Chapter 5: Intelligence

You have now read several views about intelligence. What do you think about intelligence? Is it one trait or many? More heavily influenced by nature or nurture? A fixed capacity or a modifiable ability? Articulate your views in a paragraph of 6-8 sentences.

In my view, intelligence involves a combination of mental processes and cannot be defined as one single trait. I believe both nature and nurture have an influence on how intelligence develops, but I think that the nurturing aspects plays a much greater role. Children are born with the capability of learning (nature); however, without the proper environment and support, intelligence is not allowed to thrive, flourish, and grow (nurture). Intelligence can be modified over time. Again, it depends on the environment. The environment can have many influences on how a child's intelligence develops and also can influence what aspects of intelligence a child most often uses. Since intelligence involves many mental processes, those processes can be nourished or hindered over time.

Chapter 4: Class

For the Chapter 4 info, I read two chapter excerpts from the book Understanding Poverty. I found the first part of this reading to be very interesting. The author wrote in a way that encouraged the reader (a teacher) to think in the perspective of children who are living in poverty. The author provided many examples for the reader to put him/herself in the shoes of a child who may be struggling with the issue of moving from place to place, living with several other people (related or unrelated to them), or lack of access to resources. After creating this image, the author goes on to give specific strategies teachers can use in the classroom to support these particular students.

It appears that the author feels that possibly teachers lack the resources they need in order to support children living in poverty or that teachers are not recognizing what can be done to effectively support these children in such conditions. It was great to see these specific issues brought to light and put out on the table, because I think it is very easy for teachers to forget where their children are coming from, and I think some teachers (unconsciously) let children such as those living in poverty fall through the cracks without recognizing that they need help. While this specific chapter does not address signs for children living in poverty (although it may be obvious in some cases), I think the strategies and tips given by the author are helpful in future situations when I will be dealing with children in my classroom who come from a less than fortunate background.

One section I was surprised to read about was at the end of the first chapter excerpt titled "Great Expectations." In this short, two paragraph section the author specifically tells the reader (teacher) that they cannot allow themselves to hold students that come from poverty situations to lower standards and expect less of them when compared to their peers. It may be easy for some teachers or to make excuses for children who come from poverty situations such as, "Oh, he's had a hard life," and think that excuses like that can suffice for possibly getting out of certain situations. The author stresses that as teachers, we should expect great things from all of our students, not just students from a particular social class, culture, race, or any other defining factor. Great teachers will expect great things from their students and expect them to overcome challenges instead of letting challenges overcome them.

Chapter 3: Personal and Social Development

Personal and social development can have a major influence on both individual student learning and the learning environment as a whole. Identify a case from the CSEL guidelines*that you would like to address in your paper. Then, examine the possible developmental factors that could be influencing your target student(s) or classroom in the case study. Consider all dimensions of personal and social development, including cognitive, language, social,
emotional, and moral development. *CSEL guidelines can be found under CSEL Artifact. Cases are included at the end of the document. Choose the case that best suits your desired grade level.
Willard seems to be lagging in his social develpoment when compared to his peers. While many of his peers are most likely moving towards the Industry vs. Inferiority stage of Erikson's psychosocial stages of development, it appears that Willard is still trying to succeed in Erikson's stage 3: Intiative vs. Guilt. During this stage, children are to begin asserting control over the environment through taking initiative to plan activities, accomplish tasks, and face challenges. It seems as if Willard is relying on adults in his environment to tell him how and when routines take place and is unsure of how to act when there is not that authority there to tell him what he should be doing. It could be possible that throughout this stage, Willard has been exposed to parents or other adults that have been discouraging to his attempts to "branch out" and take control and has caused him to become overly dependent on others.

