There are two parts to this week's discussion. Please be sure to answer both questions posed.
The first four qualities Ron Clark discusses in his book are Enthusiasm, Adventure, Creativity, and Reflection. First of all, which of these qualities do you think is most evident in your classroom? Give us an example to support your opinion.
Secondly, which of these qualities, if focused on with intention, do you think would most benefit your students in the upcoming year? Share at least one idea you have to bring this quality into your classroom (or position, if not in the classroom).
An example of one of the first four qualities in my classroom has to do with Enthusiasm. This has definitely matured through the years. At the beginning of my career it was unbridled enthusiasm and a plethora of good intentions. Now I believe it is enthusiasm with a purpose. One example is the consistent use of movement and motions in my classroom. As we are learning, I've discovered the students are much more engaged if we can put actions to that knowledge. This keeps everyone involved.
ReplyDeleteI think intentional focus on creativity will most help my class this year. I know it's something we all strive for in our elementary classrooms. Tackling the CCSS with success will definitely require me to think and teach differently. One way I hope to do this is by bringing in sources that help tie multiple subjects together. I want to look for ways to use science content to liven up my reading/language arts.
Jill...Enthusiasm is definitely what I would have picked for you!
ReplyDeleteI think creativity is most evident in my classroom. I am probably drawn to kindergarten because of my creative side. Sometimes we have felt like we were flying by the seat of our pants because we had very few textbooks, but I really like knowing the objective and then coming up with a creative way in introduce and teach it. Whether is be through a song, hands on activity or relay race...the creativity we are allowed to use is one of the reasons teaching is so much fun. Core and the new SOW now guide what we teach and when, but we are still free to teach skills in a creative way.
I had already been thinking all summer about what I wanted to be intentional about next year and it is Reflection. That chapter listed so many things that I regret not doing this year. I just felt too tired and overwhelmed. Next year, among other things, I plan to make picture books (pictures of the children in action) to let the students take turns sharing with their families. I also want to give out awards on the last day. Every child has a special gift and he deserves to be recognized for it.
Cari, having had 2 daughters in your class, I can say that I am so thankful that creativity is present in your classroom! Your determination to reach all kids is inspiring.
DeleteThe quality that I think that is most evident in my classroom is creativity. I love looking for new and exciting ways to teach new skills in a variety of ways. I don't know what I did before Google and Pinterest. At times, I get lost in the "research" of looking for new activities on the internet. Just like Cari stated, creativity makes teaching fun. I love to share it with my students and my teammates.
ReplyDeleteNow, the quality I believe would be most beneficial for my students for this upcoming year is incorporating more reflection within the classroom. I like the idea of providing memories of children's successes and accomplishments. Hopefully, this will build enthusiasm and retention with our learning. Also, I never really thought about reflection through memorization. I had always thought that memorizing some type of information seemed to always get such a bad name. I believe that I will incorporate more memorization activities into more of my lessons.
Stacey, I agree with you about reflection! I know how much it benefits me... I have to believe more intentional reflection will benefit my students too.
DeleteOk here goes the 2nd try!! I am trying to stay enthusiastic. Ha John Parker had to come and get me logged in correctly. I typed both of my paragraphs for this assignment and when I went to "Publish" them they disappeared!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope when you walk in to the gym that you can witness the enthusiasm that starts with me and flows through the students. I do have high expectations for my students and most rise to that level both with behavior and skills. There are those that need extra attention, compassion and confidence building. What a joy it is to see them succeed and watch their confidence soar. Wasn't it funny to read about "Emanuel" and what an easy day it would be without him and in he walks five minutes later. Ha Those are the ones that need us the most. I love my job and the fact that I have most every student in the building. My desire is that through my enthusiasm, care and positive approach that they will leave my class with positive feelings that will lead to a lifetime of activity and health!
Mary Steward encouraged me to keep a reflection journal several years ago. I have on a small scale, but this year I hope to come up with a system so that I can keep a better account of how each class went and what I can do to improve on that lesson/class each week. What works and what didn't, ideas that would make the lesson more meaningful. Small notes jotted between classes that will refresh my memory before that class arrives the following week. We can also brainstorm and reflect on previously learned skills and guide the students in seeing how those individual skills fit together in the games we play.
Nina, your enthusiasm is contagious! It's evident in the attitudes my students have each week as they come to PE. :)
DeleteI'm having a hard time deciding between creativity and enthusiasm as the quality that is most evident in my classroom. Finding fun and exciting ways to teach new skills or review old skills uses both of these qualities. For example, when Jill said enthusiasm is seen in her class through movement and motion which helps to keep the students engaged. Goes along with how Cari talks about using creativity to introduce and teach skill using songs, hands on activities, relays, etc. In my classroom, these tend to overlap. I use songs, chants, motions, movements, races, poems, etc. using both my enthusiasm and creativity to give the students a hook or tangible way to recall knowledge or information learned. If I had to pick one over the other, I would probably say creativity.
ReplyDeleteFor this upcoming school year, I want to be intentional about my reflections, especially on day to day lessons or units. I have done this to some in the past with special projects, rotations, and lessons by keeping file folders where I have written reminders or suggestions on what needs to change or be included. I have found these very helpful. I can only imagine how it would improve my teaching if I would do this with all my lessons, especially this year with CCSS.
