Step 1: Reach and Teach pages 1-36
I found step 1 to be imperative when working with our scholars to ensure we REACH them on a daily basis. Marilee Sprenger points out a variety of ways that we can REACH our kids cognitively and on an emotional level. Below is a list of some of the suggestions she included in the book:
- Reach students through their emotions
- i.e. attach emotion to lessons, provide emotional hooks, and greet scholars at the beginning of class and say something positive to them
- Use advance organizers to focus attention
- i.e. agree/disagree charts and other graphic organizers
- Connecting with students through their senses
- i.e. visual, auditory, and kinesthetic connections
- Relationships
- i.e. Take time to set up relationships with EACH of your scholars; those that need us the most are the hardest to build relationships with~ don't give up!
- Finding Connections
- greet students at the door
- hold informal conferences
- attend after-school activities
- give students responsibilities in the classroom
- hang up students' work
- employ humor
- Relevancy, relationships, and the real world
- help them find the relationship between their lives and our goals
- A novel approach
- Surprise students before or after introducing content you want them to remember
- Accessorize, play music, dress-up, display a quote...
- Presenting in chunks
- feed them the information bit by bit; incremental design
Blog with your colleagues about the two suggestions above that you do really well. Share an idea or two! :) Then discuss two suggestions that you would like to work on incorporating in your classroom next year to make learning more relevant for our scholars.
Good afternoon,
ReplyDeleteThis week, I considered “Reach and Teach” (pages 1-36).
Two suggestions I have tried to incorporate with some success are “hang up students’ work” and incorporate “graphic organizers” into the lesson.
First, throughout the year, I always tried to decorate the room with work that students had accomplished. For instance, students often completed creative responses like: poems, presentations/poster boards, case studies, and sometimes even art in response to the readings from Collections. I think that it made students feel proud to see their work displayed. I think that this provided students with opportunities to learn from each other (often from unexpected conversations sparked by the work displayed). Additionally, seeing the work displayed reinforced some of the concepts that we were discussing.
Second, throughout the year, I tried to use graphical organizers to help students make connections and see relationships between ideas. A few times, I used markers to draw a chart on the board. Students worked in groups. They had to work together to come up and add content to the chart. Some categories were things like: author’s main claim, compare/contrast, keywords, what you think (agree/disagree), and how you would like to respond.
Two suggestions I would like to incorporate for greater success include (but are not limited to): “presenting in chunks” and making the content “relevant” to them.
First, I think it would be helpful to get better about teaching smaller amounts in chunks. Then, reinforcing, checking for understanding, and then applying another layer. This I think would also be more effective for smaller classes (49 minutes or less). Also, I think that students could retain the knowledge easier and would not feel quite so overwhelmed.
Second, I think it would be helpful to make the content “relevant” to students. They need to know how it benefits them and how they can continue to practically apply it.
I look forward to hearing your responses.
Kindest regards,
Christine Weatherby
cweatherby@tbla.email
I also wanted to note that Collections has some graphic organizers for teachers. Go to "teacher resources" and "graphic organizers for reading" in the online content. Some examples include: KWL Chart, Flow Chart, cause/effect, compare/contrast, and more.
DeleteThe two suggestions that I do well are “reaching students through their emotions” and “connecting with students through their senses.” To begin, I reach them through their emotions by greeting them daily and edifying them as much as possible. I build my students up by complimenting, praising, and encouraging them. Also, I connect with them through their senses by catering to their learning style. I deliver science and history lessons using PowerPoint presentations, I plan fun and engaging activities, and I use videos to enhance the lesson. “Animal Atlas” is one of my favorite science video series. Ultimately, the attention and respect that my students give me when applying these techniques prove that they value them.
ReplyDeleteI’d like to improve on “relevancy” and the “novel approach.” Explaining and showing how the content impacts their lives will help engage my disengaged students. Moreover, dressing up would be a lot of fun when teaching history and science. A wise teacher once told me that “if I don’t sell it, they’re not going to buy it.” Ebony Monson - PLA #103
Hi Ebony,
DeleteI love that " If you don't sell it, they're not going to buy it."
I was at Timothy L. Johnson in Fort Wayne, IN and was able to observe a few teacher who did an EXCELLENT job at this.
One teacher gave so much animation and enthusiasm during her whole group instruction, that I didn't want to leave the classroom and it almost seemed as if she was performing in a play. She wasn't just reading, she was acting out parts of the story, pausing to check for understanding, and then jumping right back into the story.
It was also AMAZING to watch how engaged ALL scholars were. They definitely had buy-in!
These are some great suggestions that I've known for years. But do I use them all, I have to admit, no. I do like to greet my students with a smile and a hearty "Glad to see you". It is important they know I AM glad to see them and I WANT to see them. They are my kids. I also like to use graphic organizers because I am a visual learner and feel that most students like to use these as well. I would like to use costumes as well but am afraid that since I teach Special Education I may not be able to keep them controlled if I overstimulate them. I may try it later in the year. I try to give my students opportunity to move in the classroom and not just sit and do papers. This annoys them quicker than anything, to just sit. This book is interesting and I'm looking forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteHello! Could you add your name and school to your posts so I can track comments? Thank you for your participation! :)
DeleteI'm sorry. I thought my name showed up. I'm Kay Clabaugh from Timothy L. Johnson Academy
ReplyDeleteNo worries, Kay! I thought it was you, but I wasn't 100%! :)
DeleteI read the first 36 pages of How To Teach so Students Remember by Marliee Sprenger. I was excited to know that I already do many of the suggestions that she gave in her book. The first suggestion that I think I do really well is build relationships with my scholars. It is very important to build a relationship with each individual child so that you can give them the education that they deserve in a safe and loving environment.
ReplyDeleteThe second suggestion that I believe I do very well is finding connections. Every morning I greet my scholars at the door with a smile, a hug or a touch on the shoulder to let them know that I am glad they are here each and every day. This also allows for me to gauge the type of mood that they are in so I know what needs to be addressed right away. My morning work consists of a growth mind set activity that allows for us to meet as a family on the carpet after the activity is done so that we can discuss how we will incorporate this thought process into our day. This family meeting allows for us to discuss things that are important to our family in a non-threatening way.
The first suggestion that I would like to incorporate into my teaching is relevancy, relationships, and real world. I would like to better be able to help my scholars see how our goals relate to the outside world that they live in everyday.
The second suggestion that I would like to incorporate into my teaching would be to chunk information so that it is incremental and easier for my scholars to maintain and recall as need.
While reading the suggestions by Marilee Sprenger on how to reach students, I saw ideas that I feel I do well already and a couple that I need to work on incorporating more. One area I feel I do well is with finding connections with students. Every morning we have an informal morning meeting. It allows us time to go over our Growth Mindset Bell Ringer. During this time it also allows us to discuss the things will we be doing for the day or any important upcoming events. It is also a time for students to share any information that they feel they need to talk about. Along with that, I always have some type of student work hanging up, either in the classroom or in the hallway. Students are also given different jobs and have certain responsibilities in the classroom. Another area I feel I do well is with making relationships. You have to know your students and how they work best. Students are more willing to take risks, try new things, and ask questions if they are comfortable coming into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would like to work on incorporating more is connecting with students through their senses. All students learn differently, but it is very easy to get into the habit of teaching to one style. I need to incorporate more of the other senses into my teaching. I also would like to be better at presenting information in chunks.
