Getting to Know You!

I have talked about my fears.  I have talked about what makes me nervous.

Today I want to talk one of the things I am looking forward to as a teacher (and there are so many!).

I am looking forward to getting to know my students.  I enjoy getting to know people of all ages, and I love getting to know children.  They have such great personalities, opinions and ideas!

I am thankful for the Heacox text which spells out for us how to get to know our students in chapter 2: Who are Your Students.  The text even gives us various inventories and templates to use as we get to know our students.

One of my favorite ideas from Heacox is the idea that getting to know your students is more than just knowing their academic history.  Yes, you need their academic history, but you also want information on their interests, their intelligences (from Gardener's eight intelligences), and want to involve their family in this process.  Who is going to know a student better than his or her parents?

Getting to know our students is so very important.  As Heacox says in chapter 2, "a good way to enhance students' chances for success is to get to know them and to understand how they differ from on another..."  By getting to know them, we can know how to differentiate, we can know how to make the material accessible for them.  If we make this a priority, it will help us in the long run.

As I think about getting to know my students, I do have a couple of questions:

• What does the time frame for this look like?  Do you do all your get to know you stuff on the first day? during the first week? the first month? 
• How do you make this a priority, when it feels like you have to jump into content?
• What about students who come in the middle of the year? or transfer from another school? Do we get school records?

What are your thoughts on getting to know students?  Is this something that excites you? Or does this idea overwhelm you?

Explicit Teaching?

There are many things I have taken away from this class.  And one of those things: explicit teaching.

When teaching students with special needs?  Make it explicit!

When teaching students who are learning English?  Make it explicit! 

However, as I have tried to synthesize information from not just this class, but every class we have had thus far.  And the one piece of information I am having trouble synthesizing?

In EDU 722 we have talked about how you don't teach math explicitly.  You let use manipulative's and word problems to gain their own understanding.

How does all of that work with students who are learning English?  Do you instead focus vocabulary on terms they must know to succeed?

• addition
• subtraction
• word sentence

How do you work with them to express how they solved a word problem?  They may not have the language ability in the English to express their thoughts.

And what about students with special needs?

How do you help them in math if you are focus on their letting them do it at their developmental level?  Is that enough? How do you help them form concept understanding without explicit teaching?  How do you help them make the leap from what they are doing to a habit, a pattern that they see as useful to problem solving in mathematics?

So, friends who are in both classes... what are your thoughts?  Have your run into this same dilemma?

Fear

Most days I am excited to be a teacher.  I cannot wait!  I love working with children.  I love their answers, the way they think about things.  I love that, for the most part, they see good in the world and enjoy life.

But then I become realistic. 

I think about the challenges that will come with this profession.

What about the children who don't see good in the world, because their life has been hard?

What about all the children who just don't get what I am trying to teach?

How do I reach all of the kids in my classroom?

What about classroom sizes that are increasing?

What about budget cuts?

Oh man.  I better stop now before I give myself a panic attack. :-)

In all reality, I fear attempting to reach all the students in my class.  Everyone from students who have an IEP, to students who have been identified as AIG.  Everyone from students who are English Language Learners to students who are performing at grade level.  What about students who no matter how hard they work just do not get a concept?  What about students who come to school hungry? It seems daunting.

This semester's class has helped abate that class.  Our readings, guest lectures, and group discussions have given us a plethora of tips to take into our classrooms.

One book that stood out to me is was the Whelan Ariza book, Not for ESOL Teachers: What Every Classroom Teacher Needs to Know About the Linguistically, Culturally, and Ethically Diverse Students.  It gave background information on how students learn a second language.  An ELL student may be quiet not because they don't understand what is going on, but because they are in the silent phase of language acquisition.

It also gave information on various cultures we may encounter.  Last semester I kept thinking, "but how do I know all about these cultures?"  And this book gave some great overviews that could come in handy.

