Blog # 17

Blog # 17

Post any data in addition to your transcript that you will use for your essay (additional interview materials, observational notes Blog 17: Identify sections from your transcript that you might use to develop "answers" to the questions you set up in your research plan.

 

I chose to use the same excerpts from blog 13. I want to dig a little deeper and see how I can use these excepts to prove my point and my focus.

Excerpt 1

Flora: Yea.. so what about the um, the Portuguese student
Teacher: Hahhaa
Flora: Is she still in your class ?
Teacher: She's in my class!
Flora: Yea and how are you dealing with it
Teacher: Now she talks too much Hahhaa  they absorb language its amazing ! and like the difference btw September and now she’ll carry on conversation's
Flora: With other students?
Teacher:  with everyone yea!  she’ll even do the writing with us , like the other kids, you’ll see the students that are fluent in English they’ll just shut down with the writing and she's attempting it even if its spelled wrong I'm like I don’t care even if its spelled wrong get your ideas out  I just want to see what you know
Flora: right
Teacher: Just to really see if she's understanding what's being taught and she does. So that’s I think that’s….
Flora: So your basically telling her even though your answers may be incorrect just write your ideas down
Teacher: Yea if its writing I don’t care if your sentence structure is off , like if you're missing a comma I just want to see if she understands the question being asked and if she can give me some details.

 The teacher shows that how her ESL student attempts writing and she encourages her to write enough though her writing is not perfect. She notices that this girl is not crying like the other students who do speak English perfectly. The teacher identifies the issue and solves it by encouraging her students. ( things she looked for were The facial expressions on students, the crying, exc.) These are the things that allow her to identify that there is an issue. Children crying, they don't want to do the writing. Later in Excerpt 3 she fixes the issue...


Excerpt 2

Flora: Yea it is , pause so, so my other question for you was Can u tell me about a challenge you’ve faced and how you were successful in overcoming it, and that right there seems like a challenge , with the learning
Teacher: The learning, I think that’s um One of the main things is that they gave me a student they thought I was Hispanic so they gave me a student with like a Spanish last name then we found out she was Portuguese and I’m like well I know nothing about that um so teaching a student who doesn’t know a word of English that was one of my challenges but even more challenging is working with the students who I think have a disability but I’m not qualified to determine that  so talking to the parents about it, talking to the child study team about it , presenting my case , talking to the guidance counselor and just all the paper work that goes with it. Oh my gosh. 10:12
Flora: it’s a lot right
Teacher: Um I fill out tons and tons of paper work for just one student so keeping record of all of that and just documenting the different strategies I do with them on a daily basis it’s A LOT!

Before I started the interview I had advised the teacher that my focus was about how a teacher uses observation in order to indicate that there is a problem in the class room. Here she talks about having a non speaking student in her class as a challenge she was faced with. Then she states that threw observing her students progress she comes to a conclusion that some students may have a learning disability and how challenging it is for her to work with the students and take that extra step to advise the parents and other professionals.

 


Excerpt 3

Teacher: Oh yea they love video games, they love it. I told them Mrs. Castillo plays mind craft, I just said it , I don’t play mind craft. Hahhaa I uh made myself learn because of them.
Flora: Oh really? Hahhaa
Teacher: Yea just because they are obsessed with that game, they wrote about it .they wrote about it in their essays. I’m like faking it, oh yea I love it Hahhaa
Flora: Hahhaa
Teacher: Then I told them to write me a how to essay, like how to survive in the game and
Flora: Oh that’s a very good idea
Teacher: Yea and I actually took some of their steps and I tried to play the game then I’m like you missed a step because I died Hahhaa
Flora: Hahhaa that’s amazing I think that’s a good way to get them to write

I love that the teacher knows her students. She knows that they like mind craft (video game) and uses that topic as a writing assignment. She talked about some students shutting down and having a melt down when it came to writing, but this strategy helped her students over come that fear and sparked their interest.

Blog # 9

Blog # 9
Interview Protocol

Questions I will ask to set up my Focus questions

1. What grade level do you teach?
2. How do you like it?
3. How many years have you been teaching?
4. Would you like to continue teaching this grade?
5. What inspired you to be a teacher?


