FieldBlog-Agnon

    Today I revisited Agnon with Adrianna because she needed transportation and I agreed to help her. Again, I still really enjoy it there. When I went with the class, I sat in an English class, where the students sat across the carpet and worked in their workbooks. Today I also was in an English class but they played a game called Word Soar. Usually the students compete in groups but today they were competing with themselves to save time. The students laid the flash cards all out in their areas and divided each card into a category. In my opinion, this game was productive. The only thing I didn't like was the teacher didn't go around to check them to see if the student was correct. (Although being short on time could have affected her method of this game)
     Once finish, the students then transitioned to math in the workbooks. The class was spilt into two different group. One was with a more advanced group of students, who went out in the hall to work and the other stay in the classroom, where Adrianna and I observed. The students circled around and began doing problems in their books and on the smart board. The students seem to enjoy the technology being used. But looking around the room, you could see how some students were going right along with the teacher while others were falling behind or skipping problems to keep up. This was different. In all the classrooms that I have been to previously, teachers could teach their students to understand the content but couldn't keep the students engaged. Here, the teachers could keep the students engaged but couldn't keep all the students on the same progression level.
       I now have a few questions purposed in my head on why this is. Is it because they students are younger? Or could it be because of the technology being use? It is now a few days until the semester is over and this has created more curiosity for me in the education field.

Field Blog Three

On Tuesday, I visited PICAN again. I observed a seventh grade classroom. There wasn't much activity in the classroom because the students weren't taking a test. I did however, got a chance to interact with one student was not there a few days before because he was sick and wasn't prepare for the test. I got the chance help a kid while he completed his review packet. He was a smart student, so he didn't really need my help. He did ask me with help on a problem on fractions. You could tell he was defeated by this concept by all the erase marks on his paper.  I showed him how to get the common denominators though multiplication. When I gave him a practice problem to do on his own, the eyes of the little boy recovering from a sickness lit up. He was absolute amazed how easy it was. I was proud, I taught someone how to do something!

As weird as it sounds, I was happy for the rest of the day. I went back to campus and told my friends how I assisted a student. Although it wasn't major help, it felt good to know that I made a difference in a students life.

Field Blog Two

Today, I attended the same 8th grade classrooms that I did my first day. I'm not sure if I came on a bad day, or the students were just getting use to each other but they were a little talkative. As the teacher was teaching the lesson, one student was not paying attention at all. He was turned talking to his friend across from him. Without a warning, the teacher turned and said "Camren and Le'Shaun those are both talking demerits for you, pay attention or I will call home." I thought this was a little aggressive. Don't get me wrong, the two were a distraction to the classroom, but I felt like they should have had a warning, or at least not have asked them to see her after class.

The other two classes went smoothly, the teacher taught her lesson though dry erase boards and doing problems with her students and then transitioning into their workbooks, doing the same thing so they had a visual when doing their homework. This seemed effective because I remember when I was in middle, even high school times where I would do something in the class, but not take notes because I thought I "understood" the concept and then got home to do homework and drew a blank.

Later on before I left, I was still upset about the teacher exploiting the students for talking. In search for the answer, I asked the teacher why she wrote these kids up because I knew she would give the logical method on her reason and felt comfortable asking her because she was my sister. She explained to me that the two have already received warning for talking previously that week. This made me feel better because in order to be a successful teacher you must create a comfortable student teacher relationship and her calling the two students out was not helping. But I can see now she wasn't being harsh towards these students, she was maintaining control over her classroom, which is a key factor in the education field.

Field Blog One

Field Experience 1:
Today was my first day of being in a classroom from a teacher perspective. I am doing my hours at a PICAN Charter school in Akron, Ohio. The school was once some sort of factory but they reconstructed it and added lots of paintings and colors to the walls. When I first got to the school, I noticed the students walking along a piece of tape on the floor on a straight line, which a later found out was to keep order. I decided to do my hours here because my sister is a teacher and I knew she would work around my school and soccer schedule, along with giving me a lot of tasks, to prepare me early in the education field.

