My new student teaching placement is significantly different than my last placement. Last semester I was a teacher assistant in a resource room for students K-4 and it seemed as if there was never a dull moment throughout the day! My new placement is in a MoCI (moderate cognitively impaired) classroom and I am working with students whose disabilities are much more intervening, which was something that I had obviously expected. Although I went into the classroom knowing that my new students would be working at a much slower rate, it has still been difficult for me to adjust to this new pace.
I love my new cooperating teacher and know that I will learn so many valuable teaching skills from working by her side. However, I cannot help but feel that there is a significant amount of time throughout the day that is not being utilized as effectively as it could be. I do not have any experience working with students with moderate-severe disabilities, so perhaps the pace that we are working at and the amount of content we are covering is what is appropriate for my students. I just find myself constantly thinking that we could be doing something more valuable throughout certain points of the day.
When I asked my cooperating teacher about things that take more time than she would like them to. She told me that there is always so much paperwork and documentation that needs to be completed and organized. IEPs alone take up so much time because of all of the testing and meetings that are associated with them. She also spends a lot of time finding and pulling material for her students because they do not have a set curriculum that they are working out of. Often times she creates her own informal assessments and charts to monitor their progress. Despite all of the time and attention that she is giving to these things, she still manages to establish strong, constructive relationships with each of her students!
Sam,
ReplyDeleteI think that both of our classrooms have some of the same parts of the day that could be spent doing more appropriate things. For me, the students really lack in the ability to successfully transition in a timely manner. I have found that when my students transition from one task to another, just getting them to start is a task in and of itself. Now, I am not sure if that is the case for you. I am working in middle school math resource and every new task poses for longer transitions. As far as the MOCI goes, I was in a high school MOCI classroom and from reading your description, my teacher had some of those same characteristic. However, I found that my teacher was only doing paperwork during his planning hour. Is this the same for your teacher or is your teacher doing this during the lesson learning time? That could be something to consider as you student teach. My teacher also had been teaching for over 30 years there and had established many rules for his students. They knew what they were supposed to do right when they walked into the classroom. Those are just some ideas to consider as you move forward.
Here is a PDF that I found that may be something to consider. It is talking about making transitions easier.
http://www.rochesterteachers.com/rochester_teachers_association/effective_teaching_practices_files/classroom_transitions_susan_douglas.pdf
Hi Kailee!
DeleteIt sounds like there are, indeed, a lot of similarities between our placements. The transitions throughout the day do seem to take more time than they need to. However, I never feel like my cooperating teacher is "itching" to get things moving along either.
My CT does a lot of paperwork during her planning time, never during lesson time. There are many times that she will have the two aides in our classroom and myself work with the students while she prepares materials for the next lesson or for whatever we are doing in the afternoon. I am not sure if she does this on a regular basis or just takes advantage of the extra manpower when I am there on Tuesdays!
Anyway, I will definitely take a look at this PDF. Thank you so much for sharing!
Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to the way you are feeling at your placement. Last semester I was teacher assisting at an elementary school in Lowell and felt like I was constantly on the go. We were running from classroom to classroom and were always doing something. This semester I am at a high school and am definitely experiencing the "down-time" you are. I feel like my students spend so much time throughout the day on their phones or just sitting. As long as they finish their assignment in class my teacher allows them to do whatever they want. I do not necessarily agree with this. I think that is acceptable for students to be on their phones during passing time, but not during class. This is valuable time that could be spent doing things that will benefit their future outside of high school.
Do you think your teacher does not have enough curriculum to fill the gaps or do you think she just wants to give her students more breaks throughout the day? Are you going to try and change things up when you start teaching full time to try and reduce some of the down-time in the classroom? I have thought about these questions myself several times and have honestly not come to a conclusion.
I found a great app online that I think would benefit both of us. It is a "screen-time" app. Since high school students love technology there is an app that limits their time spent using their iphone or ipad.
The link is: https://edshelf.com/tool/screen-time/
Hi Alex!
DeleteI totally agree with you, phones should NOT be used during class time! I haven't noticed this as being an issue in my classroom (at least not yet). I also do not agree with allowing students to do whatever they want when they finish their assignment. I mean, it's one thing if they have worked really hard and completed a difficult assignment and there is only a few minutes left in class. How much time do you think students are being given to do whatever they want?
I don't think that my cooperating teacher is lacking curriculum to fill the gaps. I think she just has a very laid back personality and has no problem taking the day reaaaaaallyyy slowly. I would like to change things when I start student teaching. I definitely think that the time could be managed more effectively. However, I have no idea how to go about this. I'm also not sure how much harder I should push my students since they have been working with my CT for so long and have become comfortable with her pace and routines. It is something that I often think about but cannot seem to find the answer either! Sounds like we are in the same boat!
The app that you shared with me is awesome! I could definitely see myself using this. Thank you for sharing it!
Hello Sam,
ReplyDeleteI feel just like you. My last placement I was also in a resource room but for high school. It was my element, it was so easy for me to talk to them, to give instructions and to teach. Now going to a first grade class with students with CI, its a bit more challenging. I don't know how to approach them, and I don't want to instruct them because I sometimes feel i won't be teaching them the correct stuff.
I know as far as teachers, they seem to never really take breaks for themselves. How do you think your CT gets time for breaks if she's always doing paperwork? How will you manage your time too?
I found this great app, its the 30/30 app. ( https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/30-30/id505863977?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4)
You can use it, the teachers, and even your students. This help people stay on task (like for students) and gives them break. (like for your ct). You get to get your stuff done in a timely matter.
Hello Sam,
ReplyDeleteI think a lot us are seeing time being wasted in our classroom, time where students are doing unproductive things. However your CT seems to be really trying to create an environment that does not waste time, it can be hard for a teacher to get a hold of all the tasks at hand, especially when you put IEP meetings into the mix. Has your teacher tried to come up with a curriculum for her class to help her stay on track? Having a foundation to work with could really bring down on the stress and lack of time she has. I found this link on tips for helping a teacher manage time:
http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/educator-tips/five-time-management-tips-for-teachers/
Hi Anna,
DeleteMy CT has found a curriculum that she follows for reading, which has been super helpful and made planning much easier for her! It's really the areas of math, science, life skills, and career skills where she pretty much just "wings it". She uses the website commoncoresheets.com to find worksheets for her students to work on. Obviously the things we do in class are IEP driven, but she told me that she basically just peruses until she finds something that looks good. Thank you for the link! Staying on top of all of the work that comes along with teaching is definitely something that worries me. Unfortunately, for me, I do struggle to stay caught up with all of the things I need to do throughout the week. These tips are very helpful and make it seem so simple!
These are all good ideas. They do say that small breaks can lead to higher productivity. It sounds like the transitions are the hardest part to handle with the students. It's interesting to note how we as teachers need those breaks to stay sharp, yet it can lead to wasted time when it comes to the students.
ReplyDelete