Drjean01
|
Provide rich teaching for students ...
Star this Commitment
Week 3 of 3
Drjean01 commits to:
Completing 5 entries with all required components
1
2
No more reports due
|
My Commitment Journal
 Drjean01
July 7, 2024, 10:44 PM
|
|
|
Enrichment Mindset Self-assessment – I honestly admit that at times I do allow initial impressions of my students to enter my mind. As of late there have been quite a few negative impressions. However, I do keep in mind that all my students have the capacity to learn, so it is up to me to put the negative thoughts away and instead, focus on how we’re going to attack the learning process. With my students being with me all day, they are very keen on picking up on my motivation, whether high or a lack thereof. So, I must be careful to be always motivated, especially for those students who’ve already developed an unmotivated disposition of themselves. Teachers very much so influence their students. In a multi-categorical self-contained classroom, it is a fact that each of my students learn differently. Small group instruction out ways large group instruction always. This helps me to get a better understanding of how and if learning is taking place within each of my students. New Insights – One interesting insight is the fact that “school experiences with above average teachers can raise student achievement in mathematics by as much as two standard deviations” (Ferguson, 1998). That amazing to think about. Just imagine the student output we’d get if all teachers consistently maintained being that above average teacher. Another insight is the importance of maintaining in us and our students a positive mindset before and after failures because this greatly influences our future performance. Our students need to consistently know and see that they can grow and learn. It is our job as educators to constantly expose this mindset to them. In this way, when they experience failure, they don’t just give up but instead, find a way to grow from it. A third insight is to know and understand that most students who grow up in poverty begin school at a disadvantage when it comes to word knowledge and phonological awareness to due lack of exposure. It is important that the exposure they haven’t received in the home takes place ten-fold in the classroom. Strategy Implementation – A strategy I would implement is improving my students’ thinking skills. My classroom would be set up with the students sitting in groups of three or four to encourage peer interaction. During lessons, turn-and-talks would be implemented, but not without first being modeled for the students. There would be fluent use of open-ended questions that encourage and require the students to think critically before answering the question. Maybe incorporating reflection Fridays where the students can reflect on their week. Not just merely explaining what they like/disliked or accomplished/not accomplished, but rather really explaining why they think it happened the way it did and what they plan to change in the week to come. More opportunities for decision-making would be present in the classroom. In math, more focus would be placed on real-world problem solving, and in reading concepts such as drawing conclusions, making inferences, analyzing and evaluating would be emphasized. All these skills combined would provide opportunity for my students to expand their thinking and develop critical thinking skills needed to be most successful in the learning process. |
|
|
Drjean01
July 5, 2024, 12:43 PM
|
|
|
Rich Classroom Climate Mindset Self-assessment – I look at classroom climate as the way it makes my students feel, and culture is more so how we do things within our classroom such as schedules, procedures, and routines. Respect of differences and individual importance is established from day one and maintained throughout the school year. This helps them develop confidence in who they are as a person. In addition, we have morning meetings each day where students gain skills such as learning and cooperation and empathy, an opportunity to get to know one another as it pertains to likes, dislikes, etc. It’s also a time where they learn how to implement Stephen Covey’s eight habits of leadership, not only within the school setting, but in their daily lives as well. My students learn that they are the key to their success. We use lots of visuals in our classroom when it comes to progress. This allows my students to see where they were, where they are currently, and where they’re going. New Insights – The first insight was to ensure understanding of the difference of classroom climate and classroom culture. Climate represents how students feel within my classroom, and culture represents our way of doing things. Another insight was how a positive school climate predicts student achievement at high poverty schools. It increases the likelihood that students will be higher achievers. The third insight was how quickly classroom climate can be developed and can go just as fast. As educators, we must be consciously aware of this fact so that we are consistently maintaining a positive climate conducive to learning. Strategy Implementation – One strategy to focus on in the rich classroom climate mindset is fostering academic optimism. I recently had a new student to start in my classroom. He is a third-grade student who is independently functioning at a kindergarten level in reading. Unfortunately, he’d already resigned himself to the fact that he couldn’t read and that would always be the case. His answer to anything educational was “Oh I can’t read”. It has been the most heart-breaking thing to witness. I’ve begun taking steps to show him that all is not said and done, and as long as you’re breathing, the opportunity to learn something new every day does in fact exist. Although rigorous long-term goals are important, we must understand that short-term objectives are just as significant. Our students thrive on success and need to visually see continuous progress. Our students don’t’ need to just be told that they can do it. They need to be able to see it as well. Short-term goals allow for more frequent feedback and a better visual for the students’ progress towards the bigger picture. My student in now beginning to understand that his statement is no longer an excuse as his academic skills are on the increase. As a result, he is developing a more positive attitude towards learning. |
|
|
Drjean01
July 3, 2024, 9:39 AM
|
|
|
