Chapter 4c and 5a- The Curriculum

Chapter 4c: pp. 140-160
Ashley Taus and My Section

Chapter 5a: pp. 163-184

This chapter focuses on the curriculum in school. This is the part I don't really think about, kind of forget about, and don't realize it is something we have to do, when thinking about becoming a teacher. The curriculum is obviously the most important part of the day because you have to know what you are going to teach. I was also nervous that teachers were all alone in this planning process, but then that wouldn't make sense because how does all the other teachers know to teach the same thing. Teachers collaborate and talk about what is going to be taught. You do not have to be alone in making these plans. You do however do have to prepare them in advance because you want to create a plan that will benefit your students learning. I never realized how much you have to plan, for the year, unit and lessons. I enjoy how they talk about allowing the students to teach you by having projects, and generate ideas, listen and talk to one another about concepts. I feel students learn best when they figure things out themselves. That light bulb goes off in their minds more, instead of the teacher telling students what to do. You want to give your students those learning opportunities to ask and answer questions and discover and learn new things on their own.  I remember in my middle school I had advisory, which I really enjoyed. It was a nice place to start before my day started and if I had questions or concerns or unfinished homework I could ask and do some of it there. It also allowed me to prepare myself for the day instead of just going into it. I really want my lessons in my class to be hands on learning activities, I best learned that way and think it will be beneficial for my students. That means I will have to really prepare my curriculum instructional plan, to set my students up for success and not failure.

The Learning Environment: Planning and Managing the Classroom Chapter 4A & 4B

Chapter 4A & 4B:

Chapter 4A (Pgs: 109-121):

As a teacher we play many different roles and it is important to remember the different aspects that go into being a teacher to benefit our students in their well being. Many students may not get the right attention, or feel safe at home and we want all students to feel that they belong in our classrooms and it is a safe place. We want to keep in mind that all children can learn, we want to see the best in each student, provide them with a positive and motivating environment, and use our time wisely in the classroom. As a teacher these are the attributes I would like to use in my classroom. I want to be there for each of my students and believe that each of them can succeed. I also want to create that environment where my students feel safe where they can participate and come to me with anything they need. The classroom is where students spend most of their day and its our job to provide them with a positive and effective learning environment. This includes our classroom management skills, making sure we are addressing inappropriate behavior, and using consequences. From the first day of school you want to enforce your management and make each student feel welcome by sharing stories, having conferences, observing, your students.


Chapter 4B (Pgs: 121-140):

Another important part of establishing an effective learning environment is explaining your procedures/syllabus to your class. Its important that the students are aware of your expectations and what the class entails. I feel like establishing these things from day one are super important because it can either make or break your year. This is something I get nervous about because I don't want my students to think I am all fun and games, or have them walk all over me. I want my students to know when it is time to have fun and when to be serious. This is something teachers really need to think about to create that environment they want. It won't come easy and you may have to change a few things if something isn't working. This part of the chapter also talked about how to phrase things to your students, for example instead of saying rules you would say expectations, and instead of punishment you would say consequences. Its also important to think about how you are going to handle different situations and be able to put a stop to the incorrect action and behavior that is happening in your classroom. They talk about not punishing the students and redirecting the students misbehavior. I agree with this statement because I don't technically want to punish my students. When I observe some teachers give time outs or change the students color cards and I am not a fan or think they are an effective consequence.

Reading Assignment- Chap 2A, 2B, and 3

Chapter 2A pp. 27-56

This first part of chapter two talked about how teachers need to be decision makers. Something I realized is that teachers will be making a ton of decisions everyday in and outside of the classroom, during and making lessons. Teachers need to consider what is best for the students, sometimes every decision won't be the greatest one and thats okay. As teachers are making these decision they need to reflect before and after, asking themselves if the decision they are making will benefit their students or if it was necessary. As they reflect, analyze and judge their decision making process its important they think about what they could do differently next time. I feel its always important to have a second plan incase the first one doesn't go as planned. For some events you can't always plan for what will happen and have to act on instant, which I am kind of scared about because, this is something I can't always do, I like to think and plan things ahead of time. I think that a great way to know if something worked or didn't work during a lesson would be to ask the student or those involved and see what they learned and benefited from that lesson.  They also briefly discussed the importance of safety and rights of the students and teachers. We need to make sure we are aware of the school districts policy and follow those rights and rules to make sure we are treating others equally and being appropriate towards one another. 

