My name is Meaghan Brenna Foley. I am a Junior at Mount Saint Mary College. I'm also currently an initiate of the International Honor Society in Education, Kappa Delta Pi. This past Wednesday evening, I attended an event called the Teacher Panel at the Villa Library. Approximately 11 teachers were present at this event! :) All of the teachers shared quite a bit of information based on their personal experiences, which I found to be very interesting. Their vast knowledge has definitely made an impact on my journey to become an elementary school educator. In this blog post, I will discuss the words of wisdom shared by the teachers at the teacher panel event.
The Continuous Journey to Becoming a Successful Teacher
Always encourage your students to ask for help!
Be an inspiration to your students and let them know that you think highly of them! :)
Create a comfortable atmosphere in your classroom that promotes equality amongst the studentsandteacher(s).
Always remind your students to try their best! It's ok to make mistakes! We are all human! :)
Always be honest with your students!
Teach your students that it's ok to be unique! :)
Create a list of classroom rules and share them to your students at the beginning of the new school year.
Always motivate your students to be the best versions of themselves and never give up!
Keep in mind the 4 B's (Additional Classroom Rules). I remember one of the teachers on the panel mentioning that this poster is very significant and can be useful in the classroom.
Make everyday a fresh start! :)
Always be prepared to adjust and modify your teaching plans!
Use different strategies to control classroom behavior.
Support and provide guidance to students, especially those who are ELL's (English Language Learners).
Seek out support and guidance from a mentor (teacher).
Managing IEP's should be of the utmost importance.
Be your students' #1 cheerleader/support system.
Remember to always take care of yourself! One day at a time!
These were just some of the topics that really stuck with me after attending the teacher panel. I appreciate all of the support, guidance, and advice shared by the teachers at this event. They are true examples of exemplary teachers who deeply care about their students and the future generation of teachers! :)
Assigned Objective: Explain why scarcity and decision making (cost-benefit analysis) are considered the key to economic understanding.
Blog By: Meaghan Brenna Foley OCTOBER 28, 2014
SCARCITY & ECONOMIC DECISION-MAKING SKILLS
The figure above basically sums up the definition of scarcity
(i.e. infinite wants > availability of resources).
Scarcity and decision making skills are considered the key to economic understanding for multiple reasons. For starters, people must understand that there are limited resources available in the world. This lack of available resources causes people to make decisions about choosing between remaining goods and services. Scarcity involves people having to give and take. In other words, people need to understand that sometimes they must make sacrifices. I found an important quote on the subject of scarcity and decision-making in Chapter 13 of Social Studies For The Elementary and Middle Grades: A Constructivist Approach. That quote reads, "helping students to identify alternatives, criteria, and consequences and to select what they see as the best alternative is the essence of teaching decision making" (Sunal & Haas, 2011, p. 428). Decision-making can also be identified as cost-benefit analysis. In my opinion, in life one must always have "a back-up plan." Once the concepts of scarcity and cost-benefit analysis are grasped, a person can fully achieve economic understanding.
In my opinion, many people often do not weigh the economic consequences of their actions. They often make impulse buys and cannot make the appropriate decision between alternatives.
In the picture above, I made the assumption that this women is deciding between buying the green blouse or the purple blouse.
The woman must think about the following key questions before making this economic decision:
1) How much is each blouse?
2) Which alternative is cheaper?
3) How will this purchase affect my finances in the short-term?
4) How will this purchase affect my finances in the long-term?
5) What will I sacrifice by purchasing this blouse?
6) Are there other alternatives to choose from?
7) What is the availability of each of these two items?
SCARCITY & DECISION-MAKING IN THE CLASSROOM
Students need to be taught to make rationale decisions when faced with important issues. The chapter stated that, "students should be helped to see when they need to seek additional information from printed sources or ask for professional advice to help them make decisions" (Sunal & Haas, 2011, p. 428). I completely agree with that statement because decision-making is such a complex process that requires support and guidance. Specifying and evaluating information helps students deal with real problems (i.e., economics). Evidently, decision-making involves the basic elements of problem-solving (i.e., identifying specific criteria, offering alternative choices, discussing the solution, and providing rationality for one's decisions).
Bullying is a universal issue. People of all ages, races, cultures, and ethnicities experience bullying. In my opinion, bullying is absolutely shameful and should be stomped out of existence. No one should be made to feel inferior by another. We are all human beings who deserve to be respected at all times. I believe that anti-bullying campaigns should be established early on in a child's education. The earlier children learn the difference between right and wrong, the better. There are a number of resources containing activities that teachers could implement in the classroom. I researched a number of educational websites and tools. Below are some of my findings, observations, and comments.
This noteworthy video teaches children, teens, and adults about "netiquette," or playing nice on the internet. It is important to always teach children to use positive words and keep negative thoughts to themselves. Children must develop their pragmatics, or social skills, with others.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. There are numerous organizations that can participate in bringing about awareness to Stomp Out Bullying. It is especially important for schools to observe October as National Bullying Prevention Month.
STOMP Out Bullying is a well known organization that seeks to prevent bullying and cyberbullying amongst children and teens in the United States. Some of their influential slogans include:
STAND UP FOR OTHERS
BE A LEADER
BE KIND
RESPECT OTHERS
BE TOLERANT
HONOR OUR DIFFERENCES
COMPLIMENT A FELLOW STUDENT
ASK THE NEW KID TO JOIN YOU
CELEBRATE OUR SIMILARITIES
BE BRAVE
PACER Center's Kids Against Bullying is another wonderful resource I found that is interactive and allows children to learn about bullying and how they can join the cause. This site also has a discussion forum that allows children (bullies & bullying victims) to post their thoughts and experiences related to the subject of bullying. This interactive site also includes supportive anti-bullying videos from popular children's figures. Other positive elements on the site include quizzes, a petition against bullying, and so much more! I would definitely recommend this site to children of all ages: from elementary school to high school.
