Week 1
Year 4.
Teacher starts lesson by asking children to think who they want to sit with in this term. Teacher ask students to choose their partners carefully, not just sit next to their friends but sit next to the students who is nice to work with. Teacher reminds that she does not want to have one table of boys and other only girls. Tables are grouped in fives.
This activity is a very good motivational factor for children, but I think it will be better if students were divided in a small groups of 6 or 4 (even number), because then students will have more opportunities to work not just in a small group, but also in pairs and no students will be left out.
Students are enjoying sitting in a small groups (Year4), but some students have difficulties in communication with their peers. Joseph says that everyone on his table is keeping to annoying him; Yvonne is calling Paul names.
Teacher is using merit point system to keep children organize. Every Friday she will give to the students with the most points to pick the prize from the ‘Lucky Box”.
Class Rules.
Put your hand up when you want to speak.
Listen carefully when other people are speaking.
Work quietly at your desk. Always try your best!
Walk quietly in the classroom.
Keep classroom clean and tidy.
Remember-Hands off.
Share and play nicely with others.
Never share food with other children.
Math group. Stage 2
Year4 and Year3 are together in math activities. On the beginning of year every teacher in her class made the test, because it is shows different levels of students’ development. My math group is the weakest from stage 2. It is not fair for some students to be in this group because; they are good at math, but not very strong in reading and writing.
Most of the students in my class should not start Year4 with such a low level of understanding numbers and mathematical symbols. I think students should be back to Year2, 3. I think it won’t be negative on their self-esteem, but it will work opposite, it will encourage students to work harder and students will not wait for someone to give them right answer.
There are many bullies, slow learners, ADD students in this math group. Difficult family structure affecting students focus on education. Students do not understand importance of math in life.
Skills for classroom observation.
Student teacher should look for students’ participation in activities, students’ responses on the teacher questions, key questions that teacher used for expending students thinking.
Input-Guided Reading + process.
There are 4 reading groups. Students divided in to the groups by their reading ability. Every day teacher gives one hour for students to work in the small groups by themselves.
Group A- Play.
Students are outside of classroom. Teacher gives students the sheet with play on it and students have to decide by themselves the roles and the costumes. There are 4 groups and there are 5 different plays. Students will practice their play for whole term and on the last week of term they going to present the final version of play to whole class.
Group B-Creative writing.
Students work on their writing. Creative writing is very important for students’ imagination and practicing not only hand writing, but spelling and structure.
Group C-HSIA grid.
Students search information for their presentation on the topic for this term. Human Body. Students are provided with variety books on the human body (many students bring their own books from home or library). Also, students can use computer for their Power Point presentation or to find information.
Group D-Guided Reading.
Students are sitting in the circle on the carpet, teacher included in circle.
Low ability group.
Teacher with a group of students will read first couple of paragraphs, together. Next teacher will ask each student to read loud a paragraph on their own. Teacher will listen to student reading and correct/help with hard words. Each of the students in the group will have an opportunity to read. Then teacher will ask students to read silently one paragraph, after teacher will ask students some questions about story they just read (comprehension).
Normal group.
Teacher will divide students in to pairs. Student 1 will read a paragraph student 2 must listen and correct, then students will change the roles. Bring students together in group and discuss the words which they did not understand.
Personal Goals.
I have the weakest math group in stage 2, my goal is to use different teaching strategies to develop students thinking skills record their achievement and build up students’ self-esteem and confidence in math by using evaluation and feedback from supervisor teacher.
I start my practicum from math lessons, because I feel confident in this area, my goal is to build up confidence in subjects such as English and DUPE.
Classroom management.
Week 3.
Students on the carpet Jarrod next to Christian, they would not stop talking and breaking class room rules. I asked Christian to move next to me and I pointed on free space on the carpet. Christian declines. I stopped lesson and I just wait, then Jarrod moved away and sit quietly next to the whiteboard.
It happened because it is a mix class (year3 and Year 4), children have to change classroom, different teacher, different classroom rules.
Week 8.
Students on the carpet Jarrod next to Christian, they would not stop talking and they are ignoring me and the class room rules. I got up and I moved up close to them. I said Christian move to that corner and face opposite direction from the class and I stayed next to him and wait, he was laughing I was waiting and whole class were waiting too. Christian moved to the corner, but he still faced class. I explained the rest of the class activities and students started work on it.
I went to the corner and I sat next to Christian. I applied on Christian reality therapy. It worked well, because I establish positive relationships, high expectations and complement his achievements.
Week 1. Graphs.
Most popular car.
Students were very involved in this activity, because they were very excited about idea to go outside and do their own research.
It is hard to arrange students to walk in two lines. Students needed more time to find brand of the car on the list, because some students can not read. It is better to do this activity as picture graph (not column graph) and students should find most popular color not brand.
Week 2. Visit to the church.
