Back in 2009, I was a second year
teacher and had become completely frustrated with my methods and the lack of
creativity and caring of my staff mentors and the students. The only advice
given was, “Do the best that you can.” This was not acceptable to me. I was
positive there was more I could do to help my students’ performance; I did not
want to give up as I felt my mentors had. So I searched graduate programs in
English and education. I applied to Michigan
State University’s
online Master’s of Education program and chose concentrations in Special
Education and Literacy because of the course offerings.
My students come to me with very poor/low skills, behavior issues, and apathy. The Michigan State course offerings were perfect for my situation. I could take classes to enhance my teaching: Educating Students with Challenging Behavior, Classroom and Behavioral Management in Inclusive Classrooms, Methods of Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms, Teaching Subject Area with Technology, and many more. These were many of the issues I continue to struggling with.
I also chose Michigan State’s program because it was entirely online. I was working full time and I lived in Missouri so commuting to class was not an option. I believed then online was what was best for me. It is now 2011. I have spent two years (five semesters) completing my Master’s of Education and I can say in many ways it was the right choice.
In my program I collected a plethora of resources, strategies, and techniques that I can incorporate into my classroom. Through all my course work, I learned that I belong in the classroom and that I cannot give up; that I still have a lot to give to my students. I have learned ways to enhance lessons and assignments. I have integrated some strategies and am working on integrating more. This is a process of "a little at a time". Students can only handle a little change at a time, and that goes for teachers as well.
I have also learned that I struggle with online learning. It was hard for me to read text online and retain the information. It was also difficult to have meaningful group discussions in an online “chat room”; having groups with different lives and schedules trying to work at set times defies the point of taking online classes. But, it was important for me to learn this, now I can relate to the current generation taking more online classes.
When I first applied for the Master’s Program I was not expecting to form a whole new philosophy of learning, but thorough my course work and the new experience of online learning I have developed new ways of thinking and new ways of working with this new generation of learners.
My students come to me with very poor/low skills, behavior issues, and apathy. The Michigan State course offerings were perfect for my situation. I could take classes to enhance my teaching: Educating Students with Challenging Behavior, Classroom and Behavioral Management in Inclusive Classrooms, Methods of Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms, Teaching Subject Area with Technology, and many more. These were many of the issues I continue to struggling with.
I also chose Michigan State’s program because it was entirely online. I was working full time and I lived in Missouri so commuting to class was not an option. I believed then online was what was best for me. It is now 2011. I have spent two years (five semesters) completing my Master’s of Education and I can say in many ways it was the right choice.
In my program I collected a plethora of resources, strategies, and techniques that I can incorporate into my classroom. Through all my course work, I learned that I belong in the classroom and that I cannot give up; that I still have a lot to give to my students. I have learned ways to enhance lessons and assignments. I have integrated some strategies and am working on integrating more. This is a process of "a little at a time". Students can only handle a little change at a time, and that goes for teachers as well.
I have also learned that I struggle with online learning. It was hard for me to read text online and retain the information. It was also difficult to have meaningful group discussions in an online “chat room”; having groups with different lives and schedules trying to work at set times defies the point of taking online classes. But, it was important for me to learn this, now I can relate to the current generation taking more online classes.
When I first applied for the Master’s Program I was not expecting to form a whole new philosophy of learning, but thorough my course work and the new experience of online learning I have developed new ways of thinking and new ways of working with this new generation of learners.
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TE 831 Teaching Subject Areas with Technology Hands down this is one of my favorite classes because of the classroom technology I was introduced to. We held class on Wikispaces. We created digital stories with Photo Story 3 for Microsoft. We were also introduced to Wordle, Glogster, Voicethread, and Webspiration. One of the major themes for this class was the differences between Digital Natives (those growing up surrounded with technology) and Digital Immigrants (those who did not grow up with technology and now have to adapt to technology). This topic is the one I take away with me and the one that weighs most heavily on my mind as I plan lessons and assignments. It is the topic I wrestle with as my district has limited technology resources available for classes to use. There is an urgent need for technology in the classroom. I have reflected and thought of ways to include it in English class, out of necessity for TE 831, and state and national demands on students. The growing number of cases of plagiarism I have encountered shows me the need to teach digital citizenship. I desire a curriculum that is “unplugged” AND one that is technologically enriched; however, I fear feeding the instant gratification mentality growing from video games, internet, and cell phones. Vygotsky taught us children learn from interactions with each other. |
I agree that teachers need to learn how to integrate technologies into their teaching and seek the connections between technology and the curriculum. This will enhance the lessons and promote creativity.