Deb Daniel
Timothy L. Johnson Academy
Deborah.Daniel@tljacademy.org
Deb,
DeleteThis is an excellent idea to incorporate senses. Some of these are easy to identify and some less obvious. I remember how much trouble I had transitioning to digital content as a grad student. On the one hand, I loved the lack of paper and weight of books etc... and the positive impact potentially on the environment. However, I came to realize how much of my reading was impacted by my senses. The feel and smell of the paper, the sensation of turning pages, the ability to write notes in the margin or highlight, the weight of the book, the visual layout of the chapters, and surprisingly being able to physically estimate how many pages were left to read all had become part of my learning rituals and comprehension.
I am happy to see professions realize and address the importance of not just learning preferences but the real role our senses play in our understanding. I am a very tactile person so I tend to touch everything. This carries over to cooking and baking when I make dough by feel rather than precision of measurements. I applaud you for recognizing this and taking steps to not rely on the easy way of one-style-fits-all instruction.
One of the ways I introduce the concept of multiple perspectives to scholars is to utilize a beach ball. If you are not familiar with this practice. Hold or place a beach ball in the middle of the classroom and ask students to describe only what THEY can see. Depending on where the student is in relation the ball they will only see some of the colors but not all. It is a really simple way to demonstrate that sometimes multiple perspectives are required to really know something.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello all,
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying this opportunity to meet and collaborate with colleagues even if only virtually. Being new to teaching this age, my experiences have been at the higher education level, I have to really think about how my previous experience is relevant to this exercise. I am pleasantly surprised to see how well Sprenger (2018) aligns with much of my previous understanding of scholar success.
Toward that end, one of the key practices mentioned in the book and others in this thread is the important role engagement plays in the learning process. Also, how simple things such as positive interaction at the beginning of a session can set the tone for the day. Given the differences in how college students arrive to class compared to primary or secondary school scholars (via buses and group meals) standing at the door to meet and greet them individually was impractical. However, I would arrive 10- 15 minutes before class and engage in rapport with my students individually, in small groups, and sometime collectively. These interactions were primarily student driven wand I would join in and participate in conversations before the start of class. Frequently one of these conversations would become the opening topic for that day’s discussions. As the semester passed these informal conversations became increasing focused on content yet focused on the students’ understanding and how they related to the concepts in real world settings. This also became an opportunity a student could ask me MY views about current events while understanding these conversations were informal and not an endorsement. An added benefit as Jennifer mentioned in her post is that these interactions provide the hidden benefit to gauge the mood of the class such as; how critical, how interested, what perspectives, how energized and what emotional responses were evoked from these concepts.
Emotional response is another concept I found interesting in Sprenger (2018) and the case study of Vanessa and Jessie (art project) reminded me of the effect of emotions on learning. While it is tempting to focus on the positive impacts and strive to create opportunities to develop positive emotional responses, the power of negative emotional responses cannot be ignored. The days of sitting in the corner wearing the dunce cap are long behind us (I hope), but it is easy to overlook the myriad of ways that our scholars are triggered to react negatively rather than the positive emotional response we were trying to instill. These reactions can happen in the most innocent ways and catch you off guard. I can’t tell you how many young adult and adult students walked out of class in tears due to some innocent (so I thought) example used that triggered sadness, despair, grief, or anger. It is a difficult minefield to navigate and when you add in cultural difference and puberty it is one area I will work hard to minimize.
To that effort I plan to scale my philosophies and practices about learning and the benefit of making information relevant and relatable to our scholars’ lives, from college level adults to middle school age appropriate practices. I hope this not only increases their understanding but allows the transfer of knowledge to occur and our scholars begin taking ownership of their own learning.
Mikael Badgett
mikael.badgett@tljacademy.org
Sprenger, M. (2018). How to teach so students remember (2nd ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD
Hello Everyone1
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading the first 35 pages!
2 things I think I do well:
1. Use Advance Organizers to Focus Attention
I have been really stressed and struggling to find an effective way to teach children how to decompose numbers. Through research and a blog (imagine that) I discovered a way! We began with sorting parts of fruits and vegetables, even potato chips into groups of 'parts' and 'wholes'. We then moved into hula hoops! Without even talking about numbers, we put a group of students into the 'whole' hoop and like a magician I waved my arms and asked them to 'DECOMPOSE!' Of course they had no idea what I meant, so I helped them move from the whole to two parts. It was like magic, and with each new group of students (who were excited to be next) we learned how to break groups apart and then count them. TADAAA! We can decompose numbers! After reading some summer Sprenger, it was nice to see that I am doing some of the things she suggests!
2. Connect with Students Through Learning Styles
Thanks to technology I have accessed YouTube videos (visual) that have music (auditory) that teaches CVC words, digraphs, rhyming, and much more! The best part is that each video includes physical movements (kinesthetic and tactile) to teach skills! For example, we make our feet stomp for syllables, make our arms chomp, and we can make a rhyme and make a move to tell if words sound the same! And...its fun! Sometimes we just listen to music as we transition to other activities or just to get the wiggles out, but nonetheless, my inner band geek is happy to get music in the classroom while we learn.
2 things I could change after this reading:
1. Relationships: Connecting to each other
I reallyyyyy struggled with children who lack social skills this year. I found myself saying repeatedly, 'How can I teach these kids when they're so angry?' Thankfully, Sprenger has given some tools such as establishing common ground early on, not just between students, but with me as well. Simple ideas like who else has a dog? Who else loves music? I know that with most children I spent some extra time listening to their thoughts first thing in the morning. Some came to me almost every day. Some just never did. I need to change that. Clearing our emotions before our day starts is easiest when we know each other, like family. I will work on that this year, and use some of the suggestions from the book.
2. Relationships: Social Categories and Empathy
I know that kindergarteners are at the beginning of their journey, but I am still realizing that many of them struggle with social skills. I knew that those existed in high school, but Sprenger is addressing the issue in elementary schools too. Social skills, or the lack thereof, were challenging for me this year. It has made me rethink how I will begin next year. To a degree I shared my frustrations with my students, as a human I think it's important that they know teachers have feelings, too. However, I will use some suggestions, such as sharing personal stories. Non-school related situations that happen with me can also be valuable teaching tools for them, so in an effort to teach empathy I have to be able to share those stories in the hopes that the children can learn from them. They can also be reference points for episodes that may occur throughout the year.
Jene' Rethlake
Kindergarten Teacher
Timothy L. Johnson Academy
Hello all,
DeleteI am excited to read and learn throughout the summer about how to teach students in a more effective way. Based upon this first chapter here are my thoughts and reactions:
Two things that I do well:
1. I believep I do well with implementing visual cues and graphic organizers for my students in each lesson that I prepare. In a kindergarten class, students' attention span does not last too long, so once I gain their attention I want to continue to keep it when I instruct important concepts and objectives. As a visual learner, I tend to lean towards that sense more so, but I strive to keep all senses in mind when planning lessons.
