Chpt. 15: Testing and failure

By Tiffany

We have been discussing the WASL in a couple of the classes we are in and I just thought this chapter was incredibly insightful with respect to that. You cannot judge a person based on how well they do on a test; it is not only inaccurate, but it also can be a way to discriminate. The author said that retained students were more likely to be members of a minority group or living in poverty. Of course this would be the case because tests are reflective of the WASP society and they are not differentiated. It is inaccurate to assume these students would benefit from the same teaching strategies as upper-middle class students do. I think this is why differentiated lesson plans fascinate me; I really hope to be able to incorporate it into my own classroom because it appears to benefit all students involved.

The author discussed the effects of failure on students. It was discussed that you “must encourage students to reach beyond their intellectual grasp and allow them the privilege of learning from mistakes.” This made me think back to the Zone of Proximal Development; the area between the student’s current level of development and the potential that they could achieve. It is something I think we really need to focus on as teachers, it is essential for us to find this zone. It concerns me because I am not sure how to find this zone exactly; I worry whether or not I will push my students to hard or not hard enough. I think the key is to not let them see their failure as negative. We can all learn from mistakes made by ourselves or even by others so teachers should that the opportunity to make a lesson out of a mistake. I thought it was helpful to read that we need to help students fail successfully. I know I have failed many times, but it was the times in which I reflected on my mistakes and learned from them that make me feel my failures did not define me. My hope is to guide all of my students through their failures and let something positive come out of it so as not to impact their self-efficacy.

My final thought was is that the author discussed feedback in this chapter and I think this has a lot to do with failures. If we want students to learn from their mistakes, we have to give them the opportunity to do so. A smiley face or a frowning face does not provide adequate feedback, so to make a point in explaining ways or opportunities for a student to improve is important. It is important to have high standards set in your classroom for everyone, but it is important that these standards can be reached, by everyone.

Chapter 12 Response to: Discipline and Management

by April

I can completely understand your apprehension with the first few days of school. Every year it's a brand new set of kids and you are starting all over. It's intimidating but it can also be exciting. You have a fresh chance! I love that! If I didn't do so well communicating with parents last year, I know that this year I have a new opportunity to do better! If I didn't set clear enough expectations last year, I know that I can try again this year. I think the key to those first few days is preparedness and organization. You need to have very clear ideas in your mind about how you want it to go. Things will come up and you may deviate from that a bit, but you must have a plan. Down time, slow transitions and teacher instructions that last way too long are all things that lead to classroom management problems, especially when everything is new. The text had some great ideas as I'm sure you saw.

I'm thinking back to how some of these things looked in my preschool classroom. The first day of school we always had name tags ready for students and materials set out for students to jump right in to a fun activity. Although after a few days our morning routine involved finding their name, putting it up to show they are "here" and getting a job for the day, we never started with that on the first day. The kids would enjoy a fun activity and then we'd all come together for circle time where we'd talk about finding our names and getting jobs and we'd talk about expectations and things like that.

Just know that kids can read you. Be confident, have fun and well prepared and you'll be great! And I know I've said this before, but confidence can be faked. Trust me, I do it all the time. I'm sure I'll be incredibly nervous for the first day of school, but I have no intention of letting my students or their parents in on that little secret!

Chpt. 12 Response to: Classroom Management

By Tiffany

I agree that this chapter had some good tips for us for when we get our own classroom. I agree 100% that people need to follow through on their threats (not harmful ones, that is). So many times I have seen both teachers and parents threaten to take something away from the child if they do not do what they are told. Next thing you know the child is doing it again and the same threat is being told. I don’t think many people give kids the credit they deserve. They may not have the wealth of knowledge that an adult has, but they are smart and they are very perceptive. Eventually they will come to realize that they can get away with anything and the next thing you know you have lost any potential ability to bring the child to respect you and your authority. I know as a teacher, I am going to be sure to follow through on anything I say. If I know it is not possible for me to follow through on, than I just won’t say I will do it.

Teaching is a very stressful job, but it is important to remember that these are kids. Yes, they may frustrate you and do things you feel are not okay. This doesn’t mean you should yell at them and give up on them. They need a nurturing environment to feel comfortable enough to learn and it is the teacher’s job to provide this. To provide this environment you need to listen to them, hear what they are really saying, not just what comes out of their mouth. Of course this is easier said than done, but I for one will strive to do my best at this.

Chapter 12: Classroom Management

by April

I thought this chapter had a lot of important tips for teachers regarding classroom management. I was relieved to see that I already did many of the "effective teacher" techniques in my past teaching experiences. I'm a huge believer that follow-through is one key in changing student's behavior. I've seen parents and teachers make empty threats that they would never follow through on and after a while, children begin to see that their adult won't follow through and they completely ignore instruction. For example, I remember at one point hearing a parent say, "If you don't come here right now, you will not have lunch today." Ok seriously, no parent (at least I hope) is actually going to deny their child lunch as a punishment. I also learned that if you choose to make heavy punishments, you had better follow through on them no matter how hard it is to do so. For example, we had a loft in my classroom and the rules were that it was only a place for resting quietly and reading. Toys were not allowed and standing was not allowed. My afternoon class continually chose to ignore my instructions and reminders and so I finally told them, "If you choose to take toys in the loft one more time, I will close the loft for the next two weeks." They did not follow my instruction and therefore they lost two weeks in the loft. For two weeks I listened to them whine and complain about not being able to go into the loft, but I had to be willing to follow through regardless. I always try to think of the possible consequences before I let students know how I'm going to respond if they choose to misbehave.

