Assessing Math Skills

While I was doing a read aloud during tutoring, I came across a snippet that I thought was interesting. Although it was meant to be humorous, I can’t help but think that it’s a realistic situation in many classrooms.  Teachers are quizzing students on skills that they know how to do, but they’re bored with the way it is presented.  

To setup the scene, the student (Andrew) is doodling instead of completing his math problems at his desk while his teacher is watching.

In the front of the room, the tall teacher looked up from his large metal desk.  “Andrew, get busy,” he called out.  “Let’s start working.”

Andrew nodded.  He filled in two more answers before doodling a vampire with fangs dripping blood in the upper corner.

“Stop wasting time, Andrew,” called the teacher.  “If that math work isn’t completed by recess, you’ll stay inside doing it.”

Andrew counted the remaining problems.  “Let’s see, I have seven minutes to do twenty more problems,” he told himself.  “That’s… let’s see, seven times sixty is four hundred and twenty seconds divided by twenty. That’s only twenty-one seconds per problem.  How can I ever get all this math done in time?”

 Any thoughts?

I personally believe that if we presented problems in a "real life" sort of way, it would interest students a lot more.  I understand that with standards to meet and Common Core Curriculum modules and units, we feel as if we have more expectations to reach and less freedom when it comes to what we do in our classrooms, but that doesn't mean every single day is dictated for us.  If we want to reach our students, we need to make learning more fun and engaging for them.

Excerpt from Math Rashes and Other Classroom Tales by Douglas Evans (2000)

Life Lessons from Substitute Teaching

I feel like substitute teaching has made me take myself less seriously and roll with the punches more in life.  The job has definitely opened my eyes to many aspects of education and a multitude of grade levels.  I've dealt with different teaching styles, administrative styles, and curriculum designs.  I've had good days and bad.  I've been faced with a number of different issues that have turned me into a better problem solver.  I know that my position is temporary - most of the time only a day or two - and the problems that arise each day are not going to be "the worst in the world" and they're not going to be the last problems I ever have.  The next day will bring new challenges and new triumphs.  Subbing has not only helped me learn more about myself as a teacher, but it has helped me learn more about my own capabilities and weaknesses as a person.

Memories of School

As educators, we know that it's important to reflect on our own teaching styles and abilities and constantly hope to improve upon the way we teach.  It's equally important to put ourselves in our students' shoes and evaluate the way we are touching their lives and affecting the way they learn.  Another great thing to do is to take ourselves back to when we were students and think about our favorite things in each grade.  It might be a project we completed, a field trip we took, or a particular achievement we attained...  Whatever it happens to be, I think it's important to remember what we enjoyed when we're thinking about what our students might also enjoy today.

If you have a few minutes, I'd appreciate it if you would complete this survey.  It's a reflection broken down by grade level where you can share your favorite memories at each level.  If you can't remember something from a particular year, don't fret.  Any information will be greatly appreciated.  The survey is completely anonymous and I will share some of the responses on here so we can all take a look at what we enjoyed to perhaps spark some ideas about what we could recycle and use again in our classrooms.

Please feel free to pass the survey along to your friends, family, students, classmates, and fellow educators.

Educational Tweeting

I have just gotten back into Twitter and I must say, it's much more helpful than it was last time I used it.  I don't know if it's just the fact that more people are using Twitter than the last time I was really into it, or if my interests and objectives for the social media website have been altered and I have found more useful reasons to tweet.  Either way, I wanted to share the fact that I think it's really useful from an educator's standpoint so that other educators might start using it, too.

Not only are there countless educators tweeting their thoughts, feelings, and ideas, but many educational organizations and websites have joined the party as well, providing a wealth of resources for teachers in any point in their careers.

With so much uncertainty about job security in many school districts across the nation, it's nice to know that there is a teaching community online to turn to when you're looking for advice or ideas or just a place to vent about your personal thoughts.

If you are already on Twitter or if you decide to sign up at some point and join the conversation, please follow me @katrinakrull.

Positive Classroom Relationships

Positive teacher-student relationships are important because when you come right down to it, learning can only take place when the student has a positive relationship with the one who is implementing the lessons in the classroom.  But the question is, how do you create a positive relationship with each and every individual student in your classroom?

There are a number of specific behaviors that teachers can focus on to enhance her relationship with her students.  Each are important in themselves, but together they are the keys to creating a positive social and emotional environment for the students in the classroom. These behaviors include:

• Engaging in one-on-one interactions, being sure to use eye contact
• Using a pleasant, calm voice and age appropriate language
• Using warm, responsive physical contact
• Following the child’s interests during free play
• Helping the child understand your expectations in the classroom
• Redirecting the child when she’s engaging in challenging or inappropriate behavior
• Listening to the child and encouraging him to listen to you and others
• Acknowledging the child’s efforts and accomplishments

Using developmentally appropriate practice and taking into account a child’s individual needs, talents, and interests is important when it comes to fostering positive relationships with your students.  Therefore, teachers need to understand the developmental level of the students they are teaching while all the while getting to know each of their students’ likes and dislikes. 

