correction...

i forgot to title the last post. It was a blog i did before but i was trying to put everything in one place for deb.. ... it was a chapter for wong from a september reading.
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EVERYONE JUST CLICK ON ASHLEY'S COMPLETE PROFILE AND YOU WILL FIND ALL OF MY BLOGS :)

There were a couple quotes that I really took to heart while reading the assigned reading for Wong. One was on page 38 and the other on page 64.

The quote on page 38 is,“Each child is living the only life he has – the only life he will ever have. The least we can do is diminish it.” - Bill Page

I think that when I read this quote, I thought of those children who may suffer from what may seem behavior problems. Half of the time, these kids who are labeled with behavior problems get yelled at or directed or told what to do constantly. While a teacher may think they are doing the right thing in helping to lessen the disruptions to the class due to this particular child’s behavior problems, I can’t help but wonder if that is what he has to look forward to each day. What if this kid who you are yelling at all day goes home and gets yelled at all night. That can’t make a kid very happy. In fact, it’s most likely discouraging because even when the child does behave well, he may not get recognized for good behavior. Therefore, when no one notices that he can be a well-behaved kid, he just figures why bother and continues to act as they expect him to. I hope to not be such a teacher. As the quote says, this is his only life to live. I want to do what I can to make that life worthwhile and enjoyable.

The other quote on page 64 is,
“I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom.It is my personal approach that creates the climate.It is my daily mood that makes the weather.As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized.” - Haim Ginott

I read this quote on a more personal level. It’s incredibly true and it is up to us, as teachers, to make sure that we set the mood in the classroom. It is our responsibility to make sure that if we are having a bad day that we do not bring our problems into the classroom. Also, it is how we decide to treat the children and interact with them that can either make or break their day. When problems arise, it is up to us to make the RIGHT choice in regards to handling the situation. If we pick the wrong solution, we may just make things worse. We can make the students feel like they are 10 feet tall or as small as a mouse. Everything revolves around us and the way we act and behave, treat others, and conduct our classroom. We have a huge responsibility and as teachers, we just have to know in our heart that it’s worth every penny and second of our time.

Wong Ch 11

In chapter 11, Wong talks about how the teacher is responsible for organizing a well-managed classroom where students can learn in a task-oriented environment. This statement is very true. In order for learning to actually occur and for students to be able to perform tasks, there must be an organized management system so that all can function properly and with order. A big emphasis within this chapter is that effective teachers MANAGE their classroom while ineffective teachers DISCIPLINE their classroom. It’s all about how you handle yourself and your classroom. It’s the procedures and routines that are set in the classroom and the order that is present. IF you do not have good classroom management skills and things go arise, you will resort to discipline or punishment which in the end won’t really solve the problem. The reason it won’t really solve the problem is because you are just doing something to stop the problem at the present moment. You aren’t really touching base with why the problem is really occurring in the first place and how you can prevent it. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to have good classroom management skills which include the ability to foster student involvement and cooperation in all classroom activities and you are able to establish a productive working environment. Structure, routine, and procedures are key!

ch 7 - charles

Chapter seven talking about the Jones’s Approach. His approach is all about discipline through active student involvement. This includes seating arrangement, reducing help that is seeked by students, interactive teaching, constant monitoring and adjusting, incentives for correct work, and program of responsibility. In regards to my feelings on classroom management, I would say that I have to agree with some of what Jones says but not all of it. I most definitely agree with the interactive teaching and his program of creating responsibility. Interaction is great. When there is interaction, the class is generally closer with one another because they feel close enough to interact and maybe bicker or argue a point. People don’t do that with people they feel uncomfortable talking to. Another point I agree with is the developing responsibility. One of the keys things to having a good classroom management plan to have students become responsible human beings. They love being in charge of things and feeling as if they own some it. Let them do it. Odds are that they will listen better If you do. Involvement is everything. Take it when they give it!

ch 9 - charles

In chapter nine, they talk about the Win-Win Discipline. It says that the ultimate goal of the premises of Win-Win Discipline is not to end disruptions, but to teach autonomous responsibility. This is a very appropriate and well thought out goal in regards to classroom management. I say that because the whole point of discipline isn’t to just stop the current misbehavior that is occurring. It is about improving the misbehavior so that it will not happen again. It is about solving the problem of why the misbehavior even began in the first place so that they can get to the root of the problem and prevent it from beginning in the future. IT is about teaching responsibility, and the more important concept overall, self-discipline. If the concept of self-discipline is taught, students will take responsibility for their thoughts and actions and either think before deciding to misbehave or they will be able to correct it in a productive, successful manner which will prevent the misbehavior from continuing. All of this is pretty important in having a successful management plan.

