Final Blog

I created this blog for my Social Studies Methods class because it was a requirement of the course. I was not very happy when I heard that I had to create a blog because I had done a blog before for my Math For Elementary Teachers course and I hated it! My teacher gave us an assigned length and suggested topics to write about. I wasn't allowed to be creative because I was so focused on meeting the requirements. I can honestly say that the blog was one of my favorite things from this class and something that I am very proud of. I do not hate blogging anymore; in fact, I really enjoy it! My favorite part was finding all of the graphics to make my blog interesting to look at.

This semester I created a Unit Plan that included 3 lessons that my partner and I taught to a 5th grade classroom. The fieldwork was an amazing experience. It was exhilarating to be in front of a room full of students teaching them! I had so much fun and I wish I could do it all again. I know with 100% confidence that teaching is what I want to do! I know that teaching is for me. It was such an amazing experience to be in front of the classroom because many education majors do not get to do that until they student teach. The best way to learn is to be thrown in and make mistakes. I made a ton of mistakes my first time teaching but I learned SO MUCH from it!

I created an edtpa e-folio based on my Unit Plan and field work. When my professor first showed me the e-folio, I felt like I was going to throw up! There were so many different parts that needed to be done and I didn't know how I would do it all! But I made it through. I completed my e-folio and the course and I have learned so much and done so many things that I thought couldn't be done. I am so proud of my work this semester.

In the beginning of the course, I read some advice from past students. They told me that the course is a lot of work and very challenging, but in the end it would be worth it. This could not have been more true. This semester was so stressful for me, but I did it. I made it through and it was so worth it!

I found this poem when I was scrolling threw Pinterest one day and it really caught my attention. I hate the stereotype that teachers are just babysitters. Many people do not realize how difficult being a teacher really is! People make fun of teachers because they get to have summers off and their day is over at 3pm. This could not be more untrue! A teacher's job is NOT 8-3! A teacher's job is actually never done! There is always a lesson to be created, papers to grade, parents to talk to, etc. There are so many different things that go into being a teacher! Sure, teachers do not go to work during the summer, but this does not mean they are lounging around on the beach everyday! Teachers use their summers to prepare for the year ahead of them. They create their lessons, examine what worked well the year before and change what didn't. Teachers use the summer to set up their classroom and find new things to do with their students. When I first started College, all of my intro to education classes were completely filled. Many people who didn't know what they wanted to be became education majors because they thought it would be easy. As my classes go up in difficulty, the number of students has dropped significantly. I attribute this to people realizing just how hard it is to become a teacher. In my Social Studies Methods class we had 12 students. So many people along the way tried to discourage me from becoming a teacher. They told me that there were no jobs and that the pay isn't worth it. I just smile and nod when these people try to tell me that I should be a business major. I know that teaching is the right job for me. I am up for the challenge of finding a job when I graduate. It will all be worth it to be in a job that I love. I love to teach and teaching is right for me!

Mock Job Interview

In my Social Studies Methods class, I participated in a Mock Job Interview where I was interviewed by my peers. It was actually very stressful to be interviewed by some of my fellow classmates because they are people that I know. It really made me want to give a great answer to their questions and blow them away with my answers! I was also interviewed with my partner that I worked with throughout fieldwork; it was very interesting because we worked together the whole semester and now we were competing with each other for the same job. It was also difficult to be interviewed with someone else because their answer may be similar to yours, and you don't want to sound like you are copying their answer. I think it is very interesting that this is the new ways that interviews are being conducted. This was great practice for the future when I go to interview for a teaching job and I will be interviewed in a group of people who all want the same job as me.

The questions that I found the easiest to answer were the abstract questions that did not have a correct answer. Questions like:

"What color comes to mind when you think of Cooperative Learning?"

For this question I answered orange. The reason I see orange when I think of Cooperative Learning is because the color orange is a mixture of yellow and red. Yellow makes me think of sunshine and happiness. The process of Cooperative Learning should be a positive one. Students should feel happy when working in groups. Red reminds me of the color of passion and fire. Students should be passionate about learning. I want their to be a spark when students learn new things.

"If you were a bicycle, which part would you be?"

I originally wanted to say the handle bars but my partner that I was being interviewed with said that first and I did not want to say the same thing. I said the wheels because a teacher must bring the students to the information, which is like the wheels bringing the bike where it needs to go. I also said that the wheels spinning are like a child's brain. I want to put the brain in motion and make it think!

The questions that I found most difficult to answer were ones where I needed to put myself into the school and classroom that I had never been in before.

One question that I remember was, "If I came into your classroom at 11:15 in the morning, what would you be doing?"

