Art Show = Fantastic :-)

I chose to use this picture because my group used the zoo as the theme for our art show exhibit :-)

The art show was a huge success!!! I feel that for my group as well as all of the other groups involved. The art was fantastic and everyone put in so much time to make the decorations just as fantastic. I was very pleased with the art show and hopefully everyone else was too. There is a book in the curriculum library for those of you that visited the zoo :-)

I chose to put this under the reflection label because it is simply a short reflection of the magnificent evening. :-)

EDS 150 Centers

I chose to use the picture of the pennies because pennies were a major part of the center that I spent the most time at.

The student in charge of the center made little holes in juice bottles and labeled them with a number on the front and that was how many pennies you were supposed to put into each bottle. She also had several books on counting and other materials that could be used to help children learn to count. It was a very interesting and stimulating center.

Another center that I spent a lot of time at was about poetry. The student had come up with several interesting ways to teach about the different kinds of poetry, how to write poetry, and how to understand poetry. One activity was cutting out words from a newspaper article to make a poem. Another of her activities was using necklace beads with letters and making words with them to make a whole poem. This activity was very stimulating to the mind and the senses. She also had many books and other helpful materials to teach and learn about poetry.

The reason I chose to put this blog under the authentic learning label is because I feel that each center throughout the evening had it's own special way of introducing the topic that the student had chosen.

My Past Teachers and My Mobile

The reason that I chose to use the picture of the baby with the mobile is because when I think about teaching I can't help but think about the tremendous impact that I am going to have on the lives of the children in my classroom from the time that they step in the door. I hope that I provide materials and information that makes their minds wander and thrive, much as the mobile on the crib is doing for this baby.

As I was working on my mobile a few weeks back, I couldn't help but keep thinking about my fifth grade teacher Mr. Gardner. He was one of the best teacher that I had in elementary school and is someone that comes straight to mind when I think about when I think of the type of teacher I would like to become. He was always challenging to do better and always made learning fun for us. Then when I think further back and try to remember my fourth grade teacher I always think about the fact that the classroom always smelled like Country Apple lotion from Bath and Body Works because we had an open concept classroom (although that is the least important part of my year :-) ). My favorite part of the year was when our teacher, Mrs. C. Campbell, read us the Little House on the Prairie series and then we had a "Prairie Life Day" and we also played Oregon Trail on the computer quite often. Thinking a little further back, I remember my third grade teacher, Ms. Henson. She was a very small, young woman but still got the respect she deserved and made our classroom environment very fun. The one day that was the most memorable for me in the third grade was the day we had our "Hawaiian Luau Party".

The reason that I have chosen to write a blog on this is because these three teachers are the teachers that I think about when I think of the teacher I would like to become. I can see myself taking the great aspects from all of the different teachers that I have had in the past to make me the best teacher that I possibly can. It makes me very excited for the day that I get my own classroom because I remember all of the fun that I had in those classrooms and hope that my students will have just as much fun in my classroom.

The reason that I have chosen to put this professional development is because I feel that these teachers gave me a great foundation to have a wonderful classroom and that the things that I did in their classrooms will help me develop into a wonderful teacher for my students.

My Past Experiences in Schools

I chose this picture because this is what I think of when I look back at my friends throughout my life. I went to very culturally diverse schools as a young girl and didn't have many Caucasian friends.

When I was younger (up until the second semester of my seventh grade year), my family lived in Indianapolis and I attended a school that was very culturally diverse. There was a larger number of African American students than there was of Hispanic or Caucasian students. The Hispanic students and the Caucasian students had roughly the same number of attendees. Then after my first semester, my family moved back to where we had lived before I started first grade, and my first day of school there was very strange. No one was as accepting as I had remembered from my last school ( I was not a child that came from a rich or incredibly well off family as most of them had) so for a while I never really had a set group of friends. Another thing that was different was that there were only 5 African American students between the middle and high school and they were thought of by many as bad and there are still many people that attended (and attend that school today) that are racist. And I partially blame that on the school system for letting it go on but blame their parents for letting it go on. And eventually it all falls back to the community that they grew up in and how they felt about the different racial groups. I see this as a chance to step up and make each race equal in the eyes of my students and of my children (when I become a mother many years from now).

I chose to put this blog under the cultural diversity label because that is a very important part of equality, is realizing that people are culturally different but that does not make them different people or bad people.

Preparing for Arizona (short term 2009)

I chose this picture because I hope to be able to see sights like this on my trip out west to Arizona during Short Term.

During short term of 2009, I am traveling with a group of about ten people (including Brenda Richardson), to an Indian Reservation (nation) in Arizona to teach and/or have some sort of classroom experience for the month. I am hoping to be able to work in a kindergarten classroom, as that is the age I plan to teach. During this past week I have began trying to think of different activities I might plan to do with the children if I get the chance. I am having a hard time thinking of things though because I am not entirely sure what they will know at the point that I arrive. Therefore, I am planning to meet with Brenda and ask her if there is anyway for me to find out any of that information in advance, so that I can plan accordingly and hopefully I can come up with some really fantastic ideas to use with the children. Does anyone else have any ideas?? :-)

I chose to put this blog under the professional development label because I believe that Arizona is a trip that is going to greatly prepare me to be an amazing teacher. Also, any feedback from peers and readers will be used in the development of lessons and plans for my trip :-).

