As expected, our original project plan has evolved some. My teammates and I worked together to create differentiated math stations. Our project plan was to have laptops at one of the stations. We had curated a collection of various math game sites that we planned to make available on laptops. Due to a delay in the availability of laptops, we have not yet been able to have laptops as one of our stations. Despite this, I still started math stations a few weeks ago and have established routines and expectations with the children. Today, Cathy delivered laptops to each of us! Now we will be able to begin using laptops for math games during station time.
When my teammates and I realized that there would be a delay in getting laptops for our classrooms, we began to think of other ways to incorporate technology into our stations. As a tech leader for our school, Amy Finnen has an Ipad in her classroom. Her students are able to use this during station time. We decided to write a grant asking for two Ipads for each kindergarten classroom. Our hope is that each kindergarten classroom will be able to have at least one Ipad to use for instruction and stations.
Another part of our project was to create a kindergarten team channel on You Tube. This is a way for all six kindergarten teachers to share You Tube videos without having to send an email with the link (as we had done in the past). We are all able to add and view videos on our You Tube channel.
The last part of our project has been to use Twitter as a reflection tool at the end of each day. During our afternoon snack, the students share important parts of our day as I Tweet them. This has been a very engaging tool for students, and for their families. I did not anticipate having such a positive, enthusiastic reaction from both students and parents. Through Twitter, we can quickly reflect on our day while giving parents a snapshot of what their children did at school.
My goals for the future with this project are to implement technology into our math stations (first with laptops, and hopefully with Ipads) and to continue to develop a collection of You Tube videos.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Project Update
During our last day of summer class, Karen, Amy and I accomplished quite a bit for our project. We researched, collected, and prepared the majority of our math centers for October. This work consisted of printing and copying materials, laminating them, and organizing them into a binder system. Once the school year begins and we have a better sense of our students' needs, we will begin to create materials for November math centers.
The three of us have used Diigo to bookmark several math game sites that we hope to use at our laptop station. At this station, we plan to give children the choice between a couple of games to play.
Through the use of math stations, we will be able to differentiate our math instruction. Once children are independent at centers, we will teach small group lessons during which we will be able to individualize instruction.
The three of us have used Diigo to bookmark several math game sites that we hope to use at our laptop station. At this station, we plan to give children the choice between a couple of games to play.
Through the use of math stations, we will be able to differentiate our math instruction. Once children are independent at centers, we will teach small group lessons during which we will be able to individualize instruction.
Friday, August 30, 2013
National Institute for Play
After viewing a TED talk last night about the importance of play, I decided I wanted to spend more time reading research about play. I visited the National Institute for Play website. While exploring, I read about the different types of play and how play can affect your health, relationships, and education. I found this information to make a lot of sense, however there is not much research cited on this website. The research that was cited was the same research presented in the TED talk I watched last night. I was hoping more research would be presented to help validate the institutes beliefs. Also, many of the references that were cited date back to the 1950's-1990's, not quite current research. With that said, I still feel as though much of the information presented on the site makes sense. For example, people who play are happier and have stronger relationships. One quote that has stuck with me is "the opposite of play is not work, it's depression." It makes sense to me that children and adults who do not engage in playful activities will not be as happy as people who do.
One belief presented that I don't agree with is that preschool aged children should be allowed to engage in rough-and-tumble play at school. This includes wrestling and hitting in a "playful way." While parents may allow their children to engage in rough-and-tumble play at home, I don't believe it is appropriate or safe for school.
One belief presented that I don't agree with is that preschool aged children should be allowed to engage in rough-and-tumble play at school. This includes wrestling and hitting in a "playful way." While parents may allow their children to engage in rough-and-tumble play at home, I don't believe it is appropriate or safe for school.
Response to TED Talk
A few nights ago, I watched a TED talk by Dr. Stuart Brown called Play is More than Just Fun. Dr. Stuart Brown discussed how critical play is for healthy brain development. Dr. Brown spent time conducting research on murderers, and he found a common thread among them: a lack of play in childhood. Dr. Brown has conducted animal research in which he concluded that play is important for survival. He described a study with rats in which the control group was prevented from playing and the experimental group was allowed to play. When posed with a threat (the scent of a cat) both groups went into hiding. The control group remained in hiding and eventually died, whereas the experimental group eventually ventured out and survived.
