Kristen

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Philosophy of Education After watching the video Dr. Cook posted, I began to think more about the education system and how it is constantly changing. The woman in the video thought she and her brother were quite similar. However, their work ethic turned out to be very different. No one had ever helped her brother in the school system. By the time the woman and her mother realized what was going on during the school day hours, Charlie was already too far along the terrible path he continued to stay on for his remaining days in school. In the video, Charlie's teachers did not care to help him. As long as our kids have great models in the education system, there should be less worries for their futures. Education is a gift for you to be able to love what you do one day. Like Charlie, many student do not see the "Big Picture" of striving for something in the future. There have been numerous times where a teacher or professor of mine would say, "Find what you love and do it." You would think this would be a simple concept. However, without education, finding what you love becomes very limited.

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=Graphic Organizer = . 1) Environment - One of the most important part of the classroom is the environment. If a child walks into a classroom in which they feel uncomfortable, learning will not come so easily. The child should be able to walk into the room feeling comfortable and wanting to start the day. Some examples are,
 * 1) A classroom with lots of learning materials around i.e; on the walls, desks, etc.
 * 2) Desks set up in a comfortable manner and taking note for the first few weeks on which way is best i.e; groups, circle, spread out etc.
 * 3) A warm teacher who the students feel comfortable talking to whenever they need hel p

Your classroom should be treated as the child's "HOME AWAY FROM HOME" Organization - I believe an organized classroom sets a student up for success. The classroom itself and materials should be organized for the students to know exactly what they have to do when walking into the room everyday. An unorganized classroom only takes up time from the students day trying to get organized. When things are in order, less time is taken up from learning.

2) Positive attitude and relationships - This category sort of goes along with environment. I believe the teacher should:
 * ALWAYS have a positive attitude no matter what kind of day you are having.
 * Leave personal issues outside of the classroom.
 * Have a good sense of humor
 * Let the student know he/she can be themselves in the classroom
 * Enforce positive relationships amongst the students

Student-Teacher relationships are a core part of managing a classroom.

This project could be used in the classroom so teachers and students can get to know each other. There are many variations of the "I Am" activity. Students can create a poster, a poem, a slideshow, a "Top Ten" list, etc. to describe themselves. It can be helpful to give students sentence starters to spur their thinking and writing. There are endless possibilities, but a few examples include:
 * "I Am" Project **
 * I love _because_
 * __I wonder ___
 * I am happy when
 * __I am scared when ___
 * __I worry about ___ because
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">I hope to
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">I am sad when _
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">In the future, I will ___

3) <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;">Planning and Preparation - I think it is extremely important for every teacher to have a plan as well as be prepared for that plan. I currently have three different clients whom I see weekly in the UB clinic. Luckily, I have been prepared for my therapy sessions with my clients, but I have come close to almost being unprepared. Getting things together last minute can be stressful and leaves room for error. I think teachers should always have their lesson plans finished well before the lesson takes place. Students can recognize when a teacher is unprepared, which questions their professionalism. Don't give the students the wrong impression, and always plan out your lessons ahead of time.



<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">4) <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;">Instructional practice - The teacher should:
 * implement instructions that engage and challenge all students to meet or exceed the learning standards.
 * Implement the instructions to the students to be well known in the classroom
 * Make sure the students know what the standards are for the specific upcoming school year
 * Plan academic goals with the students
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Proving relevant resources - providing information that will be helpful for the student will also make learning easier. Books, articles, maps, graphic organizers, puzzles, games, etc. can all be useful resources for the students. However, if the resources are not relevant to what is going on in the classroom, the resources may not be so helpful. Choosing the right resources for the right time will help out the students in many ways. Along with relevant resources, it will be important to provide resources that can be used for everyone. For example, not everyone will be able to process auditory information as a helpful resource.


