Rules For Posting To This Blog and Weekly Blog Question

1. Only use your first name (no last names, addresses, IM screen names, etc.)
2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.

FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Sunday, September 15, 2013

How bountiful is my harvest?

 Try as we may to provide a positive environment for our students to grow and learn, it doesn't always turn out like we imagine.  I am a planner and a perfectionist.  I like to know the who, what, where, when, how, and why BEFORE I tackle a project. If you give me a task, I need to know that it has meaning in order for me to give my usual 110 percent. I don't understand asking someone to do something if there is no purpose behind the request. Today's kids are so overstimulated with technology, they have a hard time sitting in the classroom doing an assignment that is not fun or exciting. They may fill in a worksheet (or copy their neighbors) but are they retaining any of the information?  As a teacher, how do we fill in the gap?  How do we capture their attention?  Are we there to entertain or teach?   This week I realized  that my students are really no different than me.  They may not require all of the details I do ,however,  if I plan to answer the basics before I ask them to act, I reap a much larger harvest.  The biggest gift I can give my students is to show them the value of the lesson before I ask them to learn.  If I take that into consideration with every lesson I write, I feel as though my barns will be full...

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I completely agree with what you are finding. The feedback I have been given from various reviews on my classroom have been about my excitement. When we are excited, it is contagious and the students tend to feed off of that. The flip-side to that is when I am not 100% prepared for a lesson and am exhausted from the other responsibilities at work, the students feed negatively off of that. They aren't motivated because I'm not motivating. Go figure! I think it is a daily psychology lesson for ourselves as teachers to be excited to teach because then the students will be excited to learn!

Emmanuel said...

You hit the chupacabra on his head (a saying from my country). Behavior breeds behavior and I can confess to that. The students love when you are excited and maybe act a little silly but still keep it professional. You will be surprised how much they pay attention and actually learn what you are teaching them. I think it’s safe to say that a lot of my students know when it’s time to be serious and when it’s okay to joke a little. So to answer your question Courtney, I think you need to love what you do and have fun with it. You don’t have to be serious all the time.