If you are not posting on the IDOE book club, you can choose to answer this question in addition to our discussion question this week.
Our discussion question this week comes from page 93.
How do you embody one or both of the following quotes:
- Although the tools will come and go, how you model lifelong learning will stay with your students long after they leave your classroom.
- Standing still in these times is not an option. Your teaching must change and respond to the evolving world around you.
We have one more week to finish up. Next week, you will be asked to report on your twitter/PLN experiences and to comment on what you are taking away from this summers study. ( I will go ahead and post this question later this week so that you can go ahead and finish if you want - so please start thinking about your answer).
Well, I wish we could've picked any of her closing thoughts to respond to, but oh well.
ReplyDeleteI believe modeling lifelong learning is important to my students. I make sure that my students know that I read each night before bed. This seems small, but I expect them to read at least 15 minutes at home each evening. If I don't spend time doing likewise, then I am not showing them the importance of reading. Likewise, when I take webinars or attend PD (when offered), I always incorporate "something" into my instruction immediately, if the subject can be. I tell my students "I learned this when/where/how/with whom". They also know that when "standards changed" to Common Core that I had to teach/learn new subject material as I had never taught it before. However, I also let them know when "they" teach me something...or when I learn something new from a book, video clip, website. Learning should last a lifetime.
Miss P. I'm pretty flexible. If you want to respond to one of the other closing thoughts, feel free. I'd love to hear what spoke to you.
DeleteI model lifelong learning to my students in several ways:
ReplyDelete* reading and discussing the Rosie books with my students
*discussing ideas from research or PD with students
*I explain where I get new ideas to try in the classroom/instruction
*when I have had to take classes to renew my license I share what I have been learning
*when I found an interesting video clip I shared it with my students to show a different way to look at concepts
*when I have found useful websites we learn together how to use the tools found there
We are always learning whether it is in a formal class setting or informal through discussion. I want my students to see that learning is not something that just happens in the classroom because you have to be there.
I try to model lifelong learning in all our activities of daily living skills, and leisure time activities. In daily living there are always new recipes and different places to find them as well as learning different kinds of food for special occasions. I introduce different magazines that will be available for them to look at as well as new ideas from websites that show how to make crafts or useful gifts. I think the most important thing I can do for my students is to model excitement that comes with learning something new or accomplishing something.
ReplyDeleteLike Jodi I found some other points that reached out to me. As I was reading this last chapter I realized that I have been basing my answers on the last couple of years of teaching. I have 27 previous years. This past week has been one of reflection. I taught and loved 9 years at the Madison State Hospital on the adolescent unit. After that I helped establish, taught and loved a program at Englishton Park. This was another residential program but instead of being mentally ill like at MSH these young men were juvenile delinquents and emotionally disabled. I learned so much from these programs and young men.
ReplyDeleteKnow your students: I always try to make a point of getting to know my students. No matter what program or age of children, I want to know their likes and dislikes. I want them to help me to generate rules and consequences for the classroom. I want them to have fun and be honest with me. I try to model my expectations of them in and out of the classroom. And because I am with my students for usually longer than just one year, I am blessed to see differences and growth. When I am having a difficult day with a particular student, I have to remind myself of how far he or she has come. For instance I had a student who when he first came to MSH he barked like a dog, crawled under table and chairs to avoid interaction or confrontations. He struggled in all classes. After a few months he was succeeding in class. He was participating in group activities and was taking pride in his work. When he would have a really bad day, many staff made comments about how bad it was. I gentle reminded them of how things were when he first came to us. I had another student who had difficulty being mainstreamed at all in general ed classes. Over the last 3 years he is able to mainstreamed for at least half of a day. For some, this may not be a mile stone. However for me, this is wonderful. The simple fact that he is able to be away from his comfort zone of the ED room and to succeed in gen ed is awesome. Of course this success is also due to dynamic teachers who are willing to take on the extra challenge of having a child with emotional disabilities. I have been so blessed at Southwestern to be able to work with such teachers.
Like all of you, one of my greatest joys is hearing from former students telling me how I impacted their life.
My students know that I am always learning and evolving to become a better teacher. Many have commented that they appreciate all the time and effort I put into helping make their classroom experience the best possible. At the end of the year, I usually do a questionnaire with the students to know what worked and what didn’t. I use their ideas and comments to make changes. I have learned many ideas from my students.
ReplyDeleteI am not the same teacher I was 15 years ago. I have changed so many things.. how I deliver material, how I use class time, how I use and grade homework, how I test students, how I use the textbook, etc...When I first started teaching, I thought I could make my plans and be done. This is so untrue! You never know who your students will be and what they will need. You have to be flexible and willing to change.
The last few years education has really been changing. Students have so many options on how they can get their education. School no longer has to be students traveling to a brick and mortar building. Technology offers them so many new options. I know this firsthand because I have been teaching online math courses the last 8 years. Students can learn math anytime, anywhere they have a Internet connection. The way I interact and teach these students is a lot different than how I teach my students at SW. However, these skills will be helpful as SW goes to 1-1 this next year. This will be a big year for learning and evolving as I discover the best way to incorporate 1-1 learning into my classes.