Blog 13

Week of Reflection: (list the date of the Friday for week just completed)

  

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week- This week was a five. This week was the week I began handing back the classroom to Ms. Stone. It is a very exciting moment but I am also very sad about leaving my kids on Wednesday.
• Seven questions to end your week:
• • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week? This week, during my math instruction, the principal and Mr. Joey Clinton (the executive HR director for Gaston County) walked in. Mr. Clinton pulled me into the hall and offered me an early contract with Gaston County for the 2019-2020 school year. He mentioned that jobs will be open after the holidays. Turning in my portfolio this week was a relief but I will feel much better after presenting this Thursday.
  • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? Next week, I have three days with these kids. I want to push them as far as I can academically so they can achieve their goals and remember that I am an adult who cares for each and every one of them.
  • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? My short term efforts are completing and revising sections of my portfolio. This aligns with my long term goal of graduating on December 15th.
  • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I could have spent more time working on my video this week, but wanted to make sure I had portfolio components in order. This weekend and the beginning of next week, I will work on the video for my portfolio presentation in order to have it in by Wednesday morning at the latest.
  • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I was unsure how much I should assist since I am leaving next week, I don't want the kids to be shocked when there is one less person able to help them. I assisted when I saw assistance was needed or when the TA was out of the room.
  • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? I am checking every component of my portfolio to ensure I have all of the requirements needed to pass EDUC 450.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? This week, Ms. Stone and I sat down and discussed students who may need a tier two intervention at this time. I realize that each child has different needs and that I need to plan future instruction with this in mind.
• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? Don't stress this week! We are two weeks away from graduation.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
• • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
  • 1A- By having my students stop throughout the day and take small brain breaks, I am demonstrating leadership in my classroom because the students listen whenever I have them sit back down and they know I will let them know when we have another. Another way I have been demonstrating leadership in my classroom is through the use of black tickets. If a student receives one of these during my teaching, they have to go cool down at their desks before rejoining the group.
  • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 2D- Differentiation in my lessons are focused on what my students individual needs are and how I can meet them while teaching content. I have found multiple strategies to support and challenge students during lessons such as having them add a sentence to their work or doing a completely different task.
  • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 3A- By aligning each of my lessons with the NC standard course of study, I am showing evidence of knowing the content I am teaching.
  • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 4C- Teachers use a variety of instructional methods in their classroom. In my classroom, I have students use the SMARTboard during lessons, other math manipulatives, and working with groups and partners. I use google drawings to make interactive games for what I know my students can do.
  • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 5A- By reflecting on my lesson plans each week and changing my lesson plans accordingly to reflect my students needs, I am meeting this standard.
• Other:
• • What components of your portfolio have you started to complete? I need to make revisions on my portfolio and complete my video.
  • What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor? none
  • What support do you need from your university supervisor? none

Blog 12

Week of Reflection: (list the date of the Friday for week just completed)

  

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week- 5. This week was very rewarding with my students. My last week full time teaching is finished and I am getting a little sentimental. Graduation is just one month away and I am very excited to see what the future holds.
• Seven questions to end your week:
• • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week? This week, we were off on Monday, I took the reading foundations test on Tuesday, I was able to get back teaching on Wednesday and saw growth in some of my low flyers. One student has been writing his numbers the correct way as well as letters he was not able to write before. Another student was able to make rhyming words using the endings -at, -an, and -in. It was a great week with my students and I am excited to start giving the classroom back to Ms. Stone so I can spend more time in the classroom loving on my students for the last few weeks.
  • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? Next week is Thanksgiving and I want to do fun educational thanksgiving games and lessons that teach the history behind thanksgiving.
  • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? My short term efforts are to complete all components of my portfolio on time and this goal is aligned to my long term goal of graduation.
  • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I could have spent more time working on my portfolio instead of focusing on lessons but now that I am done full time teaching, I will be able to work on my portfolio more often.
  • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I was unsure how to begin to hand back lessons to Ms. Stone and she assisted me in making the decision.
  • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? Next week, I will work more on components in my portfolio.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? This week, I have noticed that my students enjoy getting up in front of the class to write or draw something on the board. In future lessons and my future classroom, I will utilize this strategy.
• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? Write out a calendar with one piece of the portfolio to work on each day until it is due.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
• • • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
    • 1A- By having my students stop throughout the day and take small brain breaks, I am demonstrating leadership in my classroom because the students listen whenever I have them sit back down and they know I will let them know when we have another.
    • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 2D- Differentiation in my lessons as well as my math small groups are focused on what my students individual needs are and how I can meet them while teaching content.
    • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 3A- By aligning each of my lessons with the NC standard course of study, I am showing evidence of knowing the content I am teaching.
    • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 4C- Teachers use a variety of instructional methods in their classroom. In my classroom, I have students use the SMARTboard during lessons, other math manipulatives, working with groups and partners, and using whiteboards for students to practice writing letters, words, and sentences.
    • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 5A- By reflecting on my lesson plans each week, I am meeting this NCTCS.
• Other:
• • What components of your portfolio have you started to complete? I have set up all of my tabs in livebinder and began adding content to each tab.
  • What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor? None
  • What support do you need from your university supervisor? None