2. Before I can even get to reaching students with their academic learning, they need to know that they are in a safe, encouraging environment or they may not reach the potential with out emotional support or connections from their teacher. I believe that I offer that as a Kindergarten teacher because it usually is the first time that they are in a school setting. They have to gain trust and a comfort with their teacher before they can learn or remember anything. Some emotional connections that I make a priority is to make a positive comment to each student when they enter the room such as "good to see you today," "I like your haircut," "I love your shoes," etc. I focus on something that is not related to school or academics so that it may build their self-esteem and show that I genuinely care for them and them as a person. I also give them responsibilities and jobs within the classroom and they get to have ownership in choosing their job when it is their turn, and I also highlight those students that have mastered a concept, activity, or objective and hang up their work around the room throughout the school day.
Two items that I would like to improve upon:
1. I would like to make even more connections with my students in the future within the classroom, but ultimately outside of the classroom in extra-curricular activities that they are involved in as well. Another goal that goes with making connections that I have is to greet each student at the door each morning as they walk in. I would like to establish that as a constant routine in our day.
2. In order to "REACH" my students to make sure they remember, I believe that they need to know the relevancy and importance of the concepts, standards, and objectives that I will be teaching them and the reasons why we are learning it beyond "just because we have to." It is a challenge to make sure the students understand the why or importance because I think it will catapult their memory and motivation for learning as well.
I look forward to be able to implement these new goals!
Amanda Davis
Kindergarten Teacher
Phalen Leadership Academy @103
Recently, there has been a lot of talk in the education world about how it has never been proven that there are auditory learners, visual learners or kinesthetic learners. Which goes against everything I've ever been taught as an educator. The research shows that people may prefer to learn in different ways, but tailoring teaching to student's preferences doesn't help them perform better. In fact it can in some instances be harmful because it pigeon-holes the child. Most learning requires all senses to be involved to truly come to learn and master a subject. Learning a complex skill like how to read, for example, requires many different inputs. 1) Visual discrimination to learn the letters. 2)auditory discrimination to learn the sounds. 3)kinesthetic work to write and pull it all together. Math, Science, Music all require different inputs. If we design our lesson plans for a child only using one sense, we will fail the child's learning experience. I want to do better at using all the senses when teaching.
ReplyDeleteJohn Steinbeck said, “Learning to read is probably the most difficult and revolutionary thing that happens to the human brain...” And we expect 5 year olds, who have so many needs, to do it. I appreciate the different views on basic needs that are to be met before we can teach the children. In kindergarten, many of our scholars could not pay attention because of their basic needs not being met. It was always challenging. I did my best to try to create an environment where they could feel safe and tried to build relationships with them. Everyday when they would sit down at my teacher table I would tell them how glad I was that they were there today and if they had missed the day before I would tell them that I had missed them. On Monday's I would always tell them how much I had missed them over the weekend. This seemed to have a huge impact on them. Toward the end of the year they would always talk about how much I had missed them over the weekend. It made me so sad when one child said, "You are the only person who ever says they miss me." One day I forgot to turn off my phone, it rang during small group. The kids all looked at me like aren't you going to answer that. I told them, "You are more important to me than any phone call..it will wait." They looked at me in awe. As they came to feel needed, safe and like they belonged their attention span increased.
I did use the KWL graphic organizer with the kindergartners. Each Monday before I introduced the theme for the week, we would write on an anchor chart what they "knew" about the topic. I would then introduce the topic and before we went to stations we would write on the chart what they "wanted" to know about the topic. Then on Fridays we would write what we had "learned". The first few times we did this it was painful with little discussion. But as it became a routine it was amazing the discussions we would have about the topic.
Another thing I want to evaluate and research a little more this Summer is motivation and meaning. One way, I've motivated with kindergartners was if they worked at my table, they got paid (skittles). If they didn't, they didn't get paid. I would liken it to myself...if I came to work and didn't work, I wouldn't get paid... so I need to work if I want paid. It worked but is there a better way? I hope the book will discuss this in more detail.
Although I am not an educator, I really love the content of this book thus far. I have also thoroughly enjoyed reading your responses.
ReplyDeleteAs a recruiter, new to the network and Indianapolis, I knew early on that I wanted to immerse myself within the culture to better understand the needs of our scholars and our educators. Not matter how long you've worked in education, every campus has different needs.
Even in the first few pages, it has been very enlightening identifying ways I could implement the information I am learning in my recruitment efforts, as well as, with the youth I serve in the community.
I look forward to the dialog and also the personal growth that will most definitely take place.
Life Long Learner,
Nia Black
PLA Regional Recruiter
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteThe two things I do well are:
1. Greeting students at the beginning of the day: First, we start with a quick high five, smile and sometimes a side hug. Then, after breakfast, we do circle time. This includes sharing our name, mood (by color), and a favorite item.
This helps start the day with a routine and prepares the students for a day of learning. It also helps create a sense of community in the classroom.
2. I use several videos and songs to teach mathematics. This helps the students that struggle with focus to be more interested in the learning objective.
I would like to improve or include:
1. Additional project learning activities in my LP. I did a few with my writing block, and the students' interest and engagement were incredible. They would want to make sure when it was time for writing that they would be able to work on their project with their partner.
2. Include more graphic organizers and visual organizers for my class in my LP. Also, this would help immensely my ELL learners to understand the concepts and vocabulary we use in reading and math.
I am excited to see what the next chapter entails and be able to share and learn from everyone.
Anna Christina Luna-Harbert
PLA 103
Mrs. Posey told me often about different videos you incorporated into math lessons. I'd love to get some of your recommendations in that area.
DeleteIt would be my pleasure to share with you these videos. See ya.
DeleteThrough reading the first section of the book, I could already find myself reflecting over the previous school year and slowly finding ways to improve my teaching this next year.
ReplyDeleteFinishing up my 6th year of teaching middle school students, I can honestly say that build relationships with students well. By teaching students with special needs I find it important that you are able to build that strong foundation of them getting to know you and you getting to know them. Students are welcomed each morning and I try my hardest to learn something new about them to tie into my lessons as well as have a idea about their background. Which ties into finding connections. I feel as though these two go hand in hand. If you can connect content with a students real life, then it makes it easier for them to grasp content information. For example, I had one student who hated double digit multiplication. I talked with him on several occasions and found he had a love for football. I tied in multiplication with a football saying. After two weeks of reinforcement he achieved his goal and the look on his face is one that I will never forget.
