Tests

The past couple of week our class has had a number of tests.  So during the time the students are taking them I have gotten to think about if I like the way LPS has the standardized test that the district writes.  The positives that come out of the district writing the test is that you don't have to write it, so you can spend more time on grading for other classes or just time relaxing.  Another positive from this is that you get help form other teachers if you have a question on how to grade a problem if you have trouble with something.  The negative (and I think it's a pretty big one) is that it limits your individuality in designing a lesson plan.  Having the pre-written test makes you have to teach to the test a little bit.  Our CT does this in his lessons.  He has to make sure he has examples that are going to be on the test so the students get to see it at some point.  After weighing the positives and negatives, I think I'm still indifferent about it.  I would be fine with it if the district I teach in in the future does either of these.

Cussing

There are a couple of kids in my class that have the mouths of a sailor, and they usually say a couple words that maybe shouldn't be said during class.  Our CT just tells the students to watch their mouths.  This is way different from when I was in high school.  If we ever said a cuss word there would be some sort of punishment for it.  This got Logan and I discussing about how we would handle it in our classroom.  We talked about how we would handle it on a case to case basis.  If a student just uses one in normal conversation I don't think that they should be punished.  If they use it in front of the whole class I think that is a different story and something should be done.  One student always asked why cussing is bad in school when it is everywhere else, and my response to that (and the reason I will use in my future classroom) is that it's about respecting your classmates.  You never know what the other students think about those words and you don't want to offend them.  Another thing I like that my CT said was that there are thousands of words in the English language, there are plenty of other words to use other than those 6 or 7 words that have been deemed bad.

Classroom Management

My CT tries to start the day using the same routine.  He usually has a warm up on the board for the students to work on once they get in the room and get settled in.  Then we starts the day going over the warm up problems.  That is followed up by a quote and then a estimation on estimation180.com.  Next is the lesson and some practice problems.  There aren't any rules in the room that my CT put up.  However, there is the SOAR rules that is the rule guidelines that Southwest puts in place.  The biggest problem he has is students talking.  When a student is talking, he usually stops the lesson to tell them to be quite and that they need to pay attention.  If the whole class is having a side conversation, we does a countdown to get them to stop.  Another problem is cell phones.  He give them a warning if they are using them in class.  If they get caught using it for a second time, he takes the phone away and keeps it at his desk.

One disciplinary rules that Southwest has is to send the students to the office if they are acting up.  Our CT hasn't needed to do that in our time there.  The norms that our CT sets is that students should come to class prepared, on time, and ready to work.  The students also know that when there is a warm up on the board, they should get to work on it right away.  One norm that he is trying to work on is having the students writing notes and him not having to tell them that they need to write things down.

1. Routine for how students will enter the room
Students should walk in and go straight to their seats and get started on a warm up problem that is on the board.

2. Routine for how students will be instructionally engaged while attendance is taken and for how opening business is conducted:
I will take attendance when students are working on the warm up

3. Routine for dealing with tardy students:
I will ask them for a pass, and if they don't have one then I will mark them down as tardy and tell them to get started on the warm up

4. Routine for dealing with students who come to class without necessary materials
I will warn them that they need to be prepared for class next time, and then have them borrow the necessary materials from me or a neighbor

5. Routine for dealing with students returning after an absence:
I will talk to the student while they are working on the warm up and catch them up on what they missed and what they need to do

6. Routine for dealing with student bathroom breaks
Students will able to go to the restroom when we aren't doing something really important

7. Routine for returning student work:
Students will get their homework right when they get in the door and sit down

8. Routine for students when engaging independent work:
Students should be focused on the task and doing it by themselves if that is what the task asks for

9. Routine for students when engaging in partner/small-group work:
They should get into their groups in a timely manner and then get started on the task when they all get settled down

10. Routine for students when engaging in whole-class discussion: 
If students want to contribute to the discussion, they need to raise their hand and wait to be called on.  If they aren't talking they should be quiet and listening

11. Routine for wrapping up at end of day/class:
Students should complete the closure task that is given to them

12. Routine for dismissal:
Students should not pack up until the bell rings or I tell them that the lesson is over and can pack it up


Policies & Procedures for Managing Student Work:

1. Policies & Procedures for assigning classwork and homework:
Homework will be given at the end of the lesson for them to leave with

2. Policies & Procedures for collecting completed work:
After the homework, students will pass their homework in to the end of a row or somehow together so that it's easy for me to collect

3. Policies & Procedures for keeping records and providing grades and feedback to students:
Grades will be kept in whatever grade system that my school has.  Grades and feedback on the student's work will be written on the assignment too

4. Policies & Procedures for dealing with late and missing assignments:
A small point total will be taken off for each day that an assignment is late

5. Policies & Procedures for dealing with absent students:
Students that are gone will have 2 or 3 days to complete the assignment that was assigned that day

Finding a Balance

My CT creates his own seating charts for his class.  He tries to put students in a way where students sit by other people that they work well with each other.  I do like this strategy that he puts in place.  It lets the students be more comfortable with talking to their neighbors about a problem that they have.  This helps students learn and helps the teacher so that they have less questions to answer.  However, since he likes to put students that work well together, those kids are most likely pretty good friends also.  This means that they talk all the time during class.  He constantly has to tell a couple of pairs to stop talking and pay attention in class.  Since I do agree with the concept of doing this, I kind of want to put in use in my classroom.  However, after seeing the results of what actually happens, I'd much rather have a calm classroom environment and having all my students not distracted.  I wonder if there is any way to find that balance of great partners but ones that pay attention during class.

