Interviewing

The questions that would be the easiest for me to answer are:

·         Why do you want to become a teacher?

·         What is your philosophy of education?

·         How would you teach a typical reading lesson?

·         How would you integrate technology into your classroom?

·         If a parent is unhappy with how you handled a behavior incident with their child, what would you do?

The questions that would be the most difficult for me are:

·         How would you differentiate your lessons?

·         In your view, how are math and science best taught?

·         In what ways would you assess students?

·         There are many students in this school whose first language is not English.  How would you accommodate a student or students in your classroom assuming you have no help (no interpreter, aide, etc.)?

·         Can you talk a bit about an educational book, journal, or article, you read recently and what you gained from that reading?  If you have not read something professional, discuss something you recently read that you found interesting.

I feel that I could answer some of the questions that probably would be the most difficult to me somewhat confidently but am not fully convinced that I can. The questions that I feel would be the easiest to me I feel that I can answer them the best but some of them I feel I still might struggle with a bit.

Bullying Prevention

Blog 20: Bullying Prevention

            I only experienced a bullying prevention program once when I was at Red Smith Elementary in a 5^th grade classroom for another education class. I am not quite sure what it was called but they did talk about the many different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. The local police came in and discussed bullying with students from each grade level in a little gathering room. The police asked the students if they knew what bullying was, what different types of bullying there were, and what to do if they are being bullied. When the students missed an important point the policeman/policewoman filled in what was missing. There was also a short film shown to the students about bullying and how to deal with bullies. After the film students were asked questions about what they saw. This gathering lasted about 30 minutes.

            After seeing how the police taught and talked about bullying with the students I felt that the program was and would be very effective. The presentation was well put together and held all of the student’s attention. Keeping the students focused by asking them questions and getting them to participate with the answers was key to getting the students to understand what was being taught and why. It also seemed to me that the students paid attention more simply because the police were talking to them about bullying and not a teacher, specialist, or somebody else that is not seen as somebody who has police-like swagger or authority.

            Even with these programs in place bullying is still a big issue in schools. Many students who bully probably don’t even know they are doing it. It is hard for a young student to understand how any type of bullying, no matter how small it may be or seem, can have drastic repercussions. It’s hard and probably impossible to come up with a very successful bullying program but any program is better than none. The program I witnessed at Red Smith seemed like a pretty good and successful program that helped most if not all of the students who were there. I only wish that I could witness throughout the rest of the school year if the program helped at all. I truly believe that many or most schools in Wisconsin are addressing bullying and addressing it successfully.

Classroom Management

Blog 19: Classroom Management

Use of Quiet Reading Time in the Morning

·         Get in the “reading zone” no later than 5 minutes after school starts

·         No talking while reading

·         Don’t bug the person(s) around you

·         Get caught up with other work before reading

·         If you don’t know what kind of book to read once you finish or are close to finishing your current book ask the teacher or a friend for suggestions

·         If you have troubles pronouncing a word ask the teacher for help or your neighbor

·         If you don’t know what a word means look it up in the dictionary

·         During reading the voice level should be no louder than 1

Convergent Education

Blog 18: Convergent Education

            The technologies that are available today have greatly increased the ease for people to get information on just about anything they desire. Notebooks, iPads, iPods, laptops, smartphones, and many other portable devices make getting information from the internet or other people at anywhere and at any time a reality. There is much more knowledge available on the internet and can be found faster than a person could find in any library. With this boom in technology, teachers are encouraged to keep up with technology and begin incorporating it into their classroom teachings. Many teachers have a hard time using technology in the classroom for the simple fact that it is too expensive for schools to get the technology needed. Rigorous testing that is required for schools to give their students also makes it difficult for teachers to find enough time available for their students to use technology.

            Even with these struggles there is still an outcry for students to become more involved with technology because they are surrounded by it outside of school. Schools may become boring because many students don’t have or aren’t allowed to use the technology that they have become “addicted” to the point where it drives them nuts to not have access to it all of the time. Their thinking may be more about using their technological devices during school than focusing on what is being taught. Schools are testing out using phones and other portable technology students may have but there is little data on its effectiveness because it is new. There is a possibility that this can be a very positive tool in student’s learning but there are many questions as to if this can benefit all students or a selected few. Not all students have or have access to the required technologies. As popular as technology may be there are still many students who have limited if any access to technology that is beginning to work its way into school systems. This simple fact can hinder the progression of technology in schools and also put more stress on teachers. Some students may have a good grasp on technology but the ones that are behind make it difficult for teachers to stay on task and keep up with what is expected of them to teach.