It was very busy day for Year 4B. We had one hour sports in the morning and Mothers Day excitement. Children were very noisy and impatient.
Religion lesson is always in a second half of day. Inside the classroom. Teacher explains to kids that we are going to the church and she reminds them of the way they should behave.
Children were very good on the way to the church and inside the temple. Students were quite and doing their task.
Old man walked inside the church he had a bad leg. It was very quite and old man very slow walked pass. Suddenly, I heard noise and I looked at the old man. He tripped over the carpet and felt. I ran to him and I helped him to get up. Then he joined our religion lesson.
The story of the old man.
St. Christopher’s priest every morning before school starts, he would come with a big bag of tennis balls and give them out for children to play with. The olds man son was one of the St. Christopher’s students at that time. So, he was very touched by the kindness of the priest, that after when priest died and the boy finished school and found job he would send 300 tennis balls to school every year. It is a tradition for this ex-student from St. Christopher’s. He kept this tradition during all this ears and he follows it even now.
Students in 4B were very interested to hear such a great story. They had a lot of questions.
So, it was one of the best religion lessons I saw. It was perfect place and perfect topic of the lesson and a great guest with amazing story
Week 3. CSIRO Incursion.
We had visit from one of the scientist from CSIRO. He set 10 stations for kids to explore Human Body. Tables were in U shape. He gave each student worksheet and student had to record information about their own human body. Students were involved and participating in these activities with pleasure. Some students did not want to go on the lunch break.
1. Sensational. Different smells which were in small containers with little holes in them. Some had smell on the container, but others had just a letter on them. So, children had to match them up and then record them on a sheet.
2. Vision of color. It is very interesting activity, because when you do not have color glasses on you it is impossible to see the animals. You have to wear different color glasses to see the different pictures.
3. Lung Capacity. Children measure their lung capacity and then they compare the results to friends result and to norm for their age.
4. Children had to check their heart rate by resting their index finger over a special watch. After that children ran on the spot to get their heart rate then they checked their heart rate again.
5. I found blood and it’s gory really interesting because students never seen white cells before. Students loved to use microscope.
6. Rocking About was a wobbly activity. Children had to test their balance by standing still. First children stood on it rocking side to side with their eyes open/shut, next students did the same rocking front to back.
7. Colored Brain word. First children had to time themselves how long it took them to say a word that was different colored. After that they had to say the color and not the word.
8. Cracks and crevices. Children could see what they skin actually looked like. The equipment students used was a microscope.
9. Tasty Genes was also another great experiment because students got to taste flavored paper.
10. Diaphragm. In the diaphragm the two balloons pumped, as students pulled the bottom an as pushed they pushed in the balloons went in.
Week 5.
Math lesson.
I was trying to explain to my students the concept of mass, but I don not think the idea is clear to them. A lot of kids have behavior problems.
It is very hard to make small groups productive, because students in very different levels of development and most of them do not value importance of belonging to the community.
My strategy is to keep students busy with hand on activities and always ask them tricky questions to regain their attention. It is working well. Only small percentage in my class getting tide very quick and loose interest (do not respond to my questions).
Week 7.
Classroom teacher and I changed the setting arrangements, because it is time for assessments. With these sitting arrangements the merit point system will not work, because children do not work in a small group. There is no social interaction between students.
First day kids were exited about new arrangements. 4b did very well in spelling activities. Children were focus and participating well.
However, math group was not excited, because a lot of kids were lost in activities. Some students were misbehaving and moving tables. It is much harder to set up working stations for math activities and it is not enough space in the classroom.
Jarrod and Christian are choose to sit next to each other, the result was bad test. These two students were distracting each other and students who seats next to them.
Math lesson.
Math assessment term two, stage two. Math assessment is open ended questions. Could not find questions on graphs.
My classroom teacher decided that we will do this test just one page a day and there are 9 pages in this test.
Pluses=>bottom math group and students are very slow and it will take them whole day to finish this test. It is good to remind students about the topic which they going to work, just before the test to refresh students memory.
Minuses=>Some students do not come to school every day and they do not have time to couch up. Some topics were not covered, before this test.
Week 8. Patterns and Algebra.
I started my lesson as usual with Mental Strategies, and then I moved on introducing and explaining Algebra and the activity from the test. I spend 20 minutes of my lesson on different teaching strategies to explain this part of mathematics. It was time for students to start with their math test, but more then a half of class still would tell me “ Miss, I don not understand”. I was trying to explain too many things at short time and student was not ready for assessment.
One of my supervisor teachers came to me and whisper that I should leave my explanations and start assess students. I was disagreeing with her, but I followed her instructions. I gave students math assessment on Math-Algebra. Students had 30 minutes to complete this part of math assessment Term 2.
Result was very bad. There are twenty seven students in my math group and only three students completed this part of the test without mistakes, eight students could manage only half of questions and the rest of students did not have clue.
