Melissa Kelly wrote an article called, “What Students, Parents and Administrators Expect of Teachers.” This article list some the responsibilities that teachers have that they may not realize that they have. For example, teachers must explain their subject matter to the students in a way that every student’s understand. The need and abilities of every child is different, so creating a lesson plan that gives every child an equal opportunity to learn can be difficult. Teachers must also be able to inspire every student no matter where that student comes from, or what their backstory may be.
Another skill that teachers must have is organization. When teachers are organized they are able to do their job better and maintain their classes better. They also need to have a good sense about common sense. Teachers do not want to put their students in danger because they did not use common sense and did something not safe. An important skill that teachers need is discretion. Teachers get a lot of personal information about their students. It is important that they know when to share information and when not to. This is for the teacher’s job safety and the child’s safety. The biggest job that teachers have is to be a good role model both within the walls of the classroom and out. The private life of a teacher has a large impact on the teacher’s professional success. If teachers do something unmoral outside of class, it affects how they teach. I thought that this article made some really good points. I liked how it talked about being a good role model. Just because we are not in the school, does not mean that our students stop seeing us as their teacher. Think back to when you were in high school and you saw your math teacher at the grocery store. Even though you are old enough to know that your teacher also needs food to eat and there are only two places to get food in your town, it is still strange to see you teacher outside of school. They are still your teacher. The same goes for teacher. We are still a teacher even outside of our classroom walls, and no matter where we go, we will be role models for the students that we teach. Kelly, M. (n.d.). What Responsibilities Does a Teacher Have? Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/responsibilities-of-teachers-7903
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In the article, “No Substitute for Good Planning,” by Judy Brunner and Dennis Lewis gives out advice on what to do for a student teacher. Often times, we assume that a student teacher is just as qualified to teach as the actual teacher. Just like we assume that the substitute piolet of a plan, can fly the plan just as while as the actual piolet of the plan. The reality is, not all substitute teachers are as qualified to teach as the teacher themselves. For this reason, it is very important to have a substitute teacher folder that can be given to the substitute if the teacher is out.
In this folder for the substitute should be a checklist of requirements so that the substitute can know what is needed to be complemented throughout the school day. Also, he school’s crisis plan should be in there. Where does the class need to go for a fire and so forth? If the building needs to be evacuated, where should they go? Along with this, the substitute needs to be given a list of students with health problems. That way if a health issue arises with this particular child, the teacher will be able to know what to do. It is just another part of keeping the students safe. The substation teacher should also be given a seating chart. That way they can know where each student is to sit and be able to tell who is missing a lot easier. Most importantly, the substitute teacher must be given a lesson plan. This will keep the students engaged, but will be easy for the teach to pull up and use when they cannot be at school. These lesson plans should be easy enough that anyone can teach regardless of their certification. I had always thought that teachers gave substitutes easy lesson plans. I thought that it was a good idea to know what the schools emergency plans were. I did not think about the fact that the substitute would need to know about some of the major health concerns that the students have. It makes sense though. You want the substitute to be prepared for any situation that may occur while they are filling your shoes. I liked how it related substitute teachers to copilots. Brunner, J., & Lewis, D. (2005). No substitute for good planning. Principal Leadership, 6(2), 65-66. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.byui.idm.oclc.org/docview/234992036?accountid=9817 “6 Great Learning Games to Fill Time,” by Laura Owen gives six games that any teacher could use to entertain the students for a couple of awkward minutes. Most of the cames can be done anywhere. They are games that the students will enjoy playing and want to play.
