Discovery and Reflection Blog

Jacqui's Story

2008-07-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Jacqui on Oprah

2008-07-01T09:13:00.001-07:00

Some Questions

2008-01-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

I have a few questions:

When someone comments on your blog and you want to respond to their comments, do you email them or post another comment on your blog?

What is the suggested maximum blog length for optimal readership?

Does anyone have guidelines and or model student blogs for comments from high school students?

Is it possible to add a link in a comment?

Any answers to the above questions would be greatly appreciated!

Blogging4Educators

2008-01-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

Rather than start up a new blog, I decided to revisit this one I created a couple of years ago for another EVO workshop. This is blog I use for professional reflection, although not very regularly, as evidenced by the posts. I noticed some of the videos I had uploaded previously are no longer working. I wonder why? I am looking forward to learning more about blogging through the EVO online workshops and meeting other educators who are blogging as well

Globalounge.com

2007-04-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

"The challenge in life -- the beauty in life -- has to do with trying to balance movement with stillness. Which is to say, action and contemplation... I want to balance the two so that I can try to understand the world and understand myself, and so that I can go out and learn and offer what I can, and then come back in, as it were, and gather myself, find out what I really think and believe, place solid foundations underneath my life."
-Pico Iyer

This quote really speaks to me in what I am seeking to do right now. I have a strong desire to travel extensively over the next year and a half. I want to see and experience a variety of cultures and document those experiences in a blog. I am beginning to envision a new project that combines my passions in hopefully a variety of ways with many surprising twists and turns. This new project is called globalounge.com

A Few Note at the End of the Third Quarter

2006-03-26T06:06:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased with the way everything is going in my classes. My students really work hard for the most part and I have been able to provide them with challenging material. I'm looking forward to incorporating more TPRS and Video/Drama stuff next year, but my thematic units really work well with the students I am working with. I also want to really design my computer/career/study skills class to optimize the time I have with my students. I hope that Rocky is able to get Rosetta Stone up and running soon. Things will finally start to wind down a bit now, I believe. Monday is a staff development day and we are going to see Ron Clark at the Orleans in the morning. I'm looking forward to seeing him speak, but it is rumored that they paid him $40,000 for this one day engagement which seems way too much. I went to a really nice workshop called ELL 101: The Nuts & Bolts of Language Learning given by Connie MacFarland, an ELL specialist in the region. She was really dynamic and made the workshop a lot of fun. She reminded me how important music and laughter are in the classroom, especially the ELL classroom. She also talked a little bit about brain-based learning. One fact that really stuck in my mind was the notion that our brain likes 60% predictability and 40% novelty. Another thing she said is our brain needs a change of state every 20 minutes. That's another area I would like to know more about: brain-based learning. This summer I will try to read some books by David Souza and Eric Jensen to familiarize myself more with it, if I have the time. I have a pretty busy summer planned already, but it should be fun. I'm really looking forward to teaching a Virtual High School Class. I hope I get to teach Computer Applications, as that would go hand-in-hand with preparing my Computer class for next year.

Changes

2006-02-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

My ELL I class has grown significantly in the last couple of weeks, but all of the new students have a decent level of English so that's good, but, nonetheless, it does change the dynamics of the class and I have to readjust how I manage the class. The Read 180 program is freezing a lot when my students use it, so I probably won't use it for another week. Rocky, our computer strategist has almost got Rosetta Stone up and running on my computers, but again I will need to figure out exactly how to use it so that will take at least another week. Technology is great when it works, but getting it up and running is a lot of work. In the end it will be worth it. I am experimenting with podcasting and video. I haven't involved my students yet, but I think it will be very easy to have my students use moviemaker and also podcasts (if they don't get blocked by the district). I'm not that impressed with podcasts yet, but I still haven't explored them that much either. They just seem a little boring.

