Final Thoughts on Ed. Psych.

This has been a very eye opening semester for me. I really enjoyed this class a lot. I found the Monday night lectures to be very beneficial. It is always nice to do something out of the ordinary, as opposed to sitting in a classroom reading out of a textbook. Jim did a very good job making everything interesting. At the beginning of the semester I was skimming through my Woolfolk text, and I was just dreading the class because a lot of the reading was very boring. Jim made everything interesting, and I liked how he took different theories and applied them to everyday life. I like teachers who do that. It helps me immensely, because I tend to struggle when we do a lot of reading from the textbook in other classes, because I need a little more explanation than the text can offer. I never got bored in class either. I don't think I have had a class like that yet. :) This class has been such a great experience, and it has only made me more excited about becoming a teacher. I have already learned so many things from this class, and I know I will be using them in my classroom. :)

I-Movie projects

For ed. psych., we had to make an I-movie on an educational book of our choice. My group read the Freedom Writer's Diary. This was a really great book. It told the story of Ms. Gruwell, a first year teacher who is faced with a classroom full of racism, hate, and ignorance. She realizes that her goal for the year is to open up the eyes of her students, in regards to racism, and learning how to accept people who are different than themselves. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I liked listening to the other presentations as well. Some were kind of difficult to understand, and the videos were kind of blurry, but all in all I learned quite a bit. After seeing the presentations, I think I would like to read Last Child in the Woods. It sounded like an interesting book, and I think our society is running into a huge problem regarding the amount of time that children spend inside. Technology is taking over the classroom. Children are spending way too much time playing video games and watching TV.

As teachers, we can make a difference in our students' lives, and get them more acquainted with nature. We can have class outside, and integrate nature into our lesson plans. We can help our students become reacquainted with nature.

Click here to watch Freedom Writers I-Movie:

The "Dot" Activity

Last Monday night, we did a very interesting exercise. Doug had everyone close their eyes and we got a dot put on our forehead. When we opened our eyes, we had to "find our group," without talking or using any type of sign language. We automatically assumed that the group he was talking about was based on the color of the dots on our heads. But he never specifically said that. We were all tricked by this part of the activity.

Then, the we had to sit down in the lecture hall, based on what color sticker we had. The blues, which was the largest group, sat in the back. The reds, which were the middle-sized group, sat in the middle of the hall. The yellows, which was the smallest group, sat right in the front. Then we each got a plate of oreos, that were completely the wrong size for each group. My group, the blue group, only got 7 oreos for the 20-ish people in the group. The yellow group of three people got a huge plate of oreos.

Throughout the rest of class, our group in the back got ignored, while the groups in the front got their every need tended to. Doug tied this into the classroom, and asked us if we thought their was a correlation between a student's performance, and where they sat in the classroom. We all discussed that we though the students in the back sometimes got ignored, which gave them the idea that they didn't matter as much as the rest of the students. The ones in the back also talk out of turn more than the rest of the class. I kind of agree with this. It has been true in almost every class I have ever been in.

As future educators, we can make sure that the "kids in the back," never get forgotten. We need to make sure all kids get the same amount of attention, regardless of where they are sitting. If kids feel like they aren't getting any attention, or that they don't matter, they wont be as likely to perform to the best of their abilities. We can prevent this by making sure all kids know how special they are.

Some thoughts on "Chalk"

"Chalk" has been a very interesting movie thus far. The teachers are definitely all unique in their own ways! Mr. Lowery is a new teacher. He teaches history, and he is struggling to get the students engaged in learning. He does not do any interactive activities. Instead, most of his lessons are basically just reading word-for-word from a book. He also had a very difficult time keeping order in his classroom. However, I think he is slowly becoming a better teacher. He began realizing that if you bring humor into the classroom, the students will be able to relate better to what is being taught. He is getting better at teaching, but I think he still needs to find a better way to discipline his students.

Mr. Stroope is the social studies teacher. He has a sense of humor, and does a good job of engaging the students. He started out one class period by discussing what all the students did over the summer. He lets the students know that he cares about them. There is one scene when he confronts a student about her book bag being too heavy. It was a funny scene, while also showing how much Mr. Stroope cared for his students. I had mixed thoughts about him, because there is also a scene where he is telling two of his students to basically "dumb down" during class because they knew more about history than he did. I am still not quite sure what I think of Mr. Stroope.

