This semester I have learned a lot of strategies that I can use in the my future classroom for science instruction. I particularly like the concepts of pathways. Pathways allow for differentiated instruction and allow students to move at their own pace. I think this will be great to use in my future classroom during centers time. I think that through the use of pathways, I can meet my work goal of having successful centers in my classroom.
Another thing I learned about this semester was science notebooking. Through this process you give students notes and interactive sheets to go on the left page of your notebook. On the other side students are allowed to do something, usually of their own creation. This is helpful because it gives students a source that they can keep and use at home. I think this will help me meet the academic goal of giving my students science resources that they are able to use to retain the information they are using in science.
I have also learned about online apps, game, and sites. Technology integration is very important along with the use of STEM or STEAM. Technology integration allows students to be prepared for the technological society that these students will grow up in. It helps them be interested in their learning and be more engaged in it. I think this will help with my future work goal of making my students interested in their learning and ready for the world that they will grow up in. These students can use this technology integration can help students be ready for future success.
The lesson planning process was difficult. The second grade standards were ones I do not have a lot of knowledge on. I used my strengths of integrating technology to help make this lesson exciting for the students. I included online sites and games as well as videos to have a technology aspect to the lesson plans. I also used my strength of science notebooking. I think this is a really successful way for students to take notes and give them a source at home. My biggest weakness was finding hands on activities for students within the animal life cycle category. I was able to overcome this through the use of playlists with are super helpful in the classroom and lead to a lot of learning taking place. Overall, I enjoyed getting to create these lesson plans because it allowed me to learn to teach the second grade science standards which I was struggling with.
Friday, December 7, 2018
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Pathways
Digital learning competencies are ways for teachers to integrate skills into their classroom that creates a digital learning environment. My favorite way to integrate digital learning competencies into science lessons is to use project based learning. It would be cool to allow students to use tour builder to explore the coral reef. I also like using games like kahoot to review materials. This could be used in a classroom and help with integrating DLC.
Charlotte Mecklenberg schools pathways are done based on the type of learner they are. They get to choose based on visual, tactile or auditory learner. The Newton-Conover pathways are done with differentiation and they follow the pathway that they need. I like the Charlotte-Mecklenberg way because it makes the students be more self aware about what kind of learner they are. However, I think I would end up using the Newton-Conover way in my classroom. I love the idea of differentiating based on what students need. This was everyone is getting what they need and the students are not able to pick that they just want to do something because their friends are. I think this would overall work better in my classroom.
I think the most important part is choice inside pathways. The students need that freedom in order to feel like they have responsibility for their own learning. I also think the students working at their own pace is important because no one feels rushed and they are able to get the most out of their learning. I think this pathway model is amazing and I would love to use it in my future classroom.
Flexible learning environment is more than just having flexible seating. It also includes flexible time. This can be done by having a block where you have to get core subjects done. With flexible learning time, teachers can choose what they feel students will learn most from at that time. If students come in and they are super interested in something they learned yesterday in math, it might be best to start with math today. If they struggled with reading yesterday, you may want to cushion that in between some areas they will be more successful in so they can feel that accomplishment before getting back to hard tasks.
Flexible learning environments can also feature flexible grouping of students. At my cooperating teacher's school they use flexible group. During a one hour reading block, the second grade team organizes students based on reading level. They go to these groups and get what they need. Students are able to move around these classrooms as their needs change throughout the year. I think this works well because they are being able to constantly change the people they are learning with. I think this helps them learn better overall.
Citation:
Distance Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.emaze.com/@AOLWQTWTI
Why Flexible Learning Environments? (2018, August 09). Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/08/why-flexible-learning-environments/
Charlotte Mecklenberg schools pathways are done based on the type of learner they are. They get to choose based on visual, tactile or auditory learner. The Newton-Conover pathways are done with differentiation and they follow the pathway that they need. I like the Charlotte-Mecklenberg way because it makes the students be more self aware about what kind of learner they are. However, I think I would end up using the Newton-Conover way in my classroom. I love the idea of differentiating based on what students need. This was everyone is getting what they need and the students are not able to pick that they just want to do something because their friends are. I think this would overall work better in my classroom.
