Yesterday was my tenth visit to my kindergarten students. The ride is so familiar now, and I don't get nervous anymore when driving to the school. When I arrived at the school, I waited at the door with Thanh and a student who was late..we had to ring the doorbell at least 5 times before they let us in. After we signed in, Thanh and I made our way to Mrs. Del's room. The other volunteers were already there and Mrs. Del and Mrs. Smith were sharing stories from their teaching experience. We found out that the intervention program is technically over since we evaluated them, but we would still be tutoring the students when we came. This week I got the game Candy Land and I knew my students would be so excited.
When we walked to Room 14, we saw all the students on the carpet reading a story with a substitute teacher. When they were done, the other volunteers and myself went to our designated tables and waited for our students. Billy, Jared, and Sarah were so excited when they saw Candy Land. We jumped into the game...each student had to name the sight word and a sentence before advancing to the color of the card. Billy and Sarah did very well with the sight word and sentences. Jared struggled still with the sight words, but was able to put together sensible sentences. The students really enjoyed Candy Land, but Billy missed doing the poem so he asked if we could do "Humpty Dumpty" next week. I said I would bring it and try to get Candy Land again. As 10:35 came around, the volunteers and myself made our way back to Ms. Del's room.
This week, there was no paperwork to fill out. I have only two weeks left with the kindergarten students and it's a little sad. I have grown to like these students and being able to help them learn there sounds and start to read. This service learning project has been a great experience!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Talking Points #10
"Education is Politics: An agenda for Empowerment" Shor
Kaitlyn Paolino
1. “He urged teachers to encourage students to question their experience in school: “You must arouse children’s curiosity and make them think about school. For example, it’s very important to begin the school year with a discussion of why we go to school. Why does the government force us to go to school? This would set a questioning tone and show the children that you trust them and that they are intelligent enough, at their own level, to investigate and come up with answers” (Meier 1990, 7). A school year that begins by questioning school could be a remarkably democratic and critical learning experience for students.”
I agree with this quote. If students are encouraged to ask and discuss their school experience, they may be able to see the importance for receiving an education. When I was in school, I didn’t feel the importance of it a lot because no one talked about; it was just known to me that I would go to school then to college. If students discussed it and were asked about it, then it could evoke critical thoughts into some students, if not all which would lead to them finding out the importance of going to school.
2. “People are naturally curious. They are born learners. Education can either develop or stifle their inclination to ask why and to learn. A curriculum that avoids questioning school and society is not, as is commonly supposed, politically neutral. It cuts off the students’ development as critical thinkers about their world. If the students task is to memorize rules and existing knowledge, without questioning the subject matter or learning process, their potential for critical thought and action will be restricted.
I agree with this quote as well. Education can develop or stifle a student, and I have seen both. I think it’s important for schools to ask students about education and why they go to school, so they will be able to see the importance of it. Furthermore, if a student realizes why they are in school and how it can help them be successful, maybe they will become more inclined to learn.
3. “On the other hand, education is a social experience for tens of millions of students who come to class with their own dreams and agendas, sometimes cooperating with and sometimes resisting the intentions of the school and the teacher.”
Students do come to school with their own dreams and agendas because most of the time, especially in older students, they are focused on getting out of school and what’s ahead rather than what’s in front of them. I feel that it’s important for the teacher to engage the students by in cooperating aspects into each lesson that interests students so that they will focus on learning and achieving academically in the process of achieving their dreams.
This article was interesting. I think it’s very important that students learn, and teachers encourage, to question things. They should question why they are in school, what’s the importance of it, and to question what material they are learning and why. Furthermore, when students learn to question they will learn to analyze things critically, which is important for life. I also feel it’s important that people are not only judged on their academic success but also their hard work.
Kaitlyn Paolino
1. “He urged teachers to encourage students to question their experience in school: “You must arouse children’s curiosity and make them think about school. For example, it’s very important to begin the school year with a discussion of why we go to school. Why does the government force us to go to school? This would set a questioning tone and show the children that you trust them and that they are intelligent enough, at their own level, to investigate and come up with answers” (Meier 1990, 7). A school year that begins by questioning school could be a remarkably democratic and critical learning experience for students.”
