Ruthie Buskirk
EDEL/EDRD 300
Elementary Classroom
Welcoming
colorful
Dangers of a Single Story
learning more about people's culture and how not everyone has the same expereinces
having diverse books in the classroom so assumptions aren't made
Teachers
creative
thoughtful
helpful
energetic
Classroom Management Skils
BIG 5
Rules, routines, praise, misbehavior, engagment
students
child
young
eager to learn
curious
School
building
engagment
exploring the things around us
learning
Running Records
6 Modes of Language Arts
Multiple ways of teaching and having children learn
Teachers track and figure out where student's reading level is. They help based on what child needs
Praticum Experience
First Day
Inviting Classroom Environment
Student Engagement in Learning
One on One Learning with teacher
extensive planning
IRA- lots goes into 1 read aloud
making sure to find correct materials suitable for children
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in my classroom this might look like going the extra mile and doing everything in my power to help my student reach their fullest potential
Ice Breaker Activity
went well
students participation was very good
was a way to get to know the students and their interests
Learned more about how the class functions as a whole and how we can use that to our advantage.
They seem to be very wild and diverse group of students and we will have to make sure certain students aren't with other students and with certain BSU students
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Focus Child
She seems very sweet and quiet, but I believe I will learn a lot focusing on an introverted child
Cooperating Teacher
Seems to be a new(er) teacher, but has some great classroom techniques.
Classroom Students
Seem to be very diverse group of students
If teacher is giving instructions to other children during a transition time the students will sometimes get out of control and then I saw it took a while to get them under control again. The teacher had great ideas on how to gain their attention again and get them to calm down.
Had students take 3 or 4 deep "snake breaths" to help them calm down. Students seemed to enjoy that really helped them calm down. Is something I would consider doing in my classroom since the students seemed to really enjoy that!
Some are very out there and in your face and others are very quiet and do what they are told the very first time.
Even when he makes a mistake and looses the students' attention he has many different ways to get them calmed down and focused in on what they should be doing.
IRA
Students seemed to really enjoy the story and the questions made them think of how they would have felt in the situation as multiple different characters.
Working in small groups after to talk about the end of reading questions was more beneficial because I got to know more students and their names as well as get an idea of their personality and what they are capable of.
We worked really well as a group and made sure that we had equal parts and we balanced each other out well. If one of us forgot something we would find a time to jump in and fill in what was missed if we felt it was important.
We did a craft for the superintendent's office and it was kind of a mess. He had never done a craft with his class before and he did not have the crafty ability, but he did a really good job explaining his expectations to the students and he kept them settled down for most of the time making the craft
He seems a little disorganized and while we were there he was running last minute to go make copies of something the kids were doing during station work.
The school was going through some technical difficulties he told us about, but not the kids. He did not let the student know what was going on and kept calm and collected.
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Choice Theory
Caring vs Deadly habits
Deadly
Caring
Making sure not to do these because they only hurt the child. Examples: criticizing, blaming, nagging, threatening, punish, complain
Make sure to do these instead of the deadly habits. These will help child.
Examples: support, encouraging, listen, accepting, trust, respect
Respect vs Fault
Even if something is not your fault, you have to take responsibility on how you will change the future of that situation
On Monday, we had the new student come in and he was the one our teacher had talked to us about. He came to me kind of in a panic because of how the student was acting, but then he finally realized that things would be okay.
Practicum Students
The first day back from fall break the students were dragging their feet in getting their work done and just did not seem motivated
This was my first experience ever where I was in a classroom (as a teacher) right after the student's break and I got to see how coming back from break really affects the students' ability to learn and how they are out of their regular school routine
Guided Reading Lesson Plan #1
Went okay, but could have gone better.
I underestimated what the students could have done. 3 out of the 5 finished the book.
I had the new student, with Autism, in my group and he did really well. At first I was kinda nervous about having him in my group from seeing how he acted on Monday, but he surpassed my expectations. I think that reminded met that I need to give all students a chance and not just base my expectations off of past information and conversations.
I needed to have a little similar plan. It took the first question for the students to really understand what exactly I wanted from them.
Guided Reading Lesson Plan #2
Went much better than the first one since I kept the plan right in front of me the entire time.
Still things I could do better, but there are always ways go grow
Kept them engaged better than the last time
Sat at the desk instead of the floor which I think helped them with their concentration
I wish I would have had them get pencils before coming over to the table. I forgot and I had all of attention, but when they needed to get their pencils from their desk I lost their focus and complete and undivided attention.
Being 100% honest, sometimes I feel that it can be difficult to watch how my teacher does things. There have been a few situations where I think he could have handled it very different, and there have been days where everything he says is negative. I know we all have those days, but I think he could do things differently
Writing Lesson Plan
Lesson #1
I think it went well, but I think one thing our group could have improved on was making sure to look at the lesson plan before we teach.
