That's a Wrap...Feeling Accomplished!

Well, they say all must things must come to an end, but this is just the beginning for me!

I have officially turned in the last of my assignments and projects, and the final week of class is quickly approaching. This semester I have gained great insight as to the preparation and knowledge that is required of a teacher to produce and plan effective lessons and activities that will foster my student's ability to learn.

It is both with great pride and relief that this semester is over as it has challenged me every step of the way. I have gained new knowledge and skills allowing me to increase and develop my pedagogical knowledge, in learning how to work with students on all different levels with different needs and abilities, and importantly time management. I have learned how to write thorough lesson plans, provide students the opportunity to develop critical thinking by learning to ask questions that draw information and teach new subjects they had little knowledge of prior.

Spring was my first semester in grad school and having Dr. Smirnova. While at times I doubted my ability to keep up with the technology required of us throughout the coursework, I am ecstatic to leave the course with a different perspective. I'm very thankful for this opportunity to increase my subject content knowledge but also how to incorporate various forms of technology in which I will be able to engage my students.

Dr. Smirnova required us to jump in with both feet, quickly preparing group lessons in which we would teach the After-School Science Program. We were required to teach a direct lesson, create an inquiry lesson including an experiment to engage the students, write blogs regarding our experiences throughout the semester, learn and use many other forms of technology, and were provided with several collaborative learning opportunities with our colleagues in class, just to name a few. I loved the chance to work hands-on with the students, getting to know little pieces of information about them, and especially watching their excitement awaiting experiments each week throughout fieldwork. In working with the students from week to week, it also made me realize how important it is not only to know the plan for the day but to fully understand and know the content thoroughly, as they ask questions! LOTS of questions! And they do expect answers.

Throughout the semester we were required to reflect on our work as well as our colleagues on a regular basis. Being afforded this opportunity, allowed us to expand on what we knew or challenge us to learn what we did not, to change and improve what we thought we could do better, and strive for success. I even had the opportunity to participate in my very first Science Fair, creating my project and participating as a judge for the 8th-grade class. That was a great experience!

I feel fortunate and thankful for the opportunities in this class to grow both as a student and future teacher. Lastly, congratulations to those of my colleagues who graduate this semester, I wish you all success in your future endeavors! For the rest of you, I'll see you next semester. And, to Dr. Smirnova, thank you!

View some of the comments I've posted on my colleagues Blogs:

Kaitlyn Bernard

Kathleen Trapp

Barbara May 

Jake Schoenherr

Keep calm and edTPA on!

Well, what an experience this was! While it was completely overwhelming when I initially looked through the handbook and the tasks, I am honestly glad I had the opportunity to complete the required input in a practice run.

I understand the value and importance of looking at each task in great detail as well as taking into consideration students diverse backgrounds, cultures, ethnicity, learning styles, special needs and so forth. It provided me with a comprehensive insight as to what will be expected of me not only in student teaching and the certification process but as a teacher in developing my lesson plans and activities.

Being able to go through each task allowed me the opportunity to see what worked and what didn't, what I would change next time or add, how my students benefited from my lesson and did they need to know what I taught them? Was the information useful to them and did I apply it in a way they were able to understand? Could I have conveyed the material in a way that would have been more productive?

Being a first-semester graduate student having completed the edTPA tasks will allow me to look differently at how I plan my future lessons and have provided me with the opportunity to reflect on my first experiences in fieldwork. A great building block for the future!

The non-living things around us, explored in Physical Science.

I would tend to believe that Physical Science is probably the most exciting to children based on the fact that it provides a foundation for how everything works. The Laws of Gravity, motion, sound, chemical reactions, and electricity to name a few. 

The Physical Sciences leave so much room for experimentation and learning through a hands-on approach if given the opportunity. Just because children may not understand Einsteins' Theory of Relativity and an elementary school age, they can still understand the concepts of gravity without attaching a name to it. As teachers, we can provide instruction to students with basic foundations of physics, biology, chemistry, and so forth which they can further develop as they grow older. And although they may not recall the scientific names, I believe they can grasp the material and the content.

Children's minds work much like scientists because of their natural curiosity for the world around them. If we treat them like scientists, we provide them with a template in which they can expand further. We can provide definitions for concepts they already know for them to be able to relate. For example, a book falls from a desk, children may not know what gravity is, but this is an opportunity to provide an example.

By allowing children to have fun, experiment, and learn through guided practice, we are enabling them to grow not only as students but by learning concepts and methods they can use throughout life in all situations.

Investigating Life Around Us...

This week we completed our Life Science projects which consisted of the Six Kingdom's. Our group designed a google slide representing the Plantae Kingdom, which was a lot of fun! Again, this course has showed me the opportunities we have as teachers to use technology not only in creating lesson's ourselves but this could have easily been a project for the students to share information with their classmates on what they researched. Being allowed to work in groups on our own projects solidifies the benefits of cooperative learning as it gives us the opportunity not only to work together but to learn from our colleagues. I find myself being able to retain more information as we are able to communicate through discussions.



