November 7, 2013
Week Six
Tuesday
The students were introduced to the concept of being assertive while they were talking. Being assertive, in their classroom, meant that they were three things: firm, respectful, and calm. They were to be firm in that their voice was loud enough for everyone to hear in the room, they were to be respectful in that they were not shouting at the class, and they were to be calm in that they were to have control over their bodies and not be swaying their bodies, kicking their feet, or playing with their hands. Having one word that pertained to three different concepts was a clever idea. It was similar to the star position in that way. Every time the students were presenting or talking to the rest of the class, Manny mentioned that they were to be assertive and keep in mind the three things were to be doing while they spoke.
Being assertive and star position made me think back to psychology. We learned about chunking, which is a process where you take bits of information and group it into one idea. By chunking, people are able to retain more information and remember that information better. In this case, Manny was able to remind the students to have a firm voice, not be too loud, and and stand still while speaking to the class all by telling them to be assertive. By chunking information together, Manny did not have to go over these things. He was able to teach in once and save time later on when he would only have to ask them to be assertive. It is a great way to teach and review.
Being assertive and star position made me think back to psychology. We learned about chunking, which is a process where you take bits of information and group it into one idea. By chunking, people are able to retain more information and remember that information better. In this case, Manny was able to remind the students to have a firm voice, not be too loud, and and stand still while speaking to the class all by telling them to be assertive. By chunking information together, Manny did not have to go over these things. He was able to teach in once and save time later on when he would only have to ask them to be assertive. It is a great way to teach and review.
Thursday
The class continued working on their writing circles today. The teacher had the students draw out their personal interests and hobbies inside a heart. Next to the drawing, the students were to write a word that described their interest or hobby. It was a great way to incorporate art in to her lesson. The students were to draw as many ideas as they could and pick out three of them to write about. The next time they were in class they would be sharing the ideas with their tables. Upon reading their stories to their table, they would be getting feedback from everyone, and they would pick one of them to elaborate on and add even more details.
She wanted the students to fill the heart up with as many details as possible, explaining that the picture was a self portrait and the more they draw, the more information another person would know about you. This concept fit in perfectly with my lesson. The students were going to be making a story with pictures and no words. It was shocking how well her lesson fit in with my own.
After class I was talking to the teacher and Manny. She was discussing with him what the writing circles were about. She was explaining that the idea was not to get the students to write more or in unique, fun ways. The goal of the writing circles is to get students comfortable and engaged with writing. The other goal was to get students comfortable speaking in front of others. She explained that children often love sharing their ideas, and if schools were able to link that concept of sharing their ideas with writing, It would get students more engaged or even excited to write.
She wanted the students to fill the heart up with as many details as possible, explaining that the picture was a self portrait and the more they draw, the more information another person would know about you. This concept fit in perfectly with my lesson. The students were going to be making a story with pictures and no words. It was shocking how well her lesson fit in with my own.
After class I was talking to the teacher and Manny. She was discussing with him what the writing circles were about. She was explaining that the idea was not to get the students to write more or in unique, fun ways. The goal of the writing circles is to get students comfortable and engaged with writing. The other goal was to get students comfortable speaking in front of others. She explained that children often love sharing their ideas, and if schools were able to link that concept of sharing their ideas with writing, It would get students more engaged or even excited to write.