Transitions

In Kass' class, transitions are predictable both in the schedule and the rituals. Chimes are used to get the students' attention and directions are given to finish up work. Shortly thereafter the technique that includes raising one finger and saying "If you hear my voice, give me a one...if you hear my voice give me a two..." is used. Students raise their fingers and support others to attend. Directions are then given. If the group is coming together but not yet settled the two fingers raised technique (peace sign) is used to bring the attention back to the teacher. If a student is disruptive Kass simply will stop and wait, peers will redirect the student to attend or they will see that all are waiting. Verbal redirection is sometimes needed for individuals yet it is done in a calm, quiet, even patient way. In most instances the student is being told what to do instead of what not to do.

I find that when I am teaching and Kass is not in the room, like this past week when there was a substitute, the students were just a bit louder and a bit less attentive. They were easy to redirect and capture with a bit of individual attention.

When direct teaching I am clear on what we will be doing, how long it might take and what my expectations are for behavior. This seems to help them to frame this time, especially if there is something fun happening after the lesson. Peer support and personal responsibility are encouraged for supporting both the academics as well as the behavior of the students. With this in mind I am able to redirect if necessary with statements like, "What can you help_____ with so he/she can focus?" Or, "What do you need from ______ so you can focus?" They both hear the answers and can support each other to stay on task.

In classrooms with younger children I have used singing to transition yet I am following the routine esablished in this classroom. It is effective and developmentally appropriate, especially for the second graders, to expect that they support each other versus relying on an adult to manage their behavior. I enjoyed the singing and in the future I could see myself doing chants with this age group versus a song.

Teaching and Classroom Management

The week of September 13th was full of variety.

We had our first Seminar and Literacy class. It was nice to hear how everyone is doing at there internship placements. It seems we are all settling in and Jessica has a fresh start with a new placement. Good luck everyone and keep up the hard work.

Back in the classroom:

When I arrive in the afternoons I double check that I have everything at hand for the lessons I will teach after lunch time. There are many details to pulling off a simple lesson and even with careful thought I sometimes miss something, like the highlighters needed for a lesson last week. Luckily, they were easy to grab. Each time I do a lesson I feel that it is easier in terms of the management of the information and the directions given to the students. I am trying to balance how much direct instruction (conveyance of concepts and directions of how to do the independent work) I give before sending them off to do the hands-on part of the lesson. Kass conveys concepts, models in detail what is expected for a given activity and then items needed are laid out ready for the students to collect. The children see and are talked through what is to be done. Often times we match up Youngers (1st graders) with Elders (2nd graders) to complete a task. This is a focus for classroom management as well as community building and responsibility for oneself and others. They offer support and ask for support from each other before looking to the teacher. This creates a resource based "I Can" attitude.

This week the Primary Classes had their Open House. The three teachers had a slide show that illustrated what a day in the life of a primary student looked like. The teachers took turns describing Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop and the Math program. Questions were fielded and then the group of parents went into the individual classrooms. Kass introduced me and then oriented parents to the physical aspects of the room. Each family received a packet of information that included a written overview of the classroom activities, a classroom schedule, reading strategies, writing strategies, a handwriting alphabet, critical thinking questions and a list of logistical things like birthdays and student of the week. There are two Parent Coordinators for the class who support volunteer needs. One of the coordinators spoke about volunteering in the classroom and the philosophy of shared responsibility for the whole class not just their child. This event culminated with parents trying to find their child's "chair person". This was an exciting project where the kids made a representation of themselves that fit on the back of the chair. They placed themselves randomly around the room. Parents were to try and find their paper child and take them home. This was a fun way to end the evening.

I feel like I am teaching all afternoon now. This is good for me because the more I teach the easier it becomes. I find my flow and the children are becoming more responsive and respectful.

• I still get to read to the larger group once a week for 30 minutes.
  
• I am still doing Yoga each day for 15 minutes. I am mixing up the routine to create some variety, I am asking them to focus on slowing their breathing down. There are three 6th graders joining us now. One of these students may benefit from doing yoga and the other two are there to support him. The primary students want to be more involved in modeling the poses. I will try to work this in next week.
• I am teaching most of the Math unit now. These lessons usually last about an hour, including direct instruction and independent or partner activities.
  
