Here's what I like about where I'm headed with my LRP Part III

Im not really sure I did my LRP accurately, but I still feel good about it. I feel as though we have not had the adequite education to put time restrictionso on lesson plans! But none-the-less I think I did a good job guestimating. It's hard because with first grade ELA many aspects need to be brought up on a daily basis. Because of this, I set it up so that one to three topics would be taught 3 or 4 days a week for anywhere from 3-5 weeks. But I also included that these topic needs to be reviewed frequently throughout the semester. When it came to phonics and phonemic awareness -- these are things that need to be done daily throughout the entire year. Overall, part III was more exciting than I thought it would be! It helped me get a better sense of what it will be like to plan.

Assessment

I was actually surprised to hear about all the tools that Ms. Johnson (my co-op teacher) uses for assessment in school. I have to say that the assessment aspect of teaching is the most intimidating aspect for me. Im hoping that I will become more comfortable with different assessment strategies as time goes on. Ms. Johnson used everything from running records to assessment tools the district used. It seemed as though each of them was very important to her. She did not focus on one over another. Some she did everyday, others were every couple of weeks.

Time Management

I have never been great at planning my time. My problem seems to be in the execution because I can make one heck of a to-do list complete with alotted times for each priority. But as my days go on it never seems to work out the way I planned. I think there are many ways to manage time, its just a matter of finding what works best for you. Im big on routines. The more and more I become comfortable with a routine the easier it is to manage my time. This is one reason I want to be a teacher so bad. I love the routine. Being a teacher undoubtedly means a full day everyday. I also think that taking on too much is unhealthy. I think time to relax and breathe, or time to yourself is vital to stay sane in this world. So for me when I become a teacher, I have to find the balance of being efficient but leaving myself enough time to gather my thoughts and stay organized. Organization is another aspect of time management. Being unorganized automatically means a hectic schedule. Ive found planners to be my life savor, so I expect to keep quite a few once I become a teacher! Now the trick is putting all the aspects of time management together. Good luck to us all :-)

What Works Best?

I have known a few friends that attended Montessori schools as children, but not until recently did I realize what it focused on. The more I learn about it, the more it intrigues me. I have always believes that playing off a childs interests are the best way for them to learn. What I like the most about the schools are that they use all five sensed that we have. I think this aspect makes for a well rounded education -- just like a liberal arts college would for students our age. I also like that the school focuses on practical skills, like buttoning clothes or tying shoes. These types of things are surpasssed in other schools. They shouldn't be. These are everyday things that children should be taught and should learn. Not only should they learn these simple tasks, but these become the basis for other things that the students will learn as they grow older. A lot of this has to do with social developlment as well. Since the schools contain children of mixed ages there is a lot of opportunity for the children to interact with each other and learn from each other. I feel as though social development should always be more empahasized than it is, and a Montessori school gives students this opportunity.

Journal Response and My First Lesson

After reading about Bereiter and Engelmann's views of education and the application of the Distar method, I thought about Journal 5.4. If I were a child in David's class, I think I would want more. Although it is a method for teaching, all the activities that the three groups of children were working on seemed rather boring. I will always support the idea of having students work together in groups, but these students werent really working together. One group was wearing headphones, the others were writing in their workbooks. Those were working with David were simply making a sound when prompted. I think there are many more engaging and interesting ways to teach young children. If I were George I would feel bored, and if I were Melaney I would feel hopeless. I understand the idea, but the Distar method is not one I would use.

On a second note, I taught my first lesson today in the classroom. It didn't quite go like it went in my dreams! I think the main issue was the kids being a little rowdy because they have someone new teaching them. They enjoyed pointing things out whenever I did them a little differently than Ms. Johnson. My lesson was on rhymes and their assessment was to complete the poem "Roses are red, Violets are blue". They came up with "Green is goo, and so are you". Oops...I was hoping it would be something a little more related to V-day. But all in all they got the point and were able to make Valentine's that they could bring home. It was a great learning experience and I can't wait for the next one.

First Day in the Classroom

Today was the first day we made the 45 minute trek to Summerville to meet our co-op teachers and students that we will be teaching this semester. I now KNOW this is what I want to do. I cannot wait to get started. The room was amazing, our co-op teacher was excited to have us, and so were the students. Alex and I got about 4 hugs on our way out the door and we had only known the children for about two hours! Needless to say, I can't wait to really get the semester started.