The Teaching Channel is a video showcase—on the Internet and TV—of inspiring and effective teaching practices in America's schools. It is a rapidly growing community of registered members who trade ideas and share inspiration with each other.
With the help of the Tch community, their mission is to revolutionize how teachers learn, connect, and inspire each other to improve the outcomes for all K-12 students across America.
Click on the Teaching Channel link: https://www.teachingchannel.org/ Search for a video that would be relevant to
your practice, view it, then write a short summary (include the video’s title
and its author) including a critique of that video, be sure to add a sentence or two about how you
might apply the video's content to what you might do in the future in your classroom. Post your critique in the comment section of this blog.
170 comments:
After previewing the video Learning Language through Drama by teacher Catherine Ellis, I was amazed at the teachers creativity in incorporating english language instruction into her lesson. The portion of the Catherine Ellis's lesson I liked best was when she presented students with a list of written words which varied in difficulty depending on the students english ability, student where then asked to pick eight words and bring them to life.
Although Catherine Ellis was Drama teacher, I would defiantly incorporate this method of learning in a regular Ed English Language Learner classroom. I would modify the lesson slightly by making it into a game of charades, having students pick multiple words and act them out having their peers guess there action word. This will make the activity fun and create friendly competition. By creating a sense of competition in the classroom it make student want to participate in the "game" and they forget that is a lesson. Having students learn is this multi-faset way will help reach all students.
-Ashley M.
I viewed the video, Organizing Your Thinking to Critically Analyze the Text by teacher Jennifer Brouhound. Ms. Brouhound feels that in a Social Studies classroom students are just reading the text to get to the answers. She has created a creative way to change that. She calls is "keep it or junk it." The students are to read a certain passage and highlight the words that they think are important. Then they go in small groups to share their words and make a list. Then the rest of the class gets to vote on which words to keep or junk. After the voting is completed, the students are to write an essay on the essential question on the board.
This lesson is a great way to get the kids involved and to think analytically on their own. They do not just rush through the reading to answer the questions, but are learning to take apart the text and make it their own. This process allows the students to link ideas and how they are thinking to making it their own.
After watching Attention-Getting Signals: Mix It Up with Mary Abdul-Wajid, I learned that there are various way to grab the attention of young students. A simple song or a simple gesture helped the children understand when it was time to pay attention. Mary used a rhyming song to let the children know that it was time to focus and do work. This was a great technique to use because not only did it grab the students attention, but it also helped them to understand the concept of rhyming. Ringing a bell was also a great method Mary used because it was a loud sound that the students responded to.
Personally, I know I use my own methods and techniques in the classroom when I need the students to respond or stop what they are doing and move onto the next activity.
I think this was a good video, especially for those who are new teachers. They can use these songs and gestures in their classroom to help keep the students focused and make transitioning into the next lesson a little simpler.
- Joanna S.
I viewed the video Cyberbullying: What's crossing the line? by Amy Withers. The video was geared towards students analyzing the proper use of social media, the pros and cons. Ms. Withers provided students the opportunities for small group discussions and case studies to come up with a resolution to the problems.
I think Ms. Withers did a great job on the lesson because cyberbullying is one of the most prevalent issues in schools now. Having the students discuss what they thought was right or wrong and coming up with a plan on what to do if that happened to them was imperative.
Having the small group discussions based on the case studies provided insight. Every student had a different perspective on what they thought should be done.
I would definitely use a lesson similar to Ms. Withers before I use the internet or social media for anything. The training will set boundaries for students so that know how to behave while using the internet.
I think this is a really awesome learning tool for new teachers and all teachers in general. As teachers we're constantly learning and in pursuit of life in which we never stop learning. This site offers you the opportunity to view how other teachers reach their students and introduce techniques one may not have even considered to use during a lesson, making this an invaluable learning tool.
I viewed the “Talk Moves: Developing Communication Skills” by Paul Lowe. This video is great it gives the teachers a new way to get the students talking and interacting with one another. As well as getting them to talk more in class increases their comprehension of the topic being taught. This concepts teaches the students to analyze their though process and how they explain their answers. I would apply this video into my teaching in that it gives a great perspective of how students view themselves in school, and how they are being taught. Some students don’t like the lecturing part of a lesson but when every student is involved and talking it makes the lesson much more entertaining and increases the retention of the students.
-Nicole A
I watched Silent Signals in the Math Classroom K-5, Third Grade Math Routines and 3rd Grade Math: A Complete Lesson. These videos follow a day in the life of Jen Saul, a 3rd grade teacher in a Palo Alto, California Charter school. They were very inspiring. In Silent Signals, Jen created signals for her students to show that they are thinking, have an answer, and show support for for fellow students silently. Which cut down on the student disruption and shouting out. These signals helped students stay engaged and alieved disappointment when not chosen to answer.
The next video, 3rd Grade Math Routines, focused on multiplication facts using music. The students sang their skip counting and used corresponding body movements to keep engagement up. Then on to fast facts, mental math and 3 ways to solve a problem. In 3 ways, a problem is given on the board and students are given 4 minutes to solve it in 3 different ways. Next they confer with their group on how they solved the problem. Jen calls 3 students to come up to show and explain their work. Finally Jen leads a class cheer.
The last video, 3rd grade Math: A Complete Lesson, Jen shows us her applications of different strategies to motivate, engage and work within each days schedule.
I teach 3rd/4th Grade math remediation two days a week and would use Jens song/movement routine for multiplication facts.
Erin H.
The video I chose to watch is titled Problem Solving Tools. I chose this video because it focuses on problem solving strategies for math in grades 9 through 12. I really enjoyed watching how involved the teacher was with her students and it was obvious that she genuinely loved teaching math. She explained that math is not as hard as people automatically think and I absolutely agree with her. If more people considered math to be a game with clues, we would be able to use those clues to solve the problems. One of the strategies that she spoke about was to go to the answer choices because they will give you a clue of what the question is asking. Additionally, I learned that some of the tools students can use to solve a math problem are properties, definitions, conjectures, theorems, process of elimination, and/or pure logic. I would definitely use these tools and strategies for my future math teaching. I feel that they were all useful and the students in the video seemed to catch on very well to the material being taught.
- Holly P.
I chose to watch a few videos based on the Common Core. These videos are very informative for those who are just starting to use the common core standards in their schools. I learned alot about the purpose of the new standards and saw some of the advantages of them as well. I still do not agree with the all of a sudden starting to enforce them in the school but I see the other side of the issue now. These videos are a great tool for teachers to continue their education, and improve their teaching.
I chose the video dealing with developing good habits in reading and writing. The video, Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, and Reading, was made in participation with the Educate Texas Project. The video provided another perspective on some of the struggles that students deal with in the English field. I would use the video to promote the idea, AVID, which encourages advancement through individual determination. If students aren't motivated to read closely, spend time, and practice their skills, English is a hard subject to grasp. Some of these videos help teachers in providing different ways to try and improve their own teaching style.
-Sean C.
I watched a few videos regarding AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination). I am very familiar with AVID as I did my observation hours in two schools which have done an outstanding job implementing the program. I have found that students in this program are extremely motivated and strive to do well. This is an attitude that needs to be instilled in all students and I think AVID is a great way to begin spreading the attitude that doing well in school is achievable for all students.
-Samantha F.
I viewed two videos entitled "Reading like a historian : Historians in training, and Reading like a historian :sourcing." Both of these videos looked at issues regarding the common core and how to address the requirements of common core learning. In the first video students researched facts and ideas just as a historian would. This helped them to get a better handle on the material. In the second video students analyzed documents answering questions such as who, what why, and how. I believe that both videos showed just how imperative it is to bring in reading and analyzing into the classroom. I would definitely use these techniques in my future classroom, as I believe it is extremely important to teach reading comprehension techniques.
-Victoria L.
I watched 2 videos: Snowball Technique and Comics in the Classroom. Snowball Technique was about a strategy that had each student get a card of information or facts on whatever subject they are learning. They are then told to study and understand the info they were given, then form groups of 2 where they then explained what they found out to each other. Then form a group of 4 and repeat. I like this technique because it allows the students to learn from each other and it allows the student to expand their own idea of what they are learning. For example, after reading your facts you may have one opinion, but then you are given new info which makes you rethink you opinions of what you are learning. The comics article supported using comics as a way of getting students to enjoy reading. I also think this is a great idea because children at a young age are generally less inclined to read, so giving them reading materials with pictures and artwork can work as a good transition for them into reading. I remember some of my first reading material were comics because I was drawn to the pictures and the stories of heroes and monsters, which led me to reading more in depth novels.
-Gabriel G.
I watched a video called "Strategies for Building Student Vocabulary." When I give a science test to my 5th and 6th grade classes, they seem to struggle with identifying chapter vocabulary terms and applying it to science. The video focused on using vocabulary in a context that is above grade level. The strategy the teacher used was to display vocabulary on the projector and have the students physically look up the meaning of the words in the contexts. I feel this is a meaningful learning strategy and engages the students in vocabulary. I thought the video could have given a few more "real" classroom examples for teachers to implement in their classrooms as well. The teacher in the video could have talked about the strategy more in depth for others to follow. I thought this might be a good strategy for my students to use in class to further comprehend the vocabulary terms.
-Christina G
I watched the video Purposeful Grouping for Collaboration and found it very informative and interesting. The teacher in the video explains that while you may have several groups of students the same age, grade, general knowledge, etc, when it comes down to it, groups are very diverse. The main thing I took from this video is that it is important for teachers to be mindful of how they group students. Not only should there be variety each time there is group work, but there should also be different types of learners, thinkers and speakers in the groups.
I chose this video because I think group work is essential to English classes. It is important for students to be able to articulate their views or interpret their emotions and sometimes this is easier done in small groups. In addition, it is necessary that students listen to the thoughts of their classmates. This is why there are so many benefits to group work in English.
Melanie P
“Measures of Effective Teaching: Student Feedback”, was a very interesting video that centered on teacher growth through student feedback. Mr. Ronevich, the 6-8th grade Science teacher at the school, used what he called the tripod method, a survey given out to students to provide their likes and dislikes about the curriculum and teaching. As Mr. Ronevich surveyed his students, he was able to form a collection of data based on student interests. This served as a wonderful way for him to reflect on his teaching skills and grow as an educator. His students also felt that this educational method made them feel part of the learning process not just within it.
I believe when I have my own classroom I would use a very similar surveying method after each unit. This will be a great way to understand what my students really like and will help me understand what areas of the unit were engaging and what areas can use improvement.
I truly enjoyed visiting the Teaching Channel and plan to utilize this tool in the future to inspire me with creative ideas throughout my teaching career. I viewed the video “Classroom Management During Centers” by kindergarten teacher Ryan Berger. I found this video to be very informative and it provided me with so many different ideas with how to manage time in the classroom more effectively and efficiently. As a new kindergarten teacher, Mr. Berger is finding ways to limit transition time between centers and is working on his classroom management. He explains that in the lower grades such as kindergarten, the teacher is unable to just write the directions on the board and expect all students to be able to read and understand what they are supposed to do. Instead, the teacher often has to verbally explain the directions step-by-step, which takes away from classroom teaching time. Mr. Berger provides many useful strategies for classroom management such as turning the lights off to obtain student attention and providing clear instructions that will be used repetitively.
I am currently a substitute teacher who mainly teaches in kindergarten through second grade. I have found it difficult to keep students on track with the task at hand and have also found it difficult transitioning from one activity to the next. I have found that my difficulties are mostly related to time spent ensuring that my directions were clearly stated and understood by all students. I especially loved Mr. Berger’s idea of making bins for sharpened pencils and broken pencils in order to limit pencil sharpening during class time. In my experience, I have found that students definitely utilize the pencil sharpener quite often during class. When I have checked their desk to see if they have another pencil, I find that often times they have another usable pencil at their desk already. Creating bins for sharpened pencils and unsharpened pencils will significantly help to cut down the time spent by students sharpening their pencils and will allow for more time spent during lessons and activities.
The video I chose was about a 7th grade STEM class. Since I currently have STEM class I thought this would be a good idea. The teacher, Beth Manning is a 7th grade Science teacher in Connecticut. She had her STEM class do an edible car. The entire car had to made out of food products. Only toothpicks and skewers were allowed. Once the students came up with their ideas and shopping lists the products were purchased. Knowledge was given to allergies of the students and no food was to be eaten in Science class. The cars were then built and raced down a ramp. In the video I saw a lot of team effort in building them, as well as cheering for other teams as their cars raced down the ramp. If the cars failed they could work on it and rebuild them. Students used rice krispie treats, bagels, Twinkies, a cucumber so the car looked like a lizard, snickers to add weight, and many other ingenious ideas.
The video I viewed was titled "Reasoning About Garden Observation" with Pre-K teacher Mr. Sliveira. In this video the teacher had children take part in creating their own garden with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Children learned about the plants needs, bugs that help plants, and how to label and draw the different parts. I enjoyed this video for many reasons. First, I appreciated how he had the students get up close to the plants to observe them, not by looking at a picture, but by having the kids move them, touch them, smell them and taste them. Another point that was emphasized in the video was asking open ended questions to allow students to articulate what they observe. This is a great strategy to see what your students know and understand. I would love to be able to have such an in depth science curriculum such as this. Open ended questions allow for students to come up with different answers, learn from one another, and take the lead in discussion. It also enables them to make predictions and test those hypotheses over time.
-suzie b.
Beyond Fingers: Place Value & the Numbers 11-19
Grades K-2, Math, Reasoning
By Karen Laster
Karen demonstrates a great way of getting children to think of numbers larger than ten, as ten and "some more." Although she is teaching in a Kindergarten class, I can definitely implement this in my first grade classroom. Many of my students have trouble counting on, or using strategies other than counting all of their fingers.
Shaina Henry
I viewed "Self-Correction: Does your answer make sense?" by Peggy Brookins and Raymond James. I really liked this video because it encouraged students to defend their answer and say things like "the calculator said so." As they try to defend their answer, if they made a mistake, they will be able to catch themselves and learn from that mistake. This practice also encourages other students to explain where they went wrong instead of the teacher. This is very useful. The only downside is that a student might be shy to go up to the board if they are scared of others critiquing their work and thinking they are "dumb".
I watched a video called "Interacting with Complex Texts: Jigsaw Project". In the video, middle school teacher Katie Langlois used a Jigsaw activity to have students examine three different speeches. The three groups were divided by ability level and each group got a different speech that was appropriately rigorous for their abilities. I really like this activity for the analysis of complex texts. A text that is rigorous, but manageable, for one student might be a shade too difficult for another. By using small group instruction, this jigsaw activity has students grappling with rigorous texts while ensuring the level of rigor is one in which the students can handle. Although each group is not fielding the same level of rigor, the way in which they are analyzing, debating, and evaluating arguments remains constant.
Differentiated instruction is incredibly important for learners of different levels. By using appropriate levels of rigor, students develop strategies that will help them as they advance on to even more difficult texts. Differentiated activities such as this jigsaw lesson are something I can definitely use in my own classroom to help students with the more rigorous demands of the ELA Common Core Standards.
-Jesse G.-
I watched Attention-Getting Signals: Mix It Up with Mary Abdul-Wajid, I found this video interesting and educational. learned that there are various way to grab the attention of young students. A song or a signal helped the children understand when it was time to pay attention. I currently am in a special education first grade classroom and find it hard to grab students’ attention. My students respond well to songs and simple sayings, and I’m excited to try and use this technique in the classroom. The bell used in the video may not work as well because many of my students are sensitive to loud noises. I also think I could use this strategy with my students when transitioning from activities( another area of difficulty). This video helped me generate ideas for some changes I would like to make in the classroom, especially in the area of classroom management.
