I thrive in structure, but I also like the idea of being flexible and allowing my students' interests to guide the classroom discussions. I want an atmosphere that is engaging. That's why I think I'll need to be flexible in some areas. It is hard to practice that in the Pre-II classroom setting when you are co-teaching with another person. I did find an article about flexible seating arrangements with movable furniture being a way that allows for a flexible learning environment.

https://www.schooloutfitters.com/blog/3-ways-to-create-an-effective-flexible-classroom?srsltid=AfmBOorDZLNZs6pVij2DHmqnQfphrTVHzZeSMPKaX-uePJufL8uT10tb

This annotation is mainly for the video. I can understand how having students write about their favorite football team in an English class and drawing about the specific topic that is being discussed, however, how would you be able to assess if a student grasps the content knowledge in a social studies classroom? If I'm teaching about the American Civil War, but Tommy likes to talk about basketball and he is disengaged with his head in his arms on the desk. How can I tell him to write an essay about something that isn't related to the topic? Wouldn't that be reflected during the summative assessments?

This is why I think it's important to survey your students at the beginning of the year in order to learn about their interests. Gaining insight into how your students learn best can help you, as the teacher, vary your teaching methods. Yes, habits can be good so students can know what the expectations are, but offering different sources, different instructional strategies, and diversifying your classroom layout can cover a wide range of learners. Keeping in mind that people learn through all of the major senses can truly help students retain information. For example, I am an auditory learner. I have to read aloud or talk things out. That's why I have to read things a few times to really grasp the material when it's a quiet setting. Therefore, timed tests really get my anxiety levels up. Not everyone has this problem or even recognizes it. Being an auditory learner may be great in the college setting during lectures, but it becomes very difficult in the test setting when everything is quiet. How could a teacher make an adjustment in the test setting for my scenario?

In Social Studies, it seems that direct instruction is the main way in which educators teach the subject. However, higher-order thinking-type questions can create an engaging atmosphere. Asking students if they agree with certain concepts related to history can lead to some very interesting topics. How do teachers stay on task, while still allowing time to explore those areas with the students? I feel like the instruction would be more student-centered if that was the case.

Do some teachers have an activity in mind first and find the appropriate learning goals and objectives to match the assignment? What would be some pros and cons to that type of approach? Sometimes, I have an idea of something that I'd like to do, but don't necessarily have a specific topic picked out. Does anyone else plan this way or would there be more issues with this approach?

I think I used reciprocal learning today during my pre-internship. My CT was instructing me on exactly what to teach next week, and I took what she said and acted out my teaching skills. I tend to work better when I verbally say something out loud. Is this the same thing as reciprocal learning?

Would students complete a rubric for each peer, and would that be allowed to be a part of a student's grade?

How do teachers watch 10-12 groups of 2 and make sure that everyone is contributing to the group? In my pre-II, there are several students just coasting off of the work of their peers and watching the students; it seems like they are relying on the students who do put in effort to get them through.

Would holding the group responsible have a negative effect as a whole? For example, the team works on a project, but as the teacher, you know that Johnny wasn't holding up his end of the coursework. Do you punish the whole group with a lower grade or do you just dock Johnny's grade instead?

I actually really like the idea of this, but I would rather have more open communication in the classroom. Instead, could this be used when you are doing more of a game in the classroom? That's how I envision it. You could even split them into small groups and see multiple responses, yet still not have to look at 25 different whiteboards.

I think that reiterating over and over again that you tell the students that you want them to ask questions, because that's how we learn on a deeper level. I found some articles, but nothing that has stuck out. However, at first thought, I think that revolving several lesson plans around questioning and debating can teach students to think about counterclaims and to think two steps ahead in order to figure out what the other side would argue.

In some of my classes, I have noticed that open-ended questions tend to be more daunting when the students haven't been engaging with the material. What if no one answers? Do we just move on?

