Pinterest!

I allowed myself only 30 minutes of searching on pinterest this morning.  While I was searching through classroom boards I came across an idea that I have seen before.  However, it was even better because it has pink AND animal print!

I looked at the blog, Teaching in Flip Flops, and I love how she decorated her room!  I'm not sure that I am that creative, but when I get my own classroom I might make a good attempt!

I did it!

I made my classroom management chart today!  It looks pretty good but I got a little crooked on Parent Contact.  I'm sure I'll be fixing it soon or it will drive me crazy!  !

Positive Discipline

Originally posted September 14, 2011

For my Pedagogy II class we are required to do a presentation on a chosen theorist.  I am currently working with my partner to research Jane Nelson and Lynn Lott's "Encouragement and Support."  We have to design a 15 minute interactive presentation and create a  handout for our fellow classmates outlining the key points of this theory.

I think this theory brings up an important, maybe controversial, topic of discipline in the classroom.  Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott support a positive environment and cutting out punishment in classrooms.  In order to supplement my presentation I ordered their book, Positive Discipline in the Classroom, and started reading their ideas on how to be effective.

I have always been an advocate for encouraging and supporting good behavior inside the classroom.  Lynn Lott stated that, "to create a nurturing, respectful environment that is conducive to learning teachers must take the first step to eliminate humiliation and punishment.  Rudolf Dreikers says, "Children need encouragement like plants need water."  As teachers I feel it is important to support this theory in order to have a positive and safe environment for our students.

I think teachers often get caught up in the misconception that punishment and humiliation makes students want to work harder.  I personally think this just puts your classroom into a bad state.  It won't push students to do better; instead, they will just be more careful to not get caught and hold themselves back.  It is extremely detrimental to students learning and development if your classroom is based around punishment.

Nelsen and Lott encourage teachers to remove all punishment and humiliation from the classroom setting because it is harmful to students.  By removing these negative practices, students are more likely to thrive in your classroom.  They will enjoy the freedom of being themselves and not being afraid of getting caught making the wrong move.

Nelsen and Lott state that, "a Positive Discipline classroom is a process of putting together parts of a puzzle."  The book contains this diagram:

Each of these components is important to creating a positive environment in the classroom.  If you create an ineffective classroom environment, your students will not be able to grow and develop as much as they would in a positive classroom environment.  One of the main parts to the puzzle is using encouragement.  This needs to be a part of our classroom each and every day.  Encouragement is vital for students to thrive.  Also, some students may be lacking encouragement at home and it is important for us as teachers to create that safe and nurturing environment in school for them.
So far I have really enjoyed this book and I think it contains a lot of great ideas for the classroom.  I am glad that my partner and I chose to research these two theorists.  I believe that their work will influence my classroom and be beneficial for me and my students.  It is important to realize what students need in the classroom in order for them to work at their highest potential.  Implementing these theories into the classroom can be the missing ingredient that takes learning to a whole new level for your students.

Until now I haven't had much experience in creating a positive classroom environment.  I hope that in my PSII experience and in my student teaching I will have the opportunity to see how this works inside a successful classroom.  I know that this type of environment most likely takes time, practice, and experience to develop.  My goal is to start off as best as I can and improve as I get further into my teaching career.

Fabulous Weather

Originally posted November 24, 2011

Once again it has been a while since I've updated!  I've been busy teaching second graders and I just finished up my first unit plan!  The topic was Weather and we covered clouds, the water cycle, snow, tornadoes, and rainbows.  I was really happy with everything and I got really good evaluations from my cooperating teacher and university supervisor.  It was a good week!

Monday was cloud day!  The students learned about the four main types of clouds: cumulus, stratus, cirrus and cumulonimbus.  The lesson began by reading a "Weather Watcher" book on Clouds.  The students then completed a graphic organizer as we took an in-depth look at clouds on the Scholastic Weather Watcher.  The students looked at each type of cloud and made observations.  Then I would read about each cloud to the students.  Once the graphic organizer was completed, the students used it to create cotton ball clouds.  I was impressed with how they turned out!  A few students did struggle with differentiating the different types of clouds.  I think more teacher-directed instruction would have helped these students along with more structure for the cloud activity.

