The GATE

I'm not talking about the gate you walk through, this GATE is an abbreviation for the statewide program entitled Gifted and Talented Education. Its designed for students who are advanced in their learning and have the need to be challenged. In the California standard for teaching, differentiated instruction is a big issue...and I mean BIG issue! It basically makes the teacher teach his/her whole class, while in the same time attempting to meet the students with individual needs. These individuals can be English Language Learners (ELL), students with disabilities (cognitive or physical) and gifted or advanced students. This means in a classroom of about 20 or more students, a teacher has to teach the lesson but also be able to give support to the struggling learners (language, cognitive or physical) and challenge the advanced kids.

Today, we had a cohort field trip to a 5th grade GATE teacher's class. She explained the different ways she challenges the students, not only in academics, but also in personal and work ethics. She also shared that just because these kids are super smart, they are still like other kids, in a sense that they come with their own needs, disabilities and pet peeves. She gave an example of one student who loved post-its. Post-its in itself are a very handy tool for reminders, but this particular student went over the top with post-its to the point that it gets in the way of her learning and the teacher had to intervene. So, as a class, we learned a lot from just being in that classroom environment, if anything, that's where the majority of the learning happens, ergo we have student teaching :) But going back to my first statement. The GATE is an actual educational program but in an essence the abbreviation itself is a metaphor for what these teachers do for these students. They open the "gates" of their minds to a whole new dimension of learning. If they didn't get this type of instruction, they're like stuck in a box, which can be very harmful to them because they will be bored, unchallenged, much worse, have a negative perspective on school. So, that picture of an opened gate says a lot about what the GATE program does for the gifted child. Now, the question is, what about the others? Why can't they utilize these "fun" and "tactile" tools to also teach the average student? Better yet, the struggling learners? That, my dear friend, is up to you...the teacher (if you are one...lol!).

Going Overtime

This week I presented another lesson in my Master Teacher's (MT) class. The topic was on Summarizing. I used non-fiction literature for this lesson so as to get students used to reading factual information, stories based on reality. I picked articles from Scholastic News, wherein most articles are written by students and are read in the school. I chose articles on the topics I know the class will enjoy: basketball, money, health and Dr. Seuss (which was the students' favorite because the school just celebrated his birthday through a program called Read Across America, a project by the National Education Association, and the students get to wear pajamas to school!). I gave them a strategy of the 5 W's and H (who, what, where, when, why, how). Though the lesson was well-written (based on feedback from Prof. Ruppert and my MT), it was quite a stretch for the kids and I spent a very long time on it. I think the lesson went well, but I felt so embarrassed with my MT because I went well over time on the delivery of the lesson. She was really gracious in saying that that's how we learn, the more time I spend in front of the class, the better I'll be in teaching lessons and managing class environment. I am really thankful for her. So for the next time, if it seems a lesson will be longer than 1 hour, I should split the lesson over a span of a few days, which will give students time to absorb new information little by little.

And the Best Teacher Award Goes to...

In the nation today, assessments have been one of the top priorities that teachers tackle everyday. It seems like such a daunting topic to go over in a classroom setting, but our adjunct professor, Renee Rose, is just awesome! She engaged us interactive activities and discussion to make learn better using multiple intelligences. Its great that as she teaches us about assessments, she also make side comments on why she is using a certain strategy of teaching, so that we can implement those ideas in our future class. One my favorites is the "Think-Pair-Share" aka "10:2" which means that every 10 minutes of lecturing, teacher asks students to share to the person next to them what they learned so far or what is most valuable to them in the next 2 minutes. It just helps to get that information into our long-term memory.
In addition to her exemplary teaching methods, I really appreciate the way she connects our teaching career to the Bible. She mentions how we will get many ideas of the best practices out there. So in order for us to determine which ones should implement in our classrooms, we should look into the Word of God, which has all the answers. One might think this is crazy, but let me take you further. (In the program, we talk a lot on the timing and the type of questions asked in class because it can be useful or useless, even worse, distracting or confusing to students. So we use the concepts under Bloom's Taxonomy wherein teachers can tap to the different levels of understanding.) She used Jesus as an example--well, I don't think He''s labeled the Greatest Teacher for nothing, don't you think?--Jesus taught the best lessons to the thousands during the Sermon on the Mount and to curious individuals like Nicodemus. In addition, he also posed the perfect questions at the right time to the right people for a specific purpose. (I love that!) He used questions to make people think about their thinking (metacognition) so they are able to articulate their thoughts and validate their own reasoning; he used it to provoke people to reconsider their actions and inner heart motives; he used it to bring people at a higher level of understanding of Himself and of God's Kingdom Principles. All this and much, much more I'm learning. Let's hope that when the times comes when I need to apply these concepts in a way that helps my students maximize their potential, helps me help my students and most importantly, bring honor to God.

