Fgardner

How have I improved from video 1 to video 2?
I am not sure that I fully understood the concept of differentiation until I had put it into practice. In my first lesson, I had each group working on similar projects divided into groups that were diverse. This time I tried it as a jig-saw with similar learning level/styles grouped together. I know that to complete a project like this, I am going to need to be even more prepared and have much clearer guidelines.
Both of these units, at first, seemed old fashioned to the students but I believe that they are a great way to isolate a skill providing the students an opportunity to develop both physical and vocal acting in a different way. It is hard to find ways to get a young actor to separate the skills and often one of the two is overlooked.
It is very difficult to show differentiation in 15 minutes and it is even harder when I confine all of the kids to my very small room. Volume was not an issue during my first video and it was on the second. I do like the smaller grouping. Four is a good number and the roles are clearer and it is easier to monitor what each student is contributing.
I have learned that students are not very good with cameras. If I submit a video again for National Boards, I will get an adult to video tape the class or use a tripod.
I did try to incorporate the elements that Erin mentioned in my review. I tried to group the students so that the activity played to their learning styles as much as a possible. My transitions did not go as well as I had planned but I can certainly make that better. I was able to continually monitor the groups because they were so close and I was able to address issues fairly quickly. I was able to adjust for the laptops quickly and I handled the problem well. The students missed a few minutes but were quickly back on task.
I attempted to do some modeling/demonstration but I was afraid that with the large number of groups that I would run out of time if I spent too much time with any one group. I am sure that the students were asked to think, some more than others. Not all of the grouping worked well but I have learned a good deal form this experiment and I will handle this much better next year.

And how will I use the new knowledge?
My theater students are working on a storyboarding project that will culminate in a short silent film. I now have access to numerous electronic storyboarding resources, film editing web sites, and free music and sound effects. All of this was great to bring back to my classes this week. I spent part of Sunday learning to use the free on-line sites that were recommended and I brought the links and information back to the students. They are already incorporating this into their films.
The overall information from the other sessions was also helpful but not as practical. I attended the workshop that was supposed to be about engaging the male students. The information she gave was about writing across the curriculum and some of her examples can easily be incorporated into my lessons. We received numerous handouts in this class that are very practical with regards to writing for all students. I also attended the “Bad Guys in Literature” class and we used a few activities in class that were fun, simple and transferable such as; her theme worksheet, mapping worksheet and prompts. The overall message reminded me of the similarities in plays/literature that can help bridge the gap between my student’s abilities and interests. With small adaptations, I will be able to use much of this in my own room even though these two workshops were geared to younger students.

What did I learn from the conference?
I enjoyed the workshop and did learn a wealth of new information. I began the day with the early class on technology which was led by Mr. Hodgson. He introduced us to several very useful free websites including one that directly applied to my current unit in my theater classes. His resources were practical, easy to understand, easy to implement and FREE such as; Wallwisher, make Beliefs Comix and Cinch. He did caution us that free resources frequently change, disappear or become paid sites. I will remember to have a “plan b” when I include such technology in my lessons. It was wonderful to learn from a practicing classroom teacher who could give us resources that he has personally used.
The third session I attended was also a tech workshop and it was the best of the day. Ben Davis is fabulous. He is funny and extremely knowledgeable. He could have easily filled another hour with excellent ideas and we clearly needed a bigger space. I couldn’t write fast enough to get it all down but thankfully he gave us his web site which is overflowing with more great information. I had a chance to ask him about specific needs after the session and he knew exactly how to help because he had done a similar project. I have e-mailed him with additional questions and look forward to learning more from him. I feel much more confident now about using technology in my room and have checked out 4 laptops for my students to use when editing this coming week.
I also enjoyed meeting Sharon Draper because she was so down- to- earth and easy to listen to. I loved that her personal stories were funny and touching and that she was so approachable. Her message was heartfelt and true. I got the feeling that that might not have covered exactly what was intended but her stories were engaging. There are books for every reader. We just have to take time to know the learner and understand who they are and what their interests are. She made me proud to be a teacher.
This was a great use of a Saturday.

The second half of our class was much more practical. I enjoyed hearing from Ms. Kean. Although she was a bit nervous at first, the information she gave us was useful and real world. I already have her C3B4ME on the board and it has helped my students learn to listen and has cut back drastically on the “stupid” questions. I liked that she gave us numerous handouts that were from her classroom. It is grounding when you can look at another teachers work. Thank you for bringing her in.
My classes started a new unit on Monday so the timing was perfect. Her advice on groupings and job assignments was immediately useful. I was able to put the team assignments in place and they have certainly made the rules and expectations clearer. My job in turn has been easier because I have time to rotate between groups and catch issues before they become problems. I will need to continue to get my head around the firing process as we go along but having started with what she brought in, I am confident that I can build on it and make it work for me.
I really appreciate your effort to include my discipline the classes!

