Dear fellow bloggers, friendly fans, fantastic followers, and first-time visitors,
I am now using this blog to record my learning experiences during student teaching. But it has been used for several purposes in the past.
I created this blog originally in 2011 as part of a technology infusion teaching internship. You can visit my website if you want to see what I did with 1st grade English Language Learner students at a school in Albemarle County.
I also designed an online portfolio based on my work with a kindergartener at the McGuffey Reading Center at the University of Virginia. I am working on merging all of these websites in a user-friendly and aesthetically appealing way. Keep in mind, it is a work in progress.
In 2012 I used this blog as part of my Second Language Acquisition and modern foreign language teaching methods class. So that's why there are a bunch of somewhat boring posts about chapters of books. However, they contain good information
Today I am working on crafting my professional development goals (PDGs). They will of course change and shift as the semester goes on. Here are some random notes and question that have been on my mind for the past few days:
Bringing Up Boys
How do we get boys more involved in the classroom? How do I, as a female teacher, involve and not alienate boys from learning. One way my CI has done this in the past is by choosing more masculine read-aloud stories. For example, boys typically do not get excited about or connect with Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Choosing books that boys can connect with during this time is important to encourage their love for reading.
Raising Rockstar Writers
The first subject area that I will take over is writing. I have always loved the writing process. But even as a mature adult sometimes I find it difficult to express what I want to say in words. Writing is a courageous process. It involves exposing your thoughts and your personality. I have had multiple professors teach us that a teacher should not correct grammar and punctuation right off the bat because then students focus on correctness in writing over content. Here are some questions I am asking myself: How do we value students' ideas and not focus on their mechanical mistakes? How do third graders feel about writing in general? How do I motivate and inspire children to write without fear of exposure? What are the obstacles children face when they are writing?
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