I agree with this quote. If students are encouraged to ask and discuss their school experience, they may be able to see the importance for receiving an education. When I was in school, I didn’t feel the importance of it a lot because no one talked about; it was just known to me that I would go to school then to college. If students discussed it and were asked about it, then it could evoke critical thoughts into some students, if not all which would lead to them finding out the importance of going to school.
2. “People are naturally curious. They are born learners. Education can either develop or stifle their inclination to ask why and to learn. A curriculum that avoids questioning school and society is not, as is commonly supposed, politically neutral. It cuts off the students’ development as critical thinkers about their world. If the students task is to memorize rules and existing knowledge, without questioning the subject matter or learning process, their potential for critical thought and action will be restricted.
I agree with this quote as well. Education can develop or stifle a student, and I have seen both. I think it’s important for schools to ask students about education and why they go to school, so they will be able to see the importance of it. Furthermore, if a student realizes why they are in school and how it can help them be successful, maybe they will become more inclined to learn.
3. “On the other hand, education is a social experience for tens of millions of students who come to class with their own dreams and agendas, sometimes cooperating with and sometimes resisting the intentions of the school and the teacher.”
Students do come to school with their own dreams and agendas because most of the time, especially in older students, they are focused on getting out of school and what’s ahead rather than what’s in front of them. I feel that it’s important for the teacher to engage the students by in cooperating aspects into each lesson that interests students so that they will focus on learning and achieving academically in the process of achieving their dreams.
This article was interesting. I think it’s very important that students learn, and teachers encourage, to question things. They should question why they are in school, what’s the importance of it, and to question what material they are learning and why. Furthermore, when students learn to question they will learn to analyze things critically, which is important for life. I also feel it’s important that people are not only judged on their academic success but also their hard work.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Talking Points #9
"Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome" Christopher Kliewer
1. "I started to notice that I didn't like the classes I was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad, I wanted to cry."
This quote really made me think of what's going on in our society and schooling for students with down syndrome or other disabilities. It's not fair that she wasn't taking other classes that interested her. I think it's important for all individuals to be able to at least attempt to take classes that interest them in order to make learning more fun.
2. "Success in life requires an ability to form relationships with others who make up the web of community. Though many of us have certain level of control over who we meet and interact with, none of us can come close to claiming complete control. So we must learn to work with others, and this holds true whether we ultimately are destined to lead a multinational computer software firm, inspire a civil rights movement, raise caring children, bag groceries, or chat and feed squirrels with an old man on a park bench. We have to got learn to get along as individuals and as citizens."
I agree with this quote. It is so important to be able to form relationships with others who make up our society. We are always interacting with different people and in order to live and build a successful society we have to learn to live together. This relates to the Johnson reading, who also says that in order to build a successful society we must get along and then solve problems together.
3. "Along with recognizing an individual's ability to think, Bogdan and Taylor (1989) suggest that respect and citizenship require a realization of the person's individuality. This is as true in school relationships as it is in our wider community relationships."
I agree with this quote as well. People must recognize an individuals ability to think, but also recognize their individuality and that everyone is different. Furthermore, it is something we have to do both in school and in our community.
This article was interesting. Everyone is different, but most people want similar things in life. It is important that everyone in society works together and learns to get along. If people can get along then our society can work on improving and becoming a better place for us to live in. However, this can't be done if people can't accept individuals with disabilities or of other races, etc.. It's important that people realize, we are all here in society and we should learn to get along in order to better our society.
1. "I started to notice that I didn't like the classes I was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad, I wanted to cry."
This quote really made me think of what's going on in our society and schooling for students with down syndrome or other disabilities. It's not fair that she wasn't taking other classes that interested her. I think it's important for all individuals to be able to at least attempt to take classes that interest them in order to make learning more fun.
