Fieldwork Experience & Conclusion

My Fieldwork Experience was very educational. I had the opportunity to go back to the same fifth grade classroom I observed last year. The teacher and of course the students have changed which was made my observation even more interesting. Last year's teacher was a teacher with many years of experience and this years teacher was a young new teacher. The teaching styles and methods were very different. I won't compare, as I don't think that would be fair to either of them, but I will say, there is definitely something to be said in terms of experience. Not in the quality of teaching, but in the area of classroom management. I can only hope that in my own teaching career, I will be able to obtain good classroom management skill quickly. It makes for a much smoother process and it truly is something that I believe is mastered over time.

Overall, I basically observed the class, but finally got a chance to some hands on, by assisting in the Tech Class when we had the opportunity to try out my Webquest.... The pace in the classroom was very fast. I notice the teacher using mostly the Information Processing Model as his/her means of instruction. I'm not sure if that was because the material had already been taught using the Direct Instruction Model before my observation began, or if that was her teaching preference.

As I said above, I observed for the first couple of days in the classroom. The teacher moved at a very vigorous pace. When we moved to the tech room to introduce my webquest to the fifth grade class I was able to be more involved. This turned out to be an interesting observation. At first, I didn't want to use the quest. This was the first webquest I have ever created and I was nervous. It was a whole new concept for me. I was worried how it would work out. I finally decided to go for it, all or nothing. The tech teacher and I introduced the quest to the fifth grade class and they really enjoyed it! It was very easy for them to navigate through. We found some ways to improve and make the navigation easier for this grade level. When I created the quest originally, I had the links in a separate word attachment. The students had to jump back and forth between the quest, word, and Internet explorer. It was time consuming and difficult for some students. I modified the page and included the link directly on the page, rather than in separate document. It greatly improved the flow of the quest for this grade level. The students enjoyed it! The questions were perfectly aligned with what they were currently learning and it was a fun and exciting way for them to learn. The teacher asked if she could post it on the school website to use it again. This was a great feeling and sense of accomplishment.

Winding down from this semester and reflecting on what I have learned, I have to say this semester was a semester of "firsts" for me. I have grown in the area of technology more than I would have imagined in a semester. I created my first Blog which you are a witnessing first hand. I learned what a PBWIKI is! I created my first Webquest, and my first Treasure Hunt. I completed a SmartBoard class, which has encouraged me to continue to practice, so I can us it in my own classroom. It's definitely the way of the future. Beside the technological knowledge I acquired, academically, I wrote my first lesson plan, and then three more followed.

When I list what I have learned it seems like a lot of work. Actually it was a lot of work, but it was learning that was enjoyable, intriguing, and interesting. Those feelings for me, only enforce the fact that students will feel the same way when this type of technology are used in the classroom. I have observed over the past couple of years during my field work, how the energy in the classroom increases when technology is being used. Even if it just them creating power point presentations. The learning is elevated.

I always envisioned a teacher, even myself, teaching using the direct instruction method. I didn't realize there were other methods of teaching. I have learned that a teacher needs to be able to use all three methods of teaching. Personally, I still believe direct instruction is first and foremost especially when introducing new material. But, I have come to understand, during this semester, the importance of incorporating the Information Processing Model and the Social Interactive Model in my curriculum and how they enhance and encourages student higher level thinking and social skills.

This was a fulfilling semester of knowledge and learning and many firsts........

SIM Lesson Plans & Jigsaw

Social Interactive Model (Indirect/Inductive), this was the third model of lesson plan we wrote and it was on where the student had the most independence.

PIGS-

Positive Interdependence

Individual Accountability

Group Processing

Social Skills

We used the jigsaw to learn about this method. We broke out into five groups for the five basic elements (the four listed about and the Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan). Each group prepared information on one of the elements. We then went into five different groups where each one of us had information on one of the elements. I was in a group with CarolAnn, Tasha, Mike, and Vincent. We each taught one another the information from our element. It was a great learning experience for me. Each one of my teammates was well prepared on their element. This was a great way to demonstrate how the cooperative learning lesson plan works in a classroom.

IPM Lesson Plans

What is the foundation used for Information Process Model Lesson Plans?
IPM was a new method of teaching to me. For some reason I never really knew there were other methods of teaching other than Direct Instruction. Maybe that's the one that really stood out in my mind when I was a student, or maybe I just didn't realize the IPM lessons were teaching. Maybe I thought they were fun activities like the fifth grade students when the participated in my webquest.


