Journal Entries

Hey guys I've been really bad at posting entries.. Sorry I'll post them here and you all can chose which, if any to comment on. =)

Journal Entry 5

In class we split up into journal groups and created checkpoints for teachers to assess student’s learning processes. We decided these as key points in creating a productive learning environment

• Initiate a common ground in learning abilities for students.
• Encourage and support a student’s self-progress.
• Encourage student teaching/peers helping one another with the material.
• Acknowledge students for good behavior.

 While reading Rose’s book and through our praxis experience we found it is very beneficial to take note of the level of knowledge a student has on a subject then to build from that. The primary exposure acts as a foundation and from there moving forward it helps to acquire knowledge and growth. We also spoke of Rose’s analogy of learning as romance and offering support and “key” to learning. For many students a level of trust must be built between the teacher and student where the student feels open enough to share their struggles and the teachers are willing to encourage and support the learning that led us to our second point and third points. The learning and support does not always need to come from the teacher but is beneficial as well when peers support peers. Our last point was about rewarding good behavior because we communing all work with younger children for our placements and found when positive reinforcement occurred the students were likely to continue good behavior. Although not the only points all great to have in a classroom. 

Journal Entry 6

I was mainly thinking about my praxis when I was writing this post. I work with pre kindergartners at a center city charter school and I was very interested in the extra curricular activities or “cultural arts” my students participated in. The school’s cultural art include, Spanish, art, physical education and music. It was really surprising to me that four year olds were already learning Spanish while they were just beginning to build vocabulary in English. In Spanish class the Spanish being taught was basic such as numbers, colors, and foods, I was not aware that children that young were practicing and learning foreign languages. I had the opportunity to observe the children in their physical education class and the P.E. teacher instructed them to do their exercises while counting in English, then switching to Spanish. To be honest I was amazed at how well the children were able to count in both languages and had the capacity to switch between the two. When thinking about the age where foreign languages were introduced into my curriculum I don’t think it started until middle school and its crazy to think it starts soo young. I think the school is doing a good thing because knowing multiple languages is very beneficial but I can’t help to think that these children are being turned into robots too early. 

Journal Entry 7

When speaking to my host teacher on the first visit I had asked him what his end-of-the-year expectations were for his students. He stated that they should be familiar with sight words, write and recognize their names, basic understanding of story plots, recognize and distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters in the alphabet, and know hard sounds of consonants. I thought this was doable and usual so it did not affect me at the time. Since this conversation and more visits to the site I have noticed more and more the use of the word “expectation” in the classroom. Initially, I had thought of it as a word he used when speaking to me but it was weird to me how frequently he used this word with the kids. As mentioned, the students are 4-5 years old. For example, Mr. White says. “The expectation is that you’re silently reading right now”, “The expectation is that you’re listening”, “The expectation is that your hands are by your side”. The list goes on. It’s weird because at young ages these children are learning that they should be measuring up to expectations and if they’re not, then they’re not doing something right. The word itself to me kind of is a word that is introduced to kids how are older and is a big word for four year olds to really grasp but I’m not sure if that’s incorrectly a personal bias. Any opinions?