I think the gym teacher, Coach Webb, is my favorite. She is really energetic, and does lots of fun activities with her students. She also mentioned how important it is to believe in ALL students, despite their physical capabilities. I wish my gym teachers would have been like that. I did not have much physical talent in grade school, and it would have been nice if the teachers would have treated me the way Coach Webb treated all of her students.

After seeing this movie, there is no question why 50 % of teachers quit in the first three years they teach. This is kind of sad to think about, because I think that teaching is probably one of THE most rewarding careers out there. You just have to find your own method of teaching that allows you to provide structure in your classroom, while also making it a fun, friendly environment.

11-10-08 Lecture

At our lecture tonight for Ed. Psych., we had three parents from the area come speak to us: Steve Becay, Rebecca Sullivan, and Mary Kay Lynch. Each parent discussed the characteristics found in teachers they considered to be the "favorites," and then also discussed those teachers they were not so fond of. All three parents shared most of the same ideas. They liked the teachers who expected a lot from their children. When Mary Kay's son was in school, he took part in Special Education. Something that she said bothered her, was when the teachers set such low expectations for her son, just because he had special needs. She would have preferred the teachers to have more expectations for him, instead of having the attitude, "Well what do you want me to do with him?"

Something that I noticed about the parents was that they are all on different levels of involvement with their children. Steve said that he rarely got involved with his son's schooling, unless he really needed it. Steve believed it was more important to let his children deal with their problems alone. Rebecca was extremely involved with her children's school experiences. She volunteered in the classrooms of her children as often as she could. She tried her hardest to do whatever she could to be involved with her children. Mary Kay was sort of in the middle. She wasn't constantly getting involved, but she always made sure to get involved when it was necessary. She also taught special ed., so she was more aware of everything going on in regards to her son's IEP.

I learned a great deal from these parents. All three kept stressing the point that teachers should NOT be afraid of parents. The parents simply want what is best for their children. I also learned that the most important thing is COMMUNICATION. When I am a teacher, I am going to try my hardest to make sure the parents are always aware of what is going on. I think my job as a teacher will be much easier if I have the parents involved.

The last thing that the parents have taught me, is to set high expectations for all children, regardless of the setbacks they might have. No parent wants to feel like a teacher is giving up on their children. I will make sure to set expectations for all my students, while also providing them with the appropriate tools needed for success.

I really enjoyed this lecture a lot. I learned so much!

11-3-08 Lecture

Wow! Never have I been more excited about becoming a teacher, than I was tonight. Tonight's lecture brought in three teachers who were Luther grads. There was a special ed. teacher, a choir director, and a fifth grade teacher. It was so awesome listening to the experiences that the three of them have encountered as teachers.

There were two things that I was really happy to hear. The first, was that all three felt very well prepared after graduating from Luther. I am kind of nervous to become a teacher, but it is nice to know that Luther will do a good job of preparing us. However, one teacher brought up the fact that we will NEVER be 100% ready for what we will encounter in the classroom. So much of successful teaching comes from constantly learning from everything that you encounter. Never let the bad things bring you down. Instead, look at the experience as a time to grow as an educator. I will carry that bit of advice with me forever.

The second thing that I liked hearing was that none of the teachers regret their decision to become an educator. All three of them said that teaching was a very rewarding experience, and although the money is not the greatest, you gain so much more. I am so excited to become a teacher, and I cannot wait to experience the rewarding feelings that they experience almost every day.

One last thing that I was happy to hear, was in regards to the lady who teaches special education. I am getting an endorsement in special ed., and I recently considered switching endorsements. She talked a little bit about the high demand for special ed. teachers. She said that only two people applied for the position in Decorah. This kind of assured me that I will more than likely be able to find a job pretty easily. I was glad to hear this.

I really enjoyed this lecture. Like I said, I left Olin feeling very happy and excited about becoming a teacher. :)

Ed Psych. 10-27-08

Tonight's lecture was based around the viewpoints of two school board members from Decorah Public Schools. I have to say that the majority of what was discusses was a bit over my head. I don't really feel like I will be able to relate to most of what was said, until I become a teacher.

I did; however, learn a lot of things about what school board members do. Before this lecture, I was not aware of the responsibilities of school board members. Mrs. Nelson said that the two main responsibilities of school board members are setting policies and hiring the superintendent. The school board plays a big part in school referendums as well.