There were good life lessons they could apply to their life and not just a slice of life from someone else's life.
Lesson #2
Today's lesson went really well! There was an equal divide between the 3 of us! Since they were brainstorming their ideas we made it silent work. It was the first time I heard that class that quiet. Which was kind of werid
All students were able to come up with 3 or 4 ideas that they could write about with a slice of life from them.
The student who has Autism was very set on writing about The Titanic. Even though it is not a slice of his life, we decided that this would be okay since he was so set on it and seemed excited about it. This was an accommodation we made so he would do this assignment and be excited about it.
Lesson #3
I thought this was our best lesson yet! Emily did a great job explaining what we were doing and the students really liked choosing one thing to write about
Since it was something the students came up with themselves they seemed to enjoy it better than us coming up with something for them to write about.
Lesson #4
This lesson was very difficult for the students to grasp and since I was the one leading it, I became very overwhelmed, but luckily I had awesome teaching partners to help me!
To change it in the future I could have made my examples much less complex and given maybe 2 options for them to choose from.
Synthesis
Classroom Management
Literacy
Core Values
Student Success is #1
Student engagement in the learning process
Will go out of my way to make sure they are succeeding
If they don't succeed now they will fall behind in higher grades
If they are engaged they will want to learn and will pay attention in the lessons. They will take things away from the lesson and apply it to their own lives!
Positive characteristics being a teacher
Kind
They are seen as a welcoming, a cheerleader for the students and not an enemy.
Patient
Kids will test people's patients and you have to learn how to control your angry and be able to teach through these kinds of behaviors. If you do not then the day will not run smoothly.
Energetic
Keeps students engaged and interested
Literacy Visions
Punishment vs classroom management
Classroom Environment
Individualized
I want to make sure students are getting material that is at their level, but still challenges them.
Multimodal
guided reading, independent work, partner work, worksheets, whole class instruction, etc.
Core Values
It is individualized and every student can take something away from each lesson. I want it to be fun and interesting so they can remember what was taught.
I want to use a range of teaching methods and learning experiences so things are being mixed up and it keeps the students engaged and entertained
Why Important: if plans aren't individualized and not at the student's level then there is now way the child can learn. They will fall behind, loose self confidence, and not enjoy school.
Why Important: keeps them engaged and they will not get bored of doing the same things everyday. They will have favorites and not so favorite, this way they will not always be stuck doing something they don't enjoy.
Philosophy on Teaching Literacy
Classroom Management
- the environment & how it affects the student ability to learn
- how the teacher goes about teaching the students the material
Punishment
- how you deal with certain situations that take away from teaching time
- how to deal with difficult, bad, or inappropriate behaviors
Classroom
Rules
Making the Rules
How will they be taught and implemented?
- mixture of me choosing them and coming up with them as a class!
- I will have the basic rules and they will add ones they think are important when we have that discussion as a class
- they will be listed in the room for everyone to see
- we will remind ourselves of the rules daily for the first few weeks of school and then when needed
Encouragement to follow rules & how to deal with negative behavior
Encouragement
Dealing with bad behavior
I want to come up with some kind of reward system and implement that for good behavior. It encourages the students to behave well, but it can also have consequences if they misbehave
On top of the reward system I want some kind of clip chart. Mr. D. used a clip chart in his classroom and I have seen it in multiple other classrooms and I think it works really well. The further down a student would go would mean the larger the consequence. Not only would they lose a behavior reward (chip), but they would have a phone call home or trip to the office.
Maximize effectiveness of classroom rules
"Big 5"
- Rules: having rules stated clearly
- Routines: predictable and easy to navigate so students aren't caught of guard by new ideas or concepts
- Praise: positive and specific phrases and actions to tell child they did well
- Misbehavior: respond constantly and with appropriate consequences for any behavior issues in the classroom
- Engagement: have meaningful and interesting opportunities and instruction.
Classroom Organization
Different areas I want in my classroom
Quiet/Calm Down Corner
Flexible Seating
Allowing student to sit where they can work best on independent and quiet work. This would allow them to be more comfortable and relaxed. Also swirly chairs, exercise balls, and standing could be used at their desk during full class instruction. 
Sitting in table groups
I love having students sitting in table groups rather than rows because it allows for good discussions and students to work together with a group of people or during partner work.
All students, gen ed and special ed, can use this corner to calm down or take a break from the day. It could also be part of the flexible seating. This could be an area with fidgets, a chair, calming colors, and objects with lots of different textures.
This is a good option because the teacher can still see all students at most parts of the room and each table has access to the needed extra materials in the center of their "pods".
If placed in the right direction the teacher will be able to see what the student is doing in the calm down corner and in the area it will have the needed materials, such as fidgets, sound machines, and other tangible items in that specific area.