Ch 13 - Charles

In chapter 13, one of the issues that is talked about is when students fail to comply. That is something that is hanging in the back of my head that I am not looking forward to dealing with. I shouldn’t say it like that. I am fine with helping students and redirecting students who are misbehaving. What worries me are those select students who misbehavior multiple times on a daily basis. I do not want to be that teacher who reaches a breaking point and just starts to constantly scream or nag or just simply neglect a child. I want to be able to be there for my students and hopefully use the misbehavior as an opportunity to turn it into a positive lesson for the student and/or class. I like the idea of a “do-over” for a student where they simply are given the chance to do over their misbehavior but if this misbehavior is reoccurring, the system may not be working well for this particular student. How do I go about handling this child without making them stick out like sore thumb?

Wong Ch 18

Chapter 18 in Wong talks about how effective teachers present their rules clearly and provide reasonable explanations of the need for them. I cannot emphasize just how much this is true in regards to having a successful classroom management plan. It is important for you to clearly explain your idea of discipline, the process of your procedures, and your routines as well. As a teacher, you can't just stand up in front of the class and go on and on with your rules and procedures. You need to have some sort of reason or thought to back these rules and procedures up. Don't think students wont ask why because they will! Plus , it's good to have an explanation as to why you are doing this just for yourself so you dont ask yourself down the line, why did i ever choose to do this this way? I know that i would appreciate having an explanation to refer to. This will also come in handy if other staff members or even parents ask why it is you choose to do things in such a way.

What is Integrated Curriculum?

What is integrated curriculum? THe most obvious part of integrated curriculum is that it is the connection of multiple subject or content areas. Integrated curriculum is taking real life experiences into the curriculum, showing the connectedness and how we can learn from both perspectives. It's about brain based learning in a way that is most adaptable to the student. It's about having "being there" experiences that truly help the students understand multiple content areas within the visit. It's about students teaching students through a learner-based environment in combination with teacher-based. Its about providing choices that will lead each student through the integration of the content areas up until that culminating point of the unit. It's about having key points to focus your general study around that will help you better cover the integrated curriculum. Also, in regards to content areas, this can include subjects other than math, science, and the like. It can include life skills that students need to learn in order to have a successful life. Integrated curriculum is so much more than including more than one subject. It can change your entire teaching style, along with your students' lives.

Deb - Charles Ch 7

The management skill cluster that I’m going to focus on in chapter 7 by Jones is skill cluster 3: limit setting through body language. This is a type of management skill that I would most definitely consider using in the future. In the chapter Jones says, “Jones maintains that good discipline depends in large measure on teachers making effective use of body language. Jones says this is best done when teachers use their bodies correctly but say nothing and take no other action. He reminds teachers that they cannot discipline with their mouths.” Some specifics Jones mentions to use while having effective body language is proper breathing (remain calm in all situations), eye contact upon misbehavior, physical proximity (let them know that you are there), body carriage (body language (how a teacher moves/acts), and facial expressions. I feel that as long as the kids know your signs and know that when you have having a stare down with them, they had better watch out because they are in trouble. Without having to shout, you aren’t not only saying yourself the hassle, you are also saying so many people from have to deal with such hassles or annoyance, you are also avoiding the disruption that that most definitely come with constant screaming. I want my classroom to be more respectful and not so much as a threat or being scared. I also think that it’s more effective to be a teacher who doesn’t yell because it seems to me that if you can get your kids to stop talking and pay attention to you simply by a stare or some type of body language; odds are that the class with less yelling will have much better behavior. This is a skill from Jones that I will be practicing in my classroom (or at least will try to practice it).

Maletta - Kovalik appedix

An area that really caught my eye was Appendix D: Communication. Communication is huge when it comes to your students. This consists of good communication between the teacher and the student, the student with the parent (about school), and the parent with the teacher. One particular area of communication that I found very interesting was that of communicating the use of the lifelong guidelines and lifeskills both at school and in the home. Kovalik suggest that the parents get to know and learn about each of hte guildelines and skills and then try to reinforce them at home. I think that this is good beause one, it shows the parent is involved, and two, the students are more respectful of the concept of using lifeskills in school if they are also used in their house. This could create a much more positive and comforting environment for the classroom. It's kinda funny that I chose that from the reading because today while a little boy was reading a book to me about bullying, he told me how it's best to just walk away then encourage the fighting/bullying. Right after he said that, he told me that his mom told him that. That is just absolutely wonderful to hear for a teacher. I think that if i were the teacher of the classroom, I would send home a letter to the parent thanking them for having such a positive environment at home and giving wonderful advice to their child. I would then tell them how i found out of such good news (when the little boy was reading to me). The little boy also talked about how bullying isn't nice and how bigger bullies generally pick on the little guys because they know they can't fight back. He went on and on throughout this book talking about bullying and how it's not nice and what you can do. It was a good experience. It was definitely one of those moments were you were proud and had one of those heart warming moments. I wish other kids could be so blessed to have such parents!

