I'm 24 and have grey hair...ummm?

I am so frustrated....I thought about not blogging and just going to sleep! the behavior in one of my classes is making it impossible for me to do anything BUT worksheets.
This class of 32 had 75% ELL 25% native speakers. most of the Native speakers have taken and failed this class. I have one student who has passed a total of 4 classes in his entire two years (six semesters). He can't not talk. Which is fine...but I need to give comprehensible instructions to my students who barely understand English.....

I tried having my students to Excel maps with the hidden comments feature....3 students were so out of control that me leading my class through this was unbearable...
Every 20 seconds I'd have to say "excuse me, I need everyone's attention so that you don't have to ask me what's going going on.." my poor ELL need my attention, but the students who have given up have commanded it
I don't know what to do...one of my students who has transfered from a Boulder S.D school, commented to me on the behavior as he was leaving class....
I feel like I have to have no groups...silent work...if anyone is to learn anything
I feel like I've lost my momentum that I had just yesterday....I feel like I have to put incorporating technology on the back burner because theses students are so immature they can't handle it...
If you can't tell...this is a class of juniors and seniors!!
what am i supposed to do? I feel like the worst teacher at my school...
How do I make sure the other 30 students get the education they deserve?
My theory was that technology would be so engaging they couldn't help but pay attention...only they weren't paying attention in the first place....got behind and just started making my life miserable! My theories and beliefs are crumbling

Okay its out....a little cathartic...I'm going for a run and then hopefully can come up with some solutions for tomorrow...will repost later tonight


And I was runnin....and I have perspective and its just one student....and I can make a difference for all of my students....have new ideas and plan for tomorrow

Hello Students

I've invited you to my blog so that you can get a feel for what blogging is all about! On the Right I have a list of blogs that are currently on my reader. I'd like you to read through them.

As a learner, I find it easier to "learn" when I've reflected on what I've learned. This means I've attempted to sort everything out....what I know, what I don't know, things that remind me of things I've already learned, etc. When I've made these connections and have gotten everything out, its a lot easier for me "understand."

I'm not looking for you to be able to recall dates or facts, just to be able to think for yourself. This means we don't copy worksheets in here! In this class I want you to have a basic understanding of how we've gotten to this point in time. I want to you see yourselves a part of a greater picture.

You assignment:
1. Look at the posts on the "black board" on the right
2. Pick one that you want to comment about (come back to this page)
3. Find your class' blog on the right (log-in)
4. Post a response to that blog on your class blog

• Your title should be your name and the title of the blog you're responding to
• You need to link to the blog from your post
• Check your spelling and grammar...be professional.
• The blogs you link to can come back and find you!

Good Luck! --- Learning is a process, a journey that is never truly finished!

Ms. Johnson

do-overs

The thing with teaching that can be both good and bad is the number of do-overs we all are allowed. Students get do-overs with new classes, teachers, semesters, years and even days....teachers get do-overs with about the same frequency.

The hard part is balancing these do-overs with consistency. As long as standards and expectations are high, they can be flexible with how they are measured and achieved. I can change my mind with how things are run to fit the situation, this happens as each second passes. --Sometimes I feel sorry with for my para-professional; I give her an outline of class but, everyday things have to change depending on the mood of my students, my mood, the content, and random events throughout the day!

The great thing with education is that I can change things until they work for me and my students....I don't know very many other "jobs" that this can be said for!

This week I start a new unit-- and have a few "do-overs"
My Social Studies class just finished their first unit and assessment. I am always amazed that students work on projects for about a week and then have nothing to turn in when the project is due? AMAZING!

They created a Newspaper using an edclass template describing the causes of the Civil War

My thoughts and reflection on what will change in the future and what worked:

Students changed their assigned groups

• Students who stayed in their assigned groups had something (good) to turn in
• Absences made the groupings hard
• For the next few projects, students will work independently
  

Students changed and stole other students' work that we saved on the network

• work for the next few assignments will be in google docs
• use classroom money or mini-grant to purchase each student thumb-drive

Students copied and pasted from internet

• Explicitly discuss what is appropriate to take and how to site it
• discuss

For this unit I'm going to give them all of the objective rubrics in advance in a folder and have all of their work be done in google docs. The folders will stay in class and will be used in our weekly conferences.

I have been rethinking blogging as well, so maybe I can get it off the ground now!