What did I learn during class on February 11th?
During the first part of Saturday’s class, I attended the workshop on argumentative writing. The course was very interesting; however, I am struggling to find a way to use the information in my theater classes. It was dedicated to helping teachers comprehend the mandated transition from persuasive writing to argumentative writing as outlined in the new NCCSS. Our teacher explained the information very clearly and had us practice the concept in a very entertaining way. We listened, discussed, worked in pairs, worked independently, practicing our new skills and walked away with handouts that gave us a few new resources to take back to our schools. If I do not use the new material, I will certainly use his teaching strategies. It worked because he took a somewhat complicated, convoluted concept and found a way for each of the students to understand the material.
He gave us a wide range of topics for our writing practice assignments. Some of the choices were legitimate and serious in nature but others were fun and even silly. My theater students keep a journal that they work on periodically. Because my students love to laugh, the funny topics he gave us as writing prompts were inspiring. I will try to include more comic ideas as we write even if we don’t specifically write argumentative essays. Students need comic relief.

What did you learn?
There are numerous strategies in this text that will help me prepare for class in a more efficient way. By preparing and having a plan for all types of situations, I will in turn make my units run more smoothly which will give me the time to work with individuals in the class. I realize that my approach to group work has been poor and needs revision. I need to move at a slower pace, shorten my lessons and clarify instructions. My transitions are usually disorganized and my classroom tends to be loud. I need to have better rules in place that will simplify expectations. I regularly use various types of group work but I need to manage it better. There are many things that I do correctly and that is very encouraging but I think I may be working too hard at the wrong time. I assess students daily and I know them well. I understand many of their issues but I struggle to address them on a daily basis. Finding appropriate and relevant anchor activities for each unit is difficult. I need to spend more time in preparation for class rather scrambling to fix unexpected problems. I hope this will come with experience and practice.

How can it be used?
This approach to learning is useful in mixed ability classrooms and can be used in any school setting and across all content areas. It is child centered learning which requires in depth preparation but puts the learning back on the student as they explore and build on their prior knowledge. The teacher becomes a guide. This type of instruction benefits middle and low learners by providing an opportunity for teachers to recognize the challenges and address them in real time before students fall behind. Teachers can group students in ways that benefit all involved. Middle and low learners can learn from more advanced students as well as from the teacher. Higher learners are challenged in new ways and the bar can be continually raised to help them reach their potential. Differentiated instruction keeps variety in the classroom and keeps the material relevant and interesting.

What is Differentiated Instruction?
Differentiated instruction is a holistic approach to teaching and learning. This approach addresses concerns before become problems occur in the education process. It looks at each individual as important, understanding unique learning styles and needs. No two children are exactly the same; and therefore, one teaching method cannot possible work for all of the students in a classroom. Teachers who use differentiated instruction are constantly assessing students to make sure that they understand and retain the information provided. When students connect to the material and understand its relevance in their lives, they are more likely to engage in the learning process. This method of instruction is varied and includes multiple approaches to material using large and small group work along with individual instruction, scaffolding instruction. It requires flexibility and a deep knowledge of teaching methods.

Standards eight and nine, which cover reading and writing, are full of great goals. I plan to put these two to work within my theater classes, to a much greater degree, as I aspire to be more knowledgeable about my content area. I want to get stronger as a writer and read more widely outside of theater. I also want to help the students develop their skills as readers and writers in a less stressful environment so that they can continue to become more secure in their skills.
Ferreting out ways to create my own professional community, is my new goal. The theatre teachers are scattered in various schools. Although we communicate, most of us are frighteningly busy with our own programs and do not have much time to meet. Several of the teachers in my fine arts department have been in the school for longer than I have been alive and are set in their ways. The choir teacher and I are going to collaborate on the next production and I am hopeful that I can help build his program and he in turn can help to keep mine solid. Student teaching in the English department will help me to build some bridges that will be very helpful as I develop my theatre program at the school.
The material we covered in class was enough of introduction to spark my interest and it has me thinking seriously about how I will use the information this class will offer in my teaching practice. I want to be a better teacher. I know I am in the right place. I love the kids and I am passionate about what I teach. I am ready to have a steady source of income and a boss to work for. I had grown tired of fighting to keep my theater open and the uncertainty that that type of career brings.

