Welcome!
This page is my final for my SEDU183 class! Here you will see some of my personal philosophy, future plans for my own classroom, and my views of technology in the classroom.
The very beginning of my personal philosophy is described in a visual essay we were assigned to create. I thought about why I want to be a teacher, and I was able to locate one specific instance where it just clicked. Our visual essays were created in a similar manner as NPR's "This I Believe" cast.
I enjoyed this project because I was able to express my thoughts behind teaching, and it was also pretty fun actually making the video! I used Windows Movie Maker and my webcam to create the video, and I am impressed with how well it turned out!
My Classroom
I have never given much thought as to how I want my classroom set up in the future. For this assignment, however, I was able to look back at all the classrooms I was in as a student, and I reflected on which ones worked best and which ones didn't work at all.
For the purpose of this assignment, I created a class for a ninth grade literature class. Here is my idea of the ideal classroom:
I chose these four ideas because they promote an orderly and successful classroom.
I grouped the students at round tables in order to promote collaboration and communication. However, in order to avoid excessive communication amongst talkative friends, students will be assigned their seats on the first day of class. This also encourages the mixing of cliques. In a literature class, most of the content is discussion based. However, discussing a whole novel with a large number of students all at once can be challenging, so having the students do small group discussions first prepares them to share their ideas and opinions for a larger, whole class discussion. If we did group work, the tables would already have the students set into four groups. Obviously, the number of students will vary, but more tables could be added to accommodate, or larger rectangular tables could be used.
My class design is accessible because all of the tools students need are readily available; the novels discussed in class will be stored on the book shelves, along with dictionaries, thesauruses, etc. I also located the teacher's desk at the back of the room so it didn't seem like Big Brother was sitting in the front staring the students down, but the teacher's location provides easy access if a student has questions that his or her group can't answer.This class design has the ability to promote student centered learning. The whole idea behind student centered learning is having each student create their own lesson, so the learning is more individualized and reinforces their strengths. However, every assignment will not be like that. But, for example, I could have four different poems for the students to pick from, each person at each table having a different poem. This would allow students to choose which poem interests them most, and then they would also be able to communicate their analysis of the poem and teach their fellow table members.
I feel as if this classroom design promotes a successful literature environment. Most of the class will be spent discussing and analyzing, creating little need for the teacher to stand in front and dictate. However, for grammar lessons and such, a white board and projector are available. (Hopefully I have the chance to teach a grammar-focused class because I enjoy grammar!) I have also included a little "reading nook" in the front corner of the classroom. This area is intended for students to feel comfortable. For example, if a student is struggling with a novel, he or she could come in to the classroom during my planning period and use the nook to relax and catch up. I think having a comfortable environment for the students is just as important as the above four characteristics, because they will then be more willing to learn.
Rituals and Routines
Of course, I would post the daily learning objective somewhere in the class--most likely on the whiteboard. I would then also list any tools the students may need to gather so they are prepared when class starts. Tools would be easily accessible on the shelves or book stands.
Besides the objective, I would post a daily warm-up on the board that would relate to the previous day's lesson. This could range from "what was the author's tone in the chapter you read for homework?" to "what type of sentence is the following?" Each daily question would be due the next class period, so students would be able to work on it at home if there wasn't enough time in class. Each question would be worth one point, and if the student answered it with purpose and thought, then he or she would recieve the point. This is a good way to help a student's grade if he or she is struggling as well as refresh their memory on what they did the class before. I believe this creates authentic assessment because it carries the lessons through multiple days, so the student doesn't learn something and then forget about it. It also encourages the students to pay attention in class because they will then be asked about it the next day through these daily warm-up questions.
I would also try to create transparancy so the parents would feel involved in their student's education. I would keep a blog in which I would outline the day's activities and homework; not only is this beneficial for the parents, but for the students as well. I would also have a page on my blog where I would post exceptional student work. That way they would feel like their hard work actually had a purpose.
Instructional Glimpse
Earlier in the semester we created lesson plans utilizing power point. This time, I created a lesson plan focusing on ninth grade literature, the class I designed the above classroom for.
In this lesson, I focused on collaboration and communication. The students would be split up according to their tables, and then further divided into groups of two. This lesson would be incorporated toward the beginning of the year because it sets up the basic knowledge the students will need for the rest of the year. The whole point of the lesson is to prepare students to analyze literature focusing on characterization, setting, theme, plot, and point of view, which will assist them for the rest of the year and in other literature classes further down the road.
