First Day for Me, Third for the Students

It was really exciting to see students and teachers alike as they transition into a new school year.  Ms. Baldwin, my cooperating teacher, went in with a plan that coordinated with the plans of all the other teachers on TEAM EXTREME.  Not surprisingly, however, she needed to be flexible.  After all, no new thing (even a new class in a new school year) goes absolutely according to plan.

The students were really excited to be assigned individual IPads today.  In a group of eighth graders (just like all other kids, really), getting individual technology can be the highlight of the day.  It felt like I heard the question posed, "When are we getting our IPads?!" every five minutes regardless of the relevancy to the topic.

The beginning of a school year always circulates around going over regulations and rules.  Before teachers dive into the regular curriculum, it is necessary to go through the logistics of the school.  This is actually really interesting to me.  I got to participate in a team meeting of four teachers along with a special educator as they went over the policies for the year.  There is so much that goes into the planning!  The teachers coordinated some techniques for classroom management, including THINK cards to be discreetly distributed to students exerting less ideal behavior in the classroom.

The incoming seventh and eighth graders are learning about PLPs and Proficiency Based Learning skills.  Interestingly enough, the instruction that goes along with informing them about the process and individual goals coordinates with the instruction we are receiving in our Practicum.  This made it so much easier to directly see the changes being made.  Students were excited to find out that they had, in fact, been achieving several standards all along.  They used examples as evidence.  For example, they discussed the apps like Schoology and other IPad resources to help them cite evidence for understanding technology and using it effectively in the classroom.

PLPs are beginning to look far more reachable and attainable than I previously considered.  Of course, planning is necessary on the teacher's part to make the process fully succeed, but it looks far more likely to be accomplished now that I am witnessing the process at work.  Ms. Baldwin told me about some of her considerations in the changes.  It does look like work, but TEAM EXTREME did express that they are all in support of the changes.