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About Me
- Arlinda Lopez Rodriguez, PhD.
- I am an associate professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus. My specialties are TESL, Curriculum and Instruction, Technology Integration and Online course design./ Soy catedratica aasociada en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Aguadilla. Me especializo en TESOL, Currículo e Instrucción, integración de la tecnología y diseño de cursos en línea.
21 comments:
I am dedicating this reflection process to praxis. When theoretical knowledge is combined with practice, praxis is born. As pre-service educators, we have a lot of knowledge that is still in theory, but once we enter the classroom, we will achieve praxis at its fullest. It's very interesting to notice how throughout this semester, my perspective towards teaching has been going through some changes. I can literally feel how I am growing as an educator. As I am doing my observations and field work, I have been seeing so much that I wouldn’t be able to finish talking about it. Yet at the same time, I am learning so much more. Truthfully, one of the things that shocked me is that many of the educational theories that I have had to learn at the university are used on a daily basis inside an actual classroom. I had not realized the certainty of this until now. Oh my God! I can’t believe it! The “viejitos” were actually worth learning about. I must thank all the professors who had the patience to make us learn about these important educational philosophies. I had never seen it that way before. This is why I am beginning to understand a little better how praxis works. We have been accumulating a lot of material and now it’s finally making sense.
In my observations, I have noticed how students react to instruction and how each student is a different world. One example of how the theories are coming to life in my field work is the following. I believe that the teacher is using the Multiple Intelligences Theory from Howard Garner when educating 17 different students. Using diverse types of activities and ways of teaching the material, this educator has been able to expand students’ possibilities of understanding the material presented. It is needless to say that, throughout my 20 hours of field work, this is not the only example I have. In conclusion, I am already seeing the effect of reflection in my life as an educator. This experience has been helping me channel my learned theories to connect and integrate them with my practice. Basically, the more I reflect, the closer I get to achieving praxis.
Reflection #3
My reflection is as to four of the five human resources circular letters I read as part of a test for this course.
When reading these circular letters I felt that they pictured things far from reality. They sound too good to be true. It makes the Department of Education look well when in reality this is not. I am not yet a teacher, but using teachers experiences and what I saw and experienced in public schools, I can say that the teamwork that so much is emphasized; is hardly seen. I believe that if things are done as stated in these letters, students when graduating from high school would not enroll in a university with many doubts as to what to study. Counseling in some schools are very poor. When it comes to libraries, most of them are not even updated with the latest. They are seen as a place where you go maybe during a free period to sit and chat. Librarians are not really involved with teacher’s planning or vice a verse. The circular letter 34-2004-2005 (nursing) caused sadness in me. What a wonderful thing for educators to have physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual; healthy students in a classroom and thanks to school nursing. Ummm! Not really. I think this program should be revised. If I saw once nurses in school, that is a lot. I recall it was checking P-Vac 3 records, height, weight and vision if one complained. As to social work, I recall that the person tried hard in fulfilling the job. At least I saw consultation with teachers, taking care of students referred and coordinating conferences for students. Out of all four programs, it is this one which better carried out the duty. I do not blame them, but more seriousness should be given to this matter.
This month Ill be reflecting on all the work I,m doing for the English classes. I believe that it is a little too much work in such short period. It is specially hard for me because I have to divide my time between all that work, The play "los cuervos estan de luto" on which I play a main character, my job and the fact that I am running for student council.
On the same hand, the fact that I am doing all that and that I am succeeding at it is a great accomplishment for me, personally, and making me a more mature and responsible person.
The end of October, means that we are starting the end of the semester and classes swamp me with work. It gets tiring keeping up with all the assignments and project, and getting up earlier than usual to go to the schools to complete the hours needed for the ethnographic study takes a toll on the body and mind, there just seemed to not be enough hours in the day to schedule sleep in it. Aside from everything after a couple of days of being mind blocked and actually thinking of everything that needs to get done I have realized that I do dread more class work and projects, yet I don't mind going to the school at all to do the observations. It is like being where I'm supposed to be. I like watching students and see how they act, thinking on how I would do some of the things the teacher does, differently, and talking to the teacher about it, it just made me realize that I'm looking froward to teaching, and it is a reassurance that I'm in the right place and looking froward to the time where I would have my own classroom.