 * I think this image illustrates the content of a classroom, which helps the teacher know what to provide when instructional practice needs to be implemnted. **

5) <span style="color: #c4c43d; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;">Assessment - I think it would be important to have Assessment in the classroom so:
 * The teacher can objectively and subjectively test the knowledge of the students.
 * Although I am not fond of tests, I would try to __**scaffold**__ the students as much as I could, before the test. As a student, I am very aware of unfair tests and how teachers seem like they are out to get you. I would NOT want that for my students. Although tests are a good way to test the knowledge of the student, projects (Single working or group work) are also a great way for the student to really get a grasp on what is being taught in the classroom. From personal experience, I think projects get the student more involved which results in something being learned.
 * How do you know a student has // learned // a specific concept? - I believe knowing a student has learned a concept, is whether or not the student can apply what he/she has learned in the classroom. Can the student provide examples? Can the student explain the concept himself/herself?

Assessment does not always have to be through testing and I don't think it should be. I think teachers should talk to their students and **listen** to what he/she has to say about the current topic. You learn a lot from a student by just listening to what they have to say.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">6) <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;">Rewarding learning - Letting the student know when he/she is on the right path can be very rewarding. As a student, knowing when I am doing something right only furthers me to continue doing "the right thing". I think this concept is especially useful to start at a young age. Giving out little prizes (in a younger classroom) or more play time can push a student to want more rewards, resulting in them pushing themselves to do better. In an older classroom, acknowledgement alone can make a student feel positive about what they are doing to succeed
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #1717c7; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Student Voice - If there is going to be rewards for behavior and performance, I think it would be important for the student to choose what the reward will be. As long as the reward is appropriate, I think it is important for students to have some say in the classroom. I had a teacher who did this when I was in grade school. I think the authority given to us made us feel important. It was also fun to see what some students could come up with.

Different types of reinforcers could be used for rewarding/not rewarding students. I think this chart illustrates what should be done for both good and bad behavior.




 * **a b o u t** ||

**Operant Conditioning** is the term used by [|B.F. Skinner] to describe the effects of the consequences of a particular behavior on the future occurrence of that behavior. There are [|four types of Operant Conditioning]: **Positive Reinforcement**, **Negative Reinforcement**,**Punishment**, and **Extinction**. Both Positive and Negative Reinforcement strengthen behavior while both Punishment and Extinction weaken behavior. ||

**e.g.** ||

In **[|Positive Reinforcement]** a particular behavior is strengthened by the consequence of experiencing a positive condition. For example: > A hungry rat presses a bar in its cage and receives food. The food is a positive condition for the hungry rat. The rat presses the bar again, and again receives food. The rat's behavior of pressing the bar is strengthened by the consequence of receiving food. In **[|Negative Reinforcement]** a particular behavior is strengthened by the consequence of stopping or avoiding a negative condition. For example: > A rat is placed in a cage and immediately receives a mild electrical shock on its feet. The shock is a negative condition for the rat. The rat presses a bar and the shock stops. The rat receives another shock, presses the bar again, and again the shock stops. The rat's behavior of pressing the bar is strengthened by the consequence of stopping the shock. In **[|Punishment]** a particular behavior is weakened by the consequence of experiencing a negative condition. For example: > A rat presses a bar in its cage and receives a mild electrical shock on its feet. The shock is a negative condition for the rat. The rat presses the bar again and again receives a shock. The rat's behavior of pressing the bar is weakened by the consequence of receiving a shock. In **[|Extinction]** a particular behavior is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing a positive condition or stopping a negative condition. For example: > A rat presses a bar in its cage and nothing happens. Neither a positive or a negative condition exists for the rat. The rat presses the bar again and again nothing happens. The rat's behavior of pressing the bar is weakened by the consequence of not experiencing anything positive or stopping anything negative. ||

http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/nru/opcond.html

Graphic Organizer Who doesn't love a cheeseburger? I know this one doesn't look all that appetizing, but the layers are easily distinguished. I have 6 categories and there are six layers to this burger (including the bread). My reasoning for the burger, is the idea behind it. Most burgers having specific ingredients in/on them to make all the flavors come together. The ingredients are perfectly mixed together/put together to make a delicious meal. In the classroom, I would hope for the six categories I chose to perfectly blend together in harmony. Different "flavors" added to the classroom will help all other aspects mesh together.