Reading

Reading is the most common subject in which students quickly fall behind at an early age. Students either love reading or hate it. The important aspect to remember is to keep reading interesting. I am not a big fan of reading chapters out of the textbook. My students will be given reading assignment out of newspapers, magazines, Internet sources, journals, etc. I will have them find an article that relates the the topic we are studying in class, read the entire article, and give a brief summary on how it relates to the topic. I will also have them highlight any words they are unsure of, we will discuss them in class. Hopefully, this approach to reading will inspire the students to read a variety of material.

Setting Goals to Raise the Standard

Having goals is important for teachers, as well as students. My students will be required to keep a goal journal. Journal entries will begin the first day of class. The first journal entry will include: what they expect to learn from my class, what new information they would like to learn about, and what grade they anticipate making. Each assignment will include a journal entry in which the students will set at least one attainable goal regarding the assignment. In addition, I will require the students to have weekly personal goals of their choice and track whether or not these goals were met. At the end of each week, the students will be assigned a self-analysis entry, in which they critique their work during the week. This will also include any changes they could have made to improve their performance. A similar assignment will be assigned at the end of each semester critiquing the class material learned and the teaching methods. These journals will be kept confidential, but the students will have set times in which they can share their journal entries with the class. The journals will provide me with each students strengths and weaknesses, and I can adjust my lesson plans to ensure every student is successful in my class.

Classroom Management

A well-managed classroom is imperative to be a successful teacher. Students need structure and confidence from their teacher in order to feel safe and secure in the classroom environment. My classroom will be designed in a way that is inviting to the students and keeps them engaged at all times. My classroom binder of plans and procedures will be implemented beginning the first day of school. This will ensure the students know what they are expected to do at all times and should help eliminate any confusion among students. This binder will be accessible to the students for review when needed. Each student will have a weekly job that teaches him/her responsibility and keeps the classroom clean and organized at all times. Having a well-managed classroom should reduce discipline problems to only a minimal issue. My ultimate goal is to provide each student with academic and social skills that will prepare them to be successful adults.

iTunes University

iTunes University provides free educational material from top universities. This material can be accessed through searching by categories, particular universities, or general search with filter options to insure you get the results you need. iTunes University has several options from short informational videos to examples of hands on activities in every subject area and grade level. Teachers should always make their lessons fun, interesting, and informational all at the same time,and iTunesU makes this possible at no cost to the teacher. There is also an option for teachers to send digital lesson plans to students that have access to ipods. This allows the student to study virtually anywhere with no need to carry around books and notebooks, because the information is downloaded onto their personal ipod. During my teaching career, I will use iTunesU often to incorporate every style of learning into my lesson to insure my students are receiving the best education available.

Google Documents

Google Documents is a free product at www.google.com. It is very similar to Microsoft Word, but Google Documents can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection. Google Documents can be used for research papers, spreadsheets, power point presentations, and much more. Most importantly, there is no need to carry around any type of storage disk or USB. You just simply log on to Google Docs and open your document. You also have the option to share your document with someone else. This could be useful for group projects. Students would not have to meet outside of the classroom. They could each contribute on their own time. The students could also share the document with the teacher, so he/she could evaluate the progress the students are making and give them suggestions without taking up class time.

Tests

Tests are not an appropriate way to measure a students comprehension. Students usually have anxiety issues when it comes to test taking. Most students only memorize information for a tests, and then it gets lost in time. It is important for teachers to use Bloom's Taxonomy of Thinking Skills to insure their students truly grasp the concept they are teaching. Bloom's levels include knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Most teachers only make it through knowledge and comprehension, while only a few students actually achieve the application aspect. For a student to remember, not just memorize, the content, we need to explore all of these levels. Students can be evaluated more efficiently through observation and assessment. I strive for the success of all the students in my classroom, therefore I will enhance each style of learning through readings, student oriented questions, hands-on experiments, group discussions, and occasional field trips. In addition, my students will be allowed time to work in groups to provide one another with peer counseling.