The first game that was listed was Buzz. This game helps students to learn their multiplication. All of the students start to count. The goal is to say buzz when you reach a multiple of the target number or a number with the target number in it. For example if six was a target number you would buzz at 6, 12. 16, 18, 24, and so on. If a student does not say buzz on the correct number, they are out of the game. Games two and three are very similar to each other. They are brain teasers. Game 4 was 20 questions. This game has been around for a long time and can be played almost anywhere. The game split is a spelling game. This is a more complicated game and is advised not to be played with younger students. After reading the instructions several times, I still am not sure what is going on. The last game mentioned is call Sad Truth. This came focuses on grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation mistakes. I thought that these game could be a lot of fun. Some of the instructions were a little hard to understand. Although, I think that There are ways to adapt all of these games to fit an FCS classroom. In another article that I was reading it also mentioned to do pictionary which I also thought was a great idea to learn vocab. Owen, L. (n.d.). 6 Great Learning Games to Fill Time. Retrieved April 06, 2018, from http://teaching.monster.com/education/articles/7958-6-great-learning-games-to-fill-time “Breakout EDU Brings “Escape Room” Strategy to the Classroom,” is an article that reviews and explains what Breakout EDU is. It is written by Phil Goerner. Breakout EDU is a website that teachers can go to to order different critical thinking games. There are over 255 different games ranging. The cames also come in different age groups ranging from early childhood to adult. Breakout EDU simulates the same structure that can be found in the many escape rooms that are popping up all over the US. These escape rooms help to teach leadership, team building, critical thinking, problem solving, and troubleshooting. These games are great for introductions into a unit or to help solidify the information that has already been taught. It also helps to keep the students engaged because they want to find out what is in the box. If they get something wrong, they can go back and try again. Breakout EDU is becoming popular in schools because of they way that it teaches.
I think that Breakout EDU sounds like a lot of fun. I loved the escape room that I did, and have wondered if there as an easy way to be able to do that in your classroom. Now I know that i can and I am excited. This is definitely something that I am going to try while teaching. https://www.breakoutedu.com/about https://www.slj.com/2016/09/reviews/tech/breakout-edu-brings-escape-room-strategy-to-the-classroom-slj-review/#_ “Why classroom games can be much more than lesson fillers,” an article published on August 25, 2017, by Mike Astbury give reasons why games should be in the classroom. Games are helpful to helping students keep on track and engage in the lesson. One reason why games are good to play in the classroom is that it is a great way to revisit contend that you had previously learned in the classroom. Games are great reviews for tests. They also are great to see how much a the students know before the start of a new unit. Games also are a great companion for book work. They get students interested in the lesson before the teach assigns the boring book work. Students are more engaged in the lessons when they find ways to make them fun.
Another great way that games help in the classroom is it encourages creativity in students and helps with their language. They can use the vocab of the class to tell jocks and to help form their own opinions. Games also have a tendency to help the teacher as well as the students. Teachers become more inventive. Games add variety to the class and to the lesson plans. I have always thought that it was fun to play games in class. They help the students learn and have fun at the same time. They also learn that education can be fun. While trying to plan lessons this semester, I have been trying to find ways to add games and make the lessons more fun and engaging. I also like how Mike said about games helping the teacher. It can get boring writing the same type of lesson plans, but games add variety to what the teacher is teaching. If the teacher is board, the students will be as well. Astbury, M. (2017, August 25). Why classroom games can be much more than lesson fillers. Retrieved April 02, 2018, from https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/why-classroom-games-can-be-much-more-lesson-fillers In the article, “How to Motivate Students: Top 12 Ways,” by Annie Condron, give classroom management tips. It can be hard to motivate students especially in the first year of teaching. Students tend to have short attention spans. The first tip, to grab their attention is to praise the students in big and small ways. Students like to know when they are doing well. The next step is to set the expectations for the class high. After that is to spread make excitement contagious.