I agree with Doug Ferguson, Teaching Channel is a beneficial tool for teachers. It’s teachers helping teachers by sharing and introducing techniques and strategies to better teachers and reach more students.
I chose to view "Inquiry-Based Teaching : Building a Culture of respect". This video is really beneficial for any future to watch, because it really applies to all grades and subject areas. The teachers talk about never "jumping down a students throat" which is something that hits close to home for me. When I was in high school and middle school, I was terrified to answer questions because of a past experience with a middle school math teacher who attacked me when I gave a wrong answer. This teacher thought I was pretending to be clueless and actually said to me "pretending to be stupid is not funny", however, I was no act, I really did not know something and I asked a question. As you can imagine, I never raised my hand in that classroom again, and I really do believe that class is where my struggle with math began.
The teacher in this video talks about building trust with the students in his classroom. This is something I think is so important. Your students have to feel safe to express their opinions and ask questions in your classroom, and they cannot feel that way if they do not trust the teacher. I think trust can be established by making sure that as a teacher, you never attack a students answer, and always make them feel that what they are saying is a positive contribution to the class discussions.
I chose the 1-3-6 Protocol video for Social Studies and it was by Kevin Sevin from Alief Early College High School in Houston, TX. I thought this instructional activity was great and perfect for the age level and content area. This activity aids in review of what material the students have read. The instructor hands out a worksheet for the students to recall the important elements of the reading. The 1 in the activity is where the students work alone, the 3 is where the students then move into groups of 3 and discuss what they wrote about the readings to make sure they are on track, and the 6 is where the groups of 3’s combine with another group to make 6 to see further if they are all on the right track and to get into further details and discussion about the reading. By the end of the activity they students have an in-depth understanding of the material and they are able to guide their own learning. I thought this was a great idea and I cannot wait to use it in my own classroom.
On The Teaching Channel I watched the video, “Writing Higher Order Questions”, by Thristine Edwards Francisco. This video appealed to me because teaching is currently very focused on deeper, more critical thinking and student-centered learning and I thought it would give me some useful teaching strategies for the future. Overall, I thought the video had great strategies for higher thinking and Ms. Francisco had the right attitude towards teaching and student learning. The four strategies (Costa’s Levels of Inquiry, Verb starters, the Frayer Model, and Making observations while reading) Ms. Francisco used allowed students to be creative, think independently, and to formulate questions with whichever method they felt most comfortable. In a classroom, it is important to give students several ways in which to complete a task, if possible, so all students can succeed. My favorite strategy was the Verb starters because it was the most hands-on and creative method of the four. I like that Ms. Francisco encouraged her students through the reading of a difficult text by telling them that “good readers have questions they don’t have the answers to”. She made asking questions something positive and productive instead of being a negative sign that students do not or cannot understand the text. I also thought her approach of empowering the students by making them ask and formulate their own questions for a deeper understanding of the text was great step towards independent thinking on the students’ part. Not only are do these strategies aid student learning and critical thinking, but they could help teachers plan and come up with key questions for students during lessons. I would
I watched the video, Silent Signals in the Math Classroom by Jen Saul. The video demonstrated the silent signals the students use during class to answer questions and show that they are thinking without calling out and disturbing other students. Jen Saul uses these hand signals in her classroom to keep her students engaged and actively participating without calling out. I think using silent signals is a great way for students to express their feelings and thoughts without disturbing the teacher and/or the other students. I would definitely use this in my future classroom, especially at the elementary age because students tend to call out when they know the answer and it can be very disturbing to other students who may need a little more time. I would even go as far as using silent hand signals for things like using the bathroom and asking for a pencil. I think silent hand signals keep the class moving without any interruptions which is great at an elementary age level.
The video that I found on The Teaching Channel is called “Common Core: Elementary School” by Education Update. The video talks about how children are learning from the new state Common Core Standards for English and math. It takes a look into two different elementary schools in New York City to examine the pilot classrooms that are using the Common Core Standards. I thought that this video was very informative. I found it nice to hear about teachers that were talking positively about the new Common Core Standards because I have heard a lot of negative things about it. The things that I would have to agree with what they said in the video were a couple of things. I think that the new standards do promote problem solving and math concepts that have students dive deeper into the problem itself. I find from my experience, it is easier for the students to see why they are conducting a math problem the way they are instead of just patterning their skills and just getting the answer. I like how in the beginning of the video one teacher said that the math standards are good for both higher level students and lower level students. For higher level students, they are able to expand their learning and thinking process and for lower level students, the teacher is able to see where they are struggling and help them accordingly. What I don’t like or agree with on the video or the Common Core Standards is yes the children are focusing of different and multiple strategies but then I find that the students will focus so much on the strategies that they don’t get the answer correct or don’t understand the answer. I know it sounds strange because you would think if the student got the strategy that they would have no problem finding the answer. I have not experienced this in the lower level per say but I have in the upper levels of elementary school starting as early as the end of 2nd grade and beginning of 3rd. But then at the same time some of the strategies make the math problems extremely easy to understand how to solve the problem. The pictures that go along with the math problems are a great way for the students to understand math. It makes them visualize the problem and have an easier time.
As far as the reading standards, I think that the video touched all the aspects of them. I agree with everything that the video said about the reading which was all positive. My experience with the reading and writing standards have been all positive. It focuses on speaking standards, writing standards, non-fiction and informational texts, and more. It touches on all of the different components that is essential for students to be college ready. The students in the video and the students in my own experience have responded successfully to the new reading and writing standards.
If I think about applying the information from the video into my future practice, I see myself using every detail because I want to become a classroom teacher and therefore will have to have knowledge and experience in the new Common Core Standards. I think it is important to learn about the standards before implementing them; know their strengths and weaknesses as well as what I'm in store for and the students.
I watched the video “Exploring the World of Ancient Civilizations” by Sarah Caulfield, which used the gallery walk strategy. The teacher divided the students into groups and assigned each group a topic. The students created a poster discussing the history of the topic, the function and purpose of the topic, and its relation to civilization. Following this activity, all of the students went around the classroom to read about each topic, wrote down what they learned, and graded each poster. In this lesson, the students learned to paraphrase and summarize information from documents, a textbook, and ect. This is a great strategy that can be used in a social studies classroom because it allows students to learn to work together as a team and interact with the content. I agree with the teacher that this is a great way to teach students a variety of topics in a short period of time. I think the students enjoyed learning content through this strategy because it allowed them to be creative when they designed their poster. In my future classroom, I would use this strategy to teach about imperialism in different regions of the world. Each group of students would create a poster discussing the country that took over the region and the positive and negative impacts of their rule.
-Mariya L.
After viewing the clip entitled Rick’s Reading Workshop: Silent Reading with teacher Rick Kleine, I became aware of a teacher temptation to use students' silent reading time as an opportunity to catch up on paperwork, or to log some lingering test scores into the grade book. Rick reminds viewers that reading is not actually “silent” per say, that there are thoughts that constantly track through the mind during reading, and it is important for teachers to help students recognize and name those thoughts when they arise. Rick’s personal log of each student’s daily reading progress allows him to ensure that each student is meeting individual reading goals.
I like Rick’s idea about pairing a struggling reader with a more advanced reading buddy, allowing him/her to ask questions in a non-threatening way about the text such as a new, unfamiliar word. A log book tracking student reading would be a successful tool in assessing students’ progress during the course of the school year.
-Peter L.
I viewed two videos entitled "Reading like a Historian: Historians in training” and “Reading like a Historian :Sourcing." These videos appealed to me because although I am certified in Childhood education, general and SWD, I have a concentration in history. In video “Reading like a Historian: Historians in training” students conducted through role play. They were put into the role of a historian and gathered facts and information. I believe the role play was extremely beneficial in that it gives the students ownership of the information they are collecting and gathering. In the “Reading like a Historian :Sourcing." video students analyzed documents answering questions about the documents which could be correlated to the information they gathered as “historians”. I agree with Victoria L that both of these videos relate to the Common Core in that they tie together subjects such as ELA (reading) and Social Studies
This is a great website for teachers to collaborate and share materials online. Especially for Social Studies, there are hundreds of videos that help to visually explain topics. This website is extremely valuable for all types of teachers and can be incorporated in lessons. One video I watched was titled “Exploring Emigration: Maps & Migration.” This video explained and visually showed the movements of people and used maps to help explain geography. I could use this video in my class when stating a unit or lesson on reasons and ways people migrated and moved throughout the world.
-Liam
Using Debate to Develop Thinking & Speech Skills – Riza Laudin
This is a video about a teacher in Herricks School District who hands out a debate schedule for students. Students received partners and selected two debates they would like to participate in. Prior to the debate students had to engage in research, but not create a scripted speech because the teacher wanted the debate to flow naturally. Each partner receives a 5 minute introduction. The teacher wants the students to be aware of the world around them. She wants them to be able to support their own intellectual opinions from newspapers and web articles on current real world dilemmas. This teacher views great verbal skills as a key component to success. To prepare themselves to engage in a rebuttal, students must research their opponents’ point of view so they know how to approach them and what questions to ask. Students are taking notes while the other side is talking. The class then gets to ask the students in the spotlight questions about their topic. It is hard to critique this video because this lesson is literally spotless. I wonder how much time she allows for each debate because even with four students per topic this can take up several days to get around to the whole class. I like how she put the debates 2 vs. 2 rather 1 vs. 1 because it creates a less intimidating experience for the students. Forget about modifying the content of this video to my future classroom, I would literally do this lesson step by step because I wish I were fortunate enough to receive this experience to sharpen my critical thinking and speech skills.
-Jessica S.
I agree with you Liam. This website is a wonderful source for all teachers. I definitely would like to take some time to watch some more to help sharpen the quality of some of my lessons. It is great how this site is free and instead of offering lesson plans from other teachers you get to watch them execute them.
- Jessica S.
I watched Milton Chen on Project-Based Learning. He has a positive view on the way Common Core can be implemented. Instead of the traditional textbook based curriculum where the students would simply read the textbook and answer the questions then more on to the next chapter. Project based learning and technology can be integrated with each other. He talks about organizing students and teachers into teams to carry out projects that have a much deeper understanding. The students themselve have to go out and get the answers from the research and peers with the teacher being more of a guide. This teaches students how to learn and gives them a want to learn. This also breaks down the wall between the classroom and the world. Students given a project about a situation in the world must find sources from the world to answers problems with the project letting them see the significance of what they are learning.
-John Ryan
This website looks great. It only takes a few seconds to realize the potential that this site has. Having a background studying history this site looks great because it has many options for a social studies teacher to use in the classroom. The video I watched was called Exploring Emigration: Maps & Migration. This video showed the movement of people across a particular land mass. This video could be used as a motivator when introducing a specific movement of people in history. It could also be used when working on basic vocabulary when dealing with migration in the history of the world.
-Nick Gilbert
Video Title: Self-Correction: Does Your Answer Make Sense?
Authors: Peggy Brookins & Raymond James
I believe that the idea of self-correction is crucial. Far too often, specifically in math, students take a formula, plug in the numbers, get an answer, and move on. However, if students took the time to think “does my answer make sense?” most of their errors could be avoided. Asking students to explain their answer, correct or incorrect, can help students check their work and find their own errors. I would use this in every aspect of my class: practice problems, reviewing homework, going over exam questions, and especially practice regents’ exams. Having students subconsciously think back to “does this make sense?” will help them be better students.
I chose the video, “The Big Brain: A Cooperative Learning Protocol” by Barbara Cleveland. The objective of the video is to show teachers how to incorporate small group cooperative learning protocol into a math investigation. “The Big Brain” was broken down into four sections: read the question, brainstorm, publish with evidence, and share and advise. This type of learning is student-centered, allowing peer collaboration and self-discovery. I believe this type of learning is only effective with self-motivated students. Students, who are not self-motivated, might get off topic and distract their group members, which will have a negative effect on their learning.
The math program I currently work in, School of One, incorporates a modality called Small Group Collaboration (SGC) in their program. Students are grouped together by skill level and are asked to work collaboratively to complete a packet based on a particular skill. Within each SGC, groups are then divided into pairs, in which each pair completes a part of the task. At the end, the pairs come back together as a group to share and compare answers and complete an ending problem. I think this modality is a great example of how students can work together collaboratively to complete a task.
Video: “When a Lesson Goes Wrong”
This video explains how Ms. Wessling changes her outlook on her lesson in between periods. Instead of giving out packets and packets of paper on the Crucible and finding the themes within, Ms. Wessling decides to do a traveling map discussing the three big ideas throughout The Crucible.
I think this is great how Ms. Wessling can alter a change the way a lesson is perceived from boring and “a lot of paper” to something very fun and interactive. I think these types of adaptations show great teachers. They are able to answer anything thrown at them but still get their students to be engaged and learning.
I think every teacher should be able to do this in their classroom. Sometimes a written lesson may not work and the teacher needs to be able to touch their students in a different way whether that is more problems, analogies, videos, or just a different perspective. I know I have to do that every day in my classroom where one class understands one way and another class I need to change the view.
Shelly Kagan: Yale University
Kagan has a very unique style of teaching, where he remains seated throughout his lecture, prompting more of a conversational and relaxed attitude. He sat Indian style on the desk for nearly the entire video. I found Kagan’s lecture to be thought provoking and conversational. He gave brief explanations, asked many rhetorical questions, and explored all options. He often related back to real-life situations, which I thought was more engaging then his direct instruction technique. On the positive side, I liked his casual and relaxed persona and his ability to incorporate real-life situations while encouraging philosophical thinking.
I found more negatives than positives in this video. This YouTube clip was 50 minutes long and I did not last anywhere near finishing it, nor had any interest in the topic. I believe YouTube has advantages and disadvantages, but I think it takes a certain type of learner to sit there and actively listen. I was losing focus on what Kagan was describing. I found myself fast-forwarding to see if he ever stood up and/or interacted with his audience. I felt it was dry and unresponsive; I’m not sure if it was lack of interest in the content area or his unique teaching style.
I watched the video “Reading like a Historian: Focus Question.” What this video touched upon was having students critically think about historical events rather than just memorizing the facts. Teachers will provide students with a question that can have many answers and many opinions. Then provide students with primary source documents to answer those questions and form their own opinions on those parts of history. I think this is the best way to go about teaching parts of history. It provides students with ways to build their critical thinking skills and their reading skills with reading these primary source documents. These are good ways to also provide students with debating skills. It’s a good way to bring up a debate in your classroom.
Shilpa Duvoor started an idea called turning to your partner while reading history primary sources or second sources. I agree with this practice because if a teacher states that the student can work with a partner, some of the students would still sit quietly working alone. Students would be able to help each other understand the concepts from the article without being afraid to participate with the entire class. Students would physically turn their bodies to establish a connection to their fellow student. By being able to discuss and disagree on a topic, students will grow more academically since students are expected to be able to discuss topics further in a college classroom. Students can construct proper ways to discuss a topic thoroughly in history and most importantly, in a proper social matter. I plan on bringing this into my classroom so that it can strengthen the social and historical interactions students will have with each other.
