One of my learning goals this semester is to improve my classroom management. Specifically what I am working on is to manage the volume in the classroom and keeping students on task. I am currently in a pre-school classroom and students at this age level aren’t use to much structure yet. They like to talk out and can get very loud. However, this can be a case in every grade level as I have had to deal with these issues in past classrooms before as well. My mentor teacher has been giving a lot of great advice and feedback after seeing me work with the kids and doing lessons. She told me what I should work on to reach my goal is to have confidence when disciplining a child and show my authority. She also said to speak louder when I do so. I have really been working on this and I can already see some improvement where a few of the students listen to me after being told once now. I used to have to repeat myself over and over or they would just totally ignore me.
I had to make some changes in my plan because I didn’t list other activities that I would do other than the assignments we were already given. Making these changes is really making me think more about how I can improve and reach my learning goals. I want to add things that I can try out in order to succeed.
I know my mentor teacher will be a great help in this process because she will give me constructive criticism. She will also do many observations that I can reflect on and make improvements where needed and give me any other suggestions. I will also be video taping a lesson that I do so I can watch myself and see how my classroom management skills play out.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Characteristics of the Novice Teacher
Characteristic # 4: The novice teacher should be a facilitator of learning for all students.
For this characteristic, it is very essential for the novice teacher to understand and recognize that each student does not learn in the same way or one specific way for that matter. Every student learns differently and in different ways for various content areas and tasks. The novice teacher must be able to differentiate for their students’ needs and provide learning opportunities that benefit them as well as give them a chance to reach their full potential even though lessons will be challenging. The teacher must be able to differentiate and modify lessons where it is needed. Variety in the classroom is a necessity with things such as assessments and other required assignments, tasks, etc. for the students. Not every student is on the same level so tiered instruction is important as well.
An artifact that I would use to exemplify this characteristic is my Literacy Workstations project that was completed in Education 461. For this project, we had to plan a Tiered 1 Reading Instruction. The way in which the instruction was set up was I had whole group instruction, small group instruction and literacy workstations and writing instruction. The students were split up into high, high-medium, medium, and low level reading groups. I chose the book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid to be the center of my lesson plans and majority of the assignments for my whole and small group, and my writing instruction as well as a few literacy workstations. Activities were set up to give students the chance to work individually, in pairs, and in small groups and then come back as a whole. The literacy workstations were provided with much variety by providing an “I Can…” list for students to have options to choose from for the tasks they were to complete.
These two tie in together because the Literacy Workstations project is an excellent example of showing how the novice teacher can be a facilitator of learning for all students. The teacher had to come up with tier instruction and differentiate for the different levels of students. It shows the understanding the teacher has in knowing what her students’ needs are and providing activities that match those individual needs.
Characteristic # 2: The novice teacher should be an effective communicator.
In this characteristic, the novice teacher must practice and maintain good communication skills whether it is with parents, students, or other faculty members. In order for there to be success in the classroom, a teacher must be able to effectively work cooperatively with others. Nothing will ever get accomplished if a teacher cannot verbally express reflections or needs in the classroom. When it comes to communication with students, a teacher must be able to explicitly explain instruction for lessons. Also, the teacher should be able to express praise or address where improvement is needed to each student. When communicating with the parents, a strong relationship should exist. The parents should be aware of what is taking place in the classroom and know if there is anything that needs to be done at home to continue their child on the path of success. The parents and teacher need to work as a team. Finally, when working with other faculty members, a novice teacher needs to understand they part of a team at the school as well.
An artifact I chose for this characteristic is an assignment we had to complete for Education 401. We had to complete a task in which we had to reach out to the parents of the students in our PDS classroom this semester. I wrote an introduction letter that was sent home to the parents. I had to state who I was, why I will be working their child, and some of my goals and ambitions. I also assured them that they could put their full trust in me for my time being with their child and if they had any concerns or questions to feel free to address me.
I think that assignment was a great way to show how the novice teacher can be an effective communicator. It showed my skills in expressing who I was to the parents and being open with them as well as leaving the opportunity for them to get back to me if they chose to do so.
For this characteristic, it is very essential for the novice teacher to understand and recognize that each student does not learn in the same way or one specific way for that matter. Every student learns differently and in different ways for various content areas and tasks. The novice teacher must be able to differentiate for their students’ needs and provide learning opportunities that benefit them as well as give them a chance to reach their full potential even though lessons will be challenging. The teacher must be able to differentiate and modify lessons where it is needed. Variety in the classroom is a necessity with things such as assessments and other required assignments, tasks, etc. for the students. Not every student is on the same level so tiered instruction is important as well.
An artifact that I would use to exemplify this characteristic is my Literacy Workstations project that was completed in Education 461. For this project, we had to plan a Tiered 1 Reading Instruction. The way in which the instruction was set up was I had whole group instruction, small group instruction and literacy workstations and writing instruction. The students were split up into high, high-medium, medium, and low level reading groups. I chose the book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid to be the center of my lesson plans and majority of the assignments for my whole and small group, and my writing instruction as well as a few literacy workstations. Activities were set up to give students the chance to work individually, in pairs, and in small groups and then come back as a whole. The literacy workstations were provided with much variety by providing an “I Can…” list for students to have options to choose from for the tasks they were to complete.
These two tie in together because the Literacy Workstations project is an excellent example of showing how the novice teacher can be a facilitator of learning for all students. The teacher had to come up with tier instruction and differentiate for the different levels of students. It shows the understanding the teacher has in knowing what her students’ needs are and providing activities that match those individual needs.
Characteristic # 2: The novice teacher should be an effective communicator.
In this characteristic, the novice teacher must practice and maintain good communication skills whether it is with parents, students, or other faculty members. In order for there to be success in the classroom, a teacher must be able to effectively work cooperatively with others. Nothing will ever get accomplished if a teacher cannot verbally express reflections or needs in the classroom. When it comes to communication with students, a teacher must be able to explicitly explain instruction for lessons. Also, the teacher should be able to express praise or address where improvement is needed to each student. When communicating with the parents, a strong relationship should exist. The parents should be aware of what is taking place in the classroom and know if there is anything that needs to be done at home to continue their child on the path of success. The parents and teacher need to work as a team. Finally, when working with other faculty members, a novice teacher needs to understand they part of a team at the school as well.
An artifact I chose for this characteristic is an assignment we had to complete for Education 401. We had to complete a task in which we had to reach out to the parents of the students in our PDS classroom this semester. I wrote an introduction letter that was sent home to the parents. I had to state who I was, why I will be working their child, and some of my goals and ambitions. I also assured them that they could put their full trust in me for my time being with their child and if they had any concerns or questions to feel free to address me.
I think that assignment was a great way to show how the novice teacher can be an effective communicator. It showed my skills in expressing who I was to the parents and being open with them as well as leaving the opportunity for them to get back to me if they chose to do so.
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