ECS 100:
Discussion Forum Quotes
Discussion Forum Quotes
Here are some of my best responses to discussion forum questions and topics that I have learnt more about as a part of my Winter 2016 ECS 100 class.
Topic One:
Why do I want to become a teacher? Am I a teacher 24 hours a day?
"I want to become a because teaching is a part of life, we're always teaching one another. Teaching is something that not only teachers do, but all employees in every type of work force. I want to become a teacher to pass on my knowledge to children so that they can decide what they want to do with it. I want to know that I helped a child learn something and watch them bloom throughout the year; it will be so rewarding to know that I've been an influence.
I am a teacher 24 hours a day. I'm constantly teaching my younger sister and myself new ways of learning, different approaches, new methods, new words, etc. I'm teaching, and learning, whether I realize it or not, and when I'm a teacher this continuous trend will continue. I will continue to learn from my students, faculty, staff, professional development opportunities, experiences, etc. As long as I'm teaching others, I am also learning."
Topic Two:
At what grade do you believe sex education should start being taught in schools? Do believe local parents should have a say in this decision? Do you think children's parents should have to give permission for sex education to be taught to their child?
"I think sex education (sex ed.) should be taught in grades 4-5. This seems to be the average time that (most) students reach puberty and their bodies are changing. And at this age (9-11) many students have phones (although some grade 3's I've seen with phones!) and easily have access to the internet to see and learn whatever they want, as well as access to movies. And, like mentioned, the material should be be appropriate for the age group. Start maybe with menstruation, expressions of feelings (ex. kissing), etc. and then progress to more age appropriate things. Students are going to have tons of questions about sex education because they will probably already knowing about these more basic things at this age. To answer their questions about what they are really curious about, an anonymous question period would make the students more comfortable with the subject material. I know that this really helped classmates in my grade 7 sex education unit.
I don't think local parents should necessarily have a say of what is taught in the sex ed unit/class, but i do think that parents absolutely need to give consent for their child to be learning about it. Some parents may want to discuss these sorts of things with their child rather than allowing a teacher to teach their child about it. And like Abby said, some parents are going to try to censor their child from sex, which is their decision to do so."
Topic Three:
Discuss the type(s) of activities you might be interested in organizing for your school. Can you think of any activities that are not typically considered to be extracurricular activities but perhaps could be? How might they be presented to students?
"I would be willing to participate in volleyball, basketball, any support groups (Peer Support, GSA, etc), lunch room supervision, counselling services (I actually want to be a school counsellor), tutoring/study group help, recess supervision, etc. etc. I grew up doing a lot of extra curricular activities, what my parents could sign me up for, so I really want to be a part of kids' experiences outside of the classroom. I think that extracurricular activitites can build a student-teacher relationship because it's less structured. Kids can be intimidated by and dislike a teacher that they don't know well, so this relationship with them is important. Also, helping a child find their passion would be truly rewarding."
Topic Six:
Was there technology in my field experience classroom?
"The kindergarten classroom in St. Peter Elementary School has an interactive whiteboard, which that is the only technology used in the classroom (so far). I really enjoyed it. The kids seem so engaged in their daily lessons (counting, what day is it, a daily question, spelling, rhyming words) happen every morning with the interactive whiteboard. I noticed that only the teacher uses the interactive whiteboard. This may be good so that the students don't break the technology, fight over who uses it next, embarrass someone if they write down the wrong answers, etc., etc. I think the daily lesson could be equally as beneficial for the students if it wasn't on the interactive whiteboard."
Topic Eight:
Have you ever been a part of/witnessed a 'flipped' classroom? If so, did you like it? Why/ why not? Would you be willing to flip your classroom in the future? Why/ why not?
"I think that the flipped classroom would work for some students more than others. It would depend on the student's motivation to watch a video at home to learn the material. If a student did not have the required motivation to do this, that child would be behind in the class; he/she would be learning the material while other students would be applying their learning. I think the flipped classroom would work best with certain subjects, such as math, and with certain grades, such as middle years or secondary."
Topic Nine:
What do I think about the fact that teachers are to teach ALL students? Do I have any concerns? What do I think such a classroom might look like? What will I do to prepare? What will I use as resources?
"I honestly think that sometimes teaching ALL students, although it is morally correct, may be impossible. I'm concerned that by trying to do this, the students who do not need much help will be ignored because they (assuming) are the majority that are already "easier" to teach. By this I mean that by trying to cater to the minority of the students who may need extra, the others may be ignored. It may be hard to find balance, especially for a first year teacher.
To prepare for teaching to ALL students, I need to know ALL the students; including if any of them have an intellectual and/or physical disability, their strengths, weaknesses, what they need from me on a daily basis, etc. This may take a few months though, which is why I want to make it a goal to establish this knowledge for myself as soon as possible in the school year. To prepare I also need to know the way in which certain disabilities work (ex. stages, what helps, what doesn't help, etc). I can get this information from resources. Resources would include other teachers, meetings, coworkers, professional development opportunities, brochures, the web, basically anything I can get my hands on, especially if I'm really desperate for information."
Topic Eleven:
As an educator how are you going to help students that open up to you?
"As an educator I need to be open to what students willingly tell me, which may include GSD topics. To be accepting of what my student(s) tell me I'm going to ask questions that show that I'm interesting and I that I care about what they're telling me. I'm not going to ask questions that are derogatory in any way because this may scar the student, and I wouldn't want my student to feel like they can't tell me anything."
