning through projects, discussions, and participation. One area I need to improve is discussing grades. I can get too focused on late and missing work and forget to look closely at what students know and contribute. This book was a good reminder to keep learning—and students—at the center.
I ensured I was teaching the essentials when students would make progress on their IEP goals as well as academic goals in the general education classroom by using accommodations we practiced and had within their IEPs. I only had two textbooks given to me as a special education teacher and one was a Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words and the other was a textbook for my math kiddos that were not at grade-level and I was their math teacher. The rest of the curriculum for the goals students worked on I came up with by utilizing different online resources. I created a system that worked in my classroom for my middle school students, but also shared with my team who found the resources and tactics very helpful. I used a lot of different technology in my classroom that helped with student learning and engagement. At the middle school I taught at, the students were given Chromebooks to utilize throughout the day as well as be able to take them home. All teachers had a Google Classroom, so I did for each of my classes as well. The way I brought in the music was by playing songs during worktime that didn’t hinder student learning or their focus, but rather enhance it. I feel as though at the beginning of the school year I am a teacher and then throughout/towards the end of the school year I am a coach. At the beginning of the year I am building the foundation of everything such as expectations, routines, behaviors, habits, or utilizing technology. I had students prove their learning in many different ways and they showcased their grades/progress by having discussions with me. This was rewarding when we made progress on their goals, but also a good discussion if we maintained or even dropped a little. I truly think this benefited students and motivated them because they could see why they had that certain goal or me as their teacher and really pushed themselves to achieve that goal or make it to grade-level content to be pushed back into the general education classroom.
ReplyDeleteTo ensure that I am teaching the essentials, I make sure that my lessons are aligned with our state standards. We are working together as a school to determine our essential standards for each grade level. By understanding our essential standards, we are able to determine what students must know before they move on to the next grade. If students are not meeting these standards, we will need to provide interventions in those areas.
ReplyDeleteI would say that the textbook does play a big part in teaching kindergarten. The textbook provides opportunities to practice what we are learning. So much of what we learn in kindergarten are rote skills.
In my kindergarten classroom, technology is being used as an independent activity. I feel very strongly that at this age, students need to learn how to properly hold a pencil and be able to form letter appropriately. We do not do a lot with technology in our classrooms. I do like the idea of incorporating a little bit more to allow students to show what they know if a different way.
There are times that I do incorporate music in my classroom. I like to make up songs including my students names so that I can get their attention and also to provide them with positive feedback. I do not usually play music in the background, because I feel like adding another “sense” can be overstimulating and distracting for some of my students.
I would say most days, I feel like I am more of a teacher and not a coach. But this is a hard question, because I feel like as a teacher, you play so many different roles. There are times that I am an encourager, a nurse, a counselor, a “fixer”, a technology specialist, etc. I do like to encourage my students and provide feedback because it gets them excited about their learning.
One thing that I do to have students prove their learning is through having them do self-reflections on their writing. We have a “rate your writing” scale and students are able to see and give themself a grade on their writing. This is more of a self-reflection tool than an actual grade. We then can talk about what they can do to earn a higher score.
To make sure I'm teaching the essentials, I start with the standards and ask myself what the students really need to know by the end of the unit. I focus on the big ideas. In my room, the textbook is an extra tool that I use, but it is not the main resource that I use. Teaching history, I also use primary sources, cartoons, partner work, and independent/group activities. I use technology for students to research, creating different presentations using Google, interactive activities, and online educational games. We do use music when it's appropriate in class. For example, we are working on the Oregon Trail and I had a soundtrack that was playing while they were working. I do see myself as more of a coach than a teacher. I lead my students to the answer, but I do not tell them what the answer is. I am one that has students self assess so they can see if they made mistakes or need to fix something. Students prove their learning through projects, discussions, and short ACE writings I have them complete. I do give grades to students based on points, but always allow them to talk to me if they feel I missed something or if I misunderstood what they were trying to say.
ReplyDeleteI ensure that I am teaching the essentials by following a textbooks that progressively challenges students on the state standards. Increasingly the use of technology is becoming less because of the advancement of AI. There is really no way to know whether a student is actually thinking for themselves unless work is done in the classroom in front of the teacher. I often see the role of teaching as a coach in the fact that you are fostering learning and encouraging growth in your students. I think it would be a great concept to ask the students to grade themselves. I think our grading system is very biased.