Intrinsic Motivation vs Externally Imposed Control
External Imposed Control
The student is getting the motivation to make those connections though the help of their teacher because the teacher holds the reward.
IT IS TEACHER CENTERED
Ex: Teachers gives writing prompts and the rules are made by the teacher
Intrinsic Motivation
The student motivated by is making connections from the lessons to the real world and being rewarded on their own without help from others.
IT IS STUDENT CENTERED
Ex: students are working for a higher purpose or student made classroom rules
Teacher Attribution Theory
Whatever I am feeling or doing will reflect on my teaching and how I see my student's behaviors
- Is the way I am feeling or acting make the student's behavior an external or internal cause? - Locus of Control
- Are the causes under someone else's control? - Controllability
- Are the causes fixed or do they need change?- Stability
This theory will affect how I maximize the effectiveness of my classroom management?
- It will make me realized if the child's actions are really out of line or my mind perceiving it that way. And that will play a role in how I discipline a child with negative behaviors.
Classroom Prodedures
Non-Negotiables in the Classroom
- Respecting other people in the classroom
(do not hit/touch others, do not take things without asking) - Building Students Up
(positive self-talk, positive interactions with students when they mess up) - Outside the Classroom Rules
(walk quietly in the hallways, always walk, do not touch things on the walls unless you are told it is okay, listen to other adults when I am not with students)
How will the Non-Negotiables be Taught?
- Written for all to see
- Constant verbal reminders
- Corrected (in appropriate way) when those "rules" are broken
- Consequences if broken many times in a row
How will they be corrected if broken?
- 1st: verbal reminder
- 2nd: One-on-one conversation with teacher
-3rd: (Depending on situation) consequence give (possible clip down on chart)
-4th: Phone call home
-5th: Administration gets involved
Diversity
Have a range of books in the classroom
Danger of a Single Story
There will no longer be one side shared to the story since everyone has a different experience in life.
Broken into groups based on reading level
Having reading groups based on level makes it individualized for each student. They are getting the content in a level they understand and they will be able to take things away from the book
Books can teach students a lot about different cultures, life lesson, and even help them learn about their own cultures.
You have to be careful the book is accurately portraying the culture and not talking about the misconceptions of that specific culture.
Literacy Assessment
Role
Tools
To see what progress students have made in "x" amount of time
Helps me see what I need to continue doing and what changes I need to make so students are understanding the content better
Cold Reads and Post Reads (Mr. D called them blue reads and red reads
Cold Reads/ Blue Reads
The first time reading the story and seeing how the student does (marking what words they got wrong and how many words they read in a certain amount of time)
Post Reads/Red Reds
The last time the student read the story and looking at what improvements they made from the blue/cold read.
Running Record
Seeing how many words a student can read in a minute and the mistakes they make. Normally we look at semantics, syntactic, and graphophonic. (Also looking to see if child corrects themselves without being prompted to)
Instruction
6 Modes of Language Arts
Being able to teach L.A. in different formats
- Receptive (Listening, Reading, and Viewing)
- Expressive/ Productive (Speaking, Writing, and Visually Representing)
Mixes up how I teach and some of the time I will be doing things and they will be following what I am doing and other times they will be doing it on their own.
They will get differentiated instruction
Reading and Writing in the Classroom
Reading
Writing
- Daily
- To learn new concepts or ideas
- To tell and show me what they have learned
- Daily
- Mixture of how it is done (independently, with partners, as a whole class)
- To learn new concepts or ideas
Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Comprehension
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Comprehension
- The "why" (why do people read?)
- The goal of reading
- Understanding what is happening in the text
- Focus on individual sounds of letters
- Foundation of phonics
- ORAL based
- Elkonin Boxes to learn
- Used in early grades (K)
- Used in written word patterns
- Links written letters & word sounds
Instructional Models
multimodal
Always mixing things up to keep students engaged in the lessons and content being taught.
I want to use direct teaching and independent teaching
I find it super important to use different types of teaching methods because in a child's life they are also their own teacher. They will discover things and need to learn how to process that information and use it in their own life.
In order for a child to be successful in all areas of their academic career, they have to be able to read. Reading is the base of the world around them. That being said literacy is a huge part of the classroom. I want to adapt how I teach so all students have the capability to learn. I will use different types of teaching methods and a range in how they will work without me. I will do whatever it takes to get my students to understand how to read and write.
Philosophy of Classroom Management
I want my classroom to be a place that is welcoming to all students and a safe place to learn, explore, and dive deeper into the content. Having a classroom like that would make the kids eager to learn! I would much rather be the guide to their learning successes than for me to be holding their hand through the entire learning process. I also want to create a smooth running classroom that establishes rules for respect, self-love, and motivation to learn.