                  Six Kingdom's Project Link

There is so much to learn about Life Science, as it is all around us! One of my goals for this summer is to do a lot of reading to further master more content material and broaden my knowledge in the different areas of science that I will utilize in as both a teacher and student teacher.

My colleagues did a great job presenting and teaching us about the different Kingdom's. I still find myself getting nervous in front of my peers but I realize that like anything else in life, ease will come with time and experience. Practice makes perfect!

Learning Today for a Better Tomorrow...

As a future teacher, attending conferences such as this one get me really excited about the potential we have as teachers and the tools we have to our advantage to engage children. At first, I was overwhelmed by all of the technology this semester, but as we are now coming to a close, I feel myself more excited about the possibilities. For anyone who couldn't attend this morning, the following is a LINK to one of her websites.

Listening to Shelly Terrell first thing this morning was great! She is well educated, informed, and obviously loves what she does, which is traveling around the world educating others on the use of technology in the classrooms. She had a lot of great information, as well as links she made available to use for future reference. The information she provided was very useful in how to connect with teachers and classrooms around the world, different technology and educational sites available for both teachers and children.

One critical topic, I believe she discussed, is digital citizenship and how in this computer driven age we tend to lose sight of being human. It's easy for some to comment or say things they may not usually say to someone in person over an email or a text, and how important it is for children to realize that as they learn to use technology, there are still people on the other end! We need to teach children to consider other people are feeling when they say or post anything. Bullying or hurting someone's feeling because you can't see them is NOT o.k. She also spoke about having the class participate in making the class rules regarding the use of the internet. In-class contracts would allow students not only to be more responsible but to realize there are repercussions to the way they act.

I recently used Thinglink in Science to create our Earth Science lesson, and it was easy to use! Today's training regarding this programs was informative providing us with great ways in which we as educators can expand on its use. Thinglink is one tool I'm looking forward to using in my classroom!

And last but not least, Virtual Reality, if only each district could afford to have it. It's amazing what the world has to offer these days and SOOOO much different than when I was growing up! While I don't think it would be useful for every and could get children wound up, if used correctly, could be an excellent tool in which to engage students. One thing we were able to do in this workshop was to travel through someone's arteries, and in doing so, the program displayed educational information as you moved. Another video we saw was a child visiting the safari as if he were there. Could you imagine how engaging we could make our classrooms with technology such as this? Imagine being able to step into a new Country for your lesson today, or traveling into the Rainforest tomorrow? Overall, it was a great conference, and I'm looking forward to more like it!

Assessments CAN be Fun?

As I mentioned in one of my beginning blogs, I wasn't excited about the technology portion of this class because it was intimidating and overwhelming to me. LOTS of new information and new programs, with little knowledge or creativity on my own part. One concept that is of great value to me, is the ability to provide my students with fun, exciting, engaging, and innovating ways of learning. And in doing so, why can't we do the same for assessments?

This semester has provided so many great tools that myself and other students learned, that I know I will take into the field. Some of my colleagues used Quizizz and Kahoot. The students had a great time "playing" both. Other' used GoogleForms or a poll graph to compare student knowledge of different aspects of the lessons. Online game shows are another form of assessment where students can perform individually or in groups.

 Free Testing and Quizzing Tools for Online Education 

Another popular form of assessment is Exit tickets. Or ask students to choose their tool they learned throughout the semester. Let them recall.....

There are so many ways to engage students today, and that makes me happy, just use a little imagination!

Sharing is Caring!

I've learned a lot throughout this semester and in my life, and, I saved this until the end as part of my reflection. At the start of these five months, a friend had sent me a Facebook video about children's learning needs. My degree at the Mount will be in both Childhood Ed, and Special Ed, which I know applies to some of my colleagues as well.

 In working with students this semester in two different classes, I had the first-hand opportunity to see just how differently children learn in a classroom. I saw how they apply and utilize information differently, and how some surpass one's expectations while other's struggle just to write their answers or sit in a chair during A lesson, much less six or seven. It isn't just special needs students, but everyday students we will encounter throughout the rest of our careers! As most of you know, I have two children, as a parent and future teacher this hit home. I hope that all of you will watch this video and LISTEN to what these students have to say. There are many others like them. Without realizing it, these little boys and girls could have been one of us growing up. Or it could be one of your children one day. Each child is different, and they do want to learn.

I ask you to teach in a way that can help them succeed, take the time to know what they need! I ask all of us as teacher to provide them with the tools that will allow them to be successful and may we all take the opportunity to make a difference. Together, let's be the teachers that care and the one's that someone might just remember with each passing year!