2014 Blog 5- How will you address classroom management in the final weeks of school?  Will you change anything? What kind of positive incentive plan will you implement in your classroom?  How will you communicate it to students and parents?

Classroom management in the final weeks of school is challenging. Students are burnt out and I am a little as well. In the last weeks of school it is incredibly important to be transparent with students, making sure they understand why you are doing each review activity. If students understand the reasons behind an activity they are more likely to be motivated to complete the assignment. Another idea to improve behavior is to use games and competition to get students invested in an activity. I use a class points system in my classroom to reward positive behavior. I have my classes compete against each other to see who can earn the most amount of points in a certain amount of time. I am sure to emphasize this in the last weeks of school. If any class gets 15 points they receive a class rewards. I also run a "Neel Notes" systems for individual rewards. If a student earns five "Neel Notes" they can choose from a certain number of three individual prizes. Finally communication with parents is key. You do not want to have any surprised parents when report cards come out at the end of the semester. I have called all my potential failing or failing students' parents. However, I also believe it is important to call home when students behave well (especially for students whose parents only receive bad phone calls). This positive reward has really helped some student behavior problems in my classroom. 

2014 Blog 4: How do you plan to implement active engagement strategies in your classroom?  How will this impact your instruction?

Engagement strategies are key for creating a successful classroom. I am a really big fan of Kagan engagement strategies because they make sure students are actively involved while having them reach higher levels of thinking. Another engagement strategy that I frequently use in my classroom is whiteboards. Students love whiteboards and it gives me immediate feedback. One "branch" of engagement that I would like to explore further in my classroom is incorporating more technology in my classroom. This could consist of running a flipped classroom, where students use youtube videos to learn a concept before they enter the room, or it could consist of having students looking up definitions and examples in class. My students are so technology focused I think they would have fun with it and it would allow them to have ownership of their own learning. Overall I think it would improve my instruction because students would be actively involved in the lesson instead of passively observing me teach. 

2014 Blog 3 -

The week before fall break we did a two day in class alternative assessment with slope. The project was used to introduce the concept of slope. Students were split into groups of three or four. In each group students timed and counted the number of jumping jacks a student could do in a minute. The students did three rounds and averaged their jumps to remove bias. Students took their data and made a graph on a poster board. Students were given the bare minimum instruction for how to graph the data (as a class we already knew how to plots points and create a table from an equation). After students created their graph they had to answer a serious of questions related to slope and how they graphed the information. They wrote their findings in a report and ultimatly had to come up with a prediction the number of jumping jacks that would be completed in an hour based off the information in their graph. Students had a great time with the activity. If I were to do it again I would have students compare their group's graphs to other graphs to bring up deeper discussion about what the steepness/shallowness of a a line means.

2014 Blog 2-

I have assisted with a school counselor once. A note that was left in my class was a red flag for a problem in the student's home. I brought the note to the student's school councilor and the school's social worker and worked with them through the necessary steps. My role was to provide context for the note and for the student's behavior in my class. The student did receive the necessary help but the situation did scare me do to the seriousness on the issue.

Blog 1- 9/21/14


My biggest concern with Common Core is helping students bridge the gap. Common Core is a gigantic leap. Helping students switch from just answering questions to being able to explain and critically think is/will be very challenging. How do you help fill the gaps (especially for the students who struggle with simple arithmetic skills). I think that the switch from the Bloom's Taxonomy wheel to the wheel which gives more specific parameters for how students thinking is a great way to help teachers prepare lessons, resources, and questioning styles that promote common core thinking. Overall to help students make the switch I have to push them. I can't give in when we both are struggling, Scaffolding will also be important to ensure students can make those larger connections.

Spring Semester- Professionalism Blog

On a day to day basis I am professional. Everyday I come to work dressed appropriately. I respond to emails from parents, teachers, and administrators quickly. I turn grades in on time and I grade my students' work within one week of them turning in an assignment or completing a test or quiz. My biggest strength is I am very good with deadlines (both in turning in paperwork/grades and in keeping the gradebook updated) and I think this is one way I set myself apart from my peers. I try to hold myself to a higher standard because that is part of my personality. I also think that being professional is one way I can help make-up for some of my inexperience. One thing I need to work on is my management of my students' professionalism. My students' get away with a lot of inappropriate uses of language in my class. I have not done a very good job this year setting expectations and rules for how students should talk to me or each other. This is one thing I hope to work on next year by implementing strict procedures and rules about this from day one.

Prompt 3 Spring:

I have observed staff participating in inappropriate behavior. For example during professional development meetings it is not uncommon to see a handful of staff members actively not listening either by openly being on their phones or by talking during the presentation. I think the easiest way to avoid the pitfalls associated with unprofessional behavior is to be sure to distance myself from the members who do not pay attention during professional development. Also by being sure I stay active in my own professional growth, by participating in professional development and other opportunities outside of the meetings in school, I can set a precedence for good behavior and work towards becoming a better teacher.