Teacher-student relationships are important because they influence children’s social and emotional development directly.  Research has shown that children who have positive relationships with their educators, especially at the early childhood level, go on to have secure relationships with future teachers and even their peers.  When a student doesn’t feel comfortable and safe in his classroom, he tends to engage in more conflicts with his teacher and his classmates as well.  Children who have rocky relationships with their teachers have a tough time interacting with anyone at school because they don’t know who to rely on or turn to for support.  On the flip side, however, when children feel safe and nurtured in the classroom, they are more comfortable taking risks and succeeding in new skill areas since they know they have a support system in place.

My personal opinion is that it cannot be emphasized enough how important it really is for teachers and students to have a mutual respect for one another.  Throughout my experiences, I have seen some teachers who can really connect with their students and therefore reach into their minds and engage them during instruction time more than they would without that positive relationship.  On the other hand, there are teachers who do not take the time to get to know each individual child and some of those children fall in-between the cracks and do not benefit as much as they possibly could. 
For example, I know of a child who had many behavioral issues throughout elementary school.  Many teachers did not want to take the time to nurture his individual needs.  Simplistically, he needed attention that he did not receive at home.  He would do anything possible in the classroom to receive attention, even if it was mainly negative.  When he began fourth grade, the teacher really recognized this in him and catered to his needs.  Instead of recognizing negative behavior, she praised his accomplishments and focused on his interests.  This particular student completely turned around during fourth grade and became a practically different kid, really demonstrating his strengths and getting attention for those instead of for negative reasons.

All in all, I believe that it is important for teachers to evaluate their relationships with their students.  Even though there is oftentimes an emphasis on standards and expectations, the bigger picture involves making a difference in individual children’s lives and building a strong community.  Productive interaction within the classroom will not truly begin until positive relationships between the teacher and her students are forged.  I make a point to smile, talk in a warm and friendly voice, respect the children, get to know children’s interests, and make my expectations clear when I’m in a classroom.  I hope that through my behavior, I can be important in the lives of the children I work with.

Educational Omniscience

As I posted in the very first entry of this blog, “knowledge” can be defined as “knowing where to find the answer” rather than just simply having all of the information you need to know on you at all times.  While I was speaking in general terms, the same sentiment is true when it comes to teaching. 

Even though sometimes students view their teachers as omniscient, we know that that’s just not true.  Teaching is not about always having the answer and it’s not about knowing everything.  Let’s face it: it’s downright impossible for you to know everything.  But it is possible for you to know where to find the answer. 

The same goes with teaching teachers.  There is no single educator who has all of the answers regarding the best practices in education (I apologize to all of my mentors, but it’s true!).  It’s a positive idea to surround yourself with a number of people who may give you support and ideas in a number of different ways instead of relying solely on one person – especially if that one person is yourself.  Whether it’s your classmates, fellow teachers in your building, professors, seasoned teachers you know in the community, or anyone else you happen upon, it’s important to use your network of teachers to aid in your craft.

I surely don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I hope that by coming together with a number of other educators, I can help create a resourceful and organized collection of lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and other ideas for teachers at all different levels of experience.  I hope that you’ll contribute, too!

My Educational Philosophy

I’ve been working on developing some educational resources as part of etc. Resources, but I wanted to start at the beginning and reevaluate my own teaching philosophy and my personal knowledge of education before I made anything available to the public.  In doing so, I’ve decided to start blogging about an educational topic once a week, beginning today. 

Before I went into my final semester of college at the undergraduate level, I completed a form with all of my information regarding my experience and beliefs pertaining to education.  Below is a copy of the educational philosophy I wrote prior to student teaching in October of 2007.  My beliefs regarding education remain strong and in order to explain how I feel about teaching and the education system in general, I’ve decided to share my philosophy with you.

***

I believe that the purpose of education is to teach children how to learn.  Through the process of education, the students will be provided with tools from the teacher that will help them make positive choices throughout their educational careers and their lives. 

All children are unique learners with individual learning styles and all students in a classroom must be given an equal chance to learn through differentiated instruction in the curriculum.  Regardless of gender, cultural background, age, or individual abilities, every child needs to be treated equally and with respect from the teacher and his or her fellow students.  The classroom community should be comprised of a network of learners taking strengths from each individual student’s special talents and interests, joining together for the greater good of the group.  I feel that if enough guidance is provided for a child from a young age, that child will grow into a well-balanced adult.

I believe that teachers, as well as community members, are just as responsible as a child’s own parents in making sure that the process of a complete education is carried out.  Teachers must work as partners with parents in order to keep children on track at both home and school.  It is also a teacher’s role to make sure that all of Maslow’s basic needs are met for each and every child in her classroom.  Once physiological, safety, and social needs are met, a higher level of learning can take place and the students can really begin to succeed.  A teacher must constantly monitor the needs that she sees arise in her classroom to ensure that learning will be able to take place in a caring community of learners.

I believe that the way a teacher teaches, disciplines, and relates to students will affect those children for their entire lives.  Teachers never know how much they influence the children they teach.  Teaching styles and discipline procedures should be well-thought out to provide the most well-rounded and fair education to all students in the classroom.  Positive relationships between the teacher and each student should develop in the classroom.  With all of these elements working together, a classroom environment should evolve that promotes a positive view of education and an eagerness to continue learning.