Reflecting on Reflecting

M finally returned to class today! I found myself unusually kind to him. Considering the fact that he didn't have a notebook, nothing to turn in and was 45 minutes late.

I think my blogging about him really made a differnce!

Reflecting on how I was feeling about the situation, instead of having a bitch session with a colleague, was more rewarding.
I
can pretend to be "at peace" with a student, but unless I truly feel like I have some sort of plan, I'm really not!

Having the opportunity to blog about him and the situation made a real difference and I think he felt the that I was truly happy to see him, instead of just concentrating on his socks. By reflecting and "concentrating on his socks" I was able to make good of a situation that has been irritating me for over a year!

what release

Reflection Day 5 --- Kill 'em with kindness

Old technology was my foe today! It took half of the period for my students to access their work on the network. For a split second I imagined how quiet my class would be if I just had them copying out of their textbooks! But, things finally were resolved and for fifteen minutes high schoolers worked in peace with a partner creating a newspaper that cited the causes of the American Civil War.

Poor kids I separated them....they had segregated themselves....language learners and native speakers. So, those language learners who could manage were paired with native speakers. I hope everyone learned a lot more than history!

I had a language learner breakthrough...I was catching myself saying small phrases or words in Spanish to give my students directions. I don't know if I was practicing my own Spanish, or if I wanted them to know I knew (somewhat) how to speak their language. However, I realized that these short conversations would help them in the long-run if I spoke to them in English. They are in mainstream classes the rest of the day, so they need to pick these small things up.

My literacy classes created captions for Civil Rights pictures based on what they were reading. I put the slide show together on Rockyou.com and then had them work on the captions. I typed them in during class....very quickly, I just found mistakes....this allowed them to read, write, speak and listen... It was a short activity, but I think it was very meaningful. Then, I had them comment on it in their blog. their comments were short, but had a lot more heart than they have previously had.

I am totally frustrated with a student that I have in literacy. This is my second year with him-sort of. He has major attendance issues, so much so that if I am late with attendance an attendance liason is calling 20 minutes into class. The worst part is, he has missed so much school he really doesn't know how to do school. So, he comes in and just sits there. I ask him to go ahead and open a book and he doesn't really realize he's supposed to read it. He just sits there until another student lets him copy. when the para asks if he needs help he says: "no 'cause she'll think I'm copying." It makes me want to scream I'm like "'c'mon M prove to me you're not lazy and you can do it." Praise doesn't work, sarcasm doesn't work. AGHHH I want him to get it and be successful but I don't know how between the attendance liason calling me twice a day to check attendance and this kids swaggering in late I've had it....for a teacher I have a short-fuse and this kid's shenanigans have got me going! What to do??? On a positive note, this year he brings paper to class....no pencil....but he has paper.

I read something somewhere that said, "you can't like every kid, so sometimes you just have to focus on the color of their socks! 'hey those are great socks!'" I guess that I'm gonna have to pull a Dottie on him and like him so much ..... he'll want to work....

**Dottie is my mom. She used to manage the DQ in Commerce City and now she decorates cakes at the King Soopers. People lover her caring disposition so much, they show up at King Soopers just to visit with her! When I meet people they say: "your mom is the dairy queen lady, she's amazing!" Its probably from putting up with alcoholic parents, and my work-aholic dad her whole life.....maybe one day I'll truly learn how to "kill 'em with kindness" as she puts it. But, for now I'm gonna have to pay really close attention to their socks.

blogging to learn/ Reflection Day 4

I love it when I stumble across an answer to a question as I'm reading the blog-post of another educator. Today Dave Cormier posted about a blogging conference/seminar he presented and one of my favorite blog authors posted a response to his blog.

This week I have been struggling with the idea of "how" to blog with my students in a meaningful way. I am interested in how blogs can improve student achievement especially for language learners. Originally, I had expected all students to blog 4 times a week. However, I'm beginning to think that this is too much for them to do. I find that the blog posts become repetitive and thoughtless. I have some really great posts from my freshmen, some that will no doubt be useful to show growth. However, I don't think they have the concept of a blog down. Quite frankly, neither did I before I dove in head first and began reading, studying and writing my own.

Through grad school at Regis, I have found my experience to be rewarding and have seen growth in my thought and process because I can reflect and react on teachings and learnings with professors and colleagues. I believe that the foundation to truly understanding and learning is through the metacognative-reflective process. (I think that this topic was one of my first blog posts.) I want my students to experience this type of learning experience because it is s0 meaningful to me.

