“The illiterate of the 21st century will NOT be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”
This is a quote that was given to our Education 501 Class at the beginning of the year.
What does it mean to me now that I have learned about planning and teaching in Education 501?
Well, when I look at this quote I see possibility. Firstly, children in the 21st century are different than the children from long ago because they are fortunate enough to be able to attend school.
If fact, they have to. According to section 13 (1) of the School Act: An individual who is eligible to be enrolled in a school, at September 1 in a year is 6 years of age or older, and is younger than 16 years of age shall attend school.
In regards to planning and teaching, I have learned that not every child learns the same way, learns at the same speed, or cognitively develops at the same time. As a teacher is it my role to reach every student by using Gardner's Multiple intelligences. Some students learn better by seeing the teacher do an example, some learn better by simply listening to instruction, and some learn better by doing it themselves in a hands-on activity. These are only three of the 8 intelligences Gardner has identified.
Every child is different, not only in how they learn, but also in how fast they learn. When a teacher plans, he/she needs to plan much more than simply the lesson for the average student. Teachers need to plan for the students that finish everything early, the students who need extra time for every assignment, or the student who has special needs. If a teacher is not planned, the class will not be controlled, nor will it remain a positive learning environment because the teacher will spend her time thinking of what she will have to do next.
Lastly, one thing we need to remember that students might make you think that they understand the concept being taught; but as a teacher, you have to make sure you have some form of informal assessment that lets you know if they students 'get it'. Everyday teachers find students in their classrooms who do not understand a particular concept. These students will not make eye contact with their teacher, will pretend to write notes, or anything else they can come up with as a way of making it seem that they are too busy to answer the question that the teacher will use to determine their understanding. Those students who get away with the classic move of 'I'm too busy so don't ask me the question', get to the end of the lesson and did not learn anything. Unfortunately, there are many teachers who let this slide, which results in his/her students not learning.
As I have wrote in my philosophy of teaching, every child is able to achieve to the best of their ability, whether it is at a grade of A, B, or C. With the amount of research and resources available to us, there should be no such thing as a student who is illiterate in the 21st century. As teachers of the 21st century, we should try to use the different teaching methods and assessment strategies so that we make it possible to reach every student. And the first step is planning.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Things can go wrong!
One thing I learned about my 'Set' assignment using the smart board was that technology is not always on your side. Things can definitely go wrong! I think my classmates did a great job in staying patience as we all dealt with the obstacles the day threw at us. The smart board is a tool that can assist in our teaching; however, I believe that keeping it simple is also beneficial.
For this assignment, I chose to do a set for a kindergarten Language Arts lesson, that would introduce the students to the letter 'F'.
Would I have changed anything in my 'Set'? Well, as teachers, we should always be changing our lessons. For the most part, I believed that my set was effective. One complication I faced was the sound not working. I had planned for the smart board to say the letter 'F' out loud as a way of getting the student's attention. Because it did not work, I got the students to say the letter and what it sounded like. And to tell you the truth, it worked out even better because every child was involved. If I would be given a second chance to do this assignment, I would make it shorter and use the concept attainment game as a way of teaching about the letter F instead os making it my set. If the smart board did not work, I would have a backup plans that would include a drawing game or perhaps have a bag of objects that represented things that started with the letter F and make it a hands-on activity. When technology is involved, we should always have a back-up plan because life throws curve balls at us, and as teachers, we need to be ready to make sure our students stay on task.
One thing I kept in mind, is that this assignment was to do either a set or a closure to a lesson. This kept me calm, because if I were in a regular classroom dealing with a similar situation as we encountered that day, I could make the set or closure shorter or 'more simple' without using the smart board and continue with teaching the outcome.
For this assignment, I chose to do a set for a kindergarten Language Arts lesson, that would introduce the students to the letter 'F'.
Would I have changed anything in my 'Set'? Well, as teachers, we should always be changing our lessons. For the most part, I believed that my set was effective. One complication I faced was the sound not working. I had planned for the smart board to say the letter 'F' out loud as a way of getting the student's attention. Because it did not work, I got the students to say the letter and what it sounded like. And to tell you the truth, it worked out even better because every child was involved. If I would be given a second chance to do this assignment, I would make it shorter and use the concept attainment game as a way of teaching about the letter F instead os making it my set. If the smart board did not work, I would have a backup plans that would include a drawing game or perhaps have a bag of objects that represented things that started with the letter F and make it a hands-on activity. When technology is involved, we should always have a back-up plan because life throws curve balls at us, and as teachers, we need to be ready to make sure our students stay on task.