I also enjoyed that it helped me understand how an ELL student might feel, registering for school, trying to get around, etc.

This book just helped me immensely.

So fellow, pre-service teachers... what are you fears?  What resources have we been given that help you?

Gender Bias

I found the chapter 4 (entitled: Gender and Classroom Communication) from our Powell & Powell reading to be very interesting.  It was not something I had considered before.  I had never thought about how my views on gender would influence my teaching, but as Powell and Powell (2010) say on page 78, my attitude about gender will greatly influence my teacher.

• Will I call on girls more? or boys more because they are waving their hands wildly?
• Will I find boys rambunctious just because they are boys?  Will I find girls quiet and easy to work with?
• Will I concentrate on telling girls their outfits are cute rather than complimenting their thinking?
• Will I find myself saying, "But boys don't cry."

It was a very eye-opening reading for me.  The following quotes were the ones that hit the hardest:

• "While biology is important, it is not the primary factor that explains the way males and females perform in academic settings... It is the way we deal with differences that is most important to understand" (pg. 78).
• "A teachers' attitude about gender will influence the way s/he manages classroom and will affect his or her expectations about students ability" (pg. 78).
• As girls get older (around middle school), girls begin to lose interest in intellectual ideas and begin to care more about how they look; they also begin to believe that they are not capable in all areas if they feel they do not meet the cultural standard of beauty. (pg. 79).
• "Teachers too often comment on how pretty a young girl is and not enough on the quality of her thinking" (pg. 80).
• "... teachers may not understand the 'boy code' or be sensitive to the range of messages that inform a boy to be tough, aggressive, and strong.  Teachers may in fact reinforce the very behaviors they are critical of in other contexts" (pg 82).
• Research shows that teachers interact with boys and girls differently.  Teacher initiate more communication with boys more than girls; Teachers tend to ask boys more complex questions; Teachers are more likely to give detailed instructions to boys and take over tasks for girls; Teachers tend to praise boys more than girls for their intellectual work (pg. 88).  

As I read the chapter I was just struck with how much we can influence the students in our classrooms, and how much our underlying values/opinions can influence without us even realizing it.  How will my thoughts, beliefs, values about gender influence my teaching?

Suddenly I found myself analyzing my interactions with all the kids I come in contact with.  At Sunday School I realized I tell the girls that I love their outfit.  Do I ever tell them I liked their answer to a question?  All the sudden I couldn't tell if they boys were being rambunctious because they were boys, or because I wasn't teaching in their style of learning.  I began to consider that one boy's acting out was not because he was disobedient (although sometimes that was the answer...), but maybe because he was bored.  I have begun to consider that I may need to re-think they why's of my actions, my thoughts and my assumptions.

I also began to consider what Powell & Powell (2010) stated about how to minimize gender difference in the classroom.  They said as teachers we can:

• minimize and model non-sexist language,
• choose curriculum that stresses accomplishments of women and men and notes their achievements in other ways,
• be sensitive to learning styles and create activities/assessments that are matched with students' abilities,
• recognize the power and effect of the peer groups,
• and address the needs of the boys and girls in our classroom. (pg. 90-92)

In my time in the classroom, I have been lucky enough to see a teacher who I think is a great example of a teacher who takes gender into account.  My 5th grade cooperating teacher is a great example who tells all of her students that they are great thinkers.  She also works to make sure that everyone is called upon (I have seen her tell a girl to pick a boy and that boy then to pick a girl and so on; I have also seen her say that everyone must have a turn at something before allowing a student a second turn at answering).  She differentiates naturally, in everything she does.  She engages all types of learning styles.  I have been impressed each time I observe her.  It has been awesome to see first hand what we have been learning about!

So, readers... my question to you... how do you plan on being a classroom teacher who minimizes gender differences?  How do we encourage all students to reach their full potential?  How do we use the influence of the peer group to our advantage?

