BEFORE WE START
August 31, 2022 -- Code Switching
Reading this short description on code switching really made me reflect on myself in many different perspectives. It made me think about the many different ways I communicate with many different people. Thinking about that, it makes me consider how hard, socially, it must be for people to learn the different social environments and the language appropriate for each one. In my opinion, it is utterly important for both the teacher and the students in a classroom setting. It is important for the teacher to have boundaries on the proper way to communicate with each other while also being able to build and form personal relationships. Knowing how and when to code switch is also important for students so they know how to communicate with superiors versus their peers in the classroom. However in reviewing the example T charts given I would argue that some of the examples (formal versus informal) would be up for debate. I think the debate on whether something is formal or informal also has to do with the audience surrounding, preference, and the given environment.
September 14, 2022 -- Embracing
the Wobble
In my opinion, I wasn't a fan of this activity. For starters, I am not a fan of worksheets in general and this one, reading it just seemed like busy work. It didn't mention the actual topic of the worksheet until the very end and it didn't challenge the students' knowledge on the topic of Grit. Most of the worksheet was asking the students to just reword different questions into their own words. It acted as more of an English assignment. Overall, worksheets don't challenge a learner enough in my opinion. Students will learn a lot more information by engaging in an activity that they can relate to themselves. For example for this lesson, have the students learn what Grit is by asking them to create their own personal goals that they want to achieve and then reflect on them.
September 28, 2022 -- The Facets of Reading
I personally find reading texts similar to this one very challenging. I find it hard to focus and concentrate when the topics do not find a way to blend together or relate to outside scenarios. However, I was able to connect with the text when it was talking about the "Third Space". This concepts correlates pre-existing knowledge to new found knowledge. By creating a "bridge", students are expected to connect their school learning to their outside experiences to use context and build understanding. I think this idea is very important because more importantly in middle school, the students' brains are always developing. This development doesn't stop when they walk out of the school. The students need to be aware when they can connect their discoveries outside of school to things they are exploring inside of the classroom. I am still learning and teaching myself how to be engaged in my reading so that was something I was trying to do during this activity.
October 12, 2022 --
Seeing Meaning
I really thoroughly enjoyed the idea behind this activity. By presenting the students with this activity, it is allowing them to form their own opinion based on visual cues. I like another idea behind this because they are able to try to use context clues to understand what is going on and they are asked to reflect on it on their own before learning about the topic as a class. This chart does not even ask the students to predict what they believe is going on, it only asks the students to evaluate how the images make them feel. Overall, I really enjoy this lesson because it is a very personal, visual activity.
October 26, 2022 --
It's All About the Questions
In reviewing this resource, there are a lot of different things I liked about it. Throughout my clinical, my CT loves using Quizizz but she uses it in a different way than this example. She uses content that she has already taught the students to make her own Quizizz to let them study with. I like the example that was provided because the Quizizz was used to provide information to the students along with having the students review the material they had just learned using a "quiz" structure. I also enjoy Quizizz as a whole because they keep the students engaged and competitive with each other. One think I don't like about Quizizz/Quizlet is the fact that it is so fast paced that it in a way degrades students who don't know the material as well as other students. Overall, there are positives and negatives to online tools such as these.