Q&A
Methods of Teaching Course Fall 2016
3-2-1 Exit Slip Questions
- What are some other supplies that are must-haves for a classroom?
- For math & science: a sturdy set of clear rulers.
- For elementary, I’ve always enjoyed a classroom with unique alternative seating. I have not seen the alternative seating utilized as much in secondary education, but I’m sure it could be- particularly with reading time.
- File cabinets & Plastic Hanging folder crates
- For math & science: a sturdy set of clear rulers.
- What are some other activities to use play doh with?
- You can model all sorts of science concepts- Atoms, The Solar System, the Layers of the Earth, the sea floor, the regions of Virginia, Living cells, maps, life cycles, etc, etc, etc
- You can have the students make letters to practice learning their alphabet and/or form words
- How much of public school class time can be spent doing hands-on activities in a general elementary education classroom?
- Fair question… If you can document and justify that the hands-on activity relates to the standards of learning, then you can spend as much time as you like doing hands-on. Along with justification, your students will have to show strong test scores for you to be given/keep the autonomy to decide how you will teach. Brunner’s method of “Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract” is the way to help students bridge from having tactile experiences into visual representations into verbal and written explanations.
- Hands-on activities take more time at first and your peers who are lecturing more will move through the content faster. But it won’t be long before they are having to either repeat themselves constantly or they have to spoonfeed their students each answers because the students have not built a real understanding.
- Are there any websites that you use that help you come up with ideas for centers?
- Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest : ) Did I say Pinterest yet?
- http://www.icanteachmychild.com/
- http://eisforexplore.blogspot.com
- https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/ (lots of free stuff here too)
- I have lots of favorite secondary Math websites too
- Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest : ) Did I say Pinterest yet?
- Do you come up with the station ideas on your own or do you get ideas from something else?
- I search for ideas on Pinterest and often mash some ideas together, but sometimes use it as designed and include the source
- My own experiences in Girl Scouts also has played a huge roll in providing me with ideas and teaching me how to execute them
- What else are omniboards used for?
- : ) They are used for Matching, Sequencing, Sorting, Graphing, Paper Organizers, and Flipbooks
- Is it difficult to find a variety of hands on activities?
- I have made history lessons more hands on by creating sorts, matches, and sequences of ideas on paper that gets moved around. Same with English.
- Math & Science easily lends itself to hands-on activities
- How can the card games be used with younger age groups?
- Is there a favorite activity/lesson book you love?
- I have a lot of favorite books about education (Harry Wong’s First Days of School)
- But when it comes to activities, I have preferred looking online to the books that I have. I like that there usually are pictures, sometimes videos, details about how to alter it, and comments from others about how they altered the lesson for their own classrooms
- I have a lot of favorite books about education (Harry Wong’s First Days of School)
- How do you come up with the stations to use?
- I talk to other teachers and offer my favorite activities. Often that leads to them sharing their own. I listen to the questions that I hear from students that I can’t address simply but seems to be a concept that they just can’t grasp and then I look up ideas for new ways for them to understand (often on Pinterest)
- I talk to other teachers and offer my favorite activities. Often that leads to them sharing their own. I listen to the questions that I hear from students that I can’t address simply but seems to be a concept that they just can’t grasp and then I look up ideas for new ways for them to understand (often on Pinterest)
- Are there any tips that you have for helping simplifying lessons because I want to teach the lower grades in elementary school and they need things as basic as possible?
- Tricia Easterling’s class was fantastic for this- I often revert to her advice when I’m trying to adapt a lesson for a particular group. I try to think of the main ideas and as best I can define the terms in 3-5 words. Then I look at those 3 words and think “Do these students know those words?” If they don’t, I either define it, or I simplify the original definition some more.
- What advice do you have for future teachers as we enter the workforce in the next few years?
- Think of what theme is important to you and try to incorporate that theme often throughout the year (“Be Kind” “Metacognition” (teach them HOW to learn and not just the content) “Classroom Management” “Use Resources Wisely”)
- Your administration has to make sure that the test scores are good so that the school can receive money to keep the school open. Most aren’t trying to just focus on test scores and truly do care about the students, parents, and teachers.
- Write your students a welcome card before school starts and send it to their homes in snail mail. You will gain SO many brownie points and it will start the year off letting the students know that you care about them.
- Know that you are an expert on content and how to teach. The parents are an expert on their own children. Find ways to show them that you are a team with the goal to help students learn
- Where did you get your materials? the peg boards
- My prototypes are made from Lowes pegboard. I’ve been working to be able to manufacture the Omniboard® at a better quality and more accuracy than the Lowes boards provide by using a laser cutter.
- What was the laminate sheet brand that you used?
- “Oregon Laminations Premium” brand. I usually use 5mil thickness
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UZNHNK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- Do these stations work with all ages?
- Absolutely! Older kids don’t like the cutesy stuff as much, but all classes get excited about being able to play while learning
- Where do you sell your Omniboards?
- I sell them in person currently, but as I solve more manufacturing obstacles, I will have an online options for ordering them. Feel free to e-mail me for an order form or let me know if you’d like me to contact you when I have the order form online.
- What problems did you face when you began teaching?
- I looked like I was in high school myself : )
- I am a perpetual procrastinator and I wish that I had taken the time to pack my lunch and backpack the night before
- The week before school began, I met all the teachers and learned many first names. School began and then everyone starts going by their last names and I couldn’t tell students to go to “Sue’s room” to go get something- they had no idea who I was talking about. I had to start all over learning my colleagues names because I didn’t think to focus on first and last names