I think the most important part is choice inside pathways. The students need that freedom in order to feel like they have responsibility for their own learning. I also think the students working at their own pace is important because no one feels rushed and they are able to get the most out of their learning. I think this pathway model is amazing and I would love to use it in my future classroom.
Flexible learning environment is more than just having flexible seating. It also includes flexible time. This can be done by having a block where you have to get core subjects done. With flexible learning time, teachers can choose what they feel students will learn most from at that time. If students come in and they are super interested in something they learned yesterday in math, it might be best to start with math today. If they struggled with reading yesterday, you may want to cushion that in between some areas they will be more successful in so they can feel that accomplishment before getting back to hard tasks.
Flexible learning environments can also feature flexible grouping of students. At my cooperating teacher's school they use flexible group. During a one hour reading block, the second grade team organizes students based on reading level. They go to these groups and get what they need. Students are able to move around these classrooms as their needs change throughout the year. I think this works well because they are being able to constantly change the people they are learning with. I think this helps them learn better overall.
Citation:
Distance Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.emaze.com/@AOLWQTWTI
Why Flexible Learning Environments? (2018, August 09). Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/08/why-flexible-learning-environments/
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Integrating Online Sites and Apps
I think online resources can help enhance the science experience. My teacher uses Youtubekids videos for everything. She will sometimes use them for science to help explain a concept. She also uses computer games for mathematics in her classroom.
I think the science experiments could not be duplicated on the computer. You could watch a video of the science experiment, you could even do an online version of the science experiment, however you cannot get the genuine experiment of being able to walk through the experiment process.
I think something that can be done with the computer is you could go on virtual field trips that you would never be able to take your students on in real life due to money or distance from you. For instance, on a unit on space you could have a virtual field trip where students explore NASA and watch a rocket launch.
I also think the computer could be used to replicate some experiments. For instance, a lot of students get squirmy at the thought of dissection. Dissection is also expensive for schools. Therefore, you could have students perform a frog dissection on the computer.
Students could be given time to play science games which could help them study for upcoming tests. It could also enhance what they are already learning.
I think the computer is a great resource to be used when it comes to enhancing learning. It can enhance learning and help give students new experiences they would otherwise not get to have.
Picture from:
Wall, M. (2018, March 23). SpaceX Rocket Launch Created Shock Wave 4 Times Larger Than California. Retrieved October 14, 2018, from https://www.space.com/40063-spacex-rocket-launch-shock-wave.html
I think the science experiments could not be duplicated on the computer. You could watch a video of the science experiment, you could even do an online version of the science experiment, however you cannot get the genuine experiment of being able to walk through the experiment process.
I think something that can be done with the computer is you could go on virtual field trips that you would never be able to take your students on in real life due to money or distance from you. For instance, on a unit on space you could have a virtual field trip where students explore NASA and watch a rocket launch.
I also think the computer could be used to replicate some experiments. For instance, a lot of students get squirmy at the thought of dissection. Dissection is also expensive for schools. Therefore, you could have students perform a frog dissection on the computer.
Students could be given time to play science games which could help them study for upcoming tests. It could also enhance what they are already learning.
I think the computer is a great resource to be used when it comes to enhancing learning. It can enhance learning and help give students new experiences they would otherwise not get to have.
Picture from:
Wall, M. (2018, March 23). SpaceX Rocket Launch Created Shock Wave 4 Times Larger Than California. Retrieved October 14, 2018, from https://www.space.com/40063-spacex-rocket-launch-shock-wave.html
Content Vocabulary
My classroom has only done one science experiment while I have been there. During this lesson she did not cover vocabulary. She set up a science experiment and said they would come back to it. Therefore, I am going to talk about strategies she uses in Language Arts.
My teacher regularly uses matching pairs. She will regularly give them a sheet where they cut out the vocabulary terms that are from their book of the week and have to glue it down beside the vocabulary term. The students like doing this and try to race each other as to who can do it first. During these races, they usually end up doing the vocabulary correctly so it does feel like they are learning using this method.
My teacher also regularly uses word of the day. Each day, the students learn a new vocabulary term. The teacher leads them through figuring it out based on the words pieces. They put these terms into their word journal which they can regularly look at if they forget a definition.
