I had such a positive experience this year in both the field and in my TE classes (well, most of them... haha). Spending time in the field taught me so much. I got such great experience in working with first graders. My TE classes did such an awesome job at accompanying my field experiences.
My favorite thing about your class, Gina, was roundtable. I really enjoyed being able to tell my colleagues about my experiences in the field, and our discussions helped me get through a lot of situations that I was faced with in my first grade classroom. Our discussion, and your extra research on abuse benefited me so much! It really helped me to handle the situation I was faced with when one of my students was sexually abused. I was aware of the behaviors that this student might express, and was then able to watch out for them. This greatly helped me out with knowing how to treat the student, without being overly protective of her. Thank you all so much for your help in this!
Not only did I have a great time this year, but I also feel that I worked really hard in becoming prepared for my Internship. I am so excited for next year, and despite how I felt at the beginning of the year, I actually feel prepared! I am so thankful for my experiences this year, and I wish all of you luck in your Internship!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Such a Great Feeling!
Today in my placement, I had such an amazing thing happen to me! As soon as the first graders got in from recess, my CT explained to them that she was going to put in a movie about bullies. Last semester, Cassie and I each taught lessons on bullying to our students, so they already had some background information on the topic. We taught the students what a bully was, and also told them that the person who is being bullied is called a target. In my part of the lesson, I used roleplaying activities in which one student acted as the bully and the other the target. I had the students act out how they would handle the situation in a polite and non-harmful manner.
Right as my CT started the movie, one of our students that was sitting near me said, "Miss Booth, the person who is getting bullied is called a target!" I said, "That's great! Who did you learn that from?" The student smiled and said "From you and Miss Knape, remember?" He then went on to tell me how much fun he had acting out the scenarios in my lesson.
After this incident, I couldn't stop smiling! It was such an amazing thing to hear- that my student found my lesson meaningful and that he still remembered the information I presented. It was such a good feeling to have! I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I can remember, and today only strengthened that ambition. I cannot wait to have more of these types of experiences throughout the rest of my life!
Right as my CT started the movie, one of our students that was sitting near me said, "Miss Booth, the person who is getting bullied is called a target!" I said, "That's great! Who did you learn that from?" The student smiled and said "From you and Miss Knape, remember?" He then went on to tell me how much fun he had acting out the scenarios in my lesson.
After this incident, I couldn't stop smiling! It was such an amazing thing to hear- that my student found my lesson meaningful and that he still remembered the information I presented. It was such a good feeling to have! I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I can remember, and today only strengthened that ambition. I cannot wait to have more of these types of experiences throughout the rest of my life!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Experience From The Field
Last week in my placement, I was able to sit down and talk with my CT for a bit about the Iowa test that my first graders were taking all week. I, personally, think the idea of first graders taking a week-long structured test is ridiculous, and my CT shared the same opinion. I observed the class on Friday, which was the last day of their testing and the students were very clearly drained and had shut down to any class work. My CT simply put in movies for the students to watch in the afternoon, rather than having them work.
I had the opportunity to look through the teacher's guide to the Iowa test. The thing that I was extremely surprised about is that the teacher can read the directions only once for the students. At such a young age, first graders need repetition. Reading the directions only once is in no way going to help the students to complete the test. My CT told me that this was the biggest aspect of the test that the students struggled with.
Finally, my CT told me about one of the students breaking down during the test. One of our students who is an absolute perfectionist started crying during a portion of the test because she didn't know what to do. She was so upset that she ended up going home early in the day and not completing that portion of the test. This is an awful experience for a child so young because from here on out, that student will more than likely have high anxiety about all the structured tests she will have to take in her future.
I am curious to see what you all think about structured tests like this for students so young.
I had the opportunity to look through the teacher's guide to the Iowa test. The thing that I was extremely surprised about is that the teacher can read the directions only once for the students. At such a young age, first graders need repetition. Reading the directions only once is in no way going to help the students to complete the test. My CT told me that this was the biggest aspect of the test that the students struggled with.
Finally, my CT told me about one of the students breaking down during the test. One of our students who is an absolute perfectionist started crying during a portion of the test because she didn't know what to do. She was so upset that she ended up going home early in the day and not completing that portion of the test. This is an awful experience for a child so young because from here on out, that student will more than likely have high anxiety about all the structured tests she will have to take in her future.
I am curious to see what you all think about structured tests like this for students so young.
Basal Reading Programs
After learning a bit about Basal reading programs, my feelings about them are not all too positive. I believe that the intention of creating an organized program to help children with their reading is a good idea, but the limitations outweigh the positives in my opinion.
My biggest problem with the Basal reading programs is it does not allow for different-level readers in the classroom. It is extremely rare that all of your students will be on the same exact reading level as one another, which is what the Basal reading programs are designed for. I like the idea that is talked about in the Tompkins book about teachers trading with other grade-level teachers to accommodate their different-level readers, but this might not always be possible to do in the school. It is extremely important that teachers are able to accommodate their different-level learners, and the Basal reading programs do not allow this in all circumstances.
Other problems that I have with these scripted reading programs is the over-usage of worksheets and the fact that the students do not have a change to practice their reading orally. Too many worksheets seem to hinder the students' motivation and progress in the classroom. Worksheets may become boring for the students, which is what I see all the time in my field placement. Also, not being able to orally practice their reading will not help the students improve their skills whatsoever.
If I had to use one of these scripted reading programs in my own classroom, I would try my hardest to trade books with teachers of different grade levels to accommodate my students. If this was not possible, I would do all that I could to improve my students' reading skills while using the scripted program.
My biggest problem with the Basal reading programs is it does not allow for different-level readers in the classroom. It is extremely rare that all of your students will be on the same exact reading level as one another, which is what the Basal reading programs are designed for. I like the idea that is talked about in the Tompkins book about teachers trading with other grade-level teachers to accommodate their different-level readers, but this might not always be possible to do in the school. It is extremely important that teachers are able to accommodate their different-level learners, and the Basal reading programs do not allow this in all circumstances.
Other problems that I have with these scripted reading programs is the over-usage of worksheets and the fact that the students do not have a change to practice their reading orally. Too many worksheets seem to hinder the students' motivation and progress in the classroom. Worksheets may become boring for the students, which is what I see all the time in my field placement. Also, not being able to orally practice their reading will not help the students improve their skills whatsoever.
If I had to use one of these scripted reading programs in my own classroom, I would try my hardest to trade books with teachers of different grade levels to accommodate my students. If this was not possible, I would do all that I could to improve my students' reading skills while using the scripted program.
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