Check out tables 3.1 (p. 75), 3.2 (p. 83) and 3.3 (p. 91) with particular attention to the age ranges you are interested in teaching. Identify your personal favorite ways that an educator can promote a child’s sense of self, perspective taking, and moral reasoning skills.
For sense of self, I looked at the grade level 3-5, and my favorite strategy I would use in my classroom is to focus the student's attention on improvement over time rather than what happens in the present. I think it is important to help students see how they could improve certain skills over time rather than what is going on in the moment. Through this, I think that also it would be a good time to teach long-term goals and how to help students achieve those goals.
For perspective taking, I chose to focus on grade level K-2. I really liked the strategy that involves asking children questions about thoughts and feelings while reading a book. Not only does it incorporate literacy, but children can relate to how the characters in the book feel in very concrete ways. Since at this age many children are reading or having read to them picture books, they can use visual clues to determine what the character(s) might be feeling. These same visual clues can be used in everyday life. I would probably ask my students to think about how they would feel if they were in a particular character's shoes in order to gain a different perspective. This would promote the children to take on a different view of the situation and think more in depth about their own feelings.
Again, for moral reasoning, I looked at grade 3-5. My favorite strategy here is "Talk about how having rules enables classrooms and groups to run more smoothly." Rules have this sort of negative connotation attached to them and you are not supposed to break them or you will be in trouble. I think now it is important to focus on why we have rules in place and to get children to understand that the rules aren't there to slow them down but to make each workspace enjoyable. It is important to stress the reason for rules and that they are safety measures for all students as well as teachers. (Teachers should follow the rules too!) As far as "punishment" for "breaking the rules" I think that there should not be such a thing. I saw a video the other day where the teacher used a "Refill Station" (a chair where students went to regain composure, think about good actions, etc) in place of a time out chair or in place of a privilege taken away. I think this is a good idea because it gives the children a time to reflect and allows them to think about how they can improve.

Chapter 3 Song

"Don't Let Me Get Me" - Pink

 

Never win first place, I don't support the team
I can't take direction, and my socks are never
clean
Teachers dated me, my parents hated me I was always in a fight cuz I can't do nothin'
right
Everyday I fight a war against the mirror
I can't take the person starin' back at me
I'm a hazard to myself

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

I wanna be somebody else, yeah
LA told me, "You'll be a pop star,
All you have to change is everything you are." Tired of being compared to damn Britney Spears
She's so pretty, that just ain't me

Doctor, doctor won't you please prescribe
somethin
A day in the life of someone else?
Cuz I'm a hazard to myself

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

Doctor, doctor won't you please prescribe
somethin
A day in the life of someone else?
Don't let me get me

Don't let me get me
I'm my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don't wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else

 

 

2. Page 73 - 74

 

3. This song reminded me of Erikson's psychosocial stage identity vs. role confusion. In this stage, adolescents struggle with finding who they are and essentially "try on" all these different identities to find the one that fits them the best. In this stage, adolescents integrate their perceptions about themselves into a more multifacted sense of self.

 

4. This song in it entirety relates to Erikson's fifth stage, but I believe the highlighted parts strongly exemplify the stage teens are going through. The artist of this song is singing about how she perceives herself in comparison with how others see her too. She realizes that who she is is not widely accepted and seems to be expressing a feeling of neglect from her peers or the world. She describes herself as not being the type of person that supports (what I think, sports) teams and she does not win at anything. She sings about how she is compared to a pop star- Britney Spears and her view that she, herself, is not pretty and does not live up to the same standard. She was even told by high-up, record artists that she had to change who she was to make it in the business. Repeatedly in the song she states that she "wants to be somebody else" and she is "her own worst enemy." I think this song gives an example of how teens take on temporary identities to discover who they are, and the artist has figured out that her current identity is not working for her in her best interest.

 

5. In my future classroom, I do not believe I will be working with an age group that is beginning to develop such harsh negative views about themselves and really comparing themselves to their peers in such a harsh way. However, I do think that even at a young age children can begin to develop a sort of negative view about who they are through what other people say about them. If the child is exposed to generally negative comments about their abilities, I think it is possible for that child to just take on that role (ex: if the kid is always being told he is lazy). To apply this knowledge, I would start off the year in the right direction. I would make explicit to my children that actions such as bullying or demeaning another person's ability will not be accepted and that we treat everyone with equal, mutual respect. If I were to encounter this child mid-year, I would do what I could to bring out the positive in the child and help that child as well as the other students see the positive. i would help that child build on what they do best to maintain a positive self perception. 

Chapter 2

One of the most cited theories of human development is that of Swiss biologist Jean

Piaget. After reading about Piaget’s basic assumptions (p. 27-32) look with particular attention at the stage of child development you would like to teach. The other most cited theory of human development belongs to Russian developmentalist Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development leads us to expect greater diversity among our same-aged students than Piaget. Given these two influential theorists’ ideas on cognitive development, how might you accommodate students who are not yet working at the level of their peers?

