Self-Assessment, PN2

 My Praxis notebook is worthy of a ‘B’ as the work I have provided is exemplary and in accordance to the criteria.  I have included 2 entries a week, through the four weeks of class that were the second session, of thoughtful observations and/or connections with in-class learning or assigned readings. My notebook entries are all meaningful and relevant to my success as a learner and in the progress of my education in becoming the best teacher I can be.  Several of my entries include artifacts I have compiled through the four weeks of class and learning experiences outside of class. In my synthesis you will find the basic focus of my learning, what knowledge I have acquired thus far, and responses to essential questions imperative to learners in ED319 and ED349. Below I have included the criteria for Notebooks deserving a ‘B’.


Notebooks that meet the following criteria will receive a B:

·        - Notebook includes multiple (2+) entries each week.

·         -Includes a response to at least one selected reading, at least implies a rationale for selecting reading, and mostly complete         bibliographic information.

·         -Notebook includes numerous artifacts from course work and/or field experiences. Reflections on or writings about the artifacts collected may be minimal or loosely connected to the materials collected in the notebook.  Artifacts from required assignments are included.

·         -Notebook entries and notebook artifacts are, for the most part, dated and clearly labeled.

·         -Writings include observations, connections, interpretations, questions, and thoughts that appear to be somewhat meaningful and relevant to the learner.

·         -Synthesis of learning is 2-4 pages in length, and focuses on individual’s learning. Writing at least implies that the learner has thought about the essential question(s) from current segment of the course (Reader, Context, or Text) and that he/she is working toward personal learning goals or the refining of those learning goals.

·         -Notebook includes a self-assessment with criteria for assessment and examples to support that assessment.

·         -Notebook generally demonstrates that author is willing to take some ownership of the Notebook and his/her learning process.

·         -Notebook might not be handed in on time.

·         -Overall quality of Notebook reflects the engaged work of a prospective teacher.

Synthesis 2

ED319 and 349 have been the most practical classes I have taken in the Education program. For the first time I feel that the information I have been learning is not only true in theory, but can also be effectively implemented in a high school classroom. During this past segment of the course, I have been the student of many peer led lessons which have incorporated before, during, and after reading strategies. Some of the strategies were great and really helped me make sense of the lesson that was being taught. Some of the strategies were not so beneficial, perhaps because of the way they were presented, or perhaps because of the text they were delivered through. Regardless of the effectiveness of the strategy, I have learned of several invaluable techniques to help students’ comprehension while reading.

As I have previously addressed, I had never taken into consideration that I would be responsible to teach reading skills to my students.  Now, not only do I acknowledge and accept that responsibility, but I have built a strong foundation of strategies to aid my lessons. One strategy that has been used in several of the peer lead reading strategies lessons, including my lesson on the Industrial Revolution, is called Read-Write-Pair-Share (RWPS).  One reason RWPS has been used repeatedly in class is because of how versatile the strategy is. Essentially, RWPS could be used with any text.  Also, RWPS is so effective because it gives students several opportunities to interpret their understanding of the text through written and oral expression.

Some students will be great readers and will not need such structured scaffolding to comprehend a text.  Others however will benefit greatly from the implication of thoroughly developed reading strategies. As a teacher, it will be my responsibility to do everything within the realm of reason to help all of my students, regardless of their diverse learning abilities. Which brings us to an essential question, ‘How do we help others make sense of text in content-area classrooms?’ I have designed a four step procedure to bring together the text, reader, and context so students can construct meaning. Step one: Understand that as the teacher, we are veterans of reading about the content, our learners are novices, and their reading will need more time and guidance in order to make meaning.  Step two: Choose strategies which allow students to make meaning at different rates. Show the students how to do the strategy. Step three: Ask ‘meaning making questions’ during the strategy as a form of scaffolding and to ensure the thinking processes of the students is in accordance to the goals of the lesson. And step four: Assess, either formally or informally, each student’s understanding.

