Monday, October 18, 2010
Practicum and/or Instructional Conference Blog
If you are participating in your practicum this week (Oct. 18-22), post your journal entry here of what you did this week at Simle. If you are NOT attending your practicum but attending the Instructional Conference instead, post what sessions you attended in this same area. Either way, I would like a post from each one of you (just one) telling me about either your practicum or the conference.
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Simle Practicum Visit #4
ReplyDeleteToday was an interesting day. As usual, I started the day in the tutoring area. There was one student who needed assistance with geography. Nice kid.
After the morning tutoring session, I attended second period study hall with Mrs. Maher. Her class was full today. The students are most usually compliant with her directions and are willing to work. But, today was an exception. She was required to direct the students in a sterner manner than most days (the male and female students). All of the tutors were pushing the student to complete unfinished work in anticipation of the 4 day weekend. You could just sense it; the smell of freedom was in the air for most of the students. And it showed. The majority of the students wanted to finish their work but there were a few resistors.
It was an interesting scene to observe. I merrily assisted students as needed but leave the “direction” to their regular tutors. I am doing my best to observe what techniques work and do not work for them when communicating and working with the students. I just love a good study!
Next, I assisted in the Title VII room. This group was large and was in good spirits. I helped students with mathematics for this period. The mood was jovial and the time was spent in a productive manner.
Lastly, I assisted in the lunch tutoring program. “They” were back at it. By “they”, I am referring to the restless students. I had a blast observing the tutors. You could tell that they were troopers by sticking to their guns and moving forward with the study hour. What a talented group to learn from. They were organized, gave direction, and were successful in moving the class “forward”. I learned a lot from my practicum mentors today. I also learned much about the adolescents while they interacted with each other and the staff. It was a great day!
My fourth field experience took place on Wednesday at 12:15. The first group is the 7th graders. The group is usually quiet and gets right to work without hassle. This was a small group and I was able to assist all of them at least once. They were all working on the same worksheet which was a ratio chart worksheet. Mr. L said it has been a popular worksheet, because alot of the kids were having trouble with it.
ReplyDeleteThe second group is the 8th graders. I am noticing a difference between the way the two groups work. The 8th graders seem to need more direction and need to be reminded to get back on task. Not all of them, but a majority of them. I think it is because alot of them have friends that are in there at the same time and lunch time seems like the time to catch up and visit during the school day. During this time I walked around and assisted those who needed help.
Then I went in Mrs. Mahers study hall. I worked one on one with a student and helped him catch up with a science and math worksheet. It was towards the end of the day and the kids were getting excited to leave and were talking about what they were going to do on their long 4 day weekend. I enjoy helping the kids with their homework because I am learning right along with them, well not really learning but refreshing my memory or relearning It was another busy day at Simle and it went well.
Instructional Conference – October 22, 2011
ReplyDeleteThe Conference was yet again another informative experience. The sessions were full of information and the presenters that I had the chance to see were interactive and fun. It was also great to see many of the faces and people that I hadn’t in a while. It was the perfect time to catch up with those that you have met “on the circuit”.
Session #1 – The first session was spent at the Exhibit Hall. I had the chance to see new products and curriculum tools being demonstrated. This was also a chance to meet some of the newer students to the conference and catch up with some older acquaintances. The most exciting part of this session was Shelly Gill who is a renowned children’s book author. I spent about 30 minutes alone speaking with Mrs. Gill. I had never heard of her before and we were eager to converse about Alaska and our children. She shared a special story with me about her daughter and the book titled, “Big Blue.” Also, I almost won 10,000 dollars at the Horace Mann booth.
Session #2 – This session was titled, “Meeting the Unique Educational Needs of American Indian Students” -presented by Melody Staebner. It was an interesting presentation and an overview of the Fargo area Title VII program and the services that they offer to American Indian Youth in that area. I was expecting a far different presentation as far as content. I think that the title was a bit misleading. However, I did learn much from the information.
Session #3 – This session was titled, “Do You Need a Volunteer in Your Classroom Who Loves Children and Wants to Make a Difference?”-presented by Angie Richter. Mrs. Richter was an enthusiastic presenter. We had the chance to talk before her presentation and I learned that she had previously been an Elementary School teacher before she assumed the role as Western Regional Director of the ND Foster Grandparents Program. I had seen one such grandparent in action during my sophomore experience at Riverside Elementary School and was eager to learn more about the program.
I went to the Instructional Conference friday morning. The first conference I went to was the "Getting WET in Reading," this conference talked about water prevention. They showed us a few activities to do with one's classroom incorporating water in subject areas. The second session I attended was, "Every Picture Tells a Story." This was a very fun session. The speakers were very outgoing and informative. They taught us how to make a story out of a picture and what steps to follow. They showed us a few ways to spark children's interest and motiviation to look at things around them in a different way. The third session I went to was, "Interactive Vocabulary Instruction for the Elementary Learner." This session the lady showed us how to incorporate vocabulary into lessons. Also, one should be teaching students at least four hundred words a year and to make sure that the teacher is reusing the vocabulary otherwise the students will forget the words. Overall, I enjoyed the conference and learned some new things for school!
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