After focusing mainly on management and basic teaching practices during my first five weeks, I have now turned my attention to assessment as well. Up to this point, I have been using assessment to gain insight into how the students are processing lessons and what their levels of understanding are in order to be able to plan and adjust lessons that fit with their needs and abilities. I have also introduced traffic light cards that the students can hold up if they do not understand the content being taught so that I can know to slow down or explain a concept again, or alternatively, that they can use to show that they do understand a concept and need me to move on. Finally, I often read students’ work and make comments on it. However, I have noticed some resistance in myself to formally grading them using rubrics, performance standards, or other such measures. I know that this is partially because I do not fully believe in assessment used to label a student’s achievements or abilities. I think that assessment should be as learning and for learning, but I struggle with assessment of learning. I wish that we could have an education system that would not see the need to put students into boxes, and could allow learning to occur and unfold gradually without the urge to measure it. On the other hand, I also have grown to recognize that this is not the education system we have and in order to set my students up for success in the current system I must take care to evaluate and record their achievement in the fairest way and over the greatest amount of time possible so that they, as well as outside observers, can see their progress. If I wish for a reality in which the process of learning is valued more than the product, then, given the parameters I am working in, I must make the process of learning visible to more people than just myself. To this end, I have created a gradebook system that allows me to record each notable activity we do (even the small ones), the learning intentions that the activity captures from the curriculum, and the progress that the student has shown in it. This will make the learning curve of the student readily apparent to all who may need to access this information. I am also beginning to create more formalized rubrics that use fun, engaging and non-threatening language and symbols, such as emoticons and ‘I can’ statements. After all, if assessment is a necessary part of my job, I must learn to embrace it and make all I can from it for the benefit of both myself as a teacher and my students as learners.
Month: April 2017
Navigating the Complexities of Academic Study versus Practical Experience
StandardThis week, I was able to reflect more intentionally on the similarities and differences between the information I have learned about teaching through my courses at UBC, particularly in the realms of the creation of positive classroom environments and approaches to classroom management, and the practices I am learning through my practicum experience. With courses on classroom environment in my back pocket, I left for my practicum determined that I would use a solely student and empowerment focused approach to classroom management. In other words, I would rely on building strong relationships and offering diverse and interesting learning experiences to form the backbone of my management policy, as I believed that if the students were only attached to me as their teacher enough and if I only offered them creative learning experiences, I would not have to think about management. In the rare cases where I would have to think about management, I would help guide the students into regulating their own behavior, rather than ever giving them direct behavioral instructions or discipline. I have learned at this point in the practicum that this approach is not entirely realistic. While working to improve self-regulation and empower students to make their own choices is clearly the ultimate goal, along the way, students still require more top-down behavioral interventions from their teachers. Their ideas should be respected, but within the guidelines and parameters that a teacher can set out for them. For example, in a class meeting this week, the students asked to be able to use stress balls and other fidget toys during the day so that they can focus better and listen more. While I have followed through on this suggestion, I still need to model for the students the proper ways to use these devices and enforce guidelines for their use. If students do not respect these guidelines, then they will not be able to use these devices anymore. In addition, gaining and maintaining their attention during lessons requires the use of strategies such as clapping in patterns or using calls and responses, and occasionally turning off the lights when their behavior has reached an out of control level. Although I told myself that I would not use these strategies, I can see now that they are both useful and appropriate. After all, although empowerment is the ultimate goal, since students are still learning the proper ways to behave in society and build their own social and emotional competencies, they cannot be left to their own devices but rather must be guided by the mentorship of their teacher. Therefore, while I still believe strongly in the power of relationship, the need for diverse and creative learning experiences, and the goal of empowerment towards self-regulation, I now that these approaches must be balanced by a strong hold on management and a teacher’s position of authority and respect in the classroom.
