Wow! When I first started teaching, I had no idea how much of their own money a teacher can put into her classroom. It is overwhelming. It starts with a little here and a little there. But those small receipts add up to a big tab. Adopt a classroom states that teachers spend an average of $1200 per year. I do it for the same reason I teach, I want children, all children to succeed. I want to see a non-reader turn into a book worm. I want to see someone that hates to get out of bed, jump up and wake their parents up so they will take them to school. I do not want a child to not want to come to school because they don't have the supplies they need. So, what do I do, I buy some extra supplies to make sure that doesn't happen. I know I am not alone.
However, there are some things that most teachers cannot afford to buy for their classrooms. Grants are the solution. In the past, I have tried to get a Sonic Limeades for Learning grant. It was easy to fill out and I spread the word to my fellow teachers, students, and community by asking for their 'codes' from their drinks. Sadly, I was not successful. This program was geared toward getting your friends and family to donate to your classroom wish list. My school and my community was a high poverty area. The codes were not enough to get the science equipment I had asked for. I hate asking my friends and family to help. However, when this is available again in the fall, I will sign my new class up again. The application is simple and quick. My classroom motto is you never know what you can do until you try. Even though I tried and failed, there is a second part of trial: failure is when you stop trying.
Looking at all of these other options, I was relieved to discover many grants that do not rely on asking for help. They are simply projects out there waiting to find someone to give to. Target has a wonderful grant program. I love to see that there are projects funded in my area from them and they offer grants for fieldtrips and classroom literacy. Edutopia also has valuable resources to help you understand the ins and outs of grants and grant writing. Writing a grant can be intimidating. But there are so many free resources out there to provide us with step by step instructions and samples of successful grants that have been written. Edutopia offers a webinar and Powerpoint to help gain a better understanding of the grant writing process.
I am going to keep trying to find resources for my students. My new school has an even higher poverty rate. According to DESE, in 2012, my building has an overall free and reduced population of 93%. This allows me to access even more grants than before. My goal is for students in my classroom to have access to technology no matter what their socio-economic status may be. I want to provide them the same fighting chance to be successful in our ever changing world.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Collaborative technology
Every day we collaborate - with our families, our friends, our students, our neighbors, our co-workers. We talk and we talk. Wikipedia defines collaboration as "The action of working with someone to produce or create something". Sometimes our collaboration seems more meaningful than others - we create an assessment for our grade level, we create a new idea to try in our classroom, we create a friendship by talking to a neighbor. Then we add the technology part in and somehow I stuttered. What is amazing is that I view blogs, search items on the internet, post my political comments, watch a video to show me something, and the list goes on and on. I even see my own children collaborating online with Facebook and Pinterest. But somehow, I still stutter or stumble to figure out how to use this for my little second graders. They seem so small and so young and their fingers don't fit on the keyboard. They don't know how to type.
Then I remembered myself telling my students our classroom motto- "You never know what you can do until you try." Am I walking the talk? So, now I rewind and look at the websites for collaborative technology with a fresh set of eyes. Someone has to teach them these tools. If I look at these sites and say - what can we do as a whole class or what can they do in a group format with assistance. Now all of sudden, I can find new ways to add this to my classroom.
1. Voice thread can be used in a second grade classroom in January to have a student read and record themselves. I would post it to voice thread and then allow other students to come and listen to the book and make comments about the book. It would open up a great discussion and post feedback to the student reading the book. Also, it would be a great opportunity to extend my gifted learners and at the same time help my lower readers by having a book read aloud to them while they follow along.
2. ePals is a perfect sight for many things in second grade. We can learn about other cultures in other continents, see rocks and minerals from other parts of the world, and gain writing skills along the way.
3. Skype is another great place for learning in second grade. Our class can learn from so many amazing authors, scientists, and historians about our world and never have the expense of leaving our class.
Just because their fingers are too small to type doesn't mean they can't collaborate. At some point, each child needs the first exposure to a new technology. At some point, the teacher needs to stretch beyond their comfort zone and look at things with a fresh new set of eyes.
