January 20 - January 22, 2010

Wednesday January 20, 2010

We came back to school from a long 4 day weekend because of MLK day on Monday and a teacher work day on Tuesday. We started the classs by going over what is to happen during the rest of January and then what is going on in February. Mrs. Turner passed out a lesson plan template to everybody and then she went over each part of the template. She then showed us Blooms Taxonomy and explained what each level was. She then read the children's book "Knuffle Bunny Too." She then gave us questions from the story and we had to put them on the correct level of Blooms Taxonomy.

Thursday January 21, 2010

Today we broke into groups with a children's book for each group. The groups task was to read the book and then create a quiz based on the book with questions that covered each level of Blooms Taxonomy. Then the groups were to trade books and questions and the new book you were supose to read and then answer the questions and evalutate the question to see if they truly covered each level of Blooms Taxonomy.

Friday January 22, 2010

Today we began class with Mrs. Turner going through the questions from the group work from the day before. She shared the evaluations of the questions to the class as a whole. Then we broke up into 5 groups and we all were given an article and were told to read the article and each person in the group had to become an expert on that article. Then one person from each group was put into a larger group to create 5 different groups. Each member now was to tell the new group about the article he or she became an expert on. Next we participated in an activity that was math problems and each group had a different problem and we had to figure the problem out then one person who was chosen at random was to answer it. Then Mrs. Turner gave us an oral quiz and the person who would answer it was chosen out of a cup of pop sicle sticks. These group activity gave us examples of possible structures that can be used in a cooperative learning setting.

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. -Sydney J. Harris

January 4-January 15, 2010

Monday January 4, 2010

We all came back from our wonderful Holiday Break and talked about what all we did. Mrs. Turner told us about everything that was coming up within the next few weeks and there after. We also watched some of the credits for Freedom Writers and talked about writing our letters to our teacher dealing with the seven gifts.

Tuesday January 5, 2010

Today we talked about our Mid-Term that we would have to present for our Professor. We all picked our topics and then began brainstorming our ideas.

Wednesday January 6, 2010

Today we all meet in the classroom and asked any questions about our projects. We then all traveled down the hallway to the library to work on our Mid-Terms.

Thursday January 7, 2010

We went to the library again today all working very hard on our projects.

Friday January 8, 2010

We once again traveled to the library to finish working on our Mid-Term projects that were do the next week.

Monday January 11, 2010

We came to class and some students who are not taking the class for Anderson Uni. presented their Mid-Terms for the class informing all of us about Education related topics.

Tuesday January 12, 2010

Exam time was here... finally. Everyone came with Mid-Terms in hand and we greeted our Professor from Anderson at 8:30 am ready to present. We were in here for 3 hours and everyone taking the class for college credit presented their projects. We all laughed and things going on in Education. Everyone did a great job!

Wednesday January 13-Thurdayday January 14, 2010

We did not come to teacher cadets these days becasue we were in other classes working on our exams.

Friday January 15, 2010

Everyone was so relieved that exams were over and we all were ready for our 4 day weekend! We all worked together and got service hours done and picked our teacher of the month for January.

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." -- John Cotton Dana

NEED EDUCATIONAL ARTICLES?

If you still need to read educational articles this quarter, check out the links on the right column for Edutopia, THE Journal and Teaching Tolerance. Also, I have included links to some on-line articles that I found interesting. Have fun!

Mean Chics and Ugly Cliques

Half a Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Building a New Business Model

December 7-11 2009

On Monday Book Reports was brought into class to turn in for a grade. Joesph was so excited about his report that he wanted to present his to the class. His book report was on the book " To Kill a Mockingbird" which talked about racism. Also Mrs. Turner passed the article " Seven Gifts for Teachers that will last a lifetime" and assigned to finding a teacher that has all of the gifts in the article and write them a letter. After that we started the movie " Freedom Writers".

On Tuesday during class we decided on what pictures to use for Coach Rhodes room maker over. We also discussed our Christmas Party and made changes with the locations. After that we picked back with the movies "Freedom Writers". After school we decorated Coach Rhodes room, with pictures, laps, curtains, and etc.

On Wednesday we talked about the great success of the room maker for Coach Rhodes. We also signed up for drinks, desserts and chose pizza for the Christmas Party. After that we continued the movie.

On Thursday we had to take pictures for the year book, and when we returned we completed the movie. That night we went to Joesph's house for our Christmas Party. We had so much fun laughing and playing games with each other. Everyone brought silly gifts to exchange and that was very interesting. What a night we had at our Christmas Party!