Pam, I know I've benefitted from the notes you keep from year to year on units, rotations, etc. :)
ReplyDeleteI think enthusiasm is most evident in my classroom. I love how he talked about reaching those children who just did not seem to care. I have only done ERC for two years, but it was so exciting coming into that room from the CDC room. I had the highest hopes for all these new students. It was a shock to me how many of them just did not feel like they were capable of being successful in anything. I really feel like I boosted their self confidence. I really worry about the new changes for this year, but I hope that I can still show these students just how capable they are.
ReplyDeleteI want to add more reflection and creativity to my room this year. In the past, I made scrapbooks for my students showing off all the fun things we did in my CDC room. I would like to start that again this year. I also hope to find new and creative ways to teach my students. The last two years, I have been so focused on trying to get these kids "caught up", that I was scared to have too much fun. Although, I had to be creative in breaking down lessons, I feel I could have done a better job. I look forward to making lessons more fun this year!
You know, it's not surprising to me how similar the answers have been. I just love Beech. I, too, feel that enthusiasm is most evident in my room. I truly feel it is evident in our building. I try to greet my kiddos each day with a smile and excitement to see them. You can't be enthusiastic about learning if you don't feel welcome and at home in your classroom environment.
ReplyDeleteI also need to work on reflection. I am very much a live in the moment kind of girl in all aspects of life. That makes it difficult for me to be as reflective in my classroom as I would like to be. I really liked how he talked about having the kids journal their emotions each day. I have made many efforts in the past to have the kids regularly writing. As I read that section, I thought that I may make journal writing the first thing the kiddos do as they settle in each morning. Then they get a chance to get their emotions out, and I don't let the day get away from us. It seems like when I plan journal writing for the afternoon the time can get away from us.
As I read the first four chapters, I struggled finding myself in one of them. I'm wondering if the real me has yet to be revealed and will show up later in the book! Of traits that I've read thus far, I think I see adventure in my classroom. His quote, "By creating an adventure for children we are not only teaching them a great deal but are also building their confidence, fostering trust, and encouraging them to become better students." made me see that this what I try to do on a regular basis. Whether it is singing songs, doing motions to retain information, dancing with them, sitting on the floor helping them, sharing my school experiences, letting them work in groups and with partners, etc... I think I am able to build their confidence through a lot of positive feedback. Through this I can also gain their trust and make them feel that as second graders we will do and learn so much their brains will be full! They will then be super successful in third graders! The next year I ask different students from the previous year what was hard for them in third grade that I could do to help the group I've got. I also ask if they felt they knew enough or needed to learn more. It makes me know if what I'm doing is helping them, I tell them all the time I want them to be the best that they can be!
ReplyDeleteReflection, reflection, reflection...I do a celebration at the end of the year and awards are given, but I'm sure I can do a better job. What I miss are the many small celebrations in between. I take pictures with intentions, the intentions rarely come to any type of fruition - but I enjoy looking at them on my phone over the summer! I like that he still has his sixth grade journal. I am thinking of how I can do this with my class, the value of those memories spoke volumes to me.
Obviously I have not had a chance to really answer this part of the question since I have not had a classroom of my own until now. However, I would like to think that even as just an aid, I tried to reach kids in a creative way. I know working with some of my Kindergarten kids during one on one time, it was often hard to find ways to make them interested so I was constantly trying to find new ways to reach them. Creativity is so important with kids because I truly believe if the students are having fun learning, they will be more likely to make that connection and retain the information. I have had such an advantage because I have been able to be in so many of the classrooms at Beech. I have been able to see what this teacher does verses what another does. I have seen so many examples of creativity from each of you.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I hope I can incorporate in my first year of teaching is enthusiasm. I will never forget watching Jill welcome her third graders into the classroom every day one by one. I have even seen her turn a few students away, because they did not walk through the door with a smile, they had to go back and try it again. I want to start my day with the students in a positive, uplifting manner so that my students will be more likely to have a positive experience as well. I hope to encourage my students to be successful by motivating them throughout the day. When they step into the classroom, or school for that matter, it should be a positive, learning experience. This year I hope to focus on incorporating enthusiasm into my classroom.
Tabby, I am excited to be working with you. I love learning from and working with new teachers. I have enjoyed reading your thoughts.
DeleteIn my classroom I believe enthusiasm is evident. I agree with Ron Clark that enthusiasm is a powerful thing and it is contagious. I find that in my classroom when my energy is great and I show excitement for what we are learning it impacts how my students feel. I love for students to feel comfortable and engaged with what we are learning. I work hard to keep my enthusiasm focused on the purpose of the lessons. It can be easy to lose sight of the target and take lessons to far just to keep students engaged.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would like to do differently this year is to be more reflective. Not only do I need to reflect on my teaching, but I want to teach my students to be reflective. After reading this I decided to try to implement a journal that students can write in at the end of the day. The purpose of this journal will be to reflect on the events of the day and what they learned. This can be done at the end of the day before dismissal.