April 26, 2014
Principal Panel
These three principals offered valuable advice me and my fellow teacher candidates as we look for jobs and begin our teaching journey. Meg Jacobson talked a great deal about the importance of collaboration. Her school provides opportunities for collaboration in the way the schedule allows for common preparatory periods and before school meetings. She gave us advice to truly show your personality through interviewing if at all possible. Her presentation inspired me to really look at what I want to come through in an interview.
Kyle Ruggles talked about being a part of the school and really trying to make a difference every day. He told us to examine what students want and need and to design our lessons and interactions in such a way to meet those. I was encouraged to meet a principal whose primary focus did seem to be on the students.
Jose Manuel Villereal express the need for us to remain challenged. He said that once we are comfortable, we are no longer doing our best work. I feel pretty uncomfortable right now, so I guess I am in the right place! I am impressed with the new way of treating students not as criminals, but as students. He says his job saves lives, and I am grateful to be in a profession that can do this.
Overall the panel encouraged me to start looking at interview questions and what kind of school I would fit best in. I would really like a school that emphasizes collaboration and focuses on what is best for students. While I think most schools try and do this, some are better than others.
- Kyle Ruggles from La Costa Canyon
- Meg Jacobson from Vista Magnet Middle School
- Jose Manuel Villarreal from Juvenile County Court Schools
These three principals offered valuable advice me and my fellow teacher candidates as we look for jobs and begin our teaching journey. Meg Jacobson talked a great deal about the importance of collaboration. Her school provides opportunities for collaboration in the way the schedule allows for common preparatory periods and before school meetings. She gave us advice to truly show your personality through interviewing if at all possible. Her presentation inspired me to really look at what I want to come through in an interview.
Kyle Ruggles talked about being a part of the school and really trying to make a difference every day. He told us to examine what students want and need and to design our lessons and interactions in such a way to meet those. I was encouraged to meet a principal whose primary focus did seem to be on the students.
Jose Manuel Villereal express the need for us to remain challenged. He said that once we are comfortable, we are no longer doing our best work. I feel pretty uncomfortable right now, so I guess I am in the right place! I am impressed with the new way of treating students not as criminals, but as students. He says his job saves lives, and I am grateful to be in a profession that can do this.
Overall the panel encouraged me to start looking at interview questions and what kind of school I would fit best in. I would really like a school that emphasizes collaboration and focuses on what is best for students. While I think most schools try and do this, some are better than others.
April 20, 2014
Digital Learning Project Part 2
Desmos: Online graphing calculator
Digital Learning Project Part 2
Desmos: Online graphing calculator
After more exploration on Demos, I have successfully created a lesson that incorporates both demonstrations and student technology consumption. I have also used Desmos on several occasions to help students understand the big picture. I have graphed polynomials, hyperbolas, ellipses, and logarithms and changed different variables.
In my formal lesson, Students are given the task of redesigning the Olympic symbol by using their knowledge of the equation of a circle and watching how Desmos is used. This lesson, Desmos Olympic Symbol, also allows for students to use creativity and do some exploration with the program. It easily self differentiates and allows beginning student to have more time with the basic calculator, while more advanced students are engaged in deeper exploration. I tweeted a sample Olympic Ring design on Desmos, and they replied by adding their own version. Their version can be found using the link Desmos Olympic Ring Version
I enjoyed finding, researching, and applying new technology. It gave me a chance to explore what it is like to learn and then apply my learning to improve my teaching. I feel like I was able to enrich my teaching practice and give my students a chance to learn math in a new way that wouldn’t have been possible without it.
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February 21, 2014
Digital Learning Project Part I
Desmos: Online graphing calculator
My digital innovation group and I have spent the last few weeks playing with the online calculator Desmos. I became very interested when I heard about a new way to use Desmos through Twitter called Function Carnival. After initially looking at Function Carnival, I was truthfully overwhelmed in how to create this or similar experiences. I decided to start at the beginning with just exploring the calculator and learning the basics. I have watched several online videos on YouTube instructing me how to perform basic operations, graph equations, create sliders and even insert pictures as the background. Visit our groups research in our google doc to share information and research we have found including: Function Carnival, Desman, tutorials, and a factoring lesson.
After our initial exploration we all think we are able to include Desmos in a lesson plans for both demonstration use and student consumption. I personally am going to try using Desmos for our interdisciplinary unit on the Olympics and have students design a new Olympic Symbol using the equations of circles and Desmos. Also as we study polynomials in my clinical practice, I am thinking of using a rollercoaster picture in the background and have students try to create a polynomial that will fit the image. Additionally, I would like to use Desmos to illustrate how translations work with conic sections.
March 31, 2014
Del Lago Academy: Escondido
“I don’t understand…….yet.”
Del Lago is a public high school in Escondido with plans to reinvent how education is done. The school focuses on collaboration, innovation, and community through project based learning. Scholars are encouraged to connect subjects and question evidence with teachers acting as coaches and facilitators.
