MAED Literacy & Classroom Management Showcase
Introduction
The two strongest and most influential areas of study in which I chose to focus my Master of Arts and Education (MAED) were the areas of literacy and classroom management. Though these two areas may appear at first to be unrelated, I feel strongly that together they are the cornerstones of an exceptionally high functioning and effective classroom.
Reading and writing are two of the most essential skills a child must develop in order to be successful in all of the content areas taught in school. Learning to read and write effectively are processes that continue throughout a child's entire education. They become increasing difficult and more challenging as new skills learned are built on top of old skills mastered.
Classroom management plays an essential role in successful student learning. The more comfortable, safe, and respected my students feel by me and by each other, the more intrinsically motivated they will be, and the more comfortable they will feel in taking positive risks and becoming active participants in their own education as they learn and grow.
Reading and writing are two of the most essential skills a child must develop in order to be successful in all of the content areas taught in school. Learning to read and write effectively are processes that continue throughout a child's entire education. They become increasing difficult and more challenging as new skills learned are built on top of old skills mastered.
Classroom management plays an essential role in successful student learning. The more comfortable, safe, and respected my students feel by me and by each other, the more intrinsically motivated they will be, and the more comfortable they will feel in taking positive risks and becoming active participants in their own education as they learn and grow.
Classroom Management:
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Classroom management has always been a passion of mine. Every year I strive to create a warm, caring, community of learners where trust, personal relationships, and mutual respect are evident. A project that I am particularly proud of is a PowerPoint collection that I created detailing best practices in classroom management currently being implemented in my 6th grade social studies classroom. (Note: Due to file size, the PowerPoint below has been broken into three segments.) |
An important part of classroom management is building connections and positive relationships. This could mean (but is not limited to) student-student relationships, student-teacher relationships, and teacher-parent relationships. With the hopes of strengthening these relationships, I developed a classroom website . My website provides a way to showcase student work, connect with my students, and keep parents in the loop with what's going on in the classroom. I am so proud of how my site came together, and extremely happy with the positive feedback I have gotten from families about it!
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Classroom Management:
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Literacy:
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One of my favorite assignments during the course of my Masters was being asked to reflect on what I'd learned in the course as it pertained to the quote, "What is commonly called literary history is actually a record of choices." --Louise Bernikow. I have learned so much about how books are selected to win a multitude of awards, and I realized that a lot of what is "award winning" is really the decision of, at times, a very small group of people. There are a lot of wonderful books out there to share with children, and a gold or silver seal does not necessarily determine their value. |
I have become very proud of the way I have learned to work outside
of my comfort zone and be open to trying a new practice in my classroom, the implementation of student "inquiry circles." I was reluctant to the idea at first, as it involves the teacher taking a step back as the leader, and asks the students to take a leadership role. In my book review of Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry Circles in Action I explored the many possibilities that student led inquiry circles had to offer and how they could be applied to my 6th grade social studies classroom. If my ultimate goal is to create a classroom climate where students feel comfortable and confident to become active participants in their own learning, than this is a great next step! |
Literacy:
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Literacy:
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Writing can be really challenging for students of all ages, so I have taken the opportunity to create a Writing Assessment and Instruction Portfolio. The topic of my portfolio was teaching argumentative/persuasive writing within the middle level social studies content area. I focused my essay on the importance of teaching writing as a process as a means of improving student writing products. Supplementary materials that I created for my writing portfolio included prewriting graphic organizers, lesson plans, and a persuasive writing rubric. |
One very challenging course that I took during my Masters I provided me with the opportunity to complete a literacy case study using one of my current students. I chose to work with one of my special education students. The case study involved assessing the student to determine areas of concern in reading, developing lesson plans that would target instruction to help the student improve in the areas of concern, and finally reassessing the student to measure growth in the targeted areas. I found that my student was struggling most in the areas of fluency and comprehension of expository text. I am not only proud of my work on this casestudy, but I am also so proud of how hard my student worked and how much her reading skills improved in our short time together!
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Literacy:
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Picture Credits: Microsoft Office Clip Art; Copyright 2010. Used with permission from Microsoft.