Name 3 things that you don’t like about first grade
Do you like to read?
Do you think you are a good reader?
What is your favorite type of book?
Do you like to read with a grown up or by yourself?
Do you like math?
Do you think you are good at math?
What have you enjoyed learning in math?
Do you like to work in a group (like in centers), in a pair (like when we play math games) or by yourself?
Name at least three friends that you think you work well with
If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?
1. I completed my survey today and was surprised by many of the answers they gave. I first asked them what their favorite and least favorite things about school were. Not surprisingly, many of them loved recess and choice time (an indoor recess type time that they have at the end of the week). I was happy to know many of them enjoy reading centers, writer's workshop and morning meeting. Our school teaches Mandarin to the students 3 days a week and I was surprised to find out how many of them dislike that class. I was also disappointed to find that many of them don't like science; I thought they loved it! They answered questions about if they prefer working in groups, pairs or by themselves and the answers came out pretty evenly which is helpful to think about when I am planning. I also asked them which students they think they work well with (not who their best friend is, which I stressed) and those results were interesting. I noticed that many of the same children came up and that certain children never were mentioned. I want to work on those dynamics within my class. There was also a group of questions relating to reading and math and how they feel about those two subjects in particular. This gave me insight into their confidence levels in these areas.
2. As I read through the Common Core Standards I started to feel a bit overwhelmed. My school follows the frameworks, and although there are similarities, there are also many differences. I know that the push is towards national standards such as the Common Core, but I am skeptical for a number of reasons. The Pennington article mentioned that there is a feeling that we are starting to teach towards standards made by people who are paid to make these standards. I worry that they change too frequently and that that is part of why school systems struggle. So much of our curriculum is consistently changing and it makes it hard to become adept in teaching certain subjects. This feels like more change too quickly and I'm not sure that is the best way to do things.
I am delighted you learned so much from the survey and are planning to use it. Did you share your findings with your Cooperating practitioner? I suspect she will appreciate your results as well. Nancy
1) For my survey, I did a mix of educational interest questions and personal interest questions. Since I don't know these students well, I wanted to get an idea of their overall questions. Here are the questions I asked: 1) What is your favorite subject? 2) What is your least favorite subject? 3) What is your favorite hobby? 4) What is your favorite time of the day? 5) What is your least favorite time of the day? 6) What is your favorite food? 7) What is your favorite animal? 8) What is your favorite season?
I found that in terms of favorite and least favorite subjects, the answers varied and ranged from math to reading to art and to gym. I thought that many students would list math as a least favorite subject, but I found that a lot of students do not like gym. I asked students about their favorite time and least favorite time of the day because I thought it would be good to see if the students' personalities/behaviors were different based on the time of the day. I plan on trying to monitor this. I asked a lot of outside interest questions. I want to get to know more about my students and try to incorporate some of their outside interests into my lesson planning.
2. My school uses the Common Core standards. I am more familiar with the Massachusetts standards, but did notice some similarities in the two. I find that there is a lot of standards, and I wonder if teachers are able to hit all of them and have students master them. As I look at the Grade 2 standards, I see a lot what my supervising teacher has been covering in the past two weeks. In the article, the authors feel that advocates of the Common Core standards profit from the implementation of the program. I see both sides to this argument. While I think a lot of educational programs and tests are for profit, I also feel that if our country all followed the same standards then we could work towards a national educational goal.
1. What do you like to do when you’re not at school?
2. What is your favorite thing to learn about at school?
3. What is your favorite thing to eat?
4. What is your favorite book?
The first thing I noticed while creating and administering my survey was how much my language changed as I interviewed each child in my class. For example, I originally had "What is your favorite thing to do when you're not at school?" and "What is your favorite subject?", but I noticed when I rephrased the questions to make them slightly more open-ended, I got more varied and detailed responses (ie, instead of just "My favorite subject is math" I heard "I like to learn about math because I love addition.") This served as an important lesson to think carefully about how I phrase things when talking to my students.
I was surprised to hear that the majority of the class loves learning math - when I spoke to my teacher about this she suggested that it might be because she loves teaching math! This was another important reminder that genuine enthusiasm and passion for teaching goes a long way. Finally, I was glad to have obtained a list of the students' favorite books from the survey as it will be a helpful resource for read-alouds and literacy units in the future.
2. My school follows the Common Core standards, and though I have heard quite a bit about them this is my first experience seeing the standards in action. My first reaction is surprise at how "prescribed" they feel. The lessons are written out for teachers, including exactly what language teachers should use when presenting the lesson. This seems like a major red flag to me, because it does not take into account the various ways different students learn. Much like Pennington's argument that the CCSS were created by a tiny group of (invested) people to "solve" a huge national problem, it feels like the standards are written to reach the small group of children that learn one specific way, not taking into account the huge variety of learners and abilities. Similarly, I agree with Pennington's ideas on the CCSS' focus on college and career readiness; they are framed in such a way that college becomes the benchmark for success, and anything else is "failure". Throughout my courses at Lesley, I've learned so much about differentiated instruction and creating curriculum to fit the needs, abilities and interested of my individual students and it feels like the Common Core has no room for this approach. It's a little disheartening to see how quickly the CCSS has been adopted across the nation, especially since it's so new and has very little data on its success/effectiveness. However, I do believe that thoughtful and innovative teachers can find ways to get around the rigidity of the standards. For example, the teacher in my classroom looks at the SWBAT section and then creates a lesson to fit the needs of her students with that expected outcome/benchmark. She believes that as long as her students are hitting the benchmarks, she can teach them in whatever way is effective and interesting. Though I'm not sure the CCSS are going anywhere anytime soon, I'm hopeful that teachers will take similar creative license in their classrooms.