I first attended the 8th grade math classroom. The class playing a review game because they had a test coming up. They referenced the name of this game as Soar Review. This was a game where the class was split into two halves. Each student went to the board and wrote down a math problem given to them by the teacher. If a student got the answer incorrect, the student next up to the board was the only person who could help them correct it. The side to finish first won, getting a point. Each round was split into different areas of what the test was going to be over. Sitting through three classes of this game, I thought this was a very effective game. I also liked how I got to see how one class could struggle on a certain problem or area of the review while another class flew through it. Each student was engaged in every problem, even taking notes to see if they could get the answer correct on their own.  But I did not like how only the student behind or next in order could answer the question and not the whole class. I thought it would have been more effective if the classroom as a whole to help build teamwork.

Overall, I enjoyed my first time in the field.

Agnon School

This school created tons of excitement for me towards education. I think this is because of the way it was set up.  At first when given an overview of the school by Mr. Shutkin I was unsure how I felt about it because it seemed a little informal that the students called the teachers by their first name, but then it grew on me. In the classroom, the teacher spilt the kids up based on their reading levels. The ones that had high reading levels and understood the reading better were pair together as well as the ones who needed work. Then the teacher sat them down and made a list on the board of the activities they could do in their "busy work" packet, she made the coloring project at the end because that is what the students were most excited to do. Every 10 minutes, or how every long she needed, she would work with a pair of students. She had them read aloud to her, correcting them on any errors. When they finished the reading, she would go back and ask them questions about the reading, which I thought was very effective because it helped them comprehend what was going on. This classroom was very well organized which was what I liked the most.
  Overall, this school was very well put together. I was very surprised how every student was already writing in Hebrew as only second graders. This just blew my mind, because I am a college student now and can barley write or speak in a simple language like Spanish. Also, when we had our little group at the end, and she talked about how their school was family oriented, this got me even more intrigued about the school because being a big family person, I thought that this was the best way to capture a students learning, because of these "tribes" the student would always have a friend in the school, and no one would feel left out.
   This school was very well academically structured but it only creates more questions on standardize testing for me. I am wondering if these schools are better than public schools because they don't have to teach to the test and the teachers have creativity in their lessons? Do you have any idea?

Blog Post 10

Over this course, I have learned many things about education that I did not know before. While in the field, I learned how hard it was for a teacher to make sure all students were engaged while learning at different paces. I also learned how important it is to create a relationship with the student. I enjoyed going to all three of the different schools because not only were they different grade levels, they were also diverse, which isn't something I have experienced.
  In the class, I learned just as much. I learned how critical it is for a student to have a positive attitude for a student,  along with treating every student the same no matter what his or hers interested were. But most importantly, I learned that when a student fails, the teacher fails. often times we are so concerned that a student is doing badly in the class, that we don't take notice that the teacher has a vital role to what is being taught. This class has also created excitement for the preparation of my classroom set up. I learned that the key for a students education is comfortably. By setting up a classroom so that the students feel welcome will carry over to the effort into their education.
  As I walk away from this class, I think the biggest thing I am going to take away is going to be how each student has that one special teacher. That one teacher who impacted and influenced them to take a positive step in education and I want to be that teacher, by being the best I can be every class a teach, no matter what mood I am in.

