I think the Levin & Nolan (2014) reading was a great read when it comes to introducing the ideas of authority bases. They really split it up by different bases and explain what each of them means. The "Authority and Theory" assignment also played a part on hearing and seeing what that look like on real teachers (making it relevant!). With that said, I haven't been able to see teachers as "just a teacher".. I shared an anecdote where a teacher of a kid that are doing virtual learning in the center I work at demonstrated a strong reward authority base (something I mentioned I do not agree with in my last blog!)
I love learning about the "science" behind how we decorate our classroom! Especially when we did a Miro collaboration during one of our Zoom where we shared what we thought was interesting during the readings and add on our thoughts to it. I'm personally a perfectionist neat control freak which can be overbearing for some people, but it's comforting to know that it can be very helpful if/when I get my own classroom!
I loved reading the Kovalik & Olsen (2005) article about the LifeSkills and listening to Gus' take on LifeSkills. It's literally skills to carry and develop for life! Sure, we want to make sure our students are learning academically and meeting the standards, but we have to put in equal, if not more, focus on their social-emotional well-being, which I feel are just as crucial in their overall child development. As their teacher who they will spend 8 hours a day with for 180 days, we want to be able to help them learn and enhance their LifeSkills in order for them to become a well-off citizen in our society, which is something I do strongly believe in!
My biggest concern is actually putting what we learned to practice. Like driving, there's a HUGE difference between reading about it and actually do it. We're thinking "wow, driving sounds easy!" but when we actually get behind the wheel, we're thinking "nope, absolutely not. I need EVERYONE to get out of the freeway for me to drive safely!" (at least, that was my thinking). So, we read about classroom management and is thinking "wow, I can't wait to do this and that in my classroom" but then certain situations/circumstances may not allow us to actually put what we learned in practice. I'm sure that'll change once we're actually teaching in our own classroom, but until then, we'll just have to wait and see.
Another crazy quarter very, very close to the end but I'm very lucky to work with some awesome people too! Here's Maya (right) and Elvis (left) getting in spirit for this upcoming holiday season. Wishing you all the best!
I love learning about the "science" behind how we decorate our classroom! Especially when we did a Miro collaboration during one of our Zoom where we shared what we thought was interesting during the readings and add on our thoughts to it. I'm personally a perfectionist neat control freak which can be overbearing for some people, but it's comforting to know that it can be very helpful if/when I get my own classroom!
I loved reading the Kovalik & Olsen (2005) article about the LifeSkills and listening to Gus' take on LifeSkills. It's literally skills to carry and develop for life! Sure, we want to make sure our students are learning academically and meeting the standards, but we have to put in equal, if not more, focus on their social-emotional well-being, which I feel are just as crucial in their overall child development. As their teacher who they will spend 8 hours a day with for 180 days, we want to be able to help them learn and enhance their LifeSkills in order for them to become a well-off citizen in our society, which is something I do strongly believe in!
My biggest concern is actually putting what we learned to practice. Like driving, there's a HUGE difference between reading about it and actually do it. We're thinking "wow, driving sounds easy!" but when we actually get behind the wheel, we're thinking "nope, absolutely not. I need EVERYONE to get out of the freeway for me to drive safely!" (at least, that was my thinking). So, we read about classroom management and is thinking "wow, I can't wait to do this and that in my classroom" but then certain situations/circumstances may not allow us to actually put what we learned in practice. I'm sure that'll change once we're actually teaching in our own classroom, but until then, we'll just have to wait and see.
Another crazy quarter very, very close to the end but I'm very lucky to work with some awesome people too! Here's Maya (right) and Elvis (left) getting in spirit for this upcoming holiday season. Wishing you all the best!
Hello Katherine,
ReplyDeleteAwe your cates are beautiful. Hopefully this is not goodbye and we should have two more quarters together. I can relate to the driving perspective. I still do not like being too close to people and this is why I do not like driving in Seattle. It is just not for me. I like lots of space. I like how you brought up the authority bases because I really enjoyed figuring out what type of teacher I want to be. I think it will be hard to implement into a classroom but as long as I keep in mind my goal of what type of authority I want it will hopefully show in my classroom. I liked trying to take the time to visualize how I would have my classroom. I am like you and LOVE things to be clean and organized. I also know students will appreciate this personality trait when they can easily find everything. Yeah I worry about not having a big enough classroom for all of my dreams. That was the one thing I loved everyone's ideas and I know I am going to have to condense down my ideas. What do you think is the top 5 things to have in your classroom? Incase you get a small classroom with lots of students.
2 more quarters! So close yet so far! But I am thankful for all the support we can get from each other. As someone who already work in a daycare (and recently, more focus with the school age kiddos), I've been able to explore and look into what type of authority bases I fit in. I hope you get placed in a classroom soon (whether in-person or online) as I find similar environment helpful for my own authority base. For your question, in case I get a small classroom with a lot of students, the top 5 must have are (in no order): Australia, the library center, lots of spaces on the wall for visualization, a "class meeting" area, and shelves that contains all the materials as needed in class (such as crayons, scissors, etc). Happy holidays, Zhana!
DeleteKatherine,
ReplyDeleteAwe look at those kitties!! My son loves my cat, but since he is able to walk now, he is now chasing the cat around more so she hides under the Christmas tree and looks like Elvis most days! Anyway, our concerns sound similar. I am too worried about referencing back to what we have learned. You are so right, it is completely different when you are living the situation rather than reading about in a article. Hopefully we can remember our teachings when stuck in a tough spot, or even use it as a preventive measure!
My cats have never been around children so I do wonder how it'll look if/when I bring a child in the picture and how they'll respond to each other! I think it's another sad thing about the time we're living in right now.. If we were placed, we would be able to retain the information we learned better because we would've put it in practice in our placement! For most of us that haven't been placed, we will have to rely on sticking it in the back of our head until the time come where we'll be in the classroom. Fortunately, this classroom was done in a way that didn't fried my brain but was still engaging and memorable. I'm sure I'll remember what we learned during our time in the program, but until then.. we shall wait and see!
DeleteHi Katherine, I recognize those kitties! I always see them on zoom, haha. I also wrote about the authority figures, I loved learned about them and have seen multiple examples of student directed learning and teacher directed learning in my placement. Your concern is a very valid one, however I think the only answer to how to initiate our learnings in our classroom is to do it. It won't be perfect or look just like our examples at first, but with time it will. Enjoy your break and I hope to see you next quarter!
ReplyDeleteYes, Maris! Here are them when they're not jumping in front of my laptop, haha! I agree with your statement regarding my concern.. I think the fact and reality is, our first classroom may ends up close to being a disaster or just not how we picture it. But then, that's why we see teachers of 30+ years of experiences that look like they're doing so well.. Because no doubt, they probably learned from their previous years. It's probably the most valuable lesson to learn from our teaching is to learn from our mistakes and move on, and then we will get better from it. Not only does time heal all wounds, but it also help teach us a thing or two!
DeleteKatherine,
ReplyDeleteI think that the blogs have been great too because it’s not a discussion board with the whole class but feels more personal with our small group of people. I think it’s so interesting to read about all of our takeaways and realize how much we really learned this quarter about classroom management. I also have the same concern! I have learned so much but I worry that when it comes down to it I’ll either space and forget everything in the moment or remember later. I think like anything the longer we are in the classroom and teach the more we will put this to use. I love the analogy you made to driving! My question is how do you anticipate yourself preparing to begin a school year knowing this concern of yours?