Megan’s blog

I have really been struggling with how to best help a few of my students. Three students in one of my classes are refugees from Nepal and speak very little English. There have been a few times when one of the students is able to translate to the others what it is I am saying, but for the most part they stare at me with blank looks, or turn to each other with the most confused look on their faces. I have started using hand motions to say “follow me” to go get goggles and equipment, but I am worried about how to distribute my time between helping these three students who need more guidance than the other students while still moving about the room and helping everyone else. We have been working on a lab for the past few days and each day we get started the students remain seated, not engaging in any of the activities. It takes me about 5 minutes each class to try and communicate with them what to do and where to go at that moment. They were getting so far behind that I didn’t just want them missing out on the whole activity so I stuck them with another group to at least observe the experiment and help out where they could. Luckily, the group I stuck them with was very accepting and tried to give them responsibilities. I just really don’t know what to do. I feel like when these students are in classes, they are usually just ignored or not encouraged to do the activities even when they are just sitting there because teachers have such a hard time communicating with them. And we do have an inclusion teacher push-in during that period however since they have a language barrier and not IEPs, they are given no extra attention. I feel like they need the extra time from me, but then if I were to continue doing this then I’m not spending enough time rotating around to the other groups. I guess I should just be sure they are always with other students in the class who can guide them along? It is just frustrating that there is that language barrier and I feel as though I am just not able to be helping them as much as I wish to. One of the three students, although it is very hard to communicate with him and therefore hard to get him involved in class activities because he does not understand instructions, had one of the highest scores on the midterm. Since I haven’t taken over teaching just yet, I’ve been making a mental list of the things I think I might try and do differently for these students. Should I be trying to keep them with other students in the class? I want to be sure to always explain, write and illustrate instructions. I’m just concerned they are not getting enough out of the lessons as they could be and it frustrates me that I don’t see them getting enough attention from the other adults, and I’m afraid I spend too much time trying to help them. How do I improve the way I help them while also improving my ability to get around the room and be able to help, observe and assess all the other students in the room at the same time?! (<< B/c I know this is so, so, so important, and I want to make sure I’m giving all the students equal attention!)

After last class, when I felt a little anxious and overwhelmed, I knew I had to get a little more organized with everything. After looking closely at the lesson plan rubric during class, it truly made me realize how important it is to consider each and every component in the rubric when creating a lesson and then writing up the lesson plan. I noticed I had overlooked many things in the rubric and came up with a way to make sure it does not happen again. I went through the rubric and turned each of the criteria into a question that I would answer directly in order to aid me in writing my lesson plan. After answering these question, I would be addressing everything the rubric said was necessary, thus ensuring a strong and well-thought lesson. This new lesson plan template that I will be using broke everything down for me, and the set-up has made it clear to me about exactly what things I need to focus on. I have attached that template to this post in case anyone else would like to use it as well! Hope it helps

20100203-WarnerLessonPlanTemplate-MSaunders

Today one of my seniors came into class singing and dancing to a song that he told me I should youtube. So I did, and here it is, thought I’d share it!

On January 15, 2010 TaRessa Stovall wrote, “A clever response to Beyonce’s super-hit, Single Ladies, with the line, “If you like it, then you should have put a ring on it,” has inspired a group of young students from the Hope Christian School in Milwaukee to create their own version with a very different—and much more empowering—message.”

“As scribd.com reports, “The video puts the ‘cool’ back into being scholarly … the Hope Christian School family has found a creative way to become part of the solution” of an under-qualified work force.  They’re also using the power of pop culture to challenge the popular notion among African-American youth that being smart and a high achiever is “acting white,” while encouraging others to fulfill their academic potential.

Check it out—you’ll not only feel inspired, but you’ll help the school reach its goal of one million views.

TaRessa Stovall is Managing Editor of TheDefendersOnline.”

Information from: http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/if-you-learned-it-then-you-should-have-got-an-a-on-it/

I know we have heard over and over again how teaching is all about the relationship we have with the individual students in our classrooms. I really do not think this can be stressed enough. I have had a wonderful first placement because of it. During my placement I took advantage of getting to know my students not just inside the classroom, but through their extra-curricular activities as well. I learned about how my students worked at family owned restaurants and bakeries and did my best to visit them. I chaperoned a school dance, attended their talent show, went to their expedition nights, met plenty of parents and siblings, kept up with their sports teams, and most recently attended their Step competition at U of R where they competed against other Step Teams from upstate New York. Even though I ended my placement over a week ago, the relationships I have been able to form with the students and teachers did not end simply because my placement did. It was so great to see a bunch of girls I taught up on stage and to be able to see teachers from the ninth grade team that I worked closely with since September. I find it’s important to show the students you genuinely care about them outside of the classroom too, and that your role as a role model and mentor does not simply end when class is over. I always remember seeing the faces of my own teachers when they came to my sports games or piano performances. Those were always the teachers I got to know best. The ones who seemed to realize I was a person and not just a student in their class who sat in the second row. So I am sure you have all realized this through your own teaching, but the relationship you have with your students can really make a difference in their attitudes in the classroom and in how much they are motivated to learn. It just shows them you truly do care. Obviously this can be done in other ways than going to their extracurricular events or performances, but that was one way that ended up being meaningful to me. I enjoyed being the crazy fan in the stands. Even just reading their journals, and spending a substantial time going through them and giving great feedback and well thought out responses can go a long way. That is how I got to know one of my students best and how she started becoming more comfortable about opening up with different issues she had and things that were bothering her. As a teacher, we are not only their instructors and role models. We are their support system, their cheerleaders, their family, and their biggest fans, from the classroom to the stage.