Even though a classroom should be well managed, it is okay to change it up from time to time. Going along changing things up, give the students jobs and rotate the students through each job. Students can even be given the opportunity to choose their own jobs. Let the students have some control in the class. They like to feel like they are incharge. Taking it to the next level, you can allow your students to decide what you do on Fridays. The students can pick between lecture, discussion, study time, or what will work in your class. Another important thing to do is to relate the lessons to the students’ lives. Students tend to care more about what they are learning when they apply it to their lives. Don’t be afraid to show them the improvement that they have made. There are several more tips as well, but I thought that the ones that I listed were the most important from the list in helping the students who do not want to be in the class to participate in the class. A lot of these tips we have already talked about. I think that the best thing to do to help the kid that does not want to be there is to give them a responsibility. When students have a job to do, they feel like they are important and needed in the class. It may not work will all cases. Also changing how you do things and making sure that your class if fun and informative at the same time. How to Motivate Students: Top 12 Ways. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2018, from http://www.teachhub.com/top-12-ways-motivate-students In the article, “Sewing Room Safety: Needles and Pins and Blades – Oh My,” by Liz Johnson, published on October 7th, 2011 talks about ways to keep your sewing room safe. Pins and needles are a common thing found in sewing rooms. They can sometimes be found in unexpected places, especially, the floor. Needles and pins are often discovered on the floor with our feet. That is why it is always a good idea to wear shoes when working in a sewing room. It is always a good idea to keep the sharp objects in as safe place near the sewing machine. It is also good to have a system for what you do when you need to through sharp objects away. The article suggests using an old spice container with the shaker holes at the top. All that needs to be done is to through the pins and needles in the container. When the container if full, then you throw it away. This prevents needles slipping out of the bag or getting lost.
When it comes to the iron, make sure that it turns off every time you leave the sewing room. It is really easy for small children or animals to knock irons over causing fires. Going along with children an animals, expect them to do the unexpected. They are unpredictable and it is better to keep them out of the room all together. The last tip is to put everything away when you are done with it and before leaving the classroom. This helps to keep track of where things are and keeping others safe when they enter the room. I thought that this article was extremely useful for not just home use but classroom use. There are a lot of things that can be considered dangerous in a sewing room. As a teacher, it is important to have the policies in place so that the students do not harm themselves or others. Having a policy to do with needles and pins is a good idea to keep them off the floor. It is not fun to find a needle in your foot. Sew4Home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2018, from https://sew4home.com/tips-resources/interviews-inspirations/sewing-room-safety-needles-and-pins-and-blades-oh-my “New Food Science Lab, food management sequence making future sweeter,” an article by Rachel Hatch, published on September 29, 2015 gives ways that family and consumer sciences labs are evolving. Having just renovated the food science classroom at Illinois State University, Rachel Vollmer is glad for the change in the room. Originally the room was set up to, “prepare women to be homemakers…”(para. 3). The room mimicked that of what you would find in a home. However, the family consumer science industry is heading in a different way. It is heading toward commercial use. This means that the labs have to be geared more toward restaurant and hospitality. The labs at Illinois State University are now equipped with commercial appliances.
With all of these new changes to the labs, it allows for more flexibility in the room arrangement. The tables are on wheels so that the room can be fixed to fit every class. The new equipment also gives students the opportunity to get a little experience with the equipment that they will be using in a restaurant. They are also taking in to consideration that there are a lot more dietary concerns now then their use to be. Students now have the task of trying to create foods that fit different dietary limits as well as learning the proper techniques for cooking. Even though this article did not give any tips for running a lab, I thought that it was very applicable to what we are as FCS teachers are going into. When I was in high school, we had the traditional labs that looked like our kitchens at home. When I stopped by the school just three years later, there was more commercial appliances. There was a commercial three compartment sink, and a commercial fridge and freezer. The school also had started the “Pro Start” program. This program helps prepare students to work in a restaurant. I think that it is important to know the way that our classes are headed because we will have to adapt what we teach to what is expected of us to teach. It also changes how we run our labs. A lab set up like residential kitchens are run slightly different than a lab set up like a restaurant. Hatch, R. (2015, October 13). New Food Science Lab, food management sequence making future sweeter. Retrieved March 23, 2018, from https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2015/09/new-food-science-lab-food-management-sequence-making-future-sweeter/ Jennifer Gonzalez wrote an article called, “5 Powerful Ways to Save Time as a Teacher,” on December 26, 2015. The article starts out by saying how teacher do not seem to have enough time to do all the work that they have. This can sometimes lead to an unbalanced life while trying to juggle home life and work life. Jennifer than notes the “40-hour Teacher Workweek Club,” a club that helps give out tips on how teachers can save time. The club was started by Angela Watson. Jennifer than goes on to list Angela’s five tips for saving time as a teacher.