This was really hard for me to answer because each classroom is different and a classroom schedule must be established with the class. I said independent reading time because it was the first thing that came to mind. Independent reading time will be included in my classroom daily but I have no idea at what time it will be.

Another question was, "How will you deal with a class that has children of mixed intelligence?"

I answered that I would have students help each other. I would place students who are struggling with students who have grasped the information in order to have them teach each other. I also explained that I would scaffold instruction.

I also struggle with question to ask the interviewer. I never really know what are good questions to ask. I usually say that I don't have any questions but I know that I should be asking important questions to what could be my future employer.

Here are 7 questions that will knock the socks off your interviewer! 

Don't forget to smile! 

Encouraging Students To Teach Each Other

I believe that the way teachers teach must be varied in many different ways. I think that the way of teaching is evolving and getting better. When students are forced to read from a textbook and memorize facts, they may remember this information for the test, but as soon as they are done the information goes out the window. We need to teach students in a way that makes them remember what they have learned. Teacher should not just teach for the test!!!! Teachers should teach to fill their students with knowledge that they will remember a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

Information retained:

When we read: 10%

When we hear: 20%

When we see: 30%

When we see and hear: 40%

When we discuss: 50%

When we practice: 75%

When we teach others: 95%

As you can see from the information above, students retain little information from reading a textbook or being told important information. The most successful way for students to retain information is teaching others! When a student is able to teach one another, they learn themselves and are helping out a fellow classmate. I am very big on working together. I love to see a student who understands helping out a student who is struggling. Sometimes the information is more meaningful when it comes from a peer rather than a teacher.

3 Types of Lessons

There are 3 types of lessons that I worked with this semester: Direct Instruction, Inquiry, and Cooperative Learning. It is very important as a teacher candidate, that I know how to teach different types of lessons because each child learns differently. Some students are visual learners, some may be auditory, some may be hands on, and some may be a combination. When teaching, a teacher must teach one topic in a range of different ways in order to make the information accessible to each and every child in your classroom. 

Direct Instruction Lesson: "I do"

Direct Instruction is taught by explicit, guided instructions. This lesson focuses on sticking to the lesson plan and lecture style teaching. It is a teacher directed lesson. The effectiveness of Direct Instruction is supported by research and continues to be the most widely used method of teaching in classrooms. 

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Inquiry Based Learning: "We do" 

Inquiry Based Learning is taking the learner and bringing him to understand. This lesson allows students to ask questions about new resolutions and issues while gaining new information. Inquiry Based Learning uses to elements of the scientific method. 

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Cooperative Learning Lesson: "You do" 

In a Cooperative Learning Lesson, students of mixed levels of abilities are grouped together. The students are rewarded based on the success of the group instead of the success of the individual. Cooperative Learning involves: face-to-face interaction, positive interdependence, individual accountability, group processing, and collaborative skills. 

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Although I feel that each of these teaching methods are important and each should be used in the classroom, Cooperative Learning is my favorite. I love to see students interacting with each other. During a Cooperative Learning lesson, students learn important social skills that they will need for every aspect of their lives. In order to be successful in the real world, students must be able to work well with others and be social. I love to watch children teaching each other and learning together. I remember from my own experiences as a child that I enjoyed Cooperative Learning the most because it was fun! Cooperative Learning allows children to expand their knowledge without knowing they are even learning because they are enjoying the process.

5 Powerful Elements of Social Studies

There are 5 powerful elements of Social Studies! I feel that these elements need to be used in order for the lesson to be successful. Keep these in mind the next time you plan a social studies lesson!

1. Meaningful: The lesson must be engaging and connect the students with real-world situations



2. Integrative: The lesson you are teaching should draw on more than one skill set, discipline, or subject.



3. Value-based: The lesson should be able to strengthen the students' sense of democratic values and social responsibility


4. Challenging: The lesson needs to incorporate different perspectives and should draw on students' critical-thinking skills


5. Active: Students need to be able to participate. The lesson should make use of manipulatives or the physical environment

Research Based Teaching Strategies

Scaffolding Instruction:
The teacher provides guidance, support, and instruction to help students master a new skill, solve a problem, or complete a task, that the student could not have done alone.

Activating Prior Knowledge:
Students are encouraged to connect what they already know to what they are learning.

Predicting:
Making predictions encourages creative thinking. Students use their prior knowledge and cues from the story to predict what will happen next.

Teacher Modeling: 
Teacher modeling increases students' higher level thinking and comprehension abilities.

Think-alouds:
The teacher models out loud what she is thinking as she interacts with the task at hand. Students will learn what is expected of them, and how to do this, by making her thought process visible.

Questioning:
Asking the right types of questions will encourage higher-level thinking.