What would the teacher do if a student just refuses to answer the question or says "I don't know" as an answer? Do you dock students participation points? I seen a post that states doing a think-pair-share or breaking into small groups. Is this more effective?

Which format do you suggest new teachers use or would you suggest having new teachers use AI until we were more comfortable with making our own?

I kind of think that the Holistic rubric could be geared towards history? Could you not just give personal feedback to the student or write it down? Or does that take more time than just using the analytical rubric?

I never had a rubric until I got to college. I found that rubrics were a little overwhelming at first, but then I would break it down section by section, and it became easier to see what was expected of me. It also helped me to be more concise with the information that I chose to include in my assignments.

I've witnessed this being done in the classroom. It really does work more than you would think. Students get nervous if you move closer towards them and if you linger, they may redirect their focus back towards you.

I'm glad this is in here because I didn't even think about that aspect! I might struggle with this as I feel like I sometimes overcompensate. It will definitely take some practice.

I'm not sure that I agree with that statement. Even as an adult, I enjoy hearing that my efforts are recognized and it does help push me to keep being successful. Granted, it may not work for everyone, but I have witnessed it working in several cases and to varying degrees (including teenagers and adults in the workforce). I can't tell you how many times I've heard the saying "It's nice to just feel appreciated".

Sometimes there were teachers that I had growing up, you could just tell they came to school in a bad mood. This is obviously something we should avoid. I read an article once about exercising before school to get in a better mood. However, I don't want to come to school all gross. Does anyone have any ideas how to maintain a good work/life balance so as not to let the stresses of the day affect the home life, or vice versa?

I've learned that this is crucial for teenagers. I coach a competitive softball team and the girls on the team tend to shut down if you are correcting them too much. It's a balance, truly. I feel like highlighting what someone does right helps to soften the correction. Regardless of the correct answer or way to do something, people want their efforts to be acknowledged.

I really liked the video about how to aggregate our students' scores. It seems much simpler and easier for a new teacher to do versus other ways that I have seen.

Even gauging understanding about a topic and asking questions at the beginning of a lesson is a form of Formative Assessment.

I believe this is saying that if my objective is to have students describe the difference between Greece and Rome, but have them do a test as their assessment, then it doesn't really align with the objective. Instead, I would have them either write an essay or perform a project where they are differentiating between the two civilizations.

I know that my technology course taught me somewhat about how to gather assessment data, but that is something that I would like to discuss more in this class. Once we have the students take their assessments, how do we know when to move on, or how long do you stay for another student who may be struggling etc? I know that we may have to use our best judgement, but those are things that I worry about. I don't want to knowingly move passed material that students haven't grasped.

I thought that was the point of a teacher moving throughout the room? If they are being disruptive, wouldn't you want to move closer to the student so the behavior stops or does this mean that when a student has the floor and is speaking in front of the class or giving their input? Not necessarily being disruptive.

I guess layout would also depend on the size of the classroom that you have as well as how many kids you have in all of your classes. In my Pre-I, the only option that would have worked was the one option she had. I feel like the amount of students played heavily into her decision to have more of a traditional layout. Also, it allowed her to move up and down the aisle's. Which she did when the students were being a little rambunctious. It seemed to calm them down once she moved closer to the more talkative students. So an important factor that I need to keep in mind would be that I need to be able to move freely throughout the classroom. Does flexible seating work well in the high school?

I've been telling my husband that I need to save money for my future classroom decorations. He just keeps reassuring me that the school has most of the stuff I would need. I am curious as to what options the schools really have. Will I have to provide storage options, my desk, my chair etc? I have bought some things for the walls, but not sure if I should be on the lookout for other supplies.

Since I will be teaching history of some sort, I have been contemplating a split classroom where half of the students are facing the other half. Has anyone had experience with their classroom being laid out in this manner? It felt like a suitable option for debates and such. I have only had traditional classroom layouts with the teachers desk in the back and the students face the front.

The links aren't working on my end.

It seems like this grading would be aligned well with standards, but I wonder how well this grading would be interpreted. It also seems a little confusing for the teacher to keep up with different skill levels.