I should not explain and assess Algebra at one lesson. Algebra is too abstract and to understand the basics of algebra 20 minutes were not enough for bottom math group. I should just continue with introduction and explanation for whole lesson and assess students next day.
Sarah and Marianne (Year 3)
These two girls are slow learners. They like to work with each other, when they given activity individually, girls are never manage to finish their work or most (all) answers are wrong.
I gave to Marianne reward at the first week and since then her involvement in the classroom activities has increase.
Sarah’s progress is very little. She needs home tutoring and she is not ready for Stage 2 in math.
Douglas (Year 3)
Douglas is the smartest student in my math group. He always gives me a right answer and he is too advanced for the bottom math group, but his medical condition would not let him to attend to the school regularly.
My strategy with Douglas is to prepare special activities just for him and encourage online education at home (part of homework).
Web sites: http://www.rainforestmath.com/
http://www.copacabana-p.school.nsw.edu.au/Get_Smart_Math_s2.htm
I want to try sending Douglas to the second from the bottom math group, for one day. It is very interesting for me How Douglas is going to feel about it and it will increase his motivation for education and his confidence.
Cryptic Clock.
Douglas break code very easy and he made his own message.
Dai (Year 4)
Dai is one of my students and he is much forward in all activities from the rest of class. Dai’s difficulty is to understand the language. He can not read and because of that he been located in this group. Is it fair? I have been making special activities just for him, because if he is not busy with his work he will become very noisy and he will turn off himself from learning.
EELS
Uses Rainbow Reading
PM Benchmarks
Vietnamese School?
Attends Special education weekly
(Year3) and Jack (Year4) are work very good together.
Jack can not stand the noise and he prefers to work with the students from the same grade.
Jay den is very inpatient and he thinks that he is too smart for this class.
Nathan (Year4)
Nathan does not follow classroom rules. He does not listen when I talk to him or when I give instructions. Nathan makes fun of my name and he does not have respect for me as a teacher. I will give Nathan a choice with consequences for his behaviour.
Options are:
Run for a whole hour and think about appropriate behaviour at school.
Stay with me at recess time to discuss, agree and sign the behaviour contract.
I made a chart to keep monitoring Nathan behaviour.
Nathan
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Monday
Tuesday
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
I
Week 6
I
I
Week 7
Week 8
I
Week 9
Week 10
This chart works very well. Nathan loves to pick from “Lucky Box”. Every Wednesday Nathan will remind me about “rolling the dice”. Every time when he misbehaves he would give me a funny look. Some students getting jealous about Nathan and his opportunity to pick a present. These students start to misbehave on purpose.
Behavior modification contract should be sign by all students and it should be done on the begging of school year.
Joseph (Year 4)
Week1
Why did he sit on his own? Why did he always say that people annoying him? What can be done to stop him behave that way?
He always likes to work by himself.
Joseph is good at arts.
Joseph does not like read or write. He completes his work only if teacher stays next to him. Joseph does not have any friends at school and he is never working with in the group. Joseph has got lack of communication skills.
2006
Diagnosed with High Functioning Asperser’s Syndrome.
Week6
Joseph is intelligent boy, but communication problems are pulling him back. Joseph looks very happy to sit on his own. He is very creative, good at arts, mathematics and English. Sometimes he forgets where he is and behaves not appropriate.
Joseph is on behaviour modification contract, but it does not work well.
My strategy with Joseph is to establish good relationships and model appropriate communication skills.
Paul (Year 4)
Paul is in the student council. He is perfection. He likes things perfect: hand writing, answers, acting, play, reading and behaviour until we had the relief teacher for whole day(28.05.07).
Students worked in small groups and Paul’s group was doing the play and they were outside of the class room. Paul gave some directions to Domenic and Domenic did not followed them and completely ignored Paul. Paul slapped Domenic in face.
Reasons: 1) three days ago classroom teacher changed his sitting place and he sat next to Yvonne (before he was sitting at the place he chooses at the begging of term 2).
2) Good Citizen Reward.
Every week teachers and whole school looks for most respectful (valuable) student and at the end of week on Friday. Principle will reward one student in each grade with a badge (good citizen) and good citizen certificate. Student has to wear this badge for whole week until next Friday and then give this badge to the other winning student.
This week Liam got that reward and Paul got angry, because he was trying really hard.
Yvonne and Emma (Year 4).
Yvonne and Emma are best friends. They are very quite when is the teacher around, but very noisy when they are at the playground. It was 9 in the morning. We started our usual routine. First thing in the morning is fitness students are walking for 10 minutes. Yvonne and Emma had wonderful walk and long talk with each other. When we were back to the classroom, students start to read independently. I walked around classroom and I assess some students about book they are reading. I was walking pass Yvonne and I notice her passing a note to Emma. I took that note and I read it. It was a very rude note with f___ words. I told to both girls to see classroom teacher. After the school all four of us had a long talk about school policies and appropriate language. Girls told gave us their apology.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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