I really enjoyed watching the clip on Classroom Expectations for Pre-K by Jennifer Hawkins. I am currently teaching 3rd grade and I spend so much time reviewing and enforcing classroom expectations in my room. It’s a challenge establishing good classroom management. I will be teaching Kindergarten next year and was able to see what is expected of them before these students come into my room. There are many students who do not go to Pre-k or any daycare, so it will be helpful to use this type of method in my own room, especially the few first months in which we will be establishing classroom routines and norms. Expectations prepare them for the following school years and needs to be presented every year so they understand what is expected from each teacher. I loved that the teacher had both visual cues and the words placed within the room. The teacher also went over positive instruction and modeling, two key things that will allow for a comfortable, safe environment. It was very helpful for me to see how a Pre-K or Kindergarten classroom should look like and feel.
How To Address The STEM Education Gender Gap In Schools
School Of Engineering & Sciences, Sacramento, CA
This video looks at efforts to correct the tendency toward a lack of females in STEM fields. A casual dismissiveness exists that tells girls they should not be interested in science or math, and boys tend to push them out of the way with social pressures. Some schools have implemented girls-only STEM programs, mentoring relationships, and clubs where everyone supports each other in the pursuit of intellectual/educational/professional equality.
I think that this is a fantastic cause that needs to have more attention paid to it. In my personal experience I have not seen very small percentages of females in science, but I know that it is a problem overall. Anything that will make sure there is equal representation should be advanced as much as possible.
I try to implement similar ideas in my own classroom by making sure that no one is excluded or dismissed as being less naturally deserving or inclined towards particular topics of interest. Most of my best students have been girls, but I have known plenty of people who at one point or another did not follow through on their interests because someone told them it wasn't their place in society to go down that path.
I took much away from the video "Student Engagement in Language Arts" by Jim Knight. In this video, the teacher Jim presents a Language Arts lesson on synonyms. In order to make this lesson successful, Jim needed to, and did, apply strategies to enhance student involvement and engagement. To begin, the objective was up on the board for students to see what had to be accomplished during this lesson. Jim also maintained structure, as well for a love for the students in his lesson. Without structure, the lesson will fail. Jim checked for student engagement through their body language, and asking questions in which the students had to raise their hands. He also got the students' attention before answering the question. He was told that instead of simply using the popsicle sticks, to put them in a can, and shake the can when a question was coming as a signal to the students. Jim did not praise "smart" answers, but rather he praised student effort, which is more likely to result in students to continue answering questions and trying their best during activities.
As a future 6th grade ELA and math teacher, I felt that this was a great video to watch. As a former teacher of younger children, it seems easier to have management in the classroom because students tend to be more influenced by reinforcers. This video gave me strategies to use to keep the older elementary students engaged and managed.
Let’s Count! Learning Numbers in Multiple Ways by Rosemary Kungu
Grades Pre-K – K/Math/Hands-On; CCSS:Math.K.CC.B.4b
I loved the many different activities that enhanced the children’s learning experience. It was not limited to one type of learner and each activity helped build/develop the students as holistic children; Kungu did not focus on just one aspect of the child’s development.
There were many examples that used kinesthetic, auditory, spatial, collaborative, visual, and musical learning styles to help reinforce the topic being covered in diverse ways. Kungu also would use verbal reinforcement, encouragement, and questioning to remind students of the rules and directions. Reward practices consisted of verbal praise physical cues such as a high-five or a thumbs-up. The musical/movement activities were quite interesting to me since I used to be a Music Ed. Major. She correctly used her musical Movement activity to help build spatial awareness and respect for personal space between her students. I definitely would use her activities in my classroom, because I want to reach all my student’s needs as learners. Also, music is still a part of who I am, so any opportunity to expose my students to more music while covering the content of the lessons would be perfect!
The video I watched was titled “Creating a School Website” by Erick Odom. I really enjoyed viewing it and took a lot from it. Erick Odom is a high school social studies teacher at the East Bronx Academy for the Future, in the Bronx, New York. He has added a new scope to his class which entails the students working together to create their own school webpages. The main website that the students use to construct their virtual webpages is Google sites; however he also incorporates social media websites into his classroom like Facebook and Twitter. He believes, as I do, that there is more to social studies than just memorizing history. He says that social studies is really about the human connectivity and using the internet as a resource maximizes just that. He is very excited about this new class because students are able to learn interactively. For the first time students are coming up to him and proposing new ideas and building off of one another though cooperation and collaboration. As a future social studies teacher putting the curriculum where the students are already spending their free time is a great idea. However, he did say that students were never very interactive about learning history. As a future teacher, I would try to incorporate building a website with the social studies and history curriculum.
I watched the video about Brainstorming and thought that the teacher who was explaining how she scaffolded her lessons was excellent. She was able to create a lesson that was interesting and engaging as well as informational. She clearly explained her objectives and provided her students with a clear focus in order to achieve their goal. This teacher took "baby steps" to give her students the opportunity to be successful in the final project. I would absolutely use this method of instruction because it required the students to get up out of their seats and use different learning modalities. It was also beneficial toward student success because the students were writing about content that was either interesting to them or which was very familiar to them. I think that every lesson should engage students into their personal lives as well as tap into a new piece of information that can build upon what knowledge they already possess.
I watched the Video, Helping Students Develop a Passion for Math by Becky Pittard of Ormond Beach Fl. This video was based around the idea of engaging students during math that allows them to feel they are learning and dissecting it through their own exploration. In this video, Becky had her students work with the students at their table to talk and discuss about the problems on their worksheet. Becky stated that she believes that we are all problem solvers and we have a desire to challenge our brain. By allowing students to collaborate and listen to each others ideas they can take away so much information.
I enjoyed this demonstration because growing up Math was very much a routine, very teacher directed with little student interaction or response. I think that by allowing students to talk whether they understood the question or not makes them feel that their opinion or way of thinking is important and valid which I think is huge when you want your students to know that this should be a safe and encouraging environment to learn in.
I watched the video, Brain Break: Move and Focus. This video showed activities that can be used in the classroom when the students seem to need a break. Getting a chance to move around and have a little fun can really help to break up the day. This can lead to better attention in the classroom. I believe that Brain Breaks are a great way to engage the students in your class. As a kindergarten teacher, I used this in my classroom. I called it "Breathe and Stretch," and two or three times a day we would do different physical activities to break up the day. As a 5th grade teacher next year, I can see myself adapting this concept into something more appropriate for older students.
I viewed the video, Attention-Getting Signals: Mix it up with Mary Abdul-Wajid. Mary discusses numerous ways to engage students during activities. She provides different examples to help get the attention of teaching young students. I work in a Pre-K now and 70% of our day is spent in circle time where we sing songs such as the weather song or "hello, good-morning" song which in the song each child says "hello (child's name)" to the child sitting next to them. Mary Abdul also discusses that rhyming songs and simple gestures are also a great way to help children be re-directed and pay attention. By personal experience I can say I agree with Mary and her techniques in using catchy songs with hand movements because the songs just seem to stick with the children, especially if practiced everyday.
Samantha Christian...
I watched a video on ELA. I am going to be an English teacher in the future so I decided to learn about a writing strategy. The teacher who was teaching it was named David Olio. He was teaching an AP English course. The book the students had to read and understand was called “Beloved.” For homework they had to read a passage and then complete a writing assignment to go along with it. For this the students had to get into groups and select a silent writer. The writer was not allowed to talk just yet, they would have to take notes and write everything the group said out loud down. I think this strategy because first all it lets students get together and talk things out about a book. When I read a book I always want to discuss it with someone just to see what they would say or what they thought about it. I think this stragety is also good for that student who doesn’t like talking in front of everyone. I remember when a teacher used to pick on me to answer a question, I hated it cause I would think it was wrong or something. In this case everyone has their own job and the people in your group could help you if you are stuck. This website is very good for teachers and it could help them with lesson planning or even just different strategies to use in a class.
I chose the video that had to deal with the teacher teaching more than just math. The teacher would greet the students at the door to make them feel more important. I feel that that is very important to let the students know that they are important and welcomed rather than the teacher sitting behind the desk. The teacher lets the students know how she is thankful for them sitting patiently and such which also allows the students to feel more comfortable within the classroom. This is important for students to feel this way within the classroom. I feel students who are treated with respect within the classroom and feel comfortable will do better and want to come to class and enjoy their time.
The video entitled "Guided Groups" grade 7-ELA is an excellent strategy to use to have students assess how well they have understood the concept being taught and to receive individualized instruction to insure comprehension. In the video, after teaching a mini-lesson, the teacher gives the students an independent assignment to complete. The students each rate themselves as either a 'C' for independent, a 'B' for understands but has clarifying questions and an 'A' for needs the lesson re-taught by the teacher. Students that rate themselves a 'C' may begin the assignment independently. 'A' and 'B' students go to the meeting area to conference with the teacher. Students have the opportunity to ask their questions and move to the independent group. The group gets smaller and smaller with the students left having the lesson re-taught. All students complete the assignment and share as a group enabling the teacher to assess who understands fully and who still needs additional support. This strategy is a good way to differentiate instruction as each student receives the level of support that they need. In addition, the teacher is able to work individually with students who require clarification and support as well as quickly assess who understands the lesson. This strategy holds the students accountable for their own learning and engages them actively in their education.
I viewed the video “Message to Ground Zero” by Shelly Harwayne. I looked for a video for grade 2 social studies and this video caught my attention. It showed how language and writing could help the students cope with their tragedy. Ms. Harwayne explained that writing can pay tribute to people and places. Also, by having the students either write or draw about a tragedy can help guide them through a crisis. I felt this video would help me as a future teacher for students that encounter a crisis or a tragedy. I as a teacher can reflect back on this video and have my students write, or draw to express the way they are feeling about their specific situation. I though this site had a lot to offer to assist teachers in any area they felt they needed. Again this site was a great resource for teachers.
I think that as a teacher, I will be using The Teaching Channel website very often. What I found most helpful were the videos. They are effective because they give the teacher ideas on how to incorporate common core into their lessons. There are videos for each subject field, which makes it accessible for all educators. I also like that there’s a Q&A portion. If something is not clear, an educator can click on this, and there is a good chance their question will be here.
On the teaching channel I watched a math video named “Deepening Understanding: Linear Equations” the main authors of the video were two teachers from Turkey Foot Middle School in Edgewood, Kentucky. The teachers were Susie Morehead and Jenny Barrett. Both of these teachers had done the same lesson and were able to get together with a group of their colleagues to discuss their reflection and findings about how the lesson went with their students. In the video the students were confused on systems of equations and how to solve them algebraically and graphically. The students took a pre-test and the teachers found that students had a very difficult time solving a system of equations. After the actual lesson the teachers gave a post-test and saw a dramatic increase and growth of the students’ knowledge on the content. They really grasped the concept after the common core lesson taught. The teachers then went even further to discuss the ins and outs of solving the system and how a third equation is ultimately formed. This equation was graphed and students made predictions as to what would happen when they graphed the new equation. Most were able to make a valid prediction that was true. Teachers were very happy with the results of the lesson and how well the students understood the material. This is a lesson I think I would use in my own classroom. I never really thought about the third equation that emerges to be so important. I now understand that this equation that is developed has always perplexed students and now with this lesson was able to show the students why the equation does have purpose and meaning. This was a great common core lesson and I would gladly use it to design any future lessons I must do.
I viewed “Assess and Plan with Exit Tickets” by Andrew Crandall. This video showed an example of how to give students exit tickets after completing a lesson. He explained how giving them an exit ticket was beneficial to the students to review what they learned in class that day, but also beneficial to the teacher to see where each student is at. He is able to review and adapt the lesson for the following day based on how much the students learned from that lesson. I would use this strategy in my own classroom to always make sure the students understood what was being taught that day and if needed, adapt the lesson for the students to understand better.
My degree is in dual initial special education so I chose a video entitled “New Teacher Survival Guide: ADHD in the Classroom.” The video showcased a male teacher named James McKinstry’s who teaches math and English to 7th graders. Some of his students have ADHD. A woman named Pamela Miazza observes his classroom who has been diagnosed with ADHD herself. She oversees a typical lesson in James McKinstry’s class. He uses a powerpoint to begin his lesson with a Do Now. Pamela provides feedback to James afterwards to tell him what she liked and disliked about his lesson. I would’ve appreciated the video more if it gave more examples of what the students’ thought about the lesson; I feel their opinion is just as important as a professional’s. I liked the examples of using a timer as it will help motivate children to “beat the clock,” as Pamela said. I also thought the visual cues on the desk were a helpful tool. I would integrate both of these strategies into my classroom.
The video, "Collaborating to plan a CCSS lesson for ELLs," by Maricela Rodriguez and Tita Ugalde discusses how the two teachers work together to plan their lessons for their second grade classes that contain English Language Learners. They both have different strengths and weaknesses so they get ideas and help from each other. Now that lessons have to be prepared around the CCSS, it can be more difficult. However, these two teachers know who to go to if they need help deciding what activity or assignment they should use.
I liked how the teachers showed students work but I would have liked if they showed their classrooms a little more. At times it got boring because it was mainly them talking and in soft voices.
As an ESL teacher I would collaborate with other teachers as well to get different ideas, help, and even some input. No matter how many years one has been teaching it is always a good idea to do that because education is changing.
The video called "using video to reflect on teaching and learning" by Johana Paraiso
This was a helpful video, I have something to look forward to when I have to record myself teaching. This is a good idea because you get to see where you are lacking and where there needs to be improvement. When you watch yourself you can be the best critic and you can change things to how you want it. This will help me in the future when I have to teach, I can look back and reflect on myself and make the necessary changes.
The video I watched was called "Beyond Finger: learning numbers 11-19." The woman in the video was a kindergarten teacher who was teaching her students to count on from 10 to make a number to 19. I like how she used magnets and a dry erase board to show the students the concept of a ten. She asked them higher order thinking questions, that built on their previous knowledge, as well as allow them to make arguments and explain their problem solving or reasoning. The best thing about this video was that this took place in a kindergarten classroom. Even with young children as educators we can still ask them questions that challenge them to think critically and build up their argumentative skills.
I chose the video, “The Big Brain: A Cooperative Learning Protocol” by Barbara Cleveland. The idea of this video is to involve student cooperative learning into the lesson. This type of learning will work well with students who are focused because otherwise there will be no learning outcome if the students are disrupting the others. Students can work together on worksheets and help teach each other. This can be done in groups or pairs based on their level of skill. All groups can compare answers to see what they got and how they did the problem. Questions can be done in parts where all groups can complete, then come together to put it all together. This is part of the four sections: read the question, brainstorm, complete with evidence, and finally share.
I chose the video "Talk Moves in Academic Discussion" BY Tamica Groves. The video made points on how students have conversations and how they can add thoughts on other peoples points. When someone says "I think..." the other person should respond with "I agree or disagree and I would like to add...." It's to show students how to make conversation better and teaching them to learn from one another
The video that I chose to watch was called "Academic Discussions: Analyzing Complex Texts." This video told the story of Tamica Groves, a middle school ESL teacher, who utilizes a variety of literacy strategies within her classroom to help her students gain a better understanding of non-fiction informational texts. Aside from using proven strategies like do-nows and collaborative group work circles, Tamica makes sure to ask her students higher order thinking questions that force them to refer back to the text in order to formulate an answer in their own words. In my opinion this is an excellent strategy to employ in any classroom, especially an ESL classroom like Tamica's. Some teachers might be tempted to ask ESL students lower level questions because of their unfamiliarity with the language, but in my opinion this is just doing them a disservice. When Tamica sets high expectations for her ESL students by asking higher order thinking questions, she is setting them up for future success as they gain better mastery of the English language.
I watched "Nature Kitchen" by Nadia Jaboneta about bringing the nature/science center into the kitchen center. I think this is a great idea to use natural resources and I agree with her that it is a good opportunity especially if you can't get outside. I would love to try this in my Preschool classroom and see what new ways the children could use items found in nature.