The short history of the National Boards or NBPTS is surprising. It began in the 1980’s yet already represents over 97,000 teachers nationally. Alabama’s laws regarding the certification are confusing since they profess to encourage teachers to attain the certification but continue to decrease the bonus pay associated with the degree. I was startled to know that a teacher had to be certified for three years before they were eligible to submit for the certification ,since; I was asked by Jefco to take part in the “Take One” process and guided through the submission of one part of the certification. It is challenging and I am sure that I will wait to resubmit the program until I am in a less stressful teaching environment. Working full-time and going to school is more than enough for the time being.
Watching good teachers work is very helpful even when the lessons are not English Language Arts. The teacher we watched in class had great ideas and systems in place that will be very helpful for my teaching. I can certainly see how a similar exercise can be incorporated into my classroom. The cards she handed out at the beginning of class and the varied groupings and interactions of the students were very fun, simple and practical. Her instructions were clear and the activities were directly related to her content, reinforcing what needed to be covered and learned.
Covering the NBPTS standards in-depth in small groups allowed us to share ideas and stories which brought them to real world meaning. Each standard is important but as we covered them there were specific standards that stood out as more relevant to my teaching level. I feel that I understand the “Knowledge of Students” fairly well as it applies to my classroom. I am not currently privy to the test results but it would make me a better teacher if I took the time to get those results and attempted to help strength the weaknesses of those students in my class that struggle. We do a considerable amount of reading and writing in class and although it is apparent when a child struggles with reading and writing there are probably some that slip by and are able to fake it well enough to escape my notice. It is a challenge to find the balance between knowing the student enough but not too much. I want to be sure that, after grad school is over, I am able to walk away from school at a reasonable time without constantly thinking about the students and the coming day. I will need to find a balance between my personal time and my work time.

The first issue Langer discusses is the “approach to skills instruction” which in my opinion is the most important. Here she demonstrates and explains the types of instruction which are critical to the remainder of her article. Separated instruction is “is direct instruction of isolated skills and knowledge”, whereas; “simulated instruction involves the application of the concepts and rules within a targeted unit of reading, writing, or oral language” (13). The third and most important is integrated instruction which takes place when students use their skills within “a purposeful activity” (14). Students must be able to use the knowledge and practice what they are learning, scaffold that learning so that they can reach higher level thinking. This is the basis for all the rest of what she discusses.
The second issue she argues is highly revered “test preparation”. Many schools teach to the test in “separated” instruction. The schools see results but the application that best serves the student is an approach that teaches skills throughout the year integrated into the daily learning. Schools should teach the student and use the test as a measure of success. We have gone too far in our effort to prove that ineffective schools are succeeding. Allowing schools to strictly teach to the test and using this as the only measure of competency is a real problem.
Third and fourth are “connecting leanings” and “enabling strategies”. These deal with the teacher’s ability to guide the student through the skill and to help them find practical connection to their own lives and personal uses for the new knowledge. By giving students an opportunity to manipulate the material and play with skills and language, the teachers is empowering the students to generate new uses for the skill and attain a higher level of learning. Fifth is “conceptions of learning”. Here she discusses the philosophical changes that our education system is going through. What was acceptable knowledge is no longer sufficient. Our world is changing too quickly and students must be creative and know how to continue learning all of their lives to keep up or innovate. She provides examples of teachers that teacher their students to think much deeper and to become mature thinkers. The final issue is “classroom organization” which is a reflection of the changing thought within education. Students are encouraged to collaborate and learn from each other as much as from the teacher, fostering discussions and critical thinking.

Langer researched the differences between effective schools and typical schools through studying test preparations and results, learning concepts and classroom practices. Her research found that effectiveness of teaching revolved around teaching styles and beliefs. Her article is particularly meaningful to me as a teacher because it provides real examples of effective strategies within the English classroom. She studies schools from five different parts of the country and found similarities within the class room practices with regards to good and mediocre teaching. Central to her findings is the current debate about test results and the differing strategies believed to resolve the issue.
She found three strategies within both types of schools; separated, simulated and integrated. The most effective schools were comprehensive and taught students all three strategies, consistently giving them opportunities to connect their learning to life thus empowering them to be creative with the knowledge and generate new ideas. The ineffective schools also use these strategies in varying degree but were more inclined to teach to the test; drilling test questions in isolation. The students learned the facts by rote memory and were not able to manipulate the knowledge into real world application. In the better schools, the teachers collaborated and aligned curriculum and assessments teaching, “Needed literacy abilities throughout the year as part of the regular grade-level curriculum” (17). These students were given opportunities to read, write, speak and manipulate or play with the language in ways that were connected to “both in- and out-of- school experiences” (23). A strong sense of community within the faculty and a clear mission throughout the school to educate in a concrete, practical sense is essential to lifelong learning.

This is a new blog dedicated to EHS 612.