I kept my survey short and sweet due to the fact that I have a very busy and active group. My survey consisted of 3 questions.....
1. What do you like to do when you are not in school? 2. What is your favorite subject to learn about in school? 3. What do you like most about first grade?
For the most part students answered number 1 with video games, movies and some sort of technology. A few students stated that they enjoyed playing outside but not very many. This made me a little sad mostly because I think children need to get outside more often. Secondly, most students love math! I find this to be great! My supervising teacher is an excellent math teacher. It is one of her strong points. This being said I believe that this has a lot to do with their enjoyment of the subject. Lastly recess was a favorite by all with art coming in second. Overall I felt as though this survey gave me better insight into my students lives in and out of the classroom. I think its an excellent idea to use this tool at the beginning of the year as a "getting to know you" activity.
We use Common Core at the school I am currently student teaching at. At first sight I thought maybe it was a bit too vague. However, as I read on I realized that there is a reason for this. It talks about a focus on results rather than the means. This allows teachers to provide students with tools and knowledge that they deem as being appropriate. It leaves a window for teachers to add their own creativity to the curriculum.
Hi LT...Loved the fact that teachers can add their own creativity to the curriculum, put their own twist on things. Your questions can certainly encourage great discussions and give you a quick snapshot of your students, which is so valuable. Great Job! -Kate
The surveys mentioned so far seem to have helped everyone in different ways! Some of you have been very thoughtful about what you learned, while for others perhaps you did not get enough information. Nancy
Hello... I used this opportunity to expand and enhance the science center in our classroom. I simply presented each student with a paper that had a thinking bubble and the heading "Things I Wonder About!". 1st Graders are so curious and I was amazed at the interesting and thoughtful responses that I received from this open-ended question. I am excited to explore and align some of these wonderful ideas with the Massachusetts Frameworks and the Common Core Standards. I was so impressed with some of these topics that included: How small are germs? Why do people speak different in different states? How fast does it blow inside a tornado? Why does plastic turn to a liquid? How old is God? How do people run with artificial legs? Are fairies real? How do birds know when to fly south? How many stars are in the sky? What makes up particles? I can certainly touch upon the topics of recycling, migration and constellations during Guided Reading with books that I know we have in our Guided Reading Library. Thank you for helping to facilitate this teachable moment that let me into their curious world. I am inspired! Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday. -Kate
For my first graders I created a four question survey which I asked them individually over three days this week. The four questions were:
1. What is you favorite subject at school (what do you like learning about the most)?
2. What is your least favorite subject (what is hardest for you)?
3. What would you like to spend more time learning about?
4. How do you like to work best (on your own, in pairs or in a group)?
I tried to avoid asking what they liked best about school because I did not want to get 19 responses of "recess!" Only a few kids did mention recess, and when they did I asked them to think of something that they liked learning about. The most popular responses were: reading and math centers. A few kids mentioned fitness and health (P.E.) and Art.
In terms of least favorite, children listed Hebrew (the children have it for one block, everyday of the week), Math and Music. They gave different reasons that varied from: "we use too much paper (Hebrew)", "It's a lot of work that doesn't make sense (Hebrew)", "Minus is hard but plus is easy (math)" and "Sometimes I'm tired because I have to wake up super early for the bus (P.E.)".
Five of the boys in the class (we have 9 boys and 10 girls) said they wished we could do more science because they liked doing experiments and doing stuff when stuff happens. This struck me as very typical of the old stereotype that boys like to get dirty and be active learners and tend to like science and math more than girls. The girl were split on what they wished we could spend more time on: musics, library, reading, Hebrew, math. Not one child mentioned something new that we have not learned and I was hoping that they would. For instance, I hoped one child would say "I wish we could learn about dinosaurs" or "I wish we took more field trips". They only answered based on what we already do.
Half of the kids said they liked to work on their own, half said they wanted to work in pairs, and one child said she liked to work best in groups. I will keep this in mind when planning future lessons. There are definitely advantages to helping children work in groups, but I will be ope to how they prefer to work when I want their best work on a project.
I think the Common Core standards are a better step towards even expectations for all states, but they need to keep students and their various learning styles in mind. The school I work in is a private, reform Jewish day school and they have their own set of learning standards that are based off of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. It dangerous to expect that all schools and all students should be taught in the same way. Any standards that are designed should be reevaluated on a regular basis in order to stay current and relevant to schools and students' needs.
When I was first introduced to the Common Core Standards, I felt that the more rigorous standards were a good thing because we, as teachers, should have higher expectations for all students. However, when I gave it more thought, I was not sure if setting higher standards would be beneficial to children. This feeling roots from the low-test scores and achievement gaps that already exist. While I believe that teachers should hold high expectations for students, it has to be more individualized. Creating more rigorous standards will create a larger achievement gap and leave the students who are struggling academically even more behind. Pennington’s article gave me more reason to not feel too supportive of the CCSS. I don’t quite understand how these standards will hold teachers more accounting for their teaching and students. The implementation of CCSS just seems like more pressure and anxiety on both teachers and students. After reading the article and further thought about the CCSS, I believe it is most appealing to many politicians and administration because it will generate money. Are students’ success really the main reason to the implementation of CCSS? I find it hard to believe…
SURVEY::::
Do you have siblings? If so, how many, what is/are their name(s) and how old are they? What is something you would like to learn or learn more about? Why? What helps you learn? Why? (music, visuals, small group activities, individual work, etc.) What is your favorite and least favorite subject? Why? What is one of your favorite books? Why? What type of music do you like? Why? Fill in the blank: On weekends I like to…… Someone I admire is____________________________________ because……. If I could go anywhere for a day, I would go……… I learn most when the teacher……….. I don’t like it when teachers……… Tell me a random fact about you!