Blog 9: What Good Schools Look Like

When I think of what a good school looks, I think of a school building that is well-maintained from the outside, with flowers and a welcoming school sign. I personally don't really care of the location, it could be in the middle of a low poverty city or high class development, the only thing that really matters is the education, and what the students take away from it. Inside the classrooms, I want the desk set up in 4 rows of six, a total or 24 desk in the classrooms. I believe in a small classroom setting that way the teacher is able to make sure every student knows the content and can have one on one meetings if necessary.
  Each Wednesday, classes will be shorten so that each student takes a mandatory 45 minutes out of their day to go to the classroom(s) that he or she has make-up work in or their lowest grade of all their classes, to get extra help. As I said before, the classrooms will be small so the students will be sure to get help from the teacher along with staying on top of their school work.
  When it comes to dress code, I have no preference. I feel like each student should be able to feel comfortable in whatever they want to wear, although I will not allow any students to wear shorts that do not fully cover their bottom half, shirts that show too much of their top or belly shirts.
 I do believe in a no cell phone policy in the classroom, UNLESS recommended by a teacher. Each classroom you walk into, I think their should be a bucket for the students to put a their phones in, and they will be them back at the end of the class. In order for a student to learn effectually, there must be no distractions, and in my opinion phones do distract a student from learning, and takes away the respect for the teacher because they aren't giving the teacher their undivided attention. I do understand that sometimes you get done with class early, or do projects that involve your phone, which is understandable.
  Energy and a positive attitude is what students feed off of. If all the teachers have a positive attitude towards the learning then so will the students. I would cancel the whole teacher tenure idea and try to do what Michelle Rhee did and give the teachers a chance to have increase their pay by being an effective teacher or keep the same pay and no make progress in the students. By doing this, I think that the students education will be more productive because we will get rid of the teacher who believes in the "I get paid whether you learn or not" method, which is what we want!

Heights Field Expierence

   I really enjoyed going to visit Cleveland Heights, I think I really fell in love with teaching at the high school level if I decide to teach. I attended Ms. Browns classroom, there she made the students read a packet that was missing information. She then had the students read a different packet and added the information. I thought that the students weren't as engaged on the work given to them because they were talking about other things, like what happened the night before. Also Mrs. Brown put the students into groups of 2 or 3, and had them group annotate it. One of the students was unhappy that she was placed in the group that she was in. I'm not sure if her and the other girl had a previous conflict, but I felt like the two not wanting to work together extended on their actually group work because they got nothing done compared to the others group. As a teacher, you should place students in groups where they're going to achieve in and stay focused. Although, I do believe that the students should learn to work with classmates that they don't like because once they step out into the real world, they wont be able to pick and choose who they will work with and whether or not they like them.

  On this visit, I learned that if I were given the choice, I would work at an inner city school like Heights. I would want to teach here because I felt like I had a connection to them in a weird way. I understand that teaching at inner school is hard because of the amount of families that are in poverty and the students not really interested in the importance in education, but that's why I want to teach them! I want to be the difference maker in a child's life, by teaching them algebra or a sonnet. Don't get me wrong, teaching at any high school would e fun, but I feel like I would have more of an impact at an inner city school due to my diverse background and also coming from a school that was similar to Heights.

Blog Eight:Exended

    When extending on BlogSpot 7, I would like to key in on a pattern I saw. Working together. In the book, it talks about how the student and teacher needs to work together in order to grow and learn off of each other. I think this starts by the teacher creating a relationship with the student so the student feels comfortable in the classroom. Once a stable friendship is built, I think that the teacher should emphases how no question is a dumb question. I know a lot of students who are timid to ask questions, my self included, because they are afraid that the question they have is a "dumb" question and that his or her peers are going to laugh at them. Or the teacher will get mad because they already answered the question previously. In my opinion, if a student has a question, it means they are engaged in what is being taught. Also, I believe that you can not help a student if they don't want to be helped. So in other words, you cannot teach a student who doesn't want to learn, where again, working together comes into play. You'll have to find something that the student is interested in and relate that to what you are teaching him, and let that be his motivation. By doing this, the teacher is learning off the student because he is challenging her to take a different perspective on things and together they are growing.