What did I learn and what is the Information Processing Model?
The IPM model is a method of teaching where the teacher presents the students with a problem/situation and gets them to investigate and find the solution on their own.

As well discussed in class in our Job Interview session, derived from Katyln's question. What fruit or vegetable would you use to describe the IPM method? It's like an onion or artichoke. You keep peeling the outside to discover the solution in the inside. Teaching is done by asking instead of telling. This method of teaching allows the students to become independent, autonomous learners capable of figuring things out for themselves.

This is the theoretical foundations behind IPM?
The theoretical foundation of IPM is the Socratic Method, named after the Greek
philosopher, Socrates. It is a form of philosophical inquiry in which the questioner
explores the implications of others’ positions, to stimulate rational thinking and to
illuminate ideas. The term Socratic Questioning is used to describe a kind of questioning in which an original question is responded to as though it were an answer. This in turn forces the first questioner to reformulate a new question in light of the progress of the discourse.

IPM is a learning environment which is open, allows active student involvement, and an atmosphere of intellectual freedom.
The IPM method consists of five phases, which are:
• Orient students to the problem
• Organize students for study
• Assist with independent and group investigations
• Develop and present artifacts and exhibits
• Analyze and evaluate work

The IPM lesson plan was the second lesson plan we wrote this semester.
We created our webquest and built the lesson plan around it. It proved that a webquest is a great method to apply to IPM. We presented a problem at the beginning of our quest and the students had to investigate to solve it. When using my quest with the fifth grade during my field work, I couldn't help but notice the students enjoying the activity and not really realizing they were learning at the same time, similiar to my own observation as a child.

Here is the good and the bad when using IPM....
The good:
Some benefits of IPM would be that it helps the students develop investigative skills and problem solving skills. It allows students to gain confidence in their own ability to think, access, process and reflect on information.
The bad:

Some demerits of IPM is it requires major planning, clearly communicated goals, designing interesting and appropriate problem situations and logistical preparation.

What I thought about IPM vs DI......
IPM and DI are very different teaching styles, but I think they can compliment each other and if used together can create a very productive learning environment. DI is necessary to teach a new skill, it obvious you could not use IPM to teach a new skill, but you can build on the skill taught with DI using IPM to further encourage the students thinking and promote higher leveling thinking.

Please take a look at the Treasure Hunt posting to see more of what I learned....

Treasure Hunt

The Treasure Hunt....For this assignment each student picked a method from a list of fourteen methods, to create a treasure hunt to share with the class demonstrating the Information Processing Model. Here are a few questions presented in my Treasure Hunt to stimulate learning and encourage higher level thinking.

The Learning Cycle method will enhance and encourage students through a different method of teaching. Learn how to teach your students how by giving them experiences to explore and evaluate.
Do you want to help them reflect and build internal models?
Do you want to use creativity to unlock the learning potential of your students?
Do you want to establish learning to learn in your classroom and improve your students ability to make decisions?

A favorite motto I came across in my reading. I think it explains the IPM Model perfectly.

You will become the "guide on the side" rather than the "sage on the stage".

The Five E's..........

• Engagement -Object,event or question used to engage students. Connections facilitated between what students know and can do.


• Exploration -Objects and phenomena are explored.
  Hands-on activities, with guidance.


• Explanation -Students explain their understanding of concepts and processes.
  New concepts and skills are introduced as conceptual clarity and cohesion are


• Elaboration -Activities allow students to apply concepts in contexts, and build on or extend understanding and skill.


• Evaluation -Students assess their knowledge, skills and abilities. Activities permit evaluation of student development and lesson effectiveness.

Please take a look at my Treasure Hunt and enjoy......http://joystreasurehuntwiki.pbwiki.com/

Our Anticipatory Set Presentations

This project was so enjoyable. It was not only fun to create, but the presentations by my classmates were entertaining to watch. I love all the different ideas and concepts. The feedback and suggestions from the other students was extremely helpful. I'd like to add my 3 pluses and a wish here to describe what I saw that day.

