Visit Update 1

In just the first 2 sessions of my ELL placement, I have realized how much I really enjoy programs like this. The young girl I have been working with is very bright, but does not have the methods to express her intelligence just yet. I love helping her harness that ability.

There have been a few challenges in working with her. Although she is bright, she has trouble digging deep to answer more analytical questions. She tends to not pick up on context clues in her readings. Most times, for her to truly understand the significance of an event in her text, I will either have to act it out or give her a more relatable example that is comparable to the one given in her book. From there, I have to ask her multiple questions that lead her to the answer of the prompt given on her worksheet. Although it can be exhausting, I find it really rewarding when she is able to think about something on a deeper level.

My favorite memory thus far has been teaching her how to use a dictionary. At first I did the searching for her, and she watched how I found the words. When I handed the book over to her, it was very interesting to watch. She didn't know the order of the alphabet too well and struggled with knowing which way she should look in the book to find her word. This made me start to wonder if teachers nowadays are giving their students enough resources. These students do have computers, but there is a big difference between an online dictionary and a hard copy. You really need to be able to use both. Especially with this child as an English language learner, I was shocked that no one had taught her how to use one before.

Dual Immersion Proposal

As a prospective middle school educator, I am interested in giving my students opportunities to squeeze every little bit they can out of their learning. My specific subject area is Spanish, so I am really interested in getting my students involved in other languages and cultures. That being said, I believe that the integration of a dual immersion program could be really beneficial to their learning.

Dual immersion programs focus on learning in both English and another language. Preferably, it is with native English speakers and native speakers of another language (for my example, Spanish). With Spanish as my content area, I can see students learning much more about language, culture, and social skills with this method of learning. Yes, being in a classroom that speaks only Spanish forces the kids to learn the language and the culture that surrounds it, but it also allows them to connect with the other students, especially those who speak Spanish natively. These connections are so important in middle school, because most kids are struggling to find meaningful relationships. The native Spanish speakers are bound to help those learning, and the same goes for when they are in the English classroom. Hopefully, these positive interactions in class will set a precedent for meaningful relationships outside of the classroom.

However, much more is possible through dual immersion other than building relationships. Research has shown that dual immersion programs increase the understanding of not only the new language being learned, but also one’s native language. This understanding comes with toleration and appreciation for other cultures, which is something we really need to work on in today’s society. It would help build a future of well rounded, young adults. Research shows that dual immersion programs have also improved performance on tasks requiring “divergent thinking, pattern recognition and problem solving.” (http://windom.mpls.k12.mn.us/benefits_of_spanish_dual_immersion) Lastly, it shows “enhanced levels of meta-linguistic awareness… which has proven to be imporant to reading acquisition” (http://windom.mpls.k12.mn.us/benefits_of_spanish_dual_immersion).

Therefore, integrating a dual immersion program into a middle school would not only help with relationships among students, but would positively affect their academic success. I really think this would be an amazing tool to use in schools to push students in the right direction of caring about each other and their academics.

Source: http://windom.mpls.k12.mn.us/benefits_of_spanish_dual_immersion

Theories of Development

As I have mentioned before, adolescence is a tricky stage in life. The brain is developing, and so is the individual. These kids are constantly swarmed with new stresses and responsibilities and are just trying to hold on. It is essential for them to have understanding and helpful teachers especially during this period of their lives. Through last week's instruction about theories of development, I learned a little more about how I would like to be as a future educator.

First and foremost, I would want my classroom to follow the educational theory of progressivism. John Dewey created this theory of teaching, believing that students needed to learn more through experimentation. Dewey encouraged having a student-centered classroom and promoting active engagement. Active engagement allows students to be more in charge of their learning. They get to choose topics that they are more interested in and passionate about. This makes them more likely to try in class, and really take interest in what they're learning about. Thus, they are more engaged. This makes the learning environment more student-centered, because it's the learner's needs coming before the instructor's.

I want to incorporate this theory of teaching into my classroom in the future because I want my classroom to be one where kids are excited to learn. I am becoming a teacher not because I want to lecture, but because I want to help kids grow and realize what their real passions are. For example, in a Spanish classroom, I can have kids participate in active engagement through project-based learning. They could make skits, presentations, or songs about something they are interested in in Spanish. I'm sure that some kids would rather present about the importance of soccer in Brazil than ancient history once in awhile. Activities like this would also get the kids using Spanish in a more real context.

For more on Progressivism: https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html

The other theory I really connected with was Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The diagram below shows 5 stages of need that every human being needs met.

In education, this chart is important to keep in mind, because as a teacher, you need to accommodate students at whatever level they are at. While some kids may have reached the top of this pyramid, others may not even have the basics down at the bottom. For example, if you're working in a poverty stricken area, a lot of your kids may not be eating breakfast before school. If they are coming in without something in their stomachs, they will not be able to concentrate during class. Therefore, if you're in an area like this, it may be a good idea to bring snacks for your kids. It's all about meeting them where they're at so they can have the best education possible.

A video on Maslow's Hierarchy in the classroom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7wZGyaGuHg

Power of the Adolescent Brain

The brain is such a complicated, confusing, yet crucial organ in the body. We all need one to survive and grow, but what we don't always realize is that our brain is growing with us. Chapters 1 and 2 from the Power of the Adolescent Brain shed light on this growth.