As an education, I understand and know that there are things yearly that I can grow and improve on. While reading this book, I understand now that I need to start connecting students through the senses. I will be the first one to admit that many times I teach towards the visual and auditory learners. This is a bad habit to break, especially teaching a wide variety of special needs students. I need to look at lessons and connect them to all senses and get to know my students through activities that enhance all their senses. I am starting to brain storm different ways students can connect to me through writing, verbalizing, drawing and acting out their interests. A second item that I have really reflected on that I can improve is taking a novel approach to the students I work with. I often have just 45 minutes to try and cram as much content as possible into my lesson and give students a chance to practice what they have learned. If I do not hook them, what is the point? I have thought about lessons I have taught and how I can activate the "flash bulb" memory in a way that will allow students to not only recall the information but also be interested in what I am saying.
Throughout these first pages I can not wait to grow and think of ways to better teach the students I see on a daily basis. This book has already given me insight. I look forward to reading and seeing what my fellow Phalen colleagues thoughts are throughout this process.
Always Continuing to Grow,
Courtney Singleton
Special Education 7th and 8th
James and Rosemary Phalen Leadership Academy (JRPLA)
Hello!!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this first section: Reach and Teach, I had a lot of thoughts in my head. First: I feel I do well at really try to reach my kids emotionally and making those crucial connections. I do this in a lot of ways. The most important is allowing my students to accept the outward love and affection I give. I always ask if they would like a hug at the beginning of the year before I hug them. I teach first grade, so usually this is always a YES!! But, this year I had a little boy who didn’t want a hug for a few days. I knew that I was going to have a special connection to this kid!!! He needed that relationship building to create a bond with me. It is sooooo important!! Reationships with our students are key to everything I am going to do all year. I eventually got those hugs everyday. I always greet with a hug and leave with a hug everyday. It’s a great way to start and end our day. I usually get lots of hugs throughout the day, too!! The emotions go straight through to our learning too!! I love to give my kids jobs and responsibility too! Each table in my room has a manager that rotates through the year. This really gives them a sense of responsibility and helps them make connections with each other. My kiddos also love to see their work hanging around the room and in the hallway. They enjoy looking at each other’s work and are super excited when their “best” work that they worked on so hard goes in the hallway. So cute!!! It’s more meaningful than we tend to realize. Our lives are emotional, so we have to connect our learning to our emotions and making connections through reading and sharing experiences, vocabulary, comprehension, critical thinking, writing, math, science and social studies!! It’s in everything we do including character building and social skills!! Understanding our emotions helps us make good connections to each other, to our learning and to the world around us.
Some things I’d like to incorporate more is the surprise factor and accessorizing. I think my kids would really love this!! I used to have a lot of puppets and stuffed animals that I used, but fire code made this impossible, which is sad. But it would be great if, as a school, we could have a collection of things for everyone to use to help boost this area. It would be Iike sharing manipulatives...just a different kind of tool. This would help the whole school and everyone could contribute what they can and share ideas to help each other. I think I’ll present this idea to my leadership. :).
I look forward to reading more of this book and sharing thoughts and ideas with everyone. It’s fun to look back and plan ahead.
Kimberly Orrison
Timothy L. Johnson Academy
Hello! This was my first year back to teaching after 5 years of taking a break to raise our twins. This year was a very challenging experience, yet very rewarding! The building was new, and the scholars came from a background that I probably wasn't prepared for.
ReplyDeleteTwo things that I think I did well (yay!) were:
1.) Taking a novel approach by using emotional hooks using music and videos. For example, one theme included the life cycle. It also included a phonics themed poem, Over in the Meadow. My mind instantly wanted to start singing... So we did! I projected a video of the song and we all sang. Such a happy & fun moment! The kids reflected on the life cycle of a frog, which we spoke earlier about. The vibe in the room for the rest of the day, even extending into the rest of the week, was different! We needed this!
2.) Finding connections with some of my most challenging students wasn't easy, but very necessary! I began my year with the mindset that bad behaviors didn't deserve class jobs. Wrong! These kiddos were the ones who needed a sense of responsibility the most. Giving them a job/responsibility was positive reinforcement and made life a bit easier for all of us. For example, I had a scholar who was very tall for his age. He was very emotional and had a hard time controlling his anger. He came from a home that left him on a daily emotional rollercoaster. I found that giving him a job changed his entire mood. He now had a sense of responsibility, a feeling of need, and it gave him time to decompress and refocus. A win, win!
Two things that I hope to improve on are:
1.) Presenting in chunks after pre-assessing scholars. Potentially a time saver in the end, but certainly a way to better modify and present new information the way it needs to be presented. Smaller chunks vs Larger chunks.
2.) Taking more time during the morning hustle and bustle to say something positive (verbally or even non-verbally) to EACH scholar every morning. Such a great way to start out the day and let each scholar know I care. This is easier said than done. I found that I only focused on the needy scholars in the morning, so taking time for EACH one will have to be intentional at first. I look forward to this becoming routine.
I really enjoyed the book so far. This discussion has allowed me to reflect on what I feel what I actually did WELL! ...And has me excited to plan for next year in order to make my classroom atmosphere and teaching even better!
Erica Andrews, 1st grade
Timothy L. Johnson Academy
Week 2: Reflect
ReplyDeleteSorry, I need to comment early. I'm leaving for a week to camp in the bug infested woods with 130 girls ages 12 to 18, so I will not have Internet access.
I love that this chapter discusses the Perkins book, "Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence". This book gives me a lot of hope for my students. Many of my students have had a rough time with their neural intelligence because of trauma and the decisions of their parents. However, as a teacher through experiential and reflective intelligence, I can teach them ways so that they can overcome that negative.
I've found it is so important to set up the expectations and steps of our discussions or reflections. In kindergarten I've even set up an anchor chart for the "RULES" of discussion. My kindergarten class has about one-third ELLs. They often need a little longer to process. This sometimes caused the English speakers to assume that they were not as smart as they were. So we had to have numerous discussions about how smart they actually were because they were speaking 2 languages. I speak Japanese. So sometimes I would speak to the English speakers in Japanese and then discuss how hard it is to learn languages but the brain is an amazing thing and if someone works hard enough their brains can understand multiple languages. We had to have this conversation many times. We also had to talk about not making fun of other people's answers, and not talking over another person. This was a long process but I felt like at the end of the year it was finally coming together. Their favorite collaboration was "THINK-PAIR-SHARE". We always had great discussions when we used this. So much so that we often digressed off topic. Sometimes I would feel guilty but when I would reflect on what we discussed it was generally something that they thought was important or relevant to their lives. More so than whatever topic we might have been learning from the book. So I felt like their brains were seeking out other brains to find commonalities. I felt these discussions often led to unity as a class.
One problem I encountered was one child needed an unusually long time to process and answer questions. At first I thought there might be a learning problem. However, as the year progressed. I realized he was one of my brighter children. He is an only child with an extremely overprotective mother. She has not allowed him to make any decisions. He didn't know how to respond when given a opportunity to choose. So I began working with her to make sure she gave him open ended questions at home. I also found that "THINK-PAIR-SHARE" was perfect for him. He just need longer to reflect.
