Getting Into the Flow of things...

       OK, so this week I have been proud of myself. To start of, I enjoyed the Monday night meeting that we had for class. We really went in depth with finding generalizations for our units. This helped me to get the flow of my unit and I think I might actually be enjoying it (Scary, huh?). I am doing a first grade unit on Government and Leadership. The only problem that I have come across would be thinking in the Backwards design mindset. I want to plan my learning tasks and assessments before I have my"big idea" of the unit plan.  I also tend to over think, which is not always helpful. But I can honestly say, I am really learning something in the process of it all.
   
      This week I had the opportunity of talking with some great teachers in relation to Social Studies and instruction. I was amazed how, though  I asked the same questions to both teachers, the answers were COMPLETELY different. In one of my questions, I asked about differentiation instruction. I heard some interesting remarks about that. One teacher (3rd grade) spoke of differentiation as in independent learning and the other teacher (Kindergarten) spoke of differentiation in whole group. It was amazing how differentiation is used do differently.Speaking of differentiation, I enjoyed the differentiate video in  the google community this week. That video of Mr. Smith gave a clear and concise example of what differentiation can look like in a real classroom (even though he was a cartoon). Great job Meghan and Lacey!

     

To take the cake of this week has got to be the flipped classroom. Is this not the best idea ever? I like the idea of allowing mys students to look at the lesson prior to the classroom. That way the students are ale to fully engage in what they are suppose to gain, without having to spend to much time on the "background information". I personally think this would especially be helpful in math (especially college math-- hint, hint). The only thing I would question about the flipped classroom theory would be, what happens if the students do not go home and watch the video's? Then would you still have to teach the lesson, making the flipped classroom strategy ineffective? Or what if they do not have a computer, laptop, or technology in the home? I guess that is why its important to know your students and their demographics.

All in all I can honestly say that this has been a pretty productive week for me and it feels good. Now, what about this virtual museum????


Tying it in with the standards... 
This week my focus was surrounded with preparing myself for teaching, research and planning, and collaboration. Therefore the standards that I feel most appropriate to tie in this weeks learning experiences would be: 

3a. Teachers align their instruction with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study: Finding the appropriate standards to go in our unit 
4b. Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students: collaborating with classmates on differentiation as well as teacher interviewee's.
4c. Teachers use a variety of instructional methods: Using the flipped classroom approach

Get 'ERR Done!!!

Okay, so raise your hand if you can possibly see the light at the end of the tunnel...?

(I raised my hand)

So now we are in our third week of SSED307 and I am happy to say that I am no longer afraid. Has anything changed- the workload, content, or teacher? No. But it is very comforting to know that, in the mist of it all, we have a teacher that is going to do everything he can to ensure that we are prepared, paced, and successful. I really appreciate it. Thanks Dr. Parker.

Now on to the good stuff. In the mist of us doing a million and one task, we have been involved in the google community-- where we have been doing a lot of discussing about differentiation. Differentiation, as a term, is new to me, but the concept was something that I had been doing all along.From experience, I know that all students do not learn the same.In my own classroom, I would sit students together based off skills/academics and give each group a color (which specified their levels). Through differentiating, I have allowed my students to sometimes choose learning task, I have learned different ways of assessing students, and kept my assessments ongoing. 

Of course, my way of differentiating was no where as in depth than what I have been learning from my degree program. I did not even know that the little I was doing had a name. Now, I am enjoying this continuous discussion about what differentiation is, what it looks like, and how to implement it within instruction.

So what does differentiation mean to me? 

• Knowing my students and how they learn
• Providing my students with RICH instruction that maximizes learning
• Using a variety teaching strategies and resources
• Using a variety of assessments to show learning.
• Grouping (to allow peer to peer learning and collaboration) 

In addition to differentiated instruction, Ben and David provided an article in the google community on differentiation in reading.It introduced us to some valuable information on practices that will helps to make reading differentiation successful in our classrooms. I plan to continue to use all that I am learning about differentiation in my pre-k classroom as well as my future classroom.

How Does This Connect to the Teacher Candidate Standards?
 Standard 4: Teachers Facilitate Students Learning connects well with differentiation. Specifically, sub-standards 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4e, all work together to explain why teachers should use differentiation or any other strategy that  may enhance students learning. Teachers can create learning experiences  by knowing their students,planning, using a variety of teaching methods, and promoting critical thinking.

And We're Off..

Congratulations classmates we have made it to the second week of social studies methods. We are well on our way to being technology connoisseurs. We are tweeting, blogging, videoing, and viewing all types of information that will help us to become a great asset to 21st Century teaching and learning.
I must admit that i have found some interesting things on from the tweets that I have been following for the Ttotw. Does anyone else get excited when they see something about a concept that we have learned or are learning?! The words PBL (Project Based Learning) or CBI are not foreign abbreviations anymore. I think we are off to a great start. Keep it up guys!