My favorite philosophy at Del Lago is that it is never too late to learn. If a student does not master the material, they are given a chance to learn it. This growth mindset of scholars not knowing the material, yet, is one I intend on including in my classroom. It is important for scholars, parents, and teachers to know that scholars should not be given up on, or give up themselves. It is never too late to learn.
The school community is purposefully built on collaboration: between scholars (common classes, advisory, team learning), teachers (common prep, daily meetings, and shared students) and the outside community (partnership with various Bioteach and medical industries).
This type of school is exciting to me. I can’t wait to see the results. If they are positive, and I believe they will be, I hope that others will follow Del Lago’s lead.
Del Lago Academy: Escondido
“I don’t understand…….yet.”
Del Lago is a public high school in Escondido with plans to reinvent how education is done. The school focuses on collaboration, innovation, and community through project based learning. Scholars are encouraged to connect subjects and question evidence with teachers acting as coaches and facilitators.
My favorite philosophy at Del Lago is that it is never too late to learn. If a student does not master the material, they are given a chance to learn it. This growth mindset of scholars not knowing the material, yet, is one I intend on including in my classroom. It is important for scholars, parents, and teachers to know that scholars should not be given up on, or give up themselves. It is never too late to learn.
The school community is purposefully built on collaboration: between scholars (common classes, advisory, team learning), teachers (common prep, daily meetings, and shared students) and the outside community (partnership with various Bioteach and medical industries).
This type of school is exciting to me. I can’t wait to see the results. If they are positive, and I believe they will be, I hope that others will follow Del Lago’s lead.
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March 17th, 2014
Diana Sanchez: Getting a Job Today’s guest speakers spoke on a topic that has been on my mind the last few weeks, getting a job. Diana Sanchez from the career center instructed us how to begin this process. She helped us look at what a resume should include and how to list experience from the most recent first. She also mentioned that using principles as references was most preferred. Applying for a job is really a 2 tier process where you should apply both at the district level and individual schools. On a personal note, I am very confident in a classroom, but interviews really scare me. I would rather that same group of people interviewing me would watch a lesson or two of my teaching, even unannounced, than drill me with questions. I am planning on doing the online mock interview and looking over questions. Part of me struggles with this, because I really want to be authentic and not reply with over canned responses. However, because I am so nervous, I think this will definitely help me be prepared. Diane stated that many questions are situational. She stated that one of the best ways to address these types of questions is to use the STAR method. S- State the situation T- Task A- Action R- Result Sanchez also recommended that you ask the person informing you of the interview questions about the interview. Such questions might be: What will be the structure of the interview? Is there anything I need to prepare for the interview? On an encouraging note, it sounds like there will be teaching jobs next fall. Many teachers are retiring or being given incentives to retire. This is partially due to the new Common Core Standards. This is really an exciting time to be in education and I feel very prepared and excited to have my own classroom. March 10, 2014
Adina Sullivan: Technology in the Classroom “Technology is a tool, not a learning outcome” Adina Sullivan Adina Sullivan presented on how to use technology in the classroom using a program called Nearpod. This is an interactive application that displays the content on personal devices. Imbedded within the Nearpod application are quiz questions. The results can be displayed on a projector in circle graphs or lists. The presentation began with responsible technology use. Every student must return the responsible use form to participate in internet activities. If they do not, they must be given a comparable assignment. Sullivan talked about technology having levels much in the same way Bloom’s Taxonomy is structured. She uses the acronym SAMR to categorize use. S: Substitution Students are substituting computers to do the same task they have done by hand.
A: Augmentation: Functional change. Students have access to tools to help them with the traditional assignment.
M: Modification: The task is redesigned.
R: Redefinition: The task is inconceivable without technology creating a new way to analyze a problem.