Then I remembered myself telling my students our classroom motto- "You never know what you can do until you try." Am I walking the talk? So, now I rewind and look at the websites for collaborative technology with a fresh set of eyes. Someone has to teach them these tools. If I look at these sites and say - what can we do as a whole class or what can they do in a group format with assistance. Now all of sudden, I can find new ways to add this to my classroom.
1. Voice thread can be used in a second grade classroom in January to have a student read and record themselves. I would post it to voice thread and then allow other students to come and listen to the book and make comments about the book. It would open up a great discussion and post feedback to the student reading the book. Also, it would be a great opportunity to extend my gifted learners and at the same time help my lower readers by having a book read aloud to them while they follow along.
2. ePals is a perfect sight for many things in second grade. We can learn about other cultures in other continents, see rocks and minerals from other parts of the world, and gain writing skills along the way.
3. Skype is another great place for learning in second grade. Our class can learn from so many amazing authors, scientists, and historians about our world and never have the expense of leaving our class.
Just because their fingers are too small to type doesn't mean they can't collaborate. At some point, each child needs the first exposure to a new technology. At some point, the teacher needs to stretch beyond their comfort zone and look at things with a fresh new set of eyes.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Serious gaming
When I first heard the term "serious gaming", I thought of men sitting in their pajamas, without a job, playing video games all day with other online players. I had no idea that it was geared toward educational settings. I have incorporated many online games into my classroom. This is definitely a way to engage students. I was blessed to be at a school that purchased Study Island for the past two years. The students loved playing the games and the teacher was able to assign the games according to the skills the students were currently working on. The teacher had access to all the data and reports of how the students were doing and how much time they were spending on these games. I found a lot of value in this program.
This coming year, my new district has not purchased Study Island. I am going to have to find alternate ways to obtain the data and discover educational games that work with the skill set my students are working on. I think I have found a good alternative in this website. It is called Arcademic Skill Builders.
I can select games by skill, subject, grade level and I am able to set up students accounts all for free. Students will be able to play these games from school or home.
This is a blessing because Study Island can be cost prohibitive for teachers or districts. For a single classroom, Study Island is $308 and for a building it can run over $2000. This is a heavy cost for many districts that are striving to stay ahead with all of the changing technology.
I believe serious gaming is an easy way to engage students in something educational and fun that most students do everyday - play video games. I think when we see students that excel in this area, we should introduce them to other sites where the student can create their own games. Keeping students engaged is essential to learning and today's generation of students is geared toward technology. They grew up with Wii, Xbox, iPads, and computers all around them. It makes sense to teach them with these tools.
This coming year, my new district has not purchased Study Island. I am going to have to find alternate ways to obtain the data and discover educational games that work with the skill set my students are working on. I think I have found a good alternative in this website. It is called Arcademic Skill Builders.
I believe serious gaming is an easy way to engage students in something educational and fun that most students do everyday - play video games. I think when we see students that excel in this area, we should introduce them to other sites where the student can create their own games. Keeping students engaged is essential to learning and today's generation of students is geared toward technology. They grew up with Wii, Xbox, iPads, and computers all around them. It makes sense to teach them with these tools.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Flipping in 2nd grade
I had never heard about flipping before this week. My initial thought was this is great for high school and maybe can be introduced in middle school, but it is not for elementary school AT ALL. But the more I researched, the more benefits I can see. In an article from eSchool, I found a quote that permeates teaching. Flipping is about "flipping the attention away from the teacher and toward the learner." How can you argue with this?
Well, I am a list oriented kind of person, so I thought I would weigh the options
Cons
*The digital divide is huge. KC Star has an article from today's paper about our digital divide in this area. 25% of KC does not have high speed internet access. I wouldn't accept 1/4 of my students not being able to do their work!
* They are only 7 years old in 2nd grade. The students are confident how to maneuver a computer. (This one doesn't hold a lot of weight for me because it is my job to teach students how to maneuver many new things to mastery. Why can't computer skills be one of them?)