I really enjoy the Monday night lectures, because it allows me to better understand how many people are involved in running a school. Like I said, this lecture was probably the most difficult to follow, because lots of rules and "legal" material was discussed. Although the majority of the information was over my head, I am really glad that I gained more insight into what it is like to be a school board member.

Oct. 6th to the 10th

This was a very busy week in Ed. Psych! On Monday night, we did a role playing activity. I thought it was quite interesting to listen to every one's opinions regarding the "school proposal." One thing that really stuck out to me, and really upset me were comments made by the parents of low achieving students. They were complaining about having conferences for their children several times per semester. They made some comment about how they would have absolutely no time to attend a meeting for their children. I was really upset by this, because as a parent, the children should be FIRST PRIORITY. My parents each have three jobs, and they made time for conferences EVERY SEMESTER, as well other meetings for my siblings and me. On the other hand, as future educators, I think that it is important to remember that we need to be flexible for all of those busy parents out there. Parents want to do everything possible to ensure the success of their children, but they also have a lot on their plate. I promise that when I become a teacher, I will do my best to work around the schedules of the parents, and go along with what is most convenient for them.

On Wednesday, we took IQ tests. This was quite amusing for me. I scored a 138, which is quite above average. It basically told me that I am brilliant. I don't think that is true. I looked around, and I noticed that everybody got really good scores. In fact, mine was one of the lower ones, and 138 is really good. I talked to Prof. Bruneau, because we are talking about Intelligence testing in one of my other classes. She says that the online IQ tests are not an accurate measure of intelligence. So I guess we aren't as smart as we thought we were. Just kidding :) I think that Dr. Langholz was just trying to prove a point, that IQ tests should not be the only basis for how much success one possesses. That means there is hope for me! I am not the most brilliant person, but I have a good personality. :)

I really do not think that we should base success off of strictly intelligence. There are so many things in life that require compassion and empathy, as well as intelligence. I can think of one such example. A girl that I graduated with is extremely intelligent. She is an elementary ed. major with a 4.0. But I can say with almost one hundred percent certainty, that she is going to be a crumby teacher. Her personality is very cold, and she is so smart that she has trouble explaining things to others, because most things come so naturally for her. On the other hand, I think that I will make a great teacher. I may not be a genius, but I have patience, and compassion, and empathy for kids who struggle, because I was one of them. I realize that nobody wants an idiot for a teacher or doctor, but we NEED to factor in their personalities as well.

Class Discussion for the Week of Oct. 29th

This week in Ed. Psych. was probably the most interesting so far. I really enjoyed the conversations we had, and the movie that we watched.

The discussion we had about the kind of music that children listen to was very interesting. I enjoyed hearing all the opinions regarding whether or not parents should control their children's music. I have always had the personal opinion that music does not have that great of an effect on children. I actually believe that parents have more power than the music does. If parents explain that the messages in songs, and that most of them are derogatory, hopefully the child realizes that they should not use these songs as basis for a lifestyle. Personally, I admit that some of the music that I listen to is very explicit, but it has never made me want to commit murder or become a whore. I think that it depends on what you want to get out of the music. If you are just looking for a form of entertainment, then the music will be harmless. But if you are looking for something to base your lifestyle on, and you turn to music for this, there is going to be lots of trouble.

In class, we also watched a clip from the movie "Thirteen." It was very interesting to see Tracy transform from an innocent thirteen year old, into a trashy troublemaker. I feel sorry for Tracy, because there were so many outside factors that contributed to her transformation. Her mom was a recovering alcoholic, who always seemed to busy for Tracy. She was also portrayed as "a cool mom," and those are never good. Parents need to realize that they cannot be their children's best friends.

Tracy was also peer pressured by Evie, and this caused her to commit acts that she probably never would have committed, had she not met Evie. Being thirteen is such an awful time. You are insecure, and trying to find out who you are. Most kids are fortunate enough to find good role models, but Tracy did not have that luxury.

I think that the movie "Thirteen" can send a message to us as future parents. We need to make sure that we are talking with our children, and making sure that they do not have to hide all their concerns and emotions inside them.