With technology changing so quickly, it is difficult for schools to stay on top of buying various devices for students in their classroom. Sullivan mentioned that the day will come soon that students will bring their own devices to the classroom to access the content. We are going to need to figure out how to include students’ devices in our learning environment. Overall technology needs to be used for collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity, not just for technology’s sake. Two very useful tools we learned about in the presentation: Remind101 A way for teachers to text reminders to students without revealing their private cell phone number. Nearpod An interactive presentation tool that can embed quiz questions. February 23, 2014
Ben Nakamura: Classroom Management and Discipline "We want to be Smokey the Bear, not fire fighters" -Ben Nakamura emphasizing preventing classroom management Ben Nakamura's presentation helped me to further my understanding of classroom management as well as adding valuable tools to my toolbox. He emphasized not only the importance of preventative management, but even more valuable, gave us several concrete ways to do this. His PTA approach is one I will take into my own future classroom. P: Post Post your expectations after looking at what your goal for a perfect class day looks like. Also, allow students input in the creation of expectations for both the students and the teacher. T: Teach Teach the behavior you want. Teach, not tell. Teach this like you would your subject. Allow for mistakes, and reteach. Model the expected behavior. Practice, just like you would practice solving math problems. A: Assess Assess students on how well they accomplish the behavior. Highlight success more often than pointing out misbehavior. Positive to negative interactions should be greater than 4:1 ratio. In conjunction with PTA, the most important part about preventative management is relationships. Establishing relationships with students can significantly decrease behavior problems. This happens through a series of connections initiated by the teacher to show interest and caring in the student's lives. So significant are these relationships that one of the techniques Ben talked about was the "Two by Ten". Take your toughest student and talk with them (not subject specific) for two minutes everyday for 10 days. This will show an 85% behavior improvement doing nothing but this. A few of the tools I was able to come away with for classroom use were:
February 21, 2014
Digital Learning Project Part I Desmos: Online graphing calculator My digital innovation group and I have spent the last few weeks playing with the online calculator Desmos. I became very interested when I heard about a new way to use Desmos through Twitter called Function Carnival. After initially looking at Function Carnival, I was truthfully overwhelmed in how to create this or similar experiences. I decided to start at the beginning with just exploring the calculator and learning the basics. I have watched several online videos on YouTube instructing me how to perform basic operations, graph equations, create sliders and even insert pictures as the background. Visit our groups research in our google doc to share information and research we have found including: Function Carnival, Desman, tutorials, and a factoring lesson. After our initial exploration we all think we are able to include Desmos in a lesson plans for both demonstration use and student consumption. I personally am going to try using Desmos for our interdisciplinary unit on the Olympics and have students design a new Olympic Symbol using the equations of circles and Desmos. Also as we study polynomials in my clinical practice, I am thinking of using a rollercoaster picture in the background and have students try to create a polynomial that will fit the image. Additionally, I would like to use Desmos to illustrate how translations work with conic sections. February 3, 2014
Project AWARE “I have a gun. All I wanted to do was kill him. I didn’t think to what that would mean for later.” --- Student speaker from Project A.W.A.R.E I had the opportunity to listen to a panel of experts, led by Shannon Garcia, on how to help at risk students. At risk students are students who will not, or are in danger of not graduating. 70% of people incarcerated have not graduated high school and many have destructive ways of dealing with feelings of sadness and anger, such as with drugs or violence. Reginald Washington found a way to emotionally educate inmates to deal with their feelings without hurting themselves or others. This was the beginning of Project A.W.A.R.E. (Attitude When Angry and Resolving Emotional issues non-violently. Washington started the project as a prisoner himself, and when he was released, brought his knowledge to at risk students to stop the School to Prison Pipeline. When students are suspended or expelled, their road to success is impeded. Students who are kicked out of school begin to learn criminal like behaviors and are desensitized to “prison” conditions. With the number of referrals to court school rising, intervention needed to happen. Shannon Garcia along with Reginald Washington created Project A.W.A.R.E in schools to create working interventions and ensuring that high and middle school students are not thrown away at such a young age. They wanted to stop the school to prison pipeline. Garcia discussed how academic interventions have been the focus in schools with a strong preventive approach. It is only recently, that behavior has been recognized as needing the same sort of interventions (with a strong preventative approach.) I had an opportunity to attend such an implementation of a school wide behavior intervention plan at Bear Valley Middle School. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, was implemented school wide with teacher training and support. Teachers were asked to revisit old behavior plans and modify them to support a education of behaviors to students. We teach students to read before we expect them to read; The same should be true of behavior. Garcia also opened my eyes to a different way of understanding behavior. She stated that, “Behavior is a form of communication.” Students don’t always have ways to communicate their feelings using socially acceptable ways. They may not have been taught how to express feelings of anger, sadness, and disappointment without hurting themselves or others. Behavior can be a window into what they are feeling. Garcia strongly emphasizes to taking the time to make connections with students. This keeps them in school. These connections are more important than any standard, because without being in school, students won’t even have the chance to learn the content. Using a survey to learn about students is only a first step. I have printed off the survey so that I can look at it before students arrive each day. If at all possible, I try to have a conversation with at least one student, or apply some of the background I have learned in my lesson for that day. Garcia also strengthened my resolve to stop what I am doing, no matter how busy I am, and greet students each day at the door. Overall, this presentation was a strong reminder that students have more than just school to manage. Many students are struggling larger issues without the social-emotional skills to handle them. As a teacher, I have the opportunity to be a champion for these students by making a personal connection with them, and playing a part in teaching emotional literacy. Jan 29th, 2014
How do you find the vertex of a parabola? I was reading through the textbook for a class I am student teaching in. We are just starting quadratics and the textbook was having students use -b/2a to find the vertex and axis of symmetry. Mind you, the book did not explain why or how this works. When students are first looking a parabolas, I think it is best to have them discover that the vertex is exactly in the middle of the the two x intercepts (or any symmetric points for that matter.) However, I became obsessed with where this -b/2a came from and began trying to informally prove it. The video below is a result of my thinking. |
