After all this research on Generation Y it lead me to wonder more about the generation I teach… Generation Z. After searching for awhile and not finding much information on Generation Z because the age group is still so young, I found information from a Baby Boomer website. It states many characteristics of Gen. Z. A few characteristics that stood out in my mind are how generation Z are not good listeners and they also lack interpersonal skills. The article brought to mind a very good point… Could the world become almost completely virtual because of this generation?
This brought me to wonder why I am fighting it. Why do I keep comparing this generation to my own? I keep saying “it was never like this when I grew up”, or “it worked when I was in elementary school”. I am a Gen Yer and consider my learning style very different then fellow teachers who are older and from a different generation. I found an article from Tech and Learning on Teaching Gen Yers and laughed when it described almost everything about me and how I learn. Is what I am feeling now about the current generation, what my teachers thought about my own generation growing up?
I find I should embrace this generation and use their strengths towards them. I find my class this year keeping me on my toes and wonder what an effect more technology would have on them. They are generation Z completely. I have found I need to keep my classroom moving and active. I have also found anything on the computer is a good thing. Even something as simple as typing in Microsoft word instead of using a whiteboard has them sitting on the edge of their seats. My classroom also received document cameras and projectors this year. Once again, the simple act of using the document camera to project their show and tell was amazing. I had a completely quiet classroom (which rarely happens) and every student was engaged during this activity.
But where do I begin? Marilyn Western wrote an article about many ways to use technology in a classroom. She also gave examples of several sites on the internet that provide free services and programs to help a teacher use technology in his/her classroom. But what result does it all have on the students? It has many positive outcomes. Many are listed within Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students, but the one that popped out the most is the change in student and teacher roles. It states when students use technology the role of learning turns more active and they are more responsible for their learning.
Is Gen Z, or even Gen Y, such a bad thing? Why am I constantly comparing them to when I grew up? Why do I want them to duplicate students of my generation when clearly they are their own unique generation and have so many new things to offer? Maybe if I let go the past and grasped the future it could become a good thing. Maybe even great!
Maybe if I allowed and encouraged my students to channel their abilities it would bring a whole new aspect of learning to my classroom. One that may even bring change to future generations…
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Falling through the cracks
A topic came to mind today... What does it take in order for a child to receive specialized services in order to stay ahead of, or right with, the game. I began researching information on children who fall through the cracks and came across a book, How Children Fail. One reason, according to the book, children fail is because "they are afraid, bored, and confused. This, combined with misguided teaching strategies...". The phrase "misguided teaching strategies" kept me thinking, What strategies? Am I using those strategies? And if so, what needs to change?
I then began thinking, if a child is failing, why does it take SO much to find them support to help them acquire the skills they are missing. If I, as a teacher, can show the student is not making growth in the classroom and is missing so many important skills, why is that not enough for support? I am told the child cannot receive support due to certain standardized tests scores and the amount of other students who receive support. But why does it need to be a factor? Why doesn't gut instinct play a part in teaching?
In order to even begin support, it starts with 4 weeks of interventions. At the end of 4 weeks, the interventions are evaluated and if progress has not occurred, another intervention and 4 more weeks. During this time outside support does occur briefly. Once again, the end of now 8 weeks, evaluations occur and another set of interventions are set in place. This usually leads to paperwork, assessments, and more often than not, the end of the school year. Why does it have to be so time consuming and difficult?
What is going to happen to my student? Is she one who will fall through the cracks? How much time and effort, as her teacher, do I take away from my other students to ensure she makes it? Will it all be worth it when she moves to third or fourth grade and the teacher does not spend as much time with her? Will she still fall through the cracks because she is not "low" enough? Or will she blossom with age and become an average student? Or better yet, an above average student. Will she look back and remember the teacher who spent so much time working with her in order for her to succeed in life? Or will it all fade as life becomes more of a reality?
Is retention an idea that should be brought to the table? Is it too soon to tell? Would it help down the road?
Another blog, another day...
I then began thinking, if a child is failing, why does it take SO much to find them support to help them acquire the skills they are missing. If I, as a teacher, can show the student is not making growth in the classroom and is missing so many important skills, why is that not enough for support? I am told the child cannot receive support due to certain standardized tests scores and the amount of other students who receive support. But why does it need to be a factor? Why doesn't gut instinct play a part in teaching?
In order to even begin support, it starts with 4 weeks of interventions. At the end of 4 weeks, the interventions are evaluated and if progress has not occurred, another intervention and 4 more weeks. During this time outside support does occur briefly. Once again, the end of now 8 weeks, evaluations occur and another set of interventions are set in place. This usually leads to paperwork, assessments, and more often than not, the end of the school year. Why does it have to be so time consuming and difficult?
What is going to happen to my student? Is she one who will fall through the cracks? How much time and effort, as her teacher, do I take away from my other students to ensure she makes it? Will it all be worth it when she moves to third or fourth grade and the teacher does not spend as much time with her? Will she still fall through the cracks because she is not "low" enough? Or will she blossom with age and become an average student? Or better yet, an above average student. Will she look back and remember the teacher who spent so much time working with her in order for her to succeed in life? Or will it all fade as life becomes more of a reality?
Is retention an idea that should be brought to the table? Is it too soon to tell? Would it help down the road?
Another blog, another day...
Thursday, September 10, 2009
How much is too much?