I will be working with very young children, most likely Kindergarten of first grade. These students would be somewhere in the Preoperational stage of cognitive development according to Piaget. However, as stated in the chapter, children do not always move through these cognitive stages exactly how Piaget imagined. There are several cultural, as well as individual, factors that contribute to the cognitive development of children. While I agree with the gist of each stage and how children's knowledge develops in this sort of sequential order (you need to learn one thing before learning the next), I do not fully agree with the time frame in which that happens. To help children who are not on the same level as their peers, I might employ both theories of learning and pair lower-level learners with average or higher-level learners. Both theorists suggest that learners construct knowledge and understanding, and Vygotsky says that people work together to construct meaning from events. With this in mind, those lower-level students who are working with a child of average or a higher-level may begin to develop their thinking in the way their counterpart peer is thinking. That is possible, however, if the higher-level student is able to effectively communicate their own thinking to their partner. Along with this, one effective practice for all students to learn is the ability to explain their reasoning. Those lower-level students may be struggling with explaining their reasoning for a particular answer, but those who function at a higher level may be able to "model" effectively how to explain their thinking. 

Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching. Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented for use with your own students.

I agree with all the strategies listed for K-2. I think one of the most important strategies to use when developing linguistic skills in very young children is the strategy of asking children to construct narratives. Not only do children tell a story (ex: What did you do last weekend? Tell me about what you did when you went home yesterday), while working on their linguistic skills, they are also working on sequential order skills (first, next, last). I have always felt that this was an important strategy to use when talking to children, because they are learning to construct stories without even realizing it. To them it is just a conversation with another person. Another important strategy I think I would use in my classroom is giving corrective feedback when it appears that students are using words incorrectly. I would correct students in a very subtle way, and make sure that they know and understand how their word was incorrectly used. Of course, I would give the students the correct word(s) to use and explain why. 

Chapter 10: Social Cognitive

Which of the learning activities/skills can you think of that lend themselves to learning through modeling?

In a preschool classroom, I believe many of the children learn through modeling. This is one of the prime-times to teach skills and activities through modeling, because children will be more apt to adjust their learning. One skill children could learn through modeling in the preschool classroom (depending on how that school functions) could be skills on how to properly serve food to oneself, and how to properly use a fork, spoon, or knife. Obviously, as the teacher, I would serve the food to myself by taking one serving of each item. I may or may not show discretion between items I like and items I don't when serving myself, but I might after "trying" each item. While eating, I would model the correct way to use my utensils; for example, not banging it on the table or plate, using the utensil to pick up food, keeping my utensil at my own plate, etc. For the very first lunch, and probably for several days, I would make my action explicit and verbally explain to the children what I am doing and why. One example might be if I were spreading jelly on a biscuit. I would explain the steps I take to transfer the jelly from the package to the biscuit and how to smooth it across the biscuit in an even layer. The main goal of all this modeling during a meal will be beneficial to teaching children skills to be self sufficient.

How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?
In the case of Willard, self-regulation would be the best solution for keeping under control his wandering behavior. Self-regulation in Willard's case should take the form of a simple checklist since he is in Kindergarten. Possibly this checklist uses a series of symbols rather than words, so that Willard knows which task he has accomplished. Since Willard likes to ask when it will be time to go outside, I would make for him a daily calender that he can keep at his desk. I would most likely make this a type of device where Willard can use dry erase markers, so the same checklist could be used everyday. On this list will be pictures of our daily routine. After each routine, Willard could mark it off as completed. He could then visually see when it is playtime, instead of constantly asking the teacher. To keep Willard on task, I might create some sort of checklist that reaps a small award. I may give Willard 5 stars to start the day off with, and each time he gets out of his seat, he loses a star. However, each day his stars can be totaled to reach a goal - which will also need to have some sort of visual representation for Willard. Once he reaches his goal, he can receive something special  (lunch with the teacher, extra free time, etc.) They will be goals do not resort to candy or really special treats of that sort. 

This is a checklist I found that is really for the teacher to send home at the end of each week (as a disclaimer, I do not agree with this checklist) but it is a general illustration of what type of list I might introduce to Willard with the side note if the adaptations i mentioned earlier. We may have to work on one behavior at a time (since he is so young). Hopefully, eventually Willard will learn to regulate his behavior without a checklist and will stay on task with his activities. 

