Working the Gap Question

How can I take the first step toward assessing student understanding of a lesson and accomodating for individual learning levels? How do I know where a child has learned something?

Beginning of Quarter- Video Reactions

10/8/2011

Video Reactions

Web 2.0 The Machine is Us/Using Us was quick paced; the video literally was hard for me to keep up with! While I don’t understand the underpinnings of technology or website creation, I am comfortable with the internet.  The pace of the video provided a little discomfort.  There is more out there than I realize.  Who is looking at my information on the internet?

The internet is a creation all users need to take responsibility for.  As a shared space, we are responsible for the information we share.  The video did not introduced a new concept, per say, but presented it in a new artistic way.  I’m left thinking: “What was the motivation of the author?”

The second video Ted ideas worth spreading, children are working together in learning groups via technology.  In rural areas of India, children have access to the internet for the first time through Sugata Mitra’s work and teaching each other how to use it.  Mitra’s discussed students learning to change their accent and translate languages in order to teach themselves.  The learning which occurred in groups was important to their retention.  We have similarly discussed this concept in our cohort’s math class.  I was impressed by all the different pathways to learning that do not involve a formal learning system.  “Granny cloud” skyping, S.O.L.E.s, google translator, and sharing computers while working in groups were all new examples of utilizing technology.  The questions becomes: “Do these pathways remove the teacher, or does he/she have value?”  Mitra seemed to imply that assessment presented similar results between self taught and formally taught students.  However, I do not think this exempts the important role of a teacher.  Essentially the lack of teachers in areas where they are most needed fueled this research.  Our focus now should be on the power of learning in groups and with technology.

Literacy and Telling Time

10/8/2011

Hi Blogging Circle!

I’m excited for a new quarter, and a new school placement.  I was sad to see my third graders go so soon, but my dyad teacher has made me feel right at home.  Although I have only been in my new placement two days, I can already anticipate the immense growth I will make in teaching literacy in the next seven weeks.  Northshore uses Benchmark literacy, versus Journeys curriculum in Bellevue.  Both are foreign to me, and it’s interesting to compare the similarities and differences. 

I have worked one on one with several kids listening for fluency, asking questions for comprehension, and reading aloud to them a little.  I working with my first ELL student and really enjoyed his attitude and energy! I have no experience teaching phonics but my placement teacher gave me good feedback on how I sounded out words to him. 

I was not here in September when my dyad teacher assessed her student’s reading levels, however I’ve been working with each of them individually.  The real world experience has really been invaluable to me.  Knowing what questions to ask to illicit comprehension of vocabulary and storyline has given me some great tricks to keep in my back pocket.

I anticipate I’ll have several areas of growth in both placement, and continue to blog about what I learn.  I am getting lots of ideas for classroom set up.  For example, the photo below is a time telling strategy one of the Northshore teachers has in her room.  I have copies if anyone would like the original print to make your own!