Group Work

2006-02-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

I have put my 4th/5th period class into groups based on their reading levels and grades and set up a competition between the groups along with giving them group roles and participation points as a group as well as individuals. Every day I give each group a report card based on five areas: Cooperative, On-Task, Attentive, Prepared, Efficient. Their group roles are as follows: supplies person, clean-up, helper, and task-master. So far, it is going beautifully. My students like the competition and they are behaving and working much better. I track their totals on a chart with stars so they can see how they are doing against the other groups. I have also broken up my beginning level class into two groups for 1st and 2nd period which is really working well for my slower students. They get work at their pace and level and have gotten a lot more practice speaking. My more advanced students are not slowed down by the slower students and they also get a lot more practice, too. I've gotten 4 new students over the past two weeks, but luckily they all have a decent level of English. They are actually coming into my beginner class at just the right time.

Manners, Discipline, Respect Part II

2006-01-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

To continue with Ron Clark's rules, here are some others I thought were important:

Rule #13: Follow along when we read together. This is a difficult one to mandate. Many students don't read along; others are good at pretending to read along! I like Clark's suggestion that a student needs to know exactly what place you are at and to call on students randomly to read. The most important thing is to develop an enjoyment for reading in the students.

Rule #14: Answer all written questions with a complete sentence. To this rule I would add when speaking also. This rule is especially valuable for ELL students.

Rule #15: Do not ask for a reward. The fact of the matter is that kids like rewards, but they must also learn that a good education is the true award. When students ask for rewards, they come across as greedy and a little obnoxious and rude. Yet, it is very natural for them to ask so this is something that definitely needs to be cultivated and taught.

Rule #16: You must complete your homework everyday. I really like this one. As high school teachers a lot of times we give up on getting homework from students. Admittedly I have a high percentage return on homework which I attribute to the routinization of the homework, but it's always the same students who don't do their homework. I'm going to try the suggestion of Clark to give a group incentive for the highest # of days of the entire class bringing in their homework and make it a competition between 2/3 and 4/5 periods.

Rule #17: Transitions will be swift, quiet, and orderly. My main concern is that the transitions are swift. This is a timely rule as I am trying to work this out with my 4/5 period class who transition a lot during the period. I am using a timer with sound effects that I think is going to work well with group deductions for those who don't make the time limit.

Rule #21: Follow specific classroom protocols. Two protocols that I want to incorporate. Don't shout out answers and raise your hand if you need help. I want to get good at asking specific students when I pose questions that way everyone will know they need to pay attention and contribute instead of just a few students dominating the discussion. Also I want to work on noise level when students are working in groups.

The last seven rules are important and are something that need to be cultivated throughout life:

Rule #49: Stand up for what you believe in.
Rule #50: Be positive and enjoy life.
Rule #51: Live so that you will never have regrets.
Rule #52: Learn from your mistakes and move on.
Rule #53: No matter the circumstances, always be honest.
Rule #54: Carpe Diem
Rule #55: Be the best person you can be

Manners, Discipline, Respect

2006-01-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

Over the Winter Break I had the opportunity to read Ron Clark's book and really enjoyed it. I think I have done a good job creating an interesting, relevant curriculum for my students, but I still need to work on on how to be respectful. Kids hear over and over again- Be respectful, but exactly what does that mean. Many of Ron Clark's rules are geared towards elementary age students, but unfortunately it is sad to say that many of our high school students and even adults still have yet to master these rules. Here's a discussion of the first 10 rules:

Rule #1: Responding to adults- Although I would mention to my students that if they really want to be polite or respectful they should use ma'am or sir. I think by using a teacher's full name that will suffice. What I hate is when my students call me Miss or teacher, especially miss.

Rule #2: Make Eye Contact-When someone is speaking keep eyes on them, also when you are speaking keep eyes on the person you are speaking to. This is an important way to show respect for others when they are speaking and confidence in yourself when you are speaking. It's important to remember that this is a cultural thing making it important to teach ELL students who have different cultural norms for eye contact. Also this is an important part of active listening.

Rule #3: Congratulating a classmate- When someone does something well or shows improvement, students should congratulate their classmates. Claps should be 3 seconds. My students this year are for the most part respectful to one another, but this is a good way to build community, because I think in general, high school students are very self-absorbed.

