Inquiry video

I have uploaded my video on the vimeo site. I filmed on 2 different days. I made them into one video but it was too large to upload. Therefore, I have 2 videos on domain two's site.

Inquiry Update #3

So I have been implementing my strategies of giving the students a reflection or activity for them to do when they think they are "done" and don't have to do anything. I can see how affective this was. At the beginning, I had over half the class off-task. Now that I've started using these activities, usually all of my students are on-task. Occasionally there will be one that isn't but I am so happy with the results. It is making their work more useful for them and keeps them going.

Inquiry update #2

This week I have been looking at my forms to see which students I can video. Luckily I saw this idea on some other people's blog for I totally forgot about it. I started giving the students a few extra things to do. This week I would just randomly count how many student were off task. I was amazed that there were 12 last week. This week the average was about 6. I feel like these activities are keeping the students more on task but I would still like to see more of them doing what they should be doing. I am going to give them some more things to do and see if I can get the number to decrease even more in the coming week.

Inquiry update #1

I am going to be focusing on making sure my students are on task and doing work when they "think they are done." Our school had a meeting with a behavioral specialist a few weeks ago. She gave us a check sheet where you can look at a student for 5 seconds and just check if they were on or off task. For my first week, I have decided to do somewhat of a pre-assessment. I used my check sheet on my small reading group. When I used the check sheet and looked at my students, I found that 12 of them were off task. I am going to start giving them things to do next week when they are finished. Reflections, extra work, practice spelling words, etc. I am hoping that by doing this, it will lower the number of off task students significantly.

Task Five: Instruction-Domain Two

First, I read the article entitled "How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class." The article was helpful and gave 10 rules of engagement to help keep all of your students on task and focused. A few of the rules I already use but some of them sound like good ideas that I am going to start using. The rules focused a lot on when you are working with a whole group. That isn't were my problem is. I have a problem when it is up to the students to work independently because I am working with others and they rush through their work and don't do their best or are goofing off and don't get their work done.

Secondly, I watched a video "How to motivate students." This video showed a 3rd grade teacher, which is great because that's what I am, and how she started motivating her students by having a mascot in the room. It happened to be a stuffed horse but you could pick anything. The students helped her come up with a list of what she should see from the students and what they need to do to deserve the mascot. She would walk around with it and hand it out to the student or table that was doing their best on their work or staying on task. Usually the student that was making the most improvement. She was going to begin letting them take it home for the night so they can explain it to their family and take pride in why they had it.

Lastly, I read a blog entitled, "How do I motivate my student?" I found this blog somewhat helpful. It gave 3 strategies to motivate. They were make learning fun, ask students what they want to learn about, and use mini-rewards. I liked the ideas but I wish she would have went into more detail and gave examples on how she did these things.

How does this relate to the work you do in your classroom?
This reading did relate to my classroom because I have these problems. I think it was good to read and get some ideas and new strategies to try. Once again though, most of them talked about when you are working with the whole class and keeping them on task when my struggle is when they are independent and I'm with small groups.
How does this deepen your thinking about this domain?
This has deepen my thinking because I have realized how important this is. After reading this material, I realize that motivating the students is one of the most important parts of instruction. If the students aren't motivated, they are more than likely not to try their best.
How could this fit into your inquiry plan?
This fits into my inquiry plan because it has given me a lot of ideas on the sub domain that I am struggling with. I now have some strategies and ideas that I can use with my students to hopefully improve this part of my teaching and classroom.

Task 4: Instruction

What domain did I choose and why?

I chose Domain 2: The Classroom Environment. I chose this domain for a few reasons. I think the environment is very important. If you set the environment right, good things will happen. I feel somewhat comfortable with my classroom environment but there are a few things I think I could use help on.

Which component from this domain are you most comfortable with?
I am most comfortable with 2b establishing a culture for learning. I think I make sure the students understand how important the content is, they know I have high expectations for them, and they take pride in their work.