On Friday we all was in different locations for Teacher Observation at Schools from elementary to high.

Quote :

" A Teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops"- Henry Brooks Adams

" Teachers opens the door, but you must enter by yourself" - Chinese Proverb

Blog Posted by: Kayla L. McCluney

November 23-24 and November 30 - December 4

Monday and Tuesday, November 23 and 24

We made Turkeys for all the teachers with cookies, candy corn and fudge.

Then we delivered them and made them all very happy.

Monday, November 30

We went over the December calendar and decided when to do all of our activities such as: observing, writng to our pen pals, visiting our pen pals, watching Freedom Writers, feeding teachers, and when to party for Christmas.

Tuesday, December 1
Voted on teacher of the Month (I'm pulling for you Ms. Crouch)
Made the winner's stockings, Fixed bulletin boards and put up their stockings.

Wednesday, December 2
We wrote to our pals in the elementary school on a tiger, which is a grown up cat.

Thursday, December 3
This was a choose to observe day or not to observe day.
The people who didn't observe stayed in Mrs. Turner's room and made Christmas mice and started on Reindeer cards for out pen pals.

Friday, December 4
Everyone was observing or helping teachers because we're cool.

My quotes:
"I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about when you get home besides homework." -Lily Tomlin as "Edith Ann"

"The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn." - John Lubbock

Quotes for November 16-20

"Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner; put yourself in his place so that you may understand . . . what he learns and the way he understands it." - - Soren Kierkegaard

"The whole art of teaching is the only art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards; and curiosity itself can be vivid and wholesome only in proportion as the mind is contented and happy." - - Anatole France

November 16-20

Monday November 16, 2009

We all had our Middle School observations at Mauldin Middle School. We observed 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes in various subjects such as math, science, social studies, english, and even home economics. I observed a 7th grade english class. They took notes and reviewed what they had read in "Twelfth Night". I observed that there were many differences between the middle school class and the elementary school class from room decorations to student interaction.


Tuesday November 17, 2009

We started off class with Katy's blog from 2 weeks ago. We talked about our elementary school and middle school observations comparing and contrasting the schools (more colorful vs. more plain) and the classrooms (very decorative and busy vs. not as much). Even the way some of the desks were arranged was different. We then picked which high school and subject we would prefer to go to in order to observe for our high school unit. We finished class with the Ron Clark Academy students singing about the election (You Can Vote However You Like) and their trip to South Africa.


Wednesday November 18, 2009

First we confirmed our high school selections for our high school observations on Friday. Then Andrea and Quentin read their story "7th Grade Woes".



After their story, we worked to get ready for our Teacher Cadet Breakfast with the Experts in groups to come up with questions for teachers, administrators, special education teachers, coaches, and guidance counselors. After each group came up with questions for each, each group was assigned one of the categories to pick out the 10 best questions. These questions were then typed up by Mrs. Turner so we could each have a copy.

Thursday November 19, 2009

We had our Teacher Cadet Breakfast with the Experts. It was an awesome experience and a great way to practice our professional skills by interviewing teachers, administators, special education teachers, guidance counselors, and coaches. I had the experience of interviewing Mrs. Collins. She was really nice and had a lot of good insight about teaching. Since she teaches mostly college prepatory(cp) classes, it was good to hear what she had to say about its challenges. She also answered many questions about getting students involved, how to handle challenging students, teaching to each student's learning styles, and coming up with lesson plans. It was a really good learning experience.

Friday November 20, 2009

We had our high school observations. We went to multiple high schools. Some went J.L. Mann, Greenville High, etc. and some stayed at Mauldin. I stayed at Mauldin and observed Miss Mulvey's Spanish I cp class. It was a great experience to witness first hand some of the challenges teachers face. It worked out really well that I got to see exactly what I had heard Mrs. Collins talking about the day before. I also got to observe a little bit of Miss Mulvey's Spanish III honors class. The behavioral difference was astounding. It was truly an experience I will never forget.

November 9-13

November 9

We discussed Ron Clarke and his new school out of Atlanta. We also prepared for our Mauldin Elementary by choosing what teacher we wanted to observe. Afterward, we began The Ron Clarke Story, a life-story about Ron Clarke and how he began teaching those who are underprivileged.

November 10

Today, we continued watching The Ron Clarke Story. . .

November 11

We still continued to watch The Ron Clarke Story. Today, we finished the movie and reminsced on his teaching abilities and what a good movie we watched.

