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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 8, 2013

The thing I was most surprised by this week in class was how critical students are with each other on their work. The kids turned in their first video project and their fellow students gave very constructive criticism on what could have been done differently to make the videos better next time. I was very relieved to see the kids encouraging each other while at the same time pointing out some mistakes that I may have missed if I was watching the videos alone. We also had a vocabulary activity in class where each student is assigned a word. They must define the word and draw a picture displaying the word to display in the classroom. The other kids were so hard on the students presenting their words, saying things like: “you didn’t simplify the definition”, “why didn’t you color your picture?” and “slow down when you read so the rest of us can keep up”. The comments never got nasty, but I was just shocked that the students held each other to such high standards.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Taylor,
I love your story! It reminds me to think of the great positive we have as teachers through all the negative I have been feeling lately. The thing I appreciate about this age group is that they can be thoughtful about what they enjoy. They can start to understand the fulfillment of accomplishing meaningful activities during class. The students know that busy work does not give them this type of accomplishment so they really soak up information and push when they expect to get something out of it. So many people state they never want to work with the high school age group and I am glad that I get to!

Emmanuel said...

That is awesome Taylor. I love to hear other teachers speak about how involved students get into their work. I hear a lot of teachers speak about how the students don’t get involved, and how they don’t do anything and they just misbehave. Just stop already. Maybe it’s not the students, just saying. I love the facts that how my students took the management role so seriously and actually do their job and when they speak to the other students about a situation or a problem they act professionally about it. The students want this kind of responsibility, it makes them feel involved. That’s why I think your students took that chance that you gave them to make comments on other student’s videos and said, “I’m taking this serious because my ideas and thoughts count and Mrs. Kinkade is giving us this chance.” So if I was wearing a hat right now I would tip it off to you Mrs. Kinkade because you are getting your students involved and letting them speak their mind. Kudos.