Topic One:
Why do I want to become a teacher? Am I a teacher 24 hours a day?
"I want to become a because teaching is a part of life, we're always teaching one another. Teaching is something that not only teachers do, but all employees in every type of work force. I want to become a teacher to pass on my knowledge to children so that they can decide what they want to do with it. I want to know that I helped a child learn something and watch them bloom throughout the year; it will be so rewarding to know that I've been an influence.
I am a teacher 24 hours a day. I'm constantly teaching my younger sister and myself new ways of learning, different approaches, new methods, new words, etc. I'm teaching, and learning, whether I realize it or not, and when I'm a teacher this continuous trend will continue. I will continue to learn from my students, faculty, staff, professional development opportunities, experiences, etc. As long as I'm teaching others, I am also learning."
Topic Two:
At what grade do you believe sex education should start being taught in schools? Do believe local parents should have a say in this decision? Do you think children's parents should have to give permission for sex education to be taught to their child?
"I think sex education (sex ed.) should be taught in grades 4-5. This seems to be the average time that (most) students reach puberty and their bodies are changing. And at this age (9-11) many students have phones (although some grade 3's I've seen with phones!) and easily have access to the internet to see and learn whatever they want, as well as access to movies. And, like mentioned, the material should be be appropriate for the age group. Start maybe with menstruation, expressions of feelings (ex. kissing), etc. and then progress to more age appropriate things. Students are going to have tons of questions about sex education because they will probably already knowing about these more basic things at this age. To answer their questions about what they are really curious about, an anonymous question period would make the students more comfortable with the subject material. I know that this really helped classmates in my grade 7 sex education unit.
I don't think local parents should necessarily have a say of what is taught in the sex ed unit/class, but i do think that parents absolutely need to give consent for their child to be learning about it. Some parents may want to discuss these sorts of things with their child rather than allowing a teacher to teach their child about it. And like Abby said, some parents are going to try to censor their child from sex, which is their decision to do so."
Topic Three:
Discuss the type(s) of activities you might be interested in organizing for your school. Can you think of any activities that are not typically considered to be extracurricular activities but perhaps could be? How might they be presented to students?
"I would be willing to participate in volleyball, basketball, any support groups (Peer Support, GSA, etc), lunch room supervision, counselling services (I actually want to be a school counsellor), tutoring/study group help, recess supervision, etc. etc. I grew up doing a lot of extra curricular activities, what my parents could sign me up for, so I really want to be a part of kids' experiences outside of the classroom. I think that extracurricular activitites can build a student-teacher relationship because it's less structured. Kids can be intimidated by and dislike a teacher that they don't know well, so this relationship with them is important. Also, helping a child find their passion would be truly rewarding."
Topic Six:
Was there technology in my field experience classroom?
"The kindergarten classroom in St. Peter Elementary School has an interactive whiteboard, which that is the only technology used in the classroom (so far). I really enjoyed it. The kids seem so engaged in their daily lessons (counting, what day is it, a daily question, spelling, rhyming words) happen every morning with the interactive whiteboard. I noticed that only the teacher uses the interactive whiteboard. This may be good so that the students don't break the technology, fight over who uses it next, embarrass someone if they write down the wrong answers, etc., etc. I think the daily lesson could be equally as beneficial for the students if it wasn't on the interactive whiteboard."
Topic Eight:
Have you ever been a part of/witnessed a 'flipped' classroom? If so, did you like it? Why/ why not? Would you be willing to flip your classroom in the future? Why/ why not?
"I think that the flipped classroom would work for some students more than others. It would depend on the student's motivation to watch a video at home to learn the material. If a student did not have the required motivation to do this, that child would be behind in the class; he/she would be learning the material while other students would be applying their learning. I think the flipped classroom would work best with certain subjects, such as math, and with certain grades, such as middle years or secondary."
Topic Nine:
What do I think about the fact that teachers are to teach ALL students? Do I have any concerns? What do I think such a classroom might look like? What will I do to prepare? What will I use as resources?
"I honestly think that sometimes teaching ALL students, although it is morally correct, may be impossible. I'm concerned that by trying to do this, the students who do not need much help will be ignored because they (assuming) are the majority that are already "easier" to teach. By this I mean that by trying to cater to the minority of the students who may need extra, the others may be ignored. It may be hard to find balance, especially for a first year teacher.
To prepare for teaching to ALL students, I need to know ALL the students; including if any of them have an intellectual and/or physical disability, their strengths, weaknesses, what they need from me on a daily basis, etc. This may take a few months though, which is why I want to make it a goal to establish this knowledge for myself as soon as possible in the school year. To prepare I also need to know the way in which certain disabilities work (ex. stages, what helps, what doesn't help, etc). I can get this information from resources. Resources would include other teachers, meetings, coworkers, professional development opportunities, brochures, the web, basically anything I can get my hands on, especially if I'm really desperate for information."
Topic Eleven:
As an educator how are you going to help students that open up to you?
"As an educator I need to be open to what students willingly tell me, which may include GSD topics. To be accepting of what my student(s) tell me I'm going to ask questions that show that I'm interesting and I that I care about what they're telling me. I'm not going to ask questions that are derogatory in any way because this may scar the student, and I wouldn't want my student to feel like they can't tell me anything."