Tuesday the students learned about the Water Cycle.  I had students work in small groups to create rain in a jar.  I began by reviewing the cloud lesson from the day before and making the connection that the ice cubes represented the cloud.  As the students watched the jars I gave some teacher-directed instruction talking about evaporation and the water turning to vapor.  The the students lifted the lid to see the rain drops gathering and we talked about the vapor turning back into water (condensation).  We also discussed what would happen when the water drops got too heavy and the students guessed they would fall as rain (precipitation).  After the students lifted the lid we gathered in the front of the room to learn the water cycle boogie.  This song/dance outlines the three main parts with motions to aid in student memory of the water cycle.  This is a difficult concept for second grade and the vocabulary is difficult so the song was a fun way to assist the students in learning.  They LOVED it!  I gave each student an image of the water cycle and a copy of the water cycle boogie to keep.

Wednesday we learned about snow.  The purpose of the day was basically to review the concept of the water cycle and that when the temperature is cold enough the rain is snow.  The students watched a video clip of the Blizzard in NYC over Halloween weekend.  I also did a read aloud of Snowflake Bentley to get the students motivated.  They love being read to so they really enjoyed the story.  For the lesson we reviewed the water cycle boogie and then we created real and paper snow globes for each student.  I pre-cut all of the pieces to the paper snow globes.  I made a blue circle, black square and "If I lived in a snow globe" for each student.  To make the snow globes I bought plastic mason jars from Walmart and I also bought cheap little snow man ornaments (some pink and some blue) to glue to the lid.  I allowed each student to add the glitter and water and to twist on the cap with the snowman of choice.  Then I used the hot glue gun to seal the rim to avoid any leaks and this way they could not be opened on the bus.

Thursday was Tornado day!  We started with another video clip, this time of the Tuscaloosa tornado in the spring.  The students were really interested in the clip and asked to watch it again.  Following the video clip I read a short Weather Watcher book on Wind allowing students to activate some background knowledge.  Then I used the Scholastic Weather Watcher Website to learn more about Tornadoes as the students filled out a "Gist" graphic organizer that I created.  Following the completion of the graphic organizers, I had the students return to their seats.  I had created "Tornadoes in Jar" for the students to look at to see how the tornadoes really work.  The students really enjoyed it!

Finally Friday!  It was rainbow day!  We did a review of the week and what we learned.  We also reviewed storms/tornadoes to lead into the rainbow lesson.  I read A Rainbow of my own to the students as the motivation.  Then we read about rainbows from Weather Wiz Kids.  Following the discussion I had the students create their own rainbows using fruit loops.  Surprisingly.. they didn't eat them!  I also gave each student a Roy G. Biv card to help them remember the colors of the rainbow.  Today was an easy/fun day to conclude the weather unit for the students.

If I had more time I would have done the introductory and culminating activity.  As an introduction I would have read Weather Words and What they mean by Gail Gibbons and talked about the basics of weather.  This also would help to see if the students have any previous knowledge on the topic.  As a culminating activity I wanted to have a weather day.  The idea was for students to dress up as meterologists and give a weather report to the class in small groups.  Too bad there wasn't more time! Oh, here was my bulletin board in the hallway outside the classroom:

This week I also implemented my own classroom management strategy.  This particular group of second graders is chatty so I created "quiet critters."  The critters sit on my desk in a jar and when the students are working quietly they come out and sit on the desks.  However, if it gets too loud the critters go back in the jar because they are scared.  The students really liked them and it seemed to work well.  I made the critters with some pom pom balls and googly eyes that I purchased from Walmart.

It was a good first full week and I learned a lot.  I even got a few of these that warmed my heart and reminded me why I love the profession:

Classroom Management Idea

Tonight I came across Once Upon A Teaching Blog.  I found a classroom management idea that I really like and want to try with my fourth graders.  It is a clip chart that is leveled with Outstanding, Great Day, Good Day, Ready to Learn, Think About It, Teacher's Choice, Parent Contact, and Office.  Each student would have a labeled clip and start on "Ready to Learn."  If a student has excellent behavior or misbehaves, his or her clip will move on the chart.