While there are several variables a teacher can control, there are more that he cannot. The atmosphere, tone, ideology and feel of a school can be all encompassed as ‘school climate’, which is essentially an attempt at defining the personality of the school. The climate of a school can be broken down into four essential dimensions: Safety, interpersonal relationships, the institutional environment, and teaching and learning. Safety, in my eyes, as one of the four dimensions of school climate, is mostly regards to the emotional and physical wellbeing of a student. If a student is living constantly in fear of being harassed while at school, they will develop a negative association with the school and likely may block out all school stimuli, positive or negative. The term ‘interpersonal relationships’ is used not only to define the student-teacher relationship, but also student-student, and the adult-adult relationships within a school. Strong and positive relationships in a school provide both a sense of belonging and comfort for students, especially those of minority ethnic and religious groups. Acceptance and respect for diversity goes a long way to contribute to a healthy school climate. Institutional Environment refers to both the physical aspects of the school and the affiliation between the school and the students, their families, and the community. Aesthetically pleasing and inspirational schools are conducive of positive school climates. Unfortunately, much to do with the physical surroundings of a school are limited by funding. Promoting institutional affiliation can be accomplished inexpensively and will go a long way to enhance the climate of the school.

        There are unlimited factors which influence a student’s ability or inability to learn while they are in school. Some of those factors come from other sources such as their home and community climate. Other factors come from uncontrollable influences in and around the school. The rest of the factors contributing to the climate of a student’s search for knowledge is a result of the relationships, expectations, and properly implemented instruction, in consideration of diverse learners, controlled by teachers.  By providing a warm, universally welcoming climate within the classroom, teachers control the factors within their reach of a positive school climate.

Additional Reading- Emotional Impairment Research

        As a requirement for ED361, we were put into groups and asked to research and present on an educational disability. My group's presentation was on Emotional Impairment. Emotional Impairment is a broad topic to teach in a short block of time so the difficulty was in deciding what material to cover and what to leave out. We worked well together in compiling the most relevant information for a fluid presentation.

        The key idea of our presentation was to help the class learn what teaching strategies are most effective for students with emotional impairment. We deemed it important for the class to be actively learning. To do so, each group was faced with a scenario relating a student with emotional impairment which required differentiated instruction to reach their full potential. The groups were required to discuss their scenario and to tap into their higher order thinking to conclude how they would handle the situation.

        During the scenario portion of the presentation, each of us sat with a group and either listened to the discussions that were brewing, or helped guide the discussion based on or research. The group I had joined sparked great conversation and debate. From the reports of my EI group members, they too joined tables where most or all of the group members provided insight. We were happy to confirm that the students were referencing information from the presentation in their conversations. Unfortunately, their time was pressed, but the groups could have discussed much longer.

        By the end of our presentation, we expect the class should have learned some of the characteristics of students with emotional impairment, how to prepare for such students, and how to adapt teaching strategies and daily procedures to maximize those students’ formal learning and their role in the classroom community. A large emphasis of our presentation was directed toward treating each student, with or without disabilities, as an individual who has needs independent from his peers.

        In the future, for an assignment like this one, I would like to adjust the format of our PowerPoint. We, myself included, had a difficult time cutting text out of the visual aspect of the presentation. But when it came to presenting the lesson, I found it more apparent that most of our slides were way too wordy. Our presentation would have benefited from having about 1/5th of the text that was included. Next time I would like to have a visual aid which acts more like a run-down of events than a source of information.

References

Wagner, M. M. (1995). Outcomes for youths with serious emotional disturbance in secondary school and early adulthood. The Future of Children, 5(2), Retrieved from www.futureofchildren.org

National institute of mental health:child and adolescent mental health. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health/index.shtml

Emslie, G. (2008, May). The depressed child: The american academy of child and adolescent psychiatry. Retrieved from http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/the_depressed_child

High's and Low's of the Semester

        Being my last semester taking courses before student teaching, and having 20 credits, there have been several different highs and lows. The highest of the highs has been building a strong professional relationship with the teacher I have been observing and assisting at Marquette Senior High School. In the Industrial Arts wing at MHSH, I have been acting as a TA for Bill Shaw in Intro to Woods, Metals, and Building Construction classes. My strengths in the tech arts combined with my ability to take initiative have shone through. Mr. Shaw seems to consider my presence in the classes as a blessing because of my ability to help students and ultimately take the load off of his shoulders. As a long time employee and department head at MSHS, Bill Shaw will be a great reference for future employers.
         The low of my semester has definitely been in regards to the amount of sleep I get in a night. I need to learn how to better balance my daily activities. Because I have two jobs, and play sports recreationally and observe at the high school, I feel fortunate when I get 6 hours of sleep. I think six is a good number, but unfortunately, most nights are less than 6. Most of my immediate family has been biking as a sport since I was young. For my brother and I, our training would start to slip, we would make the excuse that there isn't enough time. He would remind us that there is always enough time, but other things may need to be sacrificed. His point is not that we need to ride more often, but as life gets busier, prioritizing becomes exponentially more important.  That being said, I could get a longer nights sleep if I was able to place sleep as higher priority than other things.