* They don't have much homework now. If I flipped, the homework would only overwhelm many parents and students. ( In this video, the principal talks about how much the parents like it. )
* Time - how long will it take to create all the videos I need or to find ones already created? If they are already created, how do I know they have watched them and understood them? ( Ted Ed helps to solve this problem)
Pros
+ All ability levels can benefit. The students each work at their own ability level. If they only need 2 math problems to reach mastery, then they can move on. If they need extra support, they are able to get it from tutors and the teacher.
+ The teacher is freed up to spend more one on one time with the students.
+ The students attain mastery by teaching other students topics they understand clearly. Those peer tutors gain mastery by teaching and applying. The students receiving the tutoring are able to hear a concept in a different way and multiple times until they do attain mastery.
+Promotes problem solving and questioning skills.
+ Students able to ask the questions in class they don't understand and the teacher doesn't waste time with concepts the students already understand.
+ Parents get to watch the videos with their child. Here is a teacher introducing this concept to the parents of her students. Here is the same teacher with a podcast for her students. With the graduation rate in Missouri being 74% of all high school students graduate in 4 years with a traditional diploma, many parents don't know how to help their child with their homework. With flipping, parents can learn beside their child and the teacher helps them apply their learning.
+ If students are sick or miss due to vacation, they can make up the mini lesson. This has been a constant problem for me. Parents ask for missing work and often I have to tell them, there isn't a way to make up the in class time.
As I step back to reflect, I know that not all subjects can be flipped in 2nd grade. I see tremendous value in math and reading. This year, I am piloting two new programs in our district. Math in Focus, the Singapore approach and Reader's Workshop. Both of these have components that will be new for students and parents. What a wonderful tool to have these lessons recorded for those that might need to hear it again or who missed it in the first place. In math, having the videos online for students that need the extra help would be a possible solution. Some parents that won't be able to explain the math to their child, can pull up a video that would explain it for them. The parent and child would be able to pause it and rewind when necessary. In reading, we learn specific skills for our CAFE board. I could teach each lesson and put a vodcast online for them to review. I think if I do the vodcast, it gives me a chance to really focus on the learning target and will improve my teaching as a whole.
Well, I am a list oriented kind of person, so I thought I would weigh the options
Cons
*The digital divide is huge. KC Star has an article from today's paper about our digital divide in this area. 25% of KC does not have high speed internet access. I wouldn't accept 1/4 of my students not being able to do their work!
* They are only 7 years old in 2nd grade. The students are confident how to maneuver a computer. (This one doesn't hold a lot of weight for me because it is my job to teach students how to maneuver many new things to mastery. Why can't computer skills be one of them?)
* They don't have much homework now. If I flipped, the homework would only overwhelm many parents and students. ( In this video, the principal talks about how much the parents like it. )
* Time - how long will it take to create all the videos I need or to find ones already created? If they are already created, how do I know they have watched them and understood them? ( Ted Ed helps to solve this problem)
Pros
+ All ability levels can benefit. The students each work at their own ability level. If they only need 2 math problems to reach mastery, then they can move on. If they need extra support, they are able to get it from tutors and the teacher.
+ The teacher is freed up to spend more one on one time with the students.
+ The students attain mastery by teaching other students topics they understand clearly. Those peer tutors gain mastery by teaching and applying. The students receiving the tutoring are able to hear a concept in a different way and multiple times until they do attain mastery.
+Promotes problem solving and questioning skills.
+ Students able to ask the questions in class they don't understand and the teacher doesn't waste time with concepts the students already understand.
+ Parents get to watch the videos with their child. Here is a teacher introducing this concept to the parents of her students. Here is the same teacher with a podcast for her students. With the graduation rate in Missouri being 74% of all high school students graduate in 4 years with a traditional diploma, many parents don't know how to help their child with their homework. With flipping, parents can learn beside their child and the teacher helps them apply their learning.
