Book Club: Island of the Unknowns

Here is our Book Club Podcast!

Easy and great read for a content area course. Enjoy!

Textbooks or Podcasts?

Throughout the many novels and books read throughout schooling, I have often bought the podcast of the book to listen while I read. For me, this kept me engaged and interested. I found this article interesting that their was not that much of a difference between the increased progress of students vocabulary, listening, and speaking when using textbooks or podcasts. As far as being most effective, I do not know if one is more effective over the other. I would think it came down to the individual student or class. In an English Language Learning class, I would say that podcast have the potential to be more effective. My mom currently uses them in her  ESOL classes. Reading is only one component of language. Being able to listen and speak with understanding are important factors that podcast can provide. I do not think that there should only be one or the other in a class but rather there should be a variety of activities that incorporate podcasts and textbooks. If only podcasts were used, no one would be to master the reading skills in a certain discipline. In an English classroom, I would say that podcast have the potential to be more effective due to the increase in use of technology by students. The article mentions that podcast " have the potential to motivate because they are often published weekly or monthly."(Selwood, Lauer, and Enokida, 425). Textbooks are easily out of date, but podcast provide opportunities to relate to certain subject matters. Students today have trouble finding why the topics they are learning are important to their lives.

WC 267

MathArt

Going to the Georgia Museum of Art reminded made me realize how much I do love looking at art pieces! This was the first time though that I went into a place like this with the mindset of a teacher and how I can use art in a certain content area. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be to find art that could easily be used in a classroom. Out of the many pieces I saw for math, Science, and social studies, I chose a piece by Sam Gilliam called "Patchwork/Terry, 1980". In the description of the painting, it describes how Gilliam "uses an irregular polygonal shape" to then display different shapes within this painted figure. This piece could be used in math class when learning topics such as geometry and trigonometry. Students can look at angles to decide their approx. size and identify whether the angle is obtuse or acute. This piece can be used when learning about triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem. While there are not measurements for the lengths, a picture can be blown up and students can measure the length of the sides of the triangles and measure angles using tools such as a ruler and a protractor. A teacher could also identify certain measurements and students must then do the math to find the missing measurements. This activity could be use at the beginning of a class as a “Starter” or “Ticket-Out-The-Door” or there is enough to make a whole lesson with this piece of art. Using art is a creative and new way to bring students attention to school subjects outside of the classroom. This type of activity could allow a student who is passionate about art, but maybe not as interested in math see how their passions can carry over to other fields. A student who loves math, but does not have a great appreciation for art is able to see how the two come together and art now has a new meaning to that student. Overall, I love this idea of math and art coming together!
WC: 348

Resource Blog: LightSail

LightSail is a resource that's main focus is the success of the students reading. It offers over 6,000 text for free!! After listening to Mrs. Skinner mention that her evaluation comes from how much the students' Lexile scores improve, I began to search for resource that would help me with my students if that was the case. Through the website, students are provided with text in any content area, provided assessments, and given automatic feedback on their reading progress. LightSail is designed in a way that engages students in the classroom, increases the amount of time that students want to read, and advance literacy development. This is now an app that can be found on devices and used both inside and outside of classroom time. What I found intriguing was that students are able to find out what kind of reader they are. They can personalize their own library and not only read content area material, but this will carry over to other areas in the student's life. Ultimately, students are only going to become better readers if their is more time spent on reading. This provides a way that is intriguing and appealing to students, but also benefits the teacher and her success in the classroom.

https://lightsailed.com/

WC: 206

Mrs. Maronpot's Lesson To Us

The first thing that stood out to me, which I believe most likely stood out to many of us is this teacher’s drive and passion for what she does. Her passion is for learning and her students. this profession, there is always room for growth and improvement. Even a teacher who has been Teacher of the Year five years in a row can improve instruction and thought to be even better. This constructive criticism is something all teachers need. We want to better our knowledge and understanding to better student learning and understanding. This video reminded me that a teacher I cannot stay with in my comfort zone of teaching, but rather am challenged with trying different and new techniques to enhance the learning experience for students.

A few take-aways from this video include preparing questions the night before. I think it is easy to prepare for a lesson and have materials ready but not necessarily prepare for the question asking portion of the lesson. Questions are what start discussion and conversation in the class and need to be asked methodically. A variety of questions should be used and not just one type in order to create productive discussion in class. Questions will provide meaning to certain topics and concepts. Another take-away is the suggestion of allowing students to display their work before the class and using technology to its full potential. I just wrote a paper this week about the Hungarian Math Classroom. It discussed that there is so much power in allowing students to show procedures in front of the class allowing for students to take control of their learning. It began to change their math role of thinking like a student to thinking like a mathematician. After all, we learn from others. Step back on so much teach instruction and allow students to take ownership of their learning and growing.

WC: 313

Text Set 1

For my text set, I will be using the GSE 8^thgrade Physical Science standard S8P5, which states students will obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about gravity, electricity, and magnetism as major forces acting in nature. These three forces can be explored through many different mediums. The text provided will allow students to have access to evidence to meet the requirement of creating an argument about the idea that fields, such as the gravitational field, exists when in contact or without contact between the objects. The S8P5 requires students to carry out investigations that show charges in an insulator and conductor, and then investigations to show the factors that cause different strengths of electric and magnetic forces. There is a lot to cover in this one standard, but there are many different videos and written demonstrations that provide students can use as material to then remodel the demonstration for their own learning. The standard mentions that investigations are not limited to just generators or motors, but these two must be included through the investigation process. Through my text set, students will be able to have a variety of sources that provide the essential information that will be most beneficial to their learning and meeting the standard. The text set will allow them to make meaning and understanding of the standard that will be tested.

