Welcome to the Spring 2012 Semester!

Welcome to another fantastic semester of field experiences with teachers and students.

We will have our mandatory orientation at 8pm this Thursday. Please be prompt. If you cannot make it, you must make alternative arrangements before starting your clinicals.

You can access of Orientation website here.

Final Introduction to Teaching Seminar Notes

Thank you for attending our Introduction to Teaching seminars across the semester. It was a pleasure working with you and learning together.

Here is the link to the Professional Development Presentation ("Prezi") from our session. 

Here are the notes from the session.

As an added bonus, here is a link to a collection of classroom quotes I contributed to create at the NCTE conference from Amy Krause Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.

Here are a list of the resources mentioned during our Educator Panel:

The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong 

Survival Kit for New Teachers

Teaching Outside the Box by LouAnne Johnson

The First Year Teacher's Survival Guide by Julia Thompson 

Adraine Myers shared this document, which provides insights into what principals/department chairs look for when evaluating teaching units

EDUC 310 Clinical Experiences Paper Clarification

Across the semester you have been reflecting on the dispositions you have encountered in your clinical placement through our class blog. You should now have enough content to revise your posts and write your Clinical Experiences paper, which is worth 20% of your grade. This paper is due by midnight of January 5th. I will not accept late papers so make sure to submit it via LiveText on time. I have attached the directions to this email, as well as pasted it below. Take advantage of the Writing Center since I will be grading your paper using the Written Assignment Rubric. You can also meet with me if you have any questions or need assistance.

For your Clinical Experiences, find evidence of these Dispositions in practice in your clinical placement. Write up an analysis and reflection describing what you have seen that indicates that the teacher(s) did or did not exhibit these dispositions. Use concrete and behavioral examples that relate back to the characteristics of these dispositions. Reflect on how this experience informs or will inform your practice as an educator. You can keep notes in the attached grid, but your final analysis should be a formal essay with correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling. It is strongly advised that you visit the Writing Center for assistance with this paper. 

PLEASE NOTE: Since you are writing about your observations, you can use the first person for this paper. However, please follow all other conventions of formal papers. 

Week #8: Integrity

For each week's post, you can answer the question below. Each week we will focus on a different disposition or element of the Conceptual Framework. Feel free to post your own questions for your classmates as well.

Integrity:

How did your supervising teacher express integrity in and out of the classroom? Provide concrete and behavioral examples to that relate back to the characteristics of the dispositions.

Think about the following aspects of integrity in your answer:

•  acts according to moral principles
• honest and ethical
• dependable, trustworthy, and honors commitments 
• stands up for what is right, especially to support students

Week #7: Initiative

For each week's post, you can answer the question below. Each week we will focus on a different disposition or element of the Conceptual Framework. Feel free to post your own questions for your classmates as well.

Initiative:

How did your supervising teacher express initiative in and out of the classroom? Provide concrete and behavioral examples to that relate back to the characteristics of the dispositions.

Think about the following aspects of initiative in your answer:

• takes responsibility for helping all students - even outside the classroom
• follows through with plans
• communicates with parents about student progress
• seeks advice from others
• takes on new projects to grow professionally

Preparing for the visit to the PlanetEsme Bookroom

We are moving full speed ahead to prepare for our next seminar on December 4th to meet with Esme Raji Codell at her bookroom. I am really excited for you to meet her and have a chance to learn about the importance of children's literature and reading aloud in your classroom.

To prepare for this visit, here is what is REQUIRED.

• Purchase How to Get Your Child to Love Reading and another one of Esme's books (your choice)
• Read the selections from our Introduction to Teaching Seminar Binder:
• “January 12” from Educating Esme
• "Advise for Aspiring and New Elementary School Teachers" from Educating Esme 
•  “We Got Her” from Sahara Special 

• Become familiar with her work by going to PlanetEsme.com and browsing. Check out the links to each of the books she has published so you are familiar with her work. Authors across the kidlitosphere have said that the hardest part of an author visit is when the participants don't know anything about their work, so do Esme a favor a brush up on your knowledge of her work..
• To find out the history of her bookroom, click here. 