Barb Rentenbach Seminar

This post is coming out a little late, but I wanted to talk a little bit about the seminar I attended with Barb Rentenbach. I would not call this experience to be a "life-changing event," but I would say that I left with a different perspective and outlook. I was skeptical of the seminar prior to attending and I was very unsure of what to expect. 

I was amazed with Barb's cognitive abilities. We watched a video clip of Barb's friends reading excerpts from her book I Might Be You. Later on in the seminar, some of the students attending were asked to read different excerpts from her book. Barb's linguistic ability exceeded any linguistic abilities that I have ever come in contact with. It is amazing to put this into perspective considering her developmental abilities. 

After attending this seminar, I think it is important as teachers to make sure we do not discredit any student because of any abilities or disabilities. It is also to important to respect students for who they are and to join them on their level. To create the most effective and supportive relationship, it is imperative to understand our students and adapt to their needs. 

Chapter 9: Behaviorism

How would you define successful mastery of your lesson objectives from a behavioral view of learning?
Consider your CSEL intervention case study. Are there tools form a behaviorist view for either encouraging productive behaviors or discouraging undesirable behaviors that you could apply to the case? What are they?

If I were in a kindergarten classroom, and I was looking for a change in behavior (something learned) in my students, I would most likely look specifically at their beahvior in the classroom. At this point in their lives, these children have not had many experiences in a school setting, and may not know how to interact in this particular setting (for example: walking in the halls, sitting at a desk, raising your hand). These are all behaviors students will need to learn (quickly) to function in the classroom.

These types of behaviors can be easily observed by the teacher, and the teacher can keep track over time if the children have learned these behaviors. In the beginning of the school year, these behaviors may be explicitly taught (like walking in the halls for the first time as a group), but throughout the school year, students should only need small reminders about their behavior.

As far as reinforcement, I believe the first, and most important step, is to inform the children of expected behaviors: We walk in the hallways in a straight line, We sit at our desks in the classroom, We raise our hands before talking. I would put some sort of visual up in the classroom so that the children could see these each day. As they learn the desired behaviors, I would make sure to point out who was doing a good job and exhibiting the behaviors that are expected of them. I believe at times, probably later in the school year, I will have to use some sort of group contract with the students (ex: If everyone can stay quiet on the way to the lunchroom, then we can have extra free time when we get back from lunch). This is one way to remind the children what is expected of them.

Chapter 8: Metacognition

Consider a lesson plan you might use. Which metacognitive skills/abilities are involved as students gain facility/knowledge in this domain? Think of an activity or lesson component that explicitly teaches one or more metacognitive and one or more problem solving skills. 
Currently I am working on a social studies lesson plan for a Kindergarten class. I am planning to teach a lesson on wants and needs. I was thinking about this lesson throughout the discussion of chapter 8 and which skills the children might use while learning. The first thing I thought about was the type of learning strategy the children might use. Since it is Kindergarten, I know they will not take notes, that is definite. However, depending on each of their prior experiences, they may use some sort of covert strategies to gain an understanding of the lesson. Possibly, just through their short experiences at school, they may be able to recognize important words (bold faced, larger) that will trigger something in their brain to think"Oh, I need to remember this." Next, I thought about how the children would think critically about this subject. After reading the description of argument analysis, I thought this would be the best way the children could thing about needs and wants. It takes a certain level of cognitive processing (for this age) to differentiate between a need and a want, because everything to them is a need! Through an activity that asks the children to sort between items into a need category and a want category, they will have to justify (argue) why they chose to place the item in the category they did. As far as problem solving is concerned, I think that any activity the children might to do practice their knowledge of wants and needs will involve well-defined problems. With this type of subject, there should not be any uncertainties about the solutions. However, like I stated before, many young children will think of all items of important need. Through brainstorming and collaborative discussion, we could generate ideas about why someone or multiple people find a certain item to be a "need" (ex: (drastic example) if a child wanted to justify why a teddy bear- maybe personally their favorite- is important and to them is essentially a need). As a class, we could brainstorm why this is a need and discuss our justification for why we feel this way. With this extension of the activity, I would not want to discourage children by sharing their ideas of needs by discrediting their justifications. 