I do agree with the power of visualization. I would sometimes draw pictures on the board to explain things. Days later they would remember it and even remember what color of marker I had used. One way I used visualization was in retelling a story. I would choose students to be different characters. We would imagine what they would look like and then have them act out the story. They loved it and had amazing retell when we made time for this. I was also having trouble teaching them the rule about two vowels go walking until I had children come up to the front of class with mini whiteboards with a different vowel on them. We would have two children go walking and then decide who was talking and who couldn't. They loved this and quickly learned who talked and who didn't. The power of visualization is great.
I loved the section on Teacher Reflection. I feel that this is essential for becoming a better teacher. In my old school they would videotape us teaching, then we would sit down with a fellow teacher and review. It was torturous but so effective. I was always surprised at what I was missing.
Teresa Jones
Kindergarten
Reading Interventionist
TLJ Academy
Hello all!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Jacqulyn and I will be joining PLA 103 in the fall as a first year teacher.
While reading How To Teach So Students Remember by Marilee Sprenger, most of my connections took me back to my student teaching experiences where I was able to practice and implement some of the suggestions from Sprenger. On my first day student teaching in a first grade classroom, my mentor teacher stopped her students just before they entered the classroom. She began by greeting every student by their name, ensuring eye contact, and would say some of the sweetest things to her students. Their smiles, joy, and a sense of belonging showed based on how they reacted and interacted with the teacher and their classmates. When Mrs. Johnson turned over her classroom to me, I too wanted to keep the momentum going by greeting the students every morning. I began to see that students felt more comfortable coming to me for help and became more willing to share personal stories because I was able to keep the routine and began creating rapport with each student. Sprenger mentions that attention increases when students are greeted and something positive is said to them. After continuing the routine of greeting students, and Mrs. Johnson fading out in her classroom, students began to come to me for support and their attention would be directed toward my instruction rather than searching for Mrs. Johnson. As an educator, I always knew that greeting my students everyday before they enter the classroom was something that I wanted to implement. I believe that greeting your students demonstrates appropriate communication skills and lets my students know that I am happy to have them in my class. I also think that my student teaching experience allowed my to focus on fining connections with my students. I will admit that getting some students to open up was easier said than done! I found that by having community meetings every morning and giving each student the chance to share allowed me to learn something new about them every day. I was able to implement those connections through instruction even if it was something as small as their favorite color or food!
This book has opened up my eyes on how to teach the whole student in mind. I can be very easy to forget about students emotions and social structure while having a million and one things to get accomplished though the school year. I especially appreciated the point that emotions are contagious. If I'm sad, feeling down, unprepared, and not interested in the topic then how can I expect my students to feel interested? When teaching, I want to improve on creating more emotional hooks though instruction by making introductions to new units exciting and more meaningful to each student rather than just trying to get a point across. I also learned that teaching lessons in chunks is a more effective way to getting students to retain information and allows students to process information before moving on through the material.
I am really enjoying this book so far! I am able to reflect on what I have accomplished and am able to think about how I can improve on for the upcoming school year.
Jacqulyn Ison, K
PLA 103
Welcome to 103! I love community meetings each morning!
DeleteWelcome to PLA 103 :). Community meetings are awesome. I look forward to meet you in 7 weeks. Luna
DeleteHello! I am so thrilled to be a part of this wonderful group of teachers and to learn and share with one another. This past year was my first year teaching as a first grade teacher. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done- but also the most rewarding. How To Teach So Students Remember has been extremely eye-opening to me thus far.
ReplyDeleteThe first section discussing Reaching and Teaching has been relatable and provided good examples to apply into my classroom. This year I set a goal to build a personal relationship with each of my students. I found that by connecting with my students outside of a "teacher role", they respected me more and also were intrigued to know about my life. I will make it a point to continue to find ways to connect with all of my students each year. I made sure to give each and every student a hug and tell them, good morning I love you- each day. I know as a young kid I loved when my mom would hug me and tell me- I love you, have a great day! I just want to make sure that each student has that too. Another thing I found to work extremely well in my classroom was hanging up the work of my scholars. At one point in the year we made goals and the students were able to write down their goal and decorate the paper given. I cut out all of the goals and laminated them to be hung on our wall for all to see. The students were thrilled to see their goals hung up on the wall. The best part was to watch them show one another which was theirs, and then for the students to hold each other accountable for what they wrote on their goal sheet. The students were constantly reminded of what they wanted to accomplish and what their friends would also like to succeed in.
Next year I am definitely ready to try some new things and take on the suggestions of others who have found something to work well. I would like to make time in my day to be able to have informal conferences with each student. I never had the time to sit down with each student individually and talk with them about their successes or what they could do to help themselves improve. I believe this could be extremely beneficial to the students, but also to remind them that I care about their achievements. I would also like to give my students more responsibility in the classroom. As a first year teacher last year I feel as though I was afraid to let the students take control of anything and I wanted all control to myself. Next year I plan to set out classroom jobs, to have a rotating system for new scholars each week or every two weeks. I would also like to have my desks arranged into groups so there is opportunity for teamwork and team leaders at tables for even more leadership roles.
I have enjoyed reading thus far and I cannot wait to see what else I can learn from Marilee Sprenger as well as all of you!
Brianna Cosgrove, 1st Grade Teacher
George and Veronica Phalen Leadership
Hello! My name is Caty Grahf and I am a 5th grade teacher at GVPLA.
ReplyDeleteTwo things I believe I do well in my classroom are building relationships with my students and finding connections, as I see this go hand in hand. My students this year loved helping and being responsible for items in our classroom. Because of this, I gave each scholar a job every week that they were to complete. This allowed them to take ownership of our classroom and gave them a sense of pride. I also found it very important to create relationships with each and every one of my students. I had a specific student who would often get angry over little things. When he would exhibit this anger, he would often yell things at me like "you don't even care about me". This is when I knew I needed to work hard to build a relationship where he could trust me and know that I do care. The hard work ended up paying off. On our last day of school he wrote me a letter saying he was happy that I stayed and never let him down because all of his other teachers had left him.
Two things I think would be beneficial to incorporate into my classroom next year are connections through senses and real life experiences. This would provide a learning environment that is much more hands on, which in my opinion, makes learning more fun. This also would provide scholars with a variety of learning tasks, which in return, will help them see how they learn best (visually, auditory, etc). Furthermore, connecting learning to things that have happened in their lives, will make the concept easier to understand leading to more success.
From the list above, my strengths are building relationships and finding connections.
ReplyDeleteFor context, I teach 3rd grade at 103. I do not by any means look forward to student conflict, but I am always on the prowl for teachable moments. When conflict disrupts class time, we take class time to solve it modeling for everyone how to manage our emotions and relationships. This is inspired by the restorative justice framework. When conflict happens privately, we earmark it to address at lunch or recess. Almost always, students are content to set it aside when they know it will be addressed at a designated time. When we address the conflict, students are practicing speaking clearly, honestly, and directly to the person they are in conflict with. They practice listening closely to paraphrase the other person’s perspectives. They narrate why certain actions were wrong to take. They make a plan for how to better handle similar situations in the future. They address any ways they can make amends for hurt they caused. In my experience, students rarely repeat behaviors that have been addressed in this protocol. They also tend to feel more positively toward the work they engage in after addressing the conflict. I have also frequently seen the students who were in conflict with one another become closer friends and spend quality time together after addressing it.