As the year is progressing I find my motto of being stress free is becoming harder and harder to adhere to. One thing that is making my motto difficult is the communication piece of my classroom. I feel most of my day is spent returning emails, making phone calls or having one-on-one meetings before or after school and typing newsletters.
I have tried to set specific times in my day to return phone calls and have started making more phone calls instead of emails because I feel it is faster to just call. This worked until I spent over an hour after school one day emailing and returning calls and I couldn’t do anything afterwards because I was mentally drained.
I have also tried to break up that time slot. I try and limit phone calling and emailing to 20 minutes, 3 times a day. This has seemed to work. I have managed my time more by dispersing it throughout my day. But then I began to think… that is A LOT of time to be communicating with parents every day. I feel communication is the key to successful classroom management, but when does it become overbearing and interfere with teaching? I encourage all of my parents to be as active as they can in their child’s education, but when does all the parent communication become too much?
There have been many studies on the importance of parent involvement and how it links to student success. The National Center for Student Engagement has an interesting article on the barriers of parental involvement. The list of barriers is a great tool to use in your classroom to evaluate why some parents may not be as involved as you would like. Joyce Epstein has also included a framework for parental involvement. Communication on a regular, two-way basis is number 2 on the list.
Another article I found very informational is an article from the Child Trends DataBank. It states children who have parental involvement are less likely to have behavior problems, have better academic performance and are more likely to complete secondary school. Although it does state the differences in success in areas such as grade level, ethnicity, parental education, poverty level, and parent language.
How do I successfully involve my parents but yet manage to complete everything else in my classroom in a timely fashion? How do I get those few parents involved whose child needs their involvement the most? What do I say to the parent who wants daily updates and won’t take “I’ll try my hardest” as an answer? Is this a problem I should take with a grain of salt and be happy I have parents who are so concerned? Or is this a problem that needs to be addressed and fixed soon?
I have tried to set specific times in my day to return phone calls and have started making more phone calls instead of emails because I feel it is faster to just call. This worked until I spent over an hour after school one day emailing and returning calls and I couldn’t do anything afterwards because I was mentally drained.
I have also tried to break up that time slot. I try and limit phone calling and emailing to 20 minutes, 3 times a day. This has seemed to work. I have managed my time more by dispersing it throughout my day. But then I began to think… that is A LOT of time to be communicating with parents every day. I feel communication is the key to successful classroom management, but when does it become overbearing and interfere with teaching? I encourage all of my parents to be as active as they can in their child’s education, but when does all the parent communication become too much?
There have been many studies on the importance of parent involvement and how it links to student success. The National Center for Student Engagement has an interesting article on the barriers of parental involvement. The list of barriers is a great tool to use in your classroom to evaluate why some parents may not be as involved as you would like. Joyce Epstein has also included a framework for parental involvement. Communication on a regular, two-way basis is number 2 on the list.
Another article I found very informational is an article from the Child Trends DataBank. It states children who have parental involvement are less likely to have behavior problems, have better academic performance and are more likely to complete secondary school. Although it does state the differences in success in areas such as grade level, ethnicity, parental education, poverty level, and parent language.
How do I successfully involve my parents but yet manage to complete everything else in my classroom in a timely fashion? How do I get those few parents involved whose child needs their involvement the most? What do I say to the parent who wants daily updates and won’t take “I’ll try my hardest” as an answer? Is this a problem I should take with a grain of salt and be happy I have parents who are so concerned? Or is this a problem that needs to be addressed and fixed soon?
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
As the year has begun, I am learning all of the wonderful behaviors that make each of my students unique. One student that creates a struggle in my mind every day is a little girl in my room who is as bossy as they come. I am so intrigued by her behavior and what causes her to be bossy it has lead me to blog about it.
I have tried everything I know to limit her bossiness. I have discussed the issue with parents. They too see the behavior at home. I have tried complementing her for good behavior. I have tried punishing her for bossy behaviors. I have tried setting goals with her and giving her strategies in order to learn not to be bossy. I have also gotten a counselor and the principal involved. This has brought me to the Internet. I found a great article/lesson plan to teach my students how to deal with bossy students which in turn will help her realize her behavior. It will also help my students deal with bullies outside the classroom.
This makes me ponder...what creates a bossy child? Is this something they learn from home? Is it something they learn from trial and error? Or is it something they have seen on the playground and think they will give it a try? I also wonder what has happened to the respect that I once gave my teachers. If I was ever told to sit out in the hall because my teacher and I "had to talk", I knew my behavior needed to be changed, fast. What is leading to the lack of respect children seem to have?
I have tried everything I know to limit her bossiness. I have discussed the issue with parents. They too see the behavior at home. I have tried complementing her for good behavior. I have tried punishing her for bossy behaviors. I have tried setting goals with her and giving her strategies in order to learn not to be bossy. I have also gotten a counselor and the principal involved. This has brought me to the Internet. I found a great article/lesson plan to teach my students how to deal with bossy students which in turn will help her realize her behavior. It will also help my students deal with bullies outside the classroom.
This makes me ponder...what creates a bossy child? Is this something they learn from home? Is it something they learn from trial and error? Or is it something they have seen on the playground and think they will give it a try? I also wonder what has happened to the respect that I once gave my teachers. If I was ever told to sit out in the hall because my teacher and I "had to talk", I knew my behavior needed to be changed, fast. What is leading to the lack of respect children seem to have?
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