Field Blog Post 5

Today I was at Gesu in Mrs. Schetter's third grade class again. Today the kids were working on editing their reports on Native American tribes. Mrs. Schetter gave them each their own "editing checklist" worksheet and walked them through it step by step. I thought this was a good idea because it helped the kids practice their grammar and be more independent while doing so. I was also able to help some of the kids practice their cursive letters as they were working on the reports; one girl was struggling to make a capital 'S', and so I walked her through it step by step until she got it, and she was very proud of herself when she could finally make it. One new thing I got to see in the classroom today was a "bridge." Mrs. Schetter put a long board between two desks with a puppet on one end of it, and whenever the kids were quiet and well behaved the puppet got moved down the bridge a little bit. I thought this was a very smart idea on her part because the kids wanted to see the puppet move, and so they were motivated to stay quiet and listen. I got to see some Halloween poems that the kids wrote on ghost paper; I think that this was a fun activity for the kids to do since they are excited for Halloween, and it also forced them to use their brains and be creative. I think that festive projects like this help the kids a lot because it takes something that they are excited about and interested in and helps them to learn at the same time. I will definitely use the holidays to make school work more exciting for my students someday, and thanks to Mrs. Schetter I will have plenty of good ideas on how to motivate my students to learn and listen.

Field Blog Post 4

For our second field trip as a class, we went to Shaker High School. For me, it was a very different experience than the one I had at Mayfield Middle School. At Shaker, I first observed an English teacher, and then sat in on an engineering class. The English class stood out to me because the teacher seemed to get annoyed with the students if they asked too many questions or didn't understand something right away. She often gave short answers and then moved on to the next order of business. I also noticed that the room was very dull and did not have a lot of color, which made the room feel very dismal. The second classroom I went to had a completely different feel than the first. The teacher was very supportive of his students, and it seemed like he had developed a friendship with the students. They were working on group projects, and he went to each group to see how they were doing and if they needed any help. This classroom was also very dull and not decorated, and almost looked as though it was under construction, but I think the teacher's attitude made an impact and the room did not seem as depressing as the first one I went in. I think that the attitude and teaching style make a huge difference in the atmosphere of a classroom. The second classroom I went in, the engineering class, is the type of positive environment that I hope my classroom someday can be like.

Blog Post 8

I will be teaching about the food pyramid. For my lesson I will have a model of a pyramid with shelves on it, and have the food scrambled up and on the wrong shelves, and then I will have students try and rearrange the food so that the correct groups are together.
In his book, Bill Ayers discusses the concept of "building bridges" for students. By building bridges, he means connecting ideas for students so that they can better understand a new concept or topic. When building bridges for students, the teacher should start with familiar concepts that the students already understand, and from there should move on to new ideas and concepts. For example, if I wanted to teach students about the food pyramid I could build bridges for them by asking what some of the their favorite foods were, and then I could start explaining what food group it belonged to. This would be a good way to build bridges because it would help them to learn about something they liked. Another way I could build bridges with my students when teaching them about the food pyramid is to bring in different types of food, let the students eat the food, and discuss what groups they belonged too. This builds bridges because it would be fun and exciting for the students to eat the food, and it would be a good visual learning aid for them to physically put different food groups together.
When planning my lessons for my students someday I will need to consider the age, background, and what learning style best works for them. The authors of the books we read in class are good guides to use when thinking about teaching. Freire wants students to be able to express themselves freely; when I am a teacher I will make sure I create the kind of classroom environment where my students feel they can truly be themselves. Ohanian says that effort and attitude matter the most in education; I will use this in the future because I will always make sure I encourage my students to always try their hardest, and will always have a positive attitude so that they will in return also have a positive attitude, which will only benefit their education. Ayers says that learning is something we are all involved in together; I will incorporate this into my classroom because I will let my students work together and brainstorm ideas. DiGiulio says that teachers should help students to help themselves; I think this it is important for students to be independent and not rely on others all the time. I will tie all of these ideas together in my lesson about the food pyramid to make the lesson as beneficial as possible for my students.

