Reflection on the Semester (Final Blog)

My learning experience this semester is one I will carry with my throughout my career. The first thing I learned this semester is that Social Studies is not what I thought it was. Social Studies is not just history. It is current events, ways of life, religion, culture, and social. Social Studies is a body of integrative knowledge, concepts, skills, generalizations and theories in the SS fields (history, geography, economics, citizenship, etc.) 
Each aspect should be taught equally. Because there are different aspects, there are so many different ways to teach SS. Social studies is best taught through exploration. Students should be encouraged to conduct research and discover information on their own. Social Studies is also a good subject to implement cooperative learning in. 
Social Studies is meaningful- engaging students with real-world situations.
Social Studies is integrative- draws on more than one discipline, subject, or skill set.Social Studies is value-based- Strengthens students' sense of democratic values and social responsibility.Social Studies is challenging- incorporates different perspectives and draws on students' critical-thinking skills.Social Studies is active- Participatory, makes use of manipulatives or physical environment. 
Real learning occurs when students are engaged; they apply different skills.
I also learned about assessments and the different types.

• Diagnostic: Finding out. Belongs in the introduction of the unit. (KWL chart, pre-assessment).
• Formative Assessment: Keeping track and checking up. Occurs throughout the lesson. (exit ticket, conference, quiz, journal entry, check for understanding)
• Summative Assessment: Making sure, at the end of the lesson, independent practice. (unit test, post-assessment, performance task)

I learned a lot from working with my colleagues. I consider myself lucky to work with such a bright group of teacher candidates. The most valuable lesson I learned from working with my peers is how to work cooperatively. The PIGS model is an easy way to remember how to work in groups with my colleagues as well as how to teach my students to work together in groups.
It is hard to summarize how much I have learned this semester and how much experience I have gained. I will keep my blogs, my eFolio, and my lesson plans for future reference. I would like to thank my peers and Dr. Smirnova for teaching me so much and providing me with knowledge and preparation I will carry with me into the field of teaching.

Presentations of Work in Progress

On Tuesday, May 2nd, we held our last social studies methods class. For this class, we each presented our final works in progress, including our eFolios, blogs, and unit plans. This semester I was especially proud of the word I completed in Social Studies methods. This was my second course with Dr. Smirnova and all of the valuable knowledge I acquired in Science methods last semester helped me tremendously. I learned a lot about time management, and the fact that completing the edTPA tasks on eFolio as well as the unit plan is time consuming and involves a lot of work and dedication. This semester, I started my eFolio work much earlier than I did last semester.  This helped improve my work and decrease my stress level. I was proud to share my work in progress with my peers. I was also proud and happy to see all of the work my peers have completed so far. I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such a smart, motivated, and dedicated group of peers. I was impressed to see that my peers have completed so much work ahead of the due date. I will miss this class and working with this group of people.

Reflection on edTPA and eFolio

The most challenging but also most helpful part of Dr. Smirnova's courses is the completion of the practice edTPA and eFolio. This is my second course with Dr. Smirnova. I definitely learned from my experience last time that completing edTPA tasks takes a long time and a lot of thought and consideration. My group members and I decided that it would be helpful to sit down together and work individually on our edTPA tasks. I know that Mount Saint Mary offers and edTPA work day for students that are student teaching. Students are invited to sit together and individually work on their tasks. This is definitely a great idea. Working alongside my peers definitely motivated me and helped me stay focused. If I had any questions, I was able to ask my peers and continue working. We were able to help each other when we needed assistance and we kept each other on task. It was definitely helpful to sit with my peers and complete my edTPA tasks. edTPA is stressful and challenging, but the fact that I was lucky enough to work with a group of peers that are professional, bright, and motivated teacher candidates helped me complete my work and motivated me to try my best. This was my second time completing all edTPA tasks for Dr. Smirnova. This time, it was much easier for me and I understood so much more. I am thankful for this opportunity to complete edTPA tasks prior to student teaching. This part of the course is so beneficial for when I will actually be student teaching and completing edTPA in order to receive my certification. The use of eFolio keeps all of my work so organized and professional looking. After taking these courses with Dr. Smirnova, I feel well versed in edTPA as well as the use of technology to help me complete my work to the best of my ability. 

Reflection on the Last Day at BDMS

Tuesday, April 30th was our last day of fieldwork at BDMS. It was a very busy day. Group 4 taught their cooperative learning lesson and introduced the celebration of learning activity. Each teacher candidate stood at the front of the class. We each had a certificate to congratulate each second grader on their learning individually. We called up each student to receive their certificate. The students were also given pencils, erasers, and stickers. We even presented Mr. Kimbark with a gift to thank him for allowing us to work with his class.The students were so happy and excited; it was clear they enjoyed the celebration and were proud of all the work they completed with us. The students reflected on the information we taught them, and my fellow teacher candidates and I reflected on our experience. We all agreed that this experience taught us mostly about time management and cooperative learning. This is the only methods class in which we are required to create and implement a cooperative learning lesson. Cooperative learning is a type of lesson that is not only beneficial to social studies lessons; it can be used for any subject. It is so important for students to learn how to work with peers in groups. I will remember PIGS throughout my teaching career as it is important for both teachers and students to understand and practice. 

