Week 5-2 Personal Blog Reflection

1. 30-word micro session summary: 

Assessment for learning and assessment of learning are two different forms of assessment with specific purposes.  Formative assessment is an instructional strategy of assessment that goes hand in hand with instruction in the classroom.

2. Student Perspective: Assessment FOR learning Experience:

My college French professor is an exemplary teacher who utilized formative assessment strategies in order to gather information on my learning and track my progress in fluency of the French language.  For example, my professor would have another student and I work together and talk in French about what we covered in the previous class.  My professor would use this time to listen in on the one-on-one discussion where she would be able to easily determine our development in new language skills as well as our understanding of the cultural lesson.  Although, these discussions were conducted informally, my professor used the formative assessment results to determine whether more work was needed on the current topics or if the class was skilled enough to move on to the next topic.  

3. Teacher Perspective: Formative Assessment Strategy that I Want to Use:

The best formative assessment strategy that I would incorporate into my future teaching practices would be analogies.  I chose analogies because it asks students to create a link between prior knowledge and the new information they have just learned.  I am going to implement the analogy strategy in my classroom by asking my students to create an analogy quietly in their heads.  After allowing some time for reflection, I will prompt each student to share the example they came up with.  The students were first able to reflect on their own personal experiences related to the topic.  Then they have the opportunity to learn from the perspectives of their peers during an open class discussion.  While implementing this assessment I will be looking for creativity and personal experiences from prior knowledge being related to the new topic.  Having the students explain their analogies will demonstrate their depth in understanding about a topic in the classroom. 

4. Teaching Philosophical Statement Assignment:

At the beginning of the course I was very nervous and had low self-efficacy related to creating a knowledgable TPS.  However, I am appreciative of this assignment because it helped me relate what I have learned over the course of this class to my own beliefs about teaching and how the learning process occurs.  This assignment helped reinforce all the information learned into my long-term memory.  The given prompts were very helpful because they helped facilitate my writing and keep it on track.  After completing my teacher philosophical statement assignment my self-efficacy levels were very high.  I felt a sense of accomplishment in the belief that I got so much out of this course.  I believe my instructor supported my writing process because she personally e-mailed me constructive feedback necessary for me to improve my final draft of the assignment.  

5.  Do you have any questions or concerns about course learning? 

Thank you for teaching such a great course!

 6. Week 5-2 Activity Completion Check

	Modules	Topics  & Activity	Check ✓ if Completed
Week 5	Week 5-1 *Due by August 12 at 10:59 am	1) Week 5-1 Reading Quiz	✓
		2) Week 5-1 Discussion Forum: one initial response & two peer feedback replies	✓
		3) Final Blog Activity Survey	✓
		4)  Week 5-1 Personal Blog Reflection	✓
	Week 5-2 *Due by August 12 at 10:59 am	1) Week 5-2 Reading Quiz	✓
		2) Week 5-2 Discussion Forum: One initial response & two peer feedback replies	✓
		3) Week 5-2 Personal Blog Reflection	✓
		4) TPS Final Submission	✓

7. Social Blog Activity: 

Miranda Singer's Blog

Hi Miranda, 

I appreciate your belief that students learn better in an environment where they feel happy and secure.  Emotions play a big role in the classroom because they affect our attention, temperament, and motivation!  I love your approach to supporting marginalized students by creating a warm and welcoming environment.  I can tell you want all your students to succeed to their greatest potential!  Thank you for sharing your ideas! 

Catherine Crouch's Blog 

Hi Cat, 

I loved your visuals in your blog, it is really helpful to see all the factors that play into social and emotional learning.  I watched my sister struggle with social anxiety in school throughout her whole life.  Having a support teacher truly eased her anxiety because she was able to form a positive student-teacher relationship with an educator she felt understood her.  A positive classroom experience can improve emotional learning in the classroom.  Great work!

Week 5-1 Personal Blog Reflection

1.  30-word micro session summary:

Emotions play an important role in the classroom learning experience.  It is important for the teacher to understand a student’s emotional needs in a way that promotes a healthy learning environment. 

2.  What You Want to Tell Your Teachers: 

From a student's perspective, I wish more teachers fully understood the effect social anxiety has on a person.  Teacher's need to understand that a specific teaching method does not cater to all.  There are so many factors that play into the productiveness of the school day.  I know from personal experience, if I am having a bad day or received some array of bad news, it makes it extremely difficult to concentrate during class even if it is a favorite subject!  As a student, I want to feel comfortable enough with my teacher to let he or she know, that I am not feeling my best today not that I am uninterested in learning.  I want to have a positive student-teacher relationship so my teacher can understand me as a person better.  

3.  What You as a Teacher Can do/Want to do: 

As a teacher I will support my students' emotional needs and experiences in classroom learning situation by being a welcoming mentor and advocate.  I want my students to understand that I recognize everyone has their own struggles and bad days, even me, the teacher.  I want to develop positive relationships with my students so that I can be sensitive and accommodating to their emotional needs. 

4.  Supporting Marginalized Learner's Emotions: 

In my future field of Comprehensive Special Education, it is common that marginalized learners are placed into SPED classrooms because they are not performing to the expected levels of their peers.  It is too often this sub-group of students is overlooked.  How would you feel if you felt as though your teachers had given up on you?  I know my self-efficacy would plummet.  My foundation for being an educator is student advocacy.  I intend to support the emotional struggles and needs of marginalized students by putting the extra effort with them.  I I want them to succeed, and hopefully by showing these students that someone beliefs in them will inspire them to achieve greatness.

5. Do you have any questions or concerns about course learning? 

No!

6. Week 5-1 Activity Completion Check 

	Modules	Topics  & Activity	Check ✓ if Completed
Week 5	Week 5-1 *Due by August 12 at 10:59 am	1) Week 5-1 Reading Quiz	✓
		2) Week 5-1 Discussion Forum: one initial response & two peer feedback replies	✓
		3) Final Blog Activity Survey	✓
		4)  Week 5-1 Personal Blog Reflection	✓
	Week 5-2 *Due by August 12 at 10:59 am	1) Week 5-2 Reading Quiz
		2) Week 5-2 Discussion Forum: One initial response & two peer feedback replies
		3) Week 5-2 Personal Blog Reflection
		4) TPS Final Submission	✓

7. Social Blog Activity: 

Courtney Eaton's Blog

Courtney,
I love the layout of your blog, very colorful! I think that your 30-word micro session summary hits it on head! Student-centered learning is a vital method of instruction because the learning is directed by the the students, and the teacher as a guide/facilitator. Having students being in control of their individual learning process puts a greater emphasis on developing higher-think skills, competency, and autonomy in the classroom! Thank you for sharing your ideas!

Matt Calbo's Blog

Hi Matt, 

I enjoyed reading your analysis of consultative vs. traditional teaching methods. I agree with you that consultative teachers are more likely to use instructional strategies in the classroom because they understand that learning process is not the same for everyone. You also did a great job writing your examples of critical vs. creative thinking. Thank you for helping to further my understanding of what we just learned!