Positivity Mindset Self-assessment – What I’ve come to realize is true throughout my teaching experience, is that my attitude directly affects my students. For instance, on days that I come in not feeling well, but trying to push through, the students’ attitudes take on a sad and worried tone. Then recently when I returned after the passing of my brother, there was an overwhelming somberness in the classroom. In both instances, I had to put a smile on my face, let my students know that I would be okay, and remind them that learning still had to continue despite the circumstances. Whatever my attitude is for the day will be greatly reflected in my students. Part of my philosophy has always been, learning should be fun. Otherwise, not much is going to be accomplished in the classroom. In a school where the majority population live in poverty, I realize that there are so many pressing issues at the forefront of our students’ minds that school is often placed on the back burner. For this reason, I try to focus on a safe, worry-free and light-spirited classroom environment in which my students can excel. New Insights – One interesting fact I was enlightened on is that individuals who grow up in poverty have more than double the rate of violent victimization. I did know that these students experience trauma and have stressors, just not to that extent in comparison. This is important to know because the behaviors they may exhibit must be addressed meticulously. Another insight is how an increase in the neurotransmitters of dopamine, serotonin, and a noradrenaline have an improved affect. A focus on these areas can lead to greater working memory, effort, attention, mood regulation and learning just to name a few. A third insight is understanding that, as educators, building a positive mindset in our students is well within our control. Most often we tend to think that our students have total control over this area. However, truth is, strategies for positivity can be learned in a way that increases student performance. Strategy Implementation – I’d like to focus on strategies that improve serotonin levels in my classroom. In a self-contained setting with multi-categorical disabilities, a sense of calm can be hard to attain. The first step I would take, since attitude influences attitude, is to be sure that I am always using a calm tone. Next, I would ensure a sense of community where the students know and understand that they are needed in the learning process for all of us to be successful. As a matter of fact, I begin each day with a greeting that my students lead and recite each day that includes the words, “I need the class and the class needs me, so I’ll do my part and you do yours, if you fall down, we’ll pick you up, the finish line only counts if we cross it together”. I want the students to know that we’re in this together and we have their backs. In addition, structure and routines are a must. My students thrive on knowing the class schedule and what will happen next, so I keep a visual schedule that we stick to in the classroom. Finally, I’d like to create an environment in which my students know and understand they have choice. From classroom jobs to assignments, students would know that options are there, and that they always have a voice. |
|
|
Drjean01
July 2, 2024, 12:06 AM
|
|
|
Achievement Mindset Self-assessment – Upon reflection, it is evident that I have the mindset and belief that all children can learn. It’s quite possibly the reason I chose the field of special education. Knowing this truth still doesn’t make the process easy by any means. Special education is a field that keeps you in the growth mindset which is extremely important when it comes to achievement. It’s a world of never-ending progress monitoring – keeping our students on the move. Individual goals and growth targets are consistently being set for each student. I am guilty of setting goals with varying levels of difficulty. If goals are too rigorous, my students may feel like it’s totally impossible to achieve. This can lead to a sense of defeat and loss of motivation to even try. Therefore, I also like to set attainable short-term goals. Once they are successful at achieving a goal, they are encouraged to continue pushing towards the next. However, it does take work in understanding what takes to move each individual student. New Insights – One new insight is the fact that students are going to give varying levels of effort to their teachers. It does not necessarily mean that one teacher is better than another. Rather, it’s more so who took the time to teach the child that they can be success, as well as, found out their motivators and consistently applied them to their lessons. Another insight is providing core background subskills needed for the task. As educators, we should not assume that all students already have background knowledge of a particular skillset. Maybe the child should have learned it the year before, however, it could have been an instance where the child missed out on learning that skill because he or she just wasn’t motivated enough to attain it at the time. Achievement is a continuous building upon skills and educators must plan accordingly. As the saying goes, ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’ and our students deserve so much better. The third insight is to keep a growth mindset. In the study, it was amazing to see how the growth continued years down the line for those students who were told that intelligence is unfixed versus fixed. When students start to see their success, they are motivated to continue putting forth the effort and become committed to the growth. Strategy Implementation – One strategy I would implement is giving meaningful feedback to my students. From reviewing homework and classwork to their individual IEP goals. I would like to set aside a designated time for one-on-one student and teacher time to not only present some wholesome, beneficial feedback, but also allow for the students themselves to have an opportunity for self-expression. I feel this would be a great way to gain better insight into what motivates each child or their attitude towards learning in general. With our school being one of high poverty, school most often isn’t a number one priority. In addition, some of our students receive little attention on the home front. Giving my students the chance to share and use their voice during feedback will help build that effort, motivation and attitude to succeed. |
|
This Commitment has no photos.
Displaying 1-3 of 3 results.
July 8 to July 15
Not Successful
No report submitted
No report submitted
July 1 to July 8
Successful
Success
Success
krharrison
- Referee approval report
Drjean01
- Committed user success report
June 24 to July 1
Not Successful
No report submitted
No report submitted
.