November 12

On November 12, we traveled to Anderson University. Here, we were involved in a campus tour, Teacher Cadet informational session, and a life/time management class.

We met many new, cool people from different schools aroun the upstate. AND Mrs. Turner's Teacher Cadet Conference was BETTER!!

November 13

Friday was a relaxing day. We all were assigned an elementary school to go to on Monday, and today we went to an elementary school to observe a teacher and their classroom. We related their classroom activity to the psychological development stages that we learned in class.

"Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us."

- Earl Nightingale

"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right."

- Confucius

November 2-6, 2009

MONDAY November 2, 2009
In class we discussed Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory. We read an article about the different stages of his theory and wrote a reflection. After that we read a few more articles and reflected on them as well. We finished up class by reading some of our barrier books that were intended for elementary aged children. WE ALSO GOT OUR CUTE PEN PAL LETTERS!!

TUESDAY November 3, 2009
We continued to talk about the Erikson article by taking each stage and pairing it with an experience we each personally had. This led to the sharing of many personal stories in class. Tears were shed and laughter sure did bust out. I believe it was a true bonding experience!

WEDNESDAY November 4, 2009
Took a look at the Parenting Elementary-Aged Children article and the Summary of Dr. David Elkind's Major Points in The Hurried Child article. Afterwards we reflected on them.

THURSDAY November 5, 2009
We read the other barrier books pertaining to elementary level children. Afterwards, we made our pen pal's a "snake" fold out activity to practice their spelling.

FRIDAY November 6, 2009
We vistited Mauldin Elementary School! After officially meeting our pen pals, we split into groups to read our barrier books and let them color a picture that was related to the book. It was so much fun, and the kids really enjoyed it. We just adore our pen pals!



QUOTE OF THE WEEK
A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image.
-- Author Unknown

October 26- 30 2009

MONDAY Oct 26 2009
On Monday we all turned in our childrens books! Everyone did such a good job. We spent most of the day reading our books out loud to the class.


TUESDAY Oct 27 2009
On Tuesday we went on an amazing field trip! We went to Five Oaks Academy where we learned about a place where you measure fractions by garden crops and learn to write cursive in the sand.The Montessori method of education is a model that serves the needs of children of all levels of mental and physical ability as they live and learn in a natural, mixed-age group. It allows children to discover, not only from the instructors and specially designed materials, but from playing and learning from one another as well. This builds confidence, trust and social skills that will be necessary for them to adapt in the world as they grow.

WEDNESDAY Oct 28 2009
Wow two field trips in one week! We week to the Middle School for The Montessori program. We had a blast!

THURS Oct 29 2009
We wrote in our lovely journals about our experiences in The Montessori schools. We also spent the whole time in class discussing the pros and cons of The Montessori school. We mostly had a lot of positive things to say about it. :)! Yay!

FRIDAY Oct 30 2009
This day was so much fun! We all worked together to get all of the teacher of the months stuff done! I have never seen such great team work ever! We made ghost and thanksgiving turkeys for all of the teachers. We all had a blast and everything turned out wonderful! TEAMWORK ROCKS!!! :)

October 12-15, October 19-23

Monday October 12th:
We reflected in our journals about our toy trip to Wal-Mart, and our play day on Friday. In our journals, we talked about our favorite toy, the toy that was hardest to find, and other experiences from our field trip. We then swapped journals and made comments about other experiences, and had a class discussion about what we found most interesting. We also talked about the play day on Friday in relation to our lesson on the purpose of children's play in relation to cognitive development as well as the centers that cater to different types of learning and their effectiveness of teaching what they were intended to.





Tuesday October 13th:
We discussed the psychiatrist Vgyotsky and his theory of the importance of language in relation to social interaction. Which in simple terms, stated that language and social interaction encourage learning. We experienced this, by experiencing learning with out language through a Leggo activity. We were each assigned different jobs to complete a Lego model in which our speech was limited or who we could talk to was limited. It was incredibly hard and frustrating, and made us appreciate our ability to convey our thoughts verbally without many restrictions.

Wednesday October 14th:
This was our field trip to Overbrook Child Development Center. We met at the school at 8:30, and divided into cars and all followed Mrs. Turner to Overbrook. When we got there, we were greeted by a large parrot and a friendly staff member. We all piled into the cafeteria and heard all about Overbrook and their funding and how they are unique from other development centers like them. Then, we divided into groups of three or four and spent about 5-7 minutes in each classroom. While there, we all had very interesting experiences: like Rachel's hair being brushed with a broom and braided, being fed fake food, being climbed like a mountain, etc. We all interacted and connected with the children so much, and we were very upset to have to leave. We headed out and met at I-HOP for a after field trip reflection, in which we wrote in our journals and shared our interesting and adorable experiences.