+ If students are sick or miss due to vacation, they can make up the mini lesson. This has been a constant problem for me. Parents ask for missing work and often I have to tell them, there isn't a way to make up the in class time.
As I step back to reflect, I know that not all subjects can be flipped in 2nd grade. I see tremendous value in math and reading. This year, I am piloting two new programs in our district. Math in Focus, the Singapore approach and Reader's Workshop. Both of these have components that will be new for students and parents. What a wonderful tool to have these lessons recorded for those that might need to hear it again or who missed it in the first place. In math, having the videos online for students that need the extra help would be a possible solution. Some parents that won't be able to explain the math to their child, can pull up a video that would explain it for them. The parent and child would be able to pause it and rewind when necessary. In reading, we learn specific skills for our CAFE board. I could teach each lesson and put a vodcast online for them to review. I think if I do the vodcast, it gives me a chance to really focus on the learning target and will improve my teaching as a whole.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
podcasting
Pod casting is part of my everyday life. My daughters go to Youtube to learn how to French braid their hair in a fishtail. I go there to figure out how to insert a strange tack to hold the mirror on the frame of my daughter's dresser. I miss the sermon at church on Sunday, I download the file to listen to on my way to work. In the classroom, I will pull up a color word song to sing with the students to bring them quietly to the carpet. All of these things were made possible because someone else created a podcast and posted it for me to hear. The options for using this in my classroom are endless. We can take virtual fieldtrips, watch a teacher in another part of the world teach a lesson, or learn about a person from the past. As a teacher, I can grow professionally by sitting in the comfort of my living room and watching someone show me examples of what they are doing in their classroom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZxeCm-SdNU This is a great source of information for the person that has never done Reader's Workshop before. I can watch another teacher and learn from their example without ever leaving my house. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/new-teacher-building-relationships-lisa-dabbs. If I go to this site, I can get a refresher on the beginning of the year. The opportunities are endless.
This is all about me using someone else's work. I really never thought about how I could use podcasting to help or engage my students. I have recorded my students performing reader's theater in the classroom. Later we would watch it with popcorn and celebrate our hard work. Here is an example of a video we uploaded. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhGM6LeAYZE&feature=youtu.be This was a lot of fun for the kids and they worked really hard on improving their fluency without realizing they were working. So, I guess I have created my own podcast, I just never labeled it that way.
Doing this research for class made me start realizing something big. After talking about mobile technologies last week, I was so excited to find a way to record students reading during reader's workshop. I have already started trying to discover ways to get iPod touches in my classroom so I could encourage students to begin a digital diary. But stop. I don't need iPods. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice and there are a ton of activities I would use them for. But could I get started with digital diaries this year or at least recording students reading their book? Absolutely. I could use Audacity or something similar to begin hearing my students read. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ If I just bought 4 or 5 headset microphones (costing from $4-$80 each), I could use the computers in my classroom to begin immediately. YEAH! Pod casting isn't just for me to learn something new. I can actually create my own and so can my students. How powerful would it be for a second grader to hear themselves read a book at the beginning of the school year and again at the middle. They could hear for themselves just how much they have grown. What an amazing tool that will empower them to continue to monitor their own learning and growth!
I will still be looking for a grant for the iPod touches though. There is still so much that can be done in the palm of a child's hand!
This is all about me using someone else's work. I really never thought about how I could use podcasting to help or engage my students. I have recorded my students performing reader's theater in the classroom. Later we would watch it with popcorn and celebrate our hard work. Here is an example of a video we uploaded. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhGM6LeAYZE&feature=youtu.be This was a lot of fun for the kids and they worked really hard on improving their fluency without realizing they were working. So, I guess I have created my own podcast, I just never labeled it that way.