So what have I been learning? 
We have focused on concepts vs. topics this week and boy I must say, it is an eye opener. As a child you don't really know what is the right or wrong way your teacher is supposed to be teaching. You are just the receiver of all the topics, facts, and information that they believe will make you knowledgeable. Sometimes it's easy for teachers to get stuck in teaching what's required so the students can pass the test, meet the standards, and get the funding. But what about what happens after the class? What imprint are teachers leaving after the lesson? How did teaching/ learning that topic help alter a students view or perspective of the "their " real world? 

These are the questions, I now realize, the old way of teaching neglected. Much of teaching back then came with no intent other passing the test. To teach with intent is called " intentional teaching". When I was in school it was very few teachers that I realize was intentional. I can count on one hand how many of those intentional teachers were Social Studies teachers. Intentional teachers do not just teach topics. They are the teachers who educate their students and center their topics around the concept they are intending to teach. 


So what are concepts? Concepts are the "big idea"  of the lesson. Concepts are abstract, timeless, transferable, and universal.

On the other hand, topics are specific events or information that is conscious of time frame, centered around subject, facts, a small picture,and limited to one region.
Concept Based teaching helps teachers teach with the students needs in mind- centering topics around the " big idea" that they want students to grasp at the end of the unit. I plan to use this type of instruction within my own classroom. It will allow me to make my lessons centered around my students, and remove the old way of teaching from the book out of my class. I never plan to do anything in my class that does not have the best interest of my students in mind. I am an intentional teacher.


So what are the standards?? 
So each of our lessons come with some reference centered around the teacher candidate standards ( because our teacher is intentional). Everything we learn from this class makes a better teacher as well as more marketable for our career. So from this lesson I can connect it to standard 1c- teachers lead in the teaching profession and 4b- teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.  21st Century teaching changes the mold of how we were taught and the old fashioned way of teaching. We will lead by sharing these strategies with other teachers and making a "imprint" in our students,school and community. Planning our instruction appropriately for our students indicate that we do understand how learning takes place in our classroom. We take time to plan our lessons that will demonstrate learning taking place in our students. We focus on the concept and make it center around topics that are relevant to the real world of our students. We are intentional. 

So Much to Do..

Ok so lets try this again.

Its been a whole semester since I have been on a blog and I think I can do it now. It was a bit overwhelming for me the last time I graced this environment with my thoughts, but now I am back, better, and ready to take this thing by F.O.R.C.E!
F- Focused
O-Organized
R- Resourceful
C-Calm
E-Elevate
Wow! I just made that up off the top of my head, but it is exactly the acronym I need to get through this semester. Thank you God for that insight!

Okay, so in this class (SSED307) there is much to do with the internet and technology. I understand that we are living in a digital age and it is important for us as 21st century teachers to be up to speed on the internet and its online tools. However, if you are a "technology alien"  like me, this can be intimidating. So I decided to do a little research to see how much technology teachers are using in their classroom/ instruction.

I did not find much as far as statistics. While technology has it standards within the common core requirements, there are certain setback that restrict schools from having accessibility to technology. Therefore, funding, demographics, and culture all play a role in who will or how much technology is available in a school (or teaching experience). Technology can play major roles in the classroom, but some schools may require more effort in integrating this tool with in classroom instruction.

On the other hand,  I was surprised to find that there was so much talk about using virtual reality within the classroom. In the article I read called "Could Virtual Reality be the Next Big Thing in Education?", the writer points out, "Virtual learning through a VR system could open up a new window of opportunity for STEM education, difficult and often mundane content to be presented in a new and exciting way." This seemed to be the point of view for frequent writers within the articles I found on the internet. So though I dread (at least for now) the thought of putting together my own virtual museum (a requirement for this class),  I do believe it will introduce me to some beneficial skills that I could use within my own classroom one day. If anything, it might get me some extra kuddos on my resume!

It looks like its going to be a great semester. I am confident that we will all get through this victoriously. Don't worry, but take it by F.O.R.C.E!!!!

***P.S: If you have any information (articcle, statistics, facts, etc.) regarding the amount or types of technology being exposed in classrooms or future classrooms, then please feel free to share them below.


Until next time....

 Links
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ptc/2014/08/27/could-virtual-reality-be-the-next-big-thing-in-education/ 

http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2014/09/5-ways-virtual-reality-will-change-education/
Find the comic at: http://byotnetwork.com/