Instructional/Curriculum Materials

DATE	Materials w/ Description	Teacher interaction	Student interaction
10/22	Anglegs -          Use anglegs to visualize impossible triangles Homework -          14 problems for the students to do	-          Gave students directions to make impossible triangles -          Assigned to students by teacher	-          Students built the impossible triangles and look at the side lengths -          Students have to complete it individually
10/23	Homework -          8 problems for the students to do	-          Assigned to students by teacher	-          Students have to complete it individually
10/24	Homework -          11 problems for the students to do	-          Assigned to students by teacher	-          Students have to complete it individually

Link to pictures

The anglegs that the students use I would say use procedures with connections.  In the activity this week they were told to make a triangle using 3 certain sides.  They then had to come up with a reason on why they couldn't make a triangle out of them.  This activity was a concrete representation of the triangle inequality.  The homework would be doing mathematics.  The problems follow some sort of pattern using the materials they just learned.  There isn't that must complex thinking that is going on. 

My CT says that they barely have any control over the curriculum.  He usually sets the schedule in plenty of time in advanced.  He also gives the students the materials they need through notes.  Usually, the only thing that students use to create themselves is when they use the anglegs.  My CT does use Geogebra quite a bit, however the students aren't really involved in creating them.  The textbook is usually only used for the student's homework.  They aren't ever out when he is giving his lecture in class and doesn't refer to it that often.  About the only manipulative that the students use is the anglegs.  He likes these because it lets the students create shapes and make the discoveries on their own.  

From my observation, I think that I would want to use some sort of manipulative in my class whenever I can.  I like that it gets the students engaged and involved in their learning.  I would use this especially if I teach at a school with a block schedule.  From my observation, I have noticed that activities like this take up a lot of time.  I don't know if in a normal schedule it would be possible for me to use them.  Also, I think that if I had the same book as Southwest, I would do the same thing my CT does.  I think the book is only good enough for if students need a couple of examples for them to try to learn the materials a little bit better.

Homework

Homework is the one thing that my CT says is the one thing he can't find the right to do during his time teaching.  Usually his homework is review of the lesson that they just when over the previous day.  Then at the end of a chapter, he will give a review sheet that the students have to do for homework.  The homework assignments usually have 15 problems and the review will have about 25 problems on it.  Most assignments will be a lot like the practice problems that they go over in class, so the students should not have too much trouble doing them.  As for going over the assignments, he spends very little time going over.  He usually sets time aside to go over questions, but he usually just skips it to get to the more important parts of the lesson.  Even when he does fit it into his lesson, it usually only takes about 10 min.  The kids only ask for about 1 or 2 problems and then my CT goes over them pretty quickly.  Homework for the chapter is turned in all together right before the chapter test.  Every assignment from every student gets checked.  However, it is only graded on completion.  

My CT says he tries to assign homework everyday.  However, he said when he doesn't get through a lesson he will wait to assign it after he finishes the lesson.  He said he tries to create assignments that give the students a little bit of a challenge and also problems that help them on their tests.  He said he would love to go over every problem and give the students feedback on every single problem, but he just doesn't have the time to do that.  So he goes over every problem and sees if the student put in effort to work the problem.  He doesn't give any of the students projects for the students to do.

My ideal way of going over homework is to give students assignments with 8 or 9 problems on it.  I would assign something for every lesson and the students would turn them in the next day.  I would then grade them on the completion but give them comments on the actual work.  I think that grading them on completion and not the work is because homework is for practice the problems so the students are probably going to make mistakes on it.  Then the feedback will help the students see their mistakes and they can learn from them.  Hopefully I will be able to actually use this system and I don't have to skim back on it due to lack time.

Steve's motivation

Through my 4th week of practicum, there is one kid that I can't quite figure out.  For this post lets just call him Steve.  Steve has a huge problem with his motivation, and the problem is that he doesn't have any.  He never gets out his stuff when they have a warm-up or takes notes in class.  Also, when we are doing board work, he always is off goofing off somewhere in the classroom.  My CT always has to get on him to stay on task and do what he is supposed to be doing.  The thing is that when he is on task he knows most of the material.  You would think that if he put a little more effort into his school work he'd know pretty much all the material.  Logan and I have even talked to our CT about Steve.  He's trying a way to find to get Steve to get motivated to learn the stuff, but he hasn't figured out a way yet.  He also said that his mom cares way than Steve about his grades.  You would think an extra push from both his mom and teacher would light a spark under him to try in the class, but that's not the case.  It's kind of hard when I'm in the classroom to try to get him on task, yet he still ends up goofing around 5 minutes after I say something to him.  He sure is good practice for motivating students for my future.