Blog 7/8: Building Bridges

In the reading, Ayers uses the metaphor, building bridges, to describe how to get to common knowledge to a more complex knowledge of something. When starting this "bridge", you have your basic knowledge, and as the bridge continues to grow, or reach the other landing side, you began to create deeper meaning of the content and establishing new ideas. Both, the teacher and the student, are learning together on this journey across the bridge they build. The student learns by the teacher asking him or her questions to think more about the topic rather than the basic knowledge. The teacher learns because he or she is taking the students ideas and thoughts and creating new viewpoints that they probably didn't see before. The two patterns I saw in the reading was growing together by asking questions and forcing the students to think critically. Also the transition from childhood to adulthood.
  If giving the chance to teach my own lesson, I would teach a lesson on a controversial topic, for example, gun control. I would start the lesson by making each student write down on a piece of paper what all they know about it or have questions about. I would then let the class divide themselves into two sides, one side that is for gun control and the other that is against it. Then, we would have a class debate. I will use the comments and questions that the students wrote on the pieces of papers to spark up discussion and debate. I will make it mandatory that each students makes at lease two responses or comments during discussion that way I am sure everyone is involved. Also I will add in some questions of debate if we do not reach all the areas I want covered. There will be a bonus point for the team that can support each point given, which I will determine making sure to keep an unbiased viewpoint. Once I get through all the topics, I will make the students write a paper or do a project on their viewpoint of gun control, also making the student do research and further understanding of the controversy, building a bridge of learning on this topic.

Beachwood Field Expierence

   Going to Beachwood was a fun experience for me. My favorite part was visiting the two classrooms and seeing the different ways the teachers motivated the kids. In Mrs. Karims class, they were taking a test, but it wasn't just any test, it was a group test. At first, I personally wasn't too fond of this idea. I thought that not all students would be benefiting from this because some students would do more work than the others or know one area and not the other. But she explained to us that she would grade one problem from each students test, making each student recheck their answer because they don't want to hurt not only their grade, but their peers as well. This is a really great idea, I got a chance to see the students helping each other and explain why one had the correct answer and the other one didn't. These students were on task the whole time, which was very nice to see. the only concern I have with this teaching style is that this class in particular was an advanced math class. I would like to see how it would work out with students who aren't as strong in the math area, and if it would still be effective.  
    The other classroom I went to was Mr. Smiths. In there, they were going over the vocabulary homework. At the beginning of the class, they were discussing an upcoming test. He was telling the class how he wasn't sure, but he thinks he will make it a group test. The students all commented on how they wanted it to be a group test. I thought this was a familiar thing,coming from a class that just took a group test. I am beginning to wonder if it was just that school or if it is all middle school students who like group testing, and why? Is it easier or do the kids just like the support? Later in the class, when the teacher was going over the homework, he made a deal with them that if they got 20 questions right in a row, he would give them one extra bonus point. I thought this was a good idea because the students were engaged and excited to get that extra point. I noticed that the teacher would call on everyone to make sure they were all involved, which was a very good idea, but also noticed that when he called on certain people, other students didn't have confidence that he or she would get the answer wrong, which they didn't because Mr. Smith would peek at the students work,to make sure they had the right answer. Halfway through you could tell that some off the students were losing interest, and the Mr. Smith would change the tone of his voice to make the students stay on task a little longer. He would also challenge the students by saying "No one has gotten this one right today in all my classes" which motivated the students to make sure they had the correct answer, which I thought was a pretty neat idea.

BlogIt-Post 6

"His task is to fill the students with the contents of his narration-
contents which are detached from reality..."

This quote really stuck out to me for various of reasons. First, it says the teachers task to "fill" the students with contents. As a teacher your job shouldn't be to "fill" the student with to content, it should to be to teach the student the content so he or she knows and understands what is being taught to them. In order for a student to like something they must be engaged in what they are learning, by "filling" or forcing the student to learn something, he or she wont want to learn nor understand what is being taught because they lost interest.

Also, I think that this method of teaching isn't very effective because the student is only getting the information that his or her teacher is teaching them. The teacher could leave out parts that aren't as "important" or “necessary” to learn which in my mind, isn't fair to the student because the student isn't getting the full story or just a bias opinion. This learning style is called a pedagogy method, which is the way students K-12 are being taught. I think this method is good, but not effective because the students learning is limited.

