Reaching the Highest Potential

During this week in EDUC 350, we focused on those students that are classified as EC. These children have some type of disability that inhibits them from learning in some way. In 410, we talked about rubrics and the importance of them. With these two topics, I wanted to learn ways in which I can differentiate my rubrics so that an exceptional student in my class can use the rubric as well and benefit from it.

I found a reading online that talked about modifying education for those exceptional students. This is a very lengthy reading, but one point that stood out to me that I want to talk about is the fact that our exceptional students should not be given something easy just for them to complete. In every way possible, these students need to be given the same assignments as the other students because the best thing for children with a disability of any kind is to be challenged. As with any child, challenges help them to think critically and reach high potential. This made me realize as a teacher that my exceptional students, gifted students, and average students all can receive the same rubric. I can however, leave enough room in the rubric for it to accommodate to that students’ specific needs.

http://mcpsweb.org/wp-content/uploads/STRATEGIES-HANDBOOK.pdf

            My learning this week relates to the NCTCS Standard 2: Teachers establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students. I made the connections and learned that I can’t treat my exceptional students different and give them easier expectations because I don’t want things to be difficult for them. I need to base everything on skill level. I may have a student with a learning disability that is on a lower skill level, but I can also have a student with a physical disability that is on a higher skill level.

I want every student in my classroom to challenge themselves to reach their highest potential, regardless of any label that may have been put on them. With all this to say, I won’t give a rubric to my exceptional students if I know that they need something on a lower level. I also won’t give my gifted students a rubric that will be too easy for them. I want everything my students do to be a learning experience that allows them to reach their highest potential.

Self-Assessment and Decisions

This week in EDUC 350, we played a game called, C’est La Vie and in EDUC 410 we continued our discussion of assessment, including self-assessment. This game was very difficult, but interesting. We were given a character profile that included different things about us and those determined different things about our character that we were playing. The game was based on decisions that we had to make as an individual that impacted our life. However, depending on what we started out with, depended on the decisions we could make. In 410, we discussed self-assessment and how important it is for the student to assess themselves to see where they are. This type of assessment impacts decisions that will change a student’s future performance.

            My outside learning this week didn’t come from an actual article I read online. I decided to observe all my students in after-school care. I watched as my 1^st graders were working on homework and they would finish and try and just stuff it in their folder. However, I had them stop and I asked them if they answered all the questions that were being asked. I wanted them to self-assess themselves and go back over something as simple as their homework page and see if they did their best work. I wanted them to see that something as simple as homework still serves importance and they need to treat it in that way.

            A connection that I made between our two classes this week was that throughout the game when I was taking on a character and making life decisions for that person, I was stepping into their shoes and self-assessing. I would think, “Okay, if I choose to do this, I will end up doing this…” I would sit there and think about the decisions I was making and think about the impact it may have on the future. That’s what self-assessment is about. Our students can sit there and look over what they have completed and determine if they think they understood it and whether they felt like they have done their very best that will have a positive impact on their future.

            I learned this week that self-assessment is an important aspect in the overall topic of assessment and that it can be used in all things in day-to-day life. In my future classroom, I hope that I can teach my students that and help them realize how to self-assess. This way, when they are doing everyday activities, they realize they are making decisions constantly and deciding on what will be best for the future.

            In my opinion, my learning this week relates to NCTCS Standard 4 which is student learning. Students being able to assess themselves is a large component in their learning. While they are assessing themselves, they are learning and thinking so much more critically.

How Poverty Affects Assessment

For this weeks blog, I decided to combine both my EDUC 410 and EDUC 350 experiences because I feel that they play a part in each other. My learning experiences happened in 410 this week by a continuation of our conversation about assessment. Assessment is a very important topic in our classroom and it needs to be handled carefully. The way our students are assessed is very important and can be done it a multitude of ways. Our topic this week in 350 was about poverty and how our students living in poverty are affected. You may be thinking how do assessment and poverty play a part in one another? The answer is, there are many ways.

            In 350, we learned that if a student is living in poverty, when they come to class there are many other things that could very well be on their mind, instead of learning. Did they eat a good breakfast that morning? What about a good dinner the night before? Did mom and dad fight last night? Was dad taken to prison the night before? Did they get up and get their younger siblings ready for school along with themselves and wake their parent up for work? For my outside research this week, I wanted to take a deeper look into whether or not a lot of resources that talk about effects on student’s education actually talked about poverty. I found a sociology journal that explained factors that affect student performance. Nothing was mentioned specifically about children living in poor conditions. This made me wonder how many educators don’t actually take the time to think about whether or not their student is hungry before they stuff their little brain full of addition and subtraction. http://www.csus.edu/faculty/m/fred.molitor/docs/student%20performance.pdf

            Standard 4 in the NCTCS is Student Learning. This relates directly to understanding students and their development. Their development in the classroom is very important. That’s where our assessment comes into play. We know that not all students need to be assessed by a test, some need to show what they know by a project or oral explanation. I feel that another important part in standard 4 is understanding what our students are actually going through because everything a student goes through and lives through ultimately affects their learning.

            A large amount of information and connections were made that can be reflected on this week between the two classes. I feel that the most important to me was realizing that if my student’s tummy is growling, I can’t expect to properly assess them, in whatever way that may be, before those needs are met. Learning is so important. I love to watch children learn new things. That’s one of the many reasons I chose to teach. Tests are important. I completely believe that. However, if a student does well in my class all year and I see them growing, I’m not going to let a test define them. There are so many ways to assess a student’s learning, but that can’t take place until their needs outside of the classroom are met.

            In my future classroom, I will be my student’s biggest supporter. I will make every effort I can to show their learning in whatever way is best for them. I will also greet my students with a smile every day because that may just be the only smile they see all day. I will feed my students if they come in hungry. We have no clue what our students go through when they leave our care at 3:00 p.m. each day. I will strive to remember that every single day. Will there be days I forget that? Of course. I’m human. I will mess up and get upset over silly things. But, my goal at the end of every day will be to stop and think about the precious little faces that look up to me and make sure that every need they have is met.