I found this video very interesting and pertinent to my classroom. Last year there were days in which I left out free exploration time because I had to choose between letting children play or engaging them in academics. This TED talk, in addition to other research about the importance of play, helped me realize just how important it is for children to have time for play. Daily free exploration will be a priority in my classroom this year.
I found this video very interesting and pertinent to my classroom. Last year there were days in which I left out free exploration time because I had to choose between letting children play or engaging them in academics. This TED talk, in addition to other research about the importance of play, helped me realize just how important it is for children to have time for play. Daily free exploration will be a priority in my classroom this year.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Skype in the Classroom
Tonight I spent time exploring Skype in the Classroom. I was amazed at what is available through Skype. You can schedule author visits, lessons, and interactions with other classrooms around the world. Surprisingly, I have never Skyped, so I created a Skype account and a Skype in the Classroom profile. I have not yet scheduled any calls through Skype because I want to spend more time exploring what's available, but I have already discovered a few calls I want to sign up for. I am very excited about this resource!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Teachers as "Situation-Makers"
This evening I read an article entitled: Eight Ways of Looking at Intelligence, by Annie Murphy Paul. In this article, Annie referenced eight factors that contribute to making people smarter, or eight ways of looking at intelligence, as determined by the science of learning. The eight perspectives listed as making people smarter were as follows: situations, beliefs, expertise, attention, emotions, technology, our bodies, and relationships.
Much of the information listed seemed pretty obvious, or perhaps just reinforced some of my beliefs/past research I have read. For example, in the section "Our Bodies Can Make Us Smarter," it was noted that an adequate amount sleep is an important contributor to learning. I believe most, if not all, teachers would agree with this. Proper nutrition and exercise were also noted as being important contributors to learning.
The article also discussed how two minds are stronger than one, so working with another person can make your smarter. Technology was described as a tool to make one smarter if used appropriately. To quote the author, "The problem is that our devises so often make us dumber instead of smarter...we need to help them [students] understand when to take full advantage of their devises, and when to put them away." I believe this is a crucial point. I fully support creating technology rich learning environments for students, but students also need to learn how to survive without the constant use of devises.
The author noted that teachers can be "situation-makers." This made a lot of sense to me. People can become smarter in certain situations. If teachers create an environment filled with positive learning situations then children will be more likely to learn. On the other hand, if students are regularly faced with negative situations within a classroom, then their learning may be hindered. Students are faced with situations throughout every part of their day, not just at school. As educators, we can do our part to create positive learning situations for our students and hope that the rest of their days are filled with that as well.
Much of the information listed seemed pretty obvious, or perhaps just reinforced some of my beliefs/past research I have read. For example, in the section "Our Bodies Can Make Us Smarter," it was noted that an adequate amount sleep is an important contributor to learning. I believe most, if not all, teachers would agree with this. Proper nutrition and exercise were also noted as being important contributors to learning.
The article also discussed how two minds are stronger than one, so working with another person can make your smarter. Technology was described as a tool to make one smarter if used appropriately. To quote the author, "The problem is that our devises so often make us dumber instead of smarter...we need to help them [students] understand when to take full advantage of their devises, and when to put them away." I believe this is a crucial point. I fully support creating technology rich learning environments for students, but students also need to learn how to survive without the constant use of devises.
The author noted that teachers can be "situation-makers." This made a lot of sense to me. People can become smarter in certain situations. If teachers create an environment filled with positive learning situations then children will be more likely to learn. On the other hand, if students are regularly faced with negative situations within a classroom, then their learning may be hindered. Students are faced with situations throughout every part of their day, not just at school. As educators, we can do our part to create positive learning situations for our students and hope that the rest of their days are filled with that as well.
Monday, July 29, 2013
PBS Kids and PBS Learning Media
Today I spent time exploring Between the Lions (part of PBS Kids), and PBS Learning Media. I am very excited about all the digital resources that are available for free through these sites.
Between the Lions contains many online stories, video clips about letters and spelling patterns, and learning games. There is a teacher resource section which contains lesson plans, recommended books to go with each digital story, and home connection resources.
PBS Learning Media has a large library of digital resources. There are many short videos about science topics suitable for kindergartners. I envision showing students some of these videos during our "All-About" writing unit.
Last year I did not use my classroom projector as much as I would have liked to, mostly because I spent the majority of my time learning a new grade level and curriculum, so I didn't give myself much time for finding and bookmarking online resources to use in the classroom. I am happy I explored these sites today and look forward to using this media in my classroom.