Which component from this domain do you believe most strongly ties to instruction?
I think that 2 of them tie in with instruction. I think they are 2a and 2b, creating an environment of respect and rapport and establishing a culture for learning. I think both of these components need to be set into place to make the environment ready for instruction and the students know how to act and feel like they can take the risks with their assignments and group discussions.

Which component from this domain would you like to zero in on in your own instruction?
I want to zero in on managing classroom procedures. I like this area because it talks about small groups and noninstructional duties of the students. I have a little over an hour first thing in the morning where I have 3 groups working. They take turns meeting in a small group with me, doing centers with a partner, and doing independent seat work. I struggle with keeping them on target and busy when they've completed everything.

Question for the group....
If you have a rotation period like I mentioned above, what do you do to keep your children on task and busy when you are meeting with a group and can't guide them?

How the domains look in my classroom
*2a-My classroom has very good respect and rapport. The students know that I care for them and we have a mutual respect. I feel like the students care about each other and respect the fact that they are different. I have many children that always want to help the lower students instead of making fun of them because they can't read.
*2b-I have very high expectations of my students. They know what is expected of them from me and they know it has to be proficient or distinguished. I think excepting nothing less than that helps them with having pride in their work.
*2c-This is an area I struggle with. I mentioned it above. I have a rotation where students meet with me, with partners, and individually. I find it hard to keep them on task and busy while I am teaching a small group and they are on their own.
*2d-I think my classroom has a pretty good management of student behavior. I have had some pretty rough classes my first years of teaching. Every students knows what kind of behavior is expected out of them and they know the consequences. For the most part, the students are very well behaved and know what will happen if they misbehave. I don't know if I'm getting better at this or if I just have a much better class this year, but I am getting compliments on how well my class is behaving at least 3-4 times a week.
*2e-My classroom environment is very safe and learning accessible. When I first started teaching, I struggled with how to arrange my classroom. A few years later, I had to move my room around so my desk was in a certain place for technology. When I did this, I found an excellent way to arrange everything. I have a large table where I can meet with small groups, I smaller table where I can meet with a few students, a small table where students can do activities together, a carpeted area for students to read, and a computer area for them to use technology. I have my desks in 2 long rows in the middle of all this (the other things I mentioned outline the room).

Task 3: Instruction

Do all students have a capacity to learn?
I believe that all students have the capacity to learn. I don't think any of us could be teachers if we didn't believe that. As teachers, we all know that every child isn't going to learn at the same time or way as another, but nevertheless, they can learn.
What shapes this capacity?
There are many different factors that shape this capacity. The child's view on school, maturity, their home life, any disability they may have, etc. I have a student who is very low for 3rd grade. He was in the FMD room in K and 1st but moved back into the regular classroom since then. He is a student that struggled at the beginning of the year to read CVC words to me and would not write anything! Today, he has already may such progress. He will answer questions in class, write down everything he is to do, and is completing his work sooner than some of my average students. I am already so proud of him.
How much influence do you have upon this capacity?
As a teacher, I have about half of the influence. The students feed off of my attitude and thoughts about the subject. Of course, the other half comes from home and the community. There are many students at my school who feel they can't learn or don't like school. Most of the time, those opinions have come not from experience, but from things they hear at home. As teachers, we just have to work hard to make more of an influence than what they hear at home and make them understand they can learn and it can be fun.
How do these assumptions about learning shape our instruction?
My instruction is based on many different things. I differentiate my instruction depending on the students. Some of my students get harder work that I know they are capable of completing and it gives them a challenge. My average students have average work that isn't too easy or too hard for them to complete. My low students have easier work to complete. It is easier in the fact that if an average or higher student would complete it, it would take them a second. But for the lower students, it makes them think about the content and show me that they understand it without feeling the work is too difficult. It makes them feel successful and like they can learn. I also like to use the different learning styles to assign work. We have a test that the students can take and it will tell you if they are a mastery, interpersonal, understanding, or self-expressive learner. Based on that information, I know if the student likes to do work that is listed straight from the book, based on feelings, comparing it to other things they know, or doing something artistic.