Action Research

Here is the link to my blog entry on the required readings on Action Research.

Lesson Plan

In my clinical I taugh a TechStep on electricity to all the 5th grade classes. Click the link to see my lesson plan.

WebQuest

Here is the link to my finished WebQuest on electricity!

Struggling Student

I worked with students who needed to finish their science test from the previous day, one of which was a struggling student. The students were in a separate room from the other students because a few of them felt distracted being in the regular classroom while the instruction was taking place. While working with the students, I focused on the struggling student in particular. He fidgeted while taking the test and was constantly looking around the room. Sometimes, he looked as if he was in a daze. It took him two days to complete the test.

My teacher's strategy for working with all the struggling students in her classroom is to read the test to them. Their tests have fewer choices for them to choose from, it is open book, and has the page numbers located with each question. This test, in particular, was modified for all the struggling students in the classroom. They were ony required to answer 2 out of the 4 essay questions. All students were allowed to use the book during the test.

I was, also, given the opportunity to grade the students' tests. There were 2 problems that were missed by the majority of the students.While grading the tests, I noticed a struggling student achieved a C on her test. She was very excited.

Anchor Video

I am teaching a WebQuest to my 5th grade Science class on Electricity. I am using a youtube video on Electricity from School House Rock as my anchor video.

Here is my WebQuest so far.

Double Journal Entry #15

Link to article

1. Give an example of an authentic form of assessment the students engaged in a PBL performed well on?

In one study, students applied the concepts of geometry to architecture and submit designs for a new playhouse for a community center. 84% were judged to be accurate enough to build. Students were able to revise their designs after consulting resources. These students demonstrated a solid grasp of the concepts and were able to perform well on traditional tests.

2. How does project based learning promote intrinsic motivation?

Students will often reach higher and attempt to read more challenging material to find the information they are seeking. The differentiation allows students to develop their own interetss and pursue deeper learning. They are able to soar and learn at their own levels.

3. What do students who experience PBL do better than students who receive traditional direct instruction?

Students who are exposed to PBL have better problem solving skills,  are able to critically evaluate their peers, and have better 21st century skills.

4.  How does PBL align with John Dewey's philosophy of education?

Dewey proposed that learning by doing has great benefit in shaping students' learning. In PBL students are constructing knowledge and building on their background knowledge. They retain more information when they learn by doing.

5. Why do our assessment practices need to change if we are going to prepare students for the 21st century?

In the future, children must enter a workforce in which they will be judged on their performance. They will be evaluated on more than pencil/paper work. They will be evaluated not only on their outcomes, but also on their collaborative, negotiating, planning, and organizational skills, which can't be learned by the traditional education system. By implementing PBL, we are preparing our students to meet the twenty-first century with preparedness and a repertoire of skills they can use successfully.

Struggling Student

After obtaining the results of the learning style survey, I focused on the struggling students in the classroom. I observed how my host teacher meets their needs through learning activities. She modifies her instruction the best way she can to accommodate all the learning styles in her class. She gave her students a learning style survey at the beginning of the year. So, she already knew how her students learn best before I gave my survey. She has a few students with IEP's and SAT's, therefore she does what she needs to do to best differentiate the instruction so they can learn.

I wrote down some questions my teacher asked, as well as the students. The questions are as follows:

Teacher asked questions:
- Who is going to Boys and Girls club today?
- Who is cold lunch?
- Who has their permission slip and money to turn in?
- Did anyone sell pepperoni rolls?
- Where is your locker at?

Student asked questions:
- Can I call my mom? I forgot my book bag.
- Do we go to lunch after this?