Maureen (The 3 R's)
+ The bag of garbage was a great attention grabber. She brought a small bag filled with garbage.)
+ I like how you got the class involved quickly with your questioning.
+ You showed great enthusiasm about your lesson.
I wish you saved the apple core……lol

Amy (The Water Cycle)
+ Having a glass of water was a great visual.
+ I liked the story you told about where the water has come from
+ I like the questions you presented to the students to pre-assess their prior knowledge.
I wish you did explain a little bit more about the other phases of water. I like the puddle idea.

Jennifer ( Nutrition & good eating habits)
+ The title of your lesson is a great grabber.
+I like that you use the Smart Board for you activity.
+I like how you engage the students in the crossword activity.
I wish you enticed the students by saying you would make the smoothie recipe together when the lesson was complete.

Janine (Bugs & Insects)
+ The mystery bag was a great idea.
+ I like how you used a graphic organizer on the board.
+ The question about the spider really get the students thinking, it pulls them in.
I wish I got to pick from the bag.

Mike (The water cycle)
+ Nice attention grabber with the three cups.
+ Your questions were a nice intro to the upcoming lesson.
+ You were very knowledgeable with the material you are going to teach.
I wish I knew where you had the ice?

Erica (Seasons - Fall)
+ I liked your idea.
+ It was clear and well spoken.
+ I’m sure it will grab the students attention.
As we discussed in class, I wish it focused more on the lesson. I think showing different types of leaves is a great idea.

Tasha (Habitat of a bear)
+ You are a great motivator.
+ I love the way you connected the how we live to the bears home.
+ The bear sound was a cute addition.
I wish I could have some of your energy….

Katelyn (Math)
+ I like the ball toss idea, it gets everyone involved.
+ You grab everyone’s attention because no one knew who you were going to toss the ball to.
+ You pre-assessed prior knowledge.
I wish I knew what you would do if the student you toss the ball to did not have an answer?

CarolAnn (Life cycle of a frog)
+ I love the pond idea.
+ Your questions pre-assess the students knowledge.
+ I like how each prop had a question to go with it
I wish you would let the students put the frogs in the pond as you talk about them.

After viewing the other anticipatory sets in class that day, it encouraged me to reevaluate my own set. My anticipatory set was for the students to listen to a catchy tune about fractions and then fill out a KWL chart. Kind of boring especially after they got to pick out of Janine's "mystery bag", or helped Jennifer complete her crossword puzzle on nutrition....... After review that day, and some feed back from Dr. S. I changed my AS. I am going to use a construction paper pizza to pre-assess the student knowledge. I will asked them questions like; How can we divide this pizza up so everyone in the class can have a slice? What if some people like pepperoni? I will then wet the students appetite by telling them they will be learning about fractions and at the end of the lesson, they will show me with a real pizza how to divide up the pieces.

This method of teaching encouraged me to think on my own and search for my own creativity which I know is hiding deep inside....

Designing our DI Lesson Plans

This was also a new experience for me. I did a lot of Internet searching and read all the material posted on Moodle. I learned from my draft feedback, that the more detailed the better.

One of the responsibilities of my current job (not teaching) includes writing Manufacturing Process Procedures. These procedures must be very detailed. Detailed to the point where a person can come in off the street, could follow the instructions, and perform the operation without any prior knowledge.
I found the “Essential Elements of Direct Instruction“, reading material very informative, I particularly like the bullet under Objectives “Communicates in student language and learning goals”. I truly believe a good teacher should be able to communicate on the students’ level. I have experienced many teachers in my many years of education, when teachers have taught at a level much higher than what the student could understand. The twelve steps on the MSMC lesson plan rubric, and frame, are clear and concise steps that correlate to the material we have just read. After reading the assigned material I have a clear understanding of the Direct Instruction Plan.

Some significant things I learned for the reading assignments on Direct Instruction:

I learned the importance of setting clear goals and making sure the students understand the goal and what is expected of them.

I learned that it is important to determine and assess my students to make sure they understand what they are learning and I should be prepared to teach it again if necessary.

I also learned the importance, and will practice, good classroom management skills and work to keep students interested and excited about learning.

The samples provide in class of previous students DI lessons plans were a real eye opener for me. I graded my students lesson plan, and thought it was great. After our class discussion, it was not great! By looking at the mistakes others made helped increase the knowledge I gained.

WebQuest

What is a Webquest?

Who Knew???

I now know a webquest is student-centered and inquiry-based quest. It challenges students to explore the web for information. Most webquest include the links that are appropriate for students to research as well as suggestions for further research. Webquests are generally constructed around a scenario of interest to the students. Traditionally Webquests have an introduction, a process, a task, a list of resources, a conclusion, and an evaluation.

