observations in a High School

As each week of our class comes and goes I find that I am getting to see the real side of teaching outside of a textbook situation.  Last week we were sent out to observer classes in progress without a teacher escort.  At first, I felt nervous about this but as we visited each class, I began to get more comfortable with the visits.  I particularly liked how we all discussed what we saw afterwards with the whole group.  It really helped to understand what we were seeing. 

            The part that stood out the most to me was the discussions we all had about the class with the behavior issue.  As pre-service, teachers we all discussed what we thought should have been done differently but then the point was made that we didn’t know all the facts.  The teacher handling the situation was focused on one kid more than the other, to some of us we felt he was focused on the wrong student was.  But once it was pointed out to us that perhaps there were extenuating circumstances that made the teacher focus on that student over the other it caused us to think about the situation and remember that it is easy to judge something even without all the facts.  We were forced to admit that perhaps something else was going on that we were unaware of.  This led to a good discussion on how our observations were merely snapshots of a classroom and we enter with no prior knowledge of the students, the teachers, or the classroom dynamic.  It is important to keep this in mind as we continue our observations.  To remember not to judge too harshly what we see because we are not in possession of all the facts.

            Anther conversation we had about our observations was the psychology classroom.  When my group entered it seemed like a great engaging class, however when anther group entered they saw something completely different going on.  They only entered minutes after we left but the whole dynamic of the class had changed.  Keeping this in mind as I continue to observe classes will defiantly help me to become a better observer and eventually a better teacher.

Chapters 1&2

            I found the two chapters most interesting.  The style of the authors writing is engaging and entertaining while imparting the information.  The authors made good points about reading textbooks, and how hard it can be to understand the materials when you do not activate the students’ prior knowledge.  The examples of the cricket game and the passage on Columbus were very good at illustrating this point.  As I read these chapters, I found myself looking forward to teaching students to be better readers in History.

            Chapter one introduces the topic with a story of the students of the authors who got a lot out of having teachers who were able to help them get more from their reading assignments then a traditional class.  I also was happy to see the authors printed out that they did understand that most classes would not be like their High School’s unusual practices.  The authors also give an example of how a typical class might go, with the teacher and the students both getting frustrated at this typical dynamic.

            The second chapter gave good examples of reading things that you do not understand and having no frame of reference to activate your prior knowledge.  This chapter gave a better in-depth understanding of what the book will be about.  I am looking forward to further readings in this book and to learn how to help my future students this invaluable skill.

Literacy

            I am literate in the art of candy making.  Fourteen years ago, I made a decision that would change my life, well change it a little anyway.  I decided that it was way too expensive to buy Christmas presents for everyone in my large and close nit family.  So I decided to make my gifts to them and I have been making candy gift boxes ever since.

            I began with just buying the cream fillings that go inside bonbons.  They were sold in a tube and I bought candy molds that I coated with chocolate candy melts and then filled them.  After that, I began experimenting with different candy recipes. 

Candy making is a lot easier than most people think it is.  Most of the recipes are a variation of take all the ingredients, put them in a pot and cook to such and such a temperature.  I have made over the past fourteen years caramels, nougats, cream centers, truffles and the chocolate coated cherries with the liquid centers.  As well as assorted nut clusters and other yummy treats.

I have learned that some types of candy are easier than others to make, for instance nut clusters are the simplest to make.  While others are a real pain in the butt to put together and store, the chocolate covered cherries usually leaked through the chocolate coating making a sticky mess that had to be discarded, which is why I stopped making them three years in.  Over the years, I have experimented with different assortments and flavors of candies.

I have become literate in the art of dipping chocolates so that the centers don’t melt in the warm melted chocolate coatings or that the caramels don’t get stuck on the dipping fork and make a mess.  I have found different ways of keeping my melted chocolate coatings at the right temperature.  I started out melting it on the stove, then using a microwave and constantly running back to reheat it.  Next, I used a melting pot and then I settled for melting in the microwave and placing the bowl of melted chocolate coating in another bowl filled with warm water.  This year I used a crock pot with three different crocks and it worked out better than any other way I tried.  This taught me that no matter how long I do a thing I can always learn a new method.

Giving the gift of homemade candy had affected my life.  I spend a lot of time in November thinking of what to make and how to present it to my family.  Do I make edible Chocolate Houses as a box for the candy again or do I just go and buy cardboard boxes and paper cups?  Usually it depends on how much time I have to make my candy.  I have to decide what to make and how much time I have to make it in.  This year I worked a lot of extra hours so I was only able to make a few things but my family, as always, appreciated the effort.  I spend a lot of time planning my gift and then more time executing it.  I began to teach my daughter how to make candy this year and I will probably let her help me more next Christmas.  Candy making is something that I feel that I am literate in but there is always something new to learn about it, I use the candy coatings from the craft store now that do not require tempering so someday I would like to learn to temper chocolate.  I feel literate in the art of candy making but I know enough to know that there is a lot I still need to learn.