Between 5 and 6 years old, 95% of brain volume is complete. By age 10, the volume is fully complete, having reached its adult size. In the past, this was regarded as the point in which the brain had reached maturation, however, in recent years, science has come to show us that is not the case. While the brain may have grown physically to its adult potential, it has not grown to its "mental" capacity. In other words, adolescence is the prime time for brain maturation. In adolescence, two brain systems that are improved are the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. The limbic system is developed mostly in early adolescent years, while the prefrontal cortex is targeted in the later years. The limbic system is responsible for many functions, some of which include: risk taking, motivation, long-term memory, and impulsivity. The prefrontal cortex, which doesn't fully develop until your mid twenties, is responsible for: decision making, planning, inhibiting impulses, organizing, and self control. 

Image from (http://neurosciencenews.com/prefrontal-cortex-cocaine-addiction-brain-research/prefrontal-cortex-addiction-public/)

After reading this first chapter, I realized how crucial education is for students in this age range, especially middle schoolers. Adolescents have so many needs to be met when it comes to their lives, and the fact that their brains haven't fully developed puts them at a disadvantage. Educators need to adjust their teaching to accommodate the needs their children have at that stage in their development. Chapter 2 discussed neuroplasticity, which is the idea that children's experiences during adolescence shape how they make decisions and how they think for the rest of their lives.

Because these parts of their brains have yet to fully develop and all their experiences are super important, adolescents need extra attention when it comes to their education. The second chapter lists 8 "Brain Friendly" practices for this age group. All of them focus on brain functions that need to be improved. For example, the "opportunities to choose" practice emphasizes the adolescent's ability to make more or less risky decisions in a situation. They are more likely to pick the riskier decision, so this practice encourages them to choose the less risky route. Through making smarter decisions, these kids won't have traumatic or damaging experiences that will influence them for the rest of their lives.

First Blog Post "Everyday" by David Levithan

Currently, my PLC is reading Everyday by David Levithan. The plot of this book is a little confusing, as it follows the story of a 16-year-old named "A" who wakes up in the bodies of other 16-year-olds in Maryland everyday. At first, I found it really hard to connect this to adolescent lives and the classroom. However, I realized after meeting with my PLC that this book is a blessing, as it shows us a multitude of adolescent perspectives. Although the plot itself is highly unlikely, we realize from seeing through another's eyes how little we know about other people's lives. For example, we, as educators, cannot always know how healthy a child's relationship with their parent(s) is. It could be extremely positive, or it could be having a severely negative impact on the child's life. Another thing we do not think about is how the student feels in their school environment. Through the eyes of one particularly overweight individual, A learns how important other kid's views of you are. Walking down the street, A feels watched and judged. He suddenly becomes painfully aware of how much he sticks out. Reading this made me think about kids who look/feel different from the rest of the population. These two points specifically really make me want to ensure that I build relationships with my students. This will make them feel like they have someone to guide them or talk to. This relationship could be formed using advisories. I think this would target the area of judgement from others also, because relationships could form between students as they begin to know each other beneath the surface.

Teaming & Advisories

“The quality of the relationship between teachers and students is the single most important aspect of middle level education.” - Van Hoose (1991, 7)

Middle school appears to be a struggle for all kids experiencing it. There are so many changes happening both inside and outside the body. These kids have no idea how to deal with their emotions, and really need an adult figure to look up to and guide them. These feelings and changes alone are overwhelming, but combined with the stress and pressure of school make it so much worse, seemingly unbearable, at times. This is where having an advisory can come into play.

Paraphrasing Burkhardt and Kane's work, an advisory is a small group of students that meets regularly with an assigned faculty member. This faculty member provides insight and support, and is also connected with the student's parents through the school. As the article by Burkhardt and Kane states, having advisories helps create more caring schools. Middle school teachers, being trained in this specific age group, are able to be advocates for their students and are able to appropriately support them. Thus, advisors and their students really build a relationship.

In my experience, I could've used that relationship with my teachers in middle school. I remember struggling with balancing my emotions, and figuring out how to be more independent in school. It was a step up from elementary, but not quite high school. It was all very confusing. In my high school, however, advisory programs were implemented my freshman year. There were about 8-10 kids per teacher. I do not feel as though the teacher I had was well enough prepared for his position, but I think he did a really good job at building relationships with each one of us in the group. The part he seemed to struggle with was offering us academic advice, but he tried really hard. Although I originally did not see the point of this advisory, I think it was a really eye-opening experience. I talked more with kids I had never really associated myself with before, and I saw them in a whole new light. I think that this experience, with the right educator, could be extremely beneficial in a middle school environment.

Advisories, however, are just a branch of a much larger educational topic called teaming. Teams are made up of teachers whose goals are to better their school community. According to the article, “Organizational Structures that Support Meaningful Relationships and Learning”, the “Five characteristics of a successful team are (a) having a culture of discourse at their center, (b) having a clearly defined purpose that guides their work and measurable goals that they can achieve (c) being able to define and commit to norms that guide how the team operates, (d) being disciplined in maintaining their focus, (e) communicating effectively within the team and with those outside the team”. Teaming allows for more personalized learning and student contact. The best example of this is advisories, as discussed above. Teaming also helps create a platform for collaboration among teachers. The teachers in a team are welcome to share what has and hasn't worked in their classrooms, leaving a possibility for growth. Discussion like this promotes new ways of teaching and new opportunities in every classroom, which can help learning be more individualized. This is crucial for middle school, as a teacher is trying to juggle so many learning styles, and could use a helping hand when they run out of ideas.

Articles Referenced:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4-yDe2y5kw3eG1rUlVSVHA5T2M/edit

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6XDMDNKCm2FdkhmY2hCVm1aZXc/view