Melissa Torres Sánchez
EDPE 4005 L11
October 24, 2008
Reflection #3
While I was doing my observations I began to think about the importance of being a teacher and what it would mean to be an effective and reflective teacher. To tell you the truth at first I thought that I had encountered the “students from hell”, but then I remembered that those who are the hardest to love are usually the ones that need it the most, and I immediately changed my original thoughts about them. What really helped me understand this dilemma, was the reading of “The Courage to Teach”, because I know that they are full of insecurities as most of us are too. We as teachers have certain roles that need to be fulfilled. It is my belief that teachers should be facilitators not dictators. They believe that everyone wants to tell them what to do, what's good for them and that we don't want them to find their own answers; that we want them to believe ours. I have encountered teachers that think this way and I believe that it is up to all of us as future teachers to change the way that the students think of teachers. What we need the most is willpower, because it is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome doubt or fear; we just have to remind ourselves that willpower is strength beyond all measure. If we trust in ourselves and believe that we can do anything, there is no one in this world that will ever have the power or the audacity to stop us.
I have not changed my mind from my last post when I said that this class is a challenge! Although it has been a lot of work, I have learned more than from any other class. This course has made me reflect so much on my future as a teacher. While doing my observations, I grow more anxious for the day when I have to actually give class. Observing in school, I have seen so many things that I have learned in this course that are effective and other things that are not so effective. Yesterday, I did a little unconscious reflecting while I was observing the class. I recalled myself when I was in high school, sitting in class listening to the teacher and sometimes not listening. Now, I am at the other side of the coin. Now I am the one in the classroom looking at the students, observing their behavior and their learning. Now, that I have learned so many things about teaching, now I see things way differently. When I do my 2 hours of teaching, I will be able to apply the knowledge that I have acquired up to now. I am also applying this knowledge as I observe each class. I am applying Praxis indirectly and I will make sure to apply this continuous process along the years. I learn something new every day from effective teaching strategies that I can apply and integrate to my current knowledge. I have got a lot from this course and I am really satisfied because I have been able to apply and see for myself some of the things that I have learned in this course.
The observations are going great but I am very worried about the two classes we have to give. I did this observation process last semester for methodology in elementary and I got very nervous and students couldn’t hear me when I talked. It made me even more nervous to hear them say they couldn’t hear me; but it was a great experience. Now I am fighting once more with that fear of standing in front of a group of real ‘students’. I have taught before but to my peers at the university and it is not the same. At the university we deal with students our own age but at schools we deal with students younger than us; who lack motivation and/or don’t care to learn. I am looking forward to give my two classes but I get nervous when thinking about the outcome. I believe feeling nervous is normal but it seems that some of my peers can do the teaching process naturally. I wish it came naturally to me. I know I can be a great teacher and once I start teaching, instruction can come freely to me too. All I need is practice and more practice. I hope that teaching fear eases up a bit before I take my practice. Again, I know I can do a great job but I am also very shy and that works against me and my performance as a student teacher. My purpose as a student teacher is to learn all I can and preserve the best of that knowledge, so when I get to instruct at a school I can be successful.
I want to reflect on "The Students From Hell". I was very interested when the professor talked about this topic because I haven't completed my bachelor's Degree and I already passed through a student from hell when I was working this summer. I was working at the Pablo Avila Intermediate School in Camuy as a teacher helper this summer because the DE was giving an opportunity to the students that failed specific classes to repeat the class in the summer. There was this student that never did any work, He didn't answer the exams, he didn't copy any information and when I gave him some worksheets to help him out he hardly did the work and he always loose the sheets and didn't bring anything to class the next day. These 25 days of teaching this group were very hard because working with this students was tough. One day he even start a fight in the middle of the classroom, (I was really scared that day). The teacher and I gave him easy stuff to work on but he didn't do anything, we even talked to his father because he was beggin us to pass his son, but He never changed. At the end of the classes the teacher passed him just to make him the favor because he hardly had any points to pass the class. This was a very tough moment but I learned that when we pass through a student like this one we should help him out and try to search for the reason for his attitudes in order to help him better, and the feedback I got from Arlinda was very good. It's not easy to deal with Intermediate Level students but somebody has to do the work and when I become a teacher I will try to be a good teacher to help my students learn more.
There is a “special” student in the classroom I’m observing. I could say he is the student from hell; I call him the "Ring Master". He is non-cooperative, loud, un-responsive, unwilling to work and very cocky.
When this student comes in the room, by the way loud and late, everything goes “bonkers”. The room becomes a circus, he is the center of attention and even though HE is not aggressive or even demanding authority the others act as his subjects.