2. "Success in life requires an ability to form relationships with others who make up the web of community. Though many of us have certain level of control over who we meet and interact with, none of us can come close to claiming complete control. So we must learn to work with others, and this holds true whether we ultimately are destined to lead a multinational computer software firm, inspire a civil rights movement, raise caring children, bag groceries, or chat and feed squirrels with an old man on a park bench. We have to got learn to get along as individuals and as citizens."
I agree with this quote. It is so important to be able to form relationships with others who make up our society. We are always interacting with different people and in order to live and build a successful society we have to learn to live together. This relates to the Johnson reading, who also says that in order to build a successful society we must get along and then solve problems together.
3. "Along with recognizing an individual's ability to think, Bogdan and Taylor (1989) suggest that respect and citizenship require a realization of the person's individuality. This is as true in school relationships as it is in our wider community relationships."
I agree with this quote as well. People must recognize an individuals ability to think, but also recognize their individuality and that everyone is different. Furthermore, it is something we have to do both in school and in our community.
This article was interesting. Everyone is different, but most people want similar things in life. It is important that everyone in society works together and learns to get along. If people can get along then our society can work on improving and becoming a better place for us to live in. However, this can't be done if people can't accept individuals with disabilities or of other races, etc.. It's important that people realize, we are all here in society and we should learn to get along in order to better our society.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Miscellaneous Post #2
This past Thursday, the class watched a video on nontracking in an English class for ninth graders. Then we were asked to be either students, teachers, or parents and figure out the pros and cons of tracking vs. nontracking, and later we would debate. In my group was Thanh,Jen, and Casey. We were the students and instead of splitting up, we worked on the pros and cons together. Since we had all been in tracked schools, we found it easier to be pro-tracking. Some of the reasons included: in tracked classes, students are all at same level, so it's less likely to fall behind and teachers can go at a good pace for the studens learning level...no one will be bored (if teacher's going to slow) and no one wil fall behind(teachers not going to fast. Some of the pros for nontracking were: students will feel equal with each other, there will be interaction of different students, and teachers give all students same amount of attention. On Tuesday in class, we will discuss more pros and cons and then we will debate, which is always interesting.
My Ninth Visit...
Today was my ninth visit for my service learning project. I drove the now familiar route to the school and arrived exactly at 9:30. I rang the doorbell, signed in, and made my way through the halls to the reading room. When I walked in, Mrs. Del was already explaining something so I hurried to sit down and catch up. We found out that it was evaluation week and we were going to help out and give some kindergartners their evaluations to see if they are any closer to begin the phonics program and begin to read. Mrs. Del went through the evaluation a student had already done and told us how to give one.
Unfortunately, my students were already evaluated so I was going to room 24 to evaluate two other students. The evaluation tested each student on their stage of phonemic awareness and two more after that. If the student got 4 out of 5 or higher correct on each skill, the evaluator would continue until they got 3 out of 5 or less. Some students made it through the entire evaluation which showed they were ready to begin phonics. Others, like two of mine were not even passed the first stage of phonemic awareness, which was sad to me. The first student I had was a boy named Joey. He was currently at the first stage of phonemic awareness, rhyming. He passed that section and went on to the skill of isolation. Unfortunately, he did pass that section and when we went to the next one, Identification and Categorization, he didn’t pass that either. He was trying so hard, but he just didn’t understand all of it yet. The next student I had was another boy named Juan. He also began at rhyming and made it through that and through isolation. However, he didn’t make it through identification and categorization. It was hard for me to see them not succeed when they try so hard.
After making it back to the reading room, the other volunteers spoke of how some of their students didn’t do well either. Mrs. Del said that some of the students who don’t pass many of the skills may have something else wrong that slows them down. Today’s visit was different, which I enjoyed but I would rather be with my three students. Next week I may have different students, depending on where each of my students tested. I guess we will see next week.