Blog 11

Week of Reflection: (list the date of the Friday for week just completed)

  

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week- 4- This was an excellent week in my classroom. I saw major improvements in behavior in my focus student. This week ended on a sad note when I found out Friday morning a student that has grown near and dear to my heart will be moving out of county. My CE and TA both helped me realize this is something that happens a lot as a teacher which is a sad reality that I have to live with. However, I know I made an impact on this student in his time in my classroom.
• Seven questions to end your week:
• • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week? This week I was more prepared for my lessons each day and the lessons went great throughout each day this week. On Monday, we had a field trip to Lewis Farm and it was fun being outside the classroom with my students.
  • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? Next week, I will begin diving deep into my portfolio to finish up on time with a strong presentation.
  • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? My short term efforts are to finish up my full time teaching and add things to my portfolio so that I can achieve my long term goal of graduating.
  • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I could have spent more time planning intentional lessons for the students to really interact with the material and next week I will plan lessons so students are thinking critically and interacting with lessons.
  • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I was unsure how this week was going to play out since we had a field trip at the beginning of the week. It went well with student behavior and yelling out during lessons.
  • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? Add more to portfolio and video and finish up full time teaching strong!

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? The TA tested my students on letter sounds and I realized some of my students cannot recognize letters in different fonts than the one they are primarily familiar with. I will do an extension activity that highlights the letters in different fonts.
• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? Tab your standards in your notebook as you are writing your lessons so you can remember each standard within your lessons.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
• • • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. - 1B- This week, the students who were doing the right thing without being asked were given a golden ticket to model to the other students what good behavior gets.
    • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. -2D- This week I have learned a lot about differentiation and how to differentiate for each of my students needs. I have the students who need greater support in lessons by giving them resources to use to support their learning such as tracing words and sentences. The students who need a greater challenge are assisted by using books above their level.
    • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. - 3B- Since I have been working with other Kindergarten teachers, I am learning some things about kindergarten I didn't know before which helps me teach the content.
    • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. - 4C- In my lessons, I am using group work, partnerships, SMART board games, math manipulatives and other materials to help my students learn best.
    • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. - 5C- I have learned to adapt to a complex environment such as the kindergarten classroom. All of my students are on different levels of behavior as well as learning.
• Other:
• • What components of your portfolio have you started to complete? I have now began working on my video for my presentation while finishing up other components.
  • What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor? None
  • What support do you need from your university supervisor? None

Blog Ten

Week of Reflection: (list the date of the Friday for week just completed) 11-02-18

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week- 5- This week was interesting with it being Halloween, I enjoyed seeing my students all dressed up working on snap words together. This week, I have seen even more improvement in some of my students which is always great to see.
• Seven questions to end your week:
• • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week? I was able to take more videos for my portfolio which was interesting and the students were on their best behavior when I was videoing while walking around.
  • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? You can never be too prepared for a lesson. Next week, I will ensure materials for all lessons are prepared at the end of each day.
  • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? My short term efforts are completing my portfolio and lesson plans so I can successfully complete student teaching.
  • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I could have spent more time preparing some materials in my lessons to ensure I have everything I need.
  • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I was unsure how it was going to be with it being Halloween on a Wednesday, but it was fun seeing my students dress up and bring candy for each other to school.
  • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? Next week, I will work more on my portfolio and prepare materials for lessons daily.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? I noticed that some students struggled with initial sounds and I used a phonics extension activity to practice initial sounds using picture cards.
• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? Be prepared for all lessons every day to ensure your readiness for the day. This will make you feel more confident when teaching the lesson.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
• • • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. - 1B- This week, I demonstrated leadership by using proximity praise and the use of gold tickets and black "cool down" tickets.
    • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. -2D- I have the students who need greater support in lessons by giving them resources to use to support their learning.
    • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. - 3C- I have been integrating global awareness into my classroom through our science lesson plans.
    • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. - 4E- By using HOTS questions, my students are using critical thinking skills.
    • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. - 5C- I believe that students cannot function in an unsafe environment and learn best when they are loved, according to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs.
• • What components of your portfolio have you started to complete? Website, videos, resume, behavior management plan and working on my live binder. I have also finished my philosophy,
  • What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?None
  • What support do you need from your university supervisor?None