I especially liked the section about empathetic listening. It's easy to get frustrated with students when you are teaching because there are so many things going on at once and you are responsible for managing them all. I know how easy it is to react to students rather than listening and trying to seek the real reason for the problem. The example in the book about the boy who said he hated the book was a great one. That teacher could have done any of the wrong things listed on page 468, and I know I've done some of those things from time to time. In this example, however, the teacher asked questions and sought the reason behind the students response. Not only was she then able to help the student, their relationship was improved as the teacher showed respect for the student. I need to remind myself daily to slow down and listen and seek understanding so I'm not just reacting.

Chpt. 12: Discipline and Management

By Tiffany

There was a lot to take from this chapter, but I don’t feel I need to discuss it all. The one topic that did upset me was in regards to student discipline. The author stated that the lack of student discipline is one of the main problems schools face today and in the past. I think it frustrates me because as a teacher our hands are tied. For example, the student I worked with was known for hurting other students. However, if he was on top of a child, punching or kicking him, we were told to pull the abused child away and not touch the aggressive one. Why, you may ask? This is because his mother threatened to sue the school if we ever touched her son. How do we deal with this? I am sorry, but I feel if a child is hurting another child, we should be able to grab them to pull them off. What kind of society do we live in that we protect the aggressive children over the abused? This is a really sensitive subject to me because of what I went through in my past job. I know I am not the only one frustrated by this situation. No wonder discipline is lacking, we aren’t permitted to do anything.

The other topic that interested me was the whole beginning of the chapter, discussing the importance of classroom management. The one thing that I couldn’t help but think about was the importance of the first few weeks of class. My first day as a teacher (as I am sure everyone’s is) is going to be full of insecurities and stress. We won’t know what to expect and being in a new situation is always nerve-racking to begin with. Now on top of all of those original thoughts I had, I am going to focus on how important a smooth day is because it sets a precedent for the rest of the school year. I could have gone without reading that part, but at the same time it is important for me to know. I am going to make a point to mark this chapter for future references, as it had great suggestions on managing a classroom.

Chapter 11 Response to: Classroom Issues

by April

I thought it was interesting that we had almost opposite experiences with group work when we were young. You felt useless because some students took over. I felt stressed and overwhelmed because I, while also being shy, felt like I always had to step up and lead groups because other students wouldn't take any personal responsibility for the group work. In either situation, I think we've both brought out an important point, teachers have to watch over group work and ensure that it is benefitting all students involved.

I did think it was interesting that the text mentioned that independent work might be better for introverted and shy students. On one hand I completely agree with this. On the other, I ask, how do these students learn to cooperate with others? This skill is necessary for success in many and perhaps most jobs. In the classroom, teachers can provide for opportunities to learn this skill in a caring and supportive, noncompetitive way, before students enter the work force and have to cooperate for success.

I wanted to comment on the idea of a "comment box" but didn't in my original journal so I'm glad you brought that out. I've never seen it done so it was nice to hear of your experiences with it. When I read that I thought, "That's a great idea!" Of course, it does require that a teacher has thick skin. I'm guessing students will at times bring out things that they don't like about what the teacher does. A teacher has to be willing to accept criticism and be able to reflect and evaluate their teaching for the benefit of their students. I've always been sensitive and have never taken criticism all that well. But I've made it a point in the last few years (especially after facing upset parents) to be more reflective and open to criticism. Yes, I still take it personally more often than not and I do get my feelings hurt, but I'm determined to push through those feelings so that I can hear what others say and continue to become a better teacher, year after year.

Chpt. 11 Response to: Student Cooperation

By Tiffany

I really liked what you had to say about group work. I have many of the same feelings about it. I have seen many teachers, sadly, use group work as a way to get their other work done. This is unfortunate because group work can be extremely beneficial to students if used the proper way. Also, students do need to be instructed on how to work effectively together. I know I was never shown how to work with others and I do think it caused me to resent working in groups. It wasn’t until this program that I was able to see the benefit of working with others.

Finally, I do think that it “sucks” regarding students getting “the short end of the stick.” If group work is not successfully carried out than students may learn to label others. Some people do not know how to work with others and this could be the cause of their minimal effort in the group. Therefore, other students may not want to work with them and may resent them for something they do not know how to work with. Then you have the other end of the spectrum, the lazy students that just do not care. I think as a teacher, we need to be aware of all of the groups we create and to monitor them closely enough to make sure that everyone is benefiting from the group. Perhaps if one student does not work successfully in a group, you may want to have them work by themselves on occasion; just a thought.