I successfully use and love some of the suggestions listed in the book under finding connections (attend after school events, create a photo bulletin board, and employ humor). I also ask parents for schedules for extra curricular activities and try to make it to a game. This wins both the parents’ and students’ hearts. They feel incredibly loved by that effort. My photo bulletin board is a smaller stand alone board that props against my desk. It is title “Cardinal Family.” It’s one of students’ favorite spots in the room. They enjoy reminiscing together over the events I’ve photographed (playing together at recess, learning activities in the classroom, field trips, etc.) I employ humor in small doses. I am a fairly serious person naturally, so the times I do use humor are highly effective at diffusing situations and rescuing students when negative emotions threaten to overtake them. I also eat lunch with my students most days. They look forward to my day at their table and spend the entire period telling me story after story. It’s never enough time for them.
From the strategies above, my two to improve are using hooks and finding relevancy for students.
I’ve always known about hooks, but time is scarce. I cut them out, because they seemed like the least important part of the lesson. Reading this chapter has shown me the importance of using hooks in fostering intrinsic motivation and reducing the use of extrinsic motivators (which is a goal I worked on this year). Finding relevancy was particularly difficult for me with my group of students this year. I could narrate to them how they would use the skills down the line, but that wasn’t usually important to them or motivating to them. They weren’t very invested in future goals that far down the road. I’m wondering, what’s another way to find relevance besides how they will use the skill as working adults?
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ReplyDeleteI have always been a firm believer that student engagement promotes mastery learning. As a classroom teacher, I was always exploring ways to set the stage and motivate students to get focused on the subject before they would even realize the objective the lesson. I always tried to have an emotional hook. Engaging students is even more important when working with small groups and promoting mastery. Most of the students I work with in small groups require something different and more intensive to promote learning since they have not mastered the concept in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteTwo strategies that I use to focus students is novelty and advance organizers.
When using novelty l have had students to follow along as I am reading a page and I will stop at different points and students will have to supply the missing words to the sentence. I stop at different points so the students have to be focused.
When teaching a lesson on making inferences, I have brought in the classroom a pretend bag of trash. You can imagine the excitement of looking at someone’s trash! I will show the articles in the perceived trash bag and students will have to make inferences about the owner of the trash.
After teaching vocabulary words, I use a strategy called wordhunt. During third day after learning words, I will use those words in the classroom setting in just regular conversation. The students will tally every time they hear one of the vocabulary words. So students are focused on the vocabulary.
I used graphic organizers very often and I really began focusing on graphic organizers after going to a workshop that focused on Marzano strategies for focusing students’ attention. What I discovered was that organizers can give the teacher information on the front end of a lesson and organizers can also serve as an assessment tool.
One of the strategies I would like to improve upon is chunking. I think we sometimes give too much information at once. The children don’t have enough time to focus and reflect on the new information. I plan to be more focus on chunking lessons in my small group instruction. This requires very intentional planning. I am looking forward to getting new techniques and strategies to assist in mastery learning.
Angela Posey
PLA @ 103
Hi! I am Emily Mooney, 3rd Grade teacher at PLA.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to have this chance to continue to grow over the summer! I am really enjoying How to Teach so Students Remember. I cannot wait to add what I have learned to my classroom so my scholars will have a better and more meaningful year with me next year.
There are two things I think I do well already. I greet scholars everyday before they come into the classroom. We shake hands, while looking at each other so we are actually connecting, and say goodmorning. I also use graphic organizers constantly in class. I can see how those help my scholars understand the concepts we are working on, and to show thier understanding.
I am really looking forward to use agree/disagree charts next year. I love completing those and I hope my scholars will as well. I know I need to work on emotional engagement in lessons and with me, so I am excited to find things that will help with that. Another thing I am going to do much more regularly next year is have my scholars give me a hug, handshake, or high five when we leave for the day. I am really enjoying all these new ideas I am getting as I read this book, and from looking over other answers.
Hi, I am the ELL teacher at Timothy L. Johnson Academy.
ReplyDeleteI think the suggestions I do well are: 1. Connect with students through their senses. I try to use as many teaching styles as possible in every set of lessons that I present. Since my students are learning English I need to connect with them in other ways besides through lectures. One way I do this is with my Kindergarten class when we talk about the 5 Senses. By having the children use all 5 senses to learn about the world around them, they not only learn about the senses, but add vocabulary to their learning of English. 2. Presenting in Chunks by introducing information bit by bit for better understanding. One lesson where this worked particularly well was when I reinforced possessive nouns. I first made sure the students fully understood singular nouns by adding 's. Then I continued on to plural nouns by adding s'.
The two areas where I feel I need more attention are: 1. Helping students find connections between their lives and our goals through relevancy, relationships, and the real world. 2. Surprising students before or after introducing content by using a novel approach. The book gave great examples of how to use this suggestion, and I am anxious to try some of them next school year.
Hello-
ReplyDeleteI teach 7th grade social studies at Phalen Leadership Academy. The two areas that I think are my strengths are building relationships with the students and relating my content to their lives.
Building relationships with the students is so critically important. This is key to many aspects of how my classroom runs. It especially helps with discipline. I have found that if students know I respect them and value them and know them, that they are less likely to act out and be disrespectful to me. I have also been very successful in relating content to students' lives. I have been teaching middle school social studies for 23 years and I learned pretty quickly that teenagers don't care one bit about old dead people unless I can make those stories interesting to them. They need to know how it affects them and their lives.
The two areas I would like to focus on this year is presenting my information in chunks. This makes so much sense to me and I think would be very easy to do in social studies. I am going to rework some lessons and see if students will have more success with this. I would also like to work on using a more novel approach at the beginning of lessons to engage the students more. This is something I have let slip away the last several years and would like to bring it back.
Hi, all!! I am really looking forward to learning from all of you. Teaching is a collaborative job. One of the suggestions that I do well is having a relationship with each of my scholars. It begins on day 1 of school and grows until the last day of school. Through doing a morning meeting and mood meter every day,journal writing, 1:1 or small group lunches, 1:1 meetings throughout the year to connect and discuss a goal, pulling a scholar in the hall if I notice they seem "off" when they come in in the morning I can create and build a relationship with all scholars.
ReplyDeleteThe second suggestion that I do well is connecting with scholars through their senses. My classroom is a safe, calm environment. There is soft lighting, curtains, pillows for reading, flexible seating, center rotations daily for reading and math, manipulatives, games, finger friends, finger lights, hands on activities in reading and math, clipboards for inside and outside work. Fortunately, I have been able to accumulate many resources over my years of teaching. The more the scholars can "do" with a topic, the more they will absorb it.
One suggestion I would like to improve on is a novel approach. Add some silly, dress-up, music or something to create a connection for scholars to remember something. It will take more planning ahead of time, but will be worth it.
The other suggestion I have touched on, but would like to improve is relevancy between their lives and our goals. "Why" is a word scholars use from the time they are a toddler and is used to discover their world. Sometimes I get so involved with what needs to get done, I think I leave out sharing with scholars "why" we are doing it and how it can help them.
