As I have learned through experience, diverse classrooms full of “windows and mirrors” are the best learning environments for me. By having different perspectives, or windows, in a classroom, it enables students to glean from various experiences. Mirrors, or similar people with similar experiences, are also important to have in a classroom setting so that students can relate to each other and feel comfortable. Over the years of my school career, I have found myself stuck seeing many windows, and not many mirrors, due to lack of diversity in the schools I have attended, but once given the opportunity to learn in a more diverse classroom, my experience improved dramatically. In Emily Style’s “Curriculum as Window and Mirror” she states, “sometimes when we hear another out, glancing through the window of their humanity, we can see our own image reflected in the glass of their window. The window becomes our mirror!” (1). This metaphor proved to be true this past summer of 2017, when I took a U.S. History course at Stone Ridge. Although the class itself was not the most enjoyable, the people in the class made it more pleasant. About one third of the class was black, which has been very rare for me in the past. When the class got to certain discussions like the “Black Church” or different civil rights movements, the black students in the class were given the opportunity to chime in and share relatable experiences. Not only were we engaged with the material, but we were also able to see “mirrors” in each others’ lives and other students were able to see “windows” in ours’. This rare occurrence helped me participate in the class, which can generally be a hard thing for me to do. Hearing my peers’ similar experiences was helpful in seeing that there are people at Stone Ridge who have had comparable experiences to mine. In addition to seeing mirrors in the class, it was also nice to see a variety of windows in the class. One day, we got into a discussion about racism and stereotyping, and in that conversation, everyone was able to share their opinions. It was interesting hearing the perspectives that were different than mine. This equal balance of windows and mirrors, not only with my classmates, but also in the
My time spent in the Clinical setting, so far, has been extremely inciteful as to how to become a better educator in a classroom setting. Through the data I collected I was able to connect Borich’s Seven Variables of learning to the students. By being in the clinical setting for nearly two months, I have been exposed to new ways of thinking when it comes to structuring a classroom and instructing a classroom. Within this reflection you will find out how I would better plan an effective lesson for the pupils in my future classroom. You will also discover what I will do about certain issues in the classroom and how I will address/fix them.
Meeting the needs of diverse learners has not been a simple task. An incredible amount of time and energy has been spent in creating a culturally responsive classroom. As stated in the literature review, reflection has been a critical component of creating such culture. As a white female and a product of the upper-middle class, I was quickly forced to apply my knowledge of cultural responsive pedagogy when I accepted a position teaching a Title-1 school with over 90% of students representing various minorities in Metro Atlanta. I swiftly realized that my students and I derived from different backgrounds, but I knew I had to make learning relevant and develop personal connections with my students.
Before class even began, there I was, making predictions about how this group of students were going to act during class – it was clear from the beginning that they knew how they were to present themselves in that class. As the students came into the classroom, the teacher greeted them all individually, fist bumping some, inquiring about the personal lives of others. It was a very pleasant environment; the students were courteous to their teacher and upon getting to their seats immediately opened up their books to where they left off last class and started setting up their Chromebooks for their reading journals. The teacher then inspired this demeanor in other students by telling students who were trickling in at the last minute to follow the example of their classmates who already had everything out and ready to go. In addition to verbal responses to and reminders of positive behavior, she reinforced this behavior in her students through posters around the room that detail the behavior she and they should expect to see in the classroom.
In the state of Texas, to ensure that children are properly retaining the information taught in school, it is suggested that teachers use different instructional methods in the classroom. This way, a lesson can cater to a larger group of students rather than just a small portion of them. By creating a more inclusive lesson and environment, students are more likely to be interactive in class discussions. They will also show better results when their knowledge is tested, because of the visual, kinesthetic, and auditory connections made from meeting their learning needs. The learning styles that I witnessed teachers use in their classroom to create this effect involved group work, visual aids, and auditory readings. My interest for finding the best learning methods teachers can use, to reach more students comes from a personal connection to the topic. Being diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, I remember being taken out of the classroom to work on phonics and develop my reading skills. What I did not remember and wanted to see in observations, was when I was put back in the general classroom, specifically English, what did teachers do to make sure I was able to grasp the lesson. While I know teachers were not specifically teaching to my learning needs, they did read aloud and have handouts that helped feed into my understanding. Taking the information from observations and personal experiences, I wanted to research the linguistic learning that takes place in English classrooms and how it can connect to visual learning, auditory learning, and other styles of teaching that could be beneficial to students.
one. Ms. Cochran starts with having all students stretch and prepare for their activity. For the most part her activities involve working collaboratively in groups. The students are allowed to interact differently with one another compared to the classroom. Students are free to yell at the top of their lungs and run around without being punished. The students seem to interact more with each other in this class. I think overall this class requires and needs student to be interactive in order to be successful.