Unfortunately, my students were already evaluated so I was going to room 24 to evaluate two other students. The evaluation tested each student on their stage of phonemic awareness and two more after that. If the student got 4 out of 5 or higher correct on each skill, the evaluator would continue until they got 3 out of 5 or less. Some students made it through the entire evaluation which showed they were ready to begin phonics. Others, like two of mine were not even passed the first stage of phonemic awareness, which was sad to me. The first student I had was a boy named Joey. He was currently at the first stage of phonemic awareness, rhyming. He passed that section and went on to the skill of isolation. Unfortunately, he did pass that section and when we went to the next one, Identification and Categorization, he didn’t pass that either. He was trying so hard, but he just didn’t understand all of it yet. The next student I had was another boy named Juan. He also began at rhyming and made it through that and through isolation. However, he didn’t make it through identification and categorization. It was hard for me to see them not succeed when they try so hard.
After making it back to the reading room, the other volunteers spoke of how some of their students didn’t do well either. Mrs. Del said that some of the students who don’t pass many of the skills may have something else wrong that slows them down. Today’s visit was different, which I enjoyed but I would rather be with my three students. Next week I may have different students, depending on where each of my students tested. I guess we will see next week.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Talking Points #8
"Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work" by Jean Anyon
Kaitlyn Paolino
1. "Nor was there any attempt to relate the steps to an actual or possible thought process of the children. The observer did not hear the terms dividend, quotient, and so on, used again."
I feel like this happens a lot throughout different schools and different grades. I feel it is extremely important for the teacher to relate what they are doing to the children and their life. Especially in math, when it's so hard for some students, relating it to some aspect of their life will help them understand more. I think too many teachers just lecture and repeat the textbook the students are not relating to the information and therefore aren't understanding it.
2. "The four fifth grade teachers observed in the working-class schools attempted to control classroom time and space by making decisions without consulting the children and without explaining the basis for their decisions."
I understand that teachers need to be able to control the students, in ways such as behavior. However, I feel it is important to consult with the students, as well as explain decisions made for lessons, in order for the students to connect with the teacher and understand why certain things are being done the way they are. The students are the ones learning and in order for them to succeed, they need to understand what is going on in the classroom and why they are being taught and told to do activities in certain ways.
3. "There is little excitement in schoolwork for the children, and the assignments are perceived as having little to do with their interests and feelings. As one child said, what you do is "store facts up in your head like cold storage - until you need it later for a test or your job." Thus, doing well is important because there are thought to be other likely rewards: a good job or college.""
I agree with this. I feel like a lot of students today, and when I was in school, were being taught things that a little interest to our life. Furthermore, if the teacher were to connect it to something interesting in our life then I feel like students would be able to learn and understand things. Moreover, students already know that if they do well it could lead to rewards but I feel like learning should be fun for the students so that they can really enjoy themselves and want to continue on their own to learn, not just because they think they have to.
This article was interesting. I liked being able to see the different schools and how different each was. Furthermore, when relating it to the social class of each of the students I think there is a "hidden curriculum" that is teaching the students how they will be when they are older. Some schools offer more creativity and others don't allow the students to give any feedback. I think this is creating some inequality and showing the privilege higher class people have.
Kaitlyn Paolino
1. "Nor was there any attempt to relate the steps to an actual or possible thought process of the children. The observer did not hear the terms dividend, quotient, and so on, used again."
I feel like this happens a lot throughout different schools and different grades. I feel it is extremely important for the teacher to relate what they are doing to the children and their life. Especially in math, when it's so hard for some students, relating it to some aspect of their life will help them understand more. I think too many teachers just lecture and repeat the textbook the students are not relating to the information and therefore aren't understanding it.
2. "The four fifth grade teachers observed in the working-class schools attempted to control classroom time and space by making decisions without consulting the children and without explaining the basis for their decisions."
I understand that teachers need to be able to control the students, in ways such as behavior. However, I feel it is important to consult with the students, as well as explain decisions made for lessons, in order for the students to connect with the teacher and understand why certain things are being done the way they are. The students are the ones learning and in order for them to succeed, they need to understand what is going on in the classroom and why they are being taught and told to do activities in certain ways.
3. "There is little excitement in schoolwork for the children, and the assignments are perceived as having little to do with their interests and feelings. As one child said, what you do is "store facts up in your head like cold storage - until you need it later for a test or your job." Thus, doing well is important because there are thought to be other likely rewards: a good job or college.""