Chapter 7: Knowledge Construction

Describe a constructivist lesson you would teach:
I have actually had a chance to teach a form of a constructivist lesson through a previous class I have taken. A partner and I developed a physical knowledge activity and explored bubbles with preschoolers. One way we should have gone prior to the activity might have been to have a small discussion with the children about what they know about bubbles (they have probably blown them before, seen them in the bathtub or the kitchen sink). Through this type of activity- most commonly known as a KWL chart- I could have determined what the children already know about bubbles, possible revealing some of their misconceptions, as well as what they need to know about bubbles. Now, this may seem like an unusual topic to explore with children, but at such a young age, the preschoolers were genuinely interested in the activities and have many curiosities about the way things work, even if it is something as simple as bubbles. 
After figuring out what they know, (this next step is actually what happened in my activities), I would do some actual experimentation with the children. I provided them with several different types of bubble wands, in different dishes, and we even experimented with different forms of bubbles (the liquid bubbles and bubbles we created from soap and water). Through this actual experimentation, that we performed outside, I observed the children's actions and words- how they described the movement of bubbles, were they excited about what they were making, could they explain what was happening? I did experience some exciting inquisition during another activity I performed with the same materials, same setup, however this time we experimented with blowing bubbles indoors. One child noticed that when we blew bubbles inside, they didn't go as far as when we had blown them outside. When I asked why he thought this was, his response was to the effect that there was no wind inside the classroom to move the bubbles. (This was exciting! He was constructing his own knowledge from what he observed!) 
If I had had more time to devote to this activity, I would have wanted to explore the concept of bubbles over many more consecutive days. I think we could have went in depth with the physical knowledge content, because eventually (hopefully) the children would wonder why bubbles moved a certain way, had only one certain shape, and why they floated. I think the point here that I want to make, and with any type of constructivist lesson, is that the children construct their knowledge based on their discovery. Throughout the activity I did with the children, i posed questions to guide their thinking- open-ended questions like "Why do you think...?" These types of questions, where children really have to think about the answer, help push children to think deeply and construct answers. It should be exemplified by the teacher that even though the answer is wrong (or not what we expected), it should be considered valuable!


Which of these learning activities/skills lend themselves to student's individual or group construction? How might you structure learning activities that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?
I am beginning to learn more and more how important it is to create a "community of learners." As an adult and in college, I have always felt strongly about doing independent work (probably because I don't usually enjoy working in groups, however I want to be optimistic about that). With more experience on this idea of community of learners, I am really seeing the benefits of collaboration, and I feel it is very important in the elementary years. Along with this, I also think providing hands on experiences are beneficial to students' learning. I know that I learn best when I am actually able to carry out the idea, and it sticks with me better than just listening about it. With my students, I hope to create as many hands on, real world experiences in creative ways so that they not only remember what they learned, but also comprehend and truly understand the material and can explain or "teach" it to someone else. 

Chapter 6: Cognitive Psychology

What are the essential skills and/or learning outcomes you want your students to know and be able to do that relate to cognitive learning? 

One thing I want my students to take away from my class is an ability to recall information. I have a terrible memory, but I want to attempt to create great memories in the children I teach. Through consistent routines and repetition of (necessary) material, I think I could be successful in this, although maybe not at first. It will take many years to master this skill. I also want my students to be able to apply their knowledge to events out in their world outside of school. There is nothing more exciting and satisfying than being able to apply what you learn in out of school settings. It is a great confidence booster when children are able to express their knowledge; especially when they are able to express their knowledge to adults whom they might think they are "teaching." 

Cognitive psychology and the ways in which the brain works are intriguing topics, that I think can even be explored with children, beginning at a certain age. Attention is one interesting topic that would be great to discuss and share with children. Many lessons could be devoted just to attention, and how to best retain our focus on a subject. Possibly by helping everyone in the class recognize and understand each other's attention "getters" and "distractors" may create a more harmonious atmosphere for learning. 

How might your knowledge of the memory processes guide your instructional decisions?

I really like the bulleted table on page 187 from chapter 6. I could see myself making a simplified classroom chart from this information that reflects my views on getting all children involved in the attention process. As far as memory, I think I would try to use repetition as much as possible. Also, I would provide many presentations of material- visual, audio, a combination- as well as creating fun ways to remember certain procedures. I have typically learned and remember several concepts, procedures, and even foreign songs through singing and through learning songs. This is something I really want to incorporate in to my class. I think it is just another technique to encourage memory. 