The video called "Using video to reflect on teaching and learning" by Johana Paraiso was good to see. I have never had to video tape myself teaching but I do know it is coming back for students who just getting into the teaching field. This could be a good idea because you get to see areas where you need to improve. What went well during the lesson? What things would you keep/get rid of? These are all questions when I give myself feedback that I think of. I have been at my school for two years and I am constantly changing lesson plans or power points to make them better for the following year. I think this could be a good tool for future teachers to have.
I have actually used this website before and have found it very beneficial. The video I chose to look at way "Encouraging Student Debate" the teacher was Antoinette Pippin. The video discussed the importance of the students debating with each other. It is important to get the students to look and respond to each other and not just speak to the teacher. The teacher has to take themselves out of the conversation and allow the students to take over. She said it takes a lot of practice in the beginning to get the students to understand how a debate works. She said to get other students involved she will ask if they can add on or give another point of view to what the other student said. Most importantly never agree or disagree because they will always look to the teacher for the correct answer.
I watched the video entitled "New Teacher Survival Guide: Classroom Management". It was a social studies sixth grade classroom. The video was about a first year teacher in an inner city middle school. She was practicing decent classroom management strategies, but went to Colombia's Teacher College to gain advice on managing her classroom. She video taped her teaching and was given positive and helpful feedback on techniques she does well and techniques she can improve upon. The video also suggested classroom management tips, such as establishing a constant classroom routine, having classroom expectations, using physical proximity to prevent potential disruptions from students, developing individual strategies to redirect students who act out, using nonverbal cues to redirect students, using games and competitions to encourage student engagement, breaking down your lessons into their smallest component parts, and using whole class strategies with positive narration. The first year teacher felt stressed and exhausted before, but after implementing many of these strategies, she experienced a positive change in the atmosphere, behavior, and overall wellbeing of her classroom. I think these tips and techniques for classroom management were excellent. I would use all of these techniques in my future social studies classroom. Each technique would help maintain a positive and engaging learning environment that I could manage well. As the teacher said, classroom management is giving and providing your students with the place and atmosphere to learn what you want them to learn. I believe these tips would encourage that.
I watched the video on "communication through movement and dance." I thought that it was defintely a different way of teaching a class, but it helps the students be more engaged and involved in the lesson. This helps students get up and get out of their seats. The arts are a way to express how someone thinks. I think that students today do not have enough mobility in the classroom. I think that learning through the arts such as dancing, gets the students engaged and more involved. I will defintely use this technique when I teach a lesson!
I watched the video Reviewing Linear Equations in Two Variables by teacher Susie Morehead. I liked how this teacher incorporated the use of white boards into the beginning of class. Each student had to answer a question and then hold up their board with his/her answer on it. This way, every student was answering every question simultaneously. The teacher then had the students defend their answers, to ensure that they understood the meaning of the problem. The teacher chose application problems to make sure the students understood what the concepts meant which would help to enhance their understanding of math. The teacher then gave the students a pre-assessment which was graded by a group of teachers. These teachers collaborated and shared ideas to determine what students knew and what needed to be worked on before giving a final assessment on the subject. I would definitely consider incorporating the white boards into my classroom. As a future math teacher, I also believe that it is vital for students to be able to complete application problems because these problems demonstrate student understanding on the concepts presented in class.
-Lauren G.
I think the Teaching Channel is an excellent website for teachers to use. I clicked on the math tab and I was able to see different videos that pertained to specific math topics. I watched one that explained how to teach students the how to understand congruence in a triangle. I showed a situation in the classroom and how a teacher should go about helping the student. Some of my previous professors have used this website in my classroom. On the side of each video there are questions that you should pay attention to as key points of the lesson. It also states the lesson objective so the teacher can refer to it when making a point in the lesson.
I really like the teaching channel. The video that I chose to watch was called Attention Getter: Say the Secret Word by Olga Ramos. Ms. Ramos explained that she has the students in the beginning of the year suggest a word that they like and then the class votes on the words to narrow them down. Once they have narrowed them down to three the class then votes again to chose the word that will be the secret word. Every time the teacher says the secret word it means that everything stops and eyes go back on the teacher and they continue on.
She explains that it is a better situation that having the teacher stand in front of the classroom saying be quiet or shhhh. She explains that the children like it because they chose the word and it is less negative.
This video was short but it got the point across and I really like this idea. I will definitely use this strategy in my classroom.
The video I watched was titled Kindergarten Teaching Strategies: Classroom Management During Centers. The author was Ryan Berger, a first year Kindergarten teacher from Oreland, PA and Jim Knight who is an instructional expert. I found this video to be insightful. Mr. Berger goes over the rules with his students before they transition through centers. He found one of his biggest concerns was making sure the students know where they were going.
When it is time to transition, Mr. Berger shuts the lights off to show the students that the center is finished. The students are not permitted to leave their center until they begin their song. It is important to keep track of the other centers and to make sure they are on-task and the directions were clear. If he was originally working at one center, give those students a simple task to keep them occupied so he can go around the room checking on the other students. Also, let the students take ownership of cleaning up but you must show them how to clean up. I found this interesting because we usually direct the students what to do but at the Kindergarten level, the students should begin to learn this skill. To end centers, the students color in one of three faces to show how they believe they did during centers.
I definitely will take some of these tips into the classroom because centers are a part of the elementary classroom.
I watched "Carbon Cycling: Create Your Own Biology Lab" by Alexandra Krubski. Ms Krubski is a 9th grade biology teacher in Connecticut, where she focuses her class on being an introduction to all aspects of the field. For this particular component, she is leaving a lot up to her students: she lets them design and carry out an experiment of their choice. By working in groups and collaborating with fellow classmates, the students are exposed to ideas other than their own. They immerse themselves into scientific inquiry, while still having the freedom and opportunity to explore what interests them and to do it in a way that makes the most sense to them.
One thing I really liked about Ms Krubski's approach was that she makes sure the students complete a reflection portion of their lab reports. They look back at what they could have done differently or better, and they also interpret their results in a meaningful way- it is more qualitative than quantitative, which is not always something you find in the sciences.
I would hope to implement a lot of Ms Krubski's practices into my future classroom. I really liked that she encourages a collaborative experience and allows the students to use each other as resources. The concept of there not really being right and wrong answers, as she mentioned, takes the risk of being wrong and losing points out of the equation. It is more about defending your answers, and being able to form legitimate arguments in your writing, which are skills not only important for this class but for the rest of their lives. I also think that by being given freedom to create their own experiments, rather than going through the motions of one assigned to them, gives students ownership over their schoolwork and keeps them more engaged throughout the entire process. When students are passionate about what they are doing in school, they are more likely to learn the material and to retain it.
Once I was on the TeachingChannel website, I clicked on the Social Studies page and then clicked for 10th grade and I watched a video about the Turn to Your Partner strategy. Ms. Duvoor, a 9th grade Social Studies teacher at Summit Preparatory Charter High School explained how she used this strategy in classroom. She said that when students are told to work in groups, students sometimes don't/won't turn to other students and work in groups. When she says to her students to turn to your partner her students will physically turn their bodies towards another student in the room and this will allow them to engage in classwork. She also says that it's important for students to work in groups especially for reading primary documents because it will allow them to think out loud and speak their opinions.
I completely agree with Ms. Duvoor and this strategy. It allows the students to work together and bounce ideas/opinions off each other. It also allows the teacher to walk around and engage with different groups and hear what the students are thinking without the student having to speak in front of everyone. I will probably use this strategy a lot in my classroom.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/document-based-questions-lesson-nea
DbQ's: Warm and Cool Feedback by Jennifer Wolfe, from Oceanside HS in Oceanside, NY.
I enjoyed this as the incorporate the common core SS standards, which currently is what the educational institutions are pushing. It also shows how to "teach to the test," which, weather or not fairly, is the assessment to which each student will be judged.
This particular video focuses on the AP exam and the DBQs they may face. I liked how the students were actively involved in the warm (positive) and cool (not so positive) feedback. They use a rubric that will not be available at test time, but will help establish clear goals of each essay, thus giving them greater strengths and goals on the actual test. I can see this website being super helpful in future lesson planning.
After navigating my way through the Teaching Channel website, I have discovered how great of a tool it could be for all sorts of teachers. After clicking on numerous things, I came across a video that really spiked my interest. The video I watched was called Kindergarten Teaching Strategies: Classroom Management During Centers. The reason that this particular video caught my attention is because my favorite age to teach is Kindergarten. At this age I feel they are so willing to learn and are overall fun to teach. This video was very informative. It shows how a teacher can help students transition from center to center, during class time, in a way that is very productive as well as keep them on task and making sure the work needed to be done at these centers is completed. One thing I really will take with me into my own classroom whenever I do centers with my students would be the shutting of the lights method. At a young age, it is sometimes hard to get students to stop one project and go to another, even if they have not finished. By shutting the lights off, it is a great indicator that no child will ignore, and moving to a different center will be a lot easier.
I really enjoyed navigating through important beyond what we think our kids can do. Give them many opportunities throughout the day to revisit the questions relating to the current unit.Also, another important tip..as teachers you can do things differently and get to the same content.All these suggestions were terrific and will allow myself and all teachers to change instruction for the better.
I watched Letter of the Week: "S" is for Scarecrow under Kindergarten/ELA/Letters by Kimberly Rochon. It was a cute and effective way to teach students letters and for them to learn the letter (as well as what they represent) through a fun activity. The students will hardly realize they're learning!
I actually do something similar to this with my pre-schoolers in my current role as a Teacher's Assistant with developmentally delayed students. It is a great tool to get them engaged--whether it be in a class, small group or one-on-one setting. This activity can/should be paired up with a theme. For example, in the video they chose "S for Scarecrow" this would work great with a Halloween theme. Typically in my class setting we pair up lessons with songs. This is a great opportunity to bring technology in to the class--maybe an iPad to bring up a song pertaining to the topic.
I will definitely utilize this lesson in my future endeavors as a teacher.
Katie Risolo
I looked at the video "Improving Practice: Learning From My Students". I really enjoyed watching the video because as a new teacher, I think it is very helpful to find tips and resources for when new teachers start managing a classroom. I like the idea of student surveys about the teacher and the class because it helps the teacher understand what the teacher needs to do to fit the needs of every student. I also think it would allow teachers and students to have a better relationship because students will think that they can express their opinions and concerns about the classroom and what or how the teacher is presenting material. I would like to incorporate this idea in my future classroom.
The video I looked at was “Respectful Talk” by Ms. Chism. This video was about a classroom strategy called respectful talk that Ms. Chism uses in her classroom. Ms. Chism talks about how important rapport in a classroom is and how students should speak respectfully to one another and the teacher. She feels that having the students use each other’s names when talking is a good way to create a respectful environment. Ms. Chism has accountable talk stems at the student’s desks. The accountable talk stems are a piece of paper with sentences and sentence starters that the students can use to talk respectfully to each other. When the students use the accountable talk stems they express their opinions in a respectful manner and shows them that their opinions are valued. I feel this video is great example of how to create a respectful learning environment. Ms. Chism gives great strategies teachers can use every day in their classroom that are easy to use. I really like the accountable talk stems and would use that in my classroom. They create a sense of respect in the classroom and is a great way to show students that their opinions are important.
The video I saw was for grades 9-12/ELA/S.S. Cross-Discipline Lesson Planning. This video was presented by Erin Gilrein and Jennifer Wolfe who are E.L.A. and Social Studies Teachers in Oceanside. The video discussed the amount of students shared between them (80-100) and how they collaborate and work together for a common goal. First they each teach separately and then they switch groups of kids, and next they teach a group together. They demonstrate some ways they speak to each other, plan, and what common core standards they use (multiple). It was obvious that at least one of them had reservations about cross discipline planning at first but now sees the benefits.They currently plan every other day in a very smooth way after working together for so long. They talked about essay questions that they would give the students (making them similar or connect). They try to require the same things from each group they lead, so students know what is expected of them. The focus of working together the way they do is to help bridge the gap with using both informational text and literature. They collaborate about what students respond to and how to teach on the "same page". The video makes me feel more comfortable with the idea of co-teaching.
-Gina A.
The video I choose to watch was a strategy video to help with behaviors within the classroom. The video I choose was "Encouraging Appreciation" where the teacher, Mr. Olio teaches the skill of appreciation to help build his classroom environment. Mr. Olio's approach is very uplifting, he states within the video that as educators we have to remember that our students help us develop our classroom environment. Therefore, we must encourage kindness to create an ideal learning environment. Although, I was extremely impressed by Mr. Olio's theories and how he encourages appreciation within his classroom, one critique I had was that Mr. Olio would sometimes hand out random index cards to have the students write down someone who has helped them learn something. If I were to bring this practice into my classroom I would have them write down things they appreciate beyond just the classroom, to help them become individuals who appreciate not only in their classroom environment but in their everyday lives as well.
I watched the video I viewed "Self-Correction: Does your answer make sense?" by Peggy Brookins and Raymond James. I really liked this video because it encouraged students to defend their answer. This is perfect in a foreign language classroom, where the language is best learned througbs self-correction. For example, is a student said "Yo tiene" instead of me doing the correcting, I could say "Are you sure that makes sense? Think about what you just said." Through self-correction, the student would eventually learn verb conjugations and how to speak with fluency. If the teacher is always doing the correcting, the student is not learnging the language. I loved how this video was so student-centered, which is what I strive for in my classroom.
Danielle Collins says,
The teaching channel is an amazing resource. People dont network in fear that they ideas will be stolen, teachers for get that were all here to teach children. And if someone has a more effective way of getting that material across to the students, then you should utilize it. Having access to something like that can open so many doors for children, their teachers can now have different lessons, and activities, to make the classroom fun again, and effective. Suney park made the students into scientists, giving them more importance and involvement within the lesson. they internalized and fulfilled their requirements for the lesson with mroe enthusiasms.
The video on Cyberbullying was very impacting because it is currently one of the biggest issues that children and teens face within the school setting today. Although technology and social media should be used in productive ways, many children and young adults around the world use technology in negative and abusive ways that can harm others emotionally. Ms. Withers did an excellent job teaching the kids how to properly use technology and I think that this is something that all teachers should consider bringing into their classrooms before allowing the use of media.
I viewed the video "Art of Persuasion and Craft of Argument". I really enjoyed this video and believe it provides a great run through of how my high school students can develop arguments and persuade readers with their own ideas. Sometimes I find it hard for my students to present a clear argument and be able to back it up with clear evidence. This video creates a triangle chart that can help students develop their ideas and present their argument clearly. I could definitely use this video and ideas from this video in my class to help my students.
-Michael O'Keeffe
I saw "Lesson Planning for Cross-Discipline Lesson Planning." This interested me because at the school where I had done my observation, Brooklyn International High School, the students have a theme that their Social Studies, Math, Science, and English classes share and culminate in a large group project. What happens at Oceanside High School is a little different though, where the Social Studies and English teacher will teach a class together. The two teachers featured in the video, Jennifer Wolfe and Erin Gilrein, also visited my 502 class last semester. I think these types of settings where the boundaries between different subjects subside are helpful because it brings a new perspective to what the students are learning. Students look at the subject as more than just a class and something they can apply to their life. The thought process used when analyzing literature in an English can be used to analyze literature in a Social Studies. I have been in too many Social Studies classes where the teacher just reads an outline for 40 minutes. Showing the relationship between subjects, or the subject and the world, will make students more enthusiastic and motivated to learn.