Dealing with Teacher-Stress

Teaching my first lesson in the classroom was indeed a joy and a challenge. As a student teacher, I understand that I won't get it right the first time but the over-achiever in me (which is probably in most of us aspiring-teachers anyways...lol!) wants to really do my best, so I did get stressed quite a bit in preparing for the lesson. As I prepared for the lesson, my MT and I went back and forth in creating the best lesson for the students. The day before the lesson, I made major changes to the assessment activity, which I believe turned out for the better. The delivery of lesson went ok. I had to look over my notes several times because I forgot what was happening next, even if I went over the lesson lots of times. At the end of the day, my MT gave me some feedback on my performance. She basically said that I did well, and she gave some suggestions on how to better the lesson. I really appreciate how she is very encouraging while giving constructive criticism.

In reflection to my first teaching experience, I think I could have done better, which is why I only said that the lesson went "ok". Partly, I think I was nervous and anxious because I want to do really well. Also, I feel that I need more practice with the delivery of the lesson. When I go over in my head the lesson plan I laid out, it's perfect! But the actual lesson seems to fall short of my personal expectations. So, what do I do now? Well, all I can do is move forward from this direction, no turning back. For the next lesson, I'm just going to prepare for it to the best that I am able to without stressing; I need to keep in mind that I am not trying to please anyone, including the MT, the students or even myself, but God alone because it's for His pleasure that I am walking in obedience with His will that's why I'm in the teaching credential program (keeping my priorities straight); lastly, I'm going to enjoy what I'm doing even if I make mistakes along the way. Hopefully, having this mindset will enable me to be more at peace in my inner being so that as I teach my MT's class, the lesson won't seem rushed or confusing, but instead, students will be able to maximize their learning because I'm more calm and collected, and hey, maybe (most likely) I'll learn from them too!

Practical Application of Classroom Management

In my MT's classroom, she is quite firm with her rules and procedures with the students, which I believe is necessary in order to have consistency with them. However, earlier this week when she had to go to a workshop and a substitute teacher had to teach her 3rd grade class, she came back to school the following day with not so good news regarding her classroom's behavior in her absence. Her solution to the problem was to rearrange seating arrangement, and it worked! Because students had a new orientation in regards to the whole class, they were not as social with each other as in their previous table groups. In addition to this solution, my MT also spoke firmly but lovingly to her class. At the end of the day, she had to have a heart-to-heart talk with her class (because she will be absent again the next day and the same substitute teacher will be back). She stated her expectations for their behavior in her absence; she reinforced their ability to follow directions and be "mature" about it; she expressed to the whole class what she really felt: she was sad to leave them and loves them very much. It was a touching moment for my MT and her class. I was glad that I was there to witness all that

I think that what my MT did was fantastic! Rearranging the rooms was a physical response to classroom milieu, which is a big factor in classroom management. Also, the heart-to-heart talk with the class before she had to be absent again was a form of intrinsic motivation. I feel it was necessary for her to do that so that the students understood what's expected from them and how much their teacher loves them. It just shows that each classroom is like a family and my MT just taught her class the value of accountability and value, which I think was a great unplanned lesson for character education. When its my turn to have my own class, I will adapt that strategy of rearranging seats (because it's practical) and being honest to my class, which is just the right thing to do.

What it's worth in the end

Being in a teaching credential program means you get to teach actual lessons. There' s no more kicking back, relying solely on the Master Teacher (MT). So this week, I taught my first lesson to my MT's 3rd grade "Challenge" RTI group (these students come from all the different 3rd grade classes but are considered to be advanced in their literacy skills). My lesson was on the main parts of non-fiction. One thing that made me really confident in this lesson was that MT was so supportive in giving me the materials she wanted me to teach to her class and giving great feedback in making the lesson better for the students.

Before the lesson, I felt prepared that it will go well. The actual delivery was another thing. I was forgetting my outline (I almost forgot to record the teaching, which is required in order to get a passing grade)! I think its a pregnancy thing, because sometimes I forget that I am pregnant and they say that when you're going through pregnancy, you're brain is not as sharp, but so far...thank GOD...I'm able to stay sane (sometimes...lol!) and able to do the work required.

After the lesson, my MT and I had a talk on how she felt it went. She told me that she thinks I did really well. She did notice a few things that could've been improved so as to keep students engaged in the lesson. So I took those advices in hoping that the next time I deliver a lesson I will be able to do better. I guess it all about just going out there and doing it. I'm just so thankful that Vanguard's credential program is really preparing me and my cohort for the real thing. Its not easy but it will be worth it in the end.