STUDENT TEACHING INQUIRY PROJECT SPRING 2019
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RESEARCH #1
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Why you chose this text and how it relates to your inquiry question?
I didn’t really choose it, my awesome teacher recommended it to me (and lent it to me at the same time), and now that I’ve been reading it I understand why. I definitely choose this book, it has very relevant information, suggestions and advices for new teachers. That’s the reason I love this book already. It relates to my inquiry project simply because it answers a lot of my question. It presents different ways on how you can start a teacher’s career “with the right foot” (a Peruvian expression, “empezar con el pie derecho”), how to present and stablish a strong position but positive at the same time, how to provide an effective instruction, among other topics.
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What useful information this text gives you about your inquiry question?
All the information in this book is very useful for my inquiry question. For a start, it explains, in a resume way, how a new teacher could manage a classroom and establish a positive first impression with the students, and also ways to maintain a positive relationship with them, as these are crucial not just for them to feel comfortable, safe and cared, but also for us, the teachers, to create lessons based on their interests and skills. It presents the importance of knowing your students and using that knowledge in the lessons, because that is how a teacher could achieve the students’ engagement with the subject (by knowing their curiosities, needs, likes/dislikes, learning levels, preferences and more), thus there wouldn’t be time for boredom. Furthermore, it explains how to talk to and connect with students and keep the personal and legal boundaries at the same time. Thus, we, as educators, could create good relationships with the kids, but at the same time establish limits, which shows them that although we are friendly and understandable, we are still the adults and they must show us respect. Besides that, Burke provides tips in his book about effective instruction, which added to what I mentioned above, it will help me answer my inquiry question and start my new teacher life with the right foot.
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What useful ideas from the text you could apply to your own teaching and how you plan to apply them?
A great idea is to set your boundaries, expectations, rules and procedures by clarifying the policies you, as the teacher, believe in and want to stablish (if you don’t believe on them, kids won’t probably believe on them either). A way of applying this idea could be by instead of threating the kids with the negative consequences, change the words into a nicer way. For example, instead of saying “If you come late to class you will lose points in your final grade”, saying “I do not accept tardys”. Another great idea that I liked and would like to incorporate in my teaching is get to know each other (students and teacher) through academic and social activities. I think it is crucial for teachers to know their students, but also key for the kids to get to know their teacher (which would be the only way to create connection and for them to feel safe and trust you). A good way of putting this idea into practice could be having one-on-one conversations with the students thru a notebook. That way is more private and wouldn’t be as hard as speaking face to face, some kids would say more on paper rather than in person, as they could be embarrassed.
Additionally, I really like the idea of creating an alphabetic seating chart for the first day, and keeping it like that until I better know my students’ needs, personalities and skills. But later on, as he recommends, change the seating periodically, for example once every month, so that kids get the chance to work with different students and also learn from others. I believe that this idea is great, for the reason that it would keep a dynamic classroom by changing some stuff around the class, not just the seating but also other things like the decoration.
Moreover, I would like to add another of the author’s suggestions in my future classroom, when he mentions to share the classroom walls with the your students, so that it turns into everyone’s space. I would incorporate this idea by creating a set of rules related to good behavior (that everyone needs to accomplish) when entering in the classroom. Either we could all create one together or each student could make their own, then we would all read those together to finally hang them up in one of the classroom walls. This way, the kids could feel not just included and part of the class, but also heard, meaning their voices are important.
I could continue to cite more ideas from Burke’s book (like the last 2nd and 4th chapter that hold pretty valuable knowledge) that I would like to use when I start teaching, but it would be like quoting pretty much the whole book. This book is extremely useful for me and my inquiry project.
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Citation
Burke, Jim. (2008) Classroom Management. USA: Scholastic Inc.
RESEARCH #2
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Why you chose this text and how it relates to your inquiry question?
Again, I chose this book “The first days of school” by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T Wong, because that it was recommended to me and by reading it got me to realize all the precious information this book has for me and my inquiry question. It relates to my inquiry question for the reason that the whole book provides advices on classroom management, even from the way a teacher should dress. Furthermore, it also shows what ways are not effective for a well-managed classroom, so that one can have a better understanding and be able to do some comparison.
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What useful information this text gives you about your inquiry question?
This book’s information is very useful, precious and important for my inquiry question and it provides a variety of examples for one to have a better understanding of the situations and advices, it even shows you an efficient and proper way of how to dress as a teacher and how to talk to the kids. These two authors talk all about classroom management since day one (an even before) and how to be prepare and organize yourself and your classroom, to be ready and efficient when meeting the students, which is something every new teacher needs to know before starting. Furthermore, this book also explains how important is the consistency aspect, which is key for classroom management. Likewise, it demonstrates the value of preparation and organization, which would allow you to have a well-managed classroom and leave no room for boredom or wondering what’s next. Another very helpful information is the advices regarding the first days of school, how to welcome the students and present yourself, how to address/teach the steps to the classroom procedures to be able to set a routine (and it is crucial to do it since day one), how to talk to the students and keep proximity (the closer u are to the kids, the more you will minimize any classroom behavior issues), among other advices. All of that and more of the information provided in this book will help me, not just to answer my inquiry question but also to apply it when I become a Spanish teacher.
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What useful ideas from the text you could apply to your own teaching and how you plan to apply them?