The video that I watched was titled “Interpreting Ancient Art in Social Studies” it was made in partnership between the teacher David Cooper and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Being a Social Studies teacher that enjoys ancient history and cultural studies I felt that this could offer me interesting insight on new approaches to teaching. The video focuses on Mr. Cooper’s lesson on ancient Greek art and how to pull out important details. He utilizes the See-Wonder-Think method which is something that I have not seen before. At first the class looks at the piece of art and simply writes down what they see and shares it with their table. The wonder portion requires them to write down a few questions that they might have regarding the piece of art. And finally they are asked to think and try to see if they can answer any of their questions. By breaking the lesson down into these steps he is able to get the students to focus on smaller details one at a time without jumping to conclusions and making uneducated inferences. The video does a great job of breaking down this useful approach for teaching students to interpret art and learn how they can answer their own questions utilizing what is in front of them. By teaching students how to break down interpreting using the See-Wonder-Think method they are being given an essential skill for life that can be used for many topics and many different situations that they will meet.
I really like this method and believe that it can be utilized in all different classrooms for various subjects. I plan on teaching See-Wonder-Think early off in the school year to give my students a foundation on how they can and should approach viewing various sources.
The video that I watched was called "Guided Groups." I was drawn to this video because group work is something that I really believe in and I love new ideas to bring to my classroom. The problem with the social studies course that I teach, is our department chair wants our course tpo be a lecture based course. It structured around me. I basically stand infront of the class and walk arounbd lectyuring information. I ask all sorts of questions and do the best that I can to keep them engaged but it is lecture based. Any opportunity that I get I try to do group work. This video was a great model for me. The teacher in the video first taught a lesson on metaphors and similies. She had a student on the easil writing the examples and the ideas that students come up with. They were all on floor coming up with ideas together, not at their seats just copying like robots. Then when the lesson was over she had asked the students to write on their paper whether they were an A, B, or C. If a student was an A they could move on to their seats and complete the independent activity on their own. If they were a B that meant that they sort of understood the lesson but still have a couple questions. If they were a C student, they were totally lost and needed more help. This was a great example of a formative assessment because it handeled the issue on the spot. Instead of the student just saying they got it and then 3 weeks down the road, they are making the same mistakes. I really would love to incorporate this in to my lessons. My class sizes are typically very big, I have between 32-37 students per class. Students can get lost in the shuffle very easily. If I were to do this exercise more often, I would get a better idea on who gets it and who doesnt.
The video I watched was called “Writing Higher Order Questions” by Thristine Edwards Francisco. In the video, Ms. Francisco describes several strategies she uses with her sixth grade students to write higher order questions when reading texts. The first strategy she describes is Costa’s Levels of Questions. In this strategy, students are provided with questions starts they can use to formulate questions based on the text they are reading. The second strategy she describes is verb starters. Ms. Francisco gave her students envelopes with different verbs from levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Some examples of the verb starters were predict, select, observe, imagine, and speculate. Students then develop a question about the text using the verb they chose. The third strategy is the Frayer Model. In this model, the students are given a sheet of paper which is divided into four quadrants labeled definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples. The students fill in questions in each quadrant as they read. Ms. Francisco describes this strategy as a “critical brainstorming tool.” The final strategy requires the students to make observations of the text. Students write down quotes or parts of the text to which they have a strong reaction. They then use their reaction to create a question. I liked all the strategies that Ms. Francisco used with her sixth grade class. Since I am currently teaching sixth grade ELA, I believe using any of the four strategies with my students when they are reading texts would be useful in developing their higher order thinking skills. I have used the making observations of the text strategy in my classroom and it was very successful in having my students think more critically about the text we were reading. I believe that students are more engaged when they are developing the questions. If a teacher simply gives the students all the questions, the students are not utilizing any of their higher level thinking skills. I plan to use some of the other strategies described by Ms. Francisco in my ELA class when my students are reading different texts.
Having been assigned to participate in the Teaching Channel mentoring course this year, I have had a lot of experience with using the website. It was amazing to be able to watch experienced and seasoned teachers perform flawless lessons while also learning so much from them at the same time. It is essential, in my opinion, to welcome the advice and guidance of others to grow and succeed as a teacher. One video I watched focused on how to manage a class while performing guided reading. This has been a challenge for me this year and I found it extremely helpful to watch certain teachers use various strategies to ensure this was a success. The teacher suggested that you wear a special hat or necklace to let the students know that unless it is an emergency, our group should not be interrupted. It has been very helpful and useful for me this year. Another suggestion I found through watching a teaching channel video was a teacher who said instead of always feeling repetitive, try to grab the classes attention by just stating "class" there response should be "yes." You can also make it even more engaging by saying it twice or three times to see if the students are listening. These videos have been extremely beneficial, especially the fact that you can watch the video's on T.V.! There is a specific channel that focuses on the videos and concepts that you find on the teaching channel website.
As an aspiring ESL teacher, I looked for a video that would help me develop meaningful lessons for English language learners in the beginning stages. Being taught the value of meeting with others, sharing ideas and strategies, I chose to watch the video entitled “Collaborating to Plan Common Core Lessons for ELLs”. Tita Ugalde and Maricela Rodriguez teach primarily English Language Learners in classes differentiated by English Language Development (ELD) levels. Maricela teaches students at ELD Level 3, while Tita teaches students who have been classified as “English Only”. The dynamic duo featured seems to be a match made in heaven. Both Maricela and Tita seem to value and respect each other and both play to each one of their strengths. The video highlights incorporating more than one subject into each lesson, making it interdisciplinary. They use an ELA lesson about Science to ask and answer questions. They also use text features to gather information about soil, satisfying two Common Core Standards. In the beginning, Tita uses the Circle Map as a graphic organizer to tap into prior knowledge and help build academic language by writing what the student know about soil. Then the students are able to turn and talk to their peers and ask questions about what they may know about soil. The teacher also uses differentiation by allowing some student more attention by working in small groups on the carpet where she guides them through the activity sheet, repeating certain words and phrases so it may become part of the student’s vocabulary. The other students use the text features (boldface, heading and subheading) to answer to complete the sheet. Although they never read the all of the text, only focused on using the text features, they were able to find all of the evidence. Each of the student discusses in their journal and on the microphone what they learned from the lesson. At the end, the two teachers use the children’s journal entry as evidence of how effective the lesson was. With this lesson, the teachers have used all four domains of language acquisition, speaking, writing, reading and listening. I can use many of these strategies in my future classroom. Many English language learners may require scaffolding measures to organize thoughts and begin writing. I can use the Circle Map and the template scaffolded activity sheet for note taking and gathering evidence with almost any lesson. I also appreciated that that the teacher began by explaining lesson objectives and by accessing prior knowledge by reviewing what they learned during the last class period before they introduced new information. I can only hope to be as fortunate as these two when collaborating with a co-teacher.
After watching the video "Teach from the Walls" I found myself exploring this site even more. This method of teaching from the walls allows the teacher to take a backseat to student learning as the students' own ambition, drive, and products drive the lessons. It also provides ample time for students to discover and learn at their own pace. In terms of practicality, it allows the teacher to address different learning styles at each portion of the room. Thus, it addresses the needs of all learners in a classroom. Overall, the cite itself is full of useful resources for teachers. It is imperative that teachers are also reflecting back and researching new methods and ideas to better their own understanding of the profession. This also allows students to explore new learning methods that may interest them and make the education they are receiving more of their own. Once a student has ownership of the lesson and the materials, it becomes a part of them.
After watching the video "Observing for Learning" I found that when watching my peers lessons or videos I may not be observing the lesson as well as I can. The coordinator in the video had us watch a short clip of teacher and her class singing a song together. 4 seconds into the video the coordinator stopped and ask what the teacher has done to start this lessons effectively. The coordinator emphasized that we should be discussing the tasks that the teacher is doing but instead if you are looking to see what the students are learning then you will gain more from an observation. At my school, we visit each others classroom often to learn new techniques. From now on, when I am observing another teacher I will be looking at the students outcomes from the beginning of the lesson opposed to the end.
I watched the video "Debrief Circles" part of the deeper learning video series. This is a great strategy that I actually have used in my teaching experience many times. I think it is great because the inner circle speaks while the outside listens and then vice versa. Once modeled correctly and students get comfortable I found it is a effective way for students to hold each other accountable for information learned during that days lesson. The debriefing circle is a great way to have students reflect through conversation. This is similar to the strategy think pair share that I also like to use while teaching. Students not only learn from the teacher, but from each other.
The video I chose to watch is called "The Vietnam War--How it is Taught in Vietnam". This video is about how the Vietnam War is taught in Vietnam to highlight the varying perspectives of wars in different countries. The reason I chose this particular video is because as a social studies teacher, I think its important to teach my students about the different view points of countries throughout the world. This is extremely relevant when teaching about war because depending on what side of the war that country is on, the perspective can be drastically different from how we teach it in the United States. I would definitely use a video like this in my classroom to teach my students to have an open mind and help them to view a topic like the Vietnam War from a global perspective.
I watched the video clip "Collaborating to Develop Mathematical Ideas Series." This video disscused the types of professional development particulary in math. How important it is for teachers to communicate with one another on their student's strengths and weaknesses. One of the teachers made a good point about learning the math first and solving problems before we teach it to our students. This way we are able to understand why they might figure out a problem the way they did. What can we learn from our students? As a teacher it is important to understand the math strategies and to think of other ways to help our students learn. Teaching younger kids, it is especially important to give tasks and guided instructions to solve a problem. It's important to be able to think of many different strategies
The video Leprechaun Traps: Addition Within 100Grades K-2 / Math / Reasoning by Jeanne Wright talks about different ways to approach math and how important it is to be thorough. I love the way Jeanne Wright taught her math lesson because she incorporated the smart board and used blocks. It was a very interactive and creative lesson especially for first graders. The class was engaged and able to explain their answers. The questions that were asked throughout the lesson were important and help the students to comprehend their answers. When I do a math lesson, my goal is for my students to understand how they get their answers, especially for math. By having a variety of strategies to teach students, it will help them to grow on every level and help them to enjoy what they are learning.
Analyzing Poetry: Imagery & Emotions was the video I chose because it caught my interest. I absolutely loved the teachers methods with comparing the imagery students receive from a poem, and comparing it to a painting from the same time period. This is done in order to find relevance, developing an argument if they agree or disagree. Personally I am an English major with a minor in Art History and it has always been my plan to incorporate the two. There are so many perspectives art gives people that they have never considered before. Although this specific video is being done for grades 3-5 I believe the same method can be suitable for any grade, the only difference would be the conversation and the in depth analysis level that would need to be modified, so I think this is a great video, and its very nice to see that people are actually out there doing what I have thought of because this is something I have never heard of another person doing in the classroom.
Teach From the Wall was the video I chose to watch. I like that students have information on the walls and can get up at any time to review information they've learned. This give students an opportunity for movement in the classroom. This is different from the traditional classroom were students are sitting. Learning from the walls makes the classroom and lessons fun for the students because they are physically obtaining the resources surrounding them. I would use this strategy in my own classroom because students are engaged and excited about the topic when they are aloud to walk around the classroom and read posters, graphic organizers, and other resources regarding the topic.
I watched the video "Evaluating Art Through Different Lenses." The video offers a creative approach to integrating Art and Science in the classroom with the use of identifying and evaluating various artwork. The lesson was led by 5th grade teacher Antoinette Pippen of the Alexander Science Center School located in Los Angeles, CA. Students were introduced to new still shot artwork that had elements of science, which the students were able to analyze as a whole class and in small groups. Goals for the lesson were to encourage active participation, objective and subjective thinking, debating their observations with proper vocabulary and articulation, and documenting their work. This lesson was a hands on collaboration, and allowed the students to learn with each other, as well as supporting each group that presented their findings. This was a fabulous demonstration of integrating the arts with the common core with a multi sensory approach. I would highly recommend and even utilize a lesson of this nature in my own classroom. Being a music teacher, however, it gave me ideas on how to creatively link art and music together in a similar fashion. I could teach music theory, while using art as the hook. Art can teach about so many things, including world history, which would be a great integration.
The video I decided to watch was for 4th and 5th ELA collaborating to teach. In this video I saw collaboration both in and out of the classroom from Debora Gaten and Sherwanda Chism and how they both teach different students in different schools, but manage to plan together. Considering I am currently observing a 5th grade classroom where there are collaborating teachers, this video popped out to me and I was curious as to see how teachers that do not even teach in the same classroom are able to plan and reflect on lessons-let alone make time. The teachers seemed to get along very well and agreed that vocabulary is essential in the beginning of every lesson, which is something I definitely agree with as well. While the teachers were having a meeting on a Friday afternoon, they were discussing successful ways to teach such as graphic organizers and various models. Throughout this whole video, these two teachers were extremely positive and were willing to take suggestions and actually fed off of each other. They shared what worked and what needed improvement, which I believe makes a great way to collaborate. Collaborating can be difficult for some teachers, however, I have observed teachers work together and their transition is great. I am not sure exactly when they meet, but they are both very consistent and on the same page with every subject. Both teachers in the video made sure to be organized and well prepared and this is something I will always need to focus on and make sure my future students grasp each concept.
-Cristina S.
I chose the video: Encouraging Students to Persist Through Challenges, All Grades / All Subjects / Mindset CCSS: Math.2.NBT.B.7 Math.Practice.MP1 Math.Practice.MP3
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/persist-through-challenges-perts
I enjoyed this video, I though that it was interesting and informative. I liked the teachers patience and kindness, that is how I want to be with my students. she seemed like she really cared and she was not hard on them when they got the answer wrong or took to long to complete the problem. I liked that she was not afraid to
assign challenging problems, I think I should try that with my future students. I will try to do the same thing she said and explain to my students that everyone gets stuck. It is about trying and learning about your mistakes. I also like how she asked her students to justify their thinking to see if they are understanding or misunderstanding. I will definitely do that with my students as well. I would recommend this video to other future teachers.
I chose the video: Reading Like a Historian: Turn to Your Partner by Shilpa Duvoor. I thought this was a great idea because often times teachers ask students to work with a partner or work in groups but teachers very rarely ever teach students the right way to work in groups in order to obtain the greatest benefit. Recently I was observing in a school and I noticed that while some groups were working well together on a Document Based Questions activity, other groups were sitting together but really just working independently and weren't even up to the same question at the same time, which completely defeated the purpose of group work. By making sure that you emphasize eye contact with your partner, and turning your body to them, then you are almost guaranteed that the students will be working together and helping each other. I would certainly use this technique in my classroom. The good part about it is that you can emphasize this with students from the very beginning of the school year and after a few times in groups they should be used to the fact that they have to turn to their partners and make eye contact. It should become second nature to them. A side note is that I have also noticed students not communicating as well with each other as maybe they have in the past. I think that could be a byproduct of so much electronic communication through texting and instant messaging. This promotes face to face communication which is certainly an important skill to continue to hone.
Interactive Read Aloud
By Sandra Davis
I believe this video was very informative and something that I would like to do in my classroom. I am a kindergarten teacher and see how delayed my students are in reading. I think the teacher made a good point to follow a theme when reading books. Children become more familiar and can make connections to vocabulary they may hear in multiple books. She chose books where they could use repetition to expose their vocabulary. I like how Sandra Davis involves creativity during her lesson. It was nice to see children try on coats and act out a story. This helps students become more engaged. In addition, this will increase their comprehension. I would try to involve my students as much as possible so they feel like they are playing a role in the story.
