Summer

It's summer!  You would think this would be a relief and I'd be able to relax but I've actually been quite busy!  I am spending my time reviewing last year's lesson plans and vocabulary lists, turning my PowerPoint notes into more engaging Prezi presentations, and volunteering as well. 

Having the summers off so I can volunteer my time for a good cause is yet another reason I find teaching so appealing.  Don't get me wrong, I also plan to have some fun, relax, and get rejuvenated for the next school year this summer, but I am also looking forward to giving back.  I will be volunteering with Chicago HOPES, a non-profit organization that offers tutoring and a summer enrichment program for homeless K-8 students in Chicago. 

I have never worked with homeless students before and I am certain that volunteering with provide me with valuable insights about the struggles and challenges this at-risk group faces inside and outside of the classroom.

Bias during Discussions and Questioning

                I am currently reading Still Failing at Fairness: How Gender Bias Cheats Girls and Boys in School and What We Can Do About It, by David Sadker and Karen Zittleman.  While people often focus on the gender achievement gap in math and science, I think this book is an essential read for all teachers.  I think it is important to recognize our own potential for bias as educators.  Bias is somewhat of a sensitive subject because all dedicated educators strive to be equitable and treat students fairly regardless of their appearance, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or economic status.  Treating students fairly is particularly important because teacher expectations have a dramatic impact on student performance.  

                While the book’s focus is on gender bias, its suggestions can also be applied to other biases.  I believe that the first step to trying to overcome our subconscious biases is to acknowledge the fact that each of us is biased in some way.  This is difficult to admit, but once you try to recognize your own bias you can try to correct it.  I found Harvard’s Project Implicit very useful in helping to identify areas of slight bias.  I was relieved to find out that according to the tests I have no automatic preference for people based upon race, age, or ability and disability.  The test did reveal that I have a slight tendency to associate males with science and females with liberal arts.  While I can explain this bias by my being female and having a predilection for the liberal arts, I must also take it into consideration in my teaching and be careful to have high expectations for both my male and female social studies students.  The results of the Project Implicit tests were very interesting and have helped me devise ways to not allow my subconscious bias impact my ability to treat my students fairly and maintain high expectations for each of them.

                I believe teachers are most likely to reveal their biases during class discussions and questioning.  To solve this problem and make questioning and discussions seem more random, I make a note card for each student.  I shuffle the deck and draw student’s names randomly.  Once a student has answered I keep their name in the deck so students don’t think they are done participating.  I keep a class roster handy as well during discussion and I begin to strategically select students to participate once I have noted everybody has participated at some point.  I then continue check students’ understanding and present more challenging questions to students based on their previous responses.  I also make notes about student participation on their note cards if they make a particularly insightful comment or seem as if they need addition help with a concept.  I have found that using discussion cards helps me get in the habit of randomly selecting students.  Students also stay focused on the discussion because they know they are expected to participate and may be called on at any time.  

                When leading discussions and questioning students, I am also sure to allow every student ample time to formulate an answer.  Because I question students randomly I recognize students will need some time to organize their thoughts.  I always give students time to say something.  If a student says they don’t know or aren’t sure I tell them they can use a life line and call on one of their peers but I will come back to them for the next question.  I use this method of questioning because I want to convey to my students that I believe each of them is able to answer my questions.  I also want to encourage students to participate, and realize they can learn from each other. 

Lesson Plan Components

I believe there are four essential parts to any successful lesson plan: the set induction or hook, objectives, procedure, and plan for assessment.  It is also useful to include a list of the materials needed for the lesson, but this can be included within the lesson procedure.  The set induction or hook of a lesson is important because it not only activates students’ background knowledge but it also grabs students’ attention and get them engaged in the lesson from the very beginning.  

 Next, all my lesson plans include objectives, which clearly describe what students should be able to do following the lesson.  I always review each lesson's objectives with my students at the beginning of a lesson so they understand the purpose and importance of the lesson.  I have found this also helps them monitor their own learning throughout the lesson.  

