Julia+L

Line of learning--How have my understanding and application of the CEI influenced my thinking and instruction.
I realize that effective instruction must include many things. Students have to be able to connect to what they have learned and be able to tap into their prior knowledge. Collaboration and/or working in groups is important. Using vocabulary in instruction that increases student vocabulary is a good thing. Students should not be afraid to make mistakes. Checking for understanding should be immediate and ongoing. Instruction should be interesting as well as challenging. A variety of strategies should be used so that the learning needs of every student is addressed.

08-03-2010: Formative Assessment is a partnership between the teacher and the student. Students learn to be responsible for their own learning. Students know what the objective or target of their learning is. The teacher does a lot of modeling. The students learn through self & peer interaction and assessment. Students are not graded, so they are given the freedom to think about their learning instead of earning a grade. There are many different examples of formative assessment, such as: entry/exit slips, quick writes, journaling, graphic organizers, discussion, lists, and RAFTS.

08-04-2010: When I think about rigor and relevance, I realize that my students need to be challenged so they use higher-order thinking, and students need to complete tasks that are relevant to their world. Teaching for Learner Differences means that my classroom should be a supportive learning environment, assessment should be continuous and used to direct my instruction, my curriculum should be high quality (focused on each and every student and provides all students an access to the general education curriculum), students are given respectful tasks (all students work towards the same goal with differentiated instruction so that everyone can participate), and there is flexible group (variety of groupings are used. When I think of student-centered classrooms, I think of a classroom where students interests are included, they are given challenging tasks that are relevant to them, collaboration is an important part, and they use higher-order thinking that includes problem solving and inductive thinking.

08-05-2010: Teaching for Understanding: We took a virtual field trip and watched a school in the Bronx recite poetry that students had written.. It was a good example of Teaching for Understanding. It inducted students into the discipline, because students wrote the poems and acted them out. Teaching for transfer happened when what was modeled was practiced by students in a competition. It helped the students obtain long-term, thinking-centered processes, because the students were able to use literary devises better. There was rich, on-going assessment when the students were able to critique and assess each other. The presentations were powerful as the students used their words, voices, and body movements to recite their poetry. The students were teenagers, and teenagers are feeling many things emotionally. Therefore, developmental factors were considered when students were able to release their emotions as they wrote and acted out their poetry.

01-31-2011: This has been a very interesting year. Due to students' changing schedules, I have had some students move in and out. I have another new student in my LA room who came from a functional classroom. He reads well enough to be in my room, but he has some huge needs and goals for writing. Getting him started has been difficult. One way I have been helping my students to begin writing is to have them make a graphic organizer of the lessons we do in class. This has helped them at least get started when I want them to write about what we have learned. This has been very helpful for those students who have not been in my room very long. For example, when I want my newest student to remember the different kinds of conflict and examples of them, he can use the graphic organizer we created in class to help him remember what we have been learning. In addition, I also let my new student use the graphic organizer notes for a quiz or test over the material we have covered. The more students are required to write in class, the more comfortable the students feel when they write. I have discovered that writing breaks are a great way for my students to respond in my 2nd Chance Reading lessons. Instead of answering a question, I will have them write their predictions, inferences in the story, etc. By writing their thoughts instead of discussing the stories over with their partner, the students are writing Written conversations have been a great way for partners to discuss our stories. I just ask them to write the answers, inferences, summaries, etc., and have the partners respond to what has been written. Write to Learn has helped me use creative ways to get my students writing. It has been so difficult to get some of my special education students to start writing, but the written conversations, writing breaks, bio poems, diamonte poems, admit slips, and exit slips have been some of the best ways to get them started.