Blog Post 5

Rofes (2005) makes clear distinctions between liberal and radical conceptualizations of addressing homophobia and heterosexism in k-12 schools. Discuss these distinctions with examples from schools you attended. How does Rofes (2005) discuss childhood? What do the liberal and radical distinctions of addressing homophobia and heterosexism have to do with contemporary understandings of childhood? What do you believe and what is your vision for the school where you hope to be teaching in the next four years? (250 thoughtful words).

     In the schools I attended, there wasn't any negative behavior towards the LGBT students. I went to a public school where homosexual students had the same rights as the heterosexual students. We did have a radical case where a male student was transitioning into a female and started to wear female clothing. At first no one really minded and viewed him as a regular student. Once the weather got nicer, this student began to wear short skirts, which brought attention to the student. Girls argued their rights to shorter skirts and how this was night fair. The principal then made an announcement that all students had to same dress code "with reason." This was the only radical case that occurred at my school while I was there.
     Rofes discusses childhood as a period in life where what the child thinks, doesn't matter. our society is set up so children's viewpoints are irreverent because he or she is too young to understand something, but in reality that child is learning the more, just by listening and observing what an adult or parent is doing. Rofes also mentions childhood should be more structured around the child's needs and wants because he himself had to conform around what people wanted and not what he wanted.
     When we address homophobia and heterosexism I think that in order to address it in a contemporary way we must create an enviorment where the student feels comfortable and freedom to tell how he/she feels without being judge. I think that starting a Gay-Straight Alliance will help with the a lot of things other than with LGBT students. I had this club at my school and I thought it was cool how it wasn't just LGBT students joining the program, it was everyone. their motto was to "feel comfortable in your own skin" which was a great motto because it create a chance for everyone no matter what size, gender, color or preference to feel at home
     I believe that we should view every student as the same. As a nation, people as becoming more accepting and opening to LGBT students and people, which is what I like to see. if I get a chance to teach somewhere in the next four years, I hope that the students, as well as the administrators are accepting to these students and giving them the same opportunity as others.

The Student Language

Educational Foundations

[Teachers] should recognize that the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected with loved one’s community, and personal identity. To suggest that this form is “wrong” or, even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family. (p.33)

When I was doing the reading, these few sentences stood out to me. Coming from a biracial background, I understood what Lisa Delpit was saying when she mentioned the "bilingual dictionaries" some students had to transition from at home, and at school. But I did not understand how a teacher suggest that a something was wrong with the student by the way he or she spoke. In my opinion, in order to be a teacher, you must not judge a student on their poverty level or the way they speak, but instead, show them the linguistic difference, and help create a switch or  "bilingual dictionary" so they are able to still feel comfortable at home and in the classroom.

    As our society continues to develop, so does the English language. For example, when we did the reading activity in class, that was written in English, but because of the English language changing over the years, no one in the classroom could comprehend. My point is, teachers shouldn't force the  formal English language upon a student and classify the student as “wrong” or “ignorant” if he or she speaks differently. The teacher should however, teach them the difference between the way a student speaks and when to use it whether its in the classroom or at home. 

Classroom Expectations

      After doing the readings, so many different questions have ran through my mind. For example, do I want to isolate my students so they feel uncomfortable but not distracted so they are able to learn, or do I want to make them feel comfortable risking the possibilities that they will get distracted? I thought it all through, I want me room to have a theme of game boards. I will use the analogy that like the board games they play, they will face obstacles throughout the school year but they will have to keep working to overcome them and get through it. In middle school, I had this teacher that let us sit anywhere, weather it was on the floor, window sill or even on top of the desk. Although at the time, I loved it, I look back and cannot recall too many things that I have learned in that environment because I was so relaxed. I want to find a happy-medium for my students so they are having fun, but also learning.

      Personally, I feel like each year I will change my teaching style based on the group of incoming students. With our society changing as much as it does today, I believe that each year there has to be something different. Also as a teacher, I want to set the mood of the classroom. its hard to learn when you have a negative attitude, so i want to make sure that each year, every day I come with a happy, uplifting spirit to help brighten the students day. I have so many thoughts and excited just thinking about the possibilities that a student's future is in my hand. I just want to make it perfect for them, and support them in anyway possible.

