Week 2

Week two was very beneficial in my learning process. In math methods, we broke down the 8 math standards and put them in our language so we can better understand each standard. I feel so much better having those standards to remember to effectively teach my students. In science methods on Tuesday, we broke out into small groups to discuss the four A's- assumption, argue, ask, act. We applied the four A's to our discussion about phenomena and how to implement it in your classroom. This really helped me to learn what phenomena meant because we went through the four A process. This is a technique I would certainly use in my future classroom. On Thursday in science methods, we created our EcoColumns! This was very exciting to talk about all of the different pieces we cut out to find out how they all work together to create a working eco-system for our little critters and plants! I can't wait for the outcome of this learning experience! Over the next week, I am going to do a little more research about 3D learning and teaching phenomena in the classroom because these things will help with student learning. Next week, I will help my colleagues out more by reporting back to my blog with more information about 3D learning and teaching phenomena. My first tweet of the week is by Todd Whitaker and he says "One of the best indicators of the quality of the teacher is the amount of praise and laughter in the classroom." I think this is very important to keep in mind for having a safe environment where students feel comfortable to learn which is standard 3 of the NCTCS! My second tweet of the week is about writing your classroom rules in a way that tells students what they should do rather than what they shouldn't do. This also goes along with standard 3 because using rules in a positive way make the students feel more comfortable in their learning environment. My third tweet for this week was a board in your classroom dedicated for characteristics of an innovator! I think this would be great to use in your classroom because your students can look at the characteristics and follow them to become an innovator! This goes along with standard four of the NCTCS because I would be facilitating learning to my students to learn problem solving techniques displayed on the board. The current event I have been keeping up with is Hurricane Harvey and how it is devastating a lot of people! This is a phenomena that you can teach in your classroom because hurricanes are a part of weather and since it is a current event, it is also relatable to your students! Within the first two weeks of classes, I already feel more prepared to teach science and math, and that makes me super excited for the remainder of the semester!

Week 1

This week has been a great week getting started back to classes! I am proud of myself for remaining positive throughout the first week of class and schoolwork! My biggest struggle this week was getting organized for the upcoming semester and making sure everything is in place for the semester. Over the next week, I would like to stay on top of all of my work and possibly even get ahead in my classes! I contributed in the class discussion today about buoyancy by actively discussing with my team members! In order to help my colleagues out over the semester, I will try to share ideas and lesson plans to help each classmate. My first tweet I found interesting was the visual of the science behind the eclipse and how the moon covered the sun. This is a great visual to show your students while teaching them about the eclipse. My second tweet is by Amy Fast, which is someone Dr. Parker suggested that we follow and I am glad that I did. This tweet is basically saying that if a student passes a test and their passions, goals, and mindsets are not met, then we have failed them as teachers. This stood out to me because as a student, I used to get very frustrated when I took a test because it seemed pointless to me if it did not contain something that interested me. I believe that it is much easier to learn if you are engaged with the topic and enjoy what you are learning about. For my third and final tweet of the week, it's like an eye opener for me as a teacher because Amy Fast says that we as teachers are constantly trying to measure how well our students are doing, but we rarely ever ask them how they are doing. I think it is important to have a relationship with your students and show them that you care about their well-being and their grades. This tweet has a checklist for your students to fill out how they are feeling so that way you know exactly how they feel. As everyone knows, The Great Eclipse was on Monday, which was really exciting to watch for me! The temperature dropped, and even though I was not under the line of totality, it got a little more dim outside! My favorite thing about this event is that it's very rare to happen and I am so happy I could experience it! I learned that if I become a successful science teacher, I will be able to properly facilitate learning in my classroom! I cannot wait to see what the semester has in store for me as a future teacher!