I gave this survey to a class of 4th grade students as their morning work. A few of them were a bit thrown off by it because they thought it was given to them by the lead teacher (who should already know them). It wasn’t until they read the morning message that they realized who gave them the survey. I was initially a bit wary about the answers they would provide me with, particularly the boys. However, when I read them over, all of them answered honestly and most were pretty thorough. They weren’t afraid to tell me what they don’t like teachers doing, which is great. Some outcomes that I wanted from the survey were for the students to feel and know that I care about their interests and success in school. I am hoping this will help me in creating a positive relationship with them. This survey gaves me insight on each student’s weak and strong points. Many students answered that they don't like a particular subject because they aren’t good at it. While this is a common reason for adults and children to not like something, it made me a little sad to know this. After the students completed their surveys, I allowed them to ask me appropriate questions about myself. I didn’t want them to feel like, “Why do I have to share all these things with you when we don’t know anything about you?” This turned out to be a lot of fun for them.
1. What do you like to do when you’re not in school?
2. Are you interested in any particular topic (animals, history, insects, space, farming, sports, different parts of the world, etc.)? Have you gotten a chance to learn about it in school?
3. What is your favorite subject in school? Why?
4. What is your least favorite subject in school? Why?
5. Do you consider yourself a reader? Why or why not?
6. How do you feel you work best in school (alone or in a group)? Please explain why.
7. What is your favorite book that you have ever read? What did you like about it?
8. Are there any series of books that you like to read (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Babysitter’s Club, Boxcar Children, etc.)?
9. What is one thing you want to learn this year? Why?
10. What is your favorite memory or experience from school in the past?
11. What is your favorite memory or experience outside of school in the past?
Student Survey Reflection:
In a course I have previously taken, Literature for Children and Young Adults, one of our assignments was to create a “Student Interview”, pretty much the same thing as this, but more focused on reading skills. I found that to be a very valuable assignment because I realized how much you are able to learn about new students just by asking the right questions. After reading the article, I liked how this survey was more broad and inquired about more than just academic interests. Initially, I was able to recognize that the survey would provide insight into students’ lives and educational strengths and weaknesses, but the article informed me that it also could be a platform to set the tone for family involvement. At first, I hadn’t considered assigning the survey as homework. Now, I feel that if the student goes home, involves their family, takes personal space, and is able to complete the survey at their own pace, their responses will be much more thoughtful. After administering the survey to my students, I got to know so much more about them, and I have been working with them all year. I found that the subjects students’ “didn’t like” were subjects that they struggled in. I can see how finding out this information in the beginning of a school year can help you, as a teacher, be mindful of students’ academic needs. I also think that conducting a mid-year survey to see if the students’ interests differ from the beginning of the year would also be beneficial. On a different note, finding out what students’ like could help manage behavior as well. For me, I have already attempted to modify behavioral issues with individual students and knowing what they like outside of school, helped me choose motivational and appropriate reinforcements for the student. In contrast, knowing what they did not like helped me target potential causes of behavioral outbursts. It is amazing what you will find out just by asking a question. Then it is up to you, as a teacher, to use their responses in a productive way.
Response to Article: Common Core Standards/Pennington et. al
I felt mixed feeling after taking a closer look at the Common Core Standards. The standards themselves pertaining to the specific subjects seem fair and logical based on grade level. From my experience working around the Massachusetts Frameworks, the Common Core Standards do not differ that much. Personally, I have always found the goals/standards set for Massachusetts have been valuable to any student’s education. As a teacher, I think that they are reasonable in terms of expectations. Where it gets a little overwhelming for me, is when a schools’ curriculum is basically mapped out including every little detail of instruction and there is no room for creativity. The component of the Common Core Standards that rubbed me the wrong way was the introduction. It seemed very “business” driven. It centered workforce rather than individualized student learning. For example, the “goal” of the standards is for them to be “essential, rigorous, clear and specific, coherent, and internally benchmarked”…only to then define “essential” by “reasonable defining knowledge, and skills to succeed in entry-level, credit-baring, academic college courses and workforce training programs.” Before I read the “academic college courses” part, I thought it was only talking about the workforce. I understand that the main purpose of being educated is to eventually be a productive contributor to society…but in my eyes, the most essential goal for the education system is for students to be academically and individually successful in any path they choose. After I read the Pennington et. al article, I found their reaction extremely interesting. I think the accusation may be taken a bit too far, but in general the idea that the standards promote success/financial gain for the organizations that align their services to adhere to the standards, is relatively true. However, whether that is the case or not, the standards themselves do not negatively impact students; in fact, the C.C.S.S are in place to set a high national standard for education. That being said, I think the article took it a little too far.
1. What do you like to do best when you are not at school? 2. What are your favorite types of books? Think about different genres, authors or series that you enjoy! 3. What is your favorite subject in school? 4. What is your least favorite subject? 5. How do you work best in school? Do you like to work alone, with a partner or in a group? ( If students said with a partner or group I asked them who they work best with) 6. Is there a topic you are interested in that you would like to learn more about this year?