People Watching at Legacy Village

Description

• boy- early 20's, has rap band on shirt, white/black/purple/green Jordan's, has small bag in hand, hat with red rim
• girl- striped shirt (black and white) skirt (black) dark navy flats-close toed, tote(tan) ling black hair, Asian, early 20's, has oink Iphone in her hand
• guy- mid 30's, one earring black/red Nikes, jeans(Levi's) bag in right hand, rubbing chest
• girl- early 20's, pink hair tie, red shirt, black stripe across, leggings, flip-flops, phone in left hand
• girl-teens, shorts, gray shirt, short hair, tan Toms
• girl-teens black shirt, high waisted-shorts, purse, sandals, black hair
• light blue collard shirt with navy and white stripes, tan shorts, flip-flops, leaning on stand with legs crossed
• boy- teen(15ish) gray ninja turtle shirts, jeans, ripped by knees, skate boy hair cut, talking on phone

Interpretation

•  are they boy and girl walking together are a couple
• they guys with his ear piece is having chest pain or just got done eating
• the girl in the red either just got off work, or is on break
• the two teen girls have to be friends
• guy at stand broken his phone or wants to get a new one
• teen boy is looking for his friends

Parking Lot

• Does girl in red have a college degree?
• Does teen boy ride skateboards?
• Are teen girls running to get somewhere or just for fun?
• Does guy that broke his phone have a lot of money?

Personal Information

 

 

Personal Information

1. What name do you prefer to be called? My name is Justina but my friends and family call me Tina, so its whatever you prefer.
2. Hometown  Kent, Ohio
3. Grade level and subject(s) that you want to teach  I'm not really sure what grade level I want to teach, or the subject. Growing up, I've always wanted to be a Special Education teacher, to primary work with disabled kids so no subject or age area really interest me, just actually getting a chance to help educate them in some way
4. What are you into; what makes you special? Share a few “unique” aspects about yourself that would help our classroom community get to know you a bit better. Some of my interest include playing soccer here at John Carroll, spending time with my family and volunteering in my community back home. I think this makes me unique because not all athletes find time to help others and still balance a busy schedule while in school and a sport.

Learning Style and More

 

1 .Being as specific as you can, what must be in place for you to feel comfortable taking intellectual and creative risks in a classroom? I think in order for me to feel comfortable taking risk in the classroom, I have to be comfortable with my classmates and professor. In order for that to happen, I cant be the only one taking a risk, so all the attention isn't on me.
2. I am interested in your perception of yourself as a student. Please describe it. I think that I am a hard working student that learns by examples, which is also called a visual learner, in order for me to understand something, I have to see how its done by someone else and then understand and try it. I am responsible when it comes to my school work and getting it done on time and correctly, if given the right amount of time and if I create an outline for deadlines to get my work done. I prefer educators that are willing to help me one on one, because I don't understand things the first few times, when told to me. also when I come across a problem, I will try to figure it out, once or twice. then ask for help, ill be honest, I am very stubborn and hate asking for help.
Education Past and Present
1. Share a formative memory from your experiences as a student. A formative memory from my experience as a student was in middle school. I had a teacher who was very strict and hard. The work she gave us was very challenging. Along the way, I went to her for help, and she gave me the support I needed. She taught me new study habits, how to take notes (the right way) and built character by not letting me drop the class, like the other students she had did. This memory will always be with me because she got me ready for the harder work that I approached in high school and built a good work ethic that I did not have till after taking her class.
2. Please discuss what are, for you, some significant issues or concerns facing the field of education right now. I am concerned that if I do go into education that I will end up not liking it. Everyone tells me that I should choose a major/job that I "love" that way ill never have to work a day in my life, which is what I want to do, but I'm not sure if I'm passionate about education.  
About Dr. Shutkin:
Question:Will we get a chance to work in the Special Education area, to see if we would like to go into an education area like that, even though John Carroll doesn't have a major for Special Education?