I don't know how to help them see it as a learning tool. I think that for now, blogging once a day is not working, at all. In the future, I will have them reflect (the old fashioned way) daily, and then have one person post a "week in review" at the end of the week. Then, I will have the other students comment on the "week in review" on Monday. My students are not great self-starters and are not that great at starting something new. So, I think for this first half of the semester I will help them out by scaffolding the process a little better: show them blogs, have them reflect or comment on blogs. My hope is that they create a sense of creativity and ownership of their own thoughts and see themselves as an "expert," as Darren K. put it. I will continue to post class notes daily or every other day, as is necessary, and help my students get into the habit of looking at their class blog and using it as a resource.

Possible rubric (4pt scale)

4 in addition to 3 shows in-depth details, suggestions or resources

3 Completely summarizes the weeks learning experiences AND reflects on personal growth, knowledge, confusion, learning and connections

2 Completely summarizes the learning experiences may show some reflection

1 attempts to summarize or summarizes inaccurately does not show complete thought

I'm thinking of also adding a rubric on audience(professionalism) and grammar...perhaps I'll borrow from the district short response rubric

on a side note
I had a little technical fiasco today that turned my face red....I know, my mom's Irish, its not hard to turn my face red!

First, while I was gone on Friday I had 2 laptops from our dept. set stolen Huge bummer, not because of the equipment but because I think my teacher-student relationship with these students is shot! Also, I have this panging feeling in my gut that I should be taking better care of my stuff and this incident prompted me to get organized fast!

Second, I checked out a lap-top cart from the library for my blocks 3-4. Another teacher (who checked it out for 5-6) came in with 25 minutes to go in block 4 (this is my split block and these kids just came back from lunch) and demanded the cart. I was planning on cleaning up in a few minutes and having my student assistant get the cart to her before class was over, but I think the system is flawed...with out much hope for a solution. In an effort to let everyone possible use the technology, you can sign up for them for blocks and not simply the entire day. The technology, if you're not used to it can be intimidating and hard to set up, but who has priority: The students currently using the computers or the teacher waiting to set it up for her students? Maybe the library can get a student assistant in charge of rounding-up equipment and setting it up for teacher.....what ever happened to the AV CLUB? (ie:Freaks and Geeks)

Sorry, this post was so long, thanks for hanging in there!! Long Day

Constructing learning experiences that push students into new levels of learning

I have a couple of things that I have been thinking about off and on for the past week that I wanted to get out, reflect on and maybe get some feedback

I am a constructivist...duh...I don't think it would be possible to expect students to use technology on all levels and stagesof learning and not be a constructivist! I believe learning is a process. I love my students to do projects as a learning tool and I like those to be meaningful to them. The problem I am running into is that student have forgotten how to be creative by the time I get them. So, I ask them to do a project and leave it pretty open and they just sit there....and complain that they want to know what it will look like. So I kept a few student examples of projects that my students did last year to show these students but, I threw them away!


In my experience working as a "camp counselor" at the Rec. Center I have found that when we did crafts the teens would look at my example and copy it! I don't see anything fun in that. Yeah they had fun doing it, but they lacked the spark and excitement of coming up with something that was truly theirs. So, I began only giving them general instructions and materials. The end results were way better than any example I could have given them. I've transfered this idea into my class projects and they don't like it! They want to know what the time line or poster or powepoint should look like. I always tell them "what ever works for you, what will help you learn this better?"

They hate it! But I believe that real learning comes from creating something that is important and meaningful to the learner....no matter what shape the teacher likes a time line to be.
However in the future I plan to do the following to make the transition into creativity easier for my students:

1. Be very clear about the learning result I expect at the end
2. Be very clear about the time they have available to them
3. Spend a day at the beginning of the semester making sure all students are aware of their learning and personality style so they can fit these projects closer to them

This article
from The Journal discuss the inherent need for education to move to constructivism with the advent and prevalent use of technology EVERYWHERE. It discusses the use of technology in language learning classroom. I find it easier to learn a language when I converse in it, not just working in a workbook and writing phrases that are outdated an no one will see? What about having our students write for real purposes, in real language---then would we increase their proficiency? I guess I'll see at the end of this year after my students have spent the semester blogging about their learning experiences. They are pretty rough now, but they are taking them seriously.