Rule #4: Respect other students' comments, opinions, and ideas- My students more than anything need to listen to one another, but eventually I would like to get them to the point where they respond respectfully verbally with statements like the ones Clark mentions (i.e. John made an excellent observation..., I disagree but I can see his point... etc.)

Rule #5: If you win, do not brag; if you lose, do not show anger- There is nothing wrong with competition, but I've noticed that they way students act during and after competition that can spoil it, by being rude or arrogant to other students.

Rule #6: If you are asked a question in conversation, ask a question in return- I wish I had been taught this one. This is a great way to show interest in others and cultivate friendships.

Rule #7: Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough and say excuse me: This is one that could be a refresher.

Rule #8: Do not show disrespect with gestures- Many high school students break this rule by rolling their eyes and through their body language. A good one that needs to be taught.

Rule #9/10/11: Always say thank you when given something; when you receive something, do not insult the gift or giver. Surprise others by performing random acts of kindness. Showing appreciation and kindness is another quality lacking in high school students. I think it is part of what makes dealing with high school students so difficult. This is an important area to work on with students.

How to Create High-Quality Learning Experiences

2005-12-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

"High-quality learning experiences for any age learner need to be authentic, continuous, intreactive, inclusive, and learner-centered as well as relevant and owned by the learner."
-Gene Chasin, Director
Acceleraed Schools PLUS

This past semester in one of my graduate courses entitled "Technology and Educational Change", we had a guest speaker who talked to us about Accelerated Schools. She handed out some literature for us to read. I finally got around to reading some of the material and one concept that really stood out to me was the idea of Powerful Questioning that was discussed by Carol Ann Tomlinson:

"The great teacher in not one who "covers" or who "tells" or even who "entertains." The great teacher asks learners to breathe life into content by engaging with it personally, critically, and imaginatively. In other words, the great teacher is a a great question asker,... one who shows students how to think and that they can think... Asking the right question is an art. It takes practice, planning, and persistence."

Utilizing questioning techniques that are appropriate and challenging for students is critical to keeping them engaged. Different students require different levels of questions. For some students participation on even the most basic level is a step in the right direction, but other students desire and crave more critical thinking type questions which require the most of students and the goal, of course, is to build the confidence in all students to answer those types of questions. One thing, I've discovered that is really important is random questioning and not just calling on the students who raise their hand, but trying to call on students regularly so they know you may call on them. Some students also require more time to answer questions. They have to get through the initial deer in front of a headlight feeling that some experience when they get called on in a whole class setting.

Comic Relief for the Winter Blues

2005-12-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Chip Mosher, a self described "simple classroom teacher" who also writes articles for City Life, wrote a hilarious article entitled "Logo Mania" about the search for a new logo for the Clark County School District whose logo has been for the last 50 years- "lamp of learning".
Here are a few of his suggestions:

A lynched teacher dangling from a barren tree. The school district historically has denied teachers both their civil and human rights. Tyrannical principals, a brutal grievance system and a justice delayed, justice-denied arbitration process have all served to fill our schools with a gang-banged chain-gang of depressed educators. No wonder teacher morale is so low it has to jump up just to touch bottom.
The face of former Superintendent Carlos Garcia with the international red slash drawn across it, bearing the words, "No more idiots!"
An old lady sitting in front of a slot machine, a beer in one hand and a cigarette dangling from her lips. Slogan: "Preparing children for their future"
A picture of the Titanic sinking. No caption necessary.
Two missionaries on bicycles in front of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. The motto being, "We will pedal your schools into the ground in order to serve our masters in the gaming industry.

On a more positive note, I got 10 computers in my classroom. The potential of what I can do with them has got me very excited! I'm not expecting that they will be up and running until semester with everything on them, but after this year I believe my job is going to be really enjoyable. I am so very fortunate to have such a great situation where I really get to be creative, innovative and help my students. That is what teaching is supposed to be about. But I would not want to be the average teacher in this district, especially at the high school level with 35-40 students per class. Then it becomes crowd control and babysitting, not education.