As future teachers, we can learn that we always need to be aware of what is going on. We talked about how in the movie, we rarely saw any teachers around. As educators, it will be our jobs to protect our students. That means we need to constantly be on the lookout for inappropriate and harmful behavior.

Opening Convocation 2008

Luther's opening convocation was held on September 4th, 2008. The keynote speaker was David Treur. David Treuer is an Ojibwa Indian from northern Minnesota. He grew up living on Leech Lake Reservation. His father was also a holocaust survivor, which I found to be very interesting.

Treur talked a great deal about the hardships that he dealt with because he was of Native American descent. Kids were constantly picking on him because he was different. He has become a very successful individual. He graduated from Princeton, and is now an author. I think that he can be a motivation for children who feel like they are different than everybody else.

I think that David's message can be tied into education. As future educators, I think we can all learn something from what he went through as a child. We, as teachers need to make sure that we are embracing ALL children, despite of their differences. It is very important for teachers to create a classroom environment in which children are taught that differences are not a bad thing. As a future teacher, I know that one of my main goals will be centered around making sure that children do not feel uncomfortable about being different.

Like I said earlier, I think we as future educators can all learn something valuable from David.

Some Thoughts About Ed. Psych.

I really like my educational psychology class so far. The class has a very relaxed atmosphere, which is really comforting to me, because I know that I do not have to feel intimidated to speak up during a discussion. We have been talking a lot about No Child Left Behind, and the measures that teachers need to take in order to accommodate different types of learners. In class, we did an activity regarding our thoughts about education before we read chapter one, and then our attitudes after we read the chapter. We had to act out different situations that we may encounter when we become teachers. This was very beneficial for me, because I am more of a visual, hands-on learner. To see examples being acted out helped me to apply the ideas to real life. I really learned a lot during this exercise.

We watched a great movie called "Lions for Lambs." Doug and Jim encouraged us to pay attention to the teacher in the movie. He had a rather laid back style of teaching. He invited a student into his office, to have coffee and discuss what had been going on during the semester. I really liked how Robert Redford's character talked to his student as though they were on the same level. He did not talk down to him, he treated him like an equal. The teacher also did a good job of challenging what the student was saying. I feel like that is an important part of being a teacher. Making a student defend what he or she believes, will get the them to think more deeply about the given topic.

I want to be the type of teacher that Robert Redford portrayed. I want my students to feel comfortable talking to me, and I want to avoid being an intimidating teacher. I have already learned so much in Ed. Psych., I cannot wait to see what else I will learn!

My Thoughts on Assessments

While at West Elementary, I have experienced quite a few assessments. Each day, they do "Rocket Math." This is a series of timed subtraction tests. The first level is "A," and when they get all 40 problems correct, they get to move on to "B," and so on. The purpose of these are to test their subtraction abilities.

I also got to be there for the Math Fluency Assessment. This was a series of three parts, regarding coin value. First, they had to identify the different types of coins. Then they had to show us values using play money.

There was also a Reading Fluency Assessment. I got to do these. We timed them for one minute, and they had to read as far as they could. We then counted the amount of words they could read. (Any missed words or words read incorrectly were not counted)

The last assessment is one we are going through right now, which is the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. I have been working with one individual boy. My job is to sit next to him the intire test and point to each question, because otherwise he gets distracted by looking around the room. For the Reading portions of the test, I take him and work with him in a separate room. We go somewhere that noone else is, because he can concentrate much better in that type of environment. This child cannot read very well at all. He can sound out each letter separately, but when it comes time to combine the sounds to make a word, he ends up either saying something that isn't even a word, or he will say a word that sounds nothing like the letters that he sounded out.

Basically my opinion on assessments is that they are great for the bright kids, but those who struggle even a little bit will not have much luck with them. In my opinion, I found all the assessments to be extremely stressful situations. First of all, you are limited on your time. 3/4 of those kids were probably thinking more about how much time was left, than how to complete the task they were assigned. I think it would also be stressful because for the majority of the assessments done, the kids were called to sit alone with the teacher, so she could watch them work. I hated having teachers stare me down while I was working. I always remembered having a harder time on tests that were timed, or tests that were done individually. They put tremendous pressure on me, and I don't think I am alone in feeling that way.