I found this survey to be very useful, and so did my cooperating teacher. It was no surprise to us, that 12 of fourteen students named science as their favorite subject. We are piloting a hands on science program where building with legos is one of the main activities. The children are always saying how excited they are for "STEM", and this reinforces the idea that students are engaged by hands-on activities. When I create my unit for the class, I definitely want to incorporate some hands on lessons to maintain the students' interest.
Most students named phonics as their least favorite subject, and five students said they found the phonics workbook to be "boring". This tells me, that we need to make some changes in our phonics instruction, and incorporate more engaging activities for the students.
Many students said that they enjoy playing video games and playing on the computer at home. Because of this, I think doing more interactive lessons on the "Smartboard" or on the classroom Ipad, may be a way to improve our phonics instruction. Many of the girls in our class said they like to play "house", and participate in other dramatic play activities. Because of this, I think readers' theatre would be enjoyable way for students to practice literacy skills.
One surprising piece of information I took from this, was that more than half the students would rather work by themselves than work with partners or in groups. This may be because our class is inclusive, and a significant number of them have a difficult time socially. Collaboration is something our students definitely need to improve on, and although the students may not enjoy it, it is an essential skill to learn in early childhood.
1.) What are you curious about? What do you wonder about? What do you want to know more about?
For this question, some students responses included space, aliens, monkeys, how scientists do experiments, why do owls stay up all night, measuring different things with different tools, what does the sun look like up close, and wanting to learn more about various types of snakes and where they live.
2.) What is your favorite subject or favorite topic to learn about in school? (I told them they could say gym, but they could not say recess since that was not considered an academic subject.)
For this question, student responses included math (3), science and social studies (4), art (2), measuring (1), and gym (1) - although afterward, everyone agreed that they also wanted to add gym as their favorite subject, too.
The first grade classroom I am in consists of only 11 students, so I chose to ask my survey questions during our daily "Circle Share" time at Morning Meeting. Focusing on only one question on Tuesday, and the second question on Wednesday. Each student had the opportunity to answer the question, while the other students focused their attention on the student sharing. This gave them time to answer the question with more than just "animals," or "gym," and allowed to elaborate on why they picked this topic or what specifically they liked about it.
I was not surprised by many of the answers students gave for both questions, as I can see both excitement and success in their favorite subject areas. I think, however, it would be interesting to conduct the surveys on paper or one-on-one, too, to see if it would illicit different responses. It will be important to keep these responses in mind as we work on more open-ended projects and assignments throughout the remainder of the year, such as the nonfiction literacy and writing unit, where they will hopefully be able to explore and research some of their topics and interests.
I agree with Corey, and many others, regarding the Common Core Standards. I think it is important to set national standards which ensures equity and that teachers are accountable in the same ways, but this equity loses credibility when the people who have an invested (monetary) interest are writing these standards. Additionally, I don't think these standards cater to children who have special needs or different learning styles. The school I am currently doing my practicum in (which has a high number of autistic and special needs students) uses the Common Core, and my supervising practitioner uses various forms of assessment to show what students know, what they have learned, challenges, and gaps in their knowledge. I think Pennington et al.'s reactions to the CCSS was a bit extreme. Like Mallory, I think the standards themselves serve an important purpose both for what student's need to know and teacher accountability, but they leave limit room for exploration of student interests, various learning styles and needs, and learning for the sake of learning.
I went to each student and asked them the following questions. I didn't give it as I written survey because I felt I would get more information by asking questions face to face. I found that each student enjoyed being asked about their interests and were eager to tell me about their talents.
What do you like to do when your not in school?
Do you enjoy reading? What are your favorite books?
What is your favorite subject? Why?
Do you like to work alone or in groups?
I was really surprised by some of the answers I received. I found out that for most students math is their favorite subject. Honestly I was expecting the majority to say recess but I only had one student say like recess the best. I wasn't surprised because that particular student jumps around all the time. I think that is good for me to remember that so students just have to move every now and then. We try and do jamin minutes so the kids can get their energy out. Many students gave answers that were the complete opposite of what I would have expected. For instance one girl that is esl and is very quiet, I mean very quiet, told me that at home she loves to dance to pop music. This information provided insight into her interests that could be used to help her become more vocal and confident in class. When I asked the students about reading most of them said that they enjoy reading. However I had one student answer " it's hard, I think that if it was easier for me I would really enjoy it and read all the time". I used four basic questions and then carried the conversation further from that point to learn more about each students learning style and interests.I also asked about working in groups or alone and most students preferred to work in groups. One student told me that she likes working in groups a lot but that she does her work better when she works alone. I thought it was very interesting that she could tell already what she needs to do to stay focused and productive. This information is very helpful when creating groups that are mutually beneficial.
This weeks reading (due Feb.14) support your conclusion about movement! Remember how much you benefited from the survey when you have your own class! Nancy
Name Date
ReplyDeleteInterest Survey
Name your 3 favorite things about first grade
Name 3 things that you don’t like about first grade
Do you like to read?
Do you think you are a good reader?
What is your favorite type of book?
Do you like to read with a grown up or by yourself?
Do you like math?
Do you think you are good at math?
What have you enjoyed learning in math?
Do you like to work in a group (like in centers), in a pair (like when we play math games) or by yourself?
Name at least three friends that you think you work well with
If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?