This was a very new learning experience for me. I have heard about webquests, but never navigated through one, let alone create one.

My quest was built around the concept that an imaginary Math professor "Professor Mathamizer" is missing, the students need to solve the quest to find him.

http://joyswikiwiki.pbwiki.com/WELCOME

We learned how to create our quests on a wiki, which was also a new name for me. Who knew what a pbwiki was....

Overall, I was pleased with my quest, considering it was the first one and a whole new concept. I did come to the realization during this assignment that teachers have to be creative as well as knowledgeable to keep their students motivate and interested.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the posted webquests. The entire class did a great job.

I am anxious and excited to now work on our Treasure Hunts.....more on that in the next blog....

Parts of Direct Instruction/Group Projects

This was a method of teaching I usually enjoy, but this time it was a little confusing for me.


I enjoyed all the presentations, and the groups were very knowledgeable in their particular DI parts, but for some reason I had a hard time grouping it all together. Our group understood that we were to teach the class what an Anticipatory set is using the direct instruction method of teaching. So we created an anticipatory set, which was our smart board soccer game, for the development (I do) part I explained several power point slides about anticipatory sets, and Maureen finished up with the guided practice (we do it) by presenting and checking for understanding. Amy finished up with the conclusion. I was very pleased with our presentation and how well we worked together as a group.


We had 5 groups Anticipatory Set (Hook and grabber), Development (I do it), Guided Practice (we do it), Check for understanding, and Independent Practice (you do it).


Here are my 3 pluses and a wish on the other topics with additional comments.

Group 1
Anticipatory Set
Great work Amy & Maureen. These ladies are always prepared and are a pleasure to work with….

Group 2
Development
Tasha, Dennis, Mike & CarolAnn

+ I loved the introduction, it showed the importance of the theoretical side to teaching.
+ Great eye contact and explanation of the topic.
+ Nice modeling of Direct Instruction.
Wish – I wish you had actually made the paper airplane from your clip for show & tell….

Group 3
Guided Practice
Janine, Brandi, Jennifer, & Erica
+ Great presentation skills, nice eye contact.
+ Nice demonstration and great explanation of the topic.
+ The material was well covered.
Wish – Brandi was there to present with you.


Group 4
Check for Understanding
Vince, Nicole, & Angela
+ I like the examples of error teachers make when checking for understanding.
+ The team was very knowledgeable on the subject.
+ Nice team work, you really worked together.
Wish – I wish you had a video clip.

Group 5
Independent Practice
Meagan, Nicole P., & Katelyn
+ I enjoyed the presentation and found it very informative. The explanations and concerns on the purpose of homework were very clearly defined.
+ I liked the video clip.
+ Good information, for this class as future teachers, as to how much homework should be assigned for each subject.
Wish – I would have liked more examples on other types of independent practice.

Overall, each group was well prepared and presented the material on their topic in complete detail. I enjoyed each and every presentation. I think for me the detail necessary to understand each part of the direct instruction method of teaching was hard to grasp using this approach. I got a much better understanding of how to write my lesson plan after the assignment were we reviewed and graded previous students lesson plans.

Reflection - Week 1

Reflection…..

First let me say, I’m glad to be back. I felt like we rushed through the summer session in Curriculum Planning and I am so looking forward to taking a traditional pace course with you. Your teaching style connects with one of the first video clips on the moodle site.

“Learning to Change and Changing to learn"

I found this clip to be enlightening and uplifting. As a new student to the teaching profession, I have seen a division between teachers. It almost seems like some teachers don’t want to change and like the “old style of teaching” and some teachers want to change. I agree with the narrators in the video clip. Our children are exposed to so many different types of stimuli outside of the classroom that we need to find a way to incorporate some of that stimulus into the classroom to maintain the balance necessary to keep them interested. Children are so much more social and technical than ever. Some key points addressed in the clip – we as educators have to accept technology, it’s not a choice. School is only one place that children learn. If they are using technology outside of school we have to have in our schools and incorporate it into their learning. One of the most significant statements for me was “We need to shift students academic experience to prepare them for college and even life.” If we continue to teach in traditional ways and not the way the 21st century is headed we are doing an injustice to the future leaders of our country.

J01 -

My Jo1 was submitted as a journal, not as a blog.....