Optional, but oh so wonderful

Listen to her Hearing Voices from NPR: Educating Esme: A Teacher’s Diary

http://hearingvoices.com/news/2009/06/hv061-educating-esme/ 

(Note: There is some adult language so you are aware)

About Educating Esme Website

This is a website a student made for an Education class. A great resource, including Esme's bio, videos, quotes, reflections, and recommendations. 

Patton, J R. "Esme Raji Codell: First Lady of Read-Aloud She's a Literary Fairy Godmother, a "readiologist" and a Cupcake-Baker Extraordinaire. Is There Anything Madame Esme Can't Do?" Teaching Pre-K-8. 37.5 (2007): 46-48. Web. 
An excellent article about Esme!!

You are not required to read all of her books before our next seminar, but if you are interested in reading any of the following books, you are welcome to borrow them from me:

Educating Esme (2001)

Sahara Special  (2004)

Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: A Memoir of My Fifth-Grade Year   (2004)

Diary of a Fairy Godmother (2005)

Hanukkah, Shmanukkah! (2005) 

Vive La Paris (2006)

Fairly Fairy Tales  (2011)

 

The Basket Ball (2011)

It's Time for Preschool! (Coming in July 2012)

Introduction to Teaching Seminar #3: Children in the 21st Century: Video Activity

It was another whirlwind seminar today! Thank you so much for your input and participation in this seminar. We had a lot of material to cover and didn't get through everything, but it was worth it to have our fantastic speakers, Mr. Joe Rosen and Mrs. Brandy Schaffel, join us and let us know about their experiences - and provide some very helpful advice for future educators. If you would like access to the audio version of the seminar, please contact me.

Lesson Plan for Intro to Teaching Seminar #3
This is my lesson plan for this seminar, which includes additional resources and materials.

Resources for Intro to Teaching Seminar #3
This is a document with links to all the materials, videos, and resources I shared during the seminar, as well as some extras that I didn't get to share.

Mr. Joe Rosen's Resources
Meeting the Needs of All Students 
www.mcdowell.cps.k12.il.us

Activity from Intro to Teaching Seminar #3
We did not have time to do the group work activity during our seminar, but I think it can be a valuable activity to try. Therefore, I would like you do this activity individually and respond to your classmate's responses.

You should watch the videos below:

Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids

http://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak.html

You Can’t be My Teacher

http://youtu.be/0VSymMbMYHA

You have just watched two very different videos with two very different children telling teachers how they should teach. Write a comment to this blog post about the children in the videos and ways you can serve them. What do you think their needs are? What are their interests/backgrounds? What do you need to know about them in order to be their teacher? What are some strategies in order to teach them? Think critically about Adora Svitak and the You Can’t Be my Teacher Boy and what you learned during our seminar.

Resources for Introduction to Teaching Seminar #2

Here are the resources from our Introduction to Teaching Seminar on October 30th.

Check out your list of Knowledge and Skills that teachers must have to be effective educators. Feel free to add additional ideas in the comments.

Lesson Plan Resources:

General Lesson Plan

How to Write a Lesson Plan

IL Professional Teaching Standards

Remember your collaborative lesson plan is due on Sunday, November 14th at midnight.  


A video of this session is available to students who missed this session.  

Week #6: Insight

For each week's post, you can answer the question below. Each week we will focus on a different disposition or element of the Conceptual Framework. Feel free to post your own questions for your classmates as well.

Insight:

How did your supervising teacher express insight in and out of the classroom? Provide concrete and behavioral examples to that relate back to the characteristics of the dispositions.

Think about the following aspects of insight in your answer:

• thinks outside the box 
• understands child development 
• considers motivational factors to behavior 
• focuses on the positive in each student
• reflects for self-improvement

Week #5: Fairness

For each week's post, you can answer the question below. Each week we will focus on a different disposition or element of the Conceptual Framework. Feel free to post your own questions for your classmates as well.

Fairness:

How did your supervising teacher express fairness in and out of the classroom? Provide concrete and behavioral examples to that relate back to the characteristics of the dispositions.