            Technology continues to grow and some believe that there will be some type of global learning between 50 percent of the classrooms in about 10 years. I don’t see this as something that is going to happen that soon. There are still too many questions and problems with what societies should do with technology in classrooms. Until we know how to use technology in classrooms to its fullest schools shouldn’t rush to get the latest technology in their buildings. Technology changes faster than schools or even people can keep up with. I fear that the technological revolution involved in education is happening too fast for it to be successfully incorporated into schools. Some technologies can be administered into school use right away and be effective. Our world has become greatly connected because of the internet and with so much information available to people, governments feel that it is important to teach students technology and incorporate it as soon as possible in schools to better prepare students for the future. I do think it is important for students to become familiar and efficient with technology. I only hope that more efficient ways to use it will be used found and incorporated into ALL schools to benefit not only the schools that can afford the technology but also those that could use some financial help in getting it into their buildings as well. It will be very interesting to see how technology evolves and gets incorporated into school systems within the next 10 years.

Global Education Resources

Blog 17: Global Education Resources

Kidlink

http://www.kidlink.org/

Activity: What’s my number?

            I found this activity on the Kidlink website and thought it would be a neat assignment to have students do for math. This assignment would go on throughout the whole year because of the many different things students learn about throughout the school year. This increase in knowledge will help students come up with better challenges. It also can be fun to come up with challenges for other students to solve. This activity is ongoing because students who are solving other student’s challenges may have to do some research to find the number needed to solve the challenge. To have students do this activity on a global scale they will have to do research themselves about other countries of their choosing to find parts of their challenges.

Here is a description of the activity:

In this project, students are asked to do two things:

1. Create a set of clues that challenge other students to use math to determine a specific number.
2. Solve other math challenges posted by participants in this project.

Let's see if you can make math challenges that:

1. contain no numbers. Use descriptions of the number to lead others to determine the number.
2. contain a clue that mentions something about the area where you live and/or your interests.

Make sure they solve their own challenge(s) before they send it to others.

Here is a sample of a math challenge sent by a student in Argentina to Delmar students:

1. The number of the States in the United States of America
2. + plus the strings of a Stradivarius.
3. _ minus the number of people in a soccer field
4. x times the age of the football player Maradonna when he won the World Cup in 1986.

By doing this activity students will:

• develop number sense and explore other numeration systems
• identify the multiple uses of numbers in the real world
• develop common understandings of mathematical ideas and definitions
• acquire confidence in using mathematics meaningfully
• appreciate mathematics from a multicultural perspective
• select an appropriate computational method
• formulate questions and develop problem-solving strategies
• solve word problems with a variety of structures
• estimate and judge the reasonableness of answers
• collect, organize, display and interpret data
• demonstrate and apply the concept of measurement using various types of units
• work cooperatively
• justify their thinking
• recognize and describe patterns
• use calculators in appropriate computational situations
• use technology and the Internet as a tool for problem solving and information gathering
• value the role of math in our culture and society

Retrieved from: http://www.kidlink.org/kidspace/start.php?HoldNode=899

ThinkQuest

http://www.thinkquest.org/

            This website is good for project based ideas for students to work on in groups. They have many ways for students to work together to research a topic, write about it, and then present it to the class. Students will use technology to do their research and will be able to discuss their findings with the other members of their group. This is a great way to encourage students to learn on their own, organize what each member will research, and analyze their findings with their group members to come up with a finished project.

NASA CONNECT

http://science.nasa.gov/connect/

            This website can be useful to use for science. Students can see what programs NASA is working on or currently doing. An example of using this website would be to follow the launch of a mobile laboratory on Mars that is expected to launch November 25, 2011. It isn’t expected to land on Mars until August of 2012 but students can research the planet Mars, what the purpose of sending the laboratory is, and what they think the effects of the information the lab gathers may have on the world. Starting this project may also keep the students interest in it and they might continue monitoring its activities when it lands on their own because of their newfound curiosity.

