Last week I finished my hours in my classroom at Bridgham Middle School. There has been much turmoil at the school because they have found out that this middle school is being converted into an Elementary School. This information, while it obviously effects the teachers, it also effects the students. It seems that the students seem to be focusing on where they are going to end up next year and if they will be with their friends and not so much on how they are performing in the classroom. I think this makes it especially hard for the teachers to try to grab the attention of the room and get them to focus on their work, when the much more important issue (for a 6th grader) of will they end up in the same school as their friends seems to take over. The classroom teacher does a great job in understanding this point while still trying to keep them on track to learning.
With this level of schooling, the basic forms of assessing learning is through quizzes, tests and homework and I think they are the most effective. The teacher tries to keep the kids interested by taking a hands-on approach to teaching; using many in-class labs and getting the kids into groups to do their work. This makes it more interesting than just sitting and listening quietly, which, as we all know, can be challenging for students of all ages to do sometimes. These methods keep the students involved and focused while letting them talk and share ideas with each other. It was my job to walk around the room and help each group and guide them in the correct direction with their work. They sometimes tried to get me to just TELL them the answer, but i knew better and told them all the answers would be in their notes and text book. I would sit down with them and help them find the info and show that with a little effort all the answers are usually right in front of you!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Post 2
In Providence there are many different ethnic groups so therefore there are many different languages that get spoken. Ive noticed in my classroom that most speak English very well, but also speak Spanish. The teacher that I have makes it easy for the kids to understand things they are learning by relating it to their home life or cultural background. The truth that I've found out is that all kids act out sometimes, their ethnicity does not have anything to do with it. So, by saying that all inner city children act out and are bad is ludicrous. Ive seen many smart and aspiring students in the 6th grade class who ask me questions all the time about what college is like and they know they have to pay attention and do well in school now, so they can get into a good college when they get older.
When the teacher gives out homework regarding home life or food, I've noticed the sociocultural characteristics that may differ from sub-urban or rural schools. I've corrected some papers and noticed that the teacher is very aware of the cultural foods and knows that to talk about having pasta and meatballs may not relate to some kids, so by talking about rice and chicken may relate to these kids more because of their Spanish background. This technique makes it easier for the kids to understand the homework and not get caught up in the cultural difference that the teacher may have from the students.
When the teacher gives out homework regarding home life or food, I've noticed the sociocultural characteristics that may differ from sub-urban or rural schools. I've corrected some papers and noticed that the teacher is very aware of the cultural foods and knows that to talk about having pasta and meatballs may not relate to some kids, so by talking about rice and chicken may relate to these kids more because of their Spanish background. This technique makes it easier for the kids to understand the homework and not get caught up in the cultural difference that the teacher may have from the students.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
My first few experiences...
Today I went for my second tutoring session at my school. The neighborhood is not in the best of sections in Providence, and all the kids seem very diverse. They do have a school playground close by, which I found out, some of the kids skip classes to go to with friends. The classroom that I am in is actually very nice. It is a 6th grade science room with all the typical things you'd find in a science class. They have tables of 4-5 kids at each, not rows of seating. They do a lot of group work and having seating like that helps with that. The only thing the teacher complained about was not having running water, which makes it difficult to do some some science experiments with the students.
The 6th grade wing of the school is sectioned off from the rest of the middle school, so they pretty much have their own hallway in which that grade operates. It makes the transition from elementary school to high school style learning easier for the students to get accustomed to.
They start off the class with some of the homework from the night before, going through terminology and information that they need to know. The group time is where the kids get to be active and get "hands-on" which they love and really seem to soak in the information that way. Some classes are move advanced than others, most students with special needs are grouped together in certain classes and have a special aid come in to help with the normal classroom teacher. The teacher treats all classes the same, but expects more input and better grades from the higher level students. They seem to respond well and some have even started asking me about the college experience and expressing an interest in going to college once they get old enough. I tell them that paying attention and doing well in school now, will help them prepare and get into the college of their choice.
I had trouble getting onto the infoworks.ride.edu website to find out the specific info about the school, but when that becomes available, I will check it out and post the school's statistics.
The 6th grade wing of the school is sectioned off from the rest of the middle school, so they pretty much have their own hallway in which that grade operates. It makes the transition from elementary school to high school style learning easier for the students to get accustomed to.
They start off the class with some of the homework from the night before, going through terminology and information that they need to know. The group time is where the kids get to be active and get "hands-on" which they love and really seem to soak in the information that way. Some classes are move advanced than others, most students with special needs are grouped together in certain classes and have a special aid come in to help with the normal classroom teacher. The teacher treats all classes the same, but expects more input and better grades from the higher level students. They seem to respond well and some have even started asking me about the college experience and expressing an interest in going to college once they get old enough. I tell them that paying attention and doing well in school now, will help them prepare and get into the college of their choice.
I had trouble getting onto the infoworks.ride.edu website to find out the specific info about the school, but when that becomes available, I will check it out and post the school's statistics.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
About Me!!
Hello everyone! I am a Phys Ed/Health major here at RIC and I am back in school after getting my associates degree in Web Development and Computer IT almost 5 years ago. I really couldn't find a job in that field (anything close to RI anyway)...my family and freinds always told me that I would make a great teacher and my love of all sports and coaching has made me put 2 and 2 together and go back to school to teach. I still have a while to go yet, but I am very excited about my new path that I am taking!
I am a part-time DJ (parties, no clubs) and love hip hop music, i spend a lot of my time making mixes and cd's for friends. I also LOVE sports, especially basketball...i played all my life and hope to coach a high school or middle school team once I become a teacher.
I am a part-time DJ (parties, no clubs) and love hip hop music, i spend a lot of my time making mixes and cd's for friends. I also LOVE sports, especially basketball...i played all my life and hope to coach a high school or middle school team once I become a teacher.
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