My teacher needs to be more consistent in using different models. The students will just write down one word in their journal that can be used as a definition of the word. I think it would be more beneficial if they were using a frayer model. I think this would help the students better understand the word because you can tell that the students are sometimes still confused about the words that they are learning for word of the day. I think a frayer model would work better because they have to do the definition and do examples and non-examples.
I think Realia would also be nice for my teacher to use because she has many English Language Learners and this is supposed to be very helpful for English Language Learners. It would be cool for her to incorporate this strategy into her lesson.
My teacher regularly uses matching pairs. She will regularly give them a sheet where they cut out the vocabulary terms that are from their book of the week and have to glue it down beside the vocabulary term. The students like doing this and try to race each other as to who can do it first. During these races, they usually end up doing the vocabulary correctly so it does feel like they are learning using this method.
My teacher also regularly uses word of the day. Each day, the students learn a new vocabulary term. The teacher leads them through figuring it out based on the words pieces. They put these terms into their word journal which they can regularly look at if they forget a definition.
My teacher needs to be more consistent in using different models. The students will just write down one word in their journal that can be used as a definition of the word. I think it would be more beneficial if they were using a frayer model. I think this would help the students better understand the word because you can tell that the students are sometimes still confused about the words that they are learning for word of the day. I think a frayer model would work better because they have to do the definition and do examples and non-examples.
I think Realia would also be nice for my teacher to use because she has many English Language Learners and this is supposed to be very helpful for English Language Learners. It would be cool for her to incorporate this strategy into her lesson.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Anchor Charts
Anchor charts are a tool used for whole group instruction. They are made during a lesson to create a visual representation of what is being taught during the lesson. These charts are then left out so that students can regularly reference them.
Anchor charts allow students to help join in the lesson. Students are allowed to interact with the teacher as they move through a lesson. Students help the teacher create the chart. Anchor charts are very helpful because they allow students to understand the vocabulary and be able to use it, it allows students to have a visual that they can regularly reference in the classroom and it helps students in being able to synthesize the vast amounts of information they have learned. This can be useful for science because a lot of times students will read about something but not be able to explain it. Through the use of anchor charts students can demonstrate to the teacher that they do know what they are talking about when it comes to a science concept. The creation of this chart can help them better understand the concept because they are building the chart with the teacher. They have to consolidate their thinking into a chart and when they get stuck the teacher can guide them along since she knows the content well. They are also left on the wall as a visual. Science concepts can involve many parts, for example parts of the cell or the water system. Through the use of an anchor chart left on the wall, students could have regular exposure to the material. This can help them better retain the information.
I will use anchor charts in my science instruction. I think they are a valuable tool. The students get to help you build the visual cues that they need. They are then in a place that the students can see everyday. I think they have many valuable positives that outweigh any negatives. I feel I will most often use anchor charts in science and math. In science I think they will be super helpful when it comes to bigger science concepts with many parts. I wish my biology teacher would have made one of these when we were learning about how cells make energy. This would have been very helpful. I will definitely be using anchor charts in my future classroom.
I will use anchor charts in my science instruction. I think they are a valuable tool. The students get to help you build the visual cues that they need. They are then in a place that the students can see everyday. I think they have many valuable positives that outweigh any negatives. I feel I will most often use anchor charts in science and math. In science I think they will be super helpful when it comes to bigger science concepts with many parts. I wish my biology teacher would have made one of these when we were learning about how cells make energy. This would have been very helpful. I will definitely be using anchor charts in my future classroom.
Work Cited:
M. (2015, August 18). THE BEST ANCHOR CHART PAPER EVER & A GIVEAWAY! [Web log post]. Retrieved September 29, 2018, from http://www.teachingwithamountainview.com/2015/08/the-best-anchor-chart-paper-ever.html
Moses, E., & Lee, H. (2014). Imitate and Innovate Anchor Charts. International Reading Associations Essentials,1-15. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from http://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/member-benefits/e-ssentials/ila-e-ssentials-8065.pdf
States of matter science anchor chart for kindergarten. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2018, from http://indulgy.com/post/2gzbEKp4b2/states-of-matter-science-anchor-chart-fo
Moses, E., & Lee, H. (2014). Imitate and Innovate Anchor Charts. International Reading Associations Essentials,1-15. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from http://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/member-benefits/e-ssentials/ila-e-ssentials-8065.pdf
States of matter science anchor chart for kindergarten. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2018, from http://indulgy.com/post/2gzbEKp4b2/states-of-matter-science-anchor-chart-fo
Friday, September 14, 2018
Scientific Method vs Engineering Design Process
The scientific method is a time tested way of learning to do experiments in the classroom. The engineering design process is a different method that I had never heard of before today.