Assistive Technology

Nicholas Matuszewski

Blog 16

Educ. 361

11/7/2011

2 Examples of Assistive Technology Used in the Classroom

Transcription Software

Transcription software was created to help students who struggle with note-taking or typing. Students can use this in the classroom to organize their homework and research papers. This software is able to interpret any language the students or teachers speak and translates what is spoken into text which is placed in a computer document. This technology helps students and teachers communicate with each other to create a better understanding of what is being taught or spoken.

Notebook Computer

            A notebook computer is a handheld notebook computer that lets students type in information instead of writing it with a pencil or pen. Students who have trouble speaking can use this technology in place for verbal communication by typing out their responses to questions or comments. This is used in the classroom to help teachers communicate with students who are very shy or who may struggle with speaking.

Blogging Experience

Nicholas Matuszewski

Blog 15

Educ. 361

11/7/2011

My Blogging Experience

            Blogging in the Education 361 class has its ups and downs. I enjoy reading the many different ideas and philosophies that we discuss in class. This is also a problem since there is so much to read and takes a lot of time to read them all. I haven’t read everything but try to read as many of the blogs as possible. I try to use what other people think to create new ideas on how to become a successful teacher and how to use some of the tools that are available to us. It is also nice to get my thoughts out. I also like what I write being available to be critiqued by others if they choose to do so. This opens the door for the possibilities of expanding my thoughts and ideas. It is a pain in the butt trying to keep up with all of the blogging we are required to do but I like how what we blog about has a lot to do with what is going on in schools today. Blogging has been good but I still am not sure how well it has helped me yet. By the end of the semester I will be able to answer this question much better.

Blog 14: School Vouchers

Nicholas Matuszewski

Blog 14

Educ. 361

11/2/2011

School Vouchers

            School vouchers are basically scholarships given to families instead of the students to allow families to choose which school their kid(s) will attend and have all or part of the tuition paid. The idea behind this is that it will improve the education students will receive. The money can come from the government, private organizations, or a combination of both. This is a very controversial topic and is debated today.

            I am not really sure on what I think about them but because I don’t know much about them. Right now I would say that while I do think that in some ways school vouchers are good they are probably for the most part bad. I like the idea of giving families the power and opportunities to choose where their kids go to school but I am not sure I like where the money is coming from and the schools it goes to. I fear there may be a great rise in private schools being built, meaning more money going to private schools, leaving public schools in the dust and with little funding.

            Many schools are struggling and surviving on limited funding making me worry that if school vouchers increase the schools might end up being ran like businesses instead of a school. Schools are already getting sponsorship money from companies like Pepsi or Coke, what’s keeping schools from expanding on this and becoming filled with advertisements and look like a real life YouTube website. Our country’s economy problems are forcing people to look for ways of making or getting money any way they can. Everyone seems to think that the government is the answer. Our government should be more of a helper instead of an answer. The more money the government spends and hands out the more the people will suffer to resupply the funds. Private organizations to me will give money to help others but want something in return for their services. This could lead to exploiting schools for their benefit. Is this how it is, maybe not but the way things are looking now it wouldn’t surprise me if we see more of this in the future.

            I am new to the school voucher system and hope to get a better understanding about it in the future. Right now I can’t see any overall good coming from implementing them and hope I am wrong. When it comes to helping out families and giving the opportunity for children to get a good education I am all for it. But to what extent will vouchers affect all schools in the long run? Time will tell and I hope they make the school voucher system better and not so one sided. It seems that public schools have the upper hand and only hope that school vouchers will not be a problem to both private and public schools in the future. Throwing money at a problem is not the answer, but taking the money given and using it wisely can be the answer. Schools have more hands than cookies in the cookie jar. We need to find a more efficient system to make sure there are enough cookies for all.

Blog 13: Project or Problem Based Learning

Nicholas Matuszewski

Blog 13

Educ. 361

11/2/2011

Project or Problem Based Learning

            When I was in Phuture Phoenix I spent most of my time at the Phantom Knights Charter School in West De Pere. I mostly helped the students with their math but also had many opportunities to help the students with some of the projects they were working on. I helped with research and I even helped them work on their projects. I mostly guided them with their projects but most of the time the student did the work. At first I wasn’t sure how well a project based school would be at teaching students but soon found that it was a pretty good place for certain students to learn. The students do lots of research and hands on work giving them lots of experience on finding information about their project and how many of them relate to the real world. In this aspect of what they do at this school the students learn a lot. They do learn more this way than what they are supposed to learn doing computer based lessons.