Doing this research for class made me start realizing something big. After talking about mobile technologies last week, I was so excited to find a way to record students reading during reader's workshop. I have already started trying to discover ways to get iPod touches in my classroom so I could encourage students to begin a digital diary. But stop. I don't need iPods. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice and there are a ton of activities I would use them for. But could I get started with digital diaries this year or at least recording students reading their book? Absolutely. I could use Audacity or something similar to begin hearing my students read. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ If I just bought 4 or 5 headset microphones (costing from $4-$80 each), I could use the computers in my classroom to begin immediately. YEAH! Pod casting isn't just for me to learn something new. I can actually create my own and so can my students. How powerful would it be for a second grader to hear themselves read a book at the beginning of the school year and again at the middle. They could hear for themselves just how much they have grown. What an amazing tool that will empower them to continue to monitor their own learning and growth!
I will still be looking for a grant for the iPod touches though. There is still so much that can be done in the palm of a child's hand!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Integrating mobile technology
I am overwhelmed by the amount of technology that is available. I think many teachers are also. New apps come out daily and there are 1000s to choose from. Which one should you use? What will help you the most and not take up all of your time? How will students use it? How do you get it into their hands? 10 years ago we wanted computers for our classrooms. Now we want iPads, CPS clickers, iPods, Kindles, and the list goes on and on. Where do you begin?
I spent hours looking at ideas, trying to decide where to start. I have an iPod touch at my home and I have to ask my kids how to use it. How am I going to teach my students how to use one? After watching the video on PBL - project based learning, from Learning at Hand http://learninginhand.com/ , I realized what my students are missing because I am overwhelmed by the questions. I need to find the answers. I think back to my classroom and how and where I need to motivate students to create the biggest impact. Where do students checkout because they are bored or simply don't show as much interest as I would like? Reading fluency, especially for low readers, and writing immediately came to my mind.
I Googled iPods and fluency and came up with a great article http://www.eusd4kids.org/edtech/pdf/iREAD_CUE2008.pdf . It talks about how iPod touches could be used to help improve fluency. This is definitely a challenge in 2nd grade. Students have a great idea of how to read the words, but they don't hear how they read. They need to hear themselves read. If students were given a tool that is exciting, they would be willing to read out loud. I would be able to listen to their recording any time. This is fabulous since Reader's workshop is centered on being able to listen to each student at least once per week. This isn't always possible, but with the help of iPods, maybe it can be. This would give me the chance to know what I needed to talk to the student about before meeting at the conference. They would be self motivated to improve their fluency and I would get an extra chance to ensure I am able to listen to every student every week. This could also guide my instruction. If several students had trouble with oi/oy words, I could integrate this lesson into my mini lessons that week. This would still be a significant cost to the district at $100-$300 each, however there are many grant options available if we only know where to look.
iPads became the second focus I searched trying to find the best mobile technology to use in the classroom. After watching several videos about iPads, one thing became clear, no one knows what you are reading. This is so very important in a second grade classroom. What I mean is the all important question - are you reading chapter books or are you still reading those baby books? I can't tell you how many students carry around a big chapter book in 2nd grade and they can't even read the title. It is a status symbol. Well, if they were carrying around an iPad, no one would have to know or be able to judge them. While I realize I am dreaming that every child in my second grade class is carrying around their iPad due to the cost ($300-$800 each), I can also see utilizing them on a smaller scale. If I had 5 in my class, I could use them as centers or rewards to use. I can have them for checkout, for students to take them home and work on reading projects. I could use them for a weekly checkout where each child would bring it back and forth to school each day and be able to read or play games at home. If they were reading, they wouldn't even need to have internet connection if it was a book we had already downloaded. The possibilities are endless.
Another interesting way to use iPads is in writing. Students can create their own storybook with apps like this books creator - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/book-creator-for-ipad/id442378070?mt=8 . Students tend to need extra motivation to write stories - if they could be creative and see their story come to life, I feel we would see amazing results in their motivation.
I spent hours looking at ideas, trying to decide where to start. I have an iPod touch at my home and I have to ask my kids how to use it. How am I going to teach my students how to use one? After watching the video on PBL - project based learning, from Learning at Hand http://learninginhand.com/ , I realized what my students are missing because I am overwhelmed by the questions. I need to find the answers. I think back to my classroom and how and where I need to motivate students to create the biggest impact. Where do students checkout because they are bored or simply don't show as much interest as I would like? Reading fluency, especially for low readers, and writing immediately came to my mind.
