1) What is the best teaching method a first grade teacher can use? Why?
2) What teaching methods do you presently utilize with your kindergarten students?
3) What do you believe makes a teaching method successful? Why?
4) What teaching methods have you commonly used throughout your teaching career?
5) What significant aspects on teaching first graders differ from teaching kindergartners?
6) What is generally different about a kindergarten student and a first grade student, behavior wise?
7) How does this affect the methods you utilize when it comes to teaching first grade students?
8) Is there any new methods you have heard of, that are more current, through research, or other sources? If so, which are they?
9) Name important quality you think a first grade teacher requires in order to successfully project and utilize any teaching method?
10) Do you have anything, such as research or resources, that may be useful towards my topic, more specifically my essential question?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Self Reflection
1) At this point, I would say I'm at an AE/P, but if I were to choose one, I would say I lean more towards the P. The reason why is because so far, I believe I am doing what is required and a good job at it (as in good quality work and being consistent).
2) The one thing I think I have been doing well is on my research. So far, I have been receiving good grades (mostly AE's) on my research checks. I feel that I really work hard to find research that is not just on education or first graders, but on subjects closer to my essential question (which is about teaching methods). Thus, I have been trying to find reasearch that can help me gain new information towards teaching, to help me improve my knowledge for my Senior Project.
3) I would like to improve on the amount of communication I have with the teachers (or communication skills) I work with for my service learning, in order to gain more information that can help me with my Senior Project and in order to gain different perspectives on teaching methods and teaching first graders in general. I do communicate with them, but I believe that not enough.
2) The one thing I think I have been doing well is on my research. So far, I have been receiving good grades (mostly AE's) on my research checks. I feel that I really work hard to find research that is not just on education or first graders, but on subjects closer to my essential question (which is about teaching methods). Thus, I have been trying to find reasearch that can help me gain new information towards teaching, to help me improve my knowledge for my Senior Project.
3) I would like to improve on the amount of communication I have with the teachers (or communication skills) I work with for my service learning, in order to gain more information that can help me with my Senior Project and in order to gain different perspectives on teaching methods and teaching first graders in general. I do communicate with them, but I believe that not enough.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Science Fair Proposal
1) If the first graders in Ms. Horwitz's class (from San Jose Elementary School) are exposed to a few words from the lists in the Read It! Read It! daily in a reading activity, then the first graders from her class will improve their average on how many lists they pass when they are tested every week.
2) The independent variable is the reading activity, the dependent variable is the student's average result in the Read it! Read it!, and the control variable is the Read it! Read it!.
3) My Senior Project has to do with certain teaching methods first grade teaches can use and how they affect their student's learning. It's about finding the best teaching method a first grade teacher can use. In my experiment I will be giving the first graders in one of the classes I work with a reading activity that contains about two words from a few of the lists from the Read it! Read it! (which tests the first graders' reading/pronounciation of words). Reading activities can go under as a teaching method or as part of a teaching method. This can be a good way to test out how activities, in general, works with the first graders and their learning.
4) I will have one control group, which will be one of the first grade classes I work with, and an experimental group, which will be the class that uses the reading activities. I will have one week or two where both classes run normally, without any working with the reading activites that I will input later on. Then, the next time I see one of the first grade classes, for example Ms. Horwitz on Friday, then me and her can come up with a reading activities for the rest of the week, until the students are tested again on Friday. That means Nacarra's students will not receive the reading activities the other class does. Then on Friday when I test them Mrs. Horwitz students, I will write down how many reading lists each student passes. However, since Ms. Horwitz only allows them to pass (or go up) up to five reading lists, then I will have Mrs. Nacarra (asking her first of course) do the same, making it equal. After a week or two of performing this experiment with Ms. Horwitz class, I will come up with the class average of number of lists passed for each week. Then, I will compare it to the control group or control class's average of number lists passed for each week.