I don't think I would be confident about my grades if I didn't experience a little bit of anxiety about it. If the worry aspect was taken away from grading, I don't think I'd care much about my grades. Granted, I care a lot about my grades and I take great pride in my accomplishments. It hasn't been easy for me, in fact, I dropped out of college when I was 18. So the fact that I am doing well has been a driving factor in my success this time. However, I strive hard to make good grades and I push myself to go above and beyond on assignments.

But then the work the students who did the assignment would be in vain right? Am I understanding this correctly? Because surely teachers aren't just overlooking missed assignments on purpose and not assigning a zero.

I know that we aren't necessarily here to argue policies, but I feel that teaching students to turn assignments in on time is a life skill. Neglecting this aspect could hurt them when they are unable to meet deadlines for a job and get fired because of it.

Something that I seen in my Pre-Internship I is that parent's seem to not really care that their students are getting bad grades. I seen several instances where this was the case and it seems like there is a lack of engagment from some students to even complete simple assignments. Is that a phenomenon everywhere?

I would use multiple assessment strategies throughout my lesson. You don't want to get too far into your lesson and leave several students in the dark without checking for understanding and asking questions throughout the lesson. Honestly, asking questions before you even start your lesson plan will dictate how much depth you should go. For instance, if I was teaching Oklahoma History, and all of the students knew about the Trail of Tears because their previous teacher went into great detail, I might briefly cover some areas, so I could go over Reconstruction in greater detail. Assessment is probably one of the best tools that teachers have at their disposal and can come in many different forms.

This seems odd to the way that I would go about the lesson planning process. As a history teacher, my instruction will be pretty lecture-heavy and follow a timeline. However, some lessons I will want to implement different elements (group work, debate, technology, presentations, etc.). I would probably ensure that I am going over the Oklahoma Social Studies standards and covering all of the topics in that era. Then check for understanding and assess (throughout and at the end). I guess what I'm trying to say is that I usually plan the assessment at the end of the lesson planning process. Does anyone else plan the assessment towards the end of the lesson planning process?

I think it's also important to note that a few simple steps at a time are best and then grow in complexity, correct? It's difficult, even as an adult, to remember several small steps to complete. So it might help, to keep students on task, to break things up frequently.

I have never had a teacher who greated us at the door in this way. Has anyone else? I do find it refreshing because it lets the students know she cares about them by greeting them by name. I feel as if it also teaches students how to maintain eye contact in social situations and how to properly greet people. Therefore, it's helping students learn social aspects that are beneficial to them.

I was in 4H all throughout my years in school and this is something that they taught me when giving speeches. I think that practicing it does help, so you don't have to think too much about it, and it begins to come naturally. My best advice would be to practice in front of family/friends and in front of the mirror. I have practiced my teacher voice because I wanted to envision myself as a teacher and consider whether I thought it was something that I could do.

I feel like this is something that I will have to work on. It's easy to get distracted, and I want to encourage students to think critically about history. Is there a way to assure students that you will look into topics during discussions without engaging? Would you just acknowledge their statement, make a note, and keep lecturing?

I always ask my children "do you understand why you are in trouble" and I make sure that they can repeat back to me the reason. I feel like it really helps gauge their understanding and whether I'm wasting my time and energy.

I want to have my class make their classroom rules and sign it like a contract. I loved when my cooperating teacher had her 8th grade class do that.

One thing that my husband and I do with our kids: we give them two or three options and sometimes one of the options would be something clearly negative. It has helped because my daughter knows that she doesn't want that option. Therefore, she usually gravitates towards other options. Meanwhile, I feel like it's helping her critical thinking. Does anyone have any experience with this type of reinforcement for behaviors? Do you think it would work in a classroom setting?

I have noticed when managing my own children that they thrive in an environment where I am consistent. I do notice that they start to act up more and more whenever my husband and I aren't on the same page about the expectations we have regarding their behavior.