Tara Berglind
I watched the first video listed, “To the Moon!,” not because I am lazy (though I am), but because I had worked on a similar rocket launch activity with 8th grade students for a couple of summer science camps sessions a couple of years back, and I was interested to see how other teachers had approached it.
I must say that the co-teaching duo in the video did it far better than I did. I was quite impressed with their implementation of engineering processes and their integration of mathematics. It is interesting to see how easily 8th grade students were successfully using and understanding trigonometry, which is quite advanced for their level. This is something that I was fortunately able to get my 8th grade f groups to do as well, and I credit it not to my awesome teaching skills (they’re not) but to the fact that a relatively advanced mathematical concept like trig is best learned, and more importantly understood, when it is actually being used as a tool to solve real problems, and not in the abstract or “purely mathematical” way in that it is traditionally taught. I myself remember struggling with trigonometry early on, but had no trouble at all when using it later in science classes and wondering “Why the heck didn’t they just teach it to us this way?” The integration of math and science enhances the student learning of both. As I currently teach mostly juniors in physics, sometimes the mathematical concepts we are employing in physics coincide with when they are being taught in math, almost as if the math teachers and I are co-teaching, in different rooms. The results seem to be positive for both classes. In My case it is only by luck, not by planning, because we don’t have common planning time at my school.
The class in the video also depicted all of the students fully engaged in the class discussions with the teachers and with each other. Though some of this impression may be due to careful editing, I have certainly found it to be the case that students will become more engaged when given an actual task to work on. The most productive discussions are not during lecture portions of a class, but between students as they debate and collaborate toward a goal.
The teachers in the video provide an excellent example of inquiry-based learning, while integrating next-generation science standards to enhance students’ knowledge acquisition and problem-solving skills. The lessons as shown can as well be modified for both higher and lower grade levels, while retaining the core features of mathematics, engineering, data collection, and interpretation that are essential to science learning throughout an academic career.
The Teaching Channel in general looks to be a valuable resource for teachers. In the comment section for the video, the teacher in the video responds to questions and provides links to the teaching materials, plans, and activities that are implemented in the unit. This type of teacher collaboration is truly an effective use of technology as a support system for teacher worldwide to help each other and enhance student performance.
I watched the video “Performance as a Culminating Activity” on the Teaching Channel Website. The video was based on a 6th grade classroom in California where the teacher was using role playing and skits to have the students demonstrate what they have learned about ancient Greece. It was brilliant! The students took one specific situation and wrote a script, created costumes and props to go with their script. Then they performed a skit about their topic. It was very evident that the students were enjoying what they were doing and that they had learned and were continuing to learn. One student said that creating the skit was “tough work but, we came through”. He clearly enjoyed what he was doing.
The teacher spoke about this activity and how it addressed Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing and Listening. Through this culminating activity the teacher could assess many things. He could assess the students based on how the students demonstrated their knowledge through the script, costumes, props and the context of the information. The teacher said this type of activity gave the student’s ownership of their learning and that when that happens-his class always learns more. After the performance, the teacher spoke to the students to discuss the performance and to assess what the students learned.
This type of activity is so useful in a Social Studies classroom! Especially for middle school students. Students can really put themselves into the minds of people from the past. Students can do this type of activity to learn about many different subjects and periods of time. For example: landmark court cases in American history, the Holocaust, Civil Rights, etc.
Giovanna Bove
Blog Reflection #8
Video title: The Stand-Up Game: A Classroom Strategy
General Studies/Any subject
Author: Teaching Practice
This is a video demonstrating a classroom activity which gives students the opportunity to move around and participate in the class. In this video Sarah Wessling shows us a strategy she uses with her high school students to get their brains going. She notes that in the morning students often come in tired and this activity is a great way for them to get out of their seats and participating. Ms. Wessling has her students stand up at their seats and explains that once they participate they are able to sit down.
I would definitely use this strategy in my elementary class because it gives students the opportunity to stand up and stretch. As Ms. Wessling stated in the video, it also is a non-pressure way to get the students to participate in class. If they would like to sit down then they will answer the question but if not, they will stand until other classmates have finished answering it.
Video Title: When Am I Ever Going to Use This?
All Grades/All Subjects/Engagement
On the Teaching Channel website, I found a short video called “When am I ever going to use this?” I liked this video because it discusses the Common Core Math Practice Standard 1. Which states students will persevere when solving problems. What I didn’t like about the video is that Chuck Pack says that you may never use math in your career, college and anything you do in life. I feel that it was wrong of the Mr. Pack to say this. He should have said that’s you use math every day when you count change and then list more examples. In math you have to make the problems more relatable to students’ everyday life. That is the only way the students will fully grasp the concept. What I might add to my future classrooms is pushing my students to persevere in everything they may do in life and in school.
Video title: The Stand-Up Game: A Classroom Strategy
General Studies/Any subject
Author: Teaching Practice
This video demonstrates a classroom activity which gives students the a chance to move around and participate in the class. In the video Sarah Wessling shows us a strategy she uses with her high school students to get their brains going. She notes that in the morning students often come in tired and this activity is a great way for them to get out of their seats and participating. Ms. Wessling has her students stand up at their seats and explains that once they participate they are able to sit down.
I would definitely use this strategy in my life skills classroom because it gives students the opportunity to stand up and stretch but also it will help increase focus. As Ms. Wessling stated in the video, it also is a non-pressure way to get the students to participate in class which helps with behaviors that come about if a student feels pressured.
Video title: The Stand-Up Game: A Classroom Strategy
General Studies/Any subject
Author: Teaching Practice
I reallty enjoyed exploring this strategy. This video offers a strategy that that actively encourages students to participate in lessons. Students remained standing until they have participated. I like this idea because in my self contained class, many students do not participate. This will encourage them to participate in an engaging way.
The "Teaching Channel" website is very interesting and intriguing. It seems to be a very valuable place for teachers to share their ideas and opinions. This website is great because not only can you share your ideas but teachers are also able to speak with one another and comment on different videos and blogs posted. There is an abundance of information and ideas to read/learn about. This website provides many different videos on deeper learning which are extremely interesting and useful to a teacher's every day lesson planning. In addition to the blogs and videos, there are many statistics, graphs, and infographics available to the teacher's expense in order to learn more and get a better idea of where we stand educationally. I will definitely be signing up for a membership on this site as a new teaching student in order to consistently broaden my teaching methods, ideas, and personal teaching philosophy.
Video: Reading like a Historian Turn to your Partner
This video definitely taught my some strategies to incorporate into my own classroom when it comes to group work. I constantly use Group Projects and Group Work in school and I am looking for ways to make the process even more worthwhile for the students. I love how the video talks about how to properly teach students to work in groups. This is something that many students would benefit from, especially the shy or hesitant ones. This will not only help them when it comes to group work but also socially (in and out of the classroom).
I viewed "The Stand-Up Game: A Classroom Strategy" by Sarah Wessling. The objective of the video was to demonstrate how the teacher utilizes physical response to encourage active participation. This game is great because you can apply it to all ages. As a language teacher this suites me for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it allows for students to re-focus their attention by involving them directly into the lesson. Second, as the year progresses, it assists students in creating a comfort level needed so that they may participate in another language. Many times students are embarrassed and shy away from practicing another language due to poor pronunciation and no previous experience. However, low-stakes scenarios like the stand-up game allow for healthy participation and engagement among peers. I currently use this on a daily basis!
-Gabriel Ramos
Search for a video that would be relevant to your practice, view it, then write a short summary (include the video’s title and its author) including a critique of that video, be sure to add a sentence or two about how you might apply the video's content to what you might do in the future in your classroom. Post your critique in the comment section of this blog.
Using video to Reflect on Teaching and Learning
Author: Johnanna Paraiso
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/use-video-to-improve-teaching-ousd
I believe this video has a good point in the sense that a teacher is able to see what he or she does incorrectly in the classroom as well as has the footage to make adjustments and make him or herself a better teacher. THe teacher is also able to see what common mistakes are made with English Language Learners and have all the information backed up so they can review things that they might have said and or done during the lesson that they previously might have forgotten about. I also believe this is a bit of propaganda, I think they also want to make teachers think that it is ok to video tape lesson in the classroom. Eventually teachers will think that it is just the norm, and then all observations/lessons will be video taped. I think it is a teachers right to not have themselves video taped, as well as the students.
This week, I have decided to watch the video titled: Rick’s Reading Workshop: Silent Reading by Rick Kleine. I selected this video because I originally searched for a 4th grade level that included differentiation. In the video Rick (the teacher) went around to students as they silently read and checked for understanding by asking simple questions or having them read to him. He was then able to gauge their ability and understanding by simply sitting next to them for the few minutes. I think that he did a great job at interacting and conversing with his students.
I would use this in my future classroom by starting each morning with a silent read period just like Rick did. It is beneficial to students to practice their reading to build up their fluency. Since I am currently going to school to acquire my Masters in TESOL. This will allow students to practice their reading, speaking, and listening skills within a short activity.
I have learned about the teaching channel and I have viewed many videos on this site. I like this website a lot because it gives you strategies to use in the classroom. Since I work at a school for Autism, I typed in special education into the search bar. It is called I do, You do, We do, and it discusses how as the teacher you show the students a finished product and showing examples of finished products. The I do part is modeling and how to portray it. The next is we do, which is still provide prompting and not leaving the students hanging. The you do, is the project where they will complete the assignment. It is nice to show the students exactly what their assignment is and see how the teacher did. Showing the students examples of past work is also great so students can see exactly what needs to be done. The students can get ideas from that and use it into their work. This video was very informative and as a special education teacher I think it is so important to show students what they need to do before doing the task so they can completely understand what the task is.
I love the teaching channel website! It provides so many great videos in all different subject areas and grades. I searched for a Kindergarten video and came upon the video: C-V-C: Phonemic Awareness by Heather Lopez. The video was teaching Kindergarten students how to sound out words and then provide an action to go along with the word. The teacher showed them a word on a card, for example, gum and then the students had to sound it and provide an action for gum. The teacher stated that when students have to associate an action for a word, it helps them to remember the word. I think this was a great lesson that I will definitely use in my classroom with my students. I think the only thing I would have liked to see was the students then using that strategy in their reading or writing. It was a great carpet lesson, but I would like to know if it then does actually translate to their reading and writing. I would definitely use this website again for other information videos.
There were many useful videos on the teaching channel website. I watched a video on math because I teach 7th and 8th grade math. The video that I watched was Math Team Challenge. I like the idea of the students working together in order to solve problems. I also really liked the idea of the teacher marking the questions that are wrong, but leaving it up to the students to figure out their mistakes. The idea of competition is always motivating for students and so is the idea of a time limit. The teacher also continuously keeps track of the groups' progress on the board so that each group can see where they are at. In the end, the teacher will look at which questions the students had the most trouble with and will go over those. I thought that this was a great activity for review with students.
I think the teacher channel is a great website with a lot of different content. My favorite aspect of the site were the videos. They have videos taken in the classroom that display true challenges that a teacher will come across in their career. The videos I enjoyed the most were a video on technology and a video on ADHD. The video on technology showed great nuances in technology that the teacher can utilize, like google hangout. On google hangout a teacher can offer extra help to students after school has ended, creating more flexibility. Last, the video on ADHD showed a special ED teacher from Freeport, NY who taught many students with ADHD and he showed the importance of teacher involvement on the student,
I agree with Gina that the website had a lot of great information on Special Education. I am very interested in Special Ed and the Teacher Channel can help educators understand learning difficulties better.
The wide array of videos and information that the teaching channel has to offer is outstanding. I watched a video titled "Five Roles in Literature Circles" narrated by Daniel Knoll. This video does a great job summarizing specific student jobs within literature circles. These roles include a summarizer, visualizer, Inferencer, symbolizer and word detective. Students within their literature circle are assigned these titles. Titles then switch each time a new chapter is read outside the class. Literature circles are small group activities and are student led. The teacher should go around the class making sure each student understands their roles and are engaging in their conversation about the work being discussed. David Knoll says he notices that his students are more alert, enthusiastic and engaged when given the responsibility and ability to become an expert on something and share with their group members.
I have used the Teaching Channel website before for sample lessons and see how other teachers taught a certain unit in Social Studies. The video I watched was titled " Setting the Tone from Day One" for all grades. The most important thing to understand as the teacher is knowing your role and recognizing that you are in charge as the educator. If you walk into a classroom and see that the students are running the class, the chances are that the teacher established that the first day of school. The tone needs to be set before any students actually enter the classroom. "Your expectations are what you allow them to do". I agree with a lot of what Mr. Romangnolo stated throughout the video and I will try to do the same of his strategies and practices when I have a classroom of my own. This teacher comes off a little too strong but he does so in order to gain the respect he wants on the first day, I also believe that it depends on the community of students you are teaching. If you have a kindergarten class, I am sure that he would not come off that strong and authoritative.
Allison Schmidt
Blog 8 – EDU 521
The Teaching Channel is a great website and resource for all teachers to use and help enhance their lessons and strategies in the classroom. I chose a math video because I currently am teaching 5th and 6th grade math and 6th grade ELA. The video is called “Improving Participation with Talk Moves” by Lynn Simpson. One of the strategies she discussed using in the classroom is “repeating”. This is a great strategy to use because first of all it requires the students to be paying attention and listen to one another. Second, when you repeat something aloud, it can help students to process how to solve a problem and will remember it for future use. Another similar strategy that was discussed is the “silent sign”. This strategy, along with repeating, requires the students to be focused and listening to each other. The silent sign also can provide confidence to students if they know other students are thinking the same way as them. Lastly, the teacher in this video discussed the strategy of “adding on”. This allows the students to add extra information to what the previous student had said, and allows for others to share their ideas or provide more ideas for all students to think about (ex: solving a math problem using a different strategy).
I found this video very helpful. I already use some of these strategies in my classroom, but I would like to implement the ones that were discussed that I might not use as much. I think it is very important for the students to facilitate the class discussion and share their ideas, rather than the teacher providing direct instruction. These strategies are a great tool to use in order to allow that to happen
The Teaching Channel website is a great tool for teachers to use to come up with new ideas and strategies to incorporate into their lessons. The video I chose to watch was called "Encouraging Students to Persist Through Challenges" by Maricela Montoy-Wilson. The objective of her strategy in the classroom when teaching math lessons is to help her students develop and grow their mindset. Ms. Montoy-Wilson provides challenging math problems to her students because she is more concerned with her students being able to make sense of a problem and try to solve it rather then to get the correct answer. She asks her students what they can do when they are feeling stuck. The answer the students gave was "Can I have some help, I am feeling stuck on (specific step in the problem)." She allows the students to work in groups to figure out these math problems so they can ask each other for help. Ms. Montoy-Wilson also asks her students to justify what they did and the way they solved the problem. She allows her students to agree and disagree with each other on the way they solve the problem. This gives her students more strategies to use when solving math word problems. One of the strategies Ms. Montoy-Wilson portrays in this video that I would use in my future classroom is all the positive feedback she provides. She encourages each of her students by giving them positive feedback on their thinking and strategizing process. I believe it is very important communicate with your students and tell them they are doing a good job and that they are on the right track. As a teacher it is important to guide your students and in this video Ms. Montoy-Wilson is guiding her students to really think and strategize in order to get to the answer.
