Digital Story

 This Digital Story will teach students how to add and subtract two digit numbers using a math strategy called "Creating Friendly Numbers." Students will learn what a friendly number is and how to use this strategy to make numbers easier to work with. An example of an addition and a subtraction problem are shown.

My Experience With Educational Blogging So Far!

Educational blogging is a wonderful way to share insights and findings pertaining to education with other teachers, students, and parents. This type of blogging allows for educators to relay their ideas and experiences in an organized and edited manner. This allows for readers to best understand the messages educators are trying to send and share. I think that educational blogs are wonderful resources for parents to learn and understand more about their children's teachers and their ideas and beliefs pertaining to the classroom. When researching this topic, I found a list of benefits in education blogging and one stood out to me. The benefit that stuck out to me was that blogging gives teachers a place to reflect on classroom structures and routines as well as lessons, classroom management, and more. Blogging creates a space for educators to reflect, critic, and improve their classroom structures. I think this is very important for all educators to do, and blogging provides a perfect platform for that to be done effectively.

Educator typing on computer

After reading my peers' blogs, I learned more interesting information on topics I am interested in pertaining to the classroom. I learned that parental involvement in the classroom leads to many benefits such as a better attendance record. I definitely agree with the writer Kalee when urging for parental involvement in schools. It benefits the student and the teacher in so many ways. I also really like Anna's blog about addressing mental health in schools. What she said about informing students on mental health and how it creates empathy and care for others is so important. So many children do not get the necessary care they need at home regarding mental health, so making it a priority at school would be super beneficial for all. A topic I was not super well informed about was English Language Learners. I am so glad I read Miss Sanchez's Blog because I got to learn more about ELL and even gain first person insight as she was in ELL. Miss Sanchez talked about her experience and how the ELL programs could be improved so much more. Many ELL programs in schools are lacking support and devotion. Miss Sanchez feels that a good way to start improving English Language Learner programs would be for teachers to incorporate their ELL students in class more.

My experience with blogging this far has been a great one. I have now written four blogs and am excited to continue writing more. I think blogging in general is such a wonderful tool to share ideas, experiences, and more. However, educational blogging is even more useful to me. This tool will be something I will most definitely incorporate into my career as a future teacher. These blogs help me organize my thoughts and opinions about certain classroom issues and educational topics as well as being easy and efficient to compose. I want my students and parents to know that I am always trying to improve myself as a teacher and person and this is a wonderful way to show them my efforts. I also believe student blogging can be a great way to express themselves and their ideas. I cannot wait to implement this use of technology in my classroom some day! 

Why Do Children Act Out in Classroom Settings?

 There is no easy answer when wondering why students misbehave. However, I think as teachers, part of our job is to understand deeper issues going on with our students. Knowing the cause of a behavior can help us teachers figure out how to help our students while also minimizing the unwanted behavior. It is important to note that a person's actions always have a conscious or subconscious catalyst that drives their behavior. I believe some children perform unwanted behaviors for common reasons like testing boundaries and authority, attention seeking, imitation of adult figures, or lack of consistency in discipline when performing these behaviors prior. These underlying motivators of bad behaviors are very common in younger children and are normal stages that all children go through. Knowing what is motivating the students to behave in a negative way will help lessen the behavior if a good strategy for removing it is implemented. For example, when children in my gymnastics classes act out to receive attention from me, I have learned that by acknowledging the behavior quickly and directly without giving too much time to it is best for me. When I completely ignore it, no consequence is given, so the behavior tends to continue. This is very much a case to case basis. I do not think that one strategy is best for all students, so knowing them as people is essential.

