While reading chapter seven I kept in mind of certain things that I would like to use in my classroom, and that I would like to add to my philosophy of education.
The first method I found interesting while reading is the Socratic Method of teaching. Personally I think that teaching students by asking them questions is a really good method. They need to be able to ask questions, but also to answer their own questions at times, and possibly sometimes even answer the teachers questions. This broadens their mind in think very critically, but being able to think critically makes them a better student.
The second method that I think I may use in my philosophy is the idea of essentialism. I found while reading that I really do agree with the idea of the students learning as much as they possibly can on the traditional basic subjects like English, Social Science, Math, Science, Foreign Language, Health, and Gym. In order to be well educated you need to be able to know as much as you can about these subjects, starting at an early age up to they leave high school. It is the classic progressive teaching that everyone has been taught, I believe it works really well, but when I do it I'm sure I'll put my own creative spin on it.
The third method that I enjoyed reading about and will probably add to my philosophy is I want my classroom to be student-based on some level. Being that I will be a history teacher, I do know that there will be times when I will be at the front of the class lecturing to the class about important things in history. However I really want my students to be involved in things in the classroom, I may have them possibly teach a chapter or a century on the subject we are discussing. When students are involved in the teaching process they learn a lot more because they are so involved in the curriculum it holds their attention.
These three methods that I read about in chapter seven have helped me to have things that I will add to my philosophy paper. I really learned a lot in the chapter about different methods to teach, and I found things that I agree with and the things that I don't agree with.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Scavenger Hunt
Question One: You have a budget of $500 for your classroom. What will you order? Why?
I ordered six movies for extra learning curriculum in my classroom. Also in History class you can learn so much from history movies or documentaries. The Six movie titles were: Lewis and Clark:The Journey of the Corps Discovery, Liberty! The American Revolution, Reporting America at War, The Sixties: The years that shaped a Generation, The Roman Empire in the First Century, and Maire Antoinette.
Question Two: Explore the assistive technology available on the laptops that Dr. Theresa will have. List three things you can do to help students with disabilities use the Mac.
I ended up choosing four instead of three technological things that I found that could be useful for students with disabilities while using a computer. The funny thing is, is that I have ended up using some of these features myself.
1. Sticky Keys; this is where you use one key at a time. So you can hit shift and then take your hand off the shift key and hit another letter to capitalize it. This can be helpful for students who do not have the motor skills to use the alternate keys to do specific things.
2. Program of the computer talking to you. This is helpful because for kids who don't have such great reading skills, whenever the mouse runs over words the computer will read them to the kid. This makes kids want to use the computer to learn more and use it for other skills, with little effort in reading the stuff they need to read on the computer.
3. Color Contrast. This helps students who need to have a different color scheme to be able to focus on things they are reading. Also the color contrast may help kids who are color blind. Personally I just think that the other color contrast looks really cool.
4. The Zoom Method. This is a really cool method on the computer that helps you be able to read the text on the screen in a bigger font. This helps kids who have weak eyes and are not able to read text unless it is very large.
Question three: Go to the Kalikow Center and look at the Educational Technology. Include low - tech items such as writing aids. Find three items to use in your classroom. Why?
1. Switches. Switches are used to help students with different mobility issues. It helps them to work with the switches, because they are able to train their motor skills so they can maybe someday use their motor skills the same ways of people without disabilities. I would use this in my classroom, if I were teaching elementary school, because even if kids don't have disabilities it helps any kid to work with switches, or anything that will help their motor skills.
2. Books on Tape. Books on tape are a useful tool in the classroom, because a lot of students are weak in their reading. So they can listen to the books and be able to get the reading in that they need to be reading for the class. Personally I even listen to books on tape while I'm driving or working out. It's something that even if you don't have a reading disability that can be enjoyed by everyone.
3. Giant Keyboard. The giant keyboard that I found in the Kalikow Center is another way in which the students can work on their typing skills, but the keys are bigger. So they won't misspell anything because there is no chance that the will hit the wrong key. I can see this being mainly used with little children so they can learn how to type at an early age, because with the way the techonolgy is present so much in the classroom it helps for the students to be able to be good typers by the time they are up in the high school level. However I can see using that in my classroom if I have a student with fine motor skills disabilities.
I ordered six movies for extra learning curriculum in my classroom. Also in History class you can learn so much from history movies or documentaries. The Six movie titles were: Lewis and Clark:The Journey of the Corps Discovery, Liberty! The American Revolution, Reporting America at War, The Sixties: The years that shaped a Generation, The Roman Empire in the First Century, and Maire Antoinette.
Question Two: Explore the assistive technology available on the laptops that Dr. Theresa will have. List three things you can do to help students with disabilities use the Mac.
I ended up choosing four instead of three technological things that I found that could be useful for students with disabilities while using a computer. The funny thing is, is that I have ended up using some of these features myself.