Yesterday was the last day before Kait and I started our student teaching. We saw two science classes, and their assignments were to finish up four different assignments for the class, if they hadn’t already. Those who were not yet done had had days to work on them and most likely were not choosing to get them done. Then there were the students who finished them the first day they were assigned, so the classes unfortunately ended up socializing most of the time. Remember how I previously talked about a few boys who were always goofing off and never getting work done? Well, a couple days ago I FINALLY got a hold of their IEPs. I read through them, and studied them like crazy, determined to find SOMETHING that could help them get their work done. The day I had talked to them individually, I could see a very small difference in class, I could tell they were trying to participate and cooperate at times, but alas, peer influence triumphed. Yesterday in class they were better because my CT had given them busy work, just writing vocab words in big letters down on index cards that she was going to use for a vocab word wall. She hoped it would prevent them from running around the room. Amazingly enough, it did, and the two boys were busy copying all the vocab words at the back table.

But…I knew they still hadn’t finished their work. So even though they weren’t yelling and running around the room, I wasn’t satisfied. I didn’t think they had even gotten any of the assignments done at all. So I walked over there, asking if they had written the “letter to the editor” about cloning, or if they had done the comic strip or crossword puzzle yet. Nope. They apparently “hadn’t even known” about some of the assignments. I took out the packet on cloning and about scientists wanting to bring back the wooly mammoth. I asked them if they remembered what the movie was about that went along with the packet and the writing prompt. Nope. Even though they were both there that day, one fell asleep during the movie and the other had gotten in trouble so he refused to watch. So the three of us had a brief discussion about cloning and the ethics behind it while they were still writing down the vocab words on index cards. I highlighted the writing prompts for them on the second page of the packet. Still didn’t get them to focus on it. Hmmm. Ok, so the IEPs said they needed t have directions repeated repeated repeated and to have incredibly simple instructions. I could tell the big packet about cloning was too many words and too intimidating.

They were visual learners, so an idea popped into my head to do for them the same thing that helped me organize my assignments and to-do lists over break. So I took some index cards and labeled them 1, 2, 3. I broke apart the prompt into 3 different parts, and simplified the wording like it should have been done in the first place. With blue marker and big font, I wrote down the simplified questions, and placed them right above their blank papers. “That’s all we have to answer?” they asked. Yep, that’s it, that’s the prompt. “That’s easy, I don’t know why teachers always have to make everything so complicated. They finished their letters in 10 minutes with no distractions. While they were writing those, I did the same thing for the 2 other assignments. I re-wrote the directions in big blue marker and placed it right on top of their blank sheets of paper. Done and done. Had they seriously just finished 3 assignments?! I was sooo happy (for the rest of the day!)!! I told them I was extremely proud and that they did a great job on each of their assignments! That was more work than they had done in over a week of classes! Then they asked me, again, when it was that Kait and I were leaving. One sighed and said, “Why ya’ll gotta leave? That’s so dumb. Why do they always do that to us, why do they take our student teachers away? Usually I don’t really care, but you two are actually nice, why can’t you stay?”

Kait and I were blown away with all the work they had accomplished that day. It doesn’t sound like a lot but ohh believe me it was. And it seemed like such a simple thing to do, simplifying everything in big blue marker on individual index cards. But I guess it just took a while to come to me. It takes a while to find that repeating things over and over and telling them to sit and stop running, stop dancing and sit again, just doesn’t work. If it’s there, and if it’s simple, then they can process it and get it done. One of them only reads at an elementary level which I had not found out until a few days earlier. They even thanked me for doing that for them, and told me that they can actually get work done in the future if it’s like that. YES!

It was the day before our student teaching started, and I was a step closer to making learning a bit easier for those two students. Kait and I were so so happy, we immediately wrote down their home phone numbers to call later that night! Until we realized English was not a native language for both and it said their moms needed interpreters. Soooo…we wrote letters home instead!!..figuring they could translate if needed. We gave specific comments on their work and then we sealed the letters with smiley face stickers (knowing they’d open them regardless, and we wanted them to read them anyway!) and I went over to the next room to give them the letters before they left from school. I walked in and told them I had letters for them to take home. ‘WHAT?! ARE WE IN TROUBLE?!” Just take them home, I said. Immediately I saw them open them and smile

Now onto today…Kait and I asked them if they had shown their parents the letters. “Yeah, my mom was so happy, really proud, was like wow, good job, you actually did you work!” one of them told us. The other one was mocking his mom in a high voice, “Oh my God, good job! blah blah”….”And!…” he told us, “I got a new phone out of it!!” I’m guessing those kids had rarely, if ever, gotten notes like that which praised their accomplishments for the day. It was awesome.. I was so proud of them.