1. I completed my survey today and was surprised by many of the answers they gave. I first asked them what their favorite and least favorite things about school were. Not surprisingly, many of them loved recess and choice time (an indoor recess type time that they have at the end of the week). I was happy to know many of them enjoy reading centers, writer's workshop and morning meeting. Our school teaches Mandarin to the students 3 days a week and I was surprised to find out how many of them dislike that class. I was also disappointed to find that many of them don't like science; I thought they loved it!
They answered questions about if they prefer working in groups, pairs or by themselves and the answers came out pretty evenly which is helpful to think about when I am planning. I also asked them which students they think they work well with (not who their best friend is, which I stressed) and those results were interesting. I noticed that many of the same children came up and that certain children never were mentioned. I want to work on those dynamics within my class.
There was also a group of questions relating to reading and math and how they feel about those two subjects in particular. This gave me insight into their confidence levels in these areas.
2. As I read through the Common Core Standards I started to feel a bit overwhelmed. My school follows the frameworks, and although there are similarities, there are also many differences. I know that the push is towards national standards such as the Common Core, but I am skeptical for a number of reasons. The Pennington article mentioned that there is a feeling that we are starting to teach towards standards made by people who are paid to make these standards. I worry that they change too frequently and that that is part of why school systems struggle. So much of our curriculum is consistently changing and it makes it hard to become adept in teaching certain subjects. This feels like more change too quickly and I'm not sure that is the best way to do things.
I am delighted you learned so much from the survey and are planning to use it. Did you share your findings with your Cooperating practitioner? I suspect she will appreciate your results as well.
ReplyDeleteNancy
Hi Nancy,
DeleteI am the classroom teacher in my room. My supervising teacher is another first grade teacher in my school.
Molly
1) For my survey, I did a mix of educational interest questions and personal interest questions. Since I don't know these students well, I wanted to get an idea of their overall questions. Here are the questions I asked:
ReplyDelete1) What is your favorite subject?
2) What is your least favorite subject?
3) What is your favorite hobby?
4) What is your favorite time of the day?
5) What is your least favorite time of the day?
6) What is your favorite food?
7) What is your favorite animal?
8) What is your favorite season?
I found that in terms of favorite and least favorite subjects, the answers varied and ranged from math to reading to art and to gym. I thought that many students would list math as a least favorite subject, but I found that a lot of students do not like gym. I asked students about their favorite time and least favorite time of the day because I thought it would be good to see if the students' personalities/behaviors were different based on the time of the day. I plan on trying to monitor this. I asked a lot of outside interest questions. I want to get to know more about my students and try to incorporate some of their outside interests into my lesson planning.
2. My school uses the Common Core standards. I am more familiar with the Massachusetts standards, but did notice some similarities in the two. I find that there is a lot of standards, and I wonder if teachers are able to hit all of them and have students master them. As I look at the Grade 2 standards, I see a lot what my supervising teacher has been covering in the past two weeks. In the article, the authors feel that advocates of the Common Core standards profit from the implementation of the program. I see both sides to this argument. While I think a lot of educational programs and tests are for profit, I also feel that if our country all followed the same standards then we could work towards a national educational goal.
Brie
Student Survey
ReplyDelete1. What do you like to do when you’re not at school?
2. What is your favorite thing to learn about at school?
3. What is your favorite thing to eat?
4. What is your favorite book?
The first thing I noticed while creating and administering my survey was how much my language changed as I interviewed each child in my class. For example, I originally had "What is your favorite thing to do when you're not at school?" and "What is your favorite subject?", but I noticed when I rephrased the questions to make them slightly more open-ended, I got more varied and detailed responses (ie, instead of just "My favorite subject is math" I heard "I like to learn about math because I love addition.") This served as an important lesson to think carefully about how I phrase things when talking to my students.
I was surprised to hear that the majority of the class loves learning math - when I spoke to my teacher about this she suggested that it might be because she loves teaching math! This was another important reminder that genuine enthusiasm and passion for teaching goes a long way. Finally, I was glad to have obtained a list of the students' favorite books from the survey as it will be a helpful resource for read-alouds and literacy units in the future.
2. My school follows the Common Core standards, and though I have heard quite a bit about them this is my first experience seeing the standards in action. My first reaction is surprise at how "prescribed" they feel. The lessons are written out for teachers, including exactly what language teachers should use when presenting the lesson. This seems like a major red flag to me, because it does not take into account the various ways different students learn. Much like Pennington's argument that the CCSS were created by a tiny group of (invested) people to "solve" a huge national problem, it feels like the standards are written to reach the small group of children that learn one specific way, not taking into account the huge variety of learners and abilities. Similarly, I agree with Pennington's ideas on the CCSS' focus on college and career readiness; they are framed in such a way that college becomes the benchmark for success, and anything else is "failure". Throughout my courses at Lesley, I've learned so much about differentiated instruction and creating curriculum to fit the needs, abilities and interested of my individual students and it feels like the Common Core has no room for this approach. It's a little disheartening to see how quickly the CCSS has been adopted across the nation, especially since it's so new and has very little data on its success/effectiveness. However, I do believe that thoughtful and innovative teachers can find ways to get around the rigidity of the standards. For example, the teacher in my classroom looks at the SWBAT section and then creates a lesson to fit the needs of her students with that expected outcome/benchmark. She believes that as long as her students are hitting the benchmarks, she can teach them in whatever way is effective and interesting. Though I'm not sure the CCSS are going anywhere anytime soon, I'm hopeful that teachers will take similar creative license in their classrooms.
