I have to say, each week is getting better and better. I am learning so much from actually being in the classroom. In my psychology class I learned something that applied to the classroom the very next day! We were discussing decoding and comprehension and what happens in the brain during these two processes. Dr. Marshall explained words we know are stores in the lexicon in the brain. When we recognize a word and are able to read it, it is because we have a match for the word in the lexicon. If we don’t have a match, or if we don’t have enough vocabulary to recognize the word, or if we can’t make a connection through the ventral stream in the brain we have to use another part of the brain to recognize the word. This area is called the dorsal stream which is used for decoding words. As you can see, this is a long process the brain must go through to recognize and read a word. Since all the energy is taken up from trying to decode the word, the brain is not able to comprehend what it is reading. If all the time is spent trying to decode words, the student will never be able to fully comprehend what is being read. I had conversation with my CT about this the say after discussing this in class. We were doing a guided reading group with some of the students in class. Some of the students had trouble decoding the words, and my teacher was concerned because they are not able to retell the story. She told me that if they spend all their time deciding words, their comprehension will be hindered. This is why she wants to work on their fluency, so they will be able to read better, recognize more words and be able to comprehend what they read.
In my ESOL class, we were discussing culture and how, as a teacher it is important to be a culturally responsive one, being aware of the cultures of our students, and be able to respect them. I read that one aspect of a culture is how involved ones parents may be with their students schoolwork. This got me thinking, should we punish the students for their parent’s non-involvement with their child? As, teachers we often reprimand children for not turning in their homework, or not turning in papers to be signed. Well what if it’s not the child’s fault? What if their parents are never around to sign their kid’s papers or help them with their homework? My CT and I had a discussion about this and we agreed that we can’t always punish the children for their lack of turning in assignments, among other things. It might not be their fault. We discussed that we have no idea what our students are going home to, what their life is like. They may have to take care of themselves, or do homework on their own. In the end, there is only so much we can do. We also discussed the importance of knowing about other cultures and exposing them to the students. I was reading my ESOL book I saw a quote that that reminded related to cultural awareness in the classroom, “Spanish words have enriched the minds and tongues of North Americans” (225). This is true and is important for students to realize this. In class we were filling out a worksheet for Hispanic Heritage Month that listed words in English, and we had to match it to the Spanish word. One of the words was cheese-covered chips which matched to nachos. One of the students called out “Hey! Nacho is an English word!”. She had not realized that some of the words we use in English are actually Spanish words. This made me realize how important it is for students to understand where words come from. Having students know about other cultures is also critical. They should know that there are other cultures out there and we need to be respectful and aware of them.
This week, I did my first real read-aloud with a lesson attached. I read Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey, and had the students fill out a chart about the feelings felt by the characters, and how they knew those were their feelings by using evidence from the text. One thing I learned from reading aloud was when to show the pictures. This particular book was funny and had the students laughing the entire time. I made the mistake of reading and showing the funny pictures at the same time, causing the students to laugh the whole time I was reading. From this, I learned to, when reading a funny book, to delay the pictures until after I read the words on the page, so they can pay attention to the book, but still enjoy the funny pictures. In my Teaching Children’s Literature class, we discussed picture books, and how the pictures make the story. They move the plot along, develop the characters, and make the book even more enjoyable. I realized that Dog Breath is one of those picture books that enhances the story. The noticed how the pictures made the story coming to life, illustrating the dog’s stinky breath and how the children tried to get rid of it. The story surely wouldn’t have been as entertaining if it weren’t for the amazing illustrations.
We had a substitute this week, and one of the situations that happened in class reminded me of something I learned in my Classroom Management class about rules and procedures. Normally, the students are allowed one bathroom trip before lunch and one after, and a water break after P.E. They supposedly know the rules, and don’t break them when the teacher is present. However, after music, the students all seemed to have to use the bathroom and get water. This is not allowed, and my CT was informed of the happenings the following day. She was disappointed that her students didn’t follow the rules, gave them a talking to, and remained mad at them the entire day. This shows me that, even though the students follow the rules when the teacher is present, they may not when a sub is present, and may take advantage of the sub not knowing the classroom rules. This made me think about how I should reinforce the rules more when they are being followed and discuss the rules of the classroom before a substitute is going to be present.
Overall, I think this week went pretty well. I am learning a lot and I love that what I read in my textbooks actually happens in class and can be applied to my practice of teaching. I look forward to what I will learn next week!