1. After it was all said and done, the presentation was a success in the fact that a good sample of the technology was out to all. The slides appeared to be in a good order that flowed well with the presentation. It was simple and straight forward, and it was in keeping with the technology that I was presenting. Interesting and not so much boring. I like the video clip of the technology that I was presenting. It was a good length and clear audio that was easily understood at the back of the class.
This learning experience supported the science content area physics. It provided the children with opportunity to collaborate as a group to work together to problem-solve. My focus for this lab was to build and construct ramps and pathways in the outside play yard. I implemented technology by letting the children watch a YouTube video about constructing ramps and pathways to generate new knowledge about the activity. They used marbles to travel down the ramps, while recycled bottles and PVC piping were used to make bridges and underpasses. I planned this lesson to connect to some of the children’s prior knowledge about using this type of track. When the children began using the tracks in the outside play yard they chose to put their ramps off landscaping rocks. This gave them the ability to secure the ramp at the top as well as the ability to build bridges and underpasses on the ground. This activity immediately ignited their language such as, “let me try this, I have an idea, what about this, how about if we do this” which demonstrated that the children were engaged in the inquiry process. The learning standards this activity supported was; 3.2 PK.B.1 Explore and describe the motion of toys and objects. AL.1 PK.A Explore and ask questions to seek meaningful information about a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.
Education is the key to many doors. The way one uses that education allows for many different doors to be unlocked. The student I am today and will be in the future is a direct result of my journey through different doors into who I am no. Whether it was procrastinating throughout high school, studying hard in college, or planning courses for a new semester, each choice is a door leading to the next room.
During this out-of-the-classroom activity, I chose to attend 1 Million Cups. This is a free, weekly national program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs. 1MC is developed by the Kauffman Foundation with different foundations located across the country in order to inform and inspire current or future entrepreneurs. The two speakers that presented during the session on Wednesday September 27 were Jenn with Next Gen Summit, and Simeon Talley with Rad Incubator.
Similarly, when I am able to co-facilitate the Doctoral Consortium at the Organizational Teaching Society Conference I often get feedback such as the following quote related to my workshop presentation:
LP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 are evident in this teaching session.
The purpose of this analytical review was to observe two different classroom environments and examine the setting in relation to promoting collaboration as well as promoting high expectations for learning success. As I observed an inclusive classroom and a self-contained classroom for an entire school day, I witnessed many teaching approaches that worked well for students and benefitted their learning experience and success, such as station teaching. I also noticed approaches that did not work well and realized how important it is for co-teachers to plan effectively. Based on research based evidence and practices both classrooms will be compared and suggestions for improvement will be highlighted.
On November 11, 2017 I attended the Victoria Crossroads Council for Math Educators from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This event is hosted twice a year, once during the Fall semester and once during the Spring semester. The conference is hosted by Dr. Barba Patton and Dr. Teresa LeSage Clements. Students in the education program at UHV in Victoria and Katy, come together to present and teach lessons on Science and Math. There is a morning keynote speaker, a lunch speaker, and a closing ceremony speaker the speakers are individuals involved in the field of education that present on topics regarding education.
This semester has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride for me, but with many, many more highs then lows. My first semester in the College of Education, has reaffirmed what I originally believed; I was meant to be an educator and I want this more than anything in the world. At moments, I was scared to follow through or was discouraged, but other moments in the Cohort and in the classrooms, are moments that stay with you for the rest of your career. I can honestly say that every day I was in the classroom with my kids and supporting them during their educational journey was a highlight, but one specific highlight comes to mind when looking back. While I was always there helping the kids out and supporting my teacher mentor, I was given my
While reading through the innovations and strategies offered in the sections entitled, “Structural Innovations” and “Innovations to Improve Academic Learning,” I was able to reflect on my current teaching style. Consequently, I reexamined the areas of class size, the implementation of a school uniform, creating spatial competences, and the utilization of technology in the classroom. Each of these strategies has the potential to increase my students’ success.