You can find the blog here.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Yesterday in my night class a group of graduate students, who are current teachers, came to talk to our class about parent-teacher conferences.  Prior to last night I never really thought about them.  Really: how intimidating is it to talk to a parent about their child especially if there are issues that you need to discuss?  It can be scary to a first time teacher.  I'm sure that it does get easier the more you do it, but how do you prepare for round one?
We only had about a half hour to listen to what these teachers had to say about their experiences and recommendations for future teachers.  One of the teachers said near the end of the first week of school she begins calling every parent to tell them about their students week.  She has found that this develops a relationship with the parents and shows your concern for the child; it also makes meeting in person more relaxed.
I also found an article on Scholastic, Teacher Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Always begin with something positive about the child, then work your way into what needs to be improved upon.
Janice Allen, Vincennes, IN

To prepare myself and the parents for conferences, I send home a form with the conference invitation that asks the parents to write down their concerns and questions about their child or school policies, and return it to me before conferences. I also include a list of major topics we have covered and what I expect each child to be able to do. That way, parents can review what their child has done from papers sent home, and it won't be a surprise if their child isn't doing well. Then, I spend conference time working with parents on a plan to help their child. I also keep work samples on hand for conferences.
Sharlene Hahl, Antioch, IL
Don't talk down to parents. Be honest and truthful. Try to speak in the positive, not always negative. Offer positive ways to help a struggling child.Make at home ideas and games to be used by the parents to work with the child. LISTEN to what the parents have to say. Thank them for taking time to come and meet with you on the day of the conference. 
Connie Caldwell, Fort Wayne, IN
As an administrator I encourage my staff to "Be Prepared". Send home brief questionaires to parents asking them if they have a specific area or concern they wish to talk about. Have plenty of work samples, especially if you are going to talk about an area of weakness, PLUS, have some specific suggestions ready for the parent when they ask "What can I do to help?" Remember...you are the instructional expert. 
Ercell Cody, St. Charles, MO
It is extrememly important to start with a positive statement about the student and to point out any positive experiences that child has had to date. I think for a middle school student it is important to stress the need to write assignments down in an agenda book and not rely on memory for homework assignments. I like to make sure that, as the parent ends the conference, I review two or three main things the student must do to become an even better student and ask that the parent contact me in a couple of weeks to see if there has been an improvement. 
M. Lonchar, Waukegan, IL
Simple things...I always include the student. After all, how can we work as a team if the key player is not there? I also make sure we are all sitting at a table in the same size chairs. It will keep everyone on the same level, both physically and psychologically. I make sure I know the parents' correct names, both first and last. In many cases, last names are different from the student's. 
Paula VanDerVeer, Fultonville, NY
I include the child in the conference so he can proudly show his parents what he's done well. Then we talk about areas to improve on, and together we make a home-school plan that everyone can buy into. The child is now aware that parents and teachers are talking the same language and there is more commitment on all sides. If I or the parent wish to converse in private, that is an option at the end of the conference. 
Sue Welch, Quincy, IL
I take the "sandwich" approach. I start with something positive, continue with the things that the child needs to work on, and I finish with something positive.I also have his or her portfolio with me the day of the conference. 
Marcelle Tapia, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
I'm always careful about how I phrase comments to parents. It's very easy to say the wrong thing and make an enemy of the parent and child. That's the worse thing that a teacher can do. 
Mimi Weitz, Little Neck, NY
I write notes on the child before the conference and put them into two categories; Glows and Grows. This helps me to stay focused on the child and their strengths and needs both academically and behaviorally. 
Melissa Alfonso, Lancaster, PA
I communicate with the parent throughout the quarter so there are no surprises. WE agree upon a goal or two, with the child, in a get-acquainted meeting early in the schoolyear. I call, email, fax, write notes, invite parents in throughout the quarter.
The twenty minute report card conference includes discussions of the goals and plans for the future. We often have "student led" conferences in which the student talks through his/her portfolio and report card. A goal for the next quarter is established. 
L. LaBarbera, Oak Park, IL

I completely agree to start with a positive comment.  I have found this to be successful as a majorette coach.  If you go in with a negative attitude and instantly start with a negative, parents are likely to get defensive and that will be the end of your conference.  Also, being prepared.  There is no way you can be successful in this profession if you are not prepared.  By being organized and prepared to show parents all of the necessary items, you are likely to have better luck when discussing important issues.  It is important to construct a good relationship with parents.  It will make your job easier and the child will have greater success in the classroom.

One of the teachers from last night also mentioned about parents not showing up and not wanting to be involved in their child's education.  The parents you need to see the most are the ones least likely to show up.  I found this video on youtube; Kym Worthy proposed, in Michigan, that when parents miss teacher conferences they spend three days in jail:

Now jail may be a little extreme.  However, I agree that parents should be accountable and responsible when it comes to their child's education.  It has been proven that children who have parents involved in their education are more successful.  I don't think there will ever be a way to force parents into going to conferences, but I think you need to stress the importance.
I think the lesson learned here is good communication.  It is a must to have a successful classroom.  It takes practice, but it always helps to get input from teachers who are already down the road.