PLA@103
DeleteSecond Grade Teacher
Hello! I am a Kindergarten teacher at GVPLA.
ReplyDeleteTwo tasks that I feel as if I do well are, reach students through their emotions and connecting with students through their senses. Reaching students through their emotions comes easily at PLA. Building positive relationships with the scholars is a must for all teachers. We are always greeting the scholars at the door every morning. I also feel as if a strong bond is formed the first week of school when we practice procedures and do "getting to know you" activities. In the book, Marilee Sprenger stresses how important emotions are to the "reaching" process. From my experience, if the scholars think that you don't care about them, or that you aren't invested in their learning, they won't care to do the work. On the flip side of that, if you are invested in each scholar's learning they will be more willing to work hard because they want to please you, and because they know that you truly care about their learning.
The second topic I feel as if I do well is, connecting with students through their senses. This past year we had one unit all about weather. Everyday when I was reading our read aloud book about weather I played weather sounds in the background. During the read aloud, I didn't have to stop once to make a redirection, they were so into it! Every child learns differently, so if you can find a way to reach each scholar through their senses, they will be learning in the way that is best for them.
The two topics I want to do better at next year are, using advance organizers to focus attention and presenting in chunks. I loved the idea of the agree/disagree organizers. I also see how it would be beneficial to give them to the scholars before and after the lesson. If they complete one before, they will be listening closely for what they agreed with. When they complete it after the lesson, they can reevaluate their decisions if they choose to.
I would also like to be better at presenting the lesson in chunks next year. I feel as if sometimes I throw all of the information at the scholars because maybe we are running short on time, or maybe I may be frustrated. After I throw the information at them, I then get frustrated that they are not understanding the concept. Next year I am going to try harder to slow down and give the scholars every lesson in chunks, so that they will retain the information.
Hello! Can you list your name at the end of your comment so I can give you credit? I believe this is Kate or Maddy. :) Thanks!
DeleteMaddy Hinesley
DeleteThanks, Maddy! :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBlog with your colleagues about the two suggestions above that you do really well. Share an idea or two! :) Then discuss two suggestions that you would like to work on incorporating in your classroom next year to make learning more relevant for our scholars.
ReplyDeleteGreetings everyone,
Step 1: Reach and Teach shared some very thought-provoking information that I’m looking forward to implement in the classroom this fall. There were ideas that I have not tried as of yet, some that I did try and for whatever reason did not follow through on, as well as several approaches that I have used and continue to use til this day. Two of those approaches are: building relationships with my students and their families, and making connections. Many of our students enter our classrooms needing more than an educator, some need a mother figure, and/or a mentor. These ideas fall in-line with meeting their need for safety. I believe that by fulfilling these roles and making the necessary connections, learning can take place and hold a value in their lives.
Two suggestions that I plan to incorporate in the classroom this fall will be to: apply a novel approach and focus more on each of the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic connection teaching styles. Often times it can get easy to become so focused on behavioral issues that arise in the classroom, that we play it safe and stick with the approaches that we know are working and is are sure ways of reaching 75-85% of our students. I will be the first to say this is true for myself at times (many times). By implementing these ideas in the fall, I believe will add to success and learning gains throughout the year. While also, pushing me to grow as an educator and out of my safety zone.
LaTiesha Hollowell
Hello, I finally got my computer to let me login and post, so my first two weeks are a little late! I am Molly Hiatt, I'm starting my first year of teaching at PLA 103! Two suggestions that I used during my student teaching was connecting students with their senses and using emotional hooks.
ReplyDeleteOne activity that I did with my third graders was during a lesson about adjectives. I started by reading a book to them to review adjectives. Then we did a visualization activity. I had all students close their eyes and listen. I described a scene that I thought most students could relate to, the movies! I asked them to think about the smells, tastes, and feelings. Then I gave each student popcorn. I had the scholars think while eating their popcorn of adjectives to describe what they were seeing, smelling, feeling, and tasting. I was able to connect their sense in a fun way! They loved this activity and we created a bulletin board out of their adjectives.
One of the main ideas I learned about in my classes ad used in every single lesson is an emotional hook. I think that this is the most essential part of any lesson. Without getting the students invested emotionally, they are not going to be interested in anything you are teaching. Connecting students social or emotional connections to the lesson content will help them remember and be able to better apply the content to their lives.
Two suggestions I want/am planning to use during my student teaching is using relationships and building connections. I love the idea of a classroom community. Since I have always had to follow the rules of my mentor teachers, I was never able to enforce the management and atmosphere of the class. One of my favorite times during the day is recess. I enjoy going out with the kids, seeing them enjoy themselves and getting to know them better as people. I love the personality that each student brings to a classroom and they help create a whole. I want to create a sense of community and togetherness to help the students want o learn more, become more aware, and respectful of everyone.
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ReplyDeleteOne way that helps me make the lesson relatable is to become the student that asks, “Why do we need to know this?” Being the grumpy student motivates others to be a team player, support the grumpy less motivated student, and gain self-worth by being the teacher. Another approach to make the lesson relatable is to ask, “Why do we need to know this?” followed by at least a five second pause. Planning these questions into the lesson forces me to tweak the lesson to make it relatable into their lives.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read about how to create a novel lesson, I had to recall grade school about +20 years ago. I remember the relay races on Penguin Day in first grade, the recreation of Washington DC with cardboard in fourth grade, and the step-by-step instruction book on how to make a chocolate shake in second grade. The memories were inspired by teachers who added a novel element into their lesson. When I taught Kindergarten, the students and myself had to write persuasive pieces. I tossed the worksheet ideas and aimed to make this a fun novel moment.
First, the scholars agreed that they wanted to persuade the technology teacher to allow us to use tablets in our next lesson. Before every lesson, I read a story that had the character persuading another through different means. This encouraged the idea that we can receive information from books. These books encouraged students to arrive to the idea on how to persuade in a different way. We created a song and sang it while I played my guitar and they shook their maracas from a previous lesson. They also created a poster and letters. Of course, at the end of the session, we were able to use the tablets to research about space.
During my last day teaching these Kindergartners, I received letters from them. All of them wrote about how they enjoyed eating with me, playing with me, or doing this lesson or another novel lesson with me. I later found out that they excitedly discussed these lessons to their parents. If I stuck to the usual activities that involved filling in a worksheet, I doubt that they would recall the lesson or would be interested to apply persuasive writing into their lives. Creating a novel and meaningful lesson encourages the scholars to make that lesson their own and hungry for more.
I look forward in using the exit cards strategy. Writing your thoughts allows one to really chew on what was learned. For example, I know implement novel lessons is ideal. However, this writing assignment allowed me to break down why. Giving the student different lengths in time to write creates a habit to reflect, improves their ability to explain in a step-by-step format, and can motivate them to write.
I believe the 2 I do really well include incorporating music and technology into my classroom, and greeting scholars positively every morning. I play music throughout the day. It is on in the background as my scholars come in in the morning, I play music during quiet time, and for writing. I specifically choose music to go along with what we are doing. For morning work I choose soft classical music, and for writing I choose music that fits with topics we are writing about.