Charles - Ch 6

In the chapter, Barbara Coloroso talked about how punishment differs from discipline. I fully agree with what it is she is saying. Her perspective on discipline is the type of discipline that I want to practice in my classroom. She says that unlike punishment, proper discipline does four things that lead toward positive behavior: 1)shows students what they have done wrong; 2)gives them ownership of the problems involved; 3)provides them strategies for solving the problems; and 4)leaves their dignity impact. She talks about how discipline,unlike punishment, helps students learn how to handle problems they will encounter throughout life.

That is the how I want my discipline managment to function in my classroom. I do not want to use punishment and have my students fear me and the consequences of misbehaving. I don't want to frighten kids so much that they behave just so they don't have to deal with me. I want kids to learn that they should behave because it's the right thing to do. Also, I want them to realize that the classroom and it's climate is much more comfortable and inviting when people follow proper classroom discipline.

With this type of discipline, I would be teaching my students to develop a responsibility for themselves. I want students know to what to do when problems arise. I plan for them to have a plan that they must try to follow through with instead of just immediately reporting to me. OR even if they do end up reporting to me, I want to actually think about what actually happened and how they might go about solving it and preventing it in the future. It's a characteristic and/or skill that will only benefit students throughout life. Not being dependent and being able to be make responsible, effective choices is important. It's growth for the student - I want to help be a part of that growth.

Classroom Experience Reflection on Oct. 15

I had a good experience in my second grade classroom today. I got to do the morning work with the students and Brett and I both gave our whole class lessons. Mine was on Antonyms. I was told by the teacher that the students did not have prior experience on the topic but most of them did quite well. I introduced the activitiy through giving the defition, giving examples, having students do examples, playing a game, and then doing a worksheet for assessment.

While I didn't expect the lesson to take very long to begin with, I still felt like it was kind of short. Even with that fact, I felt that it went really well. The kids responided really well to my choice of activity choice. I should have been a little clearer about what to do with the pairs once they were found, but other than that, it was fine. The kids seemed to once in a while switch up synonyms with antonyms, but they still did a great job.

Some changes that I will consider doing in the future if i choose to do this activity again is 1) having clearer directions as to what to do with the pairs, 2) going over the worksheet together as a class rather than having them doing it individually, 3)providing more examples and possibly having student create some activities their self [that could even be an activity in itself- students come up with movement representing synonyms, creating poster boards representing synonyms], etc. I think that I would also choose to have the activity done in smaller groups like 3 or even 2. Maybe students could even create a story or song that have antonyms used in it. If it were in the older grades, I would use the "I have ____, Who has ____?" that i learned from Ashley Davis. You can use it with a number of topic or subject areas.

It was a good day and I took stuff away from it for me to consider in the future! Always learning!

Charles Ch 5 (9th edition)

In chapter 5, William Glasser chooses to have a discipline plan or classroom managment plan that is guided by Choice Theory. One of methods of going about with his discipline plan is by emphasizing "encouragement for students to do the best they can." Glasser advises teachers to discuss quality work enough so that students understand what they mean. Encourage students to do their best. Do not grade their work because grades suggest to students that work is finished."

I think this is a really great strategy and encouragement to include in a classroom. It not only helps the children strive to do their best, it helps the students learn that everyone is constantly learning. The journey is never completely over and generally most things can improve in some way or another. Nothing is ever actually finished.

I think that I will definitely bring such a thought forward "encourage students to do their best." What a great thought to have in your classroom! Having such a thought and expressing it will really help with how managable your class is. If you are a mean teacher who doesn't care if students do well, students will know and they either won't try or they wont take anything at all from the experience. While i agree with Glasser that nothign is every officially finished because improvement and learning are continuous processes, but I wanted to add that one reason i think that not grading their work is good is because some students will just write exactly what it is that the teacher wants and will do only what they have to to get the good grade. School shouldn't have such an atmosphere. I will definitely tie that in with Glasser's theory and use it in my future classroom. This will help students become more responsible for themselves and others as well. When you let students do some of the work a teacher does, it lets the students know that their teacher really cares about them. I most definitely want to display such a thing in my classroom.

Teacher Interview

My teacher's name is Mrs. Pryzbilinski and she teaches second grade. She has been teaching for about 25 years if I remember correctly. She is an extremely organized person and knows what she wants and how she wants it. I admire that. She lets her students and parents know what is is they are going to be learning and how it is important. Each week she sends home a folder that tells what the students will be doing/learning each week. She has a list of jobs that are assigned to the students each week. She assigns homework every night, but never on friday. They clean the room every friday. She's very good with managing her time, another characteristic i admire. The second grade team (and I assume the rest of the school) feel very strongly about an integrated curriculum. They all have a general theme for a unit and integrate all of their subject areas around that particular theme. They do so throughout the year, or so it seems to my knowledge. For example, the theme right now is How do We get out food? (a farming theme). They choose trade books that go around farming, food products, etc. They choose their spelling words from the stories they read. They choose to not go strictly off of the basil but if it does apply or adapt to their present unit, they will include it. Mrs. Pryzbilinski prefers prefers to have her activities as a blended curriculum. She is a very well organized and trained teacher. She is an excellent example for us to observe and work with.