Hello..
ReplyDeleteI kept my survey short and sweet due to the fact that I have a very busy and active group. My survey consisted of 3 questions.....
1. What do you like to do when you are not in school?
2. What is your favorite subject to learn about in school?
3. What do you like most about first grade?
For the most part students answered number 1 with video games, movies and some sort of technology. A few students stated that they enjoyed playing outside but not very many. This made me a little sad mostly because I think children need to get outside more often. Secondly, most students love math! I find this to be great! My supervising teacher is an excellent math teacher. It is one of her strong points. This being said I believe that this has a lot to do with their enjoyment of the subject. Lastly recess was a favorite by all with art coming in second. Overall I felt as though this survey gave me better insight into my students lives in and out of the classroom. I think its an excellent idea to use this tool at the beginning of the year as a "getting to know you" activity.
We use Common Core at the school I am currently student teaching at. At first sight I thought maybe it was a bit too vague. However, as I read on I realized that there is a reason for this. It talks about a focus on results rather than the means. This allows teachers to provide students with tools and knowledge that they deem as being appropriate. It leaves a window for teachers to add their own creativity to the curriculum.
Thanks! LT
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DeleteHi LT...Loved the fact that teachers can add their own creativity to the curriculum, put their own twist on things. Your questions can certainly encourage great discussions and give you a quick snapshot of your students, which is so valuable. Great Job! -Kate
DeleteThe surveys mentioned so far seem to have helped everyone in different ways! Some of you have been very thoughtful about what you learned, while for others perhaps you did not get enough information.
ReplyDeleteNancy
Hello... I used this opportunity to expand and enhance the science center in our classroom. I simply presented each student with a paper that had a thinking bubble and the heading "Things I Wonder About!". 1st Graders are so curious and I was amazed at the interesting and thoughtful responses that I received from this open-ended question. I am excited to explore and align some of these wonderful ideas with the Massachusetts Frameworks and the Common Core Standards.
ReplyDeleteI was so impressed with some of these topics that included: How small are germs? Why do people speak different in different states? How fast does it blow inside a tornado? Why does plastic turn to a liquid? How old is God? How do people run with artificial legs? Are fairies real? How do birds know when to fly south? How many stars are in the sky? What makes up particles?
I can certainly touch upon the topics of recycling, migration and constellations during Guided Reading with books that I know we have in our Guided Reading Library. Thank you for helping to facilitate this teachable moment that let me into their curious world. I am inspired! Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday. -Kate
Kate,
DeleteWhat an interesting way to complete the survey. I just might copy your idea!
Molly
For my first graders I created a four question survey which I asked them individually over three days this week. The four questions were:
ReplyDelete1. What is you favorite subject at school (what do you like learning about the most)?
2. What is your least favorite subject (what is hardest for you)?
3. What would you like to spend more time learning about?
4. How do you like to work best (on your own, in pairs or in a group)?
I tried to avoid asking what they liked best about school because I did not want to get 19 responses of "recess!" Only a few kids did mention recess, and when they did I asked them to think of something that they liked learning about. The most popular responses were: reading and math centers. A few kids mentioned fitness and health (P.E.) and Art.
In terms of least favorite, children listed Hebrew (the children have it for one block, everyday of the week), Math and Music. They gave different reasons that varied from: "we use too much paper (Hebrew)", "It's a lot of work that doesn't make sense (Hebrew)", "Minus is hard but plus is easy (math)" and "Sometimes I'm tired because I have to wake up super early for the bus (P.E.)".
Five of the boys in the class (we have 9 boys and 10 girls) said they wished we could do more science because they liked doing experiments and doing stuff when stuff happens. This struck me as very typical of the old stereotype that boys like to get dirty and be active learners and tend to like science and math more than girls. The girl were split on what they wished we could spend more time on: musics, library, reading, Hebrew, math. Not one child mentioned something new that we have not learned and I was hoping that they would. For instance, I hoped one child would say "I wish we could learn about dinosaurs" or "I wish we took more field trips". They only answered based on what we already do.
Half of the kids said they liked to work on their own, half said they wanted to work in pairs, and one child said she liked to work best in groups. I will keep this in mind when planning future lessons. There are definitely advantages to helping children work in groups, but I will be ope to how they prefer to work when I want their best work on a project.
I think the Common Core standards are a better step towards even expectations for all states, but they need to keep students and their various learning styles in mind. The school I work in is a private, reform Jewish day school and they have their own set of learning standards that are based off of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. It dangerous to expect that all schools and all students should be taught in the same way. Any standards that are designed should be reevaluated on a regular basis in order to stay current and relevant to schools and students' needs.
Corey
I totally agree with your comments on the standards!
ReplyDeleteNancy
COMMON CORE::::
ReplyDeleteWhen I was first introduced to the Common Core Standards, I felt that the more rigorous standards were a good thing because we, as teachers, should have higher expectations for all students. However, when I gave it more thought, I was not sure if setting higher standards would be beneficial to children. This feeling roots from the low-test scores and achievement gaps that already exist. While I believe that teachers should hold high expectations for students, it has to be more individualized. Creating more rigorous standards will create a larger achievement gap and leave the students who are struggling academically even more behind.