ReplyDeleteI also incorporate videos that further discuss or reinforce what I am teaching. For instance, if we are learning about vowels (I teach kindergarten), then I play a vowel song or video before or after each lesson. I will even periodically play videos over content we have learned to help review the curriculum.
Two issues I would like to focus on more this next year would be connecting with students through using their senses and incorporating organizers to focus attention. I loved how the teacher in the book offered her students a glass of water on a hot day to meet their needs as they entered the classroom. She also displayed many visual representatives to reinforce children's learning such as posters. I really never thought to incorporate organizers with Kindergarteners, but I believe they are very capable of completing agree disagree graphic organizers. I will definitely give them a shot next year. Their were many great ideas in these first 30 or so pages I have highlighted that I will try out next year.
This is Kate Foster. I just realized my name is not visible.
DeleteI am Lara Phelps, the new Data Coach @ 103. I have been teaching for over 15 years, with a variety of experiences. I’m so pumped to be a part of Phalen and do my dream job of coaching. I love to nerd out on anything education!
ReplyDeleteWell dang, I knew something was up! My Week 1 comment didn’t post.
I am catching up here in lovely Northern Michigan and internet access is LIMITED.
: )That’s what I get for not writing in word or notes first! Lesson learned!
I was so excited to dig into this book! Learning and teaching students about the brain, plasticity, multiple intelligences, and whatever else connect to all of that just gets me going! I am fascinated with it all! I think back to a class during my BA in the late 90s and a discussion we had about the brain and possibility. 10 years later I was teaching a program that was specifically designed to work those brain ‘muscles!’
Science RULES!
Things I do well…..
1. Emotions/Relationships-Bonding with students, connecting with who they are as individuals, and using that to help them succeed is kind of my superpower. These two strategies are completely connected for me. Providing an emotional hook is a common thread for my teaching, whether it is a book, a science lesson or a new math concept…try to pull students in with something that will push some emotional buttons.
2. Relevancy-I think this also connects with emotions and relationships, completely interchangeable for my teaching. I can’t help by try to make their learning relevant as much as I can once I have connected with who my students are…it’s automatic.
Things I need to improve….
1. Chunks-As I moved back into elementary a few years ago after a long time in ms/hs school, I had to relearn just about everything! That including delivering information in chunks, boy did it. I am still in the process of perfecting this skills. Specifically I am working on how to take a lesson and break it into chunks for several different types of learners and also put a process in my brain about the differences of
2. Novel Approach-I used to LOVE using this technique! I think back to teaching Shakespeare to middle school students-a very simplified version of Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For Romeo and Juliet we opened each lesson with a love song and compared it to the plot of R&J. It was loads of fun! We were limited on time, so we just took a few minutes to listen, they jotted down ideas in their journals and we shared. Took 5 or 6 minutes. A former student told me a few months ago that they were jammin’ out to Secret Lovers and explaining to their friends how they knew the song and how they should read Shakespeare! But, the last couple of years, those novel approaches slowed for me. I’d like to freshen and sharpen that skill. The outcomes were beyond worth it.
Greetings!
DeleteI apologize for my late postings. My family and I are traveling most, well practically all, of summer vacation. I hope everyone is savoring the sunshine and making beautiful family memories during this yearly rejuvenation period.
I find our selected book to be a wonderful opportunity to delve a bit deeper into our craft of teaching and to reflect upon and bolster our practices.
My two strengths, relevant to Task #1, that immediately surfaced are under the umbrella of making connections. Connections and relationship building are the cornerstone of being an active and viable participant in any community.
Comparing the modules of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Lieberman’s View of Basic Needs, ‘belonging and need’ are placed in different sequences but both reference the importance of relationships.
Building connections with scholars’ is definitely the momentous facilitation effort that jumpstarts the opening of a new school-year. It is the endurance of this powerful current, that when carefully and consistently tended, sustains throughout the year and beyond that yields a thriving environment. Trust and being invested in one another generates synergy, and it’s this thread that creates a catalyst for us to strive beyond our comfort zones. Our days together are woven with humor and empathy, all by valuing the strengths and weakness we each bring to our classroom community. We ebb and flow, learning from one another by establishing and maintaining levels of trust. The more we trust, the more of ourselves we are willing to share with each other and rely on one another for support as we tackle academic and social challenges that can propel us forward, or as we phrase it in our classroom - climbing mountains.
It is vital for scholars to see me as human with frailties and life experiences that have shaped and molded me to be the person that stands before them as their teacher. It’s critical that I allow transparency of myself so they see my flaws, curiosities, misunderstandings, as well as my varied interests. Beginning the first week of school, I begin sharing ‘me’ through storytelling, sharing snippets of my life through photographs, “One time when’s….,” and artifacts from my travels, bookshelves, and cabinets galore. It’s through my storytelling, that I can plant seeds of trust that is cultivated throughout our journey together. Where there is established trust, a safe haven begins to develop for risk taking to transpire. Children begin to feel they have a safety net to step beyond their comfort zones into the challenge zones of personal growth.
Helping scholars identify current interests and generate new interests through reading, asking questions and researching to unveil ‘why,’ provides a platform of self-discovery. Future-minded children begin to see a completely different value of their educational journey. Interest levels awaken and a hopeful and exciting future begins to focus. I see value in bringing guest speakers into our classroom, for scholars to listen and learn from different perspectives. I see value in taking virtual field-trips for scholars to broaden their understanding of our world geographically, culturally and academically. When scholars begin to see the unlimited possibilities of how their interests connect to careers, minds begin illuminating and the window of their future expands.
For the upcoming school year, my focus will be increasing real-world connections by inviting more community members into our learning haven. I would also like to increase our community adventures by taking more exploratory field trips. Capitalizing on the expertise of local businesses and stakeholders opens the lines of learning reciprocity. I plan to incorporate sensory novelty with greater regularity.
Amy Loomis
Timothy L. Johnson Academy
Amy.Loomis@tljacademy.org
Two things I have found to be strengths of mine are connecting through emotion and connecting through relationship.
ReplyDeleteIn my first year of teaching, I listened to my students in morning meeting talk about what happened the day before at home or whatever happened pertaining to our topic of the meeting. This slowly helped me get to know each of my students. It isn’t something that happens in a week but if you’re patient it comes together. This really aided classroom climate and even parent involvement.
Connecting through emotion really attached to me during my student teaching. My mentor teacher said, “You have to be an actress when whole group teaching.” Lock the students attention and don’t let it go. Fluctuate your voice and show your passion about the topic. It really goes into relationship as well. Use your students interests to grab their attention and emotion. The connections between the two will better the lesson and the comprehension of the lesson.
I would really like to implement a novel approach and using the senses. What would be a really important aspect to these two approaches are the students taking the information and making it their own! How I represent new material is crucial and Sprenger states that a crucial part of recoding is the students taking the information and putting it into their own words, pictures, sounds and movements. This maximizes student memory.