I think I could be using, or try to be using, all of the ides this book provides as they are very valuable, but I will make a resume. I will definitely take the idea of “dress for respect”, because our appearances could affect our reputation as teachers; especially children as clothing have some sort of effect on pupils’ respect for us, the educators (which could also affect the classroom management). The way we dress (if we do it correctly) would help us to project, as the authors mentioned in the book, integrity, strength, acceptance, confidence, respect. I will apply this advice by dressing professional; however, I think it is important to also keep your own personality when getting dress for teaching, then I will combine both of those aspects.
Another great advice I would like to apply to my own teaching is to invest time in practicing procedures until they become routines, and this have to be done since day one, (or even before) as I plan to apply this idea by communicating with my students and their parents by email before school starts, and presenting myself and sharing my expectations and classroom procedures with them. That way, I could be already one step ahead and on day one the kids have some sort of idea of my expectations and classroom procedures. It is crucial to spend time on teaching and practicing the classroom procedures/rules with the pupils during the first weeks of school, so that these become routines for them and promote consistency, like for example saying always “please” and “thank you”. The problem in a classroom is not discipline, but the lack of practicing firm rules and procedures, which means a lack of a plan with clear expectations. For that reason, it is crucial to have this well prepared and planned out. Hand in hand with these aspects are the consequences (penalties or rewards), that I would like to add to the procedures as well, and for this the authors recommend to spend time with the kids discussing this reality that is “ every action and/or decision we make lead to a consequence(s)”. Then, while I am applying the practice of rules and procedures, I would also like to help them understand what the consequences mean and that one has to take responsibility for them. I am not certain on how I will apply this, maybe through a nice conversation and an example of my life (related to consequences and responsibility) when I was their age. Thus, I would be able to establish a strong but also positive classroom management.
Likewise, another valuable idea from this book I am planning to use is proximity, and maximize this tool as the authors suggest, for the reason that the closer you, as a teacher, are to the students the more likely you will manage to minimize behavior problems. That way, you are not letting room for them to be wondering around or misbehave. And I would apply this suggestion by being constantly walking around the classroom and checking on the students, not just for behavior but also for any doubts, questions and/or help they could need, and at the same time giving them space and the chance to show there are capable of being good students.
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Citation
Wong, Harry. K. and Wong, Rosemary. T. (2009) The first days of school. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
PRACTITIONER SOURCE #1
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Why you chose this text and how it relates to your inquiry question?
I chose this text called “When students won’t stop talking”, by Jennifer Gonzalez, for the reason that that is a real and daily problem teachers have/see in their classrooms (students talking and talking), and it is crucial to know how to manage it. Jennifer provides some advices that takes you in a good direction to know how to handling it well to establish a strong management.
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What useful information this text gives you about your inquiry question?
Gonzalez explains the reasons behind the talking and provides a step by step on how to manage this issue before hand (how to prevent it). This information is very useful for my inquiry question in a way that helps me have a better understanding of the kids’ behavior and how to manage it in a strong and positive way, by providing detailed expectations and consequences to the students, not hesitate about showing them you mean what you said, and practice the classroom rules/procedures with them (like in a simulation and then during a real lesson). Then, it is easier to establish a strong but also positive position as a teacher, that would allow to create a respectful and friendly environment at the same time.
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What useful ideas from the text you could apply to your own teaching and how you plan to apply them?
There is a couple useful ideas that I would like to apply to my teaching. The first one, “continue to define expectations in small chunks” during the lessons, and I would apply it by providing my expectations every time I give directions/instructions during my lessons, then I am sharing small portions of my expectations every time I have a chance to do it, so that it is like a reminder for the kids. A second idea I would like to use is “have students practice”, by making the kids have some sort of simulation of an application of the rules, procedures and consequences, and when practicing those with them make it light and fun at the same time (and I would maybe model the procedures too), so that the kids don’t picture this as a punishment (we are just teaching them).
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Citation
Gonzalez, Jennifer. (2017, October). When students won’t stop talking. Retrieved from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/student-talking/
PRACTITIONER SOURCE #2
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Why you chose this text and how it relates to your inquiry question?
This article is great and has very useful information, which is why I picked this text, called “Student Complaints as Teachable Moments”, written by Andrew McNally. This article relates to my inquiry question as it talks about a very common situation that teachers experience in their classrooms, when students complain about the lesson/content/assignment questioning the teacher’s authority and/or value of the subject, and how to deal with and manage it in a positive way to keep a good classroom and learning environment.
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What useful information this text gives you about your inquiry question?
This text provides a few examples of situations where teachers are put in that questionable position by the students, what are the usual questions/complaints and the possible reasons behind those and suggestions on how to manage the circumstance. This information helped me see a different perspective of this kind of situation where kids question our authority and/or the subject we are teaching. It opened my mind to be more understandable and patience with the students, as most of the times they are just curious and want to know more or, as McNally said, they could be just testing their critical thinking; and this is crucial to have in mind when thinking about a positive classroom management.
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What useful ideas from the text you could apply to your own teaching and how you plan to apply them?
One of the ideas I would like to apply from this article is taking these questions in a positive way and praise the kids for being curious and presenting good questions, instead of getting nervous and thinking they could be questioning our authority and/or subject. Another great idea is to guide the students on making better questions by reinforcing their critical thinking (which is a good skill to develop/have). It is good to let them see that it’s great to make questions, so that they are not shy to participate or of having doubts.
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Citation
McNally, Andrew (2019, March). Student complaints as teachable moments. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/student-complaints-teachable-moments
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