Cooperative Learning: A Trip to the Bank

On Tuesday April 9th, my group and I taught a cooperative learning lesson to the second grade class. The topic was again "A Trip to the Bank". This was our third and final lesson. The lesson went exactly as we planned. We quickly reviewed information from our previous lessons and then broke up into three groups.  I worked in a group with Michaela. Two of the students in our group have IEP's. We placed them in the same group purposely, so Michaela and I were prepared to work to accommodate their needs. Our group worked to create an advertisement for a store that sold various goods. The students each chose their own good and prices. They then drew pictures for each. Our group project could have been improved by adding more academic language to it. The students did not use as much academic language as we hoped. Another group worked to create a chart that differentiated more expensive goods and services from less expensive goods and services. The purpose of this was for students to discuss whether they should spend money on a good or save money/take out a loan before purchasing a good. The third group worked together to write a poem. The students were all excited and happy to work together. They were motivated and stayed on task. We had enough time to teach each part of our lesson plan. The students were given a form that allowed them to grade their peers as well as themselves.
Our lesson could have been improved in several ways:
We could have incorporated more academic language.
We could have assigned group roles prior to the lesson, instead of letting each student pick their role. This caused a loss of time as well as some disagreement among students. Overall, my fellow teachers and I were proud of our work as well as the work of the students. We feel that they clearly followed all parts of the GROUPS acronym.

Mock Interview

In our Social Studies Methods class, Dr. Smirnova planned for us to conduct mock interviews at a job fair. Dr. Smirnova took the role of a journalist, documenting the fair. I volunteered, along with 3 of my peers, to be an administrator looking to hire a new teacher. Dr. Smirnova told me I would be looking to hire someone well suited for a job involving the use of differentiated instruction and technology. I was asked to create a professional profile of myself. 

Here is my profile:

Profile:

Hello everyone, nice to meet you all. My name is Dr. Jennifer Masini. I received my doctorate in childhood special education and administration in 2010. I taught grades 1-5 post-graduation and I have been the principal of South Elementary School for 3 years now. I am looking to hire a special education teacher that is able to provide differentiated instruction and use technology to meet the needs of all of students in a third-grade classroom with 20 students. 5 of these students have IEPs and are below grade level. I look forward to getting to know you all!

I created several warm up questions that I would ask to each group of interviewees to see who would take initiative in answering. These were my warm up questions:

Warm up questions:

• What is the first word that comes to mind when I say “differentiated instruction” and why?
• How do you plan to make a positive difference in students’ lives?

• What is something that makes you unique?

I created six questions specific to the topic of differentiated instruction and technology to see how much each interviewee knew about these subject areas. These were my specific questions:

Differentiated Instruction/Technology Questions:

1. What does differentiated instruction mean to you and why is it important to use differentiated instruction in a classroom?
2. How would you plan to incorporate technology into a Social Studies lesson about the United States Government in a third grade classroom?
3. How could you provide differentiated instruction using technology in the classroom I described earlier?
4. Why do you think it is difficult /challenging to provide differentiated instruction, such as accommodations and modifications, every day in the classroom?
5. Imagine you are teaching a direct instruction lesson. The independent practice part of the lesson requires students to complete a fill in the blank activity with new terms from the lesson. You notice one student is struggling to recall any information from the lesson. The student becomes frustrated, starts to cry, and disrupts the whole class. The student tells you that they cannot remember anything they just learned. How would you react in this situation?
6. How are you going to keep track of the diverse students in your classroom?

This experience was so helpful and meaningful to me. I got to learn about the different things that administrators pay attention to during an interview. This was definitely an experience I learned a lot from and I will keep it in mind when I prepare for job interviews in the future.

Interview Information & Preparation: Principal Panel

There was a principal panel on Wednesday, April 24th. Dr. Smirnova asked James, who attended, to come speak in front of the class and share his experience with us.

James explained that the first question the interviewers asked was "What sets you apart from the other applicants?". I found this interesting because I never considered being asked this.
James mentioned that you want to bring a portfolio with a good lesson plan or other works you're proud of. James said you should bring a copy of each type of lesson plan you've created, as well as a writing sample. James also said that it would be important to conduct research on the school you are interviewing at. You should know about their curriculum, their students, and the problems they are facing.
They asked about differentiating instruction, classroom management, they gave a scenario "the whole class is engaged except for Johnny in the back who is sabotaging the lesson, how would you handle the situation".
They asked how you would incorporate technology into the classroom. they all expressed the idea that technology should only be a supplement to the lesson, not the whole lesson.
it is important to know the family life of your students and their social and economic backgrounds. You have to create a sense of equity in your classroom.
The first 45 minutes every morning at HOH is dedicated to intervention. Teachers check in with each student to find out if they ate, if they slept, if there was an adult home, and how the students feel in general.
The interviewers want to see your engagement, motivation, and passion to teach. James explained that its hard to sell yourself, but you need to express all of your strengths and all of your accomplishments; and what makes you different.
One thing not to do during an interview: do not talk negatively about your experience, even if they probe you. They will try to pull a negative experience or answer out of you, DO NOT DO THAT. "That must have been so hard/so awful" - switch it and say it was challenging but I gained knowledge, i gained experience, we were successful, I enjoyed the experience and what i gained from it. Show that you are positive, you are a learner, and you are willing to make things better. Show that you are reflective and have the ability to learn and grow. You should explain how you want to start a club or help develop a club that already exists, or how you would like to create more community among the school (bringing in guests, creating experiences)
The cover letter is your opportunity to differentiate yourself. Dress professionally. Be on time. Come to the interview alone. First impressions never change.