A Different Mirror....

Today was my first day as the new "long term substitute" in the Middle School English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. I will be teaching until the end of the school year now and fortunately I do know all of the students from previously teaching at the school.  

Of course, this is a different subject area now (I used to teach health and P.E.) but I think one of my biggest goals was making sure that the students are aware that I am going to be doing some things differently and some things the same as their former teacher (who left on good terms for another teaching opportunity at a university level in Japan).  I think acknowledging this from the beginning is very important so students realize that change is definitely going to be "different".  I can only try my best to make it a change for the BETTER!....

Lesson Planning...

After reading and commenting on a fellow classmates' blog about PACE in teaching, I am in reflection about lesson planning.  This spring break I have been in the classroom a couple of times preparing some lesson plans for the upcoming 4th quarter.  In planning, we teachers certainly "guestimate" how much time an activity is going to take - but we don't really know do we?!  Of course, I always plan more than less but how can we put a time limit on a particular unit of study.  I don't know about anybody else, but I always seem to feel rushed at the end of the school year trying to finish up a text book or unit.  Am I really doing justice to the subject area if I am doing that? What do I compromise in my classroom and take out of study if need be? 

The Truth Hurts.....

I really liked what Dr. Wong said in our Module 5 introduction online about teachers being like fashion designers in the classroom with goals to have students "try things on" - what an interesting and cool connection! As I watched an episode of "What Not to Wear" on TV, I guess Stacy and Clinton are educators as well in their profession.  They are definitely honest to their "subjects" but as they say - THE TRUTH HURTS.  I think one challenge we have in the classroom is giving constructive criticism to students without making them feel discouraged.  Age is definitely a factor, as younger students have a harder time taking in criticism.  However at the same time, older students may just hide their true feelings better....

Different Perspectives....

I have started to work on my work of art series and thinking about how I would like to create the storyboard for my project.  In doing so, I know I will be doing some interviews to gain different perspectives about my theme from different people.  As we all know in the classroom, a teacher's particular teaching style works for some students more than others.  In my work of art project, I am focusing on a particular yoga class that I find "compelling" by the way the instructor leads the practice.  Obviously, attending this class is by choice.  However, sitting in a class with a teacher that you feel does not stimulate you is not by choice at school.  So how then can we as teachers acknowledge this with our students?  

Reconnecting...

There have been a number of songs in this module (4) that I have studied that use a similar musical score or sequence at the beginning and end.  I guess it is sort of like a reconnecting or review and I know that I do this a lot in my teaching.  In the classroom, we try to lead our students in finding the connection back to the essential questions of the lesson.  I wonder if musicians do this on purpose a lot of the time like we do as teachers?

The "HOOK" in students?!

One of my Module 4 group members posed a question to us all the other day on Facebook asking if she thought a song could possibly be absent from a hook and still be catchy.  I answered by saying that I think there is a hook of some sort in every song and it may just not be as obvious. I have learned (through our course readings) that the hook can be found in many elements of a song (i.e. rhythm, melody, instruments) and not just the lyrics like I had previously thought. With a very unique "imaginative bridge" I think that there is also a hook in each and every one of our students - that something that makes them special, and like a song it is not always obvious! I continue to strive to find and bring out this hook in every one of my students!

MUSIC and STUDYING...

I wanted to use my older sister as an example for my post this week.  Growing up, I remember that my parents would be on her about turning her music off while studying.  She argued that it "helped" her study.  At the time, I thought that was a lame excuse to keep her music on, but while home last week in Australia, we talked about it as I was explaining to her my module 4 theme in this course.  I guess the music really did help her focus and study as opposed to my study habits which required absolute zero noise in the room and house!  So, I wonder what would test results be like if students had the choice to study with music on?

Using a "HOOK" in the classroom

While reading all about the use of a "hook" in music and specifically a song, I easily connected this element into my classroom teaching experiences.  What can we do as educators to "hook" our students into our units of study every time they enter our classroom?  I empathize with them knowing that some subjects I teach do not interest all of them. So.....what is it that I can do to stimulate interest into their learning? I think the key is finding a CONNECTION with them somehow in the unit - something that they can relate to.  Of course, every student has different interests so being able to relate a subject to an individual shows how much one cares about their learning.