Unfortunately after researching and digging through the The Ever-Evolving Teacher's blog, I did not find any information on the author of this blog, but I did find a picture with the writing, "Thanks for Visiting!" underneath the picture on the right column of the blog. I assume this man is the author of this blog. I did find that this man is a first grade teacher after reading his blog post AR Blog Entry.
AR Blog Entry
In blog post AR Blog Entry, this first grade teacher starts with a driving question: "How will interactive journal writing influence student mathematical achievement in first grade?" According to this blog post, a review of literature suggests several benefits to journal writing during math class. Journal writing allows students to convey their understanding of math concepts through words and pictures. Journal writing also enhances the communication of ideas as well as promotes the correct use of mathematical vocabulary. By having students write more often, teachers have a better understanding of student knowledge. Next, this teacher mentions that as a result of his literature review, the areas he has targeted for change in his practice include the following:
1. 10 minutes of journal writing 3 times per work after a math lesson
2. Promoting questions that allow for picture, word, or number responses
3. Interacting with each student's journal to provide adequate feedback
Throughout implementing this action of research, this first grade teacher learned that each one of his students is at a different skill level with writing and showing understanding.
My Thoughts on AR Blog Entry
I found the idea of journal entries after a math lesson a great idea. As stated earlier, this gives students the opportunity to convey what they have or have not learned, and is also a great way for teachers to assess how well the students are grasping the concepts taught in class. After reading this blog post, I started thinking about other ways I could implement journal entries in my future classroom. Journal entries would be great for students after they have read a story in or out of class. Having students make journal entries is a great assessment tool and an assessment tool I plan on using in my future classroom.
My Comment on AR Blog Entry
In my comment on this blog post, I introduced myself and explained that I was commenting on the blog post as an assignment in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I explained that I thoroughly enjoyed reading AR Blog Entry. I mentioned that having students make journal entries after a math lesson, or even after reading a story in class seems like a great way for teachers to assess students' comprehension of the subject matter. I then thanked the author for enlightening me on how useful journal entries can be. I invited this author to check out my blog and the EDM310 class blog.
I have not received a response to my comment on AR Blog Entry.
"Children's Principles of Learning"
In The Ever-Evolving Teacher's blog post Children's Principles of Learning, the author provided a list of nine essential principles to facilitate learning:
Safety: Students have to feel safe in their learning environment and understand that if they make a mistake there will be no devastating responses or consequences.
Caring: Everything is done through care. Throughout the learning process, the students' individual needs must be assessed, both academically and emotionally.
Engagement: The deeper the students are engaged in their learning, the more delight and accountability they will get from their learning. The concepts and implementation of the concepts should be age appropriate and student-centered.
Valuable: The material and topics covered must be valuable and applicable. Questions to consider include: Is this something my students can use right now? My students may not be able to use this information right now, but will they be able to in the future?
Collaboration: Teamwork is ideal because it models a "real world setting." Students are capable of teacheing each other and learning from one another. "Think. Pair. Share."
Praxis: Growth is imperative for learning. Key points need to be revisited and discussed regularly. When students are invited to asses their growth they take more accountability for their learning.
Successful: Students need to be focused on mastering learning. Students need to see evidence of success, progress, goals, and objectives.
Sequence and Reinforcement: Students need to be able to connect new concepts to prior knowledge.
Priority: Education needs to be viewed as a priority. Lawmakers, teachers, students, and parents need to all view education as a priority in order to help students reach their academic goals.
My Thoughts on "Children's Principles of Learning"
This blog post gave me a great sense of the principles I will need to consider when becoming an elementary school teacher. Two topics covered that I think are very important include engagement and value. Students will not learn and retain content unless the teacher provides an engaging learning environment as well as engaging classroom activities, lessons, and projects. Connecting these engaging lessons to real life will make these lessons valuable.
My Comment on "Children's Principles of Learning"
In my comment I introduced myself, told where I attend college, and explained that I was commenting on the post as an assignment in EDM310. In my comment, I thanked the author for sharing the post. I explained how informative it is, and the principles are something I need to keep in mind when I become an elementary school teacher. I invited the author of the blog to check out the EDM310 class blog and my EDM310 blog.
I have not received a response to my comment on "Children's Principles of Learning."
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