The first one is to eliminate unintentional breaks such as, checking social media, drifting to the TV, or stopping for a second to talk to another teacher who popped in for a quick second. When focusing when at work, people tend to find more free time later. The second thing is to figure out what the main thing is a do it first. Often time teacher get caught up with all of the small things and put off the big thing. However, when the big thing is done first, we have more time to do the smaller things. Next is to do like activates in batches and avoid multi-tasking. Multi-tasking does not help accomplish anything and lead to poor work. It is suggested that instead of checking our email every 20 minutes that we set two times a day to check emails and respond to them. If we need to photocopy somethings, photocopy the whole weeks’ worth at the same time. This may take longer in the moment, but save time in the long run. The fourth thing is to look for ways that you can relax standards that are creating unnecessary work. Teachers tend to be perfectionist and want everything done right. However, trying to get everything done right is a lot of work. The last tip given is to use boundaries to set your time. Set a specific time for doing lesson plans and then stick to it. When teachers do this, they realize how long it takes to do a task. With this, it is important to stick to the schedule you created. People tend to work more effective if they have a time limit on what they are doing. I thought that this article was extremely helpful. The second tip reminded me of the rock, pebble, and sand demonstration for time use. When we do the big things first, we still have time to do the smaller things, but if we do the smaller things first, we do not have time for the large things. I also had never thought about working in batches. Personally check my email roughly ten times a day if not more. I could save a lot of time if I just checked it twice. The last tip makes a lot of sense to me. When I have an hour that I need to get something done in, I usually get it done. However, if I have the whole day, I don’t tend to get it done. It is interesting how that works. Gonzalez, J. (2015, December 26). 5 Powerful Ways to Save Time as a Teacher. Retrieved March 21, 2018, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/40hour/ The Food and Health website has an article called, “5 Fast and Easy Cooking Demonstration Ideas” give out tips on giving demonstrations. Most of tips come from Judy Doherty, the founder of Food and Health Communications. The article starts out by saying how hard demonstrations can be. Demonstrations should be engaging and informative. The recipes should be delicious and worth making. Sometimes, there is difficulty with the demonstration space.
The first tip given is to read the recipe all the way through a couple days before you have to give the demonstration. The next is to buy the ingredients two days before as well. Go through the lesson plan and make sure the information was correct. A couple hours before, make sure that you have all the equipment that you need and get it ready. Measure out the ingredients that you need and lay them out in order from the first one needed. The ingredient that you need first should be the closest to you. Review the safety information and all equipment to make sure that it is safe. While giving the demonstration, make sure that you introduce yourself. Also make sure you explain all the ingredients that you need for the demonstration. Give a quick outline of what you are going to do, then fallow the recipe. Once you are done, make sure you allow those observing the demonstration to test the food. If you are not making a batch big enough for everyone that will be there, prepare a couple batches a head of time so that everyone can taste it. Even though Judy’s tips are for a one time demonstration, her tips are helpful for even teachers. It is wise to make sure you can read a recipe because if you can’t read it, your students can’t read it. As FCS teachers, we will have a good idea of the equipment in our classroom works, but it is still a good idea to make sure that the equipment that is not used regularly will still work. I really like how she gives advice on when to give more information, or mini lessons during the demonstration. Doherty, J. (2018, February 26). 5 Fast and Easy Cooking Demonstration Ideas. Retrieved March 18, 2018, from http://foodandhealth.com/5-cooking-demonstrations/ |
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