Linguistic Diversity

         Today Cory led the discussion from "Voices of Diversity" on linguistic diversity. His introduction to the discussion was spoken purely in Spanish. Based on his gestures and very minimal knowledge of the language, I was able to  determine that he was giving directions.  No one at my table was proficient in Spanish and we all sought out understanding from one another.  I tried to pick out words from what he was saying that could align with similar sounding words in English to make sense of the introduction. I was led astray though when he said a Spanish word that I thought was family, but was familiar. His introduction left me confused.
           It turned out that he was asking us to get out a sheet of paper and a writing utensil or a computer. The moral I took from this introduction is that a teacher cannot assume his students are making understanding of what he is saying. It is the teachers responsibility to assess understanding and reexplain as necessary. Cory reexplained the directions in English, a format the class was more familiar with. He assessed our understanding with the 'thumbometer", and accommodated to those of us who misunderstood. Teachers need to choose words and gestures carefully when working with English Language Learners. Because they can easily become confused,  common expressions that can be misunderstood should be avoided in the presence of an ELL.
            Unfortunately, through my dozens of hours of observing and assisting teachers at Bothwell Middle School and Marquette Senior High School, I have had no first-hand experiences working with students who speak anything but English at home.  And unfortunately, because the Preble trip was cancelled, I again have missed such an opportunity.  I do however remember building houses with a man named Jesus who spoke very little English. My father was his boss and I was his co-worker. Communication was almost entirely delivered through modelling processes. In the classroom, high-quality models would make the world of a difference for a student who struggles with the language that the lesson is being taught in.

Reading Strategies by Harry and Sarah

          Harry and Sarah's reading strategies lesson was on language and music. Their three reading strategies were shades of meaning, using the net, and response writing. To explain the difference between music from Erik Satie, Harry played parts of a traditional  piece from Motzart to to represent music which is more dramatic. When Harry played the piece from Satie, the simplicity of the piece was very apparent in contrast to the prior.  Playing the Motzart piece first was a vital key to my understanding of his goal, which was for us to categorize Satie's music piece as groundbreaking for it's time.
          For the after reading strategy, Harry and Sarah played a very unique video form John Cage called Water Walk. I wouldn't call what I heard and saw to be a form of music, but the sounds created did seem to happen in a rhythmic occurrence. The importance of the clip was not so much for us to be familiar with the works of John Cage, but rather to see the progression in music. When that piece was performed, it was cutting edge. Now it seemed to be more old fashion, and rather boring to my eyes and ears. Their lesson did what it set out to do by explaining how music  perspective can change drastically over time. Which brings us back to Erik Satie. Though the music to my ear sounded slow, it was quite abstract in comparison to what was critically acclaimed.
          As far as the reading strategies go, I felt the during reading strategy was a big strike-out. I read the article in search for words I was unfamiliar with and/or unsure of the pronunciation. By the time I finished reading the article, there were no words that qualified. And then Harry modeled how to use the website to find the definition and to hear the pronunciation. He struggled with the site as the words he searched were not in the sites database. That website however could make a great tool for a student learning a new language, so I was happy to have been introduced to it.

High School Observation

For some reason I could not get this artifact to be uploaded in the proper orientation. Nevertheless, here it is. This artifact is from a high school government class which I have been observing for my GC350 class.  This day was the start to a new unit of government class. The students were first asked to walk up to the board and place a tally mark under the classification which best described themselves with the options: Strong conservative, weak conservative, moderate, weak liberal, and strong liberal. after the tallies were all accounted for, the students answered true or false to the questions on the handout above. The class reviewed the answers which provided a 'more accurate' indication of where their tally should have been, left or right. As the teacher had anticipated, from both the conservative and the liberal side, the majority of students went from strong to weak, or even moderate. I too was surprised that, according to this very unofficial evaluation, that I was classified as a moderate. I asked the teacher the source of the eval and he said he believes it to be from the Youth Leadership Institute. After follow-up research, I assume he meant the Youth Leadership Initiative. I did not like how he introduced the topic of political parties. I don't see the reason why students would need to  use an informal measuring devise to determine where their political views fall. Furthermore, I don't think it is necessary or appropriate for a teacher to ask a student what his or her political opinions are nor should he ask the students to inform the class where they are on the political spectrum. 

