Saturday, April 26, 2014
Blog Assignment 8
For this blog assignment we were asked to describe how we would use our blogging skills in your classroom. While I'm not much of a blogger, I think the biggest and best way a blog would be extremely useful is if it were used as a place for students and their parents to check daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Instead of using a weekly or biweekly newsletter, I could use a blog to post updates on what is going on in the class. The information could contain projects the students are working, concepts and lessons they are learning, and even provide tools (such as learning interactive games, practice problems, sheets, concepts, etc) the students could use at home to improve math skills or reading skills. Ultimately, it can serve as an avenue of communication between myself and the parents on what is going on in the classroom.
Blog 7 Assignment
The question for this week's blog post is the following:
"After reading and pondering the debate about teens lacking adult reasoning capacity, yet being held to adult consequences, what do you think this means for you as a teacher?"
I think this is a hard question. Through their teen years, children are learning how to be adults more than every before. I think the best way to show them how to be an appropriate adult who makes the right decisions is by being an adequate role model in the classroom. Having integrity, being hardworking, determined, responsible, respectful, and honest will resonate with them. Teachers spend a lot of time with children and teens and on any given day a child/teen may see his/her teacher more than they see their parents. Thus, a lot of the responsibility to show them how to act and behave appropriately as an adult does fall on the teacher.
This is not to say that children and teens won't make mistakes, because they definitely will. They will struggle with integrity, they will lack the desire to be a hard worker or determined, they will not always want to be responsible, respectful, and honest because they don't have the adult reasoning yet. This is when, we as teachers, must correct their behavior through the appropriate discipline channels and influence them to want to make the right the decisions. It is ultimately one of the many jobs in our classroom: to be the appropriate role models, to correct behavior when we can, and to hope the children/teens will learn from it and us so they can make appropriate decisions the next time a circumstance arrives.
"After reading and pondering the debate about teens lacking adult reasoning capacity, yet being held to adult consequences, what do you think this means for you as a teacher?"
I think this is a hard question. Through their teen years, children are learning how to be adults more than every before. I think the best way to show them how to be an appropriate adult who makes the right decisions is by being an adequate role model in the classroom. Having integrity, being hardworking, determined, responsible, respectful, and honest will resonate with them. Teachers spend a lot of time with children and teens and on any given day a child/teen may see his/her teacher more than they see their parents. Thus, a lot of the responsibility to show them how to act and behave appropriately as an adult does fall on the teacher.
This is not to say that children and teens won't make mistakes, because they definitely will. They will struggle with integrity, they will lack the desire to be a hard worker or determined, they will not always want to be responsible, respectful, and honest because they don't have the adult reasoning yet. This is when, we as teachers, must correct their behavior through the appropriate discipline channels and influence them to want to make the right the decisions. It is ultimately one of the many jobs in our classroom: to be the appropriate role models, to correct behavior when we can, and to hope the children/teens will learn from it and us so they can make appropriate decisions the next time a circumstance arrives.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Blog 6 Assignment
In this week's lesson, we studied various information regarding music and its impact on learning, especially when it comes to reading and math. It turns out that math and music have a strong correlation with each other. Both subjects are connected through patterns, counting, geometry, ratios/proportions, and equivalent fractions and sequences. Additionally, there is a strong relationship between the various skills needed complete math functions and those needed to play music. Interestingly enough, it is possible that early math training begins building those same neural networks that are used to perform math functions. Students who study music also have strong reading development and phonological awareness. This is largely due to the fact that music is thought to enhance the auditory area closely related to reading.
Music studies, like the Mozart Effect, showed that an activity that puts a person in a good mood will improve their performance on a test that is taken directly afterwards. I found this particularly interesting because this past week, in the class I'm completing field experience hours in, the students were preparing for AIMS testing. At the end of the school day on Friday, the teacher played a parody of "Let It Go" from Disney's latest blockbuster hit, "Frozen." The song talked about test anxieties and how the students did not need to stress, to let it all go and trust that they know the information and are well prepared.The song was a mega hit for the class and the students requested the teacher play the video twice more. After class, the teacher told me she was going to play the song for them at the very beginning of the day on Monday so the students could relax again before even beginning the test. Thus, it's obvious that music has a powerful effect on the brain and body. Different aspects of the body affected by music includes breathing, heart rate, pain management, and muscle movement. Playing a musical instruction is also known to change the brain because new motor skills are acquired.
All of this information impacts me several ways as a teacher. Ultimately, music is very important in our schools, especially since it is so closely related to math and reading. Many schools are cutting funding to their arts programs and this largely includes music. It's a sad reality and arts in the school should really be the LAST to have funding cut. Without music in our schools, especially instrumental bands, I do believe our students would suffer more harm than good. This is why it will be important, as a teacher, to fight for arts in the schools in whatever way possible. Additionally, I plan to utilize music in my classroom whenever I can. This may include (but is certainly not limited to) background music as the children work silently on an activity or various music activities to help teach a concept. I also will take the idea of the "Let It Go" parody with me to my class regarding AIMS testing. That is certainly a fun way to help the students relax and focus on an upcoming test. In short, music can do so much for our classrooms and our students.
Music studies, like the Mozart Effect, showed that an activity that puts a person in a good mood will improve their performance on a test that is taken directly afterwards. I found this particularly interesting because this past week, in the class I'm completing field experience hours in, the students were preparing for AIMS testing. At the end of the school day on Friday, the teacher played a parody of "Let It Go" from Disney's latest blockbuster hit, "Frozen." The song talked about test anxieties and how the students did not need to stress, to let it all go and trust that they know the information and are well prepared.The song was a mega hit for the class and the students requested the teacher play the video twice more. After class, the teacher told me she was going to play the song for them at the very beginning of the day on Monday so the students could relax again before even beginning the test. Thus, it's obvious that music has a powerful effect on the brain and body. Different aspects of the body affected by music includes breathing, heart rate, pain management, and muscle movement. Playing a musical instruction is also known to change the brain because new motor skills are acquired.
All of this information impacts me several ways as a teacher. Ultimately, music is very important in our schools, especially since it is so closely related to math and reading. Many schools are cutting funding to their arts programs and this largely includes music. It's a sad reality and arts in the school should really be the LAST to have funding cut. Without music in our schools, especially instrumental bands, I do believe our students would suffer more harm than good. This is why it will be important, as a teacher, to fight for arts in the schools in whatever way possible. Additionally, I plan to utilize music in my classroom whenever I can. This may include (but is certainly not limited to) background music as the children work silently on an activity or various music activities to help teach a concept. I also will take the idea of the "Let It Go" parody with me to my class regarding AIMS testing. That is certainly a fun way to help the students relax and focus on an upcoming test. In short, music can do so much for our classrooms and our students.
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