Ok, so I ramble. I’ll work on that.

I thought that the presentations went SO well on Saturday! The videos from each group were spectacular and so fun to watch. It was nice meeting the girls’ parents and letting the girls show off their skills at their stations. I have some awesome videos of both of our stations, which I hope to add to the movies we are going to burn for them. One of the best parts was seeing the 3 East-Blue-Half-Team girls doing elephant toothpaste all on their own, while a three-foot tall four-year old stood in front of them with gloves and goggles twice the size of her face slowly whispering, “Ohhhh…my…God…that…is…soooo…cool…” I’m pretty sure you can expect her to be signing up for STARS in about 9 years. I gave one of my students a ride to and from campus for the presentations, and was so glad she could come (made sure to get a signed permission slip from her dad!) On the way back to my car, we were walking along the Genesee with heavy backpacks, a crate full of stuff, and rolled up chart papers, when she said she wondered what the pH of the Genesee was. Being a strong advocate of good ol’ expeditionary learning, I said why don’t we find out. Brian got out the probes and LabQuest, and we went down to the river where our student was able to measure the pH of the Genesee! It did not quite match her prediction, but it was awesome to see her doing this! She was the one during the video interview who said that before STARS she had never even heard of pH…and here she was applying what she had learned about it to the dirty river she was walking next to. Awesome.

I really think that teachers need need need to just get to know their students. Talk with them. Figure out what is it they need. Stop blaming the students. I thought our lessons for the series of three were great, engaging, hands-on and so forth…but it was just not reaching some of the students. So, I TALKED with them, ASKED them their opinions. And that was some of the most invaluable advice and feedback I’ve ever received. It’s all for them, so why not get THEIR ideas? Especially when a student who is struggling in class offers up an idea and then sees it actually being USED in class…what ownership! If he can see HIS idea was actually used, there might be a little bit more motivation to cooperate. Ugh, I know it’s hard to do this with 25 kids, but it’s a start. I’ve just gotten a little upset after reading an article from my newspaper at home, called “Students to blame for R.I.’s struggling schools.” WHAT?! It blames the students for not learning. So anti-Warner, I’m embarrassed for my little state. The author says, “Let us put the blame where it belongs, on the far too many kids who refuse to learn what they are being taught. Most teachers are extremely competent at what they do, but they are not miracle workers.” I get that being a teacher is difficult. But EVERY student has potential, the teachers just have to figure out how to help the students shine. That was an upsetting article, though. Hope it stirs up some interesting conversation if you read it.

On November 20th, I went with some other master’s students and doc students to Ithaca to observe the New Roots School that just opened in September. They are an expeditionary school that strives to teach students how to practice environmental sustainability. They focus on hands-on activities and getting out into their own community to study the issues of that area. Next, we visited Ecovillage. It was so different than anything I had ever seen. A small village/community of people who are committed to living “green.” Check out the New Roots School at: http://www.newrootsschool.org/ and Ecovillage at http://ecovillageithaca.org/evi/

Recently, in Dr. Hursh’s class, I have been researching expeditionary schools for my final research paper. I am especially interested in this topic because I have been student teaching in one and really love the way the curriculum is implemented and everything that the students have been getting out of it. Here is the powerpoint that I made and presented in that class:

I made a short video in iMovie to go along with it, pictured in that last slide. My CT and I interviewed our students, and received different responses and opinions from them about expeditionary learning. I will speak with the school, and if I have permission to post it here, I will.

The last week of STARS is here! I’m going to miss these awesome girls so much. Today our half-team from East met up with the Wilson half-team. We spent some time watching the movie we have been working on, then the girls drew some pictures for the tri-fold poster, and THEN we went outside to have some fun with diet coke and mentos! Everything I captured on film…was absolutely hilarious. I think the girls really enjoyed it. It was very cold out, and some of them stood back because they didn’t want to get messy, but ultimately, they enjoyed watching this demo. The girls did it over and over and over again. We had several bottles of coke, and different types of mentos, so they were interested in experimenting with different amounts. We got more video of the Wilson girls to add to the movie for Saturday’s presentation! Once this is done I can sleep! But to be honest, I don’t mind working on this movie at all. I was just introduced to imovie a few days ago when I was experimenting with it and trying to start this little project. I love it now, I’ve been spending hours just playing around on it! Hopefully when it’s all finished, we can burn copies for the girls! I’d love for them to be able to take it home and show everyone what they’ve been doing for the past 10 weeks!