Chapter 2 lessons

I was in Group 2 for the teaching lesson over chapter 2. My group was assigned the task of teaching our class about the five stages that children experience when learning to draw, or the five developmental stages of art. The first is scribbling, ages 2-4, and is distinguishable because of the random marks on the page and for a while there is no form to anything. The second stage is preschematic, ages 4-7, and at this point children begin drawing people but without bodies (just sort of like arms and legs on a face) and their art varies in size and position on the paper. The third stage is schematic, ages 7-9, and this is the stage in which children start to draw houses to go along with their people, their people begin getting bodies, and everything appears in a straight line across the bottom of the paper. The fourth stage is "gang age", ages 9-12, and this is when children begin drawing "scenes" so to speak, such as a girl at the grocery store for example, and although their art skills are developing more their art is still very boxy looking. The fifth stage, which overlaps with "gang age" and occurs during ages 11-12, is the psuedonaturalistic stage, in which children begin drawing more cartoon like figures but they often try to hide them in notebooks so that no one can see them. Looking at the different stages of art was very helpful to me because it gave me a better idea of what stage the students I plan to teach will be in and what I can expect to see from them and also what projects are outside of their level. I chose to put this blog under the foundations label because I feel that looking at these stages, one can see the beginning or each stage (but maybe not the end).

What You Can Do With What You Have...

This is my piece of art from class on Friday. We were given a toilet paper roll, a rubber band, an index card, some markers, and some glue and we were asked to make something. Everyone made something very very different and that was part of the excitement of the lesson. For example, one person made a tree and another made a bracelet and earrings. This activity led to much discussion in our class and was a very productive activity. This is definitely an activity that I would like to model in my classroom, maybe once a semester or something. A very fun activity as well!

The Importance of Art Work

Art work is important for many reasons. And it is all in the eye of the beholder as well as that of the artist. Take scribbles for example, if a child says "mommy look at my doggy" and it looks like a purple and yellow blob then the mother is going to say something like "oh how cute, look at your doggy" and then hang it on the refrigerator. However if someone was just walking by and saw it they would have to ask what it was or why it was hanging there. At the same time if you look at a painting like the one above it looks like a little more than a scribble but not like very much. However, it is hanging on my desk and means so much to me because my fiance drew it and told me that it was a picture of the two of us together. Art work is a very important form of communication and of self-expression for children and people of all ages.

Kaylan Picture

Kaylan is explaining what her group did to try and figure out how to make the ball and ramp problem work. The problem presented was that we had to make a ramp that had a 4 inch incline and a 4 inch decline (both at least 4 inches but could be more) and that they ball had to roll exactly 6 feet and then stop. This problem really required both constructivism and the community of inquiry because we not only had to use our previous knowledge of how balls and ramps work, we had to ask the opinions of the people that we were working in the group with to make the final product of our ramp and also to decide which size and weight of ball we should use. There always seemed to be problems with this experiment as we were working because either the ball would not roll far enough, would roll too far, or would not make it out of the ramp.

Reflection from class on October 1

Inquiry: simply figuring stuff out
Community of Inquiry: figuring stuff out together
Constructivism: building on your current knowledge

Goal 5 in my own words

Understand the cultural diversity that is around you and your students, both in the community and in the world. Be able to teach your students about it and help them to understand cultural diversity.

Goal 4 in my own words

Be able to make lesson plans that are appropriate for your classroom age group and learning level. Create experiences that will help your students remember the material, that are fun, and that they may be able to use in their daily lives. Do not waste your time or your students time.

Goal 2 in my own words

Have a full understanding of the curriculum you are going to teach and be able to explain your understanding. Your understanding should consist of the relationship between one subject and another, the core concepts of each subject, and the ways in which you and your students can apply each subject in daily life.

Goal 1 in my own words

Know the full meaning of community of inquiry (or at least to the best of your ability) and be able to incorporate it into your classroom environment. Be able to demonstrate how you plan to convey the importance of the community of inquiry in your classroom and community.

sample post for philosophy

Goal 3 in my own words

It should be understood that many activities are going to require some sort of activity or experience to go with them. Also, that some lessons will take longer than others, some students will be less interested in certain subjects than others, and other more experienced teachers should be looked to for advice. These are helpful in relating to topics later in life.

Goal 7 in my own words

Develop a clear understanding of our profession. Understand that the job should be used to grow, mature, and continue to learn throughout life. Becoming a lifelong learner will be a positive role model for your students.

Goal 6 in my own words

Be able to answer all questions that your students may ask about technology. Teach from the basics because most students will have little to no knowledge of the technology.