Share one of the chapters or topics you have decided to read and outline--please include the following:
Why you decided on this chapter or topic Your goals regarding this topic/skill/or technique
Any AHAs or main points that you found of interest
Please click on comments to share your ideas
9 comments:
I chose Chapter 10 (Powerful Listening Skills) mainly because it seemed interesting to have an entire chapter on how to listen. Once I got into it though, I realized that sometimes I'm not the world's best listener. I can really picture it with my family or friends sometimes. Sometimes it is easy to get preoccupied with other things and "space out" during a conversation. Reading through this chapter really opened my eyes on being a better listener. I found that the main ideas of this chapter were:
1) Listen to others....and try to understand where they are coming from, giving them your full attention, 2) Be aware of a speaker and whether there are possible generalizations, deletions, or distortions in the conversation, 3)Avoid the most common listening mistakes, which include offering similar stories, giving advice, or taking it personally, 4)Body language is important to notice, but be careful and avoid falling into the trap that certain actions/body language definitely means a certain thing, 5)Overall, be respectful to the listener, and show compassion...ask for more details or clarity if needed. Students often are saying part of what they want to say, but won't just come out and say it. Often they must feel safe and need to trust you before completely saying what they want.
Chapter 7 – Lesson Planning
I chose this chapter for a couple of reasons;
1. It brought back memories of sitting in what ever college class it was that taught us how to write objectives. I am a graduate of UW-Stout. If I learned nothing else in college, I learned how to write objectives. Everyday in just about everyone of our teaching methods class our professors had us writing objectives. I realized that when I got out of college got my first teaching job, that a lot of teachers could not write an objective. When I was a first year teacher and I had to turn in lesson plans. The principle always made it a point to compliment me on how well the objectives were written. He would put them on overheads at staff meetings to show the rest of the staff. Very embarrassing.
2. I have become “one of those” teachers. You know the kind, has not changed anything for years, can walk in to the classroom the same time the kids do and pull something out of a file cabinet and call it a day. I don’t want to be one of those teachers. My first teaching job was at a school with absolutely no curriculum from which to go from. No books, no course outlines, nothing. Administration did not make him do anything because he had been there for ever. I built that program from ground up. Spent a ton of time doing it. I was very proud of that. I switched jobs, went to a different school district. The job that I took over was very well established. It was my intent to follow what he had established and change things as needed. Things went so smoothly that I had no reason to change. I got very comfortable in that situation. Too comfortable in fact. As I look more closely at what I have been teaching, it really is a good curriculum. I have been working at changing things, and the lesson plans and objectives are the first to be reworked.
The chapter was a good refresher when it came to talking about the 3 major learning areas(cognitive, psychomotor, affective). To me it is amazing what I forget and how quick it comes back. I liked the quote on page 90 about super-teachers always make room for the spontaneous to occur. Being structured but having room to be spontaneous. I would not classify myself as a super teacher, but I do find myself making room in lessons for what ever happens to come down the pike. I also found the "What's Changed?" found pg 88 because to be simple but true. I am guilty of lessons planned from teachers perspective: focus on content. I also found the subject on “accelerated learning” to catch my eye. To an extent I implement some faction of the ingredients to success in my classroom. With the exception to good aromas, I think my room is a good place to be. I think I do an OK job of touching on some aspects of each of the seven ingredients listed pg. 91 – 97. My down fall would be largest in the area of Learner Preparation and Conditioning . I am a self proclaimed dunce when it comes to recognizing and dealing with the subtopics in that area. The only one of those sub topics that I can even relate to is Ethics-Morality.
I chose Chapter 21- Discipline Made Easy. I always enjoy reading about preventative measures that I can incorporate into my classroom. I know that each year my discipline techniques change depending on the class but my philosophy and expectations stay the same.
My goal with this chapter was to get new ideas. I really enjoyed the Brain Based Ways to deal with discipline problems. It was nice to star the ones that I already do--made me feel like I was on the right track! The invisible discipline - the kind that no one notices. I am guilty at times of not being "invisible" and i think that I would make more of an impact on the students if I would take the time to try. It would make them less defensive.
This chapter will definately have a post-it in it for quick reference.
I chose chapter 22 (Relationships) because I have relationships with everyone in school. I have relationships with teachers, administration, students, and parents. I also have a very great relationship with my assistant. It's a lot of hats to juggle. I know I need to get better at making phone calls to parents. Email has made it easier to communicate in a faster mode. Sometimes it's hard to get out of the room to call the doctors and therapists of my students. I wish I could do this a little better.
The main ideas that I found were:
1. Building positive student-teacher relationships.
2. Evidence of rapport.
3. Encouraging student friendships.
4. The teacher-parent relationship.
5. Parent support for homework.
Actually the entire chapter is very important for success to occur. I like this chapter because I think it will help me incorporate some relationship skills and ideas into my teaching. I already do some of them but it's great to be aware of the importance of relationships and keep the ideas in the back of my mind. I'll be ready to use and implement them.
I agree with Jodi about chapter 22... I read that chapter because I teach a class on relationships and I thought I might find some useful things to share with students. It is a useful chapter as it is information that we need in all aspects of our lives, not just in teaching our students.