Chapter 2B pp. 57-78

This section gave a ton of great characteristics thats teachers can use in the classroom, which was about teachers using all their resources and understanding what they are learning. It is also important for teachers to be learners as well. As teachers we can not know everything and are always learning, its important for teachers to keep updated in each subject and with upcoming technology. We also want to model for our students and give them inquiry and those hands on opportunities. I believe this is the best way for students to learn. I know it is how I learned in school and lectures didn't help me at all. I really want to use those hands on experiences in my classroom. Teachers also want to be able to connect our lessons to our students interest and real world situations because it makes it easier for students to then understand and grasp those concepts. As teachers are creating those lessons we need to think about what kind of things will benefit each of our students. If one thing doesn't work we need to be quick on our feel to change up our lesson. We all went to school and have had many different teachers but those who were positive, encouraging, and funny, were the ones we remembered most and learned the most from. I want to be that teacher who is there for my students and give them those different learning opportunities. For everything that teachers do we need to have a reason for and just because we think it may be a better way to learn something research might prove us otherwise. Its the same thing that if something isn't working, we need to reflect and rethink that decision we have made.  They also touched upon preventing those unwanted behaviors. This starts at the beginning, as we need to set those guidelines and rules at the beginning of the year and continue to follow them. Once we don't our students won't take us seriously and not listen to us and misbehave. We want to make sure our students are staying on task, and things that go into this is making sure we are giving clear instructions, giving them the right questions and using those proper tools that would benefit our students. In my classroom I want to do everything I can to help them benefit and learn the lesson and concept. 

Chapter 3 pp. 81-108

Chapter three focuses on thinking and questioning strategies. It is important that teachers are using those higher-level questions when asking their students questions to allow them to really think, connect, and relate those questions to the content. The teachers and students in the classroom need to listen to one another. If the students answer a question wrong, its important that you don’t have another gender correcting that student, and try to have the student you asked answer the question by asking him or her questions that dig deeper. There are many different ways you can have students think and figure things out for themselves for example inquiry learning. Another way is questioning. There are so many different benefits from questioning students, and as a teacher you could find out a ton, from what students do and don’t know, if they understood something, those that are struggling, what they are thinking, etc. I remember learning in one of my classes all about the different kinds of questions to ask your students. There are tons and you don’t want the questions to be yes or no and really want students to think about those higher level thinking questions. There are analytic, clarifying, convergent-thinking, cueing, divergent-thinking, evaluative, focus, etc. As teachers it is our job to make sure we are asking the right questions and changing it up. We don’t want to just give the students the answer because they will never learn that way. When we ask these questions we want to make sure we are using the right wording, being clear, allowing time for students to think, and involving as many students as possible.

Chapter 1- Teaching Young Adolescents Recognizing and Understanding The Challenge

This Chapter talks about the different types of schools that there can be and there are nine different kinds. These are elementary, intermediate, middle school, magnet/theme, charter, full service, IB middle school, extended year, and year round schooling. It is important for teachers and others to get to know the school and be involved in it, many different people have different interpretations of which school would best benefit their child. It is our jobs as teachers to give our students the best education that we can and although we have standards to follow, we do sometimes have to do what is best for our students in the long run. Even though our classroom is important to know what we are doing in the classroom, it is also important to know the schools mission, politics, framework, staff, etc. We want to be able to accomplish the schools goals along with the standards and what the students need from us. If teachers are confused and unsure of what to do in certain situations its best to ask for help, it doesn’t make you look weak in fact it shows that you care about doing the best for your students.  As there are different types of schooling there is also different kinds of scheduling in school, which some say benefit students to having longer hours in some classes. 

            There are many people involved in the success of students, and this depends on the dedication, commitment, and nature of the adults involved. These adults can include teachers, administrators, janitors, bus drivers, etc. We want committed teachers in our schools to teach students of the future. We want to be able to connect to the students by respecting, supporting, staying positive and patient with our students. Teachers need to be there for their students and should include the parents. One job that is the hardest job teachers need to make are the decisions in their classroom. Everyone will make mistakes and your students will forgive you for them, sometimes its difficult for teachers to think of what to do in the spot. Teachers also should listen to students ideas and maybe even follow through with one of their ideas. The principal and other leadership positions have important roles in students lives and should be involved in and outside of the classroom. There is also the community and parents that play a huge role in the students lives. There are many benefits that come along with having parents involved. 

There are also different trends and issues that schools and teachers are dealing with. Teachers now days have to teach for tests, which puts a ton of stress on the teachers and school. There are also a ton of new changes in the standards and they are always changing, making teachers and school reevaluate how they teach lessons and do certain activities. We continue to want to hold those higher expectations of our students. Some issues are that some schools don't have the resources, technology or outdated building.  

Students in the middle school grade level are going through a change int his time. This is an important factor to keep in mind while working with students in the middle school age. We know they are sensitive, and experimenting. We can't stop some of the things they are doing, but we can be there to encourage them and connect to each one of them. Us teachers play many different roles, but the our main job is to keep our students safe, and be their for them.