While in the room if HE talks everybody is attentive, if HE makes a joke everyone laughs. HE always comes in talking about politics and 15 or 20 minutes of class are lost talking about the topic. Even the teacher struggles to catch the students’ attention and withdraw it from the “Ring master”.
When the "Ring Master is out of the room everybody calms down, there is still a bit of noise and commotion but calmer and you can know when he comes in with your eyes closed, the atmosphere changes and he makes his self noticeable. Even if he doesn’t plan it, which I believe he does some times, he is an attention –grabber. When HE is absent the class starts earlier, the students participate more and the room is quieter.
He is not as tough as he seems, though, when the teacher addresses him he does not make eye contact with him, I could even say he looks intimidating, although that is not the teachers intention. I think he does all of this because he needs to feel important, cool, needed and special. He suffers from low self esteem and tries to raise it himself or at least tries to look as if he did.
The ring master is a challenge, but when I’m teaching it’s my rules he will follow. He needs to know he doesn’t need to be in control or grab the attention to be cool. I will emphasize his attributes and everybody else’s so he knows he is as important as the others but not less either.
If I can tackle this challenge, I will do well with anything else.
The other day, the professor said something to the class that really caught my attention. Prof. Lopez said that by the time that we graduate, we are going to be curriculum specialists. Wow, she said this and I was both amazed and impressed, because it made us sound so important. After giving her comment some thought, I realized that she was right. I noticed that all of my concentration classes had us study the standards and the curriculum framework. I never gave much importance to the fact that we were constantly studying the curriculum until the professor made this comment. I now look at the curriculum in a new light. Being a curriculum specialist is really going to help us when the time comes to do our practice teaching. I always knew that being a teacher was important, but I never knew that it encompassed so much. Knowing that makes me even prouder of becoming a teacher. It’s amazing how something that I always took for granted actually helps me and at the same time makes me an expert in the curriculum, its great!
In this reflection I will be talking about the hours of observation and teaching that we have to complete. I think students should be sent to do observations quickly in their first or second year no more than that. This is my fourth year at this university and I had never done observations. I was a little scared the first day I started my observations because I thought to myself “oh my, what if I don’t like it at all and I’m already in my fourth year”. It wouldn’t be easy having to change concentration when all you have left is about a year left to complete a bachelor’s degree. When I finally went the first day the teacher scared me even more, she was so frustrated and talking about how they paint everything to students one way but when you’re a teacher it’s totally different, etc. etc. That first group I observed was very big and yes they were pretty loud and out of control. The thing is that I graduated four years ago so I see everything so different because I remember how it is and how I used to be like and my friends and classmates. So even though I had never done observations I felt that it was ok because after all I knew what to expect. I know what it’s going to be like. Students are students, they have not matured completely yet and we can’t force them to be or act like adults. The second group I observed was much better there were more boys and they were a lot more friendly and funny. I was so happy because they called me “missy” for the first time in my life. It was actually funny because I didn’t know he was calling me, I thought he was talking to the teacher. Then he yelled “HELLO STUDENT TEACHER”! Wow that felt so good I was so happy. Well after having completed a couple of hours I definitely feel a lot better and more secure with what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I think those students are amazing, they are all different and extraordinary and they all need our help. I already had a first experience with one student that has been going through a tuff situation and he needed our advice. I can see how important teachers are in the life of these kids. They spend most of their time in school and we are like a second mother to them. I have to say I feel a lot better now and glad I am doing observations.
I have learned so much, not just in this course but also in others. I keep thinking about an article that I had read; “Multigenre, Multiples Intelligences and Transcendatalisme” written by Colleen A Ruggieri. As a teacher, the author was worried because her students were not learning. Ruggieri started recalling a bad experience as a student but she did not perceive the problem until the colleague commented to her: “You Know, you probably could have done it, if they had beed explained differently”. Those words were the turning point in her teaching carrier. She began to look into Gardner’s Multiples intelligences and apply them in her teaching; using the multigenre (comics, books, music, theater, and photography). She also taught about the Multiples Intelligences to her students so they can comprehend how they learn. She was concern and she did something about it. The article made me realize that I need to re-educate myself, to read again the books and methods that I had learned in order to not forget anything. As future teacher, we need to take time to read, analize the teaching methods and change it in our and the students benefit. We always need to try something new in our teaching strategies. Some teachers do not worry about it and do not want to do a research in benefit to the students, they just had a bizarre philosophy: “E.C.A.” that means “entra” (enter),”copia” (copy) and “avanza” (hurry up). That kind of teacher we must never emulate. As future teachers, we have the right tools to teach the children, so if you receive some advices from a colleague, is better be good or great; because we are going to be better than them, and more prepared to do things differently.