Questions for my interview main focus

1. What kinds of language and behaviors give you an idea that there will be a conflict between students?

2. Once you realize that there may be an issue arising do you then change your language and behavior to manage classroom behavior, or to prevent the issue before it occurs ?

3. Are there any things in particular that you look for when trying to find a resolution?

4. If you are faced with this problem again would you do the same things to solve the problem or would you try a different approach. Why or Why not ?

Blog # 6

Blog #6

In class we talked about the differences among a topic, a focus, and the particular research questions you might ask as you conduct your research. 



Topic: How a teacher uses observational skills to identify and solve issues in her classroom

Specific Focus: For this research paper I want to focus on how a teacher uses observation to

identify issues in the classroom. I want to gain a better understanding on what signs to look

for to let us know that there is an issue. Weather its issues with other students or issues such

as a student not understanding the material.

• What do you look for if you think there is an issue with students?
• Body lang.
• facial expressions
• Change in behavior, exc.
•  Things to do when you are aware of the issue.
• What works what doesn't

What I want to do in my study: In my study I want to interview a first grade teacher and gain knowledge on how to overcome issues in a classroom. I hope this will give me some insight on how to be a great teacher in the future.

Blog # 24

Building Positive Relationships with Your students

 

Imagine that it is your first time teaching students in a classroom setting. Many of you will feel apprehensive about how you will teach each lesson, but the true challenge you must overcome is building positive relationships with your students. Having a positive relationship with your students is beneficial for both, yourself and your students. Both, Mark and Christine Boynton, claim in their book The Educators Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems “that demonstrating care for your students is one of the most powerful ways to build positive relationships with your students. When your actions and words communicate that you sincerely care for your students, they are more likely to want to perform well for you and enjoy coming to school”.  So, the big question is how do we build a positive relationship with your students? The answer to this question is not an easy answer because each classroom is faced with different issues. I interviewed a third grade teacher in hopes to find how she built positive relationships with her students.

 

Literature Review –FINDINGS FROM BOOK

Whenever we are trying to solve issues within our classrooms it is difficult to find the correct answers, the reason for that is because every classroom situation is different. By different I mean that each classroom is made up of different personalities, and the way you may handle a situation depends on the kind of student you are dealing with. In this book “The Educators Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems,” Mark and Christine Boynton give tips on how to solve discipline problems in a classroom along with other topics such as building positive relationships with your students. The information provided in this book will advise teachers what to do when facing a challenge within the classroom. The methods they show in this book cover many areas and have directions which are easy for any teacher to follow. As Mark and Christine Boynton said “When you treat your students with respect, they tend to appreciate and like you.”  When students like their teacher they are most likely going to want to improve and show the teacher that they can do well.

 Another helpful tip they have shared with us is that praising a student in a certain way can be beneficial for the student/Teacher RELATIONSHIP. We all like to hear someone commend us for our good work. Praise is something that lifts our spirits and allows us to feel good about what we are doing.  THE MORE we are praised, the more we will want to achieve. The same thing is applicable for young children. Personal praising is the most effective kind of praise because it allows the student to know what behavior is being recognized.  Researchers Mark and Christine Boynton said that “to increase the power and impact of praise is to make it personal by simply stating the students’ name. Being specific when you give praise to your students helps create a positive learning situation because it clearly lets your students know the type of behaviors and performances you are looking for.”  

With this study and my findings from the interview i will talk about how a teacher distingushes issues in her classroom and what she does to solve these issues and how her methods also build positive relationships with her students. the proof that she has built positive relationships with her students will show in the result of their learningand wanting to do better.

 

Methods- talk about participant

            the participant is a first year teacher in a public school teaching the 3^rd grade. SHe has a teaching degree and a masters in writing. She was chosen to teach the third grade specifically because of her strong background in writing. The 3^rd grade is when students will first take the state tests and they are expected to go into the fourth grade with a strong writing ability.

            the PARTICIPANT, who will be referred to as Michele from this point on, chose to be interviewed in her classroom after school. This was a quiet room with no interuptions. She chose to do the interview in her classroom because she stays at school until 7:00 PM every evening to catch up with paperwook and grade her students work. The interview was voice recorded and lasted for about 23 minutes.

