Grace Furlong's Student Teaching

1/22- 1/26 Classroom Confidential Chapter 4 Being an ESL minor, I have learned many things about culture and incorporating it into the classroom. However, my understanding of culture was even further enhanced by Chapter 4. A passage that stood out to me immensely was near the end of the chapter where Schmidt stated, "And the ensure that all students succeed, great teachers make explicit for their kids the parts of school that are firmly cemented in the majority culture, so that they can learn how to use the codes of power to realize their potential in the world. If we do any less, we end up creating a culture of exclusion, forcing children to undergo rituals of failure, until they simply give up on school." This quote truly demonstrate how crucial it is that we as educators provide our students with an equitable education. It is important to create a culturally aware classroom and incorporate culture in the classroom. Also, it is also important to inform minority studen...

1/16/18-1/19/18 Classroom Confidential- Chapter 3 After reading this chapter of Classroom Confidential, many of my previous assumptions about behavior in the classroom have vanished. As I think back through all my different placements, I was able to visualize the different types of free-range behaviors that she was describing in the chapter. One of the biggest things that I took away from what she had to say about behavior was that the way we look at students' behavior makes all the difference. Instead of always correcting and shutting down behavior, I loved how she encouraged teachers to ask themselves "what is this student hiding?" I think this question is so powerful because it actually works to help understand the student and works towards positive change unlike repeatedly getting frustrated with the student. I found it interesting how she made the argument that all behavior is motivated by one of two basic instincts: to seek pleasure or to avoid pain. This...

1/9/18-1/12/18 Classroom Confidential- Chapter 1 I hope to incorporate each of the intelligences in the classroom because there is a variety of learners in the class. Not every students’ strong suit is Math or Literacy, and they should not suffer because of that. Lisa Bartoli discusses how she gives children the opportunities to explore the eight multiple intelligences in order to reveal their strengths and interests. I want my classroom to be a place where students feel challenged but also encouraged to think and learn in a way that best fits them.  I plan on using a similar strategy as Bartoli to help students think about their own learning by considering their strengths, weaknesses, goals, and how they can improve in the areas they are less comfortable in. I believe by having discussions about their learning I am encouraging them to have a growth mindset and realize that their abilities are not fixed. By incorporating all the intelligences in my classroom I believe ...