            There are a few things about the Phantom Knights Charter School that kind of bugged me about how the students learn. Besides the hands on projects the students do most of the core subjects are done on computers. The subjects aren’t really taught, they are explained on the computer and then the students do the work or math problems after the introduction. There are two people who work with the students when they need help but there is only so much a student can learn from a computer lesson and assignment. The math done on the computers really bugs me. The thing that really bugs me about this is that the problems given after an explanation of how to do it is done in multiple choice answers. Many of the students didn’t even look at how to do the problems and just guessed at the answer. They can do this because they have to get better than a 70% to move on to the next chapter/assignment and they can keep guessing till they do so. The only time it really matters is when they take the chapter test because the people running the place see the scores and can’t let them move on until they pass the test. The students come up with all kinds of excuses on why they didn’t do so good.

            From what I have observed there are many good things that come out of charter schools. There are also some questionable things as well. I can see why there isn’t much data to show how well charter schools are for the students who attend them. The project based learning helps the students out tremendously while the subject work they do on the computers can be nothing but going through the motions. To me this kind of evens things out on how well students learn making the data inaccurate and tough to compile. I have seen some situations where one student was a plaque to the other students with his bad attitude and unwillingness to learn anything. There are some students where there isn’t much you can do but I do feel that a charter school environment gives troubled or struggling students a chance to succeed in school and in life.

Blog 12: Response to Intervention (RTI)

Nicholas Matuszewski

Blog 12

Educ. 361

10/31/2011

Response to Intervention (RTI)

            RTI is finding out a student’s strengths and weaknesses in how they learn and understand what is being taught. By figuring out these strengths and weaknesses teachers can use this information to be able to better teach their students according to their learning abilities. This can lead to getting assistance in the classroom or having the student(s) qualify for special education. This can be difficult for teachers due to the fact that students possess wide ranges of learning abilities.

            RTI differs from special education in that RTI is figuring out how to successfully teach to all students in the classroom where special education is based more on helping students who struggle with learning by giving them mostly one on one help with a person who is specialized in special education. While all parents want their kids to pass RTI so their kids don’t fall under the category of needing special education, the fact that many students who pass the RTI may need specialized help remains and the parents may not realize this. Students falling in the gray area of the RTI, which is where a student isn’t considered as learning disabled but is close enough to where they more than likely need more help, have a good chance of struggling even more in school because they cannot get the help they need based on their RTI. Having special education in schools is expensive making it limited for school to decide which students can receive special education.

            RTI is good for a teacher to figure out how to better teach their students. While this helps teachers understand how their students learn, it also can hurt a teacher by having gray area students who are struggling hinder the learning of the other students. It is hard for a teacher to meet state testing requirements if they have to focus a lot of their time on trying to get the slower students caught up or on task. This can get the teacher behind in their lessons. Teachers can’t do everything on their own they need outside help as well. Parents need to understand RTI, what their child’s learning abilities are, and how they can help their child at home. By getting parents more involved and understanding their child’s RTI ranking, teachers will be greatly helped and able to continue moving forward with teaching their students.

            RTI can help students by qualifying them for the help they need but can also hinder their learning. Sure money is usually the deciding factor when it comes to whether or not a school has the resources to provide help for struggling students. But there are other ways teachers and students can get help. By getting parents to understand their child’s learning abilities teachers can get cheap and much needed help. I feel that parents don’t really know what RTI is and don’t fully realize what it means where their child’s learning abilities rank. By educating parents about RTI and what it means, parents will have a better understanding of what they can and have to do to help their child become a better learner. They will realize that the teacher is limited in what they can do and any help parents can bring to the table would be great for both students and teachers. Every child is special. Special education helps students who are slow and higher learners. RTI simply tells teachers where their students rank and if they qualify for special education. Without outside help, teachers will continue to struggle with getting their students to understand and get through all that needs to being taught.   

Blog 11 My Personal Multiple Intelligence Ranking

Nicholas Matuszewski

Blog 11

Educ. 361

10/17/2011

Blog 11: My Personal Multiple Intelligences Ranking

Rank	Intelligence	Rank	Intelligence
1	Intrapersonal Intelligence	7	Moral Intelligence
2	Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence	8	Musical Intelligence
3	Interpersonal Intelligence	9	Naturalist Intelligence
4	Linguistic Intelligence	10	Existential Intelligence
5	Logical-Mathematical Intelligence	11	Spiritual Intelligence
6	Spatial Intelligence