The Teaching Channel website video I chose to watch was called "Respecting the Garden" by Brian Silveira. This video is all about Pre-K aged students who are fortunate enough to have a garden to tend to at school. Mr. Silveira has the students explore all of the plants, vegetables, dirt, bugs, and rocks while making sure the students understand that we do not harm any of the living things, as they are occupying space in the world just like we are. I really enjoyed this video because I do teach Pre-K and our next ELA module is actually all about Plants. I wish we could have an outdoor garden to go to and learn; the plants growing in plastic cups just do not have the same effect as a true garden, like in the video. I love how in the video the kids are free to roam around and explore while remembering the rules. They get to plant seeds and care for them, making it so much more valuable for them as learners.
The Teaching Channel Website I chose to watch was called "I Noticed and I Wonder". This video is about how students gain information from other student work. Students go around the room and critique other groups work and place post-its on the paper about things they notice and things they wonder about. Students are then invited to make changes to their work in order to make it better. This is a fantastic way to learn because it is anonymous, so students are not afraid to share their ideas. It is also a good learning tool because students have to change their work and are able to learn from their mistakes.
This is a great activity to use in the classroom because it is a different style of learning. It gives students responsibility to help their classmates become better students. As a teacher, it is important to guide your students to the correct answer, but allow them to figure it out on their own. This activity allows for student based learning and allows for students to gain a better understanding of why something is wrong because it is coming form their peers.
Video: Content Conversations: Strategies for ELLs – Open ended Conversation to Encourage Conversation. By Julia Gelormino. The video showcased a teacher's strategy to instruct a class about adding numbers. The method she uses is simple. Dots are grouped in two columns, and students get to figure out what the equation is by looking at the two groups. The teacher terms it as” having a conversation with dots”. The object is for students to be able to recognize how many dots are in each set, that way, they are able to count each group, and further add the two groups together. By saying what they see, students are engaging in conversation, and building their language skills. I find this strategy very helpful. It is helpful for ELLs, since they can see a picture of the problem and make sense out of it. I also find this method helpful in motivating students. The teacher encourages the students to focus on what they see and put it into words. The atmosphere is very comfortable as students sit on a mat and partake in the lesson. The teacher is also very tactful in the way she assists struggling students. They are not singled out, but she gently asks them if they would like one of their class buddy to help them. It is done very respectfully, and students are very receptive. There is complete participation by the class. The environment is encouraging and this positively impacts these young learners as they raise their hands in hopeful anticipation to get a chance to answer. I can definitely draw some points from this strategy that the teacher uses. It works and is easy to follow. The response from students is great. I will also adapt the same kind of demeanor when teaching students – the teacher is very calm, and although the atmosphere is relaxed, it is not chaotic. The teacher manages to find the balance to keep the class engaged, yet maintaining conduct and order.
I watched the I do, We do, You do teaching channgel video by Lindsey Young. I decided to watch this video because my school bases our teaching around the I do, You do, We do model. It often hard in the beginning of a lesson to only speak and not have the students join in for conversation. One of my only crtiques from my adminstration is don't bring them in untul after you have explained your target, what you are teaching them for that period. This teacher Ms. Young does a great job of using this model in her classroom. This model provies a scaffold for the the students to better understand what they are learning by you doing it first. It sets up how they will solve the problem and gives a step by step model before having them try it with you. This model gives the students a greater opprounity to succeed right from the beginning. After the model (I Do), is completed you move toward working on another similar problem or task with the students. Here they are doing it with you as you are doing another problem on the board. Lastly, after you have completed a problem together the we do is where the students go off on their own to complete another problem of similar nature. This part for me is where I can assess who undestood the lesson and who I need to pull for small group. I love the way Ms.Young does this in her room.
I watched the "Collaborative Work with Transformations" video by Meghan Mekita. I was interested in this video since I teach Geometry and transformations is a topic that many of my students struggle with. In the video, the students were completing a collaborative activity for which they were given 12 cards; six of the cards had shapes and the other cards had arrows with different transformations. The students had to connect all of the shapes using the transformation cards. I actually feel very inspired by this activity. You could see how engaging this activity was since the students were working together to try to connect all of them. Some groups were even comparing answers with another group and realized that there was more than one right answer. It made the students think while helping them to better understand what the transformations do to the shapes. I plan on doing this activity in my own classroom this week since I am done with the curriculum and am reviewing for the regents. I love how collaborative and engaging the activity is and I think that my students will benefit from it.
I watched, "Using Guided Relaxation in the Classroom" by Anne Mechler. There are times in the classroom that students get frustrated or get a little too excited and it is out of their control and the part of the teacher's classroom management skills kick in. I have always believed in showing children how to use time adequately and to focus on the now and the present, showing them how to breathe and relax is an important skill to know. Students in the video shared how taking time during the day to do breathing exercises help them focus on the present, help their brains stretch, helps them as students and also helps the teacher. Breathing exercises is a great way to calm students down and a great classroom management tool.
I chose to watch," Setting the Tone from Day One" for all grades. The first year of teaching can be complicated in many ways but one of them is finding the boundaries f teacher/friend relationship and making sure there is a respectful relationship between the teacher and student. I have found from teaching my own class that when the students know you care, they want to impress you, not make you upset. I have also learned to make the situation about them, so that when a student does something wrong they are able to reflect on themselves instead of blaming others. I am a big believer in setting the bar high and knowing that they skies the limit when it comes to learning. Students do not want to get yelled at but they do look for the structure and truly thrive from me. Students need to feel safe and protected by their teacher. When a teacher has confident control over their class the students know and it projects their natural behavior. The tone needs to be set before any students actually enter the classroom. I agree with what Mr. Romangno, sometimes you have to be a little more strict for students to know who is in charge and as a teacher you need to always follow through. A teacher who has experience is able to read their students and know when it is time to joke around and when they can handle a joke. Sometimes a teacher needs to be serious all the time because the students take a simple joke too far and it causes nothing but pure ciaos in the classroom. Also the tone needs to be set right away. If it is not set in the beginning, there is no going back.
I watch Tiny House : Community project , I click on this video because it had a community project and while watching the video it was really great to see how the student builds a tiny house that is energy sufficient. Not only are they building but they are creating idea how they going to build the house and learn ways things can be energy sufficient. This project is great for student to learn how to work together and also be able to suggest a new idea. I also like the fact that they try to get sponsorship for their project and get donated material to build the house. It's also great how they want the community to try their tiny house and teach other how to live small. This is great , I would love my son to learn how to build things and extend is idea further I agree with Allison that the teaching channel is a great way for teacher to use for an upcoming lesson plan this also will help with older generation teacher who needs idea for the classroom- Jennifer Gesualdo
I have used this website for my students for hands on activities and group work. What I like about this website is that it gives a demonstration and people who participated in the lesson talk about it. This can help a teacher see what should be done and how a teacher might modify the lesson. It also gives all of the materials which can also be modified. I had actually modified various lessons since some had used the same concepts but had used it on a higher level. It gives teachers many ideas and many students like the activities. I have also noticed that students tend to develop the concept better since many of them are developing the concepts on their own without the teacher giving the information. Using many of the models provided the teacher becomes the facilitator.
To really be hooked by the Teaching Channel, all you need to do is read the mission statement. Any website that is created to help, collaborate and share ideas to make teaching and teachers great is my kind of website. I found the website very interesting, informative, and easy to navigate. I could spend hours here. If I had one suggestion, I would say there could be more of a focus on social studies. Since social studies is my content area, I found myself searching and hoping for more. Despite this, I am intrigued and plan to spend a lot more time on this site!
The Teaching Channel website is easily navigable and is readily applicable to the classroom. One video in particular that I found interesting was "Step Back: Promoting Independent Thinking." In this video Mrs. Franco encourages her students to be active participants in their education. Rather than treating the students like container waiting to be filled with information, Mrs. Franco encourages her students to think independently and then compare their ideas with their students. I think this is crucial for the learning experience of young minds because I students are not motivated to be involved in their learning, then they may develop a negative attitude toward school which could affect them for the rest of their lives.
Reading Workshop in Kindergarten
This video was definitely a worthwhile time spent. The teacher in the video provided a positive learning environment for her students. Her superpower concept was such a fun and creative way to encourage students to become better readers. The use of witches fingers as a pointer when reading is also a great idea! She provided a multitude of strategies which are in important in a classroom but these strategies are especially important in a classroom with English Language Learners. She included interests into her reading workshop to help keep them become more engaged in the reading and actually want to read by using their "superpowers". To sound out the beginning of a word, the teacher incorporated the idea of “pop it”. This is something which I will definitely incorporate in my classroom to aide in developing phonemic awareness. This video has also inspired me to become more creative to promote literacy skills in the classroom.
The Teaching Channel website is a great tool for the new and seasoned teacher. It is easily navigable, and straight to the point. Upon watching a few Math and English videos, I feel a little more at ease that I have another tool to utilize in my new position for next year (5th and 6th grade self-contained). I agree with Lisa, that the Social Studies should be elaborated on. I like how the website also is in tune with modification, and hands on activities that really help keep my current students engaged and ready to learn.
Teaching is all about sharing. It is important for teacher to share different idea, tips, and work. So the fact that there is a website devoted to the sharing of different activity and teacher created handouts is wonderful. This is an awesome resource for teacher all over, because it is an unlimited database of tools. The website was easy to navigate and use. It is easy to spend hours on this website. It was effective and well organized. This is defiantly a site I will use in the future.
I watched a video about introducing ratios and proportions in a middle school math classroom. The video was highly based on collaboration among teachers. I liked watching them have a professional conversations. Each of the three teachers brought something to the table. They discussed the math and spoke about alternative ways to get the answers. Not only did they figure out the answer together, they also provided visuals to use with the kids. In special ed, this is important. The math problem required the students to figure out the ratio of blue paint to red paint, in order to make purple. They used graph paper to draw tape diagrams, colored pencils to differentiate, and the main teacher who taught the lesson, showed her class with actual paint and paint cups. I like to use graph paper and colored pencils in my classroom a lot of the time. It is helpful for students to keep their work neat and colors allow them to keep it consistent with the problem itself. I think with these types of problems, it could be easy to bring in objects, like this teacher did, in order to let the students SEE how it is being used in the real world. I think they would remember the lesson more if they were provided with a meaningful visual like that.
The video I watched was called "Assessing Students With Twitter-Style Exit Slips" by Maria Perryman. This video was about using exit slips, which is a quick assessment at the end of a lesson, in a twitter style manner to appeal to students. Students are given three questions to pick from to answer and must do so in 140 characters or less, just like twitter. I really liked this video because I like this idea a lot and the students seem to really enjoy it. I use exit slips in my classroom, mostly for math, to assess students at the end. I like this tweak on the idea because I think it appeals more to students and prevents students from writing too much since they are restricted to 140 characters. Anything that is more engaging and relate able for the students, I think, really interests the more and makes it more exciting.
I watched "Understanding Fractions Through Real World Tasks". This was a good video where the teacher taught her students about fractions through letting them think of ways on how two different representations of the same ratio were the same. By letting them think of ways they are the same and how to show it mathematically the students learned and understood more. I can imagine using this technique in the future on lessons to teach kids to think more. Creating a passion and a reward for learning new things can be very beneficial to the students.
I really like the video Nicole watched too. exit tickets are always important in my opinion and to incorporate it in a tech-savvy and current way is really creative. I can definitely see myself using this in my math lessons to get kids to explain math accurately and concisely.
Blogspog is a Buggy program and clearly has flaws. I replied to this post multiple times before it became visible to others. I shouldn't have to rewrite my work or specifically save my work because the system is bugged. We should have systems and programs we use that are reliable, ESPECIALLY in our Technology Class!
I watched the video, “Ready to Learn: Creating a Positive Classroom Culture” by Jen Saul. This video described ways to establish a positive and welcoming classroom environment. The teacher in the video, Jen Saul, discussed the importance of explaining to your students that it is okay to make mistakes; in fact, you will learn more if you fail often. Jen talked about how she has a serious conversation with her students in the beginning of the year. This conversation involves explaining to students how each person in the classroom is responsible for maintaining their learning environment. The students realize that each person plays a vital role in their classroom, and I think this is something vital in order to create a strong classroom community. Jen also creates a classroom pledge with her students, and this is an idea I will most definitely use in my very own classroom. Creating a pledge allows the students to put their brains together and come up with their hopes and dreams for the rest of the school year. Overall, this video was informative and you can tell how much this teacher cared about her students and creating a positive classroom culture. Allowing my students to feel safe and cared about is an imperative part of my job as an educator. In addition, revealing to my students the importance of setting goals and helping each other achieve their dreams is a main part of my teaching philosophy. This video offered ways to create this type of positive learning environment, and I will sure to implement these methods in my classroom.
The video Working Together: Creating A Community Of Learners focused on math and collaboration for all grades. The teacher, Ms. Linares, in the video first begins saying that she allows the students to interact with each other. She states she allows them to come up with an answer while she observes, and then asks questions. She says this facilitates learning and promotes higher mathematical thinking. The students learn from each other whether its from their groups conversation or partner’s explanation. The students collaborate, therefore getting more out of problem. Ms. Linares promotes an open and positive environment where students are comfortable sharing. This environment pushes students to speak up and feel accountable among their peers. After the groups collaborate, the entire class shares their answer as well as how they came to that conclusion. Ms. Linares then praises the students for helping each other out which again provides a safe comfortable classroom. I believe this is an important strategy in the classroom and I will implement this type of learning in my classroom. Learning to collaborate is an important skill each student needs for their future.
This site was another interesting one. Although I found nothing specific to P.E. or health and wellness I found an interesting video on Improving Practice: Collaboration & Mentoring by: Barbara McCoy, Lauren Wilson, and Lynda Elhers. The purpose of this video is to create a learning environment for teachers to work together in ways to save time on preparing and planning so that they can be teaching and providing optimal learning environments. As educators we must collaborate not only within the same subject but inter-disciplinary as well. The stronger the bond is between educators the better it is for our students. The curriculum will follow them wherever they may go. For example if the P.E. teacher and the ELA teacher would collaborate maybe the P.E. teacher can incorporate some of the vocabulary being used into their lessons this can only reinforce the work being done in the classroom.
I watched the video “Scaffolds for Critical Thinking” by Sarah Brown Wessling, who has many literacy related videos on this site. Her goal was to show in the demo lesson how to engage 4th grade students in creating abstract ideas from a more concrete detail in a text. In other words, she explained how authors use objects in stories to symbolize the stories’ themes. She did this by first modeling how everyday objects can have a greater meaning, such as how bicycles can represent being independent and grass can show starting something over again. Then, she read the book “A Bad Case of Stripes” and asked students to try to determine the meaning of the repetitive lima bean in the story. From my experience, interpreting author’s craft is one of the most difficult skills to teach students in reading workshop. I think it was helpful that Sarah Brown Wessling scaffolded this skill by first having students create ideas about everyday objects before practicing with their own texts. In addition, the tangible objects that were modeled were brought into the classroom to show how the concrete details can be seen, but the abstract idea cannot. I think presenting it in this way would benefit more visual learners.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/document-based-questions-lesson-nea
The title of the video I have watched is called "Document Based Questions," by Jennifer Wolfe from Oceanside High School. This video was a break down of strategies for accomplishing the DBQ thoroughly for curriculum as well as developed skills. Students were given the AP World History Rubric and while breaking it down on their own for homework, were also instructed to develop and write their own essay. This part of the video is what I found most important and intriguing personally. As a teacher, I often find it difficult teaching students how to write proper Thematic and Document Based Essays. I have noticed that students often find it difficult to develop their claims in DBQ Essays and develop it throughout the course of their work while preparing outside knowledge and incorporating the documents. There was a segment in the video, which I thought was different yet brilliant, where Ms. Wolfe developed an activity called "Warm and Cool Feedback," which would have the students peer review each others essay. Despite this appearing to be a routine activity, she introduced it in a way that had the author ask the reader to look for specific topics and weaknesses that they believe needs some attention. One clear example was stated by a student where they wanted help from their peers on "analyzing documents in an essay, instead of summarizing."I thought that this was an interesting way to have the students work together to have their weaknesses grow into strengths, while also having the students acknowledge what they need most work on, what they are looking for from the author, and simplifying the task for the reader while simultaneously giving them a large goal to accomplish.