 

data and analysis

                The third grade is when students first learn how to write a five paragraph essay. Many students find this to be challenging because they are expected to do something they have never done before.  The teacher has to teach them how to write in detail, and the basic structure of an essay.  During her writing lessons, she notices that “It takes a long time and I have kids that cry they don’t want to do it and they shut down, absolutely nothing is done.  It takes a lot of energy just to make sure that I don’t spend it all on just one kid who is screaming hysterically every single day because of writing.”  For these students who shut down and don’t attempt writing, the teacher then asks them to write about something they are interested in.  She saw that many students wrote about the video game called Mine Craft.  Consequently, she uses their interest in this game to shape her writing lessons. She asked them to write a “how to survive” essay.  By relating to her students and allowing them to write about something they were interested in, it built a positive connection between her and her students and motivated them to continue writing.

                This teacher also had a non-English speaking student in her classroom and teaching her to write was another challenge she was faced with. She encourages her student to “just write, I don’t care if its spelled wrong, just get your ideas out. I don’t care if your sentence structure is off, like if you’re missing a common.”  She says she does this because “I just want to see if she understands the question being asked “This makes the student confident to attempt something. And advising a student that it doesn’t need to be perfect will give her the confidence she needs to strive.”  As Mark and Christine Boynton said in their book “When you treat your students with respect, they tend to appreciate and like you.”  Respecting that this student did not know a word of English when she entered this class and reassuring her that it is okay to make a mistake while writing is one way the teacher builds a positive relationship with this student.

 

 

Increase the Power of Praise

 

We all like to hear someone commend us for our good work. Praise is something that lifts our spirits and allows us to feel good about what we are doing.  The more we are praised, the more we will want to achieve. The same thing is applicable for young children. Personal praising is the most effective kind of praise because it allows the student to know what behavior is being recognized.  Researchers Mark and Christine Boynton said that “to increase the power and impact of praise is to make it personal by simply stating the students’ name. Being specific when you give praise to your students helps create a positive learning situation because it clearly lets your students know the type of behaviors and performances you are looking for.” While interviewing the third grade teacher, I asked her about a wall in the back of her room that had stars and a name printed on each.  She responded, “I go over math multiplication, facts. I give them maybe about a 3 min quiz just to see what they know. If they do well they get a big star and it goes on my Wall of Fame. If they don’t, they have to keep taking the test until they do well and then they go up on the wall.   If you ace 3 of them, you are exempt from the test.”

Here she is using the power of praise to recognize her student’s achievements. What’s also great about her method here is that she allows her students multiple opportunities to receive a “big star” on her Wall of Fame.  This also builds a positive relationship for her and her students because they have someone that believes in them and distinguishes their accomplishments.

Blog # 23

Blog # 23 In Class Workshop  ( this is not complete)

Conclusion

All in all, this study proves that building positive relationships with your students leads to them liking you as a teacher and are more likely to want to perform well for you.  A classroom has many opportunities to build relationships with your students. Some of the ways that we can build positive relationships with your students are to praise them for their work, giving them choices on their writing topics and taking an interest in things that they like so that you can relate to them.  

Limitations

One of the limitations for this research project was that I did not have enough time to interview students and ask them how they feel about their relationship with their teacher.  If they feel comfortable coming to her with any issues or ideas.

blog # 22

Blog #22 - New Focus

 

 

Imagine that it is your first time teaching students in a classroom setting. Many of you will feel apprehensive about how you will teach each lesson, but the true challenge you must overcome is building positive relationships with your students. Having a positive relationship with your students is beneficial for both, yourself and your students. Both, Mark and Christine Boynton, claim in their book The Educators Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems “that demonstrating care for your students is one of the most powerful ways to build positive relationships with your students. When your actions and words communicate that you sincerely care for your students, they are more likely to want to perform well for you and enjoy coming to school”.  So, the big question is how do we build a positive relationship with your students? The answer to this question is not an easy answer because each classroom is faced with different issues. I interviewed a third grade teacher in hopes to find how she built positive relationships with her students.