Field Blog Post 3

For my second trip to Gesu, I was equally as impressed with the class and teacher as the first time I visited. When I first got there, the third graders were working on their Native American research reports, and the teacher, once again, walked them through step by step what they were supposed to be doing as patiently answered their questions. I was also able to help some of the students find information about their tribes, and they were very excited to tell me what they had learned so far. After that, we went to a science experiment fair in the gym. The students got to go around to different stations in the gym and got to learn and see different things such as finger nails under the microscope, and seeing how much fat was in one can of pop, and many other fun and educational activities. I thought that this was a very good program for the children to because it got them interested and excited to learn, but was still very educational. This ties in with one of the concepts we discussed in class, about how it was important to consider your students and engage them more in learning. This is the type of thing I want to do in my classroom someday; I want learning to be exciting for my students and something that they look forward to, and not something that they dread. I think it is important that students have a fun and creative learning environment, because then they will be more likely to continue their education and will be as successful as they can possibly be in life.

Field Blog Post 2

For this field observation, I went by myself to a third grade social studies classroom at Gesu. As soon as I walked in the room I was overcome by colorful posters and pictures, and stuffed animals and puppets around the room. It was a very welcoming and positive environment, not an intimidating or boring place to have class. The teacher, Mrs. Schetter, is a very friendly and positive teacher who encourages her students and rewards them for their hard work. She demonstrated the concept of mutual respect, because she listened to what her students were saying, and if they gave the wrong answer she walked them through it and praised them when they got the correct answer. She also showed the kids a Brain Pop video that explained to the kids what Columbus Day was. The video was educational, but also aimed for children so that it was easier and more interesting for them to watch. I thought this was a very good idea for her to show the kids this video because it engaged them and it made them excited to learn and find out even more information on Columbus Day. The students were also working on a Native American research project, so Mrs. Schetter put up little teepees around the room, which excited the students and made it seem more fun than like a regular, boring project. Seeing how Mrs. Schetter ran her classroom made me realize the kind of teacher I want to be- one who makes her students excited to learn.

Blog Post 6

The post it reading helped me to think more critically about the field of education. One part that caught my attention was a line that said "The students, alienated like the slave in the Hegelian dialectic, accept their ignorance as justifying the teacher's existence- but unlike the slave, they never discover that they educate the teacher." I think often it is thought that the teachers are the only ones who teach, and the fact that the students can actually teach the teacher things as well is totally forgotten about. Though students may not teach the teacher things about whatever subject they are learning, I think that students can demonstrate life lessons that influence the teacher. Another part of this chapter I found interesting was the sentence that says: "The teacher cannot think for her students, nor can she impose her thoughts on them." I think this is significant because if a the students and teacher do not show each other respect, nothing the teacher teaches will stick with the students because they don't want to listen. However, if the students and teacher mutually respect each other, the students will be more willing to listen to what the teacher is saying, and as a result will receive a better education.

Blog Post 5

Rofes discusses that the difference between liberal and radical conceptualizations addressing homophobia and heterosexism in k-12 schools is: liberal conceptualizations address victimhood, while radical conceptualizations are an act of resistance to societal pressure. An example of a liberal conceptualization from my high school was how the administration intervened whenever there was a bullying issue it was taken care of immediately and resolved with all who were involved. An example of a radical conceptualization from my high school is that same-sex couples openly held hands, even though it was a Catholic school. Rofes believes children should be able to be free and able to openly explore their sexuality. Liberal and radical distinctions addressing homophobia and heterosexism help understand childhood because we as a society have to be aware of children an all the confusion of their sexuality as they mature. Childhood, particularly during puberty, is a time that children need support and to be able to explore their sexuality without any judgment from society. I believe that children should be free to be themselves without judgment. I hope that the school I teach at in the future is accepting of all children, regardless of their sexual preferences, and is a very open and comfortable environment. I think as more and more time goes on more schools will be more open to and comfortable with children who have different sexualities. In my own classroom I will make sure that all of my students feel comfortable an safe enough to truly express themselves.

Field Blog Post 1

My first field observation was in a 7th grade social studies classroom at Mayfield Middle School. It was a very positive experience and further reinforced my decision to become a teacher. Some things I noticed that made the classroom a positive learning environment were: many colorful posters and flags covering up the bare walls, the teacher desk was pushed aside and the teacher stood at the front of the class in order to be able to interact with the students to the fullest extent. The teacher also came up with a creative way to review with the students for an upcoming test. He split the students up into teams and created a game of jeopardy, which made them all very excited to answer questions and participate in the review. The teacher spoke with the students in a way that they could understand, he joked around with them but was also able to control the room; he showed them respect and in return they showed him respect. This idea of mutual respect is something we read about and discussed in class and it was good to see it actually occurring in the classroom setting. It was a very positive learning environment and definitely gave me ideas of how I could someday run my classroom.