SED 406 Observation # 4

SED 406 Ovservation #4

11.      I think that the objective of this class was …The student will be able to explain how Stalin ruled the Soviet Union through the use of terror.

22.      It is at the level of Comprehension on Bloom’s Taxonomy.

33.      I would assess this lesson with a 10 question multiple choice quiz

1 What was the system of labor camps called in the Soviet Union?

a.       Prison

b.      Concentration Camps

c.       Gulag

d.      The Labor Camp

2 Which of the following was NOT a method used by the secret police to spy on people

a.       Opening mail

b.      Planting listening devices

c.       Listing to privet conversations

d.      Interrogation

3 What year did Stalin launch the Great Purge?

a.       1934

b.      1925

c.       1930

d.      1941

4 Approximately how many people were executed or sent to the Gulag during the Great Purge?

a.       6 million

b.      2 million

c.       4 million

d.      9 million

5 What was the official state religion or policy on religion during the Soviet Union?

a.       Muslin

b.      Russian Orthodox

c.       Atheism

d.      Catholicism

6 Approximately what was the percentage of the military officers purged by Stalin?

a.       1/4

b.      1/8

c.       1/3

d.      1/2

7 What happened to the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church?

a.       They were persecuted

b.      They were honored

c.       They were deported to Rome

d.      They were given elite status

8 Who was considered the elite of Soviet Society?

a.       The workers

b.      The peasants

c.       The party officials

d.      The priests

9 How did the standard of living in the Soviet Union compare with that in the West?

a.       It was much higher

b.      It was the same

c.       It was slightly higher

d.      It was below

10 What would always be a problem in the Soviet Union?

a.       Education

b.      Adequate Housing

c.       Health Care Costs

d.      Access to Universities

Answers: 1. C. 2. D. 3. A. 4. C. 5. C. 6. D. 7. A. 8. C. 9. D. 10. B.

SED 406 Observation #3

SED 406 Observation #3

            This observation occurred in an Advanced Placement classroom at the high school in Providence that I went to do observations in.  The teacher Mrs. H stood at the door and greeted the students as they entered the classroom.  As soon as they entered the students each went to the folder bins at the front of the class and collected their folders.  They then found their seats and had discussions amongst themselves until the class started. 

            When class started, the teacher discussed the DO NOW she had posted on the board.  This particular one was not normal in its execution.  She explained that she had heard this question on the radio that morning and wanted to know if her students could answer it because the radio personality could not even though the woman said she had taken AP History.  She revealed the question and the students went to work answering it in their DO NOW packets.  She walked around to check the answers.  Once the majority was done, she had them discuss the answer, which she was happy to see they all got correct.  Mrs. H did not require the students to raise their hands in this discussion but allowed them to call out their answers and discuss amongst themselves.

            Once this was complete, Mrs. H began the lesion.  The students would be learning about what Federalists felt about the Louisiana Purchase and would be examining primary source documents to learn why the Federalists were opposed to it.  The teacher began with using an overhead projector to give background notes on the topic.  The students were allowed to move closer to the front of the room to see better the timeline she projected.  This was done without any fuss, in such a manner as if it was an everyday occurrence. 

            As the teacher lectured on the timeline, the class listened quietly and took down notes.  As she is lecturing the teacher noticed one student wearing a hood and she walks over to him and privately reminds him that it against the rules and asks him to put the hood down, which he does right away.  Once the lecture is done, and the students receive the documents that they will be reviewing, they work in peers to complete the in class assignment.

            As the students work the teacher keeps the groups on track by checking in with them.  She is also taking this time to check that the homework from the day before has been completed.  One group that was socializing instead of working immediately began to work when she walked up to them and asked how they were doing on the assignment.

            Although the teacher did not take attendance, she was able to see who was there by the use of the folders.  As the students had entered the class, they retrieved their folders the absent student’s folders were still in the holder.  The teacher was also able to place the day’s assignment inside the folders of the absent students.  This system was organized and enabled the teacher to ensure that absent students would have the material they missed. 

            The school and classroom rules were all posted on the walls of the room and the class only required minimal reminders to follow the rules.  This teacher had the respect of her class and she treated the students with respect as well.  This led to a well-managed classroom where there was a minimum of distractions allowing for the most time available to be in class work.  A well-managed classroom will lead to the maximization of learning time and mutual respect between the teacher and the students will help with the management.