1. Sticky Keys; this is where you use one key at a time. So you can hit shift and then take your hand off the shift key and hit another letter to capitalize it. This can be helpful for students who do not have the motor skills to use the alternate keys to do specific things.
2. Program of the computer talking to you. This is helpful because for kids who don't have such great reading skills, whenever the mouse runs over words the computer will read them to the kid. This makes kids want to use the computer to learn more and use it for other skills, with little effort in reading the stuff they need to read on the computer.
3. Color Contrast. This helps students who need to have a different color scheme to be able to focus on things they are reading. Also the color contrast may help kids who are color blind. Personally I just think that the other color contrast looks really cool.
4. The Zoom Method. This is a really cool method on the computer that helps you be able to read the text on the screen in a bigger font. This helps kids who have weak eyes and are not able to read text unless it is very large.
Question three: Go to the Kalikow Center and look at the Educational Technology. Include low - tech items such as writing aids. Find three items to use in your classroom. Why?
1. Switches. Switches are used to help students with different mobility issues. It helps them to work with the switches, because they are able to train their motor skills so they can maybe someday use their motor skills the same ways of people without disabilities. I would use this in my classroom, if I were teaching elementary school, because even if kids don't have disabilities it helps any kid to work with switches, or anything that will help their motor skills.
2. Books on Tape. Books on tape are a useful tool in the classroom, because a lot of students are weak in their reading. So they can listen to the books and be able to get the reading in that they need to be reading for the class. Personally I even listen to books on tape while I'm driving or working out. It's something that even if you don't have a reading disability that can be enjoyed by everyone.
3. Giant Keyboard. The giant keyboard that I found in the Kalikow Center is another way in which the students can work on their typing skills, but the keys are bigger. So they won't misspell anything because there is no chance that the will hit the wrong key. I can see this being mainly used with little children so they can learn how to type at an early age, because with the way the techonolgy is present so much in the classroom it helps for the students to be able to be good typers by the time they are up in the high school level. However I can see using that in my classroom if I have a student with fine motor skills disabilities.
Chapter One: Becoming a Teacher
3 things that made me joyful while reading:
• The time when you teach. You are able to have a family when you teach, and you don’t really have to pay for daycare because your kids are in school when you’re in school, and you’re able to have the same vacations as your kids, so you’re always involved in their life.
• Seeing the kids “Get It.” This is one of the reasons why I want to be an educator. I’ve always loved seeing the kid’s faces when they get something that I have just spent so much time on teaching them. This makes me feel like I’m actually doing something good for society and their lives.
• Making a difference. I like knowing that I will be making a difference in a child’s life. Just simply by teaching them, or lending them an ear when they want to talk. I’ve had teachers like that, that have totally made me into a better person, and helped shape who I am as a person.
3 Things that didn’t make me joyful while reading:
• The accreditation process. I don’t like the fact that after we have gone to school for four and sometimes even five or six years of schooling, we have to do extra stuff to prove that we know what we’re doing. Obviously after that many years of schooling we know what to do.
• The low salaries. I believe that teachers are way underpaid. We do a lot of work and make such a difference in children’s lives and we get paid jack squat for it. They should reconsider the salary of teachers and maybe start paying them what they really earn
• The Praxis test. Personally I’m bad at taking standardized test. And the first praxis that we have to take is like an SAT. So I just don’t like them generally. I think that the SAT itself shows enough of what we know. And that the praxis one is irrelevant. The subject tests I can see being alright; Praxis 2.
• The time when you teach. You are able to have a family when you teach, and you don’t really have to pay for daycare because your kids are in school when you’re in school, and you’re able to have the same vacations as your kids, so you’re always involved in their life.
• Seeing the kids “Get It.” This is one of the reasons why I want to be an educator. I’ve always loved seeing the kid’s faces when they get something that I have just spent so much time on teaching them. This makes me feel like I’m actually doing something good for society and their lives.
• Making a difference. I like knowing that I will be making a difference in a child’s life. Just simply by teaching them, or lending them an ear when they want to talk. I’ve had teachers like that, that have totally made me into a better person, and helped shape who I am as a person.
3 Things that didn’t make me joyful while reading:
• The accreditation process. I don’t like the fact that after we have gone to school for four and sometimes even five or six years of schooling, we have to do extra stuff to prove that we know what we’re doing. Obviously after that many years of schooling we know what to do.
• The low salaries. I believe that teachers are way underpaid. We do a lot of work and make such a difference in children’s lives and we get paid jack squat for it. They should reconsider the salary of teachers and maybe start paying them what they really earn
• The Praxis test. Personally I’m bad at taking standardized test. And the first praxis that we have to take is like an SAT. So I just don’t like them generally. I think that the SAT itself shows enough of what we know. And that the praxis one is irrelevant. The subject tests I can see being alright; Praxis 2.
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