Pennington’s article gave me more reason to not feel too supportive of the CCSS. I don’t quite understand how these standards will hold teachers more accounting for their teaching and students. The implementation of CCSS just seems like more pressure and anxiety on both teachers and students. After reading the article and further thought about the CCSS, I believe it is most appealing to many politicians and administration because it will generate money. Are students’ success really the main reason to the implementation of CCSS? I find it hard to believe…
SURVEY::::
Do you have siblings? If so, how many, what is/are their name(s) and how old are they?
What is something you would like to learn or learn more about? Why?
What helps you learn? Why? (music, visuals, small group activities, individual work, etc.)
What is your favorite and least favorite subject? Why?
What is one of your favorite books? Why?
What type of music do you like? Why?
Fill in the blank:
On weekends I like to……
Someone I admire is____________________________________ because…….
If I could go anywhere for a day, I would go………
I learn most when the teacher………..
I don’t like it when teachers………
Tell me a random fact about you!
I gave this survey to a class of 4th grade students as their morning work. A few of them were a bit thrown off by it because they thought it was given to them by the lead teacher (who should already know them). It wasn’t until they read the morning message that they realized who gave them the survey. I was initially a bit wary about the answers they would provide me with, particularly the boys. However, when I read them over, all of them answered honestly and most were pretty thorough. They weren’t afraid to tell me what they don’t like teachers doing, which is great.
Some outcomes that I wanted from the survey were for the students to feel and know that I care about their interests and success in school. I am hoping this will help me in creating a positive relationship with them.
This survey gaves me insight on each student’s weak and strong points. Many students answered that they don't like a particular subject because they aren’t good at it. While this is a common reason for adults and children to not like something, it made me a little sad to know this. After the students completed their surveys, I allowed them to ask me appropriate questions about myself. I didn’t want them to feel like, “Why do I have to share all these things with you when we don’t know anything about you?” This turned out to be a lot of fun for them.
Student Survey!
ReplyDeleteName:_________________ Date________________
1. What do you like to do when you’re not in school?
2. Are you interested in any particular topic (animals, history, insects, space, farming, sports, different parts of the world, etc.)? Have you gotten a chance to learn about it in school?
3. What is your favorite subject in school? Why?
4. What is your least favorite subject in school? Why?
5. Do you consider yourself a reader? Why or why not?
6. How do you feel you work best in school (alone or in a group)? Please explain why.
7. What is your favorite book that you have ever read? What did you like about it?
8. Are there any series of books that you like to read (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Babysitter’s Club, Boxcar Children, etc.)?
9. What is one thing you want to learn this year? Why?
10. What is your favorite memory or experience from school in the past?
11. What is your favorite memory or experience outside of school in the past?
Student Survey Reflection:
In a course I have previously taken, Literature for Children and Young Adults, one of our assignments was to create a “Student Interview”, pretty much the same thing as this, but more focused on reading skills. I found that to be a very valuable assignment because I realized how much you are able to learn about new students just by asking the right questions. After reading the article, I liked how this survey was more broad and inquired about more than just academic interests. Initially, I was able to recognize that the survey would provide insight into students’ lives and educational strengths and weaknesses, but the article informed me that it also could be a platform to set the tone for family involvement. At first, I hadn’t considered assigning the survey as homework. Now, I feel that if the student goes home, involves their family, takes personal space, and is able to complete the survey at their own pace, their responses will be much more thoughtful. After administering the survey to my students, I got to know so much more about them, and I have been working with them all year. I found that the subjects students’ “didn’t like” were subjects that they struggled in. I can see how finding out this information in the beginning of a school year can help you, as a teacher, be mindful of students’ academic needs. I also think that conducting a mid-year survey to see if the students’ interests differ from the beginning of the year would also be beneficial. On a different note, finding out what students’ like could help manage behavior as well. For me, I have already attempted to modify behavioral issues with individual students and knowing what they like outside of school, helped me choose motivational and appropriate reinforcements for the student. In contrast, knowing what they did not like helped me target potential causes of behavioral outbursts. It is amazing what you will find out just by asking a question. Then it is up to you, as a teacher, to use their responses in a productive way.
Response to Article: Common Core Standards/Pennington et. al
ReplyDeleteI felt mixed feeling after taking a closer look at the Common Core Standards. The standards themselves pertaining to the specific subjects seem fair and logical based on grade level. From my experience working around the Massachusetts Frameworks, the Common Core Standards do not differ that much. Personally, I have always found the goals/standards set for Massachusetts have been valuable to any student’s education. As a teacher, I think that they are reasonable in terms of expectations. Where it gets a little overwhelming for me, is when a schools’ curriculum is basically mapped out including every little detail of instruction and there is no room for creativity. The component of the Common Core Standards that rubbed me the wrong way was the introduction. It seemed very “business” driven. It centered workforce rather than individualized student learning. For example, the “goal” of the standards is for them to be “essential, rigorous, clear and specific, coherent, and internally benchmarked”…only to then define “essential” by “reasonable defining knowledge, and skills to succeed in entry-level, credit-baring, academic college courses and workforce training programs.” Before I read the “academic college courses” part, I thought it was only talking about the workforce. I understand that the main purpose of being educated is to eventually be a productive contributor to society…but in my eyes, the most essential goal for the education system is for students to be academically and individually successful in any path they choose. After I read the Pennington et. al article, I found their reaction extremely interesting. I think the accusation may be taken a bit too far, but in general the idea that the standards promote success/financial gain for the organizations that align their services to adhere to the standards, is relatively true. However, whether that is the case or not, the standards themselves do not negatively impact students; in fact, the C.C.S.S are in place to set a high national standard for education. That being said, I think the article took it a little too far.