Child in distress

We will never know for sure why children are acting out. It may be a combination of things, but there is something I do to help me understand more about what my students/athletes need. When a child is misbehaving and it is consistent and I do not know why, I talk to the child first and try to get insight as to why they are acting out. Sometimes that helps me and sometimes it does not. After that, I try to counter balance whichever motivator I believe to be contributing the most to the behavior. For example, if I think a child is acting out to seek attention, I will purposefully implement time to talk to that child one on one or give the class time to tell me something about their week. If that helps lessen the unwanted behavior, then I have some reason to believe the child was seeking attention. Another important point to add is that strengthening positive behaviors is just as important as eliminating negative ones. When one is just acknowledging unwanted behaviors, the child is receiving nothing but criticism attached to attention. When one praises positive behaviors while also acknowledging negative ones, the child is getting positive as well as negative attention and will hopefully desire the positive attention and therefore choose to act positively. I believe that by learning more about our students as people and their life outside of school, we can sometimes find the driving force behind these actions. Children often have very stressful lives outside of school. Many life events can contribute to behavior problems such as parental divorce, loss of a loved one, moving towns, and much more. This is why we should always treat our students with empathy and compassion first and foremost. While organization and discipline is important, I believe that connecting with our students and having personal relationships with them is the number one way to maintain peace in the classroom and an environment filled with love and care. 

The Two Most Important Classroom Management Strategies

I firmly believe that there are a number of classroom management strategies that work well. However, I consider two strategies in particular to be most helpful in the classroom. As a gymnastics and dance instructor I have found these two strategies work best at keeping my children engaged and listening. I will definitely be implementing them into my future classroom. The strategies are consistency and student contribution to rules and norms. Consistency is very important with children. As teachers, we should treat our students the same and have expectations for them that are never changing. When we let something slide one time but do not another, children get confused and do not understand our expectations. This causes students to push the boundaries because they know that whatever they did one time was okay and did not receive consequences. Consistency among all children is a no brainer. We should always have the same expectations for all students when it comes to classroom behavior. One student should never get a lesser or greater punishment for doing the same thing another student did. This treats students fairly and with respect. I believe that being consistent in giving direction and expectations to students helps them to understand the rules and know what is acceptable and what is not. Clear and consistent expectations from teachers will give students the tools they need to decipher whether a behavior will be tolerated or not. Hopefully, by handing students these tools, they can choose positive behaviors that lead to success and empowerment.

Students engaging in discussion in class.

 Student contribution in rule and expectation making is a huge encourager for them to understand and want to follow rules. Students should be able to engage in making the rules they are required to follow. When students feel like they have some control in the classroom, they are more likely to feel empowered to work hard and meet expectations. It is also important to note that when students contribute to making rules and expectations, it shows that these rules and norms are meaningful to them and that they actually have a purpose in the classroom. I want students to desire to follow the rules and agree with the rules rather than feeling like a rule is "dumb" or "pointless." These two strategies are ones that can be implemented in any classroom or class setting. They are easy to enforce and sure to create and maintain a positive, balanced, and organized classroom. 

Classroom Management Strategies in the K-5 Classroom

 Teaching and engaging elementary school aged children can be very difficult and stressful for all teachers, especially those entering the field. Classroom management is a term for how teachers and educators direct, supervise, and have control over their classrooms. Even as student-centered learning has become a common practice that has been shown to engage students very well, teacher direction is also very important for management of students. There are many widely used and researched classroom management strategies that have been proven to work and keep students engaged. Keeping students on task and involved is very important to their learning and even enjoyment. When students are distracted or not engaged in tasks or lessons, they do not get the opportunity to gain the benefits from learning and being curious. Classroom management is one of the most important issues for teachers to tackle head-on at the beginning of the year in order to have a well balanced, loving, caring, orderly, and engaging classroom environment.

Teacher engaging students in lesson.

I believe that having a solid plan and being consistent with classroom management will help teachers immensely in feeling like they have control over their own classroom. This will also help the students if done with care. Students will have structure in the classroom which leads to comfort and predicability as well as safety. Having students help make classroom norms and rules can encourage the them to follow and respect the rules much more than a traditional way of enforced teacher-only made rules. This also helps students understand what rules mean and why we have them. When students create classroom norms and rules, they become apart of what that rule means. When a teacher goes over the rules at the beginning of the year without any commentary or say from the students, they may not understand why they have to follow certain rules and therefore cause them to not follow them. I believe that with a combination of student-led classrooms and direction and management from teachers that classrooms can pose an enriching environment for all.