Religion and School

           Harry and Trevor's lesson on religion in schools started off by ensuring we are aware of the first amendment, which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...". The implications of this amendment is vital for teachers to remember because, as teachers,  we are representatives of the state and federal governments. The term Proselytize is used to define teaching religion in an effort to convert or dissuade students. With that term in mind we were asked to discuss whether or not we thought it appropriate to let your students know, as the teacher, what religion you are. Personally, I would not let my students know that I am an Atheist because in its very nature, Atheism can be very offensive. For others, if the conversation presented itself, it could be a good opportunity for a teacher to say, "hey, this is my religion. It is one of many. None is wrong. I find it important for us to accept and appreciate the views of others. Religions are our views, not a definition of who we are ". There is a fine line between what would be considered  to proselytize and to not, and that depends on how the information is presented.
           Harry mentioned the importance of, when planning celebrations in a class about any holiday, religious or not, to keep in communication with parents. Specifically he mentioned Mother's Day and brought up the point that not all children have a mother in their life. I guess that goes to say that sensitivity to diversity, religious or any other form, needs to be considered when it comes to celebrations in class. A child could be offended by something that the teacher never even considered could possibly offend someone.

Reading Strategies: Science Lesson

         Steven and Shane taught a lesson on science labs. The lesson started with reflection on the things most memorable to us about science classes from high school. The thing that I remembered which was unique from other students' memories were all of the errors that needed to be accounted for (besides human errors). Steven and Shane had us read through the introduction, objective, materials, and safety procedures of the lab, underlining the words which we had questions about or that we found pertinent for any other reason. We then turned to our table mates to discuss our findings and ask each other questions. I didn't find this strategy to be very helpful for understanding, but perhaps it would have made a difference if my table mates were more familiar with the material and were able to answer questions.
        The teachers went on to answer questions and provide definitions to the objective words from the lesson. This helped clarify what we were going to be doing in the lab. After the clarification, we were shown several images of the materials that we will be using which helped us gain a better understanding of what objects we will use.
       We then read through the procedure.  At this point, I still don't know what reading strategies the teachers were teaching. Again, we are asked to read, underline, and circle key words from the procedure. This made more sense because the procedure was more straight forward. I found myself circling quantities and underlining other information. I found it easier to quickly recall the numbers when they would be needed. We tried to devise 'jobs' within our group, but had difficulty finding 4 different group member roles. I think this step of the lesson needed more direction, otherwise some of the students will be 'following the leader'.
        The third strategy was 'Making Connections' and the moral of this strategy was to simplify the information that was presented. Also, the teachers made connections between the lab procedure and real life experiences which helped remind us as students that while we may never again do this lab or any chemistry lab, we learned skills which will later be beneficial.

Sexual Orientation

During Addy and Angela's lesson from Voices of Diversity on Sexual Orientation, we were shown the Kinsey scale. This was the first time I have seen a scale to help define a person's sexual orientation. 

          We were asked to assume the role of a number on the Kinsey scale in a conversation in a scenario: we were to react to overhearing a child come out to his father in public. This task was quite difficult; I was given a number 4. We were asked to engage in a the conversation from the standpoint of a person with a particular sexual orientation, but regardless of sexual orientation, a 0 or a 6 on the Kinsey scale could be equally accepting of the choices of others. That is to say, one's sexual orientation does not determine their opinions about the orientation of others. I feel the moral of this part of the lesson was to help teach us that we cannot make assumptions about people based on the things we perceive, nor does someone's tolerance to homosexuality label them AS a homosexual.
          From the standpoint of an educator, it is important to be open eared to students who suggest they might be having queer thoughts. The school counselor will be a great resource to converse with and to point those students to to discuss their feelings. In referring a student to a counselor, teachers need not 'dump' the load off on the counselor, but to remain as a person the student feels comfortable approaching.