I also incorporated a mode of assessment for this lesson in order to see if students truly understand it; if they don't understand it now, it will be detrimental for the rest of the year. It would be a simple three page essay analyzing the differences between two works (ones different than what were used in class), focusing on the literary elements in the objectives. I would give them pleanty of time to read the new works and write the essay--a whole week with one day used for group editing. This way I would be able to judge the students' understanding of the concepts, and also give them an opportunity to work hard and have their work posted on the teacher blog.
My Technology Integration
Since I plan on being an English teacher, I decided to investigate different ways to incorporate technology into the English classroom.
I found a video featuring one high school English teacher and how he utilizes a SMARTboard in the classroom. I think SMARTboards are a great form of technology and allow the students to interact with their education.
Besides SMARTboards, I would keep a daily blog for my class. There are different options for this, including Wikispaces, Blogger, and Facebook. With wikispaces and blogger, I could create a blog and update it with daily lesson plans, and even post extra credit there. I would also create a separate page where I would post exceptional student work. It would be used as a reward for students and to encourage them to work hard. This would allow students to have their work published for people around the world to view. Facebook would allow me to be accessible to more students since almost every teenager uses Facebook these days! I would create a public teacher page so I could post updates and once again, extra credit. Facebook wouldn't allow me to post who lesson plans effectively, but more students would probably prefer using Facebook since it is most accessible to them.
I recently used Pegby to collaborate with members in my group for a project we were working on for SEDU183. It worked so well! We were able to split up the work and post our products on the pegboard, and then one person had the responsibility of compiling all of our parts into one project. It was a great tool to stay organized, and it also allowed us to discuss the status of our project and any changes that needed to be made without having to deal with everyone's busy schedule. I could see myself incorporating Pegby into my classroom, allowing my students to share ideas and collaborate outside the classroom as well as in it. I would introduce the idea to my students whenever they had to do group projects, and they would be able to use it. It would also eliminate having to use every class period for a workshop since the students would be able to do a lot of the work outside of the classroom...it's almost like a flipped classroom, but a little different. :)
Speaking of the flipped classroom, I support this idea. I would only use it every once in a while, but I think it is especially useful in an English classroom. I could create a lecture video on grammar for them to watch at home at their own pace, and then I would use the following class period to assess their understanding of the concepts and answer questions. I wouldn't use the flipped classroom all the time because I think student-teacher face-to-face learning is important, but this is a great way to review concepts students should already know (ie, grammar).
I found this YouTube video made by students in an AP English class. For a flipped classroom lesson, making my own video or using one similar to this would help the students learn a dreaded topic in a fun way!
Not only am I studying English Education, I am also working toward a minor in German so, with the proper certification, I would potentially teach a German class at the high school level as well. In my German class, I would use my PLN to connect with teachers of the same grade level in Germany and have student pen pals. We could go the traditional route by mailing letters, or we could use instant messagers, email, and other forms of quick-response communication. This would be a fun way for students in both classes to learn the other language as well as connect with people from a totally different culture.
PLN
Since I am just starting out on the educational process, my personal learning network (PLN) is rather small. However, throughout the course of this semester, I broaded my netweorking horizons by joining Twitter.
I can't say I like Twitter for personal networking, but following other educators and large education groups provides a lot of educational information. There are a lot of great discussions occurring that I can be a part of, and I have learned a lot about the educational community thanks to Twitter. (Here is one article I particularly enjoyed!)
I have been a member of Facebook since 2009, but I haven't used it in the professional capacity. When I become a teacher I will create a public page for myself (as mentioned earlier in this project). I've slowly been "liking" more and more educational resources, and I have found useful tips and tools.
Thus far, my PLN is limited. As I continue in the educational process, I will discover new resources and tools to expand my PLN.
If you have any other suggestions or comments, feel free to email me!
Annotated Bibliography
1. Houng, Dennis. "The Hardest Job Everyone Thinks They Can Do | Musings on Life and Love." Musings on Life and Love. Web. 01 May 2012. http://www.musingsonlifeandlove.com/2010/09/13/the-%20hardest-job-everyone-thinks-they-can-do/. hardest-job-everyone-thinks-they-can-do/
This article was particularly amusing and I felt like I needed it share it with the world :)
This article was particularly amusing and I felt like I needed it share it with the world :)
2. LuuToob. "Grammar Project - Commas, Semicolons, Colons." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Oct. 2009. Web.01 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYfoVjJ_4pc>.
This video is an example of a video that could be used when utilizing the flipped classroom
technique
3. Stevenputt. "Using the Smart Board in the High School English Class." YouTube. YouTube, 30 July 2008. Web. 01 May 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLVn2p8T4WI.
This video is a great demonstration on how the SMARTboard can be used in the English classroom.
4. Strayer, Jeremy F. "Flipped Classroom." Knewton.com. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. <http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/>.
This link explains the concept of a flipped classroom in an easily readable way
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