I agree with this. I feel like a lot of students today, and when I was in school, were being taught things that a little interest to our life. Furthermore, if the teacher were to connect it to something interesting in our life then I feel like students would be able to learn and understand things. Moreover, students already know that if they do well it could lead to rewards but I feel like learning should be fun for the students so that they can really enjoy themselves and want to continue on their own to learn, not just because they think they have to.
This article was interesting. I liked being able to see the different schools and how different each was. Furthermore, when relating it to the social class of each of the students I think there is a "hidden curriculum" that is teaching the students how they will be when they are older. Some schools offer more creativity and others don't allow the students to give any feedback. I think this is creating some inequality and showing the privilege higher class people have.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
My Eighth Visit...
On the morning of my eight visit, the weather was perfect. I didn't hit too much traffic and luckily it was an easy ride to Providence (NO RAIN:]). I arrived at 9:30 on the dot and made my way to the school. Two students were going in late so they rang the doorbell and I followed in. After signing in at the office, I saw Sarah sitting outside the Principal's office. I don't know what she was waiting for, but she was so excited to see me. She asked for "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to be the poem I read to them and I did end up picking that. I finally arrived to Mrs. Smith/Mrs. Del's room and started collecting materials. I picked "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," an activity called "Three-in-a-Row," and a pile of sight words. Mrs. Del showed us the new game they got, "Candy Land," that was modified to work with sight words. Each color a student picked would have a sight word and if they said the correct sight word, they would move ahead on the board. Unfortunately, there weren't enough so my group didn't get to try it..but we will next week.
I made my way into the classroom to three excited students. We all read the poem together and did the spider motions with it. They were so cute! We then did activities with the poem, such as pointing out rhyming words and recognizing lower case and upper case letters. Next, we went through the sight words. First I would hold up one word for each student and they would recite it back to me. Billy knows his sight words extremely well, Sarah misses only a couple, and Jared is still struggling but he recognized more than last week. After going through the pile once, I then scattered the words face down on the table. Each student picked one, two, and then three at a time on their separate turns. Then the student would read the words they picked and make a sentence with at least one sight word. I liked doing this type of activity because the students would end up challenging themselves to try and create a sentence with more than just one sight word. It was great to see how excited they got and how much better they recognized and knew their words, as well as putting them into sentences. Then, it was time for "Three-in-a-Row" which we had already done and the students were kind of bored with. In this game, one at a time a student picks up a picture, tell us what it is and its beginning sound. I think a part of the reason they're bored is because Billy, Sarah, and Jared really know their beginning sounds. They even go a step further and connect the sound with the letter. Overall, I think the students have made great progress and continue to learn more each week.
After tutoring, I made my way back to the room and met with the other volunteers. We filled out our paperwork and shared stories about our students. I'm happy I get to go to this school each week because it really is a rewarding experience. Until next week...
I made my way into the classroom to three excited students. We all read the poem together and did the spider motions with it. They were so cute! We then did activities with the poem, such as pointing out rhyming words and recognizing lower case and upper case letters. Next, we went through the sight words. First I would hold up one word for each student and they would recite it back to me. Billy knows his sight words extremely well, Sarah misses only a couple, and Jared is still struggling but he recognized more than last week. After going through the pile once, I then scattered the words face down on the table. Each student picked one, two, and then three at a time on their separate turns. Then the student would read the words they picked and make a sentence with at least one sight word. I liked doing this type of activity because the students would end up challenging themselves to try and create a sentence with more than just one sight word. It was great to see how excited they got and how much better they recognized and knew their words, as well as putting them into sentences. Then, it was time for "Three-in-a-Row" which we had already done and the students were kind of bored with. In this game, one at a time a student picks up a picture, tell us what it is and its beginning sound. I think a part of the reason they're bored is because Billy, Sarah, and Jared really know their beginning sounds. They even go a step further and connect the sound with the letter. Overall, I think the students have made great progress and continue to learn more each week.
After tutoring, I made my way back to the room and met with the other volunteers. We filled out our paperwork and shared stories about our students. I'm happy I get to go to this school each week because it really is a rewarding experience. Until next week...
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