One thing I kept in mind, is that this assignment was to do either a set or a closure to a lesson. This kept me calm, because if I were in a regular classroom dealing with a similar situation as we encountered that day, I could make the set or closure shorter or 'more simple' without using the smart board and continue with teaching the outcome.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Technology... Good or bad?
An enhancement? Definitely! Kids love technology, I mean some of them know more about computers and how all this 'technological stuff'' works better than their parents do. I think if we can find ways to engage the students into their learning through the use of technology, we should!
An advancement? Yes! The grade two classroom at St. Charles where I am doing my student teaching is fortunate enough to have a smart board. This blog entry got me questioning the smart board and using technology in my lessons, so I decided to ask my teacher about it. The first question she asked me was "Do you know how to use smart?" Of coarse I told her that I was learning it in the program this semester and her response was only positive. She explained how she incorporates smart into almost everything she does including lessons that include shapes and charts, checking the daily weather, and writing on the notebook rather than on the white board. She described it as "One Big Tool" that helps her keep the kids concentrated and interested. Watching her use the smart board and using educational videos and such, has truly encouraged me to incorporate technology into teaching. I wont lie, it sometimes feels overwhelming because of all things the 'smart board' can do, but I see how it engages the children, and it is for them that I will be working for!
A distraction? If you make it one. One thing that my mentor teacher taught me was not to get caught up with how 'pretty' your lessons look. Of coarse you do want to make it stimulating for the students, but teachers can sometimes get carried away with the fine details of them. I think that if our focus goes to much into what it looks like, we get distracted of what we are teaching in the first place. We are there to teach whats in the program of studies, not 'prettiness'. I think that we need to remember that technology is a tool that we should use to assist us to be the best teacher we can be.
Do I think technology is a good things to incorporate into education? Yes.
I am still apprehensive in using it? Yes.
Am I going to look beyond that and do it for my students in order to keep their best educational interest in mind? Yes!
An advancement? Yes! The grade two classroom at St. Charles where I am doing my student teaching is fortunate enough to have a smart board. This blog entry got me questioning the smart board and using technology in my lessons, so I decided to ask my teacher about it. The first question she asked me was "Do you know how to use smart?" Of coarse I told her that I was learning it in the program this semester and her response was only positive. She explained how she incorporates smart into almost everything she does including lessons that include shapes and charts, checking the daily weather, and writing on the notebook rather than on the white board. She described it as "One Big Tool" that helps her keep the kids concentrated and interested. Watching her use the smart board and using educational videos and such, has truly encouraged me to incorporate technology into teaching. I wont lie, it sometimes feels overwhelming because of all things the 'smart board' can do, but I see how it engages the children, and it is for them that I will be working for!
A distraction? If you make it one. One thing that my mentor teacher taught me was not to get caught up with how 'pretty' your lessons look. Of coarse you do want to make it stimulating for the students, but teachers can sometimes get carried away with the fine details of them. I think that if our focus goes to much into what it looks like, we get distracted of what we are teaching in the first place. We are there to teach whats in the program of studies, not 'prettiness'. I think that we need to remember that technology is a tool that we should use to assist us to be the best teacher we can be.
Do I think technology is a good things to incorporate into education? Yes.
I am still apprehensive in using it? Yes.
Am I going to look beyond that and do it for my students in order to keep their best educational interest in mind? Yes!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
What I Have Learned About Myself
One of the things I have learned is that I am able to relate to many of the examples and the things talked about in class to my own personal volunteer experience in the classroom. I know that I have a lot to learn, but because I have years of volunteer experience, I have an upper hand in relating what I have observed to what is being learnt within the classroom. I have also learnt that I have a high self-efficacy in that I try to achieve to the best of my ability, and take on a lot being I know I have been successful in the past. This has become even more true in this program because of the large amount of work I have completed in the first month of school.
The professors at Concordia do an excellent job in presenting material to the class. The way they make the learning interactive is what makes it most interesting to me. I have benefited from group discussion and find that, with the right people, I am able to clarify my understanding of concepts. Although I find group discussion useful, I also like try to understand things on my own, and through the use of lectures, I am able to do that as well. I hope that as a teacher I will be able to make fun, interesting, and interactive. I am able to visualize how I see myself as a teacher through observing my professors teaching styles. And from this, I know I am on the right track.
The professors at Concordia do an excellent job in presenting material to the class. The way they make the learning interactive is what makes it most interesting to me. I have benefited from group discussion and find that, with the right people, I am able to clarify my understanding of concepts. Although I find group discussion useful, I also like try to understand things on my own, and through the use of lectures, I am able to do that as well. I hope that as a teacher I will be able to make fun, interesting, and interactive. I am able to visualize how I see myself as a teacher through observing my professors teaching styles. And from this, I know I am on the right track.
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