Thursday October 15th:
Our day started early for the Upstate Teacher Cadet Conference, we all moved to the auditorium at nine o'clock. In the auditorium, we had a speaker from CERRA tell us about how important we our to the future and the program. We then had Ann Marie Taylor come up and do a fun activity that involved singing and dancing to represent how she runs her classroom. From 9:15- 10:20, we attended our first workshop. From 10:25- 11:10, we attended our second workshop. Between 11:15 and 12:40, we either had lunch and time to look around at the booths or an informational session on Teaching Fellows and other scholarship opportunities. 12:45- 1:30 was the last workshop. At the end of that workshop we all made our way back to the auditorium where Jason Fulmer discussed his classroom and read excerpts from Thank You, Mr. Falker. Then, final announcements were made and door prizes were handed out.




The week of October 19-23 was spent working on our Barrier Books to be turned in on Monday.

'Do not go where the path may lead; go where there is no path and leave a trail.' Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday Oct 5- We used the laptops with our partners to work on our children's books. Mrs. Turner also discussed The Upstate Teacher Cadet Confernce. She showed us what the shirts will look like and discussed what we were going to do through out the day.
Tuesday Oct 6- We continued using the laptops with our partners. Mrs. Turner gave us a sheet to sign up for the sessions during the UTCC. Mrs. Turner also assigned homework on the cognitive stages children go through.
Wednesday Oct 7- Mrs. Turner went over our homework about the different stages kids go through. We took notes on Piaget's Cognitive Stages: Sensorimotor (birth to about age 2), Preoperational (2-6), Concrete (7-11), and Formal Operations (12+).

Thursday Oct 8- We took a field trip to Walmart! Our assignment was to fill out a chart of how children play and what type of toys attract the different type of age groups.
Friday Oct 9 - Our class was cut short because of pep rally schedule. During our shortened class, we had different stations to play at: play dough, shaving cream, card games, finger paint, imaginary play (with dress up items and baby dolls), and coloring materials. We had two guests during the class period. Mrs. Wethington, a kingdergaden teacher at Mauldin Elementray, told us about the importance of each station and how it help build a childs ability to learn. Mrs. Quinn, our pen pal's teacher, was there to observe us and brought most of the toys for us to play with.

September 28 - October 2

Quentin and Joe reading The Acorn People

Monday September 28

We continued our disability unit and started reading The Acorn People. Some finished the book the weekend before but others finished in class and worked on their news articles or other things.

Tuesday September 29

Katherine and I with our acorn necklaces!

We talked about our special education observations for Wednesday and where we were going for the class period. We talked about the Acorn People and how the main characters where children with disabilites that were "thrown" into a camp for boy scouts. At the end of the book, the children and the counselor, Ron who was just looking for a way to make money for the summer, realized that they could actually accomplish things and have fun without being someone's "hidden secret" or "inconvience". The children and Ron made acorn necklaces and called themselves the "acorn people." Later in the class, we made our own acorn necklaces with the characters and their descriptions.

Victoria, Aliyah and Quentin and some of the students in Mrs. Smith's class.

Natalie, Chelsea S., Casey and I with some more students in Mrs. Smith's class.

Wednesday September 30

Everyone split up and went to their different sites for our special education observations. A few of us stayed at school and went to interact and have breakfast with Mrs. Smith's class, which was just a minute away down the hall. The teacher cadets and Mrs. Smith's class were both excited! We all talked about different things and realized that the class learned things that aren't usually taught, like cleaning, cooking and etc.

Thursday October 1

Mrs. Turner was absent so we had a substitute. We continued working on our acorn necklaces.

Quentin and Johnakin

Friday Ocober 2

Mrs. Turner read us a great story about how a math teacher had her students write positive things about each other and they all ended up saving them years later to remind themselves about what their classmates said about them. One of the main characters, who was disabled, kept his list all those years in his wallet even after dying in the Vietnam War. After the story, we all read our positive pot. I'm keeping mine! At the end of class we also choose our partners,topics and age groups for our barrier books. And it was Nisha's birthday!

Quote

"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure"
-Sven Goran Eriksson

"Do not fear the winds of adversity. Remeber: A kite rises against the wind rather than with it." -Unkown

I chose these quotes because they show that even if you're not like everyone else, you can still overcome your obstacles and make something of yourself.