For the equipment, I plan on using whatever may be necessary for the reading activities, such as: paper (if I want to print out a reading activity worksheet), computer or laptop (to organize the data and create some of the activities), children's books, and/or flashcards. Materials for the Read It! Read It! would already be provided.
5) I believe my science project will be listed under Behavioral Science.
2) The independent variable is the reading activity, the dependent variable is the student's average result in the Read it! Read it!, and the control variable is the Read it! Read it!.
3) My Senior Project has to do with certain teaching methods first grade teaches can use and how they affect their student's learning. It's about finding the best teaching method a first grade teacher can use. In my experiment I will be giving the first graders in one of the classes I work with a reading activity that contains about two words from a few of the lists from the Read it! Read it! (which tests the first graders' reading/pronounciation of words). Reading activities can go under as a teaching method or as part of a teaching method. This can be a good way to test out how activities, in general, works with the first graders and their learning.
4) I will have one control group, which will be one of the first grade classes I work with, and an experimental group, which will be the class that uses the reading activities. I will have one week or two where both classes run normally, without any working with the reading activites that I will input later on. Then, the next time I see one of the first grade classes, for example Ms. Horwitz on Friday, then me and her can come up with a reading activities for the rest of the week, until the students are tested again on Friday. That means Nacarra's students will not receive the reading activities the other class does. Then on Friday when I test them Mrs. Horwitz students, I will write down how many reading lists each student passes. However, since Ms. Horwitz only allows them to pass (or go up) up to five reading lists, then I will have Mrs. Nacarra (asking her first of course) do the same, making it equal. After a week or two of performing this experiment with Ms. Horwitz class, I will come up with the class average of number of lists passed for each week. Then, I will compare it to the control group or control class's average of number lists passed for each week.
For the equipment, I plan on using whatever may be necessary for the reading activities, such as: paper (if I want to print out a reading activity worksheet), computer or laptop (to organize the data and create some of the activities), children's books, and/or flashcards. Materials for the Read It! Read It! would already be provided.
5) I believe my science project will be listed under Behavioral Science.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
What I've Learned So Far
1) I've learned how to encourage first graders or at least an important quality that is needed when encouraging them in order for them to be motivated to learn and work, which is enthusiasm. I need to have good energy when tutoring, teaching, or helping the children in order for them to do their work with the same energy. A teacher must show their first grader that they want to work with them and when a teacher has that mentality and enthusiasm, it will be easier for both the teacher and the student to enjoy the process.
2)
The way it helped me was in how it made me realize an important element on encouragement, which was the motivation and love behind the encouragement. In the articl, it said "It seems reasonable to hypothesize that teachers who possess more favorable literacy altitudes and behaviors will be more effective in encouraging studetns to read and in teaching them to read." It may have been for reading, but I believe it qualifies for everything one teaches.
2)
3) The research that helped me perform this way with the first graders was the article: "TEACHERS' LEISURE READING HABITS AND KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS: DO THEY RELATE TO THE TEACHING PRACTICES OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS?." BURGESS, STEPHEN R., STEPHAN SARGENT, and MELINDA SMITH. Reading Improvement 48.2 (2011): 88-102. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 9 Sept. 2011.
The way it helped me was in how it made me realize an important element on encouragement, which was the motivation and love behind the encouragement. In the articl, it said "It seems reasonable to hypothesize that teachers who possess more favorable literacy altitudes and behaviors will be more effective in encouraging studetns to read and in teaching them to read." It may have been for reading, but I believe it qualifies for everything one teaches.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Independent Component 1 Plan Approval
1) For my independent component I plan on observing a Kindergarten class probably twice a week, the same time I go to volunteer with the first grade teachers. Where I would volunteer is the same elementary school I already volunteer at.
2) I believe that if I go twice a week to observe the Kindergarten class for at least an hour or so, I'd be able to have the hourse finished by the given due date. If I start noticing within the first week that I may not be able to achieve the full hours required, then I will stay after school to help the kindergarten teacher I decide to do my independent component with or maybe another kindergarten teacher who may need more assistance.