In my experience, all assessments are unfair. I know a lot of kids who are so bright in class. I witnessed it in my cooperating teacher's classroom. I would call on them for a math fact, and they would nail it. But when they were forced to take a big, stressful test, they missed almost every question. I'm not saying that we shouldn't do assessments, but they shouldn't be made into such a big deal. It's not fair to basically tell kids "We are going to judge you on how you do on these timed, standardized tests." All kids learn differently, and I would think that especially in today's society we would realize that. I guess I can't really offer an alternative, because I don't really know one, but all I can say is that we need to find a different way of measuring a child's intellect than by giving them all the same, timed, fill-in-the-bubble tests.

Student Interaction

This week was my first week of leading a math lesson. My teacher has the students do a set of math facts that must equal whatever the date is. For example, today was the 16th, so their answers had to be 16. Pretty simple, right? All was going well. Students were shouting out "1+15!" "10+6!" Then a little boy threw out "100-15." I'm not really sure where he got this from, but clearly this was incorrect. The thing about first grade, is you can't explain this to them the same way you would explain it to one of your peers. I started to stammer at first. Here were 16 sets of eyes, staring up at me, just waiting to soak up whatever I had to say. I decided to use the number chart. I talked them through it, while explaining that if we counted 15 spots backwards from 100, we would get 85, not 16. I then explained which number we COULD subtract from 100 to get 16. I remember being so nervous when all this was happening! But once I had "conquered" this incident, I got a huge rush of confidence in my abilities to become an educator.

I think if I could change anything about my experience, it would be to have kept my cool, and not gotten nervous. This is easier said than done, because getting up in front of an audience is an intimidating thing, even if they are only six years old! I did not feel bad about getting so nervous, because my teacher told me that I handled it really well, and she could tell that I would be a great teacher some day.

That was an amazing feeling =)

2nd Week of Ed. 115

This week has started out really well. I am starting to get the hang of this teaching thing! I am keeping really busy working with the kids, making bulletin boards, checking papers, and running errands. My students are starting to open up to me, and be comfortable around me. Today was fun. I did the calendar in the morning, which consists of finding the date, and distinguishing the differences between month, date, year, and day of the week. I also gave a timed math test, led a math group that was learning about coin value, and led a reading group. I am experiencing many rewarding feelings while helping the students. The days are going a lot faster now, and I am enjoying my time a lot more!

First Day of Ed. 115

Well, today was my first day of Ed. 115. We had a 2-hour delay, so I didn't have to show up until 10:30. That was nice =)

So far I really like my cooperative teacher. I can already tell that she is an amazing educator, and I can tell her students really respect her. This is something that I believe is very important.

In regards to space, I noticed some good examples of space, as well as some bad ones. At the beginning of the day, the students were allowed free time to work on assignments that they had not finished. I saw how diligently the students were working, simply because the teacher gave them the responsibility to do what they were supposed to.

I also saw some bad examples dealing with space. I noticed that when the teacher gave the students free time, several of them used this time to look around the room, or organize their desks, or draw pictures.

I think that in the first grade classroom, space should be limited. These children are young, and are still looking to the teacher to put some structure to their routines. I am not implying that they shouldn't be given any free time, but I think it needs to be limited, because that is the only way that they will learn how to deal with time management.

All in all, today was a great day. I learned a lot of teaching ideas and strategies, and I can't wait to go back tomorrow and help out!

Feelings on Ed. 115

Well, tomorrow will be my first experience in the classroom. I guess I have been experiencing a lot of different feelings. First of all, I have been extremely excited. Being a teacher is my dream job! I have always wanted to be a teacher, so of course I would be very excited.

I am also very nervous. I will be spending the next three weeks with a complete stranger. I have been conversing with her, and I like her already, but I am still a bit nervous. I am also nervous about the type of "assistant" I am going to be. I don't want to be too forward, and come off as a know-it-all, but I don't want to come off too shy either. I want to present myself in the best, most professional way possible.

While I am feeling very nervous, I also feel somewhat confident. My mother is a fourth grade teacher, so I have a lot of experience working in the classroom. I have helped her with lessons, given spelling tests, corrected papers, put up bulletin boards, and many other "teacher tasks." I feel that this makes me a little more comfortable with the whole situation. At the same time, I don't want to get too over-confident, because I know that will end up making my experience less rewarding.

All in all, I am very excited to begin this new endeavor. Good luck to everyone!

:) Hilary