I found this picture, and I really like it's representation of the mind, because it really does work like gears. Our minds are constantly turning and processing information, and I believe, if we do not think deeply about our intake of information and just barely scratch the surface, our minds can rust, just like metal gears. 

Teaching and Learning

I feel like there are so many (maybe too many) ways to define teaching and learning. The most basic definition of teaching I am thinking about right now is that: Teaching is showing someone how to do something new and giving them the basic skills they need in order to get that "something" done. The key word here is 'new'. Teaching is an action that involves another person having little or no prior knowledge of the skill or idea. Something new is brought to their attention and is brought to their thoughts. Learning, on the other hand, is a little more complicated to define. In relation to my teaching definition, learning means: Taking in the new information presented by [the teacher] and forming and fitting that knowledge in to what you [the learner] may or may not have already known. These definitions are very basic and broad, but both teaching and learning can be very broad considering the circumstance. 

Chapter 15: Student's Achievement and Abilities

Imagine that you are meeting with Ingrid's grandmother today to explain her scores on the recent standardized achievement test pictured at the bottom of p. 559. What will you tell her about Ingrid's performance? her strengths? her weaknesses?
If I were meeting with her grandmother about the recent standardized test scores, I would discuss with her, first, the areas in which Ingrid did the best. I would begin by discussing Ingrid's reading comprehension score and how she excelled in this subject area by scoring in the 92nd percentile. I may discuss with her how Ingrid has a high interest in reading, and her reading comprehension score reflects that. She has excelled well beyond the average score. Next, I would talk about her scores in science and social studies. While the scores are not as high as reading comprhension, I would tell her that Ingrid is still doing exceptionally well in both subject areas, and while she may not show as much of an interest in these areas, she does understand the concepts and is able to reflect her knowledge on a standardized test. Finally, I would discuss with her grandmother the last three categories of the test: spelling, math computation, and math concepts. It appears that Ingrid is having difficulties with math and spelling. She seems to grasp math concepts a little better than math computation. As far as spelling, this subject seems to be difficult for Ingrid also. The spelling score is somewhat out of the ordinary (in my opinion) considering the very high score she received in reading comprehnsion. I would tell her grandmother that in order for Ingrid to gain more skills in spelling and math, I would identify where she is struggling along the continuum, then supply hre with the practice she needs.

If grandmother asks you what she could be doing at home to help strengthen Ingrid's skills, what will you suggest?
I would suggest practicing math and spelling skills at home, and I would also suggest that practicing these skills do not have to be done by doing worksheets or monotonous work. Math computations and comcepts could be explored and practiced through cooking together or even creating crafts together, such as sewing (if that happens to be a hobby). Spelling could take place at any moment also. Her grandmother could help strengthen these skills by possible reading more complex books (since she is very good at reading comprehension). Possibly they could read books together. While Ingrid is doing well in science, social studies, and reading cmprehension, I think it is important to remind the grandmother that she can still support Ingrid with these activities.

Chapter 14: Assessment

Think of a lesson plan from your licensure area. Knowing that assessment is an integral part of teaching, explain at least four informal and formal assessments that you will use in your lesson plan to provide you with feedback and involve the students in assessing their own learning.
In an early childhood classroom, assessment is used day in and day out on a continuous basis. The large portion of assessments done in an early childhood classroom are informal assessments; teachers are continually assessing their children on an informal level in order to gain information about their abilities and struggles. The method I would most commonly use with my children would be observation. In order to determine "where children are" I will have to continually observe their different behaviors in order to provide them more or less support in a particular area. Observation could either be done formally or informally; either  very in depth and looking for particular clues to a certain behavior, or it can be done while children are playing together in the block area. Another great informal assessment tool to use in an early childhood classroom is developing some sort of checklist. While it may not tell you everything you should know about a certain subject, such as getting to know one-to-one correspondence, it will still give you a general idea of how the children understand the topic. Discussion during group time or lunch is another way to assess children on an informal level. The teacher can learn a lot about her students through their responses to a story, through a word game, or even through a large group activity such as making a web. These types of assessments will take up the majority of all assessments in an early childhood classroom. While there are not formal pencil-paper assessments per se, there are still several ways an early childhood teacher can assess her children.
On the formal level, paper-pencil assessments would not be sufficient in providing information about what children know in Pre-K. The most sufficient strategy would be to assess children using performance assessment. If I were doing a lesson on a book study, I may assess what the children have learned about the book after reading. Each child could take a turn telling something they noticed or remembered from the story. In another lesson about the same book, the children could produce their own book based on what they have learned about books (does it have a beginning, middle, and end? Illustrations?). Through dramatic play, I may learn the concepts the children have grasped from the story by the way they are playing with materials, using costumes, and interacting through dialogue. Some sort of final assessment of the entire lesson may be revisiting what the children know about the story or just books in general, and compare that to their knowledge prior to the lesson.

