Reflection

Another six weeks gone. I can't believe that student teaching is right around the corner! When this class first began, I was pretty excited because I loved Social Studies in school and I still do. Now I think that I am even more excited to get into the classroom and teach Social Studies! I loved learning more about the integrated curriculum and all of the things that you can accomplish by teaching this way. Now that I know what grade level I will be teaching in the Fall, I want to look at the standards and come up with some unit ideas!

I feel like this class prepared me to create lessons and units in a much more effective way. I really enjoyed working with Anna on our unit plan and I think that I could definitely put it into action when I get in the classroom, which is a great resource to have as a beginning teacher. The thing that I struggled with the most though in creating the unit was knowing when to stop. Social Studies is so broad and contains so many content areas that it is hard to narrow things down enough to create a cohesive unit. For example, I had a really hard time not doing more history and biography when creating lessons for our unit. Our unit would be combined with the other two 5th grade units to create a government super-unit, and the students STILL wouldn't learn all there is about the history and creation of the US democracy! I suppose this is just something that will get easier and more clear over time...I hope.

All in all, I think that I made a lot of progress over the course of this class. I enjoyed the material, worked effectively with a peer, and was able to interact more deeply with the content that I will be teaching soon. I feel like I am finishing my summer at Meredith feeling prepared to go into the classroom and maybe even start teaching Social Studies first!

Reward Systems

I'm not sure how I feel about reward systems. Coming from a Montessori background, I tend to believe that students should want to do well in school for the sole reward of feeling good about a job well done. However, I am practical enough to know that Dr. Maria Montessori was teaching this philosophy in the early part of the century, when teachers did not have to contend with Nintendo DS for students' attention. I want to believe that students will work for intrinsic rewards, and I think that for many students that is true, but I realize that sometimes that's just not enough. Some students do need a little external motivation to be able to succeed academically and socially.

In my field experience, I haven't really seen much in the way of rewards. I know that Salem Elementary has a schoolwide behavior system and they give out rewards, but I haven't noticed much in the classrooms. It is possible that this is because I have observed a fifth grade class and a class on the first day of school. Perhaps the older students didn't need it anymore and the other class just hadn't started yet, I don't know.

I think my use of a reward system will depend on the grade that I will be teaching, but if I do use one it will probably not be used for material rewards. I don't think I like the idea of kids working for candy or prizes, but maybe extra computer time or a class party would be ok. I like the idea of setting a class goal and working together to reach it for a larger reward, rather than just doing smaller rewards, but I suppose those have their place as well. I think that ultimately, I would like to observe more and see a good reward plan in action.  

Self-efficacy?

In what areas do you have a high degree of self-efficacy? I'm asking because I need some ideas. This is like when you go into a job interview and the person asks you "So, what do you think are your best and worst attributes as a worker?" Hmm...

I suppose if I had to choose areas in which I am effective, I would say attitude toward work and planning. Now, please do not think that I love work or that I am a good planner. Let me explain: what I really mean by attitude toward work is that I know the work will get done. I am an effective non-worrier. I can see the work piling up, which I often allow, but then I make a plan to finish everything and it magically gets done. I'm not one to worry too much about, oh I don't know, a gigantic unit plan that's due in 6 days. Everything always gets done in it's own time. This is a philosophy that I apply to work and life, much to the annoyance of many around me. But guess what? It works.

As for planning, I always plan without thinking that something can and will go wrong. However, when it inevitably happens, I am not deterred! The lesson will go on! I think I'm pretty good at thinking on my feet and changing plans as necessary, which I consider a great skill to have in teaching.

If we are talking about self-efficacy using Maxim's definition, that being a sense that you know you will succeed at something, and are applying it to certain subject areas, I would say that my sense of self-efficacy is probably high in most areas. This is not a statement of conceit. I know that I will crash and burn, and it won't be the first time. But, being a non-worrier and an adapter, I know that I will succeed in leading and teaching my students to the best of my ability.

Hook *Updated*

     Once I finally took the time to actually think about an engaging hook lesson, I think I came up with something good! The rationale is still the same; I want the students to think about and express what they already know about the government and the Constitution, but I want to include the visual arts in the lesson as well.  

