Teaching Motivation

Hi there!
I want to dedicate this post to the motivation of perusing this career. Some might say I am too young to know, but as much as I love this profession I must say it is not an easy task. Being a teacher comes with a lot of work, effort, patience and a bunch of other attitudes and aptitudes that must be accomplished to be able to succeed. It also comes with ups and downs, a ton of sweet moments and other more bittersweet but to me the first ones have an easy win. I find inspiration in simple details, things like a smile on the students face when they understand a topic, or full participation according to the conversation but my greatest inspiration has been a proof of the responsibility and job a teacher must do and it is as well what keeps me attached to lower grade groups.

It is really something common, something that must happen to end a successful year but when you are a student teacher and are trying your best experimenting different ways to perform having first graders reach the goal you set from the very first day is a magnificent feeling.

When the first graders I was working with started reading and actually understanding most of what was happening with the story was a huge moment for me, I decided I wanted all of it, the struggle, the patience, the effort, the work, all of it just for them to finally reach their goal. Those moments are the most gratefully a teacher can experience, that is the whole point to have your students achieve the goal set for them.

As I mentioned, not everything has been honey, the things that most deflated me are the ones that are beyond my power. For example observing how the development of a child is not what you know could be because of circumstances he or she has at home and as much as you and they try there are other bigger and more important things that have to be taken care of before he can actually concentrate in performing and achieving at school. These moments might happen often some years and not so much others, but as Instructor I will try to do as much as I possibly can to help this kid succeed and understand that if it’s not happening might not be anyone’s fault as sometimes their lives are more complicated than what they would have to handle.

I am thankfully a positive person myself, always trying to look for the bright side so if anyone asks I always will tell the best parts of being a teacher and how students can make you feel you are doing a great job several times a day without even knowing, but if anything I am also honest I will always tell you it is not easy, not simple and incredibly great at the same time.

21st Century Communication Skills

Educators all around the world are always ready and eager to introduce new and better ways to practice with their students, as things change constantly and children are always in need of different strategies and objectives that drive them to success. 

That is where 21^st century skills appear, or as others call them the 4 c’s being:

Critical thinking

 Students must think and learn about the standards to understand what the expectations they should hold on to are. They have to be able to make judgments and decisions in their own work support their thoughts. Important as well is to solve problems, this ability will help them along their future in and out the school.

Creativity

Every child is born with the potential of being creative, so as teachers we must encourage and recognize it. Accepting different ways of solving a problem and allowing them to take risks within the work to see what are the results is another way to show them you trust them and support their process.

Collaboration 

Team work is always needed in life, so if students learn about it early in their school days then it will be easier to reproduce later. Students must know that in a team everyone has a part and must respect others ideas as well as their own. It can be difficult at first but with practice everything comes together.

Communication.

 This part could easily be divided in two more, oral and written communications. Both branches needed in order to create a complete learning experience. Students who are able to communicate in general will have more opportunities than those who have a difficult time lacing their thoughts with their expression. To help learners in this area the classroom must give the feeling of safety, confidence and care to everyone so they have no fear in trying even when doubtful about their contributions to the class. There is nothing wrong with learning by trial and error as long as is permanent.

This skills are very important and should be practiced most of the time in the class, they can be adapted or followed by simple changes and activities. One thing that we can be sure of is that they will help our students with their productions in a permanent way.

                                                       

Reading comprehension best practices strategies

There are several good strategies available to give students a chance to enjoy what they are doing while leaving permanent learning in the way.  It can be as simple as add an activity that feels fun, push their curiosity or let them watch a video during the lesson it absolutely depends on the needs your group have. Here come my top 5 favorite strategies that make reading comprehension easier and better.

1. Reading as Thinking

According to Harvey Daniels in the book teaching the best practice way reading as thinking is simple “If a student wasn’t thinking before he started reading, and he wasn’t thinking while he was reading, why  would he be able to think after reading?”  We think while we read, is part of the process of understanding so to make it easy for students why not provide texts and prompts that promote the ideas and keep our brain working before, during and after we read.

2. Questions (ask and make)

Asking questions about the text allows the children to spark their curiosity, wonder even more about what is going on and try to solve the mystery those questions have within them. There are also several activities that could involve the process of answering and making their own questions making it even more entertaining.

3. Inferring of predicting.

Trying to guess what comes next before and while reading the text is important, it helps children decipher and sense it like a movie, always trying to observe the most simple details to try and discover what comes next before even happens turning a simple reading time into a learning and entertaining game.

4. Make connections

Having the students connect what they already know with the things they are learning in the new material helps because as they understood the previous text some points might be the same and work in their future references. Also by being able to connect at least some point of the text to a situation in their lives will set a remarkable and permanent knowledge.

5. What is important?

Determining what is the most important point of the reading material and consequently the ideas that come along with it is terribly important. With children, keeping track of the main characters, the place and identifying the problem and solution of the story helps for further comprehension with fiction texts. As with non-fiction texts, noting what is the phrase that defines what the text is about and other important data.

There are a huge amount of strategies, ideas and activities that could be applied. As long as you help your students in the process of comprehending the text and not just reading anything goes!

References: Daniels(2004) Teaching the Best Practice Way. Methods that Matter K-12. Stenhouse Publishers. Portland,Maine. 

Differentiated Learning

Hi Readers! Welcome to my little space.
My name is Gina; I am a graduate student trying to pass all the requirements to obtain my Teaching Credential. I love to read, to spend time with my family and of course to Teach!

For my first post I would like to talk a little bit about differentiated learning. This is a very important and crucial part of developing a good learning environment because thanks to it, we accept individuality around the class as well as help everyone learn in their own way. I am not exactly teaching in my own right now, but I had some experiences and am always in a classroom. I know technology helps very much and with it we can activate more senses as we teach. I will try to incorporate in every activity a little for each learning style; this way everyone gets the chance to actually understand the lesson.

I know everyone learns in a different way, I for example am very Visual and somewhat Kinesthetic (although I also believe everyone has a little bit of every learning style) so I will probably tour my lessons towards activities that let students experience that, nevertheless I am aware of the different abilities so I will make sure they will obtain knowledge their own way. I have been experiencing it all my life along with my sisters, but with a little of patience and effort the inclusion will be what drives students to success. I been preparing to be a teacher most of my life, being the oldest daughter of my house left me with the sense of responsibility to protect, be patient, care and teach my siblings what good was supposed to be. This attitudes and abilities will be incorporated to the class I get to teach hopefully giving appropriate results.