The third important component of all my lessons plans is the procedure.  In my plans, my procedure describes precisely how students will meet the lesson objectives.  Within the procedure, I include how much time I expect class activities to take, I note potential discussion questions, and also questions I will ask to informally assess students during instruction.   

Finally, the last component I believe all lesson plans should include is the plan for assessment.  This allows one to measure the success of the lesson and also determine what content may need to be reinforced in future lessons.  My lesson assessments are usually uncomplicated.  I simply ask students to show they have met the lesson's objectives.  I find exit slips are a very efficient and effective way to have students demonstrate what they have learned from the lesson.  After instruction, it is also important to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson and make appropriate changes to improve the lesson in the future. 

Accommodations

                During my experience co-teaching I found a variety of ways to accommodate student’s diverse learning needs.  I used graphic organizers often to assist students in organizing concepts and ideas.  In one case for instance, I developed a graphic organizer on which the class mapped out the different European alliances that had formed prior to the outbreak of World War I.  I found this organizer quite successfully conveyed the complexities of the alliance system to students. 

                I made another accommodation for my students while co-teaching that I have found useful for all students and freshmen in particular.  I have found that many freshmen have little experience taking notes.  To assist them in differentiating between important main ideas and details I started underlining the most pertinent information on my PowerPoint slides.  I encouraged students to focus on taking notes on what was underlined.  After my students were used to this, I began introducing notes without underlining and asking students to volunteer what they believed the main ideas were.  This got students to think about historical significance and in some cases even sparked constructive debate over what is important to know about history and what is extraneous. 

                For the most part, I would rather teach students to develop their reasoning skills and master concepts rather than have them be able to recite specific dates in history.  On assessments I may ask students to put events in chronological order, but I would never ask a student to remember that the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary was signed on September 3, 1783.  I don’t teach my students to simply memorize, dates, figures, and events in history.  I prefer to focus on the development of higher-order skills, by having them evaluate causes and effects, compare, contrast, and reflect on the significance of historical events. 

                But I digress; back to accommodations.  Clearly, I offer accommodations to students based upon their IEPs, however I am also careful about how I do this.  I had some students who needed notes printed off for them.  I made sure to provide these notes to students by putting them in a folder for the students to take themselves rather than passing them out to the students directs.  I felt this appropriate for two reasons.  First, I was sure not to single out the students and cause them embarrassment in front of others, and second, this practice made the students responsible for taking it upon themselves to go and get the notes they needed. 

               

                While it is clearly essential to offer students all of the accommodations specified within their IEPs, I also think that teaching students to be responsible for asking for their accommodations is appropriate in some cases.  For instance, when a student should be offered additional time to complete assignments, I ask students to consult with me to discuss extensions.  This helps me make sure no students are getting too far behind on assignments and allows me to offer extra assistance outside of class on assignments they may be struggling with.

Classroom Discipline

                The first step to maintaining classroom discipline is to prevent discipline issues from arising in the first place.   I believe the best way to do this is with an engaging lesson plan.  When a lesson is engaging, students are more likely to stay on task and will have less cause to misbehave.  I usually plan my lessons in segments of 15-20 minutes so that students move from one activity to another within one class period.  I find this tactic helps reinforce learning objectives and allows me to teach to multiple learning styles. 

                I am also sure to make my expectations clear from the very beginning of the school year.  I admit this has been a challenge for me however.  Some say there are teachers that try not to smile before Thanksgiving in order to maintain discipline.  I can’t imagine teaching one day without smiling.  I care about my students and, and I must admit I often have a soft-spot for some of the less well-behaved students.  I have to remind myself at the beginning of the school year that I can’t let discipline issues slide or students will begin taking advantage of my amiability. 

                Another way I minimize discipline issues is by trying to be as consistent and fair as possible.  I don’t want my students to start thinking that I play favorites.  This will only lead to resentment that may cause discipline issues.  I must admit however that being fair and being consistent are not always synonymous.  I always try to be flexible and understanding.  If a student takes on the responsibility of meeting with me before or after class, I may be willing to make exceptions.  I will not do so during class time however because I do not wish to alienate other students. 

