Context for Learning
This week please share what you have learned about the students in your classroom. Use the TPA Context for Learning form and information you have gathered to acquaint us with your learners and classroom community. Remember to respond to each other.
posted by Chris @ 10:31 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
This being my fourth week in the classroom I feel that I am really getting to know my students. It is so interesting to see all the different personalities and interests of the kids. One of my assignments from my cooperating teacher is to write something about each person every day. I think this is a great way to get to know my students and their needs and also their strengths. It also helps me monitor the students and I highlight anything that needs following up or needs to be monitored. I have also been filling out the context for learning form. My classroom is called a ‘multi-level’ classroom where each student is at their own instructional level and their work is modified to their level so that they can make progress. It is very interesting as there are never any whole group lessons but the students are working on centers and know where they are at. There are 10 girls and 9 boys. We have already had one student leave and two new students come, since I have been here, which is common as we are on a military base and so people come and go a lot. There are two students identified as Ells’ but they are still quite proficient in English. They both speak Spanish and English at home. A number of other kids speak Spanish as a second language as well. There are two students with IEPs and I had a meeting with the special education teacher to discuss the modifications and accommodations for them. We also have two students that are in the process of seeing if they are eligible for special education. Every student has their strengths and something to give to this classroom. We emphasize respect and leadership in this classroom and I feel that we have a very positive classroom community. The students usually ask one of their peers for help first and they are always willing to help their friends. I hope you all had a great weekend!! We stayed in Bamberg and it was nice to just relax and explore the city a little! :)
I have a rather small class of 16 students in my second grade class. I have 10 boys and 6 girls. They are at all different learning levels as I am quickly learning. I adore them because they all have the purest heart. About 28% is on free lunch and 11% on reduced. They are at the lower levels of the socioeconomic status. We have 2 IEP students. They are pulled out for reading. We also have 2 ELL students. Ones main language is German and the other Spanish. However they are all learning Spanish and German, which I am jealous of. The school is K-6 and has about 600 students. It is difficult because students are constantly getting pulled out and added to classrooms. We are currently going through the process of getting one of our students an IEP for behavior. This is great experience for me, although it can be frustrating. All of my students seem to have a love for school, learning and each other. This is wonderful because it is much harder to teach someone to love learning than it is to teach them the actual content. So far everything is going well and I am enjoying spending time in my class.
Filling out the context for learning was quite different for me this semester than it was last. Being in Colfax last semester we didn't have any cultural or language diversity in our classroom what so ever. Coming to Germany has been great for that aspect, among many others. We have 3 ELL students and 3 with IEP's. Accommodations for these students are made both in our classroom as well as with the specialists that they see 2-4 times a week, depending on the student. The students are given additional support on their daily tasks in our classroom from me, Mrs I and additional aids that visit our classroom for short periods of time daily. The support out of the classroom is what I've seen seems to help their improvement with language functions the greatest.
As for our students with IEP's, I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to attend a preliminary meeting with the parents to set up one of their IEP's. It went very much like the mock IEP meeting we did in Wade's class. I felt prepared for the meeting after just the first few minutes. I had appropriate commentary available and knew the jargon that they were discussing.
Our classroom is based on centers. We do them both for literacy as well as in Math. I just mentioned to Mrs I that I really enjoy this part of our classroom. With only 4 students working on each specific task at one time it is easy to give them quick one on one instruction. Some of the tasks are less complicated than others allows about half of the classroom to work without needing much support while you can give your attention to the others. Four of them are on the computer playing various appropriate games/reading that we have assigned for the day and four of them are making a craft that matches some sort of theme, holiday or idea that we are learning about. (which is great for meeting the fine motor development standards!) These students don't need much support so I am able to help the lower level students who are struggling to write and read when they need it.
I have already learned so much about each of these students and can't wait to see what else they will teach me these next few months. From learning to deal with behavioral/IEP issues to very beginning student learning levels, I know this experience will be invaluable to my career.
Haley, one thing that Carol and I were discussing is how difficult it is to continue teaching and keep everyone on tracks with students constantly being pulled out of the classroom as well! I think that they are receiving much needed and helpful support but it seems to be very disruptive as well.
Many of the people who come to get them from our classroom have a hard time locating the child in the group so then you have to stop teaching, find him or her and then get back on track. Every second counts in first grade and even if you waiver from giving them attention to something else you have the chance of losing their attention...which is scary!
I'm wondering how we could ensure that this problem doesn't persist?
Sophia, I really like the assignment your teacher has given you. I think I might start doing that as well. It is a quick way to keep an ongoing record on each student. Our days get so busy that by doing this you will have something to refer back to if you start to see changes in their behavior or development!
In our classroom we chose two students a week to focus on. We create a small list for the two and identify ways in which we can give them a little extra support. Its not major things, just little ways that we can help those students. Every little bit helps so I've seen this to also be very successful. Let me know how your journaling of students goes and I will too!
One thing I have learned about my students this far is that they are extremely varies in terms of personality and also very unpredictable. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have been hit with a pretty even wave of “good days” and “bad days” to this point. The difference in days is primarily based around how my students respond to my teaching. For reasons I am too inexperienced to explain, the students can be angels one day, even if I don’t feel my lesson is as engaging as I would like it to be, or they can be, well, something less than angels on other days, when I feel my lessons are more engaging. It is simply something I am still growing into and I believe the same goes for my students as they adjust to my differences in teaching.
I have three students who are on the autism spectrum which adds a kick to each day. I had had no prior experiences with autistic students and feel safe in saying that it shows. While still trying to do the best I can with them in the classroom, I often find myself asking Monica for help with difficult situations. For example, I have a student who becomes very flustered when a change in the “normal” schedule is made. Now, for someone like me who suffers from a disease called “lack-of-clock-awareness-itis,” it is difficult to stay on a strict schedule and therefore am changing around the daily routine quite a bit in my early goings. This particular student, upon my change, will run up to the front of the class yelling and crying. While I can defuse the situation somewhat, this is an instance in which I typically have to ask for Monica’s assistance as she specializes in autistic students.
While I feel that my hands are full in the classroom, I am thankful that I am able to go through this experience with a veteran teacher who is great at walking me through certain scenarios and helping me overcome these inevitable obstacles. So far, so good.
Thanks for the responses. Kimmi, I appreciate that you took the time to respond to two other entries. That's the goal for everyone. :)
Understanding who you are teaching and accommodations you have to make is the foundation for good teaching. I think you are learning that! Thanks.
Every time I think about the TPA, a strange sensation comes over me where I feel like hitchhiking my way to the nearest train station and jumping on the first one that will take me anywhere but here. I have a feeling this sensation will only grow stronger in the coming weeks.
The context for learning is actually a valuable bit of information to complete. While I have struggled to keep it under 2 pages, the wealth of information I have discovered about our school through completing this portion of the TPA has been beneficial.
I think the honeymoon has officially ended with my students. They have become littler chatter boxes. It is OK though. I spent abnormally large portion of my college career watching The View, so I'm used to unnecessary conversation. It could be that they are growing used to me. Or they could just be tired of listening to the guy with the plugged up nose, coughing in front, while he tries to teach a lesson. It is a toss up.
Thanks for all the well wishes guys. It really means a lot. I've drank almost a quarter bottle of NyQuil last night, just because I thought it would do double the work against my sneezing, coughing, and congestion. Kimmi's Vitamin C suggestion has also been a life saver. A true mother hen.
Looks like Old Man Winter has reared his ugly head here in Germany. A cold wind blows from the North Sea. What I would give for a Pineapple Express.
Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. I promise to do better next week.
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