ReplyDeleteAs an early childhood special education teacher, I focus on teaching essential functional and foundational skills that help students be successful in daily life. These include toileting, grooming, eating, communication, and social-emotional skills that support independence. I do not use textbooks or much technology. Instead, I rely on hands-on manipulatives, play-based learning, and real-life practice. I have only incorporated music occasionally through instruments or background music, but I know it could be used more intentionally. At times, I see myself as both a teacher and a coach because I teach new skills while also guiding and encouraging students as they practice and build independence. My students prove their learning by demonstrating success and increasing independence in daily routines and activities. Since I teach preschool, I do not use traditional grades; progress is shown through growth and skill development.
ReplyDeleteHow do you ensure you are teaching the essentials?
ReplyDeleteI follow the Department of Education's standards when setting the curricula for my courses. Our program is a provider for the South Dakota Department of Education's Virtual School. We follow guidelines and complete forms from the DOE to prove our courses are in alignment with the State Standards.
What role does the textbook play in your teaching?
The textbook plays a very important role since most of my teaching is now down online. I do use different websites like AgWeb to provide additional, relevant, accurate information to supplement the textbook. That is certainly something I miss by teaching in the traditional classroom, there is more of a chance to get away from the textbook and bring in other learning methods.
What role does technology play in student learning?
Technology plays a role in student learning, but learning still takes place out of the textbooks and additional resources. All of the students in our program use computers to take their courses. Beyond that, it is up to each individual teacher on how much technology they want to include, this would be for the alternative school and the virtual school, the Cyber school (Hutterite Colonies) do not have access to the internet so their learning is very textbook based.
Do you ever “bring in the music”? If so, how? If not, why not?
No, I don't bring in music, but several of the students play music while they are working on their homework. Personally, I need it to be quiet when I study, but my wife is totally the opposite, she needs noise, so certainly it is the same with my students,
Do you see yourself as a coach rather than a teacher? If so, how? If not, why not?
Yes, for sure as a coach, with our online learning, it is very much student centered, they read the textbook, complete the learning tasks/assignments and take a test at the end. Again, this is something I miss by not being in the classroom. We do have email communication with our online students, and some interaction with students in our alternative program. Most of our virtual students (who are in several public high school in South Dakota) we never meet, I don't like that, but it does offer those student a chance to take a recovery course, or a course they might not have offered in their school.
How do you [or could you] have your students “prove the learning”?
This past week I had an alternative student visit me at my office. A nice young many who I have seen working on a local farm in the spring and fall. I know he has a high level of knowledge of farming and livestock. He asked if he could show me in a different way, instead of doing the t/f, m/c, short answer, etc he could just write me a paragraph summarizing the chapter and including his own experiences. I agreed to the "contract" as I knew the learning would be meaningful for him and a chance to really tell everything he know whether it was in the textbook or not. I need to use this experience to build on more opportunities for my students to prove knowledge in ways other than the traditional methods assigned by the book.
How do you [or could you] “discuss the grades” with your students?
This was probably my favorite part of this chapter. A very unique way to address grading, especially in a traditional classroom. Similar I would guess to "contract grading" which I was introduced to when I was a classroom teacher. Basically the student deciding how much they planned to do in the class, and the grade was basically set at that time between teacher and student. I wasn't certain, so never really tried. I have discussed with my student in the alternative side, where they were in the class and what they needed to do to reach a certain level. In general, I am a believer that learning the information is the important thing and grades matter less, but in the real world we, I feel, have put way to much emphasis on the grade and not the actual learning.