Taking the pledge to stomp bullying out of existence should be every child, parent, and teacher's main priority! As a former bullying victim, I proudly take the pledge! :)
In my opinion, bullying should be addressed in unique and age-appropriate ways in order to established understanding for all grade levels.
GRADES K-3
The Friendship Wreath is a nice interactive activity that I found on Pinterest. Pinterest is such a wonderful tool full of brilliant educational activities! I think that the younger students would really enjoy participating in this activity. This activity promotes unity and friendship; therefore, teaching children to accept each other's differences. :)
GRADES 3+
I think this poster would be beneficial for students starting in Grade 3+. This poster will teach children to always think before they speak. Words can hurt; therefore, always ask yourself:
Is it true?
Is it helpful?
Is it inspiring?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind?
This poster targets teens and adults on social media: THINK BEFORE YOU POST!
READING
Reading is another interactive way to bring about awareness associated with bullying. There are many anti-bullying books that could be utilized during any classroom subject (i.e., Social Studies, English, Math, and Science).
In my opinion, bullying is a very important issue that should not be dealt with lightly! As a future educator, I strongly support all anti-bullying campaigns and organizations. Children need to feel safe and comfortable at school, at home, and in the community. I will make it my goal to spread the message of equality and acceptance in society to stomp out bullying. :)
On Monday, a group of my peers taught their cooperative learning lesson to the 2nd grade students at Bishop Dunn Memorial School. In my opinion, they did a wonderful job with addressing each of the 5 PIGS Elements.
The students' social skills were developed through positive interdependence, group processing, and face-to-face interaction. The teachers' assignment of different roles (i.e., manager, writer, reader, illustrator, and reporter) supported the element of individual accountability. However, I think the teachers could have expanded upon the cooperative learning element known as individual accountability. I would have asked my students to stay focused throughout the lesson to give their best efforts towards the group project (i.e. the poster on income, goods, and/or services). Young students need to be continuously monitored and given positive encouragement, especially during group projects. They also need structure, guidance, and repeated instruction.
This group work poster identifies the 6 critical elements of any successful cooperative learning lesson. The key vocabulary words in each element (G.R.O.U.P.S.) are underlined.
This video above describes the "Jigsaw Project" in great detail. In my opinion, this is the most effective teaching and learning strategy related to the subject of cooperative learning. I think that students learn best when they branch out into separate groups with assigned topics. They also learn about teaching by presenting their findings to their base, or original, groups.
WEDNESDAY (October 22nd)
This week, Group 2 presented their direct instruction lesson to the 2nd grade students at Bishop Dunn Memorial School. I now have an even greater understanding of direct instruction and can easily identify the 5 key elements: introduction, development, guided practice, closure, and independent practice. I noticed that my peers provided assistance to the students during the independent practice. However, the independent practice is supposed to be just that…independent. Teachers must allow the students to complete an assignment on their own in order to assess their true understanding of the subject matter.
I think that this labeled picture graphic is the epitome of any direct instruction lesson plan.
FRIDAY (October 24th)
On Friday, 2 of my classmates presented their current events presentation. They utilized many different news outlets (i.e., Newsela) and a tool called ThingLink. I think that this tool, along with other tools like Kahoot, would be great to incorporate into any Social Studies lesson. I especially like the ThingLink tool because it allows you to attach links, comments, and other images to objects.
This is a short video tutorial on how to use the ThingLink tool in teaching and learning. I found this video to be extremely helpful.
This is a video on how to utilize the Kahoot tool in the classroom. I love Kahoot! :D I will definitely incorporate this enjoyable activity in my classroom with my future elementary school students. This tool motivates students to enjoy learning. This tool also sharpens the students' concentration, comprehension, and critical thinking skills.
As you can surely tell, I love wordles! :) I think that this is the perfect wordle, which describes the importance of using technology with students in the classroom.
As a Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society initiate, it is required of me to participate in multiple events that promote literacy and learning. On Saturday, October 18th, I volunteered at Mount Saint Mary College during their 2014 Read-a-thon from 12 to 4 p.m. This event was an absolute success! :) The children had such a wonderful time with their college buddies and were so eager to read more books. The "Tree of Leaves" motivated the children to read as many books as they possibly could! Even us college students got in on the fun and a paper campfire was created! :D The children and college students were given marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers for snack. We all had a good time with the children at this reading event! I gained a tremendous amount of teaching experience that I will absolutely use with my future students. Below are some of the pictures I took at the event. Enjoy! :)
The Campfire!--Created by the Mount Saint Mary College Men's Lacrosse Team
Books presented to the students and college buddies for independent reading.
The goal was originally to read 100 books…that goal was surpassed by about 159 books! Combined we all read 259 books!
This was one of my favorite books about a boy who had a bad hair day! ;)
Tents were set up around the room for independent reading!
This book was so inspiring! It is definitely another one of my favorites about a man and his best friend!
Campfire Snacks! :D
This books sends the positive message of diversity! I loved it and related to it very much on a personal level! <3 :)
The "Tree of Leaves"
This was such a wonderful and exciting project that motivated everyone to want to read more and more books! As a future elementary school teacher, I plan on doing something like this in my classroom. I think that the young students really enjoyed this! So did I! :) lol
At the end of the day, the students participated in a raffle and won cool prizes! :) I loved this! In my opinion, positive reinforcement and rewards accelerate a student's love for learning!