 

Writing Lesson

                The third grade is when students first learn how to write a five paragraph essay. Many students find this to be challenging because they are expected to do something they have never done before.  The teacher has to teach them how to write in detail, and the basic structure of an essay.  During her writing lessons, she notices that “It takes a long time and I have kids that cry they don’t want to do it and they shut down, absolutely nothing is done.  It takes a lot of energy just to make sure that I don’t spend it all on just one kid who is screaming hysterically every single day because of writing.”  For these students who shut down and don’t attempt writing, the teacher then asks them to write about something they are interested in.  She saw that many students wrote about the video game called Mine Craft.  Consequently, she uses their interest in this game to shape her writing lessons. She asked them to write a “how to survive” essay.  By relating to her students and allowing them to write about something they were interested in, it built a positive connection between her and her students and motivated them to continue writing.

                This teacher also had a non-English speaking student in her classroom and teaching her to write was another challenge she was faced with. She encourages her student to “just write, I don’t care if its spelled wrong, just get your ideas out. I don’t care if your sentence structure is off, like if you’re missing a common.”  She says she does this because “I just want to see if she understands the question being asked “This makes the student confident to attempt something. And advising a student that it doesn’t need to be perfect will give her the confidence she needs to strive.”  As Mark and Christine Boynton said in their book “When you treat your students with respect, they tend to appreciate and like you.”  Respecting that this student did not know a word of English when she entered this class and reassuring her that it is okay to make a mistake while writing is one way the teacher builds a positive relationship with this student.

 

 

Increase the Power of Praise

 

We all like to hear someone commend us for our good work. Praise is something that lifts our spirits and allows us to feel good about what we are doing.  The more we are praised, the more we will want to achieve. The same thing is applicable for young children. Personal praising is the most effective kind of praise because it allows the student to know what behavior is being recognized.  Researchers Mark and Christine Boynton said that “to increase the power and impact of praise is to make it personal by simply stating the students’ name. Being specific when you give praise to your students helps create a positive learning situation because it clearly lets your students know the type of behaviors and performances you are looking for.” While interviewing the third grade teacher, I asked her about a wall in the back of her room that had stars and a name printed on each.  She responded, “I go over math multiplication, facts. I give them maybe about a 3 min quiz just to see what they know. If they do well they get a big star and it goes on my Wall of Fame. If they don’t, they have to keep taking the test until they do well and then they go up on the wall.   If you ace 3 of them, you are exempt from the test.”

Here she is using the power of praise to recognize her student’s achievements. What’s also great about her method here is that she allows her students multiple opportunities to receive a “big star” on her Wall of Fame.  This also builds a positive relationship for her and her students because they have someone that believes in them and distinguishes their accomplishments.

Blog # 20

Blog 20:  Post a statement of the focus for your essay (what you hope to show) followed by sections of your data + your analysis where you make a series of points related to that focus.  If you aren't sure what to post => just post a statement of what you want to show and sections of data which you think show or are related to your focus.  In class, we will help you strengthen and develop your "evidence" based on your data.

Focus: How a teacher uses observation to solve issues within a classroom, and how these strategies are beneficial for both the teacher and for the  students.
 
 
 
Writing Lesson: I will talk about the issue on how some students don't want to attempt writing and how the teacher observes and asks them to write about something that they are interested in. In this case they are interested in the video game called Mind Craft. Another thing that she states is that she has to model how to write an essay over and over again for some students that doesn't get it the first time.

Teacher: Oh yea they love video games, they love it. I told them Mrs. Castillo plays mind craft, I just said it , I don’t play mind craft. Ha-ha I uh made myself learn because of them. Just because they are obsessed with that game, they wrote about it .They wrote about it in their essays. I’m like faking it, oh yea I love it Hahhaa. Then I told them to write me a how to essay, like how to survive in the game.

Flora: Hahhaa that’s amazing I think that’s a good way to get them to write

Teacher: Yea find something that they are interested in and try to run with it. I find that helpful with college students too

Flora: Yea I think so too

Teacher: But it’s when they are faced with something that they have no idea what they’re reading it for if I don’t model it for them then they are lost. I have to model a lot read out loud, which means that I just have to show them how to do it step by step, its repetitive, tiring and boring for some but for the kids that don’t get it they need it.