To make sure that I am teaching the essentials, I use content standards along with real world scenarios to make sure that not only am I teaching the essentials, but that I can also add meaning to them. Textbooks play a significant role in my classroom. I use them much like an owners manual. I do not follow the chapters sequentially, but I use the textbook and chapters to help me teach the essentials. It might mean that I start the year with chapter 10, followed by chapters 1,2 and 3 followed by 7, then 14, 16 and back to 4. Technology plays a role in student learning, but more as a tool in the tool box as opposed to the tool box. Technology I have found works best when it is focused and deliberate. I think I use technology as more of a guide to further develop lesson than students use it to further develop their understanding. Technology for students in my classroom is at their fingertips as we are a 1-1 school. My students use technology to further their understanding, and it allows them to gain an a better and deeper understanding of what I am trying to convey to them. As far as bringing the music, I would say that I do not as I do not as being an administrator and teacher, I just do not. I will say that I do miss my classroom, but I do enjoy being an administrator and will encourage my staff to bring the music. YES, I would say that I approach my classroom by doing, which I think is normal as I got into education because of a desire to coach. Funny thing happened, I enjoy teaching just as much as I do coaching and I believe that a hands-on approach or at least a real-world approach is the best. Students typically prove their learning through a variety of assessments. More often than not, I let my students use their resources (no technology) to take their assessments and prove to me that they have learned. I will say though, that my assessments (not all are old school tests) vary depending on the class that I am teaching. Our school has developed the policy that students have the entire semester to retake their assessments as many times as they want (they have to have at least a 70%). Typically, teachers will begin to alter their assessment after the second time or at least add requirements to retake an assessment. I often allow my students to take an assessment with whatever materials they have ready, but they know if they want to retake the assessment, they must complete the study guide and have a conversation with me about what they have learned and how they have prepared to find more success on their next assessment. There have been times when I have had to create version B and C because students just try to take a test and see if they can remember that it is on the test. Students have constant access to their grades through our School Learning Management system and as a result, the students who care about their grades consistently communicate with my about what they can do to raise their grade or what they need to do to keep their grade at what it is.
ReplyDeleteTo ensure I'm teaching the essentials, I definitely mine the textbook. If there are lessons in there that aren't important, I cut them out rather than just pushing forward to do a lesson a day.
ReplyDeleteI use technology every day in my class. I rely heavily on my document camera to show work. I also use slideshows to display learning targets and phonics slides. The students each have their own i pad. They use it for programs such as Amira, where they are reading stories out loud into the i pad, so the i pad can track their reading and coach them. They also use it for class games such as 99 math or Blooket, where they are completing math problems in an online game to compete against each other.
I use music for remembering concepts. There are a couple of songs I use for telling time and distinguishing between rows and columns. I also use songs during grammar to remember what nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. are. Youtube is a phenomenal resource for those songs. My 2nd graders love them and love singing along with them.
I see myself as both a teacher and a coach. I teach lower elementary, so I tend to guide them through at first and then set them free.
I often have students prove their learning with their writing projects. Reading fluency is a big thing for 2nd graders, so I often monitor their reading to see if their learning what we do in phonics and whole group reading.
I don't discuss grades with my students. I've never really thought of doing it, until I read it in this book study. I do think it's something 2nd graders could handle and I plan on trying it out!
As suggested by Tim, I mine the textbook. I use it as a guide, but I also adjust to my students' needs in understanding the curriculum. In addition, I like to find ways to enhance the material learned, for example, in math if we are learning about area and perimeter, I use tape around the school and create shapes for the students to find area and perimeter, or we will play a scoot game to review multiplication and division where the students go around the school answering flashcards.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to technology, I use it to enhance learning the materials as well as to continue practice on skills independently. I do wonder if less technology would benefit my students, but I do find it to be a great tool to use in learning.
I truly believe that music in the classroom is essential to learning. I, myself, have memorized the presidents of the United States in order due to learning them through a song. I do hope to continue to find more ways of using music in my classroom to enhance the materials being learned.
I see myself as both a coach and teacher. I would like to see myself continue to be more of a guide in their learning, but it can be hard at times to let go of the reins when it comes to learning, as we have standardized testing that we need to prepare our students for, which causes me to take hold of the learning more than is suggested by Tim.
In order to have my students "prove their learning," I would need to dedicate more time to students expressing their thinking through writing and dialogue to enhance these skills. I think it is a great idea, but struggle with how to approach this strategy and implementing it in a meaningful way.
Twice a year, my students reflect on their behavior in the classroom and how is affects their learning and responsibilities within the classroom. I then meet with them individually to discuss their behavior, grades, and MAPS scores to share in their strengths and weaknesses. They also express goals of what they want to work on throughout the school year. This is a great approach in the students taking ownership of their learning.
To ensure I am teaching the essentials, I follow the standards as closely as possible. If I feel I am running out of time, I select some standards to cover over others based on if/when my students may revisit them in another of my classes.