Between the Lions contains many online stories, video clips about letters and spelling patterns, and learning games. There is a teacher resource section which contains lesson plans, recommended books to go with each digital story, and home connection resources.
PBS Learning Media has a large library of digital resources. There are many short videos about science topics suitable for kindergartners. I envision showing students some of these videos during our "All-About" writing unit.
Last year I did not use my classroom projector as much as I would have liked to, mostly because I spent the majority of my time learning a new grade level and curriculum, so I didn't give myself much time for finding and bookmarking online resources to use in the classroom. I am happy I explored these sites today and look forward to using this media in my classroom.
Creativity
Today I read Several Ways We Can Help Students Develop Their Creativity by Larry Ferlazzo. The title of this article drew me to it because even as a kindergarten teacher there are many times when I feel as though I could be stifling a child's creativity. This article helped me understand why I feel this way, opened my eyes to small changes I can make to foster creativity, and validated some of my teaching practices that encourage creativity.
I believe that strong classroom management is key to creating a safe, calm classroom environment. However, I often struggle with what to do when a child blurts out an idea. If I respond to that child, I am sending the rest of the children a message that this child received my attention even though he/she didn't raise his/her hand. Other children will then think they are allowed to do the same. This is when expectations become unclear and inconsistent. So my point here is, how do I celebrate these creative ideas without creating a gray area of expectations? Ashley Merryman, one of the researchers who wrote a response in this article, says that teachers should "respond to a child's off-beat comment rather than ignore it." I agree that it is so important to acknowledge and respond to children's comments, but while also maintaining the classroom expectations. What I try to do in situations like these is respond to the child privately after the group lesson/discussion (although I definitely have room to improve in this area). I also remind the child to raise his/her hand in that moment and then try to call on that child when he/she is doing so, although sometimes the child has lost the idea at that point.
This article validated my belief that free exploration time in a kindergarten classroom is important for encouraging and developing a child's creativity. According to one of the researchers who was cited in the article, Jonah Leher, "they learn how to be creative by creating things, by flexing their own imaginations." Free Exploration gives children the time to do these things. It is amazing what children can do with blocks, or a piece of paper and tape, when they are given the time to explore these materials freely and creatively. There were times last school year when I would leave free exploration out of the schedule due to other things that needed to be done, but this article reminded me that children need the time to create things and use their imaginations. Free exploration is the perfect opportunity for them to do that.
I believe that strong classroom management is key to creating a safe, calm classroom environment. However, I often struggle with what to do when a child blurts out an idea. If I respond to that child, I am sending the rest of the children a message that this child received my attention even though he/she didn't raise his/her hand. Other children will then think they are allowed to do the same. This is when expectations become unclear and inconsistent. So my point here is, how do I celebrate these creative ideas without creating a gray area of expectations? Ashley Merryman, one of the researchers who wrote a response in this article, says that teachers should "respond to a child's off-beat comment rather than ignore it." I agree that it is so important to acknowledge and respond to children's comments, but while also maintaining the classroom expectations. What I try to do in situations like these is respond to the child privately after the group lesson/discussion (although I definitely have room to improve in this area). I also remind the child to raise his/her hand in that moment and then try to call on that child when he/she is doing so, although sometimes the child has lost the idea at that point.
This article validated my belief that free exploration time in a kindergarten classroom is important for encouraging and developing a child's creativity. According to one of the researchers who was cited in the article, Jonah Leher, "they learn how to be creative by creating things, by flexing their own imaginations." Free Exploration gives children the time to do these things. It is amazing what children can do with blocks, or a piece of paper and tape, when they are given the time to explore these materials freely and creatively. There were times last school year when I would leave free exploration out of the schedule due to other things that needed to be done, but this article reminded me that children need the time to create things and use their imaginations. Free exploration is the perfect opportunity for them to do that.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Curation Tools
Out of all the curation tools we've learned about this week, I see myself using Diigo and Pinterest (which I already use) the most. I have been using Pinterest for about a year now, but until today I pinned all school stuff on the same board, labeled "school stuff." Today I took the time to create more specific boards, such as "number identification" and "geometry." I believe I will access what I pin more often now that I have organized my school pins.