                Every teacher will inevitably have to discipline students at some point.  Much of being a skilled teacher is being able to improvise and handle unexpected occurrences.  Usually, I am able to prevent serious discipline issue from arising by using humor and resolving minor discipline issues in a non-confrontational way.  Circulating around the room also helps maintain discipline.  After giving students warnings, if inappropriate behavior continues I will conference with them one-on-one in the hall way.  I believe this helps them realize I will not simply ignore their behavior but also saves them from the embarrassment of being disciplined in front of their peers. 

                 I am careful not to put myself in the position of entering a power struggle with a student.  I make it very clear that I am willing to involve the administration in the event of extreme disciplinary issues.  I have involved the administration in one case of discipline when I unfortunately had a student come to class intoxicated.  I spoke to the student individually and told them that I had called an escort to bring them to the dean of discipline.  This case taught me that I must prepare myself for unexpected discipline issues.  I now also often consider how I would handle hypothetical inappropriate behavior in the future.

Classroom Wikis

I have found creating classroom wiki pages a great way to challenge exceptional students and a great study tool for struggling students at the same time.  WikiSpaces offers a free upgrade for public school teachers, so you can create wiki pages that are secure.  You can easily create users and monitor what students post quite easily.

I have used wikis with both high school and middle school students and they both get very excited about being on the internet.  Before I have students post on class wikis, I make sure we discuss both online etiquette and plagiarism.  To first show students how to add to the wiki, I use a fill in the black template so I can model information that is important to add on the site.  As we continue to use the wiki throughout the year, I have found students develop the skill of knowing what is the essential information from our lesson each day.

Wikis are a great way to provide students who are absent access to class notes as well.  While they do take some energy to originally set up, once students are instructed about how to add to the wiki, they basically allow students to do all the work!

I also encourage students to respond to, or at least review, the discussion boards available on my class wiki.  When we don't have time to answer each question students have asked me in class, I post them for students to answer on the discussion board.  This practice has often led to some healthy competition between students in my honors class.  Many want to be the first to answer the questions themselves.  I believe students build a sense of self-confidence from contributing to classroom wikis.  I would strongly encourage other teachers to set up wikis themselves.

Here is an example of a brief discussion my students had using our class wiki:

Lesson Planning - Where I Start

            In order to begin planning lessons for a class, I first need to know what the objectives for the lesson are so I can reflect on what instructional method is most appropriate.  I also need to know how much I know about the content I will be teaching.  I generally review scholarly articles, book reviews and/or notes I have taken related to the topic I will be teaching.  I am always sure to research additional information about the content I teach that will be of particular interest to students.  If I have a class in which many students play sports for instance, I may research additional historical information related both sports and the lesson topic in order to spark student interest.           Secondly, I need to know student ability levels and how familiar students already are with the subject matter.  I find that when teaching social studies, it is easy to assume students have some knowledge of the subject matter from their earlier studies, but it is always best to verify this.  I often use brainstorming activities to informally assess students’ prior knowledge.  I also believe administering pre-tests early in the year is an effective way to determine student skill levels and foundational content knowledge. 

            Next, when I plan a lesson, I need to know what resources I can use to teach the lesson and assess student progress throughout the lesson and after instruction.  I need to determine the amount of class time I can devote to teaching the lesson and assessing student learning.  Once I know the resources I can use for the lesson then I reflect on the appropriate method for teaching the lesson and also develop an assessment plan.  I often seek the advice of veteran teachers or look for examples on the internet of creative and innovative ideas for teaching the lesson content.  I then adapt these ideas to fit the needs of my students and my own teaching style. 

            When lesson planning, I also need knowledge of current events, issues, and media that students are familiar with.  I can then try to make connections between lesson content and contemporary topics.  For example, I try to think about ways I can relate a popular song to a topic my class will be studying, in an effort to make lessons more relevant to my students.  Lastly, I am also sure to review the Individual Education Plans of students with special needs so I can plan on offering the appropriate accommodations for these students during the lesson.