Think about the following aspects of fairness in your answer:

•  positive relationships with students and parents
• gives each child what he or she needs
• conflict resolution
• differentiated lessons 
• mentor to students

Screencasts as Educational Tools: Learning how to Comment

Screencasts are an amazing and easy to use educational tool to teach people using media. Check out the video below to learn how to add comments to our blog, and if you feel ambitious, go ahead and create your own screencast using Screenr.com and share it with our class.

Mentor Teacher Interview

Post your Mentor Teacher Interview in the comments below. I have pasted the directions below for reference. This post is due by midnight on October 30th. Please make sure to edit your paper for spelling and grammar errors. Please make sure to remove any identifying details such as the name of the mentor or school.

Mentor Teacher Interview

Interview a Mentor Teacher. This can be a teacher that you loved from your own school experience, the teacher you are working with, a faculty member that you respect, or another teacher you discover. Find out why he/she chose teaching as a profession, challenges and rewards of teaching, and how teaching has changed since he/she began his/her career.  The purpose of this interview is for you to find a mentor teacher who you can look to as a role model and start reflecting on your identity as a teacher. Make sure to reflect on how his/her answers made you think about teaching.  Write this interview as though you were writing for an educational newsletter with a creative beginning and end. Do not simply write questions and answers. It is strongly recommended that you use the Writing Center for help with this assignment.

Week #4: Flexibility

Welcome back! I hope all of you had a wonderful break!


For each week's post, you can answer the question below. Each week we will focus on a different disposition or element of the Conceptual Framework. Feel free to post your own questions for your classmates as well.

Flexibility:

How did your supervising teacher express flexibility in and out of the classroom? Provide concrete and behavioral examples to that relate back to the characteristics of the dispositions.

Think about the following aspects of flexibility in your answer:

• responsive to change 
• teachable moments
• reaction to different perspectives 
• problem solving

A Teacher's Toolbox

Part of becoming a teacher is starting a collection of resources and 'tools' that you will use throughout your career. Creating a Delicious account can help you keep track of the web resources you encounter. You can also start an actual paper file for resources you collect. Whatever way you save them, you should 'bookmark' resources you find interesting or helpful. Here are some resources to get you started on your toolbox. Please feel free to share your own resources and we can create a class list of tools to use.

Chinuch.org
This is an amazing resource for those of you who want to be Judaic Studies teachers, or if you are interested in professional development as a Jewish educator. I suggest watching Rabbi Frand's "What Makes a Great Teacher" video. You will need to sign up for a Chinuch account, but then you can download resources and save them.

http://classroomcommunity.wordpress.com/
A group of educators received a grant through the Chicago Foundation for Education and have created a website for resources they have developed. Pay close attention to the Community Building Mentor Texts when you think about how to create a positive classroom environment and incorporate character building in your curriculum. There are also many great resources for classroom management and family communication.

Chicago Foundation for Education

The Chicago Foundation for Education offers grants and professional development opportunities to Chicago Public School teachers. Teachers can often get the resources they need for projects and materials in their classroom through CFE grants. Grant writing is an important part of professional development and CFE can help you learn how to do this. If you are interested in this or working with your supervising teacher on a grant, I would be happy to help you.

Week #3: Respect

For each week's post, you can answer the question below. Each week we will focus on a different disposition or element of the Conceptual Framework. Feel free to post your own questions for your classmates as well.

Respect:

How did your supervising teacher express respect in and out of the classroom? Provide concrete and behavioral examples to that relate back to the characteristics of the dispositions.

Think about the following aspects of respect in your answer:

• interactions with students, parents, colleagues, observers
• reflects on performance 
• courteous, polite, and friendly 
• sensitivity to diversity 

Week #2: Enthusiasm

For each week's post, you can answer the question below. Each week we will focus on a different disposition or element of the Conceptual Framework. Feel free to post your own questions for your classmates as well.

Enthusiasm:

How did your supervising teacher express enthusiasm in and out of the classroom? Provide concrete and behavioral examples to that relate back to the characteristics of the dispositions.