ReplyDeleteThe textbook plays a minimal role in my classroom. About ten years ago, I implemented Interactive Student Notebooks (ISN's). Many of the guided notes and practice we use come from other teachers who have developed and shared resources specifically for ISN's. Some I have developed myself. Our current textbooks are consumable, which lends well to tearing out pages from the text and placing them into our ISN's for future reference.
I attempt to incorporate technology about half of the time. Almost every day, at the beginning of class, we use some sort of digital platform as a warm-up. This may be a Kahoot, Blooket, Wayground, etc. On days when I am gone, students use programs for independent practice. This includes IXL, Edia, Amplify, etc. Technology allows for instant feedback for students, which is so beneficial to their learning.
Music is a large part of my life, so I bring in the music often. Most of the time, music is played in the background while students are working independently. I enjoy 80's rock, so that's what they get to hear. It's fun when they sing along. Music is also incorporated into lessons. I use the Quadratic Formula song. At first, students are hesitant to sing it with me, but during independent practice, they become braver. I have had former students come back and tell me they could still sing that song many years after graduation.
I see myself at 75% teacher and 25% coach. Instruction is mostly led by me. Controlling the majority of the learning helps keep us on track for covering material. During guided and independent practice, I push my students and encourage them. Questioning techniques assist them through the thought processes necessary to achieve the answers they desire.
Currently my students "show" their learning through independent practice: worksheets, task cards, card sorts, scavenger hunts, and digital activities. My students could "prove" their learning more individually through either speaking or writing about their strategies for solving problems. Lately I have seen "error analysis" activities that could lend well to helping students prove what they know about a math skill. A journal could also be a useful tool. This is an area I could definitely improve on, and which would be very beneficial to my students as well.
Grades are discussed with students at the beginning of the year when we go through the syllabus. They are given the grading scale and how grades will be calculated. As far as having one-to-one conversations with my students about their grades, I have not really done that. I always encourage students to verify their scores and communicate with me about their grades, but they haven't ever been asked what they think their grade should be. This is an interesting concept, and one I would like to employ. I could start small, with asking them to grade their own assignment, and move into things with more weight over time. Giving students a voice about their grades could help them become more invested in their learning.
I teach the essentials, I do keep close to our curriculum and fill in gaps I see with various test scores. I try to use the textbook thoroughly, but also add other skills needed for the class.
ReplyDeleteI teach in a hybrid school, so we use tech daily. They find many things using various ways.
I do bring in the music. We always like to use music, play music during our choice times.
I waffle between a coach and a teacher and it depends on situations and grade level. I'm mainly more in the elementary levels for teaching, but see that I am more of a coach at middle school levels as they need to know we listen, hear and see them, and take what they say seriously and consider it with value and worth.
I do various projects for students to "prove their learning" with a few given guidelines and they always blow my socks off with what they've learned and created. It's amazing what they can do within the parameters given.
I don't "discuss the grade" much with the classes I teach. I see this as an area I can definitely improve.
I planned my lessons by mining the textbook along with the state standards. I used the curriculum and the resources provided by the school to teach the standard while still pulling in other resources that may enhance the lesson.
ReplyDeleteThere is a push for teachers and students to use technology in the lessons today. When I was teaching 5th grade, my students had programs, either provided by the curriculum or other purchased programs, that were often reviews or an extension of the lessons. We would utilize these programs during center times.
I love using music in my classroom. It also helps that I’m married to a music teacher, so I’m able to bounce ideas around with him. I have used songs to help with memorization of lessons, to transition, for brain breaks, etc. I also offered “writing a song or poem” as an option for my book assignments.
I’ve never thought of myself as a coach instead of a teacher. I have only associated coaching as a sports thing. It has given me a new perspective to consider.
Students can prove the learning with higher level, open-ended questions. My students used journaling, explain your answer/thoughts, charting, and presentations to show that they were learning what that should be in class.
I have had conferences with my students about their grades twice a year. I have had the students do a self-evaluation but have never let their evaluations impact the grades that I have given them. I would discuss grades with students who were struggling more than just the two times. I think it would be beneficial to meet with the students more often.