The survey I used for first grade students
ReplyDelete1. What do you like to do best when you are not at school?
2. What are your favorite types of books? Think about different genres, authors or series that you enjoy!
3. What is your favorite subject in school?
4. What is your least favorite subject?
5. How do you work best in school? Do you like to work alone, with a partner or in a group? ( If students said with a partner or group I asked them who they work best with)
6. Is there a topic you are interested in that you would like to learn more about this year?
I found this survey to be very useful, and so did my cooperating teacher. It was no surprise to us, that 12 of fourteen students named science as their favorite subject. We are piloting a hands on science program where building with legos is one of the main activities. The children are always saying how excited they are for "STEM", and this reinforces the idea that students are engaged by hands-on activities. When I create my unit for the class, I definitely want to incorporate some hands on lessons to maintain the students' interest.
Most students named phonics as their least favorite subject, and five students said they found the phonics workbook to be "boring". This tells me, that we need to make some changes in our phonics instruction, and incorporate more engaging activities for the students.
Many students said that they enjoy playing video games and playing on the computer at home. Because of this, I think doing more interactive lessons on the "Smartboard" or on the classroom Ipad, may be a way to improve our phonics instruction. Many of the girls in our class said they like to play "house", and participate in other dramatic play activities. Because of this, I think readers' theatre would be enjoyable way for students to practice literacy skills.
One surprising piece of information I took from this, was that more than half the students would rather work by themselves than work with partners or in groups. This may be because our class is inclusive, and a significant number of them have a difficult time socially. Collaboration is something our students definitely need to improve on, and although the students may not enjoy it, it is an essential skill to learn in early childhood.
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ReplyDeleteStudent Survey Interest Questions:
ReplyDelete1.) What are you curious about? What do you wonder about? What do you want to know more about?
For this question, some students responses included space, aliens, monkeys, how scientists do experiments, why do owls stay up all night, measuring different things with different tools, what does the sun look like up close, and wanting to learn more about various types of snakes and where they live.
2.) What is your favorite subject or favorite topic to learn about in school? (I told them they could say gym, but they could not say recess since that was not considered an academic subject.)
For this question, student responses included math (3), science and social studies (4), art (2), measuring (1), and gym (1) - although afterward, everyone agreed that they also wanted to add gym as their favorite subject, too.
The first grade classroom I am in consists of only 11 students, so I chose to ask my survey questions during our daily "Circle Share" time at Morning Meeting. Focusing on only one question on Tuesday, and the second question on Wednesday. Each student had the opportunity to answer the question, while the other students focused their attention on the student sharing. This gave them time to answer the question with more than just "animals," or "gym," and allowed to elaborate on why they picked this topic or what specifically they liked about it.
I was not surprised by many of the answers students gave for both questions, as I can see both excitement and success in their favorite subject areas. I think, however, it would be interesting to conduct the surveys on paper or one-on-one, too, to see if it would illicit different responses. It will be important to keep these responses in mind as we work on more open-ended projects and assignments throughout the remainder of the year, such as the nonfiction literacy and writing unit, where they will hopefully be able to explore and research some of their topics and interests.
I agree with Corey, and many others, regarding the Common Core Standards. I think it is important to set national standards which ensures equity and that teachers are accountable in the same ways, but this equity loses credibility when the people who have an invested (monetary) interest are writing these standards. Additionally, I don't think these standards cater to children who have special needs or different learning styles. The school I am currently doing my practicum in (which has a high number of autistic and special needs students) uses the Common Core, and my supervising practitioner uses various forms of assessment to show what students know, what they have learned, challenges, and gaps in their knowledge. I think Pennington et al.'s reactions to the CCSS was a bit extreme. Like Mallory, I think the standards themselves serve an important purpose both for what student's need to know and teacher accountability, but they leave limit room for exploration of student interests, various learning styles and needs, and learning for the sake of learning.
For Mrgaret:
ReplyDeleteStudent survey
I went to each student and asked them the following questions. I didn't give it as I written survey because I felt I would get more information by asking questions face to face. I found that each student enjoyed being asked about their interests and were eager to tell me about their talents.
What do you like to do when your not in school?
Do you enjoy reading? What are your favorite books?
What is your favorite subject? Why?
Do you like to work alone or in groups?
I was really surprised by some of the answers I received. I found out that for most students math is their favorite subject. Honestly I was expecting the majority to say recess but I only had one student say like recess the best. I wasn't surprised because that particular student jumps around all the time. I think that is good for me to remember that so students just have to move every now and then. We try and do jamin minutes so the kids can get their energy out. Many students gave answers that were the complete opposite of what I would have expected. For instance one girl that is esl and is very quiet, I mean very quiet, told me that at home she loves to dance to pop music. This information provided insight into her interests that could be used to help her become more vocal and confident in class.
When I asked the students about reading most of them said that they enjoy reading. However I had one student answer " it's hard, I think that if it was easier for me I would really enjoy it and read all the time". I used four basic questions and then carried the conversation further from that point to learn more about each students learning style and interests.I also asked about working in groups or alone and most students preferred to work in groups. One student told me that she likes working in groups a lot but that she does her work better when she works alone. I thought it was very interesting that she could tell already what she needs to do to stay focused and productive. This information is very helpful when creating groups that are mutually beneficial.
This weeks reading (due Feb.14) support your conclusion about movement! Remember how much you benefited from the survey when you have your own class!
ReplyDeleteNancy