Think about the following aspects of enthusiasm in your answer:

• enjoyment of the subject matter 
• smiles and moves around
• students express enthusiasm
• passion for teaching 
• higher calling in teaching

Notes from Introduction to Teaching Seminar #1

Here is the video of George Bush's reaction to 9/11 that Ruthie sent me.Thanks so much for sharing this.

Check out The Characteristics of a Good Teacher and think about what you would still add to the list as you go through the semester.

Here is the link to the PowerPoint Slides for our first session. If you missed some of the content, please make sure to review the PowerPoint.

As part of our Clinical Experiences Orientation and our discussion of the dispositions, we discussed how your dispositions are assessed in several ways. Review the forms we use to assess dispositions by clicking on the links below:

Student Dispositions Self-Report Form**

Clinical Experiences Student Evaluation Form***

Faculty Committee Dispositions Form

Student Teacher Dispositions Form

**You will complete the Student Dispositions Self-Report Form this semester if you are applying or are accepted to the Department of Education.

***Your Cooperating Teacher at your clinical placement will fill out this form.

As you begin your clinicals this week, I strongly recommend reviewing 

“Looking for a Moral: An Observer’s Guide” from The Moral Life of Schools by Philip W. Jackson, Robert E. Boostrom, and David T. Hansen, which is one of the last items in your binder.

WAITING FOR "SUPERMAN" REFLECTION

Since we did not have time to finish watching the film, please make sure to view the rest of the film before our next session and answer the following question by commenting on this post. I will have a copy available for you to borrow.

Based on Waiting for "Superman" and your own opinions about education, what do you think are some ways that education can be improved in America? How can you do to make this change happen? 
 

Week #1: Professionalism

For each week's post, you can answer the question below. Each week we will focus on a different disposition or element of the Conceptual Framework. Feel free to post your own questions for your classmates as well.

Professionalism:

How did your supervising teacher express professionalism in and out of the classroom? Provide concrete and behavioral examples to that relate back to the characteristics of the dispositions. 

Think about the following aspects of professionalism in your answer:

• dress and demeanor
• preparation to teach
• individual interactions with students: tone of voice, manner, eye gaze 
• if relevant, how he/she discusses the students with you
• interaction with supervisors, other staff, parents 

Welcome to the Becoming Educators Blog!

As part of your Clinical Experiences this semester, you will be interacting with your classmates virtually using this blog. You are responsible to post at least once a week once you start your clinicals until you complete your hours. You should post a substantial reflection on your experience, observations, and interactions. You will have specific assignments to complete at your placement, and this blog is a great forum to get feedback on your ideas. You should also comment at least once a week about another person's post and stimulate a conversation.Your participation in this blog will contribute towards your grade in your coursework so it is important that you post early and often.

Guidelines for Posts:

Posts should be free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Visit the Writing Center for help with your posts.

Only use first names, pseudonyms, or abbreviations when discussing children, teachers, or schools. It is essential that you are sensitive to confidentiality and privacy.

Each post should be substantial, reflective paragraph that shows your engagement with the content of your classes and experiences at your placement(s). You should discuss your classroom placement, the Introduction to Teaching Seminar, special field trips, class content, and any other relevant information. Feel free to share resources or links with the group.

Use your professionalism and insight when commenting on other people's posts. It's okay to disagree, but make sure your feedback is collegial and respectful. 

You will need a Gmail account in order to use the blog. 

You can also consider the questions below during your Clinical Experiences.

1. How does the teacher deal with conflict in the classroom?

2. What material are they covering? Does the teacher seem to understand the material and convey that understanding to the students?

3. What is the set-up of the classroom?

4. How do the students respond to the teacher? Are they excited to see her/him?

5. Where does the teacher stand during instruction? Does she/he move/interact with students?

6. What do the students do during free time? Do they share/interact/pretend?

7. Listen carefully to side conversations. Have you heard any interesting observations/comments?

8. How do the children react to being given a new task? Do you think they feel prepared to do it?

9. How does she/he help or interact with the quiet or weaker students?

In a Special Education placement:

10. How does the teacher adjust instruction to meet the students’ needs?

11. How do you recognize children with exceptionalities?

12. How does the student perform a task you give him/her?

13. How has your understanding of special education changed during/after your experience?