I ensure I'm teaching the essentials by following the second grade standards. Our district has a curriculum based approach, so students are getting consistency throughout each grade level and throughout the school. We follow specific curriculums in ELA, Math, Social Studies, and Science. So that is the "textbook" used. I add what is needed and put my spin on teaching it. Students use technology daily, whether it be on their own laptops at school, such as, going on curriculum based sites. Our math curriculum has an online site called math musicals, where concepts are set to math songs. The students and I really like this and students want to play their favorites many times over. We do this whole group on the Promethean board and they also do this on their own computer. I also use you tube to play songs that go along with concepts we are learning. I offer a variety of ways for students to learn. Music is an important part of our classroom: playing a certain song that means time to finish what they are doing and clean up and get ready for transitioning; playing quiet, relaxing music while they work; brain breaks/movement; for memorizing, etc... Getting back to technology, I give students opportunities with technology but don't want them to be constantly on it. I give explicit instruction when needed as well as model and "teach" concepts, but I also like to have students work on projects and in groups and in centers and then I am more of the "coach". Students continuously work on growing. I use their assignments in spelling and math as learning opportunities. They correct their work and we work through anything they need help with. In their math pages, there is a place for students to rate thumbs up, middle, or thumbs down to show how they feel about that concept. Students are continuously seeing their work on how they are doing. I work one-on-one with kids and discuss their progress with them on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteTo make sure I was teaching the essentials, I would use the state standards. I'd also try to identify the basic writing skills they'd need to succeed in high school and life in general, and then I'd drill those. The textbook played an important role when I was teaching the parts of speech and other smaller pieces of writing skills. It offered clear instruction, examples, and practice, so I found it very helpful. When it came to essay writing, I used different methods that I felt were better suited and more fun for the kids than the textbook. I would utilize technology (like NoRedInk) to supplement the textbook when it came to practicing skills. We'd also use it for research, essay writing, test prep, and more (love kahoot!). Before AI, we'd use it to run their essays through a program that could check for plagiarism. I'm not sure how that would work now with ChatGPT. As for bringing in the music, I would usually play music during work time. If we could find an online song that was relevant to what we were covering (like the Schoolhouse Rock - Conjunction Junction song), I'd use that too. That's something I agree I should try to do more of. It's crazy how songs can help you learn and retain so much information! I see myself as both a teacher and coach. When I work with students one-on-one, I lean toward being more of a coach. I guide and encourage students, practicing the skill until they feel their understanding has improved. My students would "prove the learning" through formative and summative assessments. Obviously tests and essays show their skills, but I'm always assessing them throughout the entire process through daily work, online practice, essay outlines, individual writing conferences, etc. I feel that my grading system was fairly well-rounded, but I'm always open to discussing the grades with my students. If a student is unhappy with their grade and is willing to put in the work to bring it up, I would do all I could to help them out.
ReplyDeleteAs a health educator, I follow the state standards and our district curriculum to ensure that I am teaching the essentials. When new topics arise (such as vaping or fentanyl) I am able to reach out to my supervisor and job-alikes across the district to ensure that we are educating our students on those issues while meeting the standards.
ReplyDeleteThe textbook helps me guide my lessons, but I have gotten away from the students utilizing the textbook over the years because it always felt like busy work. I want my students to leave with the skills that they need to live a healthy lifestyle. I need to do a better job of coaching my students through the skills that they need, rather than just giving them the information that I want them to hear and hoping that they retain it.
When it comes to grading my students in the health classroom, I prefer to have skills based grading. In physical education, grading can be subjective and can be difficult to defend if there is not a strong rubric. I think sometimes students view grades as a value of their worth rather than the areas that they can work to grow.
As a special educator, I feel like I only taught the essentials. My goal was to get students to make progress on their individualized goals. For some that was learning to read and we started with CVC words and as mastery was achieved moved on to CVCe words and so on. I determined if mastery was reached with formative assessment. For most of reading I followed a scripted program with 95% curriculum. It was not a textbook in the traditional sense but we did not move on to the next skill before the skill was learned. I typically left the computers for the classroom because I only had a limited amount of time with each student. In my personal opinion since covid times we are using to much technology in the classroom and I would love to see the shift back to textbooks and computer labs. As a special educator I do see myself as a coach because I am helping to close gaps and constantly trying to motivate my students to keep going until that light bulb moment occurs.
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