I Googled iPods and fluency and came up with a great article http://www.eusd4kids.org/edtech/pdf/iREAD_CUE2008.pdf . It talks about how iPod touches could be used to help improve fluency. This is definitely a challenge in 2nd grade. Students have a great idea of how to read the words, but they don't hear how they read. They need to hear themselves read. If students were given a tool that is exciting, they would be willing to read out loud. I would be able to listen to their recording any time. This is fabulous since Reader's workshop is centered on being able to listen to each student at least once per week. This isn't always possible, but with the help of iPods, maybe it can be. This would give me the chance to know what I needed to talk to the student about before meeting at the conference. They would be self motivated to improve their fluency and I would get an extra chance to ensure I am able to listen to every student every week. This could also guide my instruction. If several students had trouble with oi/oy words, I could integrate this lesson into my mini lessons that week. This would still be a significant cost to the district at $100-$300 each, however there are many grant options available if we only know where to look.
iPads became the second focus I searched trying to find the best mobile technology to use in the classroom. After watching several videos about iPads, one thing became clear, no one knows what you are reading. This is so very important in a second grade classroom. What I mean is the all important question - are you reading chapter books or are you still reading those baby books? I can't tell you how many students carry around a big chapter book in 2nd grade and they can't even read the title. It is a status symbol. Well, if they were carrying around an iPad, no one would have to know or be able to judge them. While I realize I am dreaming that every child in my second grade class is carrying around their iPad due to the cost ($300-$800 each), I can also see utilizing them on a smaller scale. If I had 5 in my class, I could use them as centers or rewards to use. I can have them for checkout, for students to take them home and work on reading projects. I could use them for a weekly checkout where each child would bring it back and forth to school each day and be able to read or play games at home. If they were reading, they wouldn't even need to have internet connection if it was a book we had already downloaded. The possibilities are endless.
Another interesting way to use iPads is in writing. Students can create their own storybook with apps like this books creator - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/book-creator-for-ipad/id442378070?mt=8 . Students tend to need extra motivation to write stories - if they could be creative and see their story come to life, I feel we would see amazing results in their motivation.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Diverse learners
Diversity in learners is clear in any classroom I have ever walked into. Diversity can take on so many branches. You can talk about the diversity seen in Learning disabled, gifted, or "regular" students. Is there such a thing as a "regular" student? You can talk about diversity in culture also: Hispanic, Asian, Black, White. Which one is regular here? Next you have the multiple intelligences: musical, linguistic, kinestetic. The list goes on and on. There is no regular here, is there?
I know I need to look at is each individual student and what do they need. This is difficult, at best. So when I create lesson plans, I need to look at all of these factors. Begin by looking at providing as much authentic learning as possible for all learners. When I am providing instruction, I need to be as explicit as possible. Offer as many concrete examples as possible. A great example of this is the new math curriculum we have been using in Harrisonville. It is based on teaching students with concrete examples first, then work your way to abstract. When a teacher moves onto the abstract, she can go back to the concrete for an example when needed. This helps students with ADHD, Learning Disabled, ELL, and Autistic students, to name a few. However, the math curriculum does provide extension activities to help gifted students with an open ended activity that allows for divergent thinking and problem solving. This is great for math, but what about reading, writing, science, spelling, and social studies?
This last year in my second grade classroom, I had the most diverse group of students I have ever had. I had 3 students with LD, 6 students with a speech IEP, 2 students who were emotionally disturbed, 4 students with ADHD, 2 students with only one eye, and one student with a club foot. We spent most of the year building a community that cared for each other despite all of our differences. One of the first things we did as a class was we created a self portrait of ourselves. We used Gardner's multiple intelligences. We talked about how we are all smart in different ways. Some people are word smart, music smart, body smart, and so on. Each time we talked about a "smart", the student would talk about if they felt they were a little smart or really smart in this area. In the end, each child was filled with different colors of smarts. We all look different, but we are each smart in our own way. This is keep in our classroom all year long. I refer to it often throughout the year when any relational problem might occur. I remind the students about what we learned or I ask them to remind me what we learned. I ask them to apply this knowledge to the situation at hand and they are able to grasp the understanding that we are all different, but all smart in our own way. Next year, I will add technology as one of my smarts.