The scientific method is a series of steps that can be followed to answer a question. This process begins with a question. The user researches the question and comes up with a hypothesis. The user then experiments to test their hypothesis. The user than analyzes that data to come up with conclusions.
In the engineering design process, the user is striving to solve a problem. They research that problem, and they along with their team, come up with all possible solutions to that problem. It is then narrowed to the best solution. A prototype is then built and tested. The user than works to improve the prototype until they feel they have the best possible solution.
In the classroom, the scientific method is most often used. Students are given the experiment by their teacher, told to come up with a hypothesis. They then follow the steps of the scientific method until they come up with a conclusion. This is very teacher led and the students are more or less following a template. I imagine that in the classroom, you would begin the engineering design process by putting the students into groups. You would then present them with a problem and the students would follow the engineering design process until they came up with the best prototype. They would then build that prototype and keep working on it until they have almost perfected it. In this classroom, the teacher is playing more of a boss role and the students are playing engineers. The teacher assigns them a task that she needs done and ultimately it is up with the students and their creativity to solve the problem.
I think teachers should use the engineering design process. I remember in middle school I had one teacher, in a robotics class, who used the engineering design process. I, at the time did not know this was what he was using. However, he told us we needed to build something that could move our pencil from our side of the table to the other side of the table We then were broken up into groups and had to come up with something. My group ultimately built a robot. When it failed to get the pencil to the other side of the table we kept working until it could. I remember this being so fun and unlike anything else I had ever done before. Our teacher did not give us solid help. He would ask questions that guided our thought, but he would not give us any hints. We learned a lot that day. I feel I learned more that day then I have in any science class following the scientific method. That is why I believe the engineering design process is the way to go in our classrooms.
The scientific method has its strengths. For instance, it helps students follow the process and ultimately get the experiment done. It was never a big deal if your hypothesis turned out incorrect, you could just make a new one and try the experiment again. This gets students into the science process and helps them become actively engaged in it. I think a weakness is that it is very teacher led. The teacher is still doing a lot of the leading. Often times the teacher will show them the experiment that they have to do. It takes away a lot of creativity.
The engineering design process has a strength of letting the children's imagination run wild. They ultimately have to constrain themselves to work with the resources that they have. A weakness of the engineering design process is that it could require more resources than the scientific method because students have to be able to build their prototype that they feel will best solve the problem. It can also be more time consuming because they have to spend a lot of time thinking about what prototype will work best before building it instead of following a previously designed experiment.
Overall, I feel that both the scientific method and the engineering design process have their place in today's classrooms. However, if you have the resources and the extra time, I feel the engineering design process is the way to go.
Citations:
[Jessica Maxwell]. (2016, August 25). Design Process vs. Scientific Method [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrlswrq5aIs
The Scientific Method. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bscsd.org/Page/991
TeachEngineering. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.teachengineering.org/k12engineering/designprocess
The scientific method is a series of steps that can be followed to answer a question. This process begins with a question. The user researches the question and comes up with a hypothesis. The user then experiments to test their hypothesis. The user than analyzes that data to come up with conclusions.
In the engineering design process, the user is striving to solve a problem. They research that problem, and they along with their team, come up with all possible solutions to that problem. It is then narrowed to the best solution. A prototype is then built and tested. The user than works to improve the prototype until they feel they have the best possible solution.
In the classroom, the scientific method is most often used. Students are given the experiment by their teacher, told to come up with a hypothesis. They then follow the steps of the scientific method until they come up with a conclusion. This is very teacher led and the students are more or less following a template. I imagine that in the classroom, you would begin the engineering design process by putting the students into groups. You would then present them with a problem and the students would follow the engineering design process until they came up with the best prototype. They would then build that prototype and keep working on it until they have almost perfected it. In this classroom, the teacher is playing more of a boss role and the students are playing engineers. The teacher assigns them a task that she needs done and ultimately it is up with the students and their creativity to solve the problem.