This semester has been very stressful and challenging, this has caused me (and you) to miss sleep, be tired, and not be so happy all the time. As the semester progressed and the talk about being a teacher in a classroom seemed closer and more real, I wondered if I would enjoy it or be as tired, stressed and sleep deprived as now by simply being a student. Thank God that the semester also brought with his difficulties the great opportunity of observing in a classroom. There I felt comfortable and knew that was where I belong. It is true that as teachers we will get tired and stressed at times, but there is a beauty to being a teacher. The beauty consists on dealing with human beings, on working to facilitate knowledge to them, on encouraging them and on affecting them in a positive way. It is beautiful to know that if you do a good job, those human beings will remember you for a long time, and so will you remember them. That maybe you will say something at the right time, you will care for someone at the right moment, or you will simply smile at the right second, and this will change the course of their lives because they know you are on their side. It is a reality that as many teachers left a mark in us, some negative and some positive, we will also leave marks on others; let’s make sure it is a positive one. Of course we are going through serious craziness, there is no denying that, but we are headed to a beautiful and fulfilling kind of craziness, and that makes going through this one worth it.
Nataly Rodriguez
For this entry, I would like to reflect on my class observations. Observing classrooms is a tremendous experience that has helped me grow as a future teacher. Throughout the years, I have learned different ways to teach students and how I can implement it in my future classes; however being in the classroom itself is very different. Throughout the years I grew accustomed to teaching my classmates and using technology, however when put in a school environment, reality sunk in. Despite the availability of technological resources in the classroom, one in reality does not have the time to use it everyday.
Something else I have realized throughout time is that when I create lesson plans, I tend to want to accomplish too many activities. After observing the class routines and activities, I have learned that classes pass by quickly; making it hard for the teacher to include too many activities at a time. Throughout my observations, I have learned that high school students truly enjoy innovative activities. Creating a movie is a great activity that students enjoy and at the same time they are developing oral communication skills.
Observing the school environment has been a long but great experience, thus far. Becoming an educator is my goal in life and this experience is helping me greatly. I hope that my practice teaching experience will be as positive as these observations.
I am going to reflect on my reaserch paper topic and the observations i am doing in school.It is very interesting how one can relate these two things because one notices the lack of motivation in the students in school. there are many ways that one can motivate the students, one way is to let them make questions in the class, not you all the time make the questions. This is very interesting because this way not only the students learn but so do we. I am not going to comment any more on the tpoic because I will present it to you persnally in class.
Reflection # 3:
A few weeks ago I started doing classroom observations of a 7th grade class. This is not something new to me, since I have done classroom observations before, however this particular experience was very different from the others. For the first time I encountered students with learning disabilities. This is something I have been thinking about constantly because I am very interested in learning how to work with these students.
After doing my first observations in that class, I realized that teaching students with learning disabilities it is not as easy as it seems. I have seen how the teacher has to teach the regular students and the students with learning disabilities at the same time. I have noticed that the reality is that many of these special education students are being integrated into regular classrooms, which is why the teacher must be prepared to help these students on the learning process. The truth is it is an art to teach these students. Without giving too many details, I would take for example the case of a deaf student who I had the opportunity to observe. At first, I was curious to see how the teacher was actually going to teach that student. I was puzzled enough to wonder if I would be able to help her as a teacher. The teacher was kind enough to teach me some useful tips on how to work with deaf students, such as learning sign language, making drawings that explain a scene or event in a story and taking time to provide them an individualized instruction and special assessment activities that meet their needs.
For the first time I was face to face with something that you sometimes we do not pay attention to. Most of time, while we are in College preparing ourselves to become successful teachers, we envision ourselves in an almost “perfect” classroom with almost perfect students with excellent academic proficiency. However, the reality is we will encounter so many students with different learning disabilities or other types of problems, that just by knowing about them affects us as teachers, let alone to think we actually have to help these students to deal with these problems and at the same time succeed in their academic goals. I encountered so many students with so many problems, (real life problems!), that it actually affected me as a human being. It affected me emotionally and even after I got home.