After reading an article on multicultural classrooms
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/buildingblocks.html
I changed my thinking about my teaching in February. I felt teaching about famous African Americans during the month of February was a great way to highlight many people who had changed the world. I never looked at this as saying to my students, 8 months of Whites versus 1 months about African Americans. Look who is superior. I need to make an effort in include read a louds from multiple cultures during each unit. I need to spotlight different people for what they have done, with less emphasis on what color they are. This can be included in units from science, social studies, or reading.
I believe the biggest and most important culture in the classroom begins with me. I need to be open. Open teacher = open class = open lines of communication. I want my students to see in me, what I want to see in them. I have to model it first. I need to learn to not make assumptions about behavior before understanding the culture from which the student comes. I need to be open-minded to not making any assumptions about a student's culture based on the color of their skin.
The beautiful thing is this doesn't cost any money to do. Books are free at the library. Attitude is free for the taking.
I know I need to look at is each individual student and what do they need. This is difficult, at best. So when I create lesson plans, I need to look at all of these factors. Begin by looking at providing as much authentic learning as possible for all learners. When I am providing instruction, I need to be as explicit as possible. Offer as many concrete examples as possible. A great example of this is the new math curriculum we have been using in Harrisonville. It is based on teaching students with concrete examples first, then work your way to abstract. When a teacher moves onto the abstract, she can go back to the concrete for an example when needed. This helps students with ADHD, Learning Disabled, ELL, and Autistic students, to name a few. However, the math curriculum does provide extension activities to help gifted students with an open ended activity that allows for divergent thinking and problem solving. This is great for math, but what about reading, writing, science, spelling, and social studies?
This last year in my second grade classroom, I had the most diverse group of students I have ever had. I had 3 students with LD, 6 students with a speech IEP, 2 students who were emotionally disturbed, 4 students with ADHD, 2 students with only one eye, and one student with a club foot. We spent most of the year building a community that cared for each other despite all of our differences. One of the first things we did as a class was we created a self portrait of ourselves. We used Gardner's multiple intelligences. We talked about how we are all smart in different ways. Some people are word smart, music smart, body smart, and so on. Each time we talked about a "smart", the student would talk about if they felt they were a little smart or really smart in this area. In the end, each child was filled with different colors of smarts. We all look different, but we are each smart in our own way. This is keep in our classroom all year long. I refer to it often throughout the year when any relational problem might occur. I remind the students about what we learned or I ask them to remind me what we learned. I ask them to apply this knowledge to the situation at hand and they are able to grasp the understanding that we are all different, but all smart in our own way. Next year, I will add technology as one of my smarts.
After reading an article on multicultural classrooms
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/buildingblocks.html
I changed my thinking about my teaching in February. I felt teaching about famous African Americans during the month of February was a great way to highlight many people who had changed the world. I never looked at this as saying to my students, 8 months of Whites versus 1 months about African Americans. Look who is superior. I need to make an effort in include read a louds from multiple cultures during each unit. I need to spotlight different people for what they have done, with less emphasis on what color they are. This can be included in units from science, social studies, or reading.
I believe the biggest and most important culture in the classroom begins with me. I need to be open. Open teacher = open class = open lines of communication. I want my students to see in me, what I want to see in them. I have to model it first. I need to learn to not make assumptions about behavior before understanding the culture from which the student comes. I need to be open-minded to not making any assumptions about a student's culture based on the color of their skin.
The beautiful thing is this doesn't cost any money to do. Books are free at the library. Attitude is free for the taking.
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