     I want to begin by showing the students the painting Scene at the Signing of the Constitution by Howard Chandler Christy. I would have the students create a T-chart, with "What I see" on the left and "What it might mean" on the right. I would give the students a little time to look at the work, writing down what they see and then turn to their neighbor and talk about what they think is happening and what that might mean. After they have some time to discuss it, then bring the class back together to have a group discussion. This chart can serve as a pre-assessment  that can be refered back to later in the unit. 

     I would also want to give the students a chance to reinterpret the painting themselves. I could do this in one of two ways: I could let each student draw their own version, or I could have them work together to create one large image. If I chose to have the students work together, I would divide the painting using a grid, give each student a piece, and have them just work on that little part. In the end, all of the square could be put together to create a class masterpiece. This may be a good idea because then each student would get a chance to study a section of the painting in depth and see how they go together.   

Hook

The goal of my hook lesson is for students to start thinking about what they know about the US government and how it is designed. I think it would be useful for me to know how students perceive the government and its jobs before I even start teaching the unit. I honestly haven't thought much about the hook lesson until now, but I think that I will start with a clip or two from Schoolhouse Rock, just to get them interested. I haven't decided if I want to do a short overview of US history or just focus on government structure, but I probably use the Preamble song and one about the three branches of government. I would show the clips to the students and then ask then to think about what they know about the government, pair up and share their list with a partner, adding to it if necessary, and then share with the class. Again, this is a very rough idea, but I do know that I want to get a little insight into the students' knowledge with this lesson, to better help plan the lessons in the unit.

A little perspective

     Before this week, I had never given much thought to the different points of view and biases that exist in history materials and textbooks. Of course I know that they exist, but I had never made the connections that I will have to teach children using these materials. Luckily, today there is a multitude of resources out there for students and teachers and creating a multicultural classroom is probably not as difficult today as it was when I was in school. However, it does make me stop to think how I am going to choose appropriate sources and how to know it is appropriate. After watching the documentary on the textbook wars, I am plagued by the worry that I will end up offending a parent with something that I think is appropriate to teach. I suppose the best way to combat that is to teach students that there are biases in history texts and encourage the students to analyze them critically. How could the story be told from a different point of view? As with any subject, I think that teaching history in the classroom has to be very well thought out and planned to avoid teaching the students that there is only one right account of past events. Maybe every student should be required to read A People's History of the United States!
     Teaching ELLs and students with disabilities in the classroom will require modification, but I think they should have the same experiences as the other students. ELLs especially can contribute a different perspective to the class's understanding of history, especially in upper grades. They can possibly talk about their country's history and how the US had affected that, if at all. This would be a good opportunity to get parents involved as well, as long as they are willing and it is not hurtful to them in any way. Some families may be reluctant to talk about their country, and students should understand the reasons for that as well. Students with disabilities can be helped through various visual, oral, and behavioral modifications, but they too should benefit from learning how to see the world from a perspective other than their own. 

Integrated Curriculum

     This week we have been focusing on the benefits of having an integrated curriculum, that is, bringing different subjects together in a meaningful way throughout the year. Integrated planning, to me, is basically teaching in such a way that you don't necessarily need a specific math, language, or social studies time. Having an integrated curriculum also leads to project-based learning, which I think is really exciting and a great way to learn. My concerns about teaching an integrated curriculum are few. I think that it would take a lot more time up front, but would ultimately be easier throughout the year. My main concern is whether or not I would be able to come up with a meaningful way to fit it all in. I feel like you would really need an annual plan to be able to do this well so that you can avoid simply doing a bunch of disjointed units.
     I think that the reason we don't see more interdisciplinary learning in schools today is the heavy focus on testing and the standards that both teachers and students have to meet. I think that many teachers feel as though they have too many things to do to sit down and come up with a plan that will fit everything in. It basically comes down to pressure. When teachers are feeling like they have a ton of things to do and less time and resources to do it, they go into survival mode and do not necessarily think about ways to make it all easier. I think that we are suffering from the tendency to check the box simply because we don't know what else to do.
     I think that the Common Core will make it easier to advocate for creating time for non-tested subjects. It seems to give the wiggle room needed to be able to teach these standards in a variety of ways. Furthermore, I feel like proponents of the Common Core think that it will teach students to apply knowledge to other areas and think creatively, effectively making them more well-rounded. Don't well-rounded students need to know more than just math and language? What's the point of learning those things if you can't apply them? And I think that social studies, the arts, and science are the prefect venues for applying concepts learned in math and language, don't you?