Consider norm referenced assessment and criterion referenced assessment. Are there advantages to both? Are their disadvantages?
I can see that there are advantages to both types of assessments and there are also disadvantages. One advantage of criterion referenced assessment is the ability to get precise results that tell what a student does not know concerning the topic. On a science test covering the components of plant and animal cells, it is assumed that from lessons the students have learned the material, and based on the test, the teacher can determine which students have failed to learn the material. This type of assessment determines whether or not students have learned curriculum material. A disadvantage to this could be that, as the teacher, I assume that since the student got a question wrong then he/she does not know the material; however, there could be other factors that play in to why the student got the question wrong, and possibly later (after tests are handed back out) I may notice the students disappointment in not paying attention to the question or some other factor that cause him/her to answer wrong. 

In regards to norm-referenced assessment, one advantage of this type of assessment may be that scoring in an average or high percentile when compared to other students may mean that the student has a good general knowledge of concepts. While it is great to know how one ranks among other students their age, it is not a good measure of what children know. Many norm-referenced assessments do not focus on topics students are currently studying or have recently studied. They focus more on what all students at a certain age should know and should have learned in all their years of education. This method is useful when applying for college or graduates programs and for assessment over an entire school year, but in other terms, I do not find it to have great advantages. One of the greatest disadvantages I see is the stigma scoring in a certain percentile may put on a student. If a student has taken many norm-referenced assessments and continually scores in the lowest percentile (even though he may be very smart) could diminish his self-esteem and outlook towards school. I would prefer to use criterion referenced assessments in my classroom, and I know that it will not be possible to avoid norm-referenced assessments because these assessments are used on almost every grade level. 

Chapter 13: Motivation

Based on our readings and class discussion, how will you create a learning environment that is conducive to learning?
There are SO many aspects that define a conducive learning environment, and there is a great responsibility of the teacher to create this particular environment. Chapter 13 had a bokoo of strategies to implement in the classroom to create productive learning settings for all children of all types. I imagine that over the years of teaching, and with the more experience I gain, I will be able to use many or all of this strategies with one class. Looking in to my first year of teaching, I will probably use a few strategies. Using too many or trying to hard all at once will be pretty overwhelming, considering other responsibilities I will have. I really connected with and really admire the section on communication with parents. This, I believe, is one of the most important lines of communication to have as a teacher. It is so easy for a parent to get lost in all the information coming from the school, and it is also just as easy for a parent to withdraw from the information. While this will be very challenging, to get all parents on board in their children's education, I believe it is the most beneficial to the overall function of the classroom. As a PreK-3rd major, I learned early on that welcoming, accepting classrooms create a sense of belonging. This does not only apply to students, but also to parents, other family members, and other faculty. This sense of belonging is important to creating an accepting and warm environment where everyone feels comfortable with all exchanges. Along with all this, I believe if I were to have open, stable, and welcoming lines of communication with the parents, they will be more motivated and feel more comfortable about getting involved in their children's schooling, both in the classroom and at home. 
Another section I really enjoyed was the section about misbehaviors and how to deal with them. However, I do feel like dealing with misbehaviors is much more complicated than what the book explains. This section was particularly interesting to me because when it comes to authority, I know I can be a "push over" and I am very inconsistent with abiding by certain rules (only minor, non-threatening to others) and follow through. I have a difficulty making rules "across the board." Hopefully, as I grow as a teacher, this will not be a tough decision for me to make. While I try to practice being consistent with rules and discipline, I still need a lot of work and much more experience. 