The Importance of Creativity as a Teacher
StandardThis past week demonstrated to me that creativity is a vital trait that teachers must have, and that there is a big difference in delivering a lesson that comes from the heart and a lesson that comes from a book. I had the pleasure of teaching many lessons this week that seemed to engage the students in hands-on, in-depth and active learning. To begin the week, I taught a Science lesson where students were able to use wooden ramps and hot wheels cars to investigate the concept of inertia. Although the initial inspiration for the activity came from a Pinterest post I saw, I made it my own and designed the other lesson materials for it. The students enjoyed the opportunity to learn through experimentation and I felt comfortable facilitating the process. I also led a lesson where students brought in cultural objects from their own lives and shared them in one-on-one discussions with their classmates. This seemed to given an opportunity not only for me to get to know my students better but for them to practice the vital skills of active listening and articulate sharing, as well as allowing them to connect the abstract idea of culture with their own experiences and interests. Finally, I taught a lesson where understandings of inertia were furthered for the students through a demonstration, group reading of a text, and an outdoor exploration activity. This lesson was entirely designed by me. Although I still faced some significant challenges in holding the attention of the class without chatter at their table groups, I felt that all of the students reached an understanding of the concept and this was reflected in their work. The students were also excited to engage in outdoor learning and stayed focused for the most part while outside. In contrast, I taught a Language Arts lesson designed by Adrienne Gear, and although this was a well-designed lesson that reflected Gear’s depth of expertise, it was not tailored to the needs or interests of my students and so it did not capture their attention and I struggled to manage the class during it. This demonstrated to me that, no matter how strong it may be, lifting a lesson straight out of a text or a teacher manual will never replace the individualization that can occur when a teacher designs a lesson with their students in mind. Keeping this point at the forefront, I will now use the work of experts such as Adrienne Gear, as inspiration or a template instead of a full text. I also intend to use the types of activities that I have seen my students successfully engage in, such as outdoor learning, activity-based learning, movement-based learning, drama-based activities, and small-group work, while minimizing as much as possible the forms of learning they struggle with, such as large-group instruction. Although this type of design will take all of my creativity, I also feel that it will lead to the best experiences for both myself as the teacher and my students as learners.
Embracing the Perfection of Imperfection
StandardThe second week of my practicum helped show me how to lower my own expectations of myself so I can embrace the joys found within each day. There have been many experiences this week that I believe will endure as long-lasting memories for both the students and me. Seeing my class give a fantastic performance at the Surrey Dance Festival was wonderful and noticing the pride on the students’ faces afterwards helped reinforce the magic of the moment. Having the students engage in a more controlled fashion in many of my lessons, such as creating gender stereotype free commercials, experimenting with a ball to learn about balanced and unbalanced forces, and playing with putting together recycled materials to make a variety of new objects, was rewarding and helped ground me in my original motivations behind becoming a teacher. I love to see the light behind a child’s eyes when they learn something new, accomplish a goal, or find pleasure in the education process. Slowing down to notice these feelings and connections in my students demonstrated to me that this passion has not diminished through the challenges I have faced so far but has increased instead. This passion drives me to continuously learn more about being a teacher, commit myself more to the classroom, and try to be more for each of my students. However, my passion can sometimes spill over into my becoming overly critical of myself, and accepting nothing less than my version of perfection every day. Of course, I understand logically that it is not possible to be a perfect teacher at every moment especially when I am only just beginning to become one, and that pushing myself towards this goal will only lead to undue pressure. Therefore, I am not so much as lowering my standards for myself, but rather shifting them through the lens of a growth mindset to being the best learner I can be. I am walking into the third week with excitement to discover both more of my own personal strengths and areas for growth, while embracing the messiness and imperfections of this process.
Learning to Embrace Failure and Struggle During My First Week
StandardThe first week of my practicum has been a process of steep learning. I have continued to deeply love being with my students and getting to know them better as learners and as people. I have had moments of great joy, such as working with a student in Math who is behind the rest of the class in her current skills, and seeing her grasp concepts and grow in her understanding. I have also been able to ignite enthusiasm in my students towards my lessons and units and I love to see their faces light up as learning becomes enjoyable. One significant highlight of the week was taking my students out to the school yard for a lesson, and having them all tell me afterwards that they found the lesson engaging and would love to participate in more learning experiences like it. I am excited to continue with the lesson planning process, as I have found a passion for this portion of the teaching job as well. However, even with all of these positive moments, this week has been challenging for me. I have struggled to assert a position of authority in the classroom in order to get students to listen to me and view me as their teacher. I taught one lesson in particular where it was quite difficult for me to gain their attention for any significant period of time. I have also struggled to find the line between the students showing their enthusiasm and being engaged in the lesson, and the students becoming out of control. For example, I taught one lesson where the students were highly engaged in the activity but the volume level also became much too loud for the school environment. Facing these obstacles, I at first began to question whether I truly have the skills to succeed in the practicum experience at this time. However, after reaching out to colleagues and advisors, I have begun to see these experiences as positive and temporary stepping stones of failure that will launch me into the shoreline of success. I now believe that I need to struggle in order to grow as I should and that it is only by learning what does not work that I will be able to find the strategies that do. My next steps will be trying out new management strategies, such as calls and responses and clapping in patterns, to see whether they are more effective at grabbing student attention than my current ‘quiet coyote’ strategy, and then mixing up the strategies throughout and between lessons so students do not learn to tune my signals out. Overall, although I still feel the struggle, I am walking into this week excited to see the growth that will occur.