Resources:
Powell, R. G., & Powell, D. L. (2010). Gender and classroom differences. Classroom communication and diversity (pp. 75-93). New York: Routledge.

What is AIG?

I've always had a dislike for Gifted Programs.

There.  I said it.

The dislike comes from what we call a traumatizing experience growing up.  I remember being tested in Elementary School.  But I don't remember being told I was not gifted.  I don't remember being told that in Elementary School.  That came later.  In Elementary School, they still allowed me to get pulled out.  I was able to go and do fun, challenging things with the AIG specialist at my school.

What I do remember is being in math class in 6th grade.  It was also homeroom.  Some of my friends received these letters.  Looking back, I couldn't even tell you what they said or what they were about.  I can tell you they went to all of the kids who were identified as gifted.  And I didn't get one.

So I asked my friend Ashley.  "What do you have there?"

"Oh, I was in gifted.  This is telling me when I can get pulled out."

And there it was.  The blow to my ego.  I am self-described perfectionist.  In school, I knew I was smart.  And I was prideful about it.  But, I also enjoyed the AIG class.  I enjoyed the work and enjoyed being challenged.  Most classes weren't really challenging to me in school.

From there, I asked my mom.  And that is when she told me.

"Well honey.  You didn't get the score you needed to.  To be gifted you have to get a certain score, and your score was right below that.  Principal Horton said you could continue to go to the gifted class because she knew you were able to do the work.  Do you want me to see if we can make that exception now?"

I said no.  My ego was blown, and I don't think I would ever look at the program the same again.

Years later, in High School I would try again.  This time because I wanted to take an Independent Study.  Again, I didn't get the score that I was supposed to.  My mom and I talked again.  Go through the appeal process?

To me, it wasn't worth it.  In that moment, I knew what I still rings true in my heart today as I prepare to become a teacher.

You won't have to be gifted to receive challenge in my class.  You won't need an IEP to receive support in my class.  I'll differentiate because that is what should happen.  All students should be able to learn at their appropriate level -- whether that means enrichment or support, extension or review.

As I learn more about the AIG program, from it's history to what really defines gifted I have spent some time reflecting on what it means to be "gifted," and whether I really was (or am?).

I don't think I am gifted.  I think I am bright.  Heacox (2002) lists characteristics for high achieving (bright) children and children who are identified as gifted (pg. 136).  While things do generally come easy to me, I do not consider myself gifted for the following reasons:

• I knew the answers (bright), but I didn't ask the questions (gifted).
• I was interested in what I was taught (bright), but I wasn't high curious (gifted).
• I had good ideas (bright), but they weren't always original ideas (gifted).  
• As time went on, things did become challenging.  All of the sudden I had to work hard for grades; I needed more time to excel whereas gifted students do not need as much time to excel.
• I absorbed information (bright), but I didn't manipulate that information (gifted).
• I learned through repetition (bright), but gifted students only needed to be shown something once or twice!
• I understood ideas (bright), but I never made inferences (gifted).

Overall, I was a perfectionist who worked hard in school.  I was often pleased with my learning (bright), and very occasionally was self-critical (gifted).  As I learn about students identified as gifted, I realize that I'm not gifted.  I am a high-achiever.

As I enter the classroom, I hope to make learning challenging for all students.  To make it something the students enjoy.  I hope to help all students to recognize that they are more than the label they give themselves.  They aren't gifted.  They aren't autistic.  They aren't their label.  They are a student who works to learn at their academic level, wherever that may be.

So, readers.  What does this look like?  I am not entirely sure.  I know I can be idealistic.  I recognize that my goal may be hard work.  But I am up for the challenge.  I am up for taking what we have learned in our various readings and applying them to my future classrooms!  What are your thoughts?

Resources:
Heacox, D. (2002). How do you differentiate for special populations? Differentiating instruction in the regular classroom: How to reach and teach all learners, grades 3-12 (p. 136). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

For a full list of bright vs. gifted students, click here.