I can also see Diigo being a very beneficial curation tool for me. In the past when I found resources I would print them, add them to my bookmarks toolbar, or just hope I would remember where I found the information. Now, I can bookmark the resources I find and organize them in a way that meets my needs. I am excited about the opportunity to highlight and add sticky notes to the resources. Diigo will also be useful for collaboration. Two other kindergarten teachers and I already have a group page on which we are all bookmarking pertinent information.
I have not yet found Twitter to be a useful curating tool for me, however I look forward to using it to create class Tweets about our day. I believe this will be a beneficial, efficient home-school communication tool. I will continue to post on my blog weekly, but the tweets will give parents a quick update about our day.
I can also see Diigo being a very beneficial curation tool for me. In the past when I found resources I would print them, add them to my bookmarks toolbar, or just hope I would remember where I found the information. Now, I can bookmark the resources I find and organize them in a way that meets my needs. I am excited about the opportunity to highlight and add sticky notes to the resources. Diigo will also be useful for collaboration. Two other kindergarten teachers and I already have a group page on which we are all bookmarking pertinent information.
I have not yet found Twitter to be a useful curating tool for me, however I look forward to using it to create class Tweets about our day. I believe this will be a beneficial, efficient home-school communication tool. I will continue to post on my blog weekly, but the tweets will give parents a quick update about our day.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Project Idea
I will be working with two other kindergarten teachers, Amy Finnen and Karen Bradford, to create differentiated math centers for our math instruction. Our specific focus for this course will be to curate math resources and share/organize these resources through a group page on Diigo. We plan to create a collection of online math games that students can play with a partner at a math laptop station. Twitter, Feedly, and Pinterest are a few sites we plan to use.
As of right now, we are thinking of using our class blogs to document use of these differentiated math centers.
As of right now, we are thinking of using our class blogs to document use of these differentiated math centers.
EdCafe Takeaway
Sir Ken Robinson described humans as being inherently diverse, curious, and creative, but our current educational system in the United States is one based on standardized testing and conformity. In order for people to thrive as learners, we need to personalize learning and create a culture that is conducive to diversity, curiosity, and creativity. As an educator, I struggle with finding the right balance between encouraging curiosity and creativity and teaching children school/classroom expectations in order to manage a classroom.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Response to TED videos
Rita Pierson's message validated many of my teaching beliefs. I believe her discussion about the value and importance of human connection supports the Responsive Classroom model that we implement at Rowe School. Rita stated that "all learning is understanding relationships," and the social curriculum taught through a Responsive Classroom model builds human connections and teaches children about relationships. One of the guiding principles of Responsive Classroom is that knowing the children and families we teach is as important as the content we teach. This aligns with Rita's belief about the value of human connection.
Another important message I took away from Rita's presentation is that teachers may not like every student they ever teach, but you can never let that show. As Rita said "teachers become great actors and actresses." You will have tough students, and these are the children who may need your love and human connection the most. As an educator it is important to believe in these children and tell them what they can do. A quote I took away from Rita is "if you say something long enough it starts to be a part of you."
The student in the video "Teens Talk" made many important remarks about public education. A few key points I took away from her message are:
Another important message I took away from Rita's presentation is that teachers may not like every student they ever teach, but you can never let that show. As Rita said "teachers become great actors and actresses." You will have tough students, and these are the children who may need your love and human connection the most. As an educator it is important to believe in these children and tell them what they can do. A quote I took away from Rita is "if you say something long enough it starts to be a part of you."
The student in the video "Teens Talk" made many important remarks about public education. A few key points I took away from her message are:
- "Public schools are killing creativity."
- Does academic choice help solve this problem? Is it possible to prevent all creativity from being lost?
- "Students are skimming the surface just to pass exams."
- This remark really struck home with me. I feel as though that is what I used to do in high school. I would learn the content for an exam, pass it with flying colors, and then move on, often quickly forgetting the material I had "learned." As educators, how can we teach what we are required to teach in a meaningful, engaging way for students?
- "The best education is one that teaches you to speak and think for yourself. That is much more valuable than just passing an exam."
- I can remember having a lot of anxiety about speaking during class discussions throughout high school. I didn't begin to feel comfortable contributing to class discussions until college, when it became a regular part of my classes. In my own kindergarten classroom, I encourage risk-taking, and all of my students appear comfortable engaging in discussions. I wonder if this is a result of their age or has responsive classroom contributed to this?
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