As a Social Studies teacher, this concept of DBQ Essay writing can be incorporated in the classroom with much success. I look forward to using it in my classroom to have the students work together and teach one another how to develop a properly structured DBQ essay and move forward towards further developing their essay writing skills. These activities were group oriented, creative, as well as individualized to help the students grow. Interactive, and highly beneficial.
Victoria Bardin
Building Emotional Literacy
All grades/All Subjects/SEL
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/emotional-literacy-building-nsf
South Shore PK-8 in Seattle, Washington utilizing “The Ruler Program”, which is a curriculum that develops emotional literacy. In the kindergarten class, the students start each day with 3 minutes of silence and use “The Mood Meter” to gage their current mood. The mood meter is a four-part square with four colors to determine if a student’s mood is positive or negative. Strategies like the mood meter journal, water signal, deep breathing, videos that guide them become more focused during the lesson are utilized to help the students get themselves “into the green” for the day. Sarah Dietz, a second grade teacher at the school, states that encouraging students to use strategies centers the child into a place of calmness and readiness to learn. The objective of this practice is to develop life skills that creates opportunities more mindful learning that will be useful in the real world. I think that this is a wonderful curriculum to implement into a classroom. Allowing time during the school day to reflect and express what the students are feeling will create an open and safe environment for learning.
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/prepare-civic-engagement-edda
Grade 9-12/Subject Social Studies
The video "Encouraging Students to Take Action" took place in Oakland Technical High School, CA, in Mr. Colley's classroom. The core of the video was about civic engagement. It depicts the students working in small groups to research and plan an action project. Mr. Colley used the idea of a tree as their base, how the trunk is the action/problem, the branches are how the problem manifested, and the roots are the causes. So basically a case and effect project. After the students had to find ways to fix these problems, and write up an analysis document online. I love everything about this video and the project. It has the students being independent by choosing their own topic, but it also has them socializing with other students, voicing their opinions, and being able to agree or disagree with a classmate. The project also allows the student to apply critical thinking, by analyzing, critiquing, and evaluating on their own. It also incorporates the students to think about their school and community. Mr. Colley also allowed each group to have one laptop if they needed to look up research for their project. I like how not every student had one and in the video you saw that most groups weren't really using them, but were critically thinking, and thinking hard of ideas on their own. Even though this project looked like it took up most of the class time, or all of the class. I know a lot of social studies teachers who say their is never enough time in the school year to get through all of the material. However, i feel personally that a project like this will really benefit the students, and they would enjoy this activity and the way they would learn from it. I also believe that it would benefit these high school students for their futures, whether in high school or once they find their career, to act on civil engagement. Overall, i like how the project and the idea of the project was interactive, and creative. It was also independent and "group-oriented." I look forward to creating something along the lines of this and using it in my classroom as well. Do a past project and a present project. Where the students take a past action and find the causes and effects of it and do a present dilemma and do the same, and they can see how the US has or hasn't changed over time.
This is another great post. As teachers we must be helping one another, we are in this career together and sharing ideas or giving advice can not only help us educators but can also benefit the students and help them grow and succeed even more, this is overall a great learning tool, sharing ideas can also help us reach points that we haven't thought of before or ideas that we wouldn't have created on our own. If there are teachers out there that are willing to share their ideas with other fellow teachers than this could be a great, positive movement. I also enjoyed the video about Cyberbullying; the Internet is our future and has been for a while. It is essential for students to know how to act when it comes to the Internet. This is a huge issue in schools and I really think Ms. Withers did an amazing job with the lesson.
This site is also very useful for students although you must go through the website to find valuable information. This site was great except it did not include anything on physical education or health and wellness. One of the best videos I viewed was based on improving practice: Collaboration & Mentoring, by Barbara McCoy, Lauren Wilson, and Lynda Elhers. The purpose of this video was to create a learning environment for teachers to work together in ways not only saving time but also better ways to plan and prepare so that they can be teaching in the best optimal learning environments. It is very important for teachers to collaborate and I believe this site is very good with those resources it allows teachers to use. Co-teaching is important because it allows new and innovative ideas for both teachers also is a great model for our students.
The video that I watched was titled, "Learning through Play". This video was set for teachers in pre-k through first grade. Since I am working in a first grade classroom, I was interested in this video because just by looking at the title, I have to agree that through play, students will learn. Especially between the ages of 4-7, it is important for young learners to express their knowledge through play or interactive learning. The video touches upon the opportunity for these young students to have a sense of choice in terms of what knowledge they would like to explore their skills in. This is an important skills for students at this developmental age to acquire, because this allows them to explore different methods of learning, and connect their learning with their own "play" activities. It helps students become more independent as well, as they are aware of what skills they would like to work on, in addition to expanding on particular content areas through play. This method of learning will build on any strengths they have using materials or building developments based on their basic knowledge, keeping their learning open-ended. Choice as well will allow students to learn and explore areas that they are interested in. They will work together with peers, building on their social skills and communication skills with individuals their age which they will need for the future, in addition to accepting different ways that their peers explore with given objects. This was a great video with a lot of key strategies that students at this young age should acquire as they move forward in their own education.
In reply to Whitney: I agree that the Collaboration and Mentoring video was a great video. This video did demonstrate ways to create learning environments in which teachers effectively can collaborate to plan and prepare in the best setting. I think that this is an important skill to have when teaching because it allows each teacher to understand different methods of teaching and accept those different methods, encouraging their co-workers to use a variety of strategies to teach a successful classroom. I definitely agree with you in terms of the importance of co-teaching. It does allow new ideas for both teachers and it shows the students how important it is to work together and communicate in a positive way to explore and learn new knowledge in the classroom.
Share-Outs: Critiquing & Revising Models
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/students-learn-from-students-nsf
The video I watched was titled “Share-Outs: Critiquing & Revising Models” which is intended to be useful for grades Kindergarten through Second grade within the content area of Science and specifically within the topic of modeling. This video showed how teachers can structure whole-class share-outs to critique and discuss student’s work and their thought process. In this video, a second grade class was learning about “Zoom Out Boxes,” and the teacher organized a share-out opportunity where students were able to share their thinking and their drawings with their classmates. In addition, a kindergarten class was learning about “Water Cycle Models,” and the teacher organized a share-out opportunity as well that allowed students to critique their peer’s work through discussion. This kindergarten teacher’s specific technique was called the “discussion stoplight,” which essentially allows students to either repeat what another said, add a new idea, or add on to a previously shared idea. Within both classes, the teachers would display or share student’s work in order to open up discussion from their peers and as a class as a whole. Students were able to respectfully critique their peer’s work which created positive discussion and communication within all the students. Using “share-outs” allowed for students to express their ideas and thought process all while practicing the skill of revision and learning how they can revise their own work, as well as other’s work. It allows students to recognize their peer’s perspectives and understand that everyone has their own viewpoints and ideas. What I felt was extremely important and effective about this technique is that the student work that is displayed is not only for the one’s who were more creative or most well done, but rather represents all students’ work. Personally, I am a firm believer in collaboration and communication within classrooms, therefore I believe “share-outs” is a effective way to encourage collaboration and communication within my future students. I think I would incorporate this technique in my future class for all content areas, to encourage effective and positive communication within my students and myself.
I watched 'Assessing Students with Twitter-Style Exit Slips', where the basis was designing a 140 character style assessment at the end of lessons so that students would be more engaged by the format and teachers could find out quickly if the students understood the material. While I was skeptical about the idea just from the title, thinking 'how much could you really learn from 140 characters', i was converted by the argument that engagement is perhaps a more prevailing force than an in-depth inquiry into whether the students grasped the material or not. Exit Slips are a pretty common concept but in this incarnation, students did seem to be more liable to participate and provide useful feedback. While a more intensive tool for feedback might provide you with more information, you have to question that information if students aren't the least bit engaged when they give it. Overall, I thought the video and concept given the multicultural and an increasingly modern nature of technology and education, has promise.
I watched the video, Step Back: Promoting Independent Thinking, by Maria Franco. This video gave excellent tools to providing students the opportunity to talk through problems before tackling them. Students are able to learn from one another and express their ideas. I believe that this promotes communication and allows students to address the problem at hand and come up with a plan as to how they will solve it before their teacher tells them the correct way. I believe that I can use this technique in my classroom. I will be a math teacher and I think it is very important that students have a minute to think about the question on their own. I want to make sure that they are fully understanding why there are doing the operations they are doing and not just do them because they know that is how their teacher told them to solve it. I think that giving students the time to think about the questions and give them a chance to brainstorm how they would tackle a problem will give them a deeper interest in the subject.
In Response to Alex: I agree and think that “share outs” are a great concept that promotes communication and collaboration.
I watched the video "The Work of Play", mostly because I am currently a TA in a preschool and it is how our 3-year-old's do most of their learning. The students in this video gathered around in a circle to sing a "work time" song and took turns telling their teacher which two areas they would like to work in that day. The students had a responsibility to go to the table of their choice, set up the materials, and begin cooperating with their classmates during their time at that area. I thought it was amazing to see how many materials this classroom had to offer the students and I loved that the students were allowed to pick a first and second choice of where they wanted to work that day. The students had so many different choices and opportunities to learn through their play, and I especially enjoyed watching the students in the block area attempting to set up their blocks to create a sort of "stage" for a play they wanted to put on for their class.
It seemed a little idealistic to me, because I know that not every school is able to provide such elaborate work stations for its students, and I know that my own school does not have that many materials either. It was nice to see the children playing so nicely and cooperatively together, but I also know from my own experience that playing with materials such as water and bugs and paint all at once can be chaotic, messy, and create many conflicts among the students. Classroom management must have to play a huge role in having this type of operation run so smoothly. In my own classroom, I would love to be able to have so many different choices for my students to work at and I enjoy the idea of giving them the freedom to choose their preference. I truly believe that playing and working together with their peers is the most important part of a child's early development.
"Assessing students with twitter-style exit slips" really appealed to me. Students in any grade, even kindergarten, are all into the internet, apps etc. For the older grades I definitely think using twitter style exit slips is a great way to get the students excited about filling it out with their learned information. On the actual app, you can only tweet something in 140 characters or less which was applied on this exit slip. I think it is a great way to keep them interested as if they were actually tweeting. But I also think it may be hard for some students to get all the information they would like to say out in under 140 characters. This may frustrate them as well as become extremely time consuming to the point where they may not finish. Some students may spend so much time trying to find different ways to put their thoughts into such little space, they run out of time and have nothing but a few words and eraser marks. I would definitely use the twitter style exit slip in my classroom, but I would also keep in mind the type of students I have. Some I would leave the 140 characters and some I made add additional tweets as needed or even breaking down the question into two separate ones, having a twitter exit slip for both.
"Assessing students with twitter-style exit slips" really appealed to me. Students in any grade, even kindergarten, are all into the internet, apps etc. For the older grades I definitely think using twitter style exit slips is a great way to get the students excited about filling it out with their learned information. On the actual app, you can only tweet something in 140 characters or less which was applied on this exit slip. I think it is a great way to keep them interested as if they were actually tweeting. But I also think it may be hard for some students to get all the information they would like to say out in under 140 characters. This may frustrate them as well as become extremely time consuming to the point where they may not finish. Some students may spend so much time trying to find different ways to put their thoughts into such little space, they run out of time and have nothing but a few words and eraser marks. I would definitely use the twitter style exit slip in my classroom, but I would also keep in mind the type of students I have. Some I would leave the 140 characters and some I made add additional tweets as needed or even breaking down the question into two separate ones, having a twitter exit slip for both.
The Teaching Channel is an excellent website which provides teachers with strategies, lesson plans, and resources to help improve his/her classroom and teaching practice. I found the video “New Teacher Survival Guide: ADHD in the Classroom” by WLIW21 Production for Teaching Channel, to be an essential resource at the moment, since most of the students I work with have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The video introduces a 7th grade special education teacher, James, who teaches Math and English. He explains the challenges his students and himself face on a daily basis. Pamela, who is an ADHD expert, and is diagnosed with ADHD herself, observes and helps James to come up with tools to handle the challenges. James is looking for advice for in class transitions, and keeping students engaged and on point. Pamela suggested to James to provide his students with clear, directions so his students know what is required of them, in addition to written and verbal cues. Since students with ADHD must remember bits of information when they are transitioning from one thing to another, Pamela suggests using visual cues to keep students on track during transition. Provide checklists and other visual cues to remind students of classroom routines helps him/her to transition smoothly. After the transition, the next challenge is keeping students focused. A timer can be used to motivate students to stay on task. It creates a competitive atmosphere in which the students are competing against the clock to finish their assignment while staying focused. Students with ADHD may become frustrated easily and need help to get back on track. Being gentle, supportive and positive with the student while they are frustrated helps for a smooth transition back onto task. Strategies must be created on an individual basis in which what works best for the students, and acknowledging what is making it difficult for the student to focus at that time. It is important to remember that even with the diagnoses, these students have the same ability as all students to overcome any challenges they may face, with the right support and teaching.
The video I chose was, Learning Menus: Giving Students Options and Independence in Learning by Crystal Morey. This video was a great way to be able to work with a small group of students while the rest of the students do a list of different options. Ms. Morey created a menu that included an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert. The appetizer is a practice to prepare the students for the work they will be doing for the main course. After finishing the main course, the students will show their teacher their work before starting the dessert section. Out of all of those questions, the students get to choose which question will be graded. This gives students an option and independence within the classroom. I think this is a great idea for both the teacher and students. The teacher has time to work with a small group while the rest of the students are working independently. I also like how the students get to pick and choose which question they want graded. It gives students confidence in their work. I would definitely use this in my classroom. I always am looking for different work the students can do independently.
Response: I agree with Brianna, I believe all teachers need to work together. When working together amazing things can come out of it.
The video I watched was assessing students with Twitter-Style exit slips by Maria Perryman. It honesty just caught my attention just by the title alone. The video demonstrates how a Reading teacher uses Twitter-Style exit slips in her class. The video shows how the teacher gives her students an option of three questions, the student’s then pick one and must answer it by using 140 characters or less, just like twitter. I think this would be relevant for the grades I plan on teaching (7-12) because Twitter is a social media app/website that so many kids are aware of and use. I think Twitter-Style exit slips are an interesting form of assessment. Since it has to be written like an actual tweet of 140 characters or less it allows the kids to be concise with their answer, which would be a good challenge for students. I would definitely use the twitter style exit slip in my classroom but I think it’s a great way for assessing student’s while at the same time keeping it interesting for them.
Using Tech Tools for Formative Assessment- Josh Laureate
This was a very interesting video and it provided me with a lot of different ways to assess my students understanding of topics, assignments and address their questions. I like how Joshua created his own application that students can post responses to, and this also allows him to assess his students in a quicker manner. I like how he also made the application accessible for submitting homework and sending an email to him. I wish that this app was accessible for other teachers to utilize in their classrooms. I am definitely considering doing something like this in my future classroom whether it be submitting homework to me via email or sending me one email a week as an exit slip telling me what they found difficult in certain subject areas or what they found easy.
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