• I taught the Elders during computer time. I modeled the log in process, launching Kid Pics and using the tools to make a penguin drawing. I felt I kept the instruction to a minimum as many of them have experience using Kid Pics. I then monitored for individual success. Ultimately, they will save and print their penguin drawing yet, for now the 30 minutes was for practice only.
  

I look forward to this coming week. Kass has two afternoons with a substitute so that she can complete her DRA testing. The substitute is a retired Chugach Optional Primary teacher. I feel lucky to be able to work with yet another master teacher!

My Thoughts on Professionalism

My thoughts in regards to professionalism in the field of teaching are wrapped around the elements of conduct, values, and competence.

I believe first impressions are important, thus, the manner in which a teacher conducts herself is significant. Proper dress, posture, hygiene and a caring, calm, open personality speak to students, parents and co-workers about her personality and what is important to her. Life style choices like exercise, healthy eating and personal interests model her positive values.

Secondly, a professional teacher creates relationships that are appropriate to the environment. Knowing the nuances of the student's life without getting too involved is a balancing act that requires an understanding of boundaries and a sensitivity and an understanding as to how their lives influence their learning potential.

Last and most importantly is a teacher's ability to communicate what she is teaching, how it is taught and why. Parents, students and co-workers want to know that she understands all the elements of good teaching, from developmentally appropriate teaching for each student to interventions necessary for individual learning.

I have excellent models at Chugach Optional of these three elements in action. For instance, Kass is approachable, available and attentive. These professional attributes reflect a competent master teacher.

Exceptional Week of my Internship

Being it is Thursday, and Chugach has an early release tomorrow, I am writing now about my week. Topmost on my mind is the transition from a full day to a half day and not being there on Monday at all. I do feel I miss things like the Connected and Respected lessons that I will want to model and support. Reading groups are just getting started after Kass has taken the first few weeks to get to know the students as readers. I will also miss the progression of calendar.

I have continued to teach in the afternoons. Yoga everyday and we share a 30 minute block of time to read to a group of kids from all three classes. I really enjoy this opportunity to read five or six books in a row, connecting with kids from the other 1-2 classes. I taught the whole group how to play and then make a game for our Penguin Math unit. I used the projector and screen. We do not have a smart board. The next day I led a math and science activity exploring water temperature around the world and then the whole group worked to get a bowl of water to 60 degrees. Penguins prefer 60-30 degree water. We had ice and hot water as well as a medium thermometer and a large display thermometer. This activity went well for all of us. No spills! Karen was able to see me teach yoga and transition to this math and science activity. I appreciated her feedback and look forward to her visiting more.

I have spent my mornings either at home working or in the classroom early. I went in today for the hour and a half planning block the team has together at 10:15. I want to spend time seeing other teachers as well as copying resources Kass has made available to me. Tomorrow I will go in for the morning time. An early release for Chugach means kids leave at 11:15 and staff then meet or have training, planning and prep time. They have a longer day each day of the week, banking time for these scheduled early releases on Friday afternoons. As a parent I appreciated this extra time with my children. Many families will go to the fair this time of year and, depending on the season, community members will often play together on these afternoons.

Next week I will likely go in early to watch Kass administer DRA tests. I will also take time to look through all of the students reading folders so I can see how to support and encourage them. We will continue in the afternoons with Penguin Math. Looks like I will mostly support whole group lessons with Kass so I can see her introduce lessons that in the future I can then lead.

I am collecting books from our librarian Alice and collecting titles from teachers so I can read more new books. At our planning meeting today Kass brought a resource that Alice gave to her. She really liked it, so much that she is planning on using it. The title is very descriptive of the product. "Creating 6-Trait Revisors and Editors for Grade 2", Vicki Spandel. This is actually the second book, the first is "Creating Young 6-Trait Writers" I am adding them to my Shelfari database here on my blog. Look to the top left hand corner of my blog to see the link. (Unfortunately, I can't figure out why, the neat display of a bookshelf won't come up.)

Speaking of Shelfari, this is an easy database to use if you don't already have something like this. All you do is enter the title and even old and obscure titles come up! You can create tags to sort books. To find the books on my shelf that I am entering for this internship just use the tag "hilary" in the list of tags at the bottom of my shelf. You can also befriend people and share books more easily.

I hope you all have had a nice start to your year of becoming a teacher.
See you in class on Monday.