Rhythm of the Year

2005-12-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

There is definitely a rhythm to the school year. The beginning of the year is hectic and exciting as you try to figure out and train students who for the most part try to do what you ask them to do. By the end of October, you've generally got your routine down and the kids know what they are supposed to do, but everbody's starting to get tired. After Thanksgiving, it's downhill until January. Everybody's exhausted--teachers and students alike...the newness of it all has worn off, motivation wanes and the winter darkness and cold weather puts a damper on everything...I could go on but I want to wait till the rest of the year comes to characterize it. But one last comment, I think part of being an effective educator is being able to anticipate the rhythm of each season and plan accordingly...maybe the same could be said for life in general as well.

Thanksgiving Break

2005-11-26T15:56:00.000-08:00

It's already Thanksgiving break and this is the first time I have written in my blog since the first two weeks of school...so much for keeping a blog and being more reflective in my teaching practice! A lot has been going on for me in my personal life plus my classes at UNLV have been quite demanding, but I think now I will have more time to be reflective. The two pictures are my classes this year. The top picture is my ELL I class. They are a quiet, shy and sometimes sleepy group with a lot of different personalities. The bottom picture is my ELL II students. They are a much more talkative and outspoken group who make me laugh a lot. This is the second year I have had many of these students and they all feel very comfortable in my class. I enjoy both groups a lot and feel like everyone is making progress. The exciting news is that I will be getting 10 computers in my classroom over the next couple of weeks and I was also given funds to purchase Rosetta Stone for those computers so starting 2006, I believe I will really be able to start working with students in smaller groups based on their levels. Using the Read 180 program has really allowed me to see the power of small group differentiated instruction which will be a focus of mine.

Two Weeks Down

2005-09-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

The first week of school was really exhausting. I compare it to getting into shape when you haven't exercised in a long time. You have to get back into shape for teaching and the first few weeks can be quite taxing. With an ELL classroom, you never really know what kind of students you are going to get. The student composition of the class can vary widely from year to year. Not only in regards to the countries the students have come from, but also their academic ability and English proficiency. This year I have gotten a pretty high level group for my ELL I class, in fact, I have gotten numerous 9th graders from the middle school who need to be placed in my more advanced class and who right now are a bit squirrely and immature as I am trying to have them work independently to keep up with my ELL II group. The countries I have students from are: Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, Korea, China, Vietnam, and Bulgaria. I feel like after this next week, I will have established my routines and the students will be placed correctly and I will really be able to move full steam ahead. I have chosen for my Teacher Identified Objective to create a website for the school. My goal will be to really get that into place this year. Another goal I have is to work with the Counselors and History Teachers to help my students with their history classes and also figure out the most appropriate schedule for the Junior/Senior recent immigrants who need extra English classes/History Classes. I have started to use Read 180 and so far it is going pretty smoothly, a lot more so than I expected. I think after this week when I get all of the other students tested and used to the routine of the class, they will really be able to make marked gains in their reading ability. The way the program is structured makes me realize that using learning centers and groups might be a good way to structure my ELL classes, but I would need to get about 5 computers in my classroom. I might try to write a grant for that. My big goal for next week is to get all students to really understand the procedures and expectations of the class.

The Start of a New School Year

2005-08-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

I have decided as part of my teaching practice, I want to be more reflective of what I do and feel in my day to day duties as a teacher at Silverado High School. I hope to write in my blog at least once a week and then at the end of the year go back and read it all to see how I have grown, changed, and managed throughout the year. It is the night before, the first day with students and I am excited, anxious and admittedly a little sad that the summer is over. The first week of school is always a little crazy as I try to figure out my students and place them correctly. My goals for this year are to finish my ELL website and in the process organize all of my curricular units. I also hope to get to know more of the staff members better. It is very easy to just stay in my classroom, but I want to develop better relationships with the people at work as I think there are some great people here. Finally, I want to be more reflective by keeping this blog and also creating an eportfolio.