Your comments have let me see the progress you keep making as you not only research but also reflect on the research and how you visualize yourself as future educators. Praxis is reached as you reflect on your knowledge and are moved to transform through action. I can see by your postings how it is all coming together for you. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Throughout the semester I had learned many things that I am still processing and connecting. This led me to feel anxious and kind of nervous toward the teaching practice. So I ask myself; is it normal to feel nervous? But I now realized that I am not actually nervous, I am excited because I have many teaching ideas to put into practice. I really want to apply what I have learned during all my years of preparation. I think at this point is when praxis takes place. It is true that we need to make connections between theory and practice and I need just that… PRACTICE, PRACTICE and more PRACTICE! At this point of my life I feel the need to teach and help children grow intellectually and psychologically.
The research project about classroom management also made me think about the teaching-learning process. I realized through the investigation that classroom management is everything; if we don’t have a motivated and well behaved group, student’s learning can not take place. Now I am thinking how I can be original to have group control in order to provide effective lessons. All this information and ideas revolve my mind constantly. I was born to be a teacher… what else can I say.
Hello... I want to reflect on how my research project helped me expanding my knowledge in teaching techniques and strategies to effectively teach students with low motivation and learning problems. First, I want to talk about my findings… My research topic was Games that Teach. I did not know that I would find a lot of sources related to this type of topic, but the reality was that I have found a lot of them and good ones. Some of the sources were dedicated to the introduction and integration of educational games into the teaching of English as a second language. According with these studies, these types of games might be easy to introduce and explain, linguistically relevant and fun to play. Also, these types of games might engage students and help them with their acquisition of vocabulary and with their fluency. Obviously, teachers may integrate these games according with their goal and objectives of the class, in order to make the activity reliable and valid.
Nowadays, young adult students tend to pass a lot of time playing video games that sometimes are bad influences for them. So, why not teachers can use these in their favors? I think that instead of giving them the conventional homework, teachers might create new homework using technology. For example, interactive power point lessons or some interactive lesson from the internet that makes students connect with the lesson without feeling bored and unmotivated. Teachers can also search for educational video games that connect with what they are teaching and integrate it into the lesson.
Also, there exist a lot of other types of games that are not necessarily related with technology. These types of games can be use in schools with low resources or in schools in which technology is not a priority. Teachers can invent or create games to motivate students into class discussions, using the cooperative learning approach.
I think that playing is a good way of learning and also I think that for sure students will not forget what they have learned through games.
my relfection is in realtion on my class visitings. when i find my self in the class room i sometime feel students dont really feel respect for me because of my age or how look (young) but that why i choose my techer to be my guide, becuase she is really professional when it comes to teaching and demand respect toward everyone. i was once in the classroom helping the teacher to complete some work and this student of her enters to the classroom and ask if i was going to be an english teacher and i told her yes, so she looks at me and tells me are you sure about that, and i said yes why and she said that no student would have respect for me becuase i was young and boys would be hiiting on me or she said that teacher are suposse to be old and ugly. i was a little shock but i was able to answer her by telling her that i was preparing my self to teach in a professional way and studetns are just going to go as far as you let them to so my porpuse is to lead them in a way that chenge their perspective of teachers and become constructive in life. i am really enjoing my visitings in school.
I want to reflect in relation to my class visit. To begin it’s more harder than I thought because I always give my demonstrative class here in the university and it’s simple because my audience know what I’m talking about, but when you are trying to prepare a class for real students it becomes a puzzle in your head. You have been in contact with these students and they might have brilliants ideas but they refuse to let them out because they think they are way cooler being the kid that doesn’t what to do their task on class. Something so simple like making your topic sentence have take them like 3 to 4 days to get it right, but when you get to them and begin to ask questions you realize that they are full of ideas but somehow they feel embarrassed to show them. I have many ideas to teach them what they are learning but with them it might take more than just to 2 classes, but I will do my best. The teacher has always been very helpful in everything she is always giving me advice letting the students know that I’m her assistance and they should respect me as if I was the teacher. The students seem to be more productive when they work in groups they learn and enjoy themselves more. There is a blind student in the first period which I always have concern when I’m helping the teacher I think of how difficult it must be for him but also how possible is for him to learn like everyone else, he is an excellent student I have seen him give presentation and he was really shy but he made an excellent work in his own short story. There was also a time that the teacher wanted me to see her group from hell that she had, I didn’t see it that way they came late alright but it was lunch before that class so I think is normal to arrive a little late, but I got the chance to help them in their sentence construction and they were all very enthusiastic with their task and they really like the teacher but I think they just needed more understanding more that giving them instruction and rules to follow. Sometimes in order to become an effective teacher is not to follow by the rules if not to follow their student’s needs. It’s really important to get to our students and with our book manual, I’m not saying that we should not follow the rule but to follow it by its need and importance.
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