However, I am going to write about chapter 12, Learning activities and energizers because I have liked reading about other peoples different chapters and thought I would keep that going. I chose this chapter because I really feel the classroom environment benefits from students getting to know one another better and working together. I always begin each new class with a few days of energizers, getting to know you activities, and establishing the expectations that will continue throughout the semester. This takes a bit of extra time, but I feel the students, class and I all benefit from this in the long run. I think this strategy ties in nicely with the building relationships chapter!
The chapter gave good suggestions on many topics including student grouping. Many of the strategies I am already using, but it was nice to get additional ideas so I am not doing things the same way all the time. One suggestion I liked was to give students a note card and ask them to write down a few classmates they would like to work with. This gives the students some choice, but it gives the ultimate control to the teacher as they get to decide using the student suggestions. One thing I thought would be important to add to this is the name of anyone in class they feel they cannot work with. I feel it is equally important to know this information when putting students in groups as it can completely change the group dynamic.
The chapter also gave a ton of energizers. Many were good. They could be used as an intro activity or review. There are so many, I will not discuss them all, but I feel it may be worth your while to check out pages 171-180 to gain some new ideas. Some of my favorites included: Around the world, commercial breaks, frisbee review, my friend, rock/paper/scissors, and what's in the box?.
Chapter 8, The Learning Environment, has some interesting ideas on what to do with your room itself. It is a shame that this blog is not real amenable to pasting my outline, so I have settled for this format so I don't have to retype it all.
1. Environments can Teach
1.1 Positive relationship to the subject matter, a cool place to be,inform, etc.
1.2. Interactive, interesting, relevant are best
1.3. Change often to maintain this
2. Get Help - students etc to come up with change ideas
3. Room Prep - HOW DOES THE ROOM LOOK AND FEEL?
4. Be aware of Peripheral Stimuli
4.1 Positioning is crucial - front versus side; high, low, or eye level
4.2 Can use a communications area, inspiration area
5. Affirmation posters - Cool idea
Pick and do several of this p. 107, see also pp. 203-4 (THIS IS AN AHA!)
6. Use Color on the Whiteboard
7. Room Arrangement
7.1 Rearrange tables periodically and encourage students to rearrange themselves.
8. Seating for Success
8.1 Not having seating charts is a good thing - I've been doing it right always hated them except in special circumstances
8.2 Encourage students to switch seats regularly
9. The Sounds of Learning - Use music
Read Chapter 16
The number one key to becoming a successful learner is to develop positive relationships! I believe that with all my heart. It is what my teammates and I spend much of the first few weeks of the school year developing and much of each school day maintaining. Students need to feel safe, know that their basic needs will be met (food and clothing), feel cared for, and trust the adults in their world BEFORE one ounce of learning will take place. Too many of our students come from environments where parts or all of those needs are not being met on a regular basis. As teachers it is our job to make our students believe that when they walk through the school doors each morning we will provide those basics and often times more.
Chapter 22, entitled Relationships, reflects the basic premise of the Love and Logic (Jim Fay, Foster Cline, MD, and Charles Fay, Ph.D.) approach to discipline (an ideology to which I emphatically subscribe). Building a meaningful, positive relationship with others lays the groundwork for problem solving and resolution. It is not only necessary it is empowering. The first part of the chapter refers to some pretty basic components of relationship building (that I hope all teachers utilize). One thing I’d like to add to this chapter is the effectiveness of humor in any relationship. We laugh all the time, in our classroom with the kids as well as after school with each other. For us it’s not just a teaching tool, it’s a way of life. I could go on and on about the positive physical aspects of laughter and the direct psychological effect it has on every human being. The important thing is, laughter makes you feel good! Feeling good helps build relationships…after all if a person can make you laugh, they can’t be all bad, right? Our students are encouraged to find appropriate outlets for humor. My teammates and I joke that we don’t want anyone to find out how much fun we have in our classrooms or “they” won’t let us do it anymore.
I have chosen to summarize some points from Chapter 24: "From Surviving to Thriving". I'm noticing a theme in much of what I'm choosing to concentrate on in this coursework. I chose this chapter because I find that I feel fairly confident in many areas of teaching. This stems, I'm sure from having more experience now, from being an older adult with more life experience, from being a parent, and from having more educational opportunities to bring to my teaching. Although there are still student and learning challenges in the classroom--there are not very many, and most days run pretty smoothly. I have a terrific team of teachers that I work with and we have developed a system that works well for us.
Now I seem to be concentrating more on managing all that is on my plate more effectively. My goals revolve around how to do all the things I want to do for my students, but not get burnt out or exhausted. Oftentimes it comes down to organization and taking good care of myself. It includes being careful about the tasks I take on and keeping a balance in my life. In so doing, I can bring the best of me to my personal and professional lives.
Some of the main ideas in this chapter which I will turn into goals for me are:
1. In order to keep myself motivated and to recharge myself, I will plan a special personal highlight for myself each day.
2. I will set reasonable goals for myself and work to see them through to a conclusion.
3. I will give myself time to reflect in both my personal and professional worlds.
4. I will eat well, hydrate, and exercise regularly to maintain my physical health.
5. I will get enough sleep and take time for recreation during the school year.
6. I will continue my morning and evening sanctification times, even when I get busy/tired. These are times of appreciation for everything in my day.
Here is a big AHA moment for me--I am a recent empty-nester and it has been a big change for me. Although it did not come without tears, it has been a time of personal rejuvenation. It is a chance to take a look at what I'm doing for MYSELF in order to be the best person I can be and in order to give the best of myself to my world.
Post a Comment