WC 224

Strategy Lesson Reflection: KWL

This experience of teaching the class about the KWL was overall beneficial to the process of becoming more comfortable in front of students. I believe the lesson went well, but it definitely was a learning experience. I felt as if Grace and I were prepared in terms of having our materials ready, having in depth knowledge of the KWL, and working together to co-teach the lesson. I believe that our activity really allowed our classmates to see how a KWL can be used not only when reading a text in a content area, but through text in any media outlet. The reason we did this was because majority of the class has been exposed to a KWL whether in their own schooling or through their time in education courses. One thing that I would do differently is make the Powerpoint with less words and maybe add some more time for discussion between each slide. This would allow students to engage more in the content of the lesson. An unexpected challenge we had was that we did not really have a set time of how long we were going to let our classmates fill out each category of the KWL. As we were standing up there, we had to pick a time on the spot. We said we would give them a minute, but it seemed like most students were done way before a minute in one portion, but needed more time for another category. I think with that, we should have had a timer on the screen to allow students to see their time. In the future, I want to be sure for activities that need a time limit that there is a timer that everyone can see. This will help students gauge their time when working. 

WC: 297

Plickers

This past week I was catching up with one of my friends who is a teacher in Cobb County. She informed me about an app called Plickers. This is a quick way to use formative assessments in the class. Each student has a card that has a unique visual code with four sides to answer a, b, c, or d. The teacher projects a question and the students hold up their card to respond. The teacher uses his or her device to take a picture through the app, and it reports the results to the teacher! Instant feedback! This is a good way to assess reading and comprehension across all content areas. The teacher can decide whether more time should be spent on a topic, problem, or concept before moving on with the class.

WC 134
https://www.plickers.com/
https://jonathanwylie.com/2014/03/18/plickers-classroom-assessment/

How Should I Use A Textbook In My Class?

When I first read the question, the first thing that came to mind is how I have never enjoyed textbooks in a class. The assigned readings were something that always got pushed to the bottom of my list to do, if I ever got to doing them. The only time I would make sure to read was when there was a possibility of a quiz. Even then, I never did well on the quizzes even when I read. With such a bitter taste in my mouth about textbooks, I want to find a way to use the textbook that allows students to benefit and not suffer or dread the text. The sections in this weeks readings about math caught my attention because that is one of my content areas. It is quoted that, "Math textbooks have the highest content load per sentence of all the secondary textbooks (Barton and Heidema, 2002)"(Daniels and Zemelman, 2014, p. 189). This is overwhelming to students, especially students who struggle with reading, math, or both! As a teacher, how to use the textbook can seem daunting and tricky because there is so much information packed into each topic, explanation, or chapter. It can be such a beneficial resource if its used properly.  So what can I do? The main point I think is most applicable when it comes to math teaching and textbooks is being selective (178). Picking the parts of the text that are "enduring" and allow students to then "act upon" on the topics being presented through the book. This makes me wonder, how can I know whether the textbook I am using is most beneficial to my teaching practices and students? And how do I engage students who are not strong readers or have bad blood with textbooks from previous classes?

WC: 299

Resource Blog #2

Motivating the Unmotivated

This article provides statistics and steps to assist teachers in helping their young students become more engaged and active in their learning. Focus on motivation, time commitment from teachers and staff, reinforcement through repetition, provide effective motivators, and provide fun for the students are the five components to leading students to motivation in the classroom. The part that stood out to me about this program is while these steps aim towards elementary and middle school students, there is an opportunity for community service for high school students. This online chat service, founded by the nonprofit organization, On Giants' Shoulders, allows younger students to engage with older students each week, have something to drive their learning, and provides each student with something unique and special. This brings teachers of all grades and students of all grades together to form a powerful and impactful learning community.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/motivating-unmotivated-chelsea-dale?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

WC: 140

How Do I Help Struggling Readers?

This idea of a struggling reader is something that I have definitely had thoughts and fears about as a future teacher. I hated reading growing up nor was I that great at it. This picture embodies the kind of reader I was. Reading was not one of my leisurely activities growing up as a student.  

The first thing that stood out to me from my experience as a student and the readings this week was the using tapes/podcast of books to engage students into reading. Growing up, I would have to go home and buy the podcast of the book we were reading in order to be able to stay on top of assigned readings or to be able to understand what was going on in class group readings. I was a very slow reader. Podcast allowed me to engage in more of a story-telling than trying to read the words for completion and not understanding. From my experience, this improved the reader I was.

Another huge strategy that really might be the greatest thing a teacher can do is creating a supportive relationship with the students. The line that resonated with me the most was the following: "...people who have repeatedly failed at something usually cope by focusing their lives elsewhere to avoid still more failure." (Daniels and Zemelman, 2014, p. 280) I would not say that this is 100% true about my reading experience, but applies to multiple experiences in life. As a future teacher, I need to be sure that my students are able to move forward from past failures, establish their trust early on, and feel confident that there is the ability and time to improve their reading abilities. Being intentional about getting to know each students does seem a lot more work for a teacher, but it will set up for a much more successful and potentially an easier year, because of the initial time and effort to show support for the students.

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