I think teachers should use the engineering design process. I remember in middle school I had one teacher, in a robotics class, who used the engineering design process. I, at the time did not know this was what he was using. However, he told us we needed to build something that could move our pencil from our side of the table to the other side of the table We then were broken up into groups and had to come up with something. My group ultimately built a robot. When it failed to get the pencil to the other side of the table we kept working until it could. I remember this being so fun and unlike anything else I had ever done before. Our teacher did not give us solid help. He would ask questions that guided our thought, but he would not give us any hints. We learned a lot that day. I feel I learned more that day then I have in any science class following the scientific method. That is why I believe the engineering design process is the way to go in our classrooms.
The scientific method has its strengths. For instance, it helps students follow the process and ultimately get the experiment done. It was never a big deal if your hypothesis turned out incorrect, you could just make a new one and try the experiment again. This gets students into the science process and helps them become actively engaged in it. I think a weakness is that it is very teacher led. The teacher is still doing a lot of the leading. Often times the teacher will show them the experiment that they have to do. It takes away a lot of creativity.
The engineering design process has a strength of letting the children's imagination run wild. They ultimately have to constrain themselves to work with the resources that they have. A weakness of the engineering design process is that it could require more resources than the scientific method because students have to be able to build their prototype that they feel will best solve the problem. It can also be more time consuming because they have to spend a lot of time thinking about what prototype will work best before building it instead of following a previously designed experiment.
Overall, I feel that both the scientific method and the engineering design process have their place in today's classrooms. However, if you have the resources and the extra time, I feel the engineering design process is the way to go.
Citations:
[Jessica Maxwell]. (2016, August 25). Design Process vs. Scientific Method [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrlswrq5aIs
The Scientific Method. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bscsd.org/Page/991
TeachEngineering. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.teachengineering.org/k12engineering/designprocess
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Final Reflection
When I started out this semester I was knew that technology needed to be integrated into my classroom. In the current world we live in everything is changing so fast and students need to have advanced computer skills in order to succeed in the classroom and beyond the classroom in life. I knew that it was my job, as the teacher, to help them develop these skills. However, I had no idea on how to integrate technology into my classroom.
I learned a lot of valuable things that I think will make me a better classroom teacher because I will be able to integrate these resources into my classroom. One thing that I found extremely helpful was the SAMR model. I like this model because it carefully details the ways in which to integrate technology into your classroom. Through the use of this model I now understand the ways in which to incorporate technology into my classroom.
I also learned about digital citizenship. I think this is important for us to know as teachers. I think we can use this knowledge in our own life to make sure we have a clean digital citizenship. I also think it is important that we teach this knowledge to our students so that they too can have a good digital citizenship.
In the future I will look for more, exciting apps that I can use in my classroom. This can make learning fun, therefore making my students more excited about learning. It is also good resources for integrating technology into the classroom. I will continue to stay up to date on the latest software that is coming out. I will try to integrate technology into my classroom to the best of my abilities. I now know how to do it and I have always understood the importance of it. Overall this class has provided me with the tools to help my students be more advanced learners that use technological resources. I think this will come in handy during my time in my future classroom.
Learn more about what I've learned!
Sources:
http://hallr.com/benefits-of-technology-in-the-classroom/
I also learned about digital citizenship. I think this is important for us to know as teachers. I think we can use this knowledge in our own life to make sure we have a clean digital citizenship. I also think it is important that we teach this knowledge to our students so that they too can have a good digital citizenship.
In the future I will look for more, exciting apps that I can use in my classroom. This can make learning fun, therefore making my students more excited about learning. It is also good resources for integrating technology into the classroom. I will continue to stay up to date on the latest software that is coming out. I will try to integrate technology into my classroom to the best of my abilities. I now know how to do it and I have always understood the importance of it. Overall this class has provided me with the tools to help my students be more advanced learners that use technological resources. I think this will come in handy during my time in my future classroom.
Learn more about what I've learned!
Sources:
http://hallr.com/benefits-of-technology-in-the-classroom/
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