3) My essential question is "What is the best teaching method a first grade teacher can use?" and my independent study is observing kindergarten classes, which allows me to observe the teaching methods they use then, and how they compare to the ones the first grade teachers use. I'd be able to notice which methods are similar and hopefully discover why that is.
2) I believe that if I go twice a week to observe the Kindergarten class for at least an hour or so, I'd be able to have the hourse finished by the given due date. If I start noticing within the first week that I may not be able to achieve the full hours required, then I will stay after school to help the kindergarten teacher I decide to do my independent component with or maybe another kindergarten teacher who may need more assistance.
3) My essential question is "What is the best teaching method a first grade teacher can use?" and my independent study is observing kindergarten classes, which allows me to observe the teaching methods they use then, and how they compare to the ones the first grade teachers use. I'd be able to notice which methods are similar and hopefully discover why that is.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Defining the Essential Question
1) What is the best teaching method a first grade teacher can use?
2) Best: better than other options available and tried, better because it was the choice that came out with the most satisfying results according to the subject who tried the choices, it can be bases upon facts or personal opinion depending the person/people. Teaching Method: A specific form of teaching used to teach a certain subject(s), a certain technique used to accomplish one's objective.
3) A possible answer I know of so far is teaching through activities that allow children to interact with what was taught. Two other possible answers are teaching through approved eduactional videos, such as the Magic School Bus and teaching directly from the book (orally explaining what's in the book and how to work the activities/problems inside).
4) What has been my most important source is the encyclopedia article "Teacher Education" by Encyclopedia Britannica (unkown author). It has been the most important source because it helped me decide on what my essential question should be. Before school began, I had a few ideas on what my essential question should be, and the one I have in number one was among them. In the encyclopedia article, it made me raise the question what is the most important/effective teaching method a first grade teacher/general teacher has used (and still does)?
2) Best: better than other options available and tried, better because it was the choice that came out with the most satisfying results according to the subject who tried the choices, it can be bases upon facts or personal opinion depending the person/people. Teaching Method: A specific form of teaching used to teach a certain subject(s), a certain technique used to accomplish one's objective.
3) A possible answer I know of so far is teaching through activities that allow children to interact with what was taught. Two other possible answers are teaching through approved eduactional videos, such as the Magic School Bus and teaching directly from the book (orally explaining what's in the book and how to work the activities/problems inside).
4) What has been my most important source is the encyclopedia article "Teacher Education" by Encyclopedia Britannica (unkown author). It has been the most important source because it helped me decide on what my essential question should be. Before school began, I had a few ideas on what my essential question should be, and the one I have in number one was among them. In the encyclopedia article, it made me raise the question what is the most important/effective teaching method a first grade teacher/general teacher has used (and still does)?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Second Interview Questions
I will be interviewing one of the first grade teachers I do service learning with, Mrs. Nacarra.
1) Where did you go to school to get what you needed in order to become a teacher? How long did your schooling take?
2) What did you major in when you were in school?
3) Where did you begin working once you graduated college/university? Why?
4) How long have you been working within the teaching profession, and what fraction of that was working with first graders? What can you tell me about your experience?
5) How long have you been working in San Jose Elementary School? What do you like most about working there?
6) Was teaching always your main career goal? Why or why not? If not, what was?
7) What accomplishment are you most proud of during the time you have been teaching? Why?
1) Where did you go to school to get what you needed in order to become a teacher? How long did your schooling take?
2) What did you major in when you were in school?
3) Where did you begin working once you graduated college/university? Why?
4) How long have you been working within the teaching profession, and what fraction of that was working with first graders? What can you tell me about your experience?
5) How long have you been working in San Jose Elementary School? What do you like most about working there?
6) Was teaching always your main career goal? Why or why not? If not, what was?
7) What accomplishment are you most proud of during the time you have been teaching? Why?
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