 

I found this quote while looking for quotes that captured a sense of belonging. It was difficult to find, and this quote is not about the classroom or school, but I believe this is the same sense and feeling teachers should instill in their students. Children should love coming to school and being with the other children (teachers!) in their class. 

Now consider your CSEL case study. Develop a full continuum of responses for dealing with the misbehavior of your case. 

Early Childhood Education Case Study
It has been one month since the school year began and most of your 25 kindergarten students know class procedures, such as the schedule of learning activities, where they are supposed to be for each learning activity, where they are supposed to keep their personal items, and how they are expected to move about the room and the school building in order to ensure a productive learning environment.  But then there is Willard.  He must ask 20 or more times a day, “Teacher, when can we go outside to play?”  In addition, he often does not stay where he should to work on a given learning activity.  Instead, you find him wandering around the room and getting into other children’s personal things.  Three times this past week you looked up just in time to see Willard walking out of the classroom without permission.  Some of the other children in your classroom community have started making fun of Willard.  Others are beginning to become less engaged in their learning. 

The first thing I think about after reading about Willard is that, maybe the material is uninteresting to him. Maybe the material needs to be presented in a different way to keep him engaged and on task. The solution to this could be as simple as modifying worksheets or activities to best suit Willard's needs. 

It also seems as if Willard always wants to be active. He cannot sit still and always wants to know when it is time to go outside. Possibly, sitting and doing worksheets (like I said before) are not his thing. He may need to experience the classroom work in a bigger sense, possibly in a way that might engage the use of his large motor skills. Willard may be giving the teacher a sign that says, "I have got to move!" There should be plenty of opportunities in the classroom that allows all children to move their bodies and be active. After all, they are kindergartners and they do not have the ability of older students to sit for long periods and engage with a worksheet. 

I almost do not see Willard's behavior as a "misbehavior" particularly, only because I think his actions are trying to tell the teacher something. He is not getting a particular set of needs met and he is trying to deal with this lack of needs in his own way. If I did see this as more of a misbehavior, since the scenario clearly states that "he should know the rules" then I would try a self-regulation strategy and see if that could help Willard stay on task. With a self-regulation strategy I might give Willard 5 stars, and each time he gets out of his seat to wander around the room or to even leave the classroom then he would have to cross off or take away a star. After the five stars are gone, then further action will need to take place (such as, losing an activity, even though I do not like this idea much). Hopefully, after implementation and practice with this method, Willard will learn to have more self control and keep his body at a desk where he can stay on task. If this method did not work (and even the method I discussed earlier), I would consider speaking with Willard's parents, because there could possibly be an underlying cause to his inattention and disengagement. 

QTC: Chapter 11

I believe in my first year of teaching, I will be using many different strategies to enhance motivation in my students. I will still be learning what works best for my students, and how to best implement certain strategies. One point I find interesting from Chapter 11 is the view on different goals students might have when working on a particular situation. It would be very helpful for myself, as well as my students, to do some sort of check-in so that we can all determine where our goals are for a particular subject. Learning the specific goals of each child will determine my further actions to motivate them to reach their goals. I understand that I will have a mixed bag of students who will all be reaching goals in their own way. Another point I really connected with from the chapter was the multiple points on Fostering Expectancies and Values in the Classroom. As the teacher, it is my job to show and teach students how to be motivated about classroom material. As the teacher, I am the model for the children, and should model a high value for academics, one which I want to convey to my students. I have learned through many different situations that the teacher should reflect the same attitude they want their students to have; whether it is about a certain activity, transition, or even attending school. 

With that being said, the section about Expectancies and Values is one that will be most helpful to me in the future. I felt like this section presented the material in a way that was easy to understand without mixing in many new vocabulary words. I also felt like I related most to this section, and I could think about many ways I could implement these strategies in my future classroom, and even now at my job. I work with second - fifth graders everyday, and I find this material about motivation interesting. I wonder if I can begin trying out certain motivation techniques with the children I work with. I typically see children who have no interest to complete their homework outside of school. I have tried many ways to help these students realize the importance of doing their homework, and especially doing their homework early so they have plenty of time later to relax and play. I always hated the idea of homework looming over my head as a child, but I also did not want to do it as soon as I got home.So, I understand how these students feel; however I want to transfer to them some sort of motivation to get their work done early.