In my classroom, we read the book. I offer them the website where they can read online, if it is available. Then they prepare and draft their essay. It is after they manipulate the text in their mind, and with small groups, that we can expand to the technology. I have had students create a Wordle, and I have had success with students creating digital stories with their essay. To me, it is important to blend “traditional” with “technological”.
I learned that I am a Digital Immigrant. That means technology doesn’t come as easy to me. I have to teach myself before I can show students what I want. I see this as a blessing. This is a continuation of my learning and I am preparing students for the future, which is priority number one! I am the only teacher who has tried digital story telling. My principals were invited to view them and were very impressed with the student work and attention to detail.
TE 847 Advanced Methods of Teaching Language Arts
Another favorite course was Advanced Methods of Teaching Language Arts. I am a Language Arts teacher. I had not originally planned to take this course; I wanted to focus on helping low functioning students in my class. I guess I thought the methods would be too advanced for my low functioning students—Boy was I wrong! One of my original complaints, before starting my Master’s program, was that I didn’t have enough strategies to keep my students engaged.
This class was perfect timing! I was introduced to three wonderful novels; A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Hunger Games, and The Book Thief. Although I truly loved these books, and have introduced them into my teaching, what are more valuable than the books are the methods used to teach books.
For the first time, I was introduced to Book Club format for reading, book discussion, reading logs and reading blogs. I have not incorporated these methods into my current classroom setting, but every day that I struggle with helping students get involved with their text is another day closer to implementing Book Club in my literature classes. I have learned that as a control freak, it is difficult to give up my current structure, even if it is not working. Now that my program is complete I may be ready to let loose some of the reins, as long as I can train my students to the processes. My plan is to institute Book Clubs, the reading log, and the blog first thing 20011-2012 school year. In preparation for my Capstone Portfolio, I reviewed all of my reading logs for the three novels and was surprised by my involvement with the books. I was reminded about short quotes and scenes that made me fall in love with the books and their language. I want my students to feel this way about their reading. I can guide their reading by giving them a set list of writing starters, and eventually they will be able to respond without prompting. They will work in groups and discussion; this is a great way to teach about polite conversation and the give and take of debate, rather than arguing. And the last component is technology. Students will be required to write an online blog pertaining to the book.
The technology component is a nice touch. I currently have students responding to books on Moodle (district web resource). I can easily mold this idea into an online blog. It will be structured just like this Michigan State course. Read and keep a log, then take a major section and explore it in a blog format. (Secretly, this is an essay, but online.) I also want students to read the blogs and respond. More than likely other students wrote something they didn’t first think about.
This course taught me that even though I consider myself a literature teacher, there are still things I can learn about teaching Language Arts. This course makes me want to take more professional development related to teaching Language Arts. I learned about reading to interact with the text, which lends itself to the analysis that I am looking for in my students’ thinking. I learned ways to structure a discussion on paper and in groups.
These strategies learned as a learner will make me the better teacher. At first I believed these strategies would be too advanced my low learners, but I learned that is doesn’t have to be. I can structure the groups and the readings to benefit all learners in my classroom. Every student does not have to read the same book to learn the same skill.
CEP 841 Classroom and Behavioral Management in Inclusive Classrooms
My biggest complaint about myself, as a teacher, is my classroom management. So CEP 841 was the perfect class. It forced me to evaluate what I allow and what I desire my classroom to look and feel like. We were introduced to Rick Lovoie and his management techniques and those made me think harder than ever about what school should look like in my room. I cannot control students’ environments outside school or outside my room, but, yes, I can control my class environment.
I took this course during the summer and I had just ended my school year with the sinking feeling that I did not have the authority I wish I had. My students hadn’t come to me with issues; they didn’t work appropriately in and out of class. We fought everyday to get through a lesson and very few students did their homework. After this course began I reflected that I had not created a secure classroom with leadership and respect.
The first thing I had to learn was to be consistent. I let things go enough that the students didn’t take me seriously. They knew that there would be no follow through. And when I finally got so angry I blew up, it was amusing to them. If I had followed through all along there would not have been such a struggle. CEP 841 had several texts to reflect on and offered me the assistance I needed.
We also viewed several videos presentations from Rick Lavoie. Rick Lavoie got my attention several times (these videos became the highlight of the class, they really made me think about my classroom and my stance on management), small little “ah ha” moments that have changed my thinking and planning. First, he said positive feedback changes behavior and negative feedback only stops the behavior. So which do I want? Do I want to stop behavior, or do I want to change behavior. This pairs with “successive approximations;” we have to reward every step toward the goal or behavior; small celebrations. Lavoie restated what I have been taught my whole school career (especially in this class) that teachers have to supply structure. Students need to be able to predict their environment, when they can’t there is a melt down in behavior and thinking. The rules are taught and posted. Do students know the routine so well that if there was a sub my room could class would run without me? |
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Lavoie stated that the agenda for
the day needs to be posted. When it is posted “it becomes you and the kids
versus the list”. I love this visual!
The best “tool” he gave me was the “Broken Record Technique”. When a student breaks a rule all I need to do is state the rule and do not engage in argument. Repeat the rule if the student talks back, but do not engage in an argument. He demonstrated, and it was amazing how fast an incident was over. It was glorious! I have accidently done this once or twice and I repeated myself more than three times. No one is laughing and the offender knows exactly what they did wrong and I am back on track with no anger. It changes interaction with students.
Another ‘game changer’ was when he said, “Remember, those kids have been together for years. You are just visiting for a year. They have been punished for ‘that kid’ [forever]”. Instead reward the whole group when s/he does something right-- dramatic change. As the adult in the room we can tell immediately who ‘that kid’ is. This should be a fun way to change the class dynamic.
When I began CEP 841 I felt there was nothing I could actively do to change behavior in my class, but this class has been invaluable. I plan to reflect and review every summer in preparation for the upcoming school year.
The best “tool” he gave me was the “Broken Record Technique”. When a student breaks a rule all I need to do is state the rule and do not engage in argument. Repeat the rule if the student talks back, but do not engage in an argument. He demonstrated, and it was amazing how fast an incident was over. It was glorious! I have accidently done this once or twice and I repeated myself more than three times. No one is laughing and the offender knows exactly what they did wrong and I am back on track with no anger. It changes interaction with students.
Another ‘game changer’ was when he said, “Remember, those kids have been together for years. You are just visiting for a year. They have been punished for ‘that kid’ [forever]”. Instead reward the whole group when s/he does something right-- dramatic change. As the adult in the room we can tell immediately who ‘that kid’ is. This should be a fun way to change the class dynamic.
When I began CEP 841 I felt there was nothing I could actively do to change behavior in my class, but this class has been invaluable. I plan to reflect and review every summer in preparation for the upcoming school year.
I could write about how each and every class has affected my teaching and my learning. I have taken just the right courses at just the right time in my career. They say that 30—50% of teachers leave the profession in the first five years of teaching. Before I started my Master’s program I would have been one of those teachers. I was not supported in my building; I felt that I was fighting a losing battle. My Michigan State University courses offered me strategies to apply to my classroom and my students, but even better, this program has taught me how to research more and more strategies to impact my teaching. My learning does not end with this program.
Works Cited
A vision of k-12 students today . (2007). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. online, Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/prensky%20-%20digital%20natives,%20digital%20immigrants%20-%20part1.pdf
Raphael, T, S., L, & Highfield, K. (2002). Book club: a literature-based curriculum. New York: Intl Reading Assn.
Rick lavoie. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ricklavoie.com/gateindex.html
When the chips are down . (2009). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRIKkU6IVRQ
Woolfolk, A. (2007). Educational psychology. New York: Allyn & Bacon.
A vision of k-12 students today . (2007). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. online, Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/prensky%20-%20digital%20natives,%20digital%20immigrants%20-%20part1.pdf
Raphael, T, S., L, & Highfield, K. (2002). Book club: a literature-based curriculum. New York: Intl Reading Assn.
Rick lavoie. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